Chapter 221 1/3

The first time Li Qingzhi met Lu Mingshan, Lu Mingshan was wearing a somewhat worn Taoist robe, looking quite ethereal.

Today, Lu Mingshan was wearing a brand new robe, looking even more distinguished than when they first met.

The most striking feature was his eyebrows.

His two eyebrows were one white and one black, unlike ordinary people, making him seem even more extraordinary.

In these days, there was no such thing as hair dye!

“Taoist Lu!” Du Yongning had already walked over to Lu Mingshan, and seeing this, Li Qingzhi followed.

Their voices and actions inevitably drew the attention of others in the restaurant.

“Taoist Lu? Is that the one who appeared at the plum blossom banquet?”

“It should be him. Did you see his eyebrows? One is black and the other is white!”

“I didn’t expect to meet Taoist Lu here. Should we go over and take a look?”

… Qingyun Restaurant had always been bustling with business. While it wasn’t always completely full, there were usually not many empty tables. Now, the diners’ attention was mostly focused on Lu Mingshan.

Being watched by so many people, Lu Mingshan remained calm and composed, smiling as he greeted Du Yongning and Li Qingzhi, “Mr. Du, Mr. Li.”

“Taoist Lu, are you here to eat? Would you like to join us?” Du Yongning asked.

“Thank you, Mr. Du.” Lu Mingshan smiled, following Du Yongning and Li Qingzhi to their table and sitting down.

Seeing this, many people in the restaurant felt regretful, wishing they had invited Lu Mingshan sooner.

However, even if they hadn’t invited Lu Mingshan in time, they could still send him something.

So, as soon as Lu Mingshan sat down at Li Qingzhi’s table and started chatting with Du Yongning, a waiter brought over two dishes, saying they were compliments from others.

“Thank you,” Lu Mingshan said.

Observing Lu Mingshan up close, Li Qingzhi noticed that his acting was really good, remaining calm throughout.

However, Li Qingzhi couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

Involving oneself in the matter of the fake prince could easily lead to trouble. Yet, both Lu Mingshan and Li Zhu were involved.

“Taoist Lu, I have been looking for you for the past few days, but couldn’t find you. Where have you been?” Du Yongning asked curiously.

“After the plum blossom banquet, I was somewhat exhausted and didn’t want to be disturbed, so I found a place to meditate,” Lu Mingshan replied.

As they were talking, someone else walked in.

This time, it was an older man, about fifty or sixty years old, with an oily face and a commanding presence.

In these times, someone of that age could already be considered an elder.

Du Yongning took one look and said to Li Qingzhi, “That’s the Minister of Revenue.”

Is this the Minister of Revenue, Wei Dongzheng? The first time Li Qingzhi heard about him was from Qian Fugui.

On the surface, Wei Dongzheng appeared loyal to the emperor, but in reality, he was a supporter of Prince Yan.

After arriving in the capital, Li Qingzhi heard other rumors, such as Wei Dongzheng being very fond of his concubine while being extremely displeased with his legal wife, even sending her to live outside the city.

Wei Dongzheng was somewhat connected to them as well. His concubine’s child was a picky eater, refusing to eat this and that. It was said that in the past, Wei Dongzheng often brought him to Qingyun Restaurant to eat, or bought dishes from there to take home.

Recently, Jueweizhai had opened, and this young master had taken a liking to their food. Consequently, Minister Wei sent people every day to buy their delicacies, even helping to promote Jueweizhai’s reputation.

The Minister of Revenue was a high-ranking official in Daqi, but today, Wei Dongzheng was going to be in trouble.

Lu Mingshan was found by Li Zhu, and Lü Qingxi had arranged for Li Zhu to help Lu Mingshan become famous. Therefore, Li Qingzhi knew what was going to happen today.

The show was about to start.

Upstairs, Lü Qingxi heard the commotion downstairs and thought to himself: The show is about to begin.

He had deliberately leaked the news that the emperor was coming to Qingyun Restaurant to Wei Dongzheng, hoping to lure him here. Now, Wei Dongzheng had arrived.

Lü Qingxi was looking forward to the scene downstairs, but for now, his priority was still taking care of the emperor.

Chang Duan had already prepared the menu, and now they had a table full of dishes.

The dishes in front of the emperor were all tangy and salty, while the ones in front of Concubine Liu were a mix of flavors, including a dish of spicy boiled pork slices.

Concubine Liu took a bite and was captivated by the numbing and spicy taste!

She had come for official business, but at this moment, she only wanted to enjoy her meal.

The cooking skills of Qingyun Restaurant’s chef were truly exceptional.

“Aman, this sweet and sour fish is delicious, you should try it,” Qi Jun said, pointing at a fish dish on the table.

The fish had been fried and then cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, with a rich flavor that he liked very much.

However, he couldn’t eat too much and could only take a couple of bites.

“It is very delicious,” Concubine Liu said, her eyes lighting up after taking a bite.

Seeing Concubine Liu’s reaction, Qi Jun couldn’t help but laugh.

As they were eating, a commotion suddenly erupted downstairs.

After being poisoned, the emperor’s organs had deteriorated, and his hearing had declined significantly.

He hadn’t heard when people downstairs were shouting “Taoist Lu,” but Lü Qingxi had.

Only now did he hear the commotion downstairs.

“I’ll go take a look,” Lü Qingxi said.

After speaking, Lü Qingxi stepped out of the private room and looked downstairs…

Downstairs, as soon as Wei Dongzheng entered Qingyun Restaurant, a woman suddenly rushed out and knelt before him, saying, “Minister Wei, please have mercy on my son. He knows he was wrong and shouldn’t have argued with your brother-in-law…”

Wei Dongzheng used to come to Qingyun Restaurant often, usually for his youngest son’s appetite.

But today was different. He came today because he had heard that the emperor would be dining here and wanted to have a chance encounter.

The current emperor, due to his poor health, rarely interacted with court officials… Although Wei Dongzheng was a supporter of Prince Yan, he was still eager to have a chance to make himself known to the emperor.

He didn’t expect that as soon as he entered, a stranger would latch onto him.

“Minister Wei, please!” The woman started kowtowing.

Wei Dongzheng was furious with this woman. He didn’t know where she came from, but he knew one thing: having someone cry and kneel before him in such a busy place like Qingyun Restaurant was bad for his reputation.

Most importantly, the emperor was here today!

“Madam, I do not know you, nor do I know what you are talking about… Who sent you to come here and speak nonsense in front of me?” Wei Dongzheng asked coldly.

The woman replied, “Minister Wei, I have no other choice. Your brother-in-law injured my son and forbids him from attending school…”

“I have no brother-in-law! Who sent you to slander me?” Wei Dongzheng said sternly, as his wife had no brothers.

When the woman first knelt and begged, some of the people present looked at Wei Dongzheng with a peculiar expression, but now, hearing Wei Dongzheng’s words…

They began to think Wei Dongzheng might be being framed.

Wei Dongzheng’s wife indeed had no brothers, otherwise, she wouldn’t be bullied by Wei Dongzheng’s concubine.

“Where is the waiter? Are you just going to stand by while someone ruins my reputation in your establishment?” Wei Dongzheng said angrily.

At this moment, Lu Mingshan stood up, chanted “Blessed be the Celestial Master,” and said, “Mr. Wei, this lady is not slandering you.”

The waiter was about to pull the woman away, and some of the diners also wanted to help.

But hearing Lu Mingshan’s words, they all hesitated.