Chapter 219 1/3

The emperor hadn’t seen Concubine Liu for many days.

He went out of the palace today, and although he mostly traveled by sedan chair, he was still very tired. However, upon seeing Concubine Liu, much of his fatigue dissipated.

“Aman,” the emperor called Concubine Liu by her name, “I’m sorry.”

Upon hearing this apology, Concubine Liu’s eyes reddened.

At this moment, the emperor looked at Qi An in Concubine Liu’s arms. His eyesight was poor, so he had to get closer to see clearly.

Although Qi An was no longer in mortal danger, the wounds on his face still looked terrible.

The emperor was shocked by what he saw, and tears flowed from his cloudy eyes. “Is An An hurt this badly?”

Lü Qingxi had already gestured for the imperial doctor and the serving maids and eunuchs to leave. They all heaved a sigh of relief and quickly and silently exited the palace.

After they left, Concubine Liu began to cry out loud, “It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, An An wouldn’t have suffered like this!”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault…” The emperor was also very sad, tears falling continuously.

In the end, the two of them embraced and wept bitterly.

While they cried, Lü Qingxi carried Qi An out of the room. He knew Concubine Liu had things to discuss with the emperor, so he didn’t want to intrude.

Bringing Qi An outside, Lü Qingxi said, “Call back those imperial doctor.”

The doctor who had just breathed a sigh of relief and were about to leave were summoned back, standing trembling before Lü Qingxi.

Fortunately, Lü Qingxi didn’t say much. After carefully inquiring about Qi An’s injuries, he instructed them to prepare ointments for Qi An.

“An An, Uncle Xi will tell you a story…” Lü Qingxi spoke to Qi An, coaxing him.

Qi An was very young, not yet two years old, and didn’t understand what had happened to him. Being unable to see anything made him uncomfortable, but having someone hold and comfort him calmed him down.

“My dear An An is the best,” Lü Qingxi praised the child in his arms, thinking of Li Qingzhi. He had thought the child was sure to die, but unexpectedly, Li Qingzhi had real skills.

Lü Qingxi knew it was Li Qingzhi who saved Qi An, though the imperial doctor did not. Qi An’s sudden recovery puzzled them. “The young master’s injuries were very severe. It’s surprising he could recover.”

“His pulse is quite steady now. It’s remarkable.”

“Young children do recover more easily from injuries.”

“That must be it.”

“We still don’t know who hurt the young master so cruelly…”

Despite the emperor often being ill, the imperial doctor liked him because he was easy to get along with, and Concubine Liu never caused trouble. They just wondered what kind of emperor the future would bring.

Outside the palace, not far from Qingyun Tower, a new braised food shop called Juewei Zhai had opened. The shop was filled with enticing aromas, attracting many passersby who wanted to buy some to taste. But when they asked about the price…

“One tael of silver for a braised chicken? That’s too expensive!”

Jin Xiaoye had hired two young men in the capital to help run the shop. Both were good talkers. One of them said, “Sir, our Juewei Zhai’s braised food is made with many precious spices that are only found in the south. It’s worth the price.”

The other added, “Our recipe was passed down from a chef of the former dynasty, who only cooked for the emperor!”

The two of them talked up the shop, making it sound extraordinary. But the price was still high, and while the few who entered could afford it, they were reluctant to spend so much and left.

Jin Xiaoye watched all this from the back, not surprised. The prices in the capital were higher than in Chongcheng County, and the people’s incomes were higher too. But one tael of silver for a chicken was still steep.

However, there were always buyers. Back in the day, the Prince of Jin had sold stones from Hexing Prefecture in the capital for tens of thousands of taels of silver. There would always be buyers.

A well-dressed young man entered, and without hesitation, he bought a braised chicken and a spicy duck after hearing the price. The shop assistants wrapped the chicken and duck in oil paper, placed them in a bamboo basket, and handed it to the young man. The basket was complimentary. Given the high price of the food, a free basket was reasonable. Bamboo baskets weren’t expensive, as bamboo grew fast and was cheap, as was labor.

With the first customer, soon there was a second, then a third. Some even bought a bit of everything.

The braised food supply was limited, and by the afternoon, not much was left. It was at this time that a young man in his thirties, dressed in a blue robe, entered. This man was Chang Duan, known in the capital as Duan Jin.

Chang Duan, who had been forced to mine stones, had regained some health in the past two years of pampering, but he still looked somewhat weathered. He entered the shop and sniffed the air, pleased with what he smelled, and bought all the remaining braised food in one go.

The shop assistants, though surprised, packed everything up and handed it to him, filling four baskets in total. Chang Duan left with the four baskets and returned to Qingyun Tower.

That evening, the food connoisseurs in the capital learned that a new braised food shop had opened, and even Duan Jin, the renowned chef, had praised it highly. In the capital, everyone knew Duan Jin’s culinary skills were exceptional. There were even rumors that the emperor liked his cooking.

To the common people, it was just a rumor, but the capital’s elite knew it was true. Because of this, many considered Duan Jin the best chef in the capital.

Now that Duan Jin favored a braised food shop, everyone wanted to try it.

The next day, Juewei Zhai had many customers right when it opened, and they didn’t care about the price. By noon, the braised food was sold out again. Chang Duan even came back and ordered more to sell in his restaurant.

In just two days, Juewei Zhai was thriving. This didn’t surprise Li Qingzhi at all. Juewei Zhai’s braised food was a luxury in the capital. Luxuries always had buyers, and the higher the price, the more people wanted to try them.

At a gathering hosted by a scholar, Li Qingzhi overheard people discussing Juewei Zhai. “The braised food at Juewei Zhai is truly exceptional!”

“The spicy duck at Juewei Zhai is better than the spicy dishes at Qingyun Tower!”

“I heard Duan Jin has been eating Juewei Zhai’s braised food every day.”

“So what? I heard the Minister of Revenue sends someone to buy it every day!”

“Even palace eunuchs have been seen buying it…”

All this talk piqued the curiosity of those who hadn’t tried it. “Is it really that good?”

“I must try it.”

“I’ll have someone buy some for me.”

Among them, only the scholars from Jiang’an Province looked at each other with strange expressions.

“Brother Du, why aren’t you saying anything? Have you tried Juewei Zhai’s braised food?” someone asked Du Yongning.