Chapter 42 Young Master Song
Li Jin's originally melancholy mood was greatly brightened by this little incident.
Walking through the crowds around her, Li Jin, with the two people behind her, lifted the hem of her robe and walked up the stone steps of Jinhua Tower.
Jinhualou Restaurant in the capital is renowned and is by no means an ordinary small restaurant. Those who can drink and dine here are mostly from noble families, officials, or scholars.
To some extent, being able to book a table at Jinhualou is a symbol of status and prestige.
As soon as Li Jin stepped across the threshold, the waiter came up to him and, without saying a word, bowed and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing, may you enjoy peace and prosperity. This way, please."
Although Jin Shu was new to the capital, the magnificent scene before her as she stepped across the threshold gave her a general idea of the status of Jinhua Tower.
Beneath the gilded and jade-inlaid welcoming wall, long curtains hang gently from the high beams, playing a pipa tune. Western Region dancers play classical masterpieces and dance amidst the swirling snowflakes.
She was a while late, and only after seeing that Li Jin had already gone upstairs did she hurriedly follow.
Jinhua Tower has always reserved a top-class private room to receive unexpected royal guests. Today, the guest in this room is none other than the renowned Prince Jing, Li Jin.
"What would you like to eat, sir?" he asked with a smile, then gestured to Zhou Zheng, "Lord Zhou, please sit down as well. This meal is a welcome feast for Mr. Jin."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zheng did not hesitate and pulled out a stool from the side, sitting directly opposite Jin Shu.
The incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, and the sky outside the window grew increasingly gloomy. Before we could even eat, a light drizzle began to fall.
Jin Shu looked out the window and sighed, "Qingming Festival is approaching, and I didn't expect it to be rainy in the capital as well."
A slanting wind blows rain, and the wind chimes jingle.
Li Jin looked at her face, smiled slightly, picked up the small wine glass in his hand, took a sip, and then asked leisurely, "The gentleman said that Lin Ruxue smells strongly of alcohol."
Jin Shu turned around and hummed in agreement.
To everyone's surprise, he narrowed his eyes and asked unexpectedly, "Can you tell what kind of wine it is?"
On the square table, all kinds of delicacies from land and sea were laid out: steamed sea bass, stir-fried greens, stewed chicken and braised duck, and steamed eggs in rolled pancakes.
But when Li Jin asked this question, Zhou Zheng's hand, which was holding chopsticks, froze in mid-air, and he glanced at his prince with great embarrassment.
I haven't even eaten yet, and I already can't taste anything.
What's even more amazing is that Mr. Jin remained calm and composed, saying as he ate, "I don't usually drink much, so I can't tell the difference."
After speaking, he pondered for a moment and added, "If the master has tasted all kinds of wines, he can smell them and try them."
Li Jin paused for a moment, "Smell it and try it?"
His face turned pale, and the food on the table in front of him, just like Zhou Zheng, suddenly lost its appeal.
As the meal drew to a close, the manager of Jinhua Restaurant appeared at just the right moment.
Young and handsome were Jin Shu's first impressions of him.
Dressed in a long blue robe with a flute at his waist, he was extremely polite and refined: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jing."
Li Jin paused.
Seeing his cautious gaze, the man in front of him smiled and said, "Your Highness need not be so wary. Many years ago, Prince Jing's elder brother often brought Your Highness here to dine. At that time, I had not yet taken over the family business, but I was already working as a waiter in the restaurant, so I recognized him."
Upon hearing this, Li Jin pondered for a moment, and the hostility in his eyes lessened somewhat.
He placed the fan on the table, poured a glass of wine, and asked without looking up, "Since you recognize me, you should know why I've come here."
"I know." The handsome man turned slightly, signaling the waiter to close the door and guard the entrance.
Seeing that the gate was tightly closed, he looked at Li Jin and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing, you've come here because of Lin Yongde's illegitimate daughter, haven't you?"
“Yesterday, Miss Lin did come here for drinks, but because the gates close at 3:45 PM, she got up and left at 2:45 PM.” He paused. “Many guests can testify to this. Last night, she caused quite a stir here.”
Li Jin remained silent, holding the wine cup, her gaze fixed on the watery surface of the wine, looking at her own reflection, waiting for him to continue.
"Your Highness may not know, but Miss Lin has a fiancé, the son of Wang Xinde, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Yesterday, when Miss Lin came here, she happened to see Mr. Wang out with another young lady, drinking and listening to music in the main hall of my Jinhua Tower."
The shopkeeper nodded and smiled slightly: "Miss Lin smashed my Jinhua Tower to pieces."
The plot is clichéd.
But Li Jin took it to heart. He looked up at the shopkeeper's face and asked expressionlessly, "What's your name?"
"The despicable Song Zhen."
Song Zhen.
Li Jin had heard of this name only occasionally.
The Song family in the capital is one of the wealthiest families in the city, with influence over half of the capital's businesses.
He never expected that the person in charge of the Song family business in this generation would be a young master of similar age to him.
Li Jin narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly: "Mr. Song knows the officials in the capital very well, doesn't he?"
Before him, Song Zhen showed no panic, but a confident smile appeared on his face: "Your Highness Prince Jing, this Jinhua Tower is the business of three generations of my family. In the capital, if we dare to claim second place, no one dares to claim first. If we don't even have this much skill, how can we possibly succeed?"
"Then, Mr. Song, do you still remember how Miss Lin left last night?" He put down his wine cup and stared at Song Zhen.
The man in front of him did seem familiar to Li Jin, but no matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't recall ever having met this young master of the Song family, not even once.
It cannot be found, it cannot be located.
Seeing his question, Song Zhen smiled faintly: "I remember, the axle of the Lin family's carriage broke down, so Miss Lin took her maid and walked south for a while. After that, they were out of the range that Jinhua Tower could see."
"I originally intended to arrange a carriage to take Miss Lin back, but she was worried that the horses at Jinhua Tower would expose her drinking outside, so she declined. I also saw that she was clear-headed and had no signs of being drunk, so I did not insist."
Li Jin hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Is the axle broken?"
"Exactly."
He fanned himself for a while, then nodded and said, "You may leave."
"yes."
But Song Zhen didn't move. He stood there, looking at the stranger sitting next to Li Jin, whom he was meeting for the first time.
He was dressed in the black robes of the Six Doors, but was a complete stranger.
While he was talking to Li Jin, Jin Shu kept eating with his chopsticks, as if the people around him didn't exist.
The last person who dared to be so presumptuous in front of Prince Jing must be buried with grass two meters high by now.
Faced with this scene, Song Zhen hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up: "This gentleman has quite a good appetite. Would you like another serving of lotus seed soup?"
Jin Shu was taken aback, turned to look at him, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth: "No, no, please trouble the shopkeeper to pack a steamed fish for me, it's delicious."
The atmosphere inside the room immediately reached its peak.
Li Jin, Zhou Zheng, and even Song Zhen were all stunned and speechless.
This is something I've never seen before!
Seeing that Li Jin hadn't spoken for a while, Song Zhen finally responded, then turned and left with an incredulous look on her face.
After watching him leave, Li Jin exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Sir, you are truly a divine being."
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