The coronation ceremony is scheduled for the eighth day of next month, which is the date set by Guo Jing, who is said to have magic skills.
Guo Jing, admired by Sun Fu, the Minister of War, was a man of great power. Sun Fu introduced Guo Jing to Zhao Huan, claiming he could summon wind and rain, possessing powerful magical skills. Zhao Huan simply chuckled, unable to bear the thought of such childish tricks, and agreed to allow Guo Jing to enter the palace to preside over the coronation ceremony.
"Dongsheng, since you have nothing to do, why don't we go out of the palace for a walk?" Zhao Huan felt a little bored in the palace again.
Cao Dongsheng was extremely unhappy. He was worried about the emperor's safety: "Your Majesty, I think it's been a long time since you went to the harem to see the queen."
Zhao Huan then remembered that he had been busy with government affairs recently and had not visited the Queen for a long time. He pondered and said, "Well, I did neglect the Queen. But I still want to go out for a walk and take Zhan Yunpeng with me."
Cai Jing's administration was not without achievements. At least he abolished the curfew and opened up night markets. In this respect, Cai Jing was credited.
Fanlou, the most luxurious of the 72 restaurants in Bianjing, is said to offer dishes you've never tried. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, it demonstrates the restaurant's unique character.
Zhao Huan brought Cao Dongsheng, Wu Ge, and Zhan Yunpeng to Fanlou. Zhao Huan was envious, jealous of the luxury of Fanlou. It was even more luxurious than the Imperial Palace, reflecting the good economic conditions of the time.
It's said that money makes the world go round, and everyone knows this. In places like this, as long as you're willing to spend money, you're the boss.
But the terrible thing is that our Cao Dongsheng is a miser. He is always stingy and refuses to spend more money.
Zhao Huan couldn't bear it any longer: "Youwei, you came out to have fun, give it to me."
Zhao Huan snatched Cao Dongsheng's purse, fished out a silver ingot, and tossed it to the waiter: "This is a reward for you. Find a good seat. Bring us your specialties."
The waiter immediately beamed. He'd seen people spend lavishly before, but not many who were so frugal. This ingot of silver was worth half a year's salary.
So the waiter immediately treated them as ancestors and almost knelt down and kowtowed to them.
"Sir, please come in. There's the best room upstairs. I'll prepare it for you."
Zhao Huan waved his hand with the air of a nouveau riche: "No need. Just find us a place with a screen in the corner of the hall. We like a lively atmosphere."
"Okay." The waiter ran inside happily, then turned back after a few steps. "Sir, our restaurant has many specialties. Which one would you like to order?"
Zhao Huan imitated the tone of a nouveau riche: "You idiot, just keep making noise. Just bring us some good wine and good food."
The waiter didn't dare to say anything and hurriedly left. Soon, the table was filled with wine, food, fruits and vegetables.
Zhao Huan, the imperial chef, had tried every kind of food in the palace and found the food at Fanlou so-so. He ate a little and then stopped.
At this time, a burst of crying came from next door. Zhao Huan was originally feeling bored, but now he became energetic.
"Youwei, go take a look. What's going on?"
Cao Dongsheng went out for a while and came back.
"Master, there's a father and daughter next door. It seems they're selling their daughters because of a contract."
Zhao Huan raised his hand and said, "Come here, I'm going to slap you. I asked you to go find out something, but you're so confused. Bring me that father and daughter."
Cao Dongsheng walked out reluctantly. For the emperor's safety, it was better to stay out of such trivial matters.
Zhao Huan looked at Wu Ge and said, "Hey, this kid has grown into a bad temper."
Wu Ge smiled and said, "Youwei is also concerned about your safety. This matter can be left to the Kaifeng prefect."
After a while, an old man holding a clapper walked in, along with a girl of about fifteen or sixteen holding a pipa.
The girl had bright eyes and white teeth, and was quite pretty. Zhao Huan's eyes lit up involuntarily, and he stared at the girl's face intently, his saliva almost flowing out.
The girl looked up and saw Zhao Huan's staring eyes, her face turned red and she lowered her head.
Zhao Huan finally came to his senses, swallowed his saliva, and straightened his clothes: "Well, we are drinking here, why are you two crying?"
The father and daughter knelt hurriedly. The girl said, "Last month, my family came from Nanjing to stay with relatives. Unexpectedly, the war broke out, and they had already moved out of the capital. My mother died of illness in the inn, and my father and I had no money for a burial, so we had no choice but to perform in this restaurant. Unexpectedly, a few days ago, we ran into Mr. Li from Prime Minister Li's mansion. He was impressed by my good singing and gave me a few taels of silver."
Zhao Huan frowned. "Prime Minister Li's residence? Which Prime Minister Li?"
The woman hurriedly lowered her head and said, "It's the young master of the current Prime Minister, Li Bangyan."
Zhao Huan suddenly remembered that the Li Xiaoyi he met as a prostitute in Zuixinglou was this grandson.
"Go on!" Zhao Huan finished speaking, only to realize that he had inadvertently used an official tone. He coughed and said, "Oh, go on."
The girl was startled, then said, "Mr. Li rewarded me with a few taels of silver, and I'm very grateful. Mr. Li also offered money to bury my mother. I thought I had met a distinguished person, but I never expected that when I went to the inn to bury my mother, this Mr. Li, he, he..."
The woman started to cry softly as she spoke, and Zhao Huan felt irritated. "Stop crying and continue."
The girl sobbed and said, "Mr. Li used the excuse of burying my mother to trick me into the inn and rape me."
"What!" Zhao Huan immediately went berserk upon hearing this: "He, that bastard, did he rape you?"
The girl blushed and lowered her head, saying, "Young Master Li later said he would marry me as his concubine. I thought since it was done, I had no choice but to accept my fate. But he later went back on his word and refused to acknowledge it. My father and I had no choice but to go to Prime Minister Li's residence to ask for an explanation, but Lord Li Bangyan ordered his servants to beat us out with sticks."
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