AEOGA CH28

“Grand General, please take the seat of honor!” Upon learning that the man before him was the Grand General of Weiyuan, Wang Yiming’s attitude immediately grew ten times more respectful. “Would you prefer to head up to a private room on the second floor?”

Everyone owed their utmost respect to the general who defended their country.

“I’ll just eat right here; it’s all the same,” Grand General Qin replied. He had spent his life enduring the elements at the border, frequently choking down dry rations and wild herbs just to stave off hunger, so he wasn’t particularly fastidious about the venue.

Truthfully, he didn’t care much for culinary indulgence. It was only because Prime Minister Lu had praised this place to the high heavens that his appetite had been piqued. In his heart, he doubted it could be quite that extraordinary, so he had come to see for himself.

Wang Yiming invited him to be seated, then instructed the kitchen to prepare the two signature dishes along with a few side dishes to go with his wine.

Grand General Qin waited, feeling thoroughly bored. The restaurant was elegantly decorated, clearly intended as a haven for refined scholars and literati, but as a martial officer, he had little appreciation for calligraphy and paintings.

It wasn’t until the signature dishes were served and their enticing aroma hit his nose that the Grand General’s expression finally turned serious.

He beheld the cabbage, succulent and verdant, carved to look like a fully bloomed flower—a visual feast in itself. The mandarin fish resembled a squirrel, its surface golden-brown, drizzled with a rich, glossy sweet-and-sour sauce, and radiating waves of piping-hot steam.

Based on appearance alone, it was exquisite.

“Fancy flourishes,” Grand General Qin muttered, picking up his chopsticks. He parted the golden, crispy exterior to reveal the tender, snow-white fish beneath. Popping a piece into his mouth, he chewed a few times, and the nonchalance instantly vanished from his face. The fish was sweet and sour, perfectly balanced without being cloying—a flavor he had never experienced before.

His eyes lit up. He quickly reached out for a few more bites, finding the aftertaste more and more rewarding the more he savored it. Eating it alongside his rice, he emptied his bowl in the blink of an eye. The plate of fish was picked entirely clean before he had even touched the other dishes on the table.

Grand General Qin, his appetite unsatiated, called out, “Bring another bowl of rice!”

In his youth, he possessed a massive appetite and could easily devour two large bowls of rice. In recent years, however, his age had begun to catch up with him, and the toll of eating erratically during the wars had left him with a weak stomach, often causing him to lose his appetite. It had been a very long time since he had eaten this heartily.

Wang Yiming beamed with joy. “Right away, General!”

Now that’s the proper reaction. He knew no one could resist these two dishes.

Another bowl filled to the brim with white rice was brought out. Though the fish was gone, Grand General Qin remained reluctant to let anything go to waste, using the leftover sauce to mix into his rice. In this manner, he polished off more than half the bowl before finally picking up the cabbage. Its refreshing, crisp texture cut right through the rich sweetness of the fish, drawing another wave of admiration from him.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Grand General Qin reached out to settle the bill, but Hua Yan spoke up first: “Today is our grand opening promotion. The first ten guests eat for free, General. Safe travels.”

This was also the intention of His Highness the Empress. The primary goal of the first day was to establish a reputation, and the waived bills were essentially viewed as paying the first ten guests for marketing the restaurant.

Grand General Qin cast a look of approval at him. “Your establishment certainly knows how to conduct business, and the food is excellent. Your trade will not suffer.”

Hua Yan smiled. “We thank the General for his auspicious words.”

Leaving the restaurant, Grand General Qin mounted his horse and was preparing to head home when he crossed paths with the carriages of the Liu and Shen estates.

The four great clans generally maintained good relations, but there were natural degrees of closeness. The heads of the Liu and Shen households were the birth fathers of Liu Yansheng and Shen Hezhou, holding the ranks of Grand Commander and Imperial Censor respectively. The two families were lifelong friends, and the two patriarchs frequently gathered together, sharing a bond as tight as the one between Grand General Qin and Prime Minister Lu.

Grand Commander Liu was a notorious gourmet; his greatest passion in life was tasting exquisite food, and he possessed an incredibly discerning palate. He had traveled the world solely to hunt down delicacies, even compiling a book titled The Compendium of Heaven’s Delicacies to rank various dishes. He frequented Yuhua Street, but he only ever patronized Zhenwei Restaurant.

Zhenwei Restaurant was the most prosperous establishment on Yuhua Street, renowned for its signature dish, the Sweet and Sour Carp. Grand Commander Liu had once praised their carp as “rarely seen in this world, difficult to match.” Everyone knew how picky his taste was. For a dish to earn such high praise from him meant it truly possessed exceptional quality, prompting countless people to visit out of curiosity, only to find the reputation well-deserved. From then on, Zhenwei Restaurant flourished, its business booming, and its popularity never waned.

With Huaman Pavilion opening today, every restaurant on the street had sent scouts to assess the competition, except for Zhenwei Restaurant, which remained unmoved. They held the exclusive secret recipe for the Sweet and Sour Carp; no one could steal their business. If anything, the other restaurants had already been squeezed out of their survival space by Zhenwei Restaurant, which was why they worried so intensely about another newcomer trying to claim a share of the spoils.

Seeing Grand Commander Liu and Imperial Censor Shen, Grand General Qin, as a colleague of several decades, naturally greeted them: “Grand Commander Liu, Imperial Censor Shen.”

The two patriarchs returned the greeting: “Grand General Qin.”

“Is Grand Commander Liu visiting Zhenwei Restaurant for the Sweet and Sour Carp again?” Grand General Qin engaged in small talk.

Imperial Censor Shen replied with a smile, “Aside from Zhenwei Restaurant, what other dish could keep Old Liu so entirely captivated that he runs down here seventy or eighty times a year? On the other hand, Grand General Qin is a rare guest on Yuhua Street. What brought you here today?”

Grand General Qin stated, “A new restaurant just opened on this street. I just sampled their signature dish, the Squirrel Mandarin Fish, and it tastes even better than Zhenwei Restaurant’s Sweet and Sour Carp.”

Grand Commander Liu refused to believe it. “How is that possible? I have tasted everything under heaven, and I have never encountered a fish that tastes better than the Sweet and Sour Carp.”

“Believe it or not. The restaurant is right at the end of Yuhua Street, called Huaman Pavilion. Go taste it yourself and you’ll know,” Grand General Qin huffed lightly. “The first ten customers eat for free, so if you go late, you’ll miss out. I intend to come back tomorrow to taste it again.” With that, he pulled his reins and galloped away.

He left Grand Commander Liu and Imperial Censor Shen staring at each other.

Imperial Censor Shen asked, “Are we still going to Zhenwei Restaurant? Or shall we go try Huaman Pavilion?”

Grand Commander Liu showed utter disdain. “What does Qin Shoucheng know about fine dining? Previously, when I invited him to taste the fine wines and exquisite dishes I painstakingly gathered, prepared by famous chefs, he insisted there was no difference between that and the husks and wild herbs he ate. He truly swallows things whole without tasting, like a cow chewing on peonies! How can his words be trusted?”

Yet, even as he spoke those words, his feet honestly marched toward the end of Yuhua Street.

Imperial Censor Shen: “…Didn’t you say his words couldn’t be trusted?”

Grand Commander Liu didn’t bat an eye. “It’s free. A trip there costs us nothing.”

Imperial Censor Shen couldn’t help but chuckle. “The Liu family is a century-old noble house, yet you’re still stingy enough to crave a free meal?”

“You don’t understand,” Grand Commander Liu sighed. “Yansheng has been in the palace these past three years, and from time to time, he sends letters to cry poverty, claiming he can barely sustain his life there. I still have to provide him with financial relief. Money cannot be spent recklessly; we must save wherever possible.”

The two entered Huaman Pavilion with very low expectations.

Half an hour later, Grand Commander Liu and Imperial Censor Shen emerged, rubbing their bellies with radiant, flushed faces.

How could they even begin to evaluate this meal?

It was to the extent that Grand Commander Liu pulled out his Compendium of Heaven’s Delicacies on the spot to rewrite the rankings.

“Spread the word,” Grand Commander Liu declared, his eyes flashing with immense excitement. “Huaman Pavilion’s Squirrel Mandarin Fish is, without question, the undisputed number one under heaven.”

The news that the patriarchs of the four great clans had all patronized the same newly opened restaurant quickly swept through the entire aristocratic circle of Yujing.

The four great clans had always been the elite among the nobility, serving as the trendsetters for Yujing’s fashion and style. At this particular juncture, they were the center of universal attention. Where they went and what they did simply could not be hidden.

Furthermore, they hadn’t attempted to hide it. Grand Commander Liu had even made a grand, public declaration that Huaman Pavilion’s signature dish was the best under heaven, completely matchless.

Grand Commander Liu’s picky palate was famous. The last dish he had praised continuously was Zhenwei Restaurant’s Sweet and Sour Carp, and the public had agreed it was excellent upon trying it. Yet, even for the carp, Grand Commander Liu had never gone so far as to declare it entirely matchless under heaven; he had only called it difficult to equal.

Consequently, whether it was those wishing to follow the example of the four great clans to keep up with the trend, or those driven purely by curiosity, everyone felt compelled to pay a visit to Huaman Pavilion.

Thus, the restaurant, which had been completely deserted in the morning, suddenly became packed to the brim by evening. Not only were the private rooms upstairs entirely booked out, but there were no vacant seats left in the main hall, and a long queue formed outside the entrance.

The staff inside the building stood dumbfounded.

What had happened? How could such a radical transformation take place in a single day?

As the crowds surged, the chefs in the back kitchen found themselves struggling to keep up. Though the diners had to wait longer for their dishes to arrive, none displayed any impatience, and none got up to leave for another establishment. Those who understood art occupied themselves by admiring the calligraphy and paintings, while those who didn’t spent their time admiring the beautiful staff.

The servers in Huaman Pavilion were all former male courtesans. As a brothel, their looks had been ordinary, rendering them unable to compete with rival establishments. However, as a restaurant, these servers were remarkably young and attractive. Dressed in various long robes designed by Hua Yan, they resembled a collection of fresh flowers, presenting a thoroughly pleasing sight. Even the young master in the yellow robe managing the accounts at the front counter was handsome, and the manager in the pink robe who warmly received the guests was a rare beauty.

But since the patrons were all respectable figures of high standing, no one committed any tasteless acts of harassment or flirtation.

A portion of the diners was completely distracted from appreciating the beautiful staff. They stood before the screens, gazing at the calligraphy and artwork with expressions of awe, entirely losing track of time.

A crowd had gathered particularly thick in front of the central screen, Seeking Plum Blossoms in the Snow. While the other screens served as partitions and possessed excellent aesthetic value, this single screen stood right in the center, intended purely for display. And the artistic vision and execution of this painting fully justified its central position.

“Splendid painting, magnificent poetry!”

“I wonder which master was commissioned to create this? I truly wish to exchange verses and meet them in person.”

“In my humble capacity, I have previously copied the calligraphy and paintings of His Highness the Empress. Looking at the writing and art on this screen, it bears a striking resemblance to His Highness’s style…” a scholar remarked hesitantly.

From the back of the crowd, a young man in black clothes wearing a golden mask whispered to the white-robed young man beside him wearing a bamboo hat, “They recognized your handwriting?”

Lu Xuechao’s calligraphy and paintings were treated as models for all scholars across the empire to study, so it wasn’t surprising for them to recognize it.

The scholar slapped his forehead, saying excitedly, “This master has truly captured the very essence of His Highness the Empress’s style! I copy it day and night, yet I can only replicate the form, never the spirit. For this person to capture the spiritual resonance is truly worthy of my deepest admiration.”

The others thoroughly agreed.

Then, someone else sighed with emotion, “If even a replica is this outstanding, I cannot begin to imagine how breathtaking His Highness the Empress’s actual brushwork must be…”

“Pfft,” the black-clad young man chuckled softly under his breath. “Captured the essence.”

Lu Xuechao: “…”

How could these people possibly know that the item before them was the authentic piece, and that the artist himself was standing right behind them, blending into the crowd?

These two were, naturally, Xie Chongjin and Lu Xuechao, who had disguised themselves to slip out of the palace. Since it was the opening day of Huaman Pavilion, they felt compelled to inspect the situation personally.

The situation looked promising.

Without exception, every single patron who had managed to get their food had licked their plates completely clean, with some even requesting another portion.

Lu Xuechao scanned the surroundings, then walked up to Wang Yiming, who was managing the accounts at the front desk.

Wang Yiming was staring down, his fingers flying across the abacus. He was collecting money until his hands grew weak, so busy that he couldn’t even lift his neck. Sensing someone standing before him, he didn’t raise his head. “Please wait a moment, honored guest. Let me finish settling the bill for this customer first.”

“How much is the intake today?”

Hearing that crisp, cool voice, Wang Yiming’s hand shook, causing him to misplace a bead on the abacus. He quickly flicked it back into place.

He raised his head, only to see the white-robed young master lift a slender, jade-like hand to slightly tilt back the edge of his bamboo hat, revealing a face of celestial grace and exquisite beauty. It was a fleeting glimpse before he quickly lowered it again.

Wang Yiming then looked at the black-clad man beside him, who wore a mask but possessed a deeply familiar silhouette: “…”

He had to lean heavily against the counter to keep his legs from turning to jelly and kneeling right then and there to shout Long Live the Emperor.

Otherwise, the entire room would have ended up on their knees.

Since the Emperor and His Highness the Empress had dressed like this, they clearly did not wish to expose their identities.

Wang Yiming answered as quietly as possible, his tone still unable to suppress his excitement: “Five hundred taels of silver!”

Five hundred taels was pocket change to the Wang family, but this was the first time he had earned something through his own management rather than relying on his family, and the feeling was entirely different. Furthermore, five hundred taels was a massive sum among commoners. It was only because Huaman Pavilion’s current clientele consisted of noble families that the pricing was entirely different from the outside world; while standard restaurants charged a few dozen copper coins per dish, the establishments on Yuhua Street charged several taels of silver per course.

The Emperor and His Highness the Empress would not let them work for nothing; they all received a cut of the restaurant’s profits.

Lu Xuechao was reasonably satisfied with this rate of wealth accumulation. However, when he considered the demands of state construction, which easily swallowed up millions of gold and silver taels like a bottomless pit, he couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

When poor, one attends to their own virtue; when prosperous, one blesses the entire world.

If it were merely to ensure the abundance of a single individual, this wealth would be enough to guarantee a lifetime of luxury. But if the goal was to bring prosperity to all the people under heaven, no amount of money could ever truly be enough.