jdhmnovel Chapter 128 Acquaintance
Chapter 128 Acquaintance
Zisu knocked on the door of Zizhuxuan.
Yu Cailian asked, "Who is it?"
Zisu: "It's me, I'm Shangguan Zisu."
Before she could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing Yu Cailian's head: "It's Zisu! Please come in quickly!"
Everyone inside rose from their seats and greeted Zisu, saying, "Greetings, Princess Yulin!"
Princess Shangguan Zisu of Yulin was their idol! This young girl, who was strong, brave, intelligent, kind and lovely, won the hearts and admiration of every girl present.
Yu Cailian hurriedly introduced them to Zisu one by one: "This is Tan Yu, the daughter of Censor-in-Chief Tan; this is Liu Fangfang, the daughter of Minister of Justice Liu; and this is Li Tingting, the daughter of Commander of the Imperial Guards Li."
Zisu quickly smiled and nodded to everyone: "Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you all! No need to be so polite, just call me by my name, my name is Zisu, Shangguan Zisu!"
These people will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, become her close friends.
Therefore, she had to be warm and welcoming to these people. Living in the capital, she needed to make some friends; she couldn't be a loner.
Seeing how amiable and unpretentious she was, everyone couldn't help but smile and nod, saying, "Hello, Zisu, it's an honor to meet you!"
Yu Cailian smiled and said, "Everyone, sit down and chat while you eat!"
At this moment, the waiter brought over new bowls and chopsticks, and then served a hot dish that Zisu liked: "Princess, the manager has ordered a few more hot dishes. Please wait a moment, they will be served soon. If there is anything you would like to eat, please tell me."
Zisu: "Let's do as Uncle Jiang says. I don't need to order. Anyway, Uncle Jiang knows what I like to eat!"
"Yes, Your Highness, please wait a moment." The waiter respectfully withdrew.
Zisu then said to everyone, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat? Feel free to order, it's on me today. You get a 30% discount when you eat here."
Yu Cailian exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my goodness! I only get a 50% discount when I eat here, but you can get a 30% discount!"
Zisu: "This is because most of the recipes here were created by me. Originally, the princess wanted to give me shares, but I didn't want them. So, she gave me a 30% discount card instead."
Yu Cailian suddenly realized: "Oh, I see! You're a great hero! A 30% discount is totally affordable for you!"
The slight annoyance she felt earlier vanished instantly. She guessed that the Good Days Restaurant probably didn't want to charge Zisu for her meal; Zisu must have insisted on paying herself, which was why they gave her a 30% discount.
Yes, she guessed right, that was exactly it.
A 30% discount would just break even, ensuring no loss. This was within Zisu's acceptable range; otherwise, she'd be embarrassed to eat at Good Days Restaurant. Jiang Shichang and the Princess had also planned well; if they lost money, Zisu probably wouldn't come to Good Days Restaurant, which would be bad. A 30% discount would make both sides happy.
Zisu and the three new acquaintances hit it off immediately and got along very well. The laughter and chatter in Zizhu Pavilion disturbed the guests in the adjacent Huamei Pavilion, who were none other than the newly appointed Jinshi scholars.
Fang Heng was a highly skilled martial artist, and he quickly recognized the voice as Zi Su's—the voice of the girl he longed for.
Xu Chu beckoned to a waiter: "Who are the guests next door?"
Waiter: "They are Princess Yulin, the Empress's niece, and several daughters of officials. Gentlemen, please do not offend the guests of Zizhu Pavilion. Princess Yulin is a distinguished guest of our master!"
The host's distinguished guest also means that the eldest princess's distinguished guest.
Xu Chu chuckled and said, "Don't worry, we didn't plan to drink much. For so many people, we only served a small jar of wine, and it's a low-alcohol fruit wine. We're just curious whose daughter is laughing so heartily!"
"That's good, gentlemen. I'll head out now!" The waiter opened the door and went out, but didn't leave. Instead, he stood guard at the door. Still worried, he beckoned a companion over: "Go tell the manager that the gentlemen from Huamei Pavilion asked me who the guests at Zizhuxuan are."
A short while later, Jiang Shichang hurriedly came up with two guards and instructed them: "You two guard the entrance of Zizhu Pavilion and do not allow anyone to disturb the people inside!"
The guard respectfully replied, "Yes!"
Jiang Shichang was relieved and went downstairs to get busy.
Hearing the commotion outside, Cherry opened the door and came out. She saw two tall, burly men dressed as guards. Cherry recognized one of them; he was Jiang Shichang's personal bodyguard. She quickly asked, "What's going on? What happened?"
The guard said, "The guests from the Plum Blossom Pavilion across the street were asking the staff who the guests from the Purple Bamboo Pavilion were. The manager was worried, so he sent us here to keep watch, just in case."
Cherry was taken aback and quickly asked, "Who are the guests at Huamei Pavilion?"
Guard: "They are the newly appointed scholars this year, including the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Tanhua, and Bangyan)."
Cherry's eyes lit up: "You mean, Fang Heng, the third-ranked scholar, is here too?"
Guard: "Yes."
Cherry couldn't help but chuckle, and waved her hand at the guard: "If you are scholars, then it's alright. My princess knows that Fang Heng too. You are Master Jiang's personal guard, so it would be better if you went to protect Master Jiang. I'm here. My martial arts are quite good, I'll just guard the door!"
This was exactly what the guard wanted to hear. He said to another guard, "Go and talk to the master and see if he agrees. If he does, I will go back to the master's side!"
As a servant, he naturally had to obey his master's wishes, and he dared not leave without his master's orders. The other guard's martial arts skills were far inferior to his, so he sent that guard to seek instructions from his master.
A moment later, Jiang Shichang came up in person, and Haitang quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Haitang greets Manager Jiang. Princess, you don't need to worry about the manager here, I'm here!"
Jiang Shichang was relieved to see Haitang: "With you guarding the door, I'm at ease!" He waved and left with his personal guards, but then instructed the shop's guards: "Patrol more often, and pay special attention to the movements of Huamei Pavilion and Zizhu Pavilion!"
Jiang Shichang's two trips back and forth naturally alerted Fang Heng, who was highly skilled in martial arts. He already knew that Zisu had a close relationship with the owner of the Good Days Restaurant. However, the fact that the owner was so concerned about Zisu was unexpected.
It seems that perilla is very popular! Or perhaps, perilla truly is a great benefactor and hero of Good Days Restaurant. Otherwise, why would Manager Jiang have gone to such lengths?
Fang Heng excused himself to change his clothes (meaning to relieve himself) and walked out of the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Upon seeing Haitang, he hurriedly and enthusiastically went over to her: "Miss Haitang, is your princess inside too?"
Haitang replied happily, "Yes, my daughter is inside. Congratulations to Young Master Fang on achieving the third-highest rank in the imperial examination! This is truly a joyous occasion!"
Fang Heng smiled and nodded, lowering his voice: "Miss Haitang, please tell the princess that my sister is eagerly awaiting the princess's invitation to visit the general's mansion!"
Haitang respectfully replied, "Yes, my young lady will honor the reputation of the scholar!"
The two men, feeling guilty, dared not refute. Besides, Fang Heng was someone who had been trained on the Northeast battlefield for five years; if they angered him, it wouldn't be a joke, and they would definitely get a beating.
Fang Heng immediately stood up: "Alright, that's enough for today's dinner. I have important business to attend to, everyone can leave now!"
Xu Chu quickly smoothed things over: "Fang Heng, sit a little longer, we haven't finished chatting yet!"
Fang Heng: "Let's go on a spring outing another day! I know a really great place, I'll treat everyone then!"
The "everyone" here naturally does not include the two people who tried to spy on Zisu, nor are they of good character.
Chen Kai also stood up: "Yeah, I have something to do today too, let's do it another day, everyone go home!"
---There will be one or two more updates today. As expected, I've fallen off the charts. Sigh. The competition on the charts is fierce!