Chapter 218 1/3

Li Zhu had been searching for someone in the capital as instructed by Lu Qingxi, but he hadn’t found anyone that met the criteria. There were many orphans in the capital, but most of them didn’t have the right appearance. Even those who looked good didn’t resemble the person in the portrait, or their age didn’t match.

Lu Qingxi felt a bit disappointed upon hearing Li Zhu’s report, but he knew finding the right person wouldn’t be quick. “Keep looking, and if you can’t find anyone in the capital, try other places. But be careful. Don’t draw too much attention or let Prince Jin and Prince Yan’s people find out.”

Li Zhu agreed, though he was somewhat frustrated. Finding someone without causing a stir was challenging.

As they spoke, someone came in and handed a letter to Lu Qingxi. He immediately recognized it as one from Concubine Liu. He had instructed his men to deliver any letters from her to him immediately, regardless of what he was doing.

Lu Qingxi gestured for Li Zhu to wait and began reading the letter. He was stunned. Concubine Liu had chosen Li Qingzhi? And it turned out that Li Qingzhi was an orphan? It seemed quite coincidental, but he couldn’t find anything suspicious.

He and Concubine Liu had just come up with the idea recently, so there was no way Li Qingzhi could have known their plans and made such arrangements in advance.

However, Li Qingzhi was indeed an excellent candidate. He knew what orphans with no parents, who had grown up to be in their twenties, were usually like. If they weren’t stealing or engaging in petty crimes, that was already commendable!

Presenting such a person as the emperor’s son… Lu Qingxi would feel guilty about deceiving the emperor.

But Li Qingzhi was different. He was the top scholar of Jiang’an Province, had a photographic memory, and was handsome…

The son of the emperor and Concubine Liu should be like this!

However, he needed to verify Li Qingzhi’s background personally and send people to Chongcheng County and Yuxi Prefecture to check if Li Qingzhi’s story was true.

After pondering for a while, Lu Qingxi noticed Li Zhu still waiting respectfully.

“Zhu, take your time with the search. No rush. Also, if you hear any news about Lu Mingshan, inform me immediately.”

Lu Mingshan’s fame had grown after the Plum Blossom Festival. The man had vanished into thin air afterward, sparking rumors that he was a celestial being who had returned to the heavens after punishing evildoers.

Lu Qingxi sought Lu Mingshan because if he had real abilities, he could help examine Li Qingzhi. If Lu Mingshan turned out to be a fraud, he could still be used to tell the emperor about a lost son.

Li Zhu was slightly taken aback by the order to find Lu Mingshan but agreed respectfully.

Lu Qingxi then dismissed Li Zhu and summoned others to quickly investigate Li Qingzhi’s background in Chongcheng County and Yuxi Prefecture.

Unaware of these developments but somewhat suspicious, Li Qingzhi could sense a change in Concubine Liu’s attitude after he shared his fabricated background. She seemed more friendly.

Concubine Liu had likely chosen him, but such a significant decision wouldn’t be finalized immediately.

In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed. Qi An’s condition continued to stabilize, and Li Qingzhi had surplus energy.

Qi An was very young, not even two years old. Feeling sorry for the child, Li Qingzhi used his surplus energy to alleviate Qi An’s pain, making him more comfortable.

With less pain, Qi An could sleep better and had a better appetite. Eating well and sleeping well, his body recovered quickly.

Concubine Liu, who had been prepared for Qi An’s death, was now content that he had survived. Furthermore, she was keen on making Li Qingzhi her “son.” Every afternoon when the weather was good, she would carry Qi An to the courtyard to chat with Madam Qian and Li Laogen.

She had many topics to discuss with Madam Qian, and even with Li Laogen, she could engage in conversations.

In her childhood, Concubine Liu’s family was very poor, and she had experienced hard times.

Moreover, Li Laogen was the type who could talk a lot even if no one talked to him first.

Guided by Concubine Liu, Li Laogen talked about many things regarding Li Qingzhi, including the time he was forced to mine stones.

Concubine Liu hadn’t realized Li Qingzhi had endured so much.

After interacting like this, she found Li Qingzhi’s family quite endearing, and Li Qingzhi himself even more so.

The children in the neighborhood liked to be close to Li Qingzhi.

In the courtyard, three children were running and jumping around. In the west wing, two cooks were preparing food, and under the corridor, a maid was washing clothes with hot water.

The peaceful life of the Li family made her yearn for it.

However, she was destined to stay in the palace for the rest of her life.

After basking in the sun for a while, Concubine Liu saw Jin Xiaoye returning from outside.

After the Plum Blossom Festival, Jin Xiaoye had discussed opening a shop with Li Zhu, but due to recent events, this plan had been delayed.

However, Juewei Zhai was almost ready to open!

In Jiang’an Province, the braised food from Juewei Zhai wasn’t very expensive, but things were different in the capital. Buying chickens and ducks in the capital was more expensive, and if they bought in bulk as they did in Chongcheng County, they risked being threatened by suppliers.

So, they decided to sell premium products in small quantities, targeting the wealthy!

The capital was bustling, and shops were hard to rent, but Jin Xiaoye had managed to rent one. The shop had a typical layout, with a storefront in the front and a small courtyard with a few rooms in the back.

In this era, shops often used the back rooms as storage or for production. For example, rice shops would mill rice in the back, clothing shops would make clothes, and bookstores would copy books.

For their braised food business, they could prepare the braised dishes in the back!

Jin Xiaoye had chosen one of Chang Zhan’s apprentices to oversee the new Juewei Zhai once it opened. With a few hired workers, the shop would be ready to go.

As for the prices of the braised dishes…

Spicy duck would sell for two taels of silver each, and regular braised chicken and duck for one tael each. Other braised items were also priced high.

These outrageous prices meant that ordinary people wouldn’t buy them, but the capital was full of wealthy individuals, and their shop wasn’t targeting the poor.

“Madam Liu,” Jin Xiaoye greeted Concubine Liu with a smile.

“Madam Li,” Concubine Liu replied with a warm smile, her gaze soft.

She liked Jin Xiaoye, both the person and her lifestyle.

In the capital, many women were confined to their homes for life, but Jin Xiaoye could go out every day and run a business. It was admirable.

“Madam Liu, my shop is opening tomorrow. Today I brought some braised food. I’ll have someone cut it up for you to try,” Jin Xiaoye offered.

Li Qingzhi had told Jin Xiaoye about Concubine Liu’s true identity the first night she stayed with them. Initially, Jin Xiaoye was shocked to learn that she was a Concubine. Despite Li Qingzhi’s reassurances, she had been too scared to speak to Concubine Liu at first.

It was fortunate that Concubine Liu didn’t go out much during those days.