Chapter 169 1/3

“The Book of Injustice” sells well in Jiang’an Province and also in the capital city.

This is a book praised by the emperor!

And it’s because of this book that King Jin was rebuked, fined, and placed under house arrest, while Zhang Zhiru went from magistrate to governor.

In the months prior, this book was extremely popular in the capital city. If a scholar hadn’t read this book, they wouldn’t know what to talk about in conversations.

In such circumstances, the recluse naturally became a well-known figure among scholars in the capital.

Today, in Chang Duan’s restaurant, several scholars mentioned the recluse: “Have you read the ‘Collected Works of the Recluse’ from Jiang’an Province that’s been circulating?”

“I’ve heard of it, but haven’t read it.”

“I saw it at a friend’s place. His friend in Jiang’an Province sent him the monthly ‘Anjiang Collection,’ along with the accompanying ‘Collected Works of the Recluse.’ Unfortunately, I didn’t get to borrow the book, so I couldn’t transcribe it.”

“I’ve read it too. The recluse is really bold in his writing!”

…

The “Anjiang Collection” is well-known in Jiang’an Province but not in the capital city.

It’s just a collection of books compiled and printed by local academies!

However, the August issue of the “Anjiang Collection” accompanied by the “Collected Works of the Recluse” caused a stir in the capital city.

But… the scholars in the capital city didn’t read the “Anjiang Collection”; instead, they all went to read the “Collected Works of the Recluse.”

“The recluse has always walked among the common people, understanding their lives. It’s no wonder he can write the ‘Collected Works of the Recluse.'”

“I’ve read ‘The Book of Injustice’ several times, and then reading this ‘Collected Works of the Recluse,’ every word feels like a gem.”

“If I could enter the officialdom, I would definitely help the emperor solve these problems!”

…

These scholars praised the recluse endlessly, but there were also many who didn’t think highly of the “Collected Works of the Recluse.”

“The Book of Injustice” is a book about the suffering of the common people. No one dares to openly say this book is bad, but the “Collected Works of the Recluse” is different. This book caused some controversy in the capital city, and there were even people who wrote articles specifically stating that the “Collected Works of the Recluse” was nonsense.

However, most people could see that the recluse wrote such articles for the good of the people, and naturally, the recluse’s reputation was good.

While these people were chatting, the innkeeper Duan Jin walked in from outside.

The person behind this restaurant is Lü Gonggong, and this fact is not a secret.

For this reason, some people were unwilling to eat at this restaurant.

But this didn’t affect the business of this restaurant at all because this restaurant named Qingyun Lou gives people a different feeling.

All the waiters at Qingyun Lou are handsome young men, dressed uniformly, and they all look energetic.

The decoration and layout of Qingyun Lou are also different from ordinary restaurants, looking very elegant.

The dishes at Qingyun Lou are also very delicious, and some dishes cannot be found elsewhere.

…

Qingyun Lou has many special features, and what made it famous are the “Three Treasures of Qingyun.”

Qingyun Lou has three treasures. First, there’s the extremely fragrant and potent “Qingyun Wine”!

After Qingyun Wine appeared, the most potent liquor was “Burning Blades,” but since the appearance of Qingyun Wine, it deservedly became the top liquor in the world.

It is said that even someone with a strong tolerance for alcohol could get drunk and lose consciousness after just one bowl of Qingyun Wine.

The second treasure of Qingyun Lou is spicy dishes.

The innkeeper obtained a very special seasoning that can make various spicy dishes. Some people couldn’t handle the spiciness, but most people would grow to love it after eating it a few times.

Unfortunately, this seasoning is relatively rare, so the spicy dishes at Qingyun Lou, like Qingyun Wine, are quite valuable.

The third treasure of Qingyun Lou is the innkeeper, Duan Jin.

Because Lü Qingxi often dined at Qingyun Lou, there were rumors in the capital that the innkeeper Duan Jin’s cooking skills were extraordinary…

Then, the famous gourmet of the capital, the old marquis of Huaiyang Mansion, found Duan Jin and offered a high price for him to cook.

Duan Jin inquired in detail about the old marquis’s taste preferences, then spent a day preparing and cooked ten dishes for him the next day.

Although the portions of these ten dishes were small, each one was extremely special… After the old marquis finished eating, he often praised Duan Jin’s cooking skills in public, saying that no one could match Duan Jin’s culinary skills.

As a result, Duan Jin became the third treasure of Qingyun Lou, and people without power and influence couldn’t afford to invite him to cook.

Seeing Duan Jin, many people greeted him: “Innkeeper Duan!”

Chang Duan smiled and chatted with these people.

Chang Duan and Qingyun Lou became famous in the capital city, largely due to Li Qingzhi.

The distillation vessels drawn by Li Qingzhi for Chang Duan allowed him to produce Qingyun Wine with a very high alcohol content.

After Li Qingzhi sent chili powder, Lü Qingxi sent someone to the south to find and buy some chili. Qingyun Lou also had spicy dishes.

As for his cooking skills… Li Qingzhi wrote some recipes for him and even told him a trick that made people think he was amazing — when guests arrived, he could invite them to a specially decorated elegant hall and cook some dishes with rare ingredients for them, or make some complex dishes, and then only give the guests a small portion of the finished dish…

With a few more servants serving that guest, the service was brought to the extreme, and the dishes were served in very special dishes…

With these dishes served one after another, the guests would feel that what they were eating was different from others.

After inquiring about the guest’s taste preferences in advance, Chang Duan could also design the most suitable menu for the guest!

The dishes he cooked for the old marquis of Huaiyang Mansion were all very complex, with items like silver-inlaid teeth stuffed in bean sprouts, spicy and fragrant beef, and cabbage cooked in broth.

These dishes ranged from light to heavy in flavor, with each one explained in detail… The old marquis could taste eight out of ten flavors, and he became famous from then on.

As they chatted, Chang Duan inadvertently revealed a piece of news: “I just heard some news when I went out — the recluse has written a new book.”

The scholars who had previously talked about the recluse were immediately interested upon hearing this and immediately wanted to buy the book.

Chang Duan smiled at this.

His restaurant was designed with elegance and was not suitable for hiring storytellers, and “The Book of Flee

ing Disaster” was too tragic in content, so it wasn’t suitable for storytelling in the restaurant.

However, he had gotten to know many people during this time, and he planned to hold a reading club for “The Book of Fleeing Disaster” in his restaurant.

In any case, he would do his best to let more people know about this book.

On the other hand, Shopkeeper Mu, had already delivered the goods from Wu Baichuan brought to the capital to her shop, Jin Xiaoye Embroidery Workshop.

She could make a big profit from these goods, but she didn’t have time to manage the shop. Her mind was entirely on “The Book of Fleeing Disaster” now.

She had contacted theater troupes and scholars who could write dramas, asking them to write a play after reading “The Book of Fleeing Disaster” in the shortest possible time!

She asked these people to write a play with her father, Li Zhao, as the main character… She wanted the people of the capital to know her father.

Also at this time, five thousand copies of “The Book of Fleeing Disaster” were sent to the bookstore under Lü Qingxi’s command and displayed prominently.

To prevent people from burning the books out of fear of King Jin, each person was only allowed to buy one copy.

“‘The Book of Fleeing Disaster’? The recluse’s new book?”

“Give me one!”

“This book also comes with a copy of ‘Water Management Strategies’?”

“When did the recluse write a new book?”

“Is his ‘Collected Works of the Recluse’ available for sale?”

…

The scholars in the bookstore saw “The Book of Fleeing Disaster” and immediately started buying.