Zhongzhen Restaurant is located on the main street about three miles away from Li An Shangshu's mansion, next to Zhongzhen Inn.
Zhongzhen Inn is run by Wang Zhongzhen, the richest man in the capital, and is the well-deserved number one inn in the capital.
The Zhongzhen Restaurant next to it is also Wang Zhongzhen's property.
Zhongzhen Inn is the most luxurious inn in Beijing, and Zhongzhen Restaurant is also the most luxurious restaurant in Beijing.
The windows made of carefully carved wood carvings are inlaid with the most luxurious transparent glass in the capital, making the magnificent decoration of the hall inside visible to anyone standing on the street.
The round tables made of dark red solid wood and the finely crafted solid wood chairs all reflect the unique and unique taste of the shopkeeper.
And the hall, which covers an area of unknown size, is the biggest selling point of the entire Zhenzhen Restaurant.
In the center of the hall is a slightly raised platform measuring one foot square.
Sitting on it is a young woman dressed in white and covered with a white gauze. She is stroking a three-foot-long guqin. The melodious sound of the piano adds a soft and poetic feeling to the customers drinking and having fun in the hall.
At this moment, the music of the piano had stopped, and the woman in white slowly walked into the back hall with gentle steps.
The owner of the restaurant, Wang Zhongzheng, the richest man in Beijing, was accompanied by a waiter. In the tray in his hand was a plate full of fifty taels of large ingots.
With smiling faces, kind words and persuasion, he handed over the big ingots on the plate one by one without hesitation, and with all his persuasion, he finally coaxed out the customers who were drinking and eating meat in the hall one by one.
door.
There are no ordinary people who can come to Zhongzheng restaurant consumption, and most of them are either rich or noble. Even Wang Zhongzhen, the richest man in the capital and a popular figure in the court, is not willing to offend these "gods of wealth" easily.
It wasn't until the last customer walked out of the door that Wang Zhongzhen let out a long breath, clapped his hands, and told the dozens of waiters in the hall: "Hurry up and clean the hall thoroughly.
"
In the past few days, Mr. Zhang did not arrange any actions. Wang Zhongzhen, who had nothing to do, was in the Zhongzhen Restaurant next door, summarizing the failure of Baoding Mansion and the subsequent changes in the entire situation.
The arrival of Jia Ren made Wang Zhongzhen quickly put down his affairs and start cleaning the hall.
You cannot offend the guests who are dining in the hall, let alone the Minister of Punishment. If you want to live smoothly in the capital, any official of the imperial court must accompany you with a smiling face.
This is the pitiful thing about businessmen.
An hour later, groups of luxury carriages arrived on the street towards the Zhongzhen Restaurant.
Li An arrived at the restaurant first and began to receive guests at the door.
"Master Liu, please come inside."
"Master Zhang, please come inside quickly."
"Mr. Cao, you are always very busy, why are you here now? We have a reserved seat inside, so you can find a seat wherever you like."
On the performing stage in the hall, a young woman dressed in white, with a thin white gauze on her face, was already sitting down. Her hands were playing on the guqin, and a melodious piece of music slowly spread in the hall.
Xiao Chen didn't like to attend such occasions. If Li An hadn't been so compatible with him, he wouldn't have come at all.
Xiao Chen chose a table in the opposite corner and sat down.
Next to him, Wang Changlian, the Minister of Rites, Chen E, the Minister of Rites, Jiang Qianxiao, the censor of the left capital of the Inspectorate, Wanqing, the censor of the right capital, and other people with good connections sat at a table.
"This woman looks very young, but her guqin skills are quite profound. This song, "Spring River Flowers and Moonlight Night," should be a relatively relaxing piece of music, but I can vaguely hear the flavor of having gone through many vicissitudes of life.
"Wang Changlian, the Minister of Rites, stared at the performing stage and said slowly.
"Master Wang is knowledgeable and proficient in music. To my ears, this piece of music is almost the same as if I hadn't heard it before." Jiang Qianxiao, the censor of Zuodu of the Inspectorate, clasped his hands on his chest and leaned back on the chair, watching.
Wang Changlian laughed loudly.
"The Inspectorate is studying the laws of the imperial court and focusing on the rules and regulations. It doesn't matter if you don't listen to these songs." Wang Changlian also joked.
"I want to listen, but the key is that I don't understand." Jiang Qianxiao said with a smile.
Xiao Chen, who was at the table, did not speak. He listened to the music carefully with his ears raised. His eyes were like sharp swords, staring closely at the eyebrows of the woman on the stage.
He didn't understand music, but for some reason, when he heard this piece of music, he always felt as if he had heard it before.
This feeling is not the style of Chunjianghuayueyue. It is the other party's playing, as if using the guqin to tell one's own vicissitudes and misery.
This is not an intentional flick, but a technique that has been developed over a long period of time.
It seemed that playing cheerful music was a kind of pain for her. She fiddled with her fingers casually, and the notes flowing between her fingers, even the cheerful music, were slightly sad because of her state of mind.
The young woman seemed to be aware of Xiao Chen's attention on her, and she tried her best to lower her head, so that all Xiao Chen saw was the bun on her head.
The fingers deliberately increased the speed, trying to speed up the rhythm to reflect the joy of this piece of music.
Wang Changlian frowned slightly: "The music just now was refreshing and refreshing like flowing clouds. Why did the music suddenly become rigid and stiff? Is this pursuing the original joy of the music? Zhongzhen Restaurant is the number one restaurant in the capital.
The musicians should be their signature. If they are at this level, it would be too inconsistent with the title of No. 1 in the capital."
"Hi." Jiang Qianxiao, the censor of Zuodu of the Inspectorate, picked up the tea bowl in front of him, "I'm afraid it will be a while before the banquet starts. Let's all drink tea. It's rare for us to get together and talk about something everyone knows. This song, I really
I can’t express my opinion, it’s hard to find a topic.”
Before Wang Chang could speak, Chen E, who was standing next to him, picked up a tea bowl and said, "Ah, you are the top leader of the Inspectorate. I let Li Shangshu enjoy the prison life for more than ten days a few days ago, and now you are here to join me again."
Aren’t you afraid of being kicked out of your daughter’s full moon party?”
Chen E and Jiang Qianxiao are also old friends who have known each other for more than ten years.
Seeing that the other party interrupted Wang Changlian's words because of his ignorance of the music, he was very dissatisfied and said something to him.
Wang Changlian is his immediate boss and a truly great scholar. He is thin-skinned and will not deliberately say anything against others.
But during these days of getting along, Chen E admired Wang Changlian both as a person and as a scholar.
How could he allow others to interrupt Wang Changlian again and again, especially his old friend for many years?
Fight him casually and kill him.
"How can you blame me?" Jiang Qianxiao's eyes widened, "I also acted under orders. Without the emperor's oral instructions, even if I had a hundred courages, I would not dare to take down Li Shangshu easily. What's more, Dongchang also
I've been implicated. Brother Xiao, you shouldn't be as stingy as Li An and still hate me, right?"
While speaking, Jiang Qianxiao looked at Xiao Chen who was sitting diagonally opposite.
Xiao Chen was still observing the young woman on the performing arts stage intently. He couldn't help but be startled when someone named her like this.
He hurriedly looked away, with a smile on his face: "Master Jiang was ordered to do something, how could I hold a grudge against you? Besides, the prince was kidnapped in broad daylight. Both the Dongchang and the Ministry of Punishment have unshirkable responsibilities.
Be punished."
"Look, look. Let's see what brother Xiao's consciousness is. I said Chen E, in the court, I'm afraid you and Li An are petty and are worried about me on this matter, right?" Pointing at Xiao Chen
, Jiang Qianxiao’s mouth was full of saliva, and she shouted loudly at Chen E.
"What objections do I have? I'm not in jail." Chen E leaned back and glared at Jiang Qianxiao, "However, Li Shangshu must have objections to you. If I guessed correctly, you didn't receive the invitation.
, you ran here on your own."
Being exposed, Jiang Qianxiao felt embarrassed and rubbed his nose vigorously with his hand: "I admit this, the Inspectorate really hasn't received the invitation. But, if Li Shangshu doesn't invite me, can't I come?
?I just wanted to share a table with you even though I was carrying a congratulatory gift. I don’t believe that he had the nerve to kick me out.”
"Okay, everyone who can sit at this table is our own. It's Li Shangshu's fault for not sending you an invitation. He will come over in a while, and I'll ask him for two invitations for you." Wang Changlian
Also made a joke.
"Hahaha...hahaha." Everyone laughed.
Only Xiao Chen kept staring at the performance stage in the middle of the hall, as if he was trying hard to find something.