Chapter 111 Flipping the Card
The spectacle of "Spring Never Ends" astonished all the merchants in the capital.
No other business has so many distinguished guests at its opening.
Even Taoyuanxuan and Jufulou do not have it.
One of these two families was backed by the King of Qin, and the other by the Crown Prince.
Look, regardless of whether there are conflicts on weekdays, whether you are from the Crown Prince's faction or the Prince of Qin's faction, they have all been dealt with neatly and sent people from their residences over.
The onlookers were also discussing it animatedly.
With such a grand display, could the person behind this be the Empress?
That's not right. If it were the Empress, the people from the Prince of Qin's faction wouldn't have come!
Everyone has eyes; the wife of the Duke of Anguo and the wife of the Duke of Qi just bumped into each other at the entrance of Chunbuwan.
The two even had a friendly and cordial exchange!
So, the person behind this "Spring Festival Not Late"...
Could it be the imperial family?
Everyone was startled by their own thoughts.
Oh my, even the imperial family is doing business now? Does that mean military spending is tight again?
Or is there going to be a war in the North?
Even the imperial family is now abandoning all decorum to do business.
Thinking about it this way, many people had the same idea: if they had money in the future and wanted to drink tea, they would come to this teahouse!
It's better for the imperial family to earn some money than for those corrupt officials to pocket it all!
However, everyone was just thinking about it.
Just looking at the decor of this teahouse, it's incredibly expensive. A single visit there for tea would probably cost a year's worth of living expenses...
People outside the building were talking about it.
The people in the building also praised it highly.
Originally, these families thought that since they had the resources of the Seventh Prince and the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, they might as well just come and go through the motions.
To prevent the Seventh Prince from complaining to the Imperial Family again someday.
It's just a matter of a few dozen taels of silver!
But once inside the teahouse, everyone felt they couldn't see enough.
That's really generous of them!
All the tables, chairs, and couches are made of rosewood.
Some of the wooden utensils appear to be ebony...
These are things that are hard to buy even with gold!
In the late spring, these things were just casually placed.
And the paintings and calligraphy on the walls, many of them are ancient relics from previous dynasties, just hanging on the walls for everyone to appreciate.
And those tea sets... all from official kilns...
......
The more people looked, the more alarmed they became.
Such a luxurious building is actually just a teahouse...
It's a bit of a pity.
Shangguan Jin was also shocked when she first saw these things.
However, Lian Qianli and Hua Wanli explained immediately.
On the one hand, Hua Wanli collected a lot of things from the Wanhualou in Jiangnan.
She even tried to fool her mother, saying that people in the capital are worldly and shouldn't be so petty, as it would damage the reputation of her restaurant, the "Number One Restaurant in Jiangnan."
Hua Yueniang thought it made a lot of sense!
Then he used up almost all his connections and emptied half of his warehouse.
On another note, the leader of the Ruyi Alliance heard that his beloved daughter had opened a teahouse in the capital, and his beloved son was busy helping her with everything.
With a wave of his hand, he also moved a lot of Ruyi Alliance's things over.
Thus, with the support of two major martial arts forces, Chunbuwan quickly rose to become the number one establishment in the capital.
Although this building is just for drinking tea...
Shangguan Jin, along with his wife and his sister-in-law from his maternal family, entered the best private room at Chunbuwan, Banyue Tuolan.
"The sea is half-moon-like, dragging blue..." What a good name.
Madam Shangguan looked at the four characters "Half Moon Dragging Blue" and couldn't help but praise them.
Shangguan Jin smiled.
Isn't that a good name?
The four characters "Half Moon Dragging Blue" were carved from the finest white jade and inlaid on the door of the private room.
As the group entered the private room, a faint fragrance filled the air, like a wisp of mist swirling around their noses.
When you try to smell it carefully, it seems like there's nothing there at all.
A well-dressed young tea boy respectfully led everyone to their seats.
A large three-sided couch is placed by the window.
The couch is adorned with soft pillows meticulously crafted by embroiderers from Jiangnan.
Guests can sit, lie down, or even half-take off their shoes and recline...
In the center of the three-sided couch is an exquisitely carved tea table.
Upon closer inspection, the tea table is adorned with exquisite depictions of flowers, birds, and figures.
Madam Shangguan was already feeling uneasy as she looked at these things.
I came here today just to show my support.
The old master said that the occasion must be grand today. Since it is the imperial family's wish, then we should follow the imperial family's wishes.
She even brought two hundred taels of silver notes with her!
I just don't know if it'll be enough...
Just as Madam Shangguan was about to give her daughter-in-law a wink, signaling the maid to go back and fetch some more, she saw the young tea boy present a jade tray to everyone.
There are twenty-four jade plaques on the jade plate, each made of high-quality jade and engraved with characters.
"This is the tea lady's jade pendant."
"The tea ladies are named after the twenty-four solar terms. Mother, whichever name you choose, that's the tea lady you'll have brew the tea," Shangguan Jin explained with a smile.
Madam Shangguan was delighted to hear this!
You can even choose a card!
That's a great idea!
"You know, no wonder people say that Jiangnan is rich!"
People from Jiangnan are so clever to have so many ideas for opening a teahouse!
Come on, let me see whose card we'll choose today...
Lady Shangguan looked at the jade plate for a long time before finally settling on one.
"Autumnal Equinox has just passed, and it's almost here!"
Upon hearing this, the young tea boy immediately turned over the jade tablet for the Beginning of Autumn and then took it out.
A moment later, a young woman with a veil covering her face slowly walked in.
"Tea Maiden Liqiu greets all the ladies and young ladies."
"May all the ladies and young women be safe and happy." The tea lady performed a half-squatting bow with neither servility nor arrogance.
After saying that, the tea lady sat down at the tea table.
Then the young tea boy handed over a beautifully crafted tea menu.
Madam Shangguan flipped through it.
"We often drink Lu'an Melon Seed Tea, Lao Jun Mei Tea, and Qimen Black Tea in our household."
I've never tried this twelve-flower tea before.
Is there any explanation for this?
"In reply to Madam, the Twelve Flower Tea is the signature product of Chun Bu Wan."
"Made primarily with flowers from all twelve months of the year, complemented by matching teas, it has a unique aroma," the tea lady explained.
Upon hearing this, Madam Shangguan immediately closed the tea menu.
"The Autumn Equinox has just passed, and the air is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. Let's have some osmanthus tea!"
"Bring out a set of snacks as well."
Mother, let's keep it simple today, instead of calling her Qinniang.
"Next time we come, how about we invite a tea master to brew us a pot of tea?" Shangguan Jin asked with a smile.
Madam Shangguan...
Good heavens! What's wrong with this eldest daughter? She still calls him "Tea Master"...
It doesn't seem like it's impossible...
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