The woman kneeling on the floor was only sixteen years old. She had only come to like the light blue Hanfu after she came out of the palace. Even the jewelry on her head was very similar to the ones that Linglong Pavilion had just released. This was definitely not a cheap purchase.
Among the onlookers, some men felt sorry for her. Erlu was tall and strong, and he had no liking for the delicate and weak woman.
Previously, during the training of the Imperial Guards, Fei Yanggu specially invited many "skinny horses" from Jiangnan to train the Imperial Guards' composure. They would accompany Kangxi to Jiangnan, where they would have to observe all the different types of women. In case someone tried to sabotage them behind their backs, they had to be able to withstand the temptations and sweet talk.
The woman dared not make any more moves, only whimpering in pain. Qingyan's chubby forehead showed that he felt uncomfortable all over. Couldn't this woman do something else?
"When did restaurants start having female singers?" Erlu's question stunned everyone. The laws of the Qing Dynasty stipulated that restaurants and inns could not have female singers. Clearly, this manager had violated this rule.
Qingyan's eyes flashed; these people really dared to cause trouble behind the scenes.
Yin smiled slightly, and Xiao Guai became annoyed.
Some timid guests left the crowd early, fearing they would be targeted by the authorities.
"What a coward!"
Qingyan started complaining, and Sulan felt helpless seeing her mistress's unwilling face.
"No, no, no, this woman is definitely not a singer at the restaurant." The manager, having heard the waiters' stories about what happened upstairs, quickly came up to explain to Erlu.
The woman was completely unfazed, only sobbing softly, while Erlu stood before her with a frown.
He worried that the woman would become entangled with him, so he simply didn't give her any chance at all.
"Like Meng Jiangnu crying down the Great Wall." Qingyan pursed her lips, but her words were quite sharp.
puff!
The people listening to the gossip nearby burst into laughter, some even spitting out their tea in exasperation. Meng Jiangnu...
"Who is her man?!" Yin Shen added insult to injury.
Qingyan sneered. These women dared to cause trouble behind her back, and Sisi would never give them any face.
He placed Qingyan under his protection, and the men could immediately tell who Yin was protecting.
"Eru!"
"My lord, I am merely on guard here and do not know who this woman is!" Erlu defended himself, at most he was worried about affecting his master's mood.
The atmosphere in the corridor instantly became awkward. The men all glanced at Qingyan out of the corner of their eyes. Her slender fingers lifted her cap, revealing her delicate face to everyone. Some of the bolder men shifted their gaze under the pressure of Yin's eyes.
People around them began to whisper among themselves. They saw Qingyan's stunning beauty, and then they saw the kneeling woman's appearance. They had to admit that Qingyan's temperament was superior.
"Master, this woman's identity..." Erlu reminded him from the side, as Yin's identity was too special and he didn't want to reveal it.
"No need, just send him out, shopkeeper!" Yin led Qingyan back to the private room.
After the two left, the onlookers did not leave. Many of them were watching the situation closely. Normally, the saleswoman would only be kicked out, and she would reappear in the restaurant a few days later.
There are policies from above, and countermeasures from below.
Restaurant owners, in order to make a good profit, would never let such a model pass them by.
"And this gentleman is..." The shopkeeper watched the crowd leave, then stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Erlu.
Erlu stood in front of the shopkeeper, listening to the shopkeeper's words. He pursed his lips and stared at the shopkeeper with sharp dark eyes.
Inside the private room, Yin was coaxing Qingyan. They had encountered many women along the way, which increased Xiaoguai's pressure. Yin had no other women in his harem, and the censor would probably use that to criticize her.
"Little darling, let's go see the lanterns later. The lanterns here are all on boats." Yin hugged the little one tightly, tapping her little nose as he spoke.
Qingyan turned her head away, determined not to surrender. Yin was a trap; he would use such conditions to tempt her whenever trouble arose.
However, his proposal was really tempting. Should I go or not?
"Moreover, we can stay on the ship for one night," Yin continued, promising.
No one in Yangzhou can control them, so he'd be happy to let Qingyan relax a bit.
"real?!"
Qingyan's eyes lit up; she had enough chips, so she agreed.
"Alright, use as much stuff as you like, we'll leave when it gets dark!" Yin's lips curled up slightly.
Ugh!
Qingyan was stunned when she saw the Fourth Master's appearance. "Waaah, he's so easy to catch."
"You've got me completely under your thumb, I should forgive you more slowly!" Qingyan felt uncomfortable.
Starting with the Cao family, women flocked to Yin one after another. Yin's coldness and ruthlessness made the Cao family give up on any such plans, and they would never allow the women they had carefully nurtured to become cannon fodder.
"No, it's because you've got me cornered!" Yin would never have done something so unruly before, but now, he just wants an easy life.
Qingyan smiled, and Su Peisheng and Su Lan pushed open the door and came in, placing dinner in front of them. It was a variety of famous Yangzhou dishes, with crab meat lion's head being Qingyan's favorite.
The lion's head meatballs were as big as her palm and tasted extremely delicious.
"Sisi, let the chef learn how to make these lion's head meatballs. I want to use them when we get back!" The imperial chefs rarely have this skill; the Jiangnan dishes they make are all modified versions.
Yin glanced at Su Peisheng; he would agree to any request Qingyan might make.
Four-four is the best!
Qingyan cheerfully waved her chopsticks and began to dine with Yin.
He showed a hint of tenderness, feeling a warmth in his heart as he watched the little guy eat without a care for appearances.
In front of outsiders, Qingyan is always virtuous and kind, but she only shows her childlike side when she is with Fei Yanggu and his two sons.
"Use it slowly!" Yin took out a golden silk handkerchief and wiped Qingyan's mouth.
At this moment, the door opened, and the waiter walked in carrying lotus flower pastries. When he saw the golden silk handkerchief in Yin's hand, his heart skipped a beat.
"Put it on the table!" Yin casually put away the silk handkerchief. Qingyan was about to leave the shop after eating the lotus flower pastry, so it didn't matter if her identity was exposed.
The waiter put down his things in a daze and left the private room. At this moment, the back of his clothes was soaked.
"Lotus flower pastry!" Qingyan looked at the authentic lotus flower pastry and felt very happy. The taste in the palace was not the same.
The Cao family in Suzhou and Hangzhou also makes this pastry, but they use a recipe from the capital.
"It's really amazing! Not only is the flavor subtle, but the crust is also delicious!" Qingyan was completely won over by the wonderful taste after just one bite.
"Mother likes it too. I'll have someone learn how to make it later, so that you two can use it together when we return to the capital." Yin poured Qingyan a cup of tea.
"Mother likes it?!" Qingyan had dined with Consort Tong several times, but never knew what her favorite thing was. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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