Taking advantage of the National Day holiday, the Su family of three decided to go on a road trip.
Along the way, Su's father introduced the scenery along the way to his daughter, and soon they arrived at their destination.
After parking the car, they went to Yuxuanju for dinner.
"Dad, why does this place look a bit shabby? Are the food here delicious?" Su Tiantian asked curiously.
Father Su shook his head and said with a smile, "How can it be delicious? Do you know how many people your father hired to bring you and your mother in to eat to get this position?"
They sat in the hall, and the dozen or so tables that looked quaint and old were all filled with people.
Father Su pointed to the side and said, "Look, do you think some of them look familiar?"
Su Tiantian turned around and was suddenly surprised, "Hey! Bai Wu!"
Bai Wu is a well-known film queen both at home and abroad. Now in her fifties, she has successfully risen in the capital and is one of the top capitalists in the entertainment industry.
"Look, people like them wouldn't need a private room for their meals? Why do they only eat in the hall?" asked Su's father.
Su Tiantian understood immediately, "Then eating here must be very expensive, right? Why don't we go to another restaurant?" She just looked at the menu and saw many famous historical dishes.
Although her father is a CEO, which sounds impressive, they are nothing compared to the real capital.
"It is indeed expensive. A meal like this costs hundreds of thousands." This does not include the money he spent on entertaining, giving gifts, and using connections to get seats. If all the money was added up, the meal would cost more than one million. However, Su's father did not say it to avoid adding to the psychological burden on the mother and daughter.
Even if it was a few hundred thousand, it still scared the mother and daughter so much that they gasped.
"Don't complain about the price, you two. Others can't even come in to eat here. Do you know why Yuxuanju is so expensive?"
Both mother and daughter shook their heads.
Father Su explained, "This Yuxuanju is a thousand-year-old brand, with a history of over 1,300 years. It's a living fossil. You can see that the layout here is very old, but it's not intentional. Everything here is antique. If something breaks, we have to ask the staff of the Palace Museum to help repair it. It's not easy to maintain it in this state."
"Yuxuanju will only be open once a month, which is also to better protect these antiques."
"But if we want to protect antiques, why not just donate them to the country and let the country help maintain them?" Su Tiantian asked.
Father Su rolled his eyes. "Their descendants are still around. Even the family tree is clearly written. Many of them even hold government positions. This thing belongs to them. If it were you, would you be willing to donate it?"
Every brick and tile here is worth a lot of money.
"Yuxuanju is just a restaurant, right? Why has it been passed down for so long?" asked Su's mother.
"There is a story, but I don't know whether it is true or not."
"It is said that over 1,300 years ago, during the Taiping Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong An Jingzhi often patronized Yuxuanju. Because of the emperor's favor, Yuxuanju grew larger and larger. An Jingzhi abolished the rule that merchants' children could not take the imperial examinations. The shopkeeper of Yuxuanju originally worked for the master's family. After his son passed the imperial examination, the family had some spare money, so he took out all the money and opened another Yuxuanju."
"And this other Yuxuanju is An Jingzhi's favorite Yuxuanju, which is the one that has been passed down to the present day. The reason why it has been able to survive until now and survive peacefully after experiencing countless wars throughout the Taiping Dynasty is actually because An Jingzhi invested money in it."
When Father Su's voice rang out, the voices of conversation around him also died down, and many people were listening to him.
"An Jingzhi was born into a farming family and later became a beggar, so he's very picky about food. Many of Yuxuanju's signature dishes were developed by An Jingzhi, so Yuxuanju actually has a royal share. How could the royal family not take care of their own purse strings?"
"There's another reason why he can take such good care of Yuxuanju. It's said that before An Jingzhi became emperor, he received favors from this shopkeeper when he was a beggar."
"Yuxuanju later expanded and expanded, with restaurants all over the Central Plains, and annual revenue exceeding one million taels."
"Dad, isn't this the same tax amount as in the early years of the Taiping Dynasty?" Su Tiantian said in shock.
"Who told you that?" Father Su said with a smile.
"That's how TV dramas are played out. The Taiping Dynasty is almost worn out."
"That's all fake. I've done thorough research to bring you and your daughter here for dinner. Taxes were relatively low in the early years of the Taiping Dynasty, but An Jingzhi changed the tax system to make it more reasonable. He uncovered all the high-ranking officials and nobles who had hidden their land and population. At the lowest point, the tax revenue was over 10 million taels."
"Excuse me, sir." A magnetic female voice sounded in their ears.
Su Tiantian turned around in surprise and found that it was Bai Wu. She exclaimed, "Ah! My idol!"
When she found out that the other person was here just now, she wanted to go up and ask for an autograph, but he was eating and she didn't want to disturb him. Unexpectedly, her idol walked right up to her!
If she hadn't considered her upbringing, she would have immediately turned into a groundhog!
Bai Wu smiled at the mother and daughter and then said to Father Su, "Sir, I just heard your conversation. You seem to know a lot about Emperor An Jingzhi. We're planning to make a movie about An Jingzhi soon. I wonder if I could find some time to talk to you about him in detail?"
"I, I just asked other people about this. Wouldn't it be better for you to just ask the people at Yuxuanju?"
Bai Wu smiled bitterly, "I can't make an appointment."
Father Su understood immediately.
Su Tiantian was a little anxious. She signaled her father with her eyes and tugged at his sleeve.
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