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Hongsheng Restaurant had recently become a sensation due to the debate tournament hosted by the renowned scholar Zhang Yong. It was packed with guests every day.
Due to the constant full capacity, Hongsheng Restaurant had to implement a reservation system with a minimum consumption requirement to limit and filter guests.
Xie Zhan was currently flipping through a booklet at Hongsheng Restaurant, while the owner and the restaurant manager stood respectfully beside him.
Hongsheng Restaurant was preparing a debate tournament for the 27th, 28th, and 29th, and the debate topics were carefully chosen.
These three days were considered the finals, so they needed to set a threshold, filter out a group of people, and make arrangements for security and other aspects. They also needed to manually screen the guests for these three days.
The booklet in Xie Zhan’s hand recorded the names of individuals who wanted to reserve a table for those three days at Hongsheng Restaurant. Among them were prominent officials, merchants, and scholars.
Xie Zhan carefully reviewed each entry, getting a sense of the situation. He even had the authority to strike out any unsuitable individuals.
Soon, his gaze fell upon a certain line in the booklet, “The Lu family wants to reserve the Lan character room on the second floor for the 28th?”
The young master replied, “Yes, Young Master Xie, should we reserve the Lan character room for them?”
Xie Zhan pondered for a moment before saying, “Grant them the reservation.”
On the 28th, they would invite Emperor Kang Cheng to the debate tournament, making it a grand event. That’s why they were so focused on the restaurant’s security measures. After all, if something happened to the emperor at Hongsheng Restaurant, it wouldn’t be a simple matter.
From the 27th to the 29th, they had three days of tournaments, yet the Lu family only reserved a spot for the 28th. This spoke volumes.
Xie Zhan was now quite certain that the Lu family had a powerful backer. Good, let him witness how the Lu family would break the situation.
Actually, Lu Songli wanted to reserve the Lan character room for all three days, but the manager and her staff told her that due to the overwhelming number of guests, including prominent officials, they only allowed one reservation for the Lan character room during those three days. After some deliberation, Lu Songli instructed her staff to reserve the room for the 28th.
On November 28th, Lu Desheng was summoned to the palace early in the morning to accompany the emperor.
Due to the restrictions and filtering of guests, Hongsheng Restaurant was no longer overcrowded. Those who could enter were people of status, even the scholars were those with reputations. This actually raised the standard of the tournament.
Lu Songli arrived at Hongsheng Restaurant early in the morning with her mother and younger brother. Qin Sheng would arrive later. She had initially wanted to invite Madam Qin and Qin San Shao Fu Ren to join them, but San Shao Fu Ren declined due to her impending childbirth. Madam Qin had been unwell lately due to overwork and was recuperating at home. However, both of them expressed gratitude for the invitation.
Upon hearing about Madam Qin’s condition, Lu Songli considered that she had some spare money now. She decided to pick out some authentic medicinal herbs later and make some nourishing pills for strengthening the foundation and replenishing vitality. Her parents could also take these pills, but the dosage for Madam Qin would need to be adjusted, which could potentially improve the effect. However, she needed to carefully examine Madam Qin’s condition before deciding how to adjust the dosage.
Qin Sheng arrived about a quarter of an hour later.
As soon as he entered, he immediately captured the attention of his mother-in-law, who summoned him to her side and asked him questions with great affection. Even Lu Mingzhi, who was usually the most favored by Madam Jiang, was pushed aside.
This was the first time Lu Mingzhi had met Qin Sheng, his future brother-in-law. He thought, “This brother-in-law is so young. He’s not the same type as my former brother-in-law, Xie Zhan. Xie Zhan is more mature. Well, he’s seventeen, two years older than me.”
“Brother-in-law, I’m Lu Mingzhi.” Lu Mingzhi greeted Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng sat upright, his attitude serious and respectful as he replied, “Mingzhi, hello. I’m Qin Sheng.”
In reality, Qin Sheng felt a blush rise to his cheeks at the sound of “Brother-in-law,” but he managed to suppress it. His ears turned red.
His awkwardness in social situations caused Lu Mingzhi to chuckle. “Haha, our family finally has someone with a thin face.”
The blush on Qin Sheng’s ears became even more prominent.
Lu Songli shot her younger brother a glance, “Don’t you feel bad for bullying an honest person?”
Lu Mingzhi chuckled foolishly, thinking, “What’s the difference? It’s an arranged marriage by the Empress Dowager. They can’t break it off.”
A tech enthusiast and a sports aficionado, two people with almost no overlap, turned into brother-in-law. Fate is truly wondrous.
Madam Jiang sipped her tea, watching the banter between the children with amusement.
Lu Songli had to change the topic, otherwise she feared that Qin Sheng would start to burn up.
“A Sheng, how have Liu Erxi and the others been lately?” As she asked, she handed him a cup of tea. The tea was already cold, which should help cool him down.
Qin Sheng took the cup and drank it in one gulp. “You’ve given them work to do and paid them well. In their words, things couldn’t be better.”
“That’s good.” It was only right to pay people for their work. Moreover, for certain tasks, it was more convenient to have those who were familiar with the common people handle them than the stewards from the mansion.
Qin Sheng continued, “My elder brother and third brother are here. They’re in the room next door.”
Lu Songli paused her tea-drinking. They were all here to watch the drama unfold.
As soon as Qin Sheng finished speaking, Qin Heng and Qin Sanlang arrived at the door.
As the elder, Madam Jiang quickly invited them in.
After exchanging greetings, Qin Heng took Qin Sanlang back to the room next door, leaving Qin Sheng behind.
As the tournament was about to begin, Hongsheng Restaurant suddenly became more austere.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
“Did the Emperor arrive?” Lu Songli guessed.
Lu Songli was right. Emperor Kang Cheng arrived at Hongsheng Restaurant incognito with a group of officials and settled into the largest and most luxurious suite on the second floor.
Xie Zhan, using his father’s connections, had the opportunity to meet the emperor and was invited to stay.
Lu Desheng quickly said, “Your Majesty, my children are also at Hongsheng Restaurant.” Xie Mingtang, you brought your son, and I’ll bring my son and daughter! Humph, why should you have all the glory!
After speaking, Lu Desheng looked at Emperor Kang Cheng with anticipation.
The officials silently cursed Lu Desheng for being shameless, and some even glared at Xie Mingtang for starting this.
The more observant officials looked sideways. Lu Desheng was quite bold. His youngest daughter and son were only fourteen or fifteen years old, wasn’t he worried about them acting inappropriately in front of the emperor? The kind-hearted Duke Gong couldn’t help but quietly remind him.
Lu Desheng remained calm. His daughter was clever, he wasn’t worried about her handling herself in front of the emperor. Moreover, his daughter was far more talented than Xie Zhan. If Xie Zhan could be here, why couldn’t his daughter? Those who were so worried should be even more eager to have her participate. Lu Desheng wouldn’t miss any opportunity that could help his daughter grow.
Due to the Zhao Bin incident, Emperor Kang Cheng was quite curious about Lu Songli, the second daughter of the Lu family. It was rare to see a young girl who was so ruthless. Moreover, he had just granted Xie Zhan, the eldest son of the Xie family, an audience. Now that Lu Desheng had mentioned his son and daughter, he had to give them some face.
Thus, Lu Songli and Lu Mingzhi were summoned by Emperor Kang Cheng.
As Lu Songli was heading towards the emperor’s presence, Qin Sheng pulled her aside and whispered, “Be careful in front of the emperor. Don’t say anything foolish.”
Lu Songli looked at his serious face with amusement, knowing he meant for her not to be reckless. This young man really cared about her.
“Don’t worry.” She patted his arm and then walked towards the outside, leaving him behind.
Lu Mingzhi followed closely behind.
After their children left, Madam Jiang saw that she was the only one left in the suite. Well, there was also her considerate son-in-law. She decided to bring him with her to the suite next door to join Qin Heng and the others.
Standing before the emperor, Lu Songli and her brother performed a proper bow. Emperor Kang Cheng allowed them to rise without bowing, but before he could ask any questions, the signal for the tournament to begin came from downstairs.
Lu Songli pulled her brother and quickly stood behind her father. This position was directly opposite Xie Zhan, and their eyes met briefly. They would have their showdown later, so there was no need to start a conflict now.
After his children stood in place, Lu Desheng glanced at Xie Mingtang. “Your Xie family has produced a brilliant son, while my family has produced a talented daughter.” The current Lu Desheng was simply a proud father showcasing his treasures.
The other officials felt a pang of envy. What was going on? Why did Xie Mingtang and Lu Desheng bring their families to Hongsheng Restaurant today? They felt like they were missing something.
They were summoned from their government offices by the emperor. Initially, they didn’t know why, but after the emperor took them out of the palace, they learned that they were coming to Hongsheng Restaurant to watch the tournament.
It was a pity that their children hadn’t come to Hongsheng Restaurant for the fun. Otherwise, they could have had a chance to meet the emperor. It didn’t matter if they performed well or not, at least they could have shown their faces to the emperor, which might be useful in the future.