The imperial examination was held in three sessions, one session every three days, lasting a total of nine days.

On the day the exam ended, the entire Xiangyang Marquis household waited at the gate to welcome Li Muyun.

The students came out one by one, their steps heavy and slow.

Their faces were pale and grayish, exhausted to the point that some collapsed into the arms of their family as soon as they emerged.

Li Muyun carried his belongings, walking unsteadily.

The old Marquis rushed forward in a quick stride, “Yun’er, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Li Muyun forced a smile. “It was just that I nearly starved in there. The rations were awful!”

Li Zhiyue smiled and said, “Then let’s go eat. I’ve reserved a table at the restaurant. Come on.”

At the entrance of the restaurant, Bai Ruzhu recognized it as the Bai family’s restaurant.

Before she was married, she had come here to check their accounts.

But it looked very different from before.

What was going on?

At that moment, two young ladies came out from inside—one was Bai Tang, the other Cheng Wanfeng.

“Everyone, please come inside. All the dishes have been served,” they said.

Bai Ruzhu looked suspiciously at them. “What is this?”

“This restaurant is a joint venture between my cousin, Miss Cheng, and me,” Li Zhiyue smiled. “My cousin provided the venue, Miss Cheng the culinary skills, and I put up some money. The restaurant officially opens tomorrow, so we invited everyone to come try the food today. If you have any suggestions, please let us know and we will correct it in time.”

Bai Ruzhu suddenly understood. “I was wondering why Tang Tang was never home lately—turns out she’s doing business with Yue Niang.”

Bai Tang smiled shyly. “Thanks to my cousin for taking me along, I discovered how interesting running a business is.”

Before, learning household management from her mother mainly involved checking accounts.

The business details were never a concern for the women inside the home.

She had always thought just owning a shop meant money would come in.

Only after starting to manage it did she realize there was so much to it.

Once a person gets busy, all troubles disappear, and every day feels fulfilling.

Bai Tang linked her arm with Bai Ruzhu’s. “Auntie, let’s go inside first.”

Li Muyun was momentarily stunned.

Despite his appearance, his cousin didn’t even come over to ask if he was alright?

Had she really started to ignore him?

An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

The group passed through the lobby with artificial rockery and flowing water and went up to a private room on the second floor.

The table was filled with dishes none of them had seen before.

They looked and smelled delicious, immediately whetting their appetites.

“Please, everyone take a seat,” Cheng Wanfeng smiled and introduced the dishes, “This is Dragon Well Shrimp, made with top-grade Dragon Well tea and fresh shrimp…”

Bai Ruzhu was stunned. “Miss Cheng, did you personally cook all these?”

“No,” Cheng Wanfeng replied. “Zhiyue said it would be too hectic if I did everything alone, so I hired four chefs and taught each to make four dishes. The secret recipes for the three signature dishes remain in my hands.”

“Miss Cheng knows so many dishes, amazing,” Bai Ruzhu sincerely praised. “Your Cheng family is indeed smart. If there were a chef’s examination, Miss Cheng would definitely be the top scorer.”

Cheng Wanfeng lowered her head and whispered to Li Zhiyue, “Your mother is really funny.”

The Li family were familiar and friendly, and Cheng Wanfeng wasn’t bothered by formalities. Everyone gathered around the table.

The old Marquis picked up his chopsticks and tasted the Dragon Well Shrimp. His eyes nearly popped out in surprise.

“I’ve tasted all the best dishes in the capital and even the imperial palace meals. Without exaggeration, if the Emperor tried this dish, it would surely be named an imperial delicacy!”

Li Muyun eagerly began eating.

The delicious food made him want to swallow his tongue.

“This is delicious! That is delicious! And this, this, this—all are just too good… Your restaurant will definitely become the best in the capital!”

Li Suifeng knocked on his hand with his chopsticks, “Watch your manners!”

Li Muyun suddenly came to his senses.

This wasn’t the Marquis’ mansion, but a restaurant, and there were two women present who weren’t family.

He instinctively looked at Bai Tang, but she was talking with Cheng Wanfeng.

They suddenly laughed about something.

The lantern light reflected in Bai Tang’s eyes, like stars scattered in her gaze, causing Li Muyun to be momentarily dazed.

Bai Tang noticed someone was looking at her.

She looked up and saw it was Li Muyun. Her smile immediately disappeared.

Just then, her maid entered quietly, “Miss, Master Fang has arrived.”

Bai Tang stood up and said, “Old Marquis, Uncle, Aunt, I have some matters to attend to. Please don’t wait for me.”

She bowed slightly and left with the maid.

Li Muyun was seated by the window in the private room, and from this angle, he saw Bai Tang leave the restaurant and walk to a man on the street.

The two then entered a carriage together.

Li Muyun frowned. “Who is that man?”

“How could you forget?” Bai Ruzhu said, “He’s your mother’s family’s nephew, Tang Tang’s cousin. No idea what he wants with her.”

Li Muyun fell silent.

Right, Tang Tang wasn’t his only cousin; the Fang family had at least three.

He was not the only one.

As night fell, the meal came to an end.

Bai Ruzhu looked at Cheng Wanfeng. “You live outside the city. It’s late and not safe. I’ll arrange a few people to escort you home.”

Cheng Wanfeng looked into the distance and smiled, “My eldest brother is coming to pick me up. Thank you, Madam.”

In the night, a man riding a tall horse approached.

Since it wasn’t too late, many pedestrians were on the street. His horse carefully moved through the crowd and stopped at the restaurant entrance.

He wore an all-black official robe, clearly having come straight from the Dali Temple (Court of Justice).

His black official hat framed a clear, handsome face with elegant features.

“Old Marquis, Marquis, Madam,” he dismounted and saluted in turn.

Bai Ruzhu looked at him more and more approvingly and blurted out without thinking, “Does Lord Cheng currently have any prospective marriage matches?”

Cheng Changyan was stunned.

He instinctively looked at Li Zhiyue and suddenly felt his ears flush red.

Luckily, the night was dark, and no one noticed the small change.

He answered calmly, “Not yet.”

Li Muyun snorted, “Lord Cheng is almost twenty and hasn’t thought about marriage—is it because… of some hidden illness?”

Cheng Changyan smiled, “Young Master Li is only seventeen and studied under the great Confucian scholars at the Imperial Academy. If he failed to pass the jinshi exam, perhaps the problem lies with his head.”

Buzz!

A string in Li Muyun’s mind snapped.

He was about to lose it.

Bai Ruzhu grabbed him, “Lord Cheng is already serving in the court at your age. Did he say anything wrong?”

Li Muyun: “……”

He’s the real son!

Why help outsiders but not him?

He wanted to find a corner and cry silently.