Speak of the devil, here he comes. The uncle's beard curled up and he turned to look at the door. Xiao Yichen, wearing a purple prince's robe and a jade crown on his hair, came in with a gust of wind. The wind lifted the corners of his robe, revealing his black boots embroidered with gold-edged cloud patterns.
Xiao Yimo sat firmly in his high position, looking like he was enjoying the show. The prince's uncle went to the palace to complain about his grievances, and right after that, Xiao Yichen arrived. It seemed that there must be a reason for this.
Recently, the case of the faceless female corpse in the capital has made the people panic-stricken. As the king of a country, he is even more worried. The Ministry of Justice, the Yamen, and Marble, three law enforcement departments, have joined forces to take action, but there is still no trace of the assassin.
Now, one crisis comes another. The king's uncle sued Xiao Yichen for smashing his shop. This sounds quite interesting.
After Xiao Yichen walked into the hall and performed the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects, he turned his head to glance at the uncle who was standing beside him. He smiled and said, "Uncle, you are here too?"
The prince's uncle snorted coldly, turned his head to the side, and expressed his displeasure with his actions.
Xiao Yichen smiled and raised his head to Xiao Yimo, saying, "Your Majesty, my disciple's concubine has opened a restaurant in the west of the city, named Qingfeng Yashe. Do you know about it?"
Upon hearing the name of Qingfeng Yashe, the uncle's brows twitched. Although this restaurant was not located in the city, it was very famous. People who had tasted the delicious food at Qingfeng Yashe could not forget it. This made the business of other restaurants in the city very bad. The uncle, who had just acquired Deqinglou, was also very anxious about this.
You know, he invested a lot of money but saw no return, so he pointed all his attention to Qingfeng Yashe in the west of the city. He heard that the food there was not only delicious, but also 80% cheaper than in the city.
This made him feel very threatened, so last night he bribed some thugs to go to Qingfeng Yashe to cause trouble, and smash the other party's store to dampen their enthusiasm and warn them that it is not easy to open a store in Beijing.
The uncle withdrew his thoughts and heard Xiao Yimo nod, "Of course I know. My sister-in-law once asked me to write her name. I also had dinner at Qingfeng Yashe. The taste was really unforgettable."
Xiao Yichen nodded, showing a regretful expression and said: "Your Majesty, do you know that the signboard of Qingfeng Yashe was cut in half?" That would be a slap in your face, Your Majesty.
When Xiao Yimo heard this, he frowned and asked seriously: "What's going on?" Who is so bold as to take down the signboard with his own handwriting
The king's uncle bowed and tried to change the subject, "Your Majesty!" Your Majesty, you must not let Prince Chen distract your attention. Didn't you promise to make the decision for me
Xiao Yimo waved his hand and said, "Uncle, please be patient and wait for me to hear what my brother has to say."
Uncle: “…”
Xiao Yichen turned his head to look at the prince's uncle and said with a smile: "Prince's uncle, don't get angry. You came here earlier than me, so you must have said everything you wanted to say.
The king's uncle was speechless. He had originally pretended to be weak to gain the emperor's sympathy. He was waiting for the emperor to issue an order to punish Xiao Yichen, but he didn't expect that when Xiao Yichen arrived, the subject changed instantly.
Xiao Yichen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know much about it. It happened last night. Why don't you ask my wife to come to the palace and explain in detail?"
Just as Xiao Yimo was about to speak, the uncle turned to face Xiao Yichen and said, "Prince Chen, are you deliberately trying to divert the emperor's attention? I just told the emperor that you used your status and power to smash the store I just bought. As soon as you entered the palace, you started chatting with the emperor about your princess. Let's deal with what happened this morning first. Prince Chen, you have to give me an explanation!"
The uncle of the emperor had such an angry expression on his face that if it weren't for Xiao Yichen's status, he would have wanted to go up and slap him.
Xiao Yimo coughed and got back to the point, "Royal brother, the prince's uncle said that you took people to demolish his shop this morning. Is that true?"
Xiao Yichen blinked, as if thinking about something. After a moment, he smiled and said, "This morning, I went out with the princess. The princess said that someone bribed thugs to smash her restaurant last night. She took a dozen guards from the palace to find the thugs to see who ordered them to smash her store. It's a coincidence that my princess just smashed a store, and you, my uncle, came to complain to the emperor, saying that I smashed your store. Could it be that the store called Deqinglou was opened by you, my uncle?"
The uncle's face darkened, "Your Highness, you are slandering me. I have always been diligent and conscientious, and I have always fulfilled my duties. How could I bribe thugs to smash the restaurant opened by the princess? I am innocent. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please help me!" As he said that, he knelt down in front of Xiao Yimo and kowtowed three times.
Xiao Yichen crossed his arms and said, "I feel more wronged than you, uncle. You have accused me of being disloyal and unjust. I love my people like my own children. When have I ever caused trouble or abused my power?"
Xiao Yimo raised his hand to rub his aching temple. This morning he had a headache from the arguments between the two of them, with each saying that the husband was right and the wife was right.
Xiao Yimo slapped the dragon throne, the emperor's wrath and majesty radiated, and the hall instantly became quiet.
Xiao Yimo said, "Okay, both of you, be quiet. Come here, Princess Xuan Chen. I want to hear her own story. If it is Princess Chen who is really disturbing the people and causing trouble, I will definitely punish her and seek justice for you, my uncle. Prince Chen, do you have any objections?"
Xiao Yichen bowed to show that he had no objection, and the king's uncle also had a satisfied look on his face.
At the Prince Chen's Mansion, Ji Yuqing laughed after receiving the news that the uncle of the emperor had come to the palace to file a complaint against the Princess of Chen for smashing his shop and causing trouble without reason. "Ji Lingxue, you have come to this day. You have caused trouble under the name of the Princess of Chen. Let's see how you will end this time."
Before she could even take action against Ji Lingxue, someone came to help her vent her anger, which made her very happy.
She opened the secret box and pulled out three pieces of paper. After glancing at the densely written words on them, she raised her lips and said, "Then I'll add more fuel to the fire."
That day, she pretended to be Ji Lingxue in the study and wanted to tell Xiao Yichen about Ji Lingxue's identity. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yichen came back and excitedly talked about the faceless female corpse case he encountered that night. She was so scared that she forgot about it.
The moment Ji Lingxue was invited into the palace, new rumors quickly spread throughout the capital...
In the teahouse, a storyteller in an elegant robe stood on the stage, clapped his folding fan and said, "Hello, fellow villagers. Today I will tell you the story of Princess Chen."
Someone in the audience asked, "Didn't you say yesterday that you would tell the story of the Great Horse and Golden Sword? Why did you change it? What's so good about the story of Princess Chen? Isn't she just a silly concubine?"
The storyteller shook the folding fan in his hand and said, "No, no, this Princess Chen is wise and intelligent, not the stupid one as rumored. It is said that on the day Princess Chen was born, colorful clouds fell from the sky, and the fortune teller said that this girl was destined to be rich and noble. Not long after, Lord Ji Baichuan made a fortune, and therefore loved Princess Chen even more."
At this point, the storyteller paused and continued, "But there is a secret here... Princess Chen Ji Lingxue is not the biological daughter of Lord Ji Baichuan. Although she is the legitimate daughter, it is because Ji Baichuan favors her mother Liu Mei'e. I heard that his mother was already pregnant when she married into the Ji family, and she has been cuckolding Ji Baichuan's family for so many years."
The teahouse became lively for a while. The people were particularly keen on gossip and started to discuss it. "What? Getting pregnant before marriage is really a good upbringing for a daughter. Is this how the Liu family raised a daughter who is the most beautiful?"
"Hey, hey, hey, I heard that Princess Chen's mother, Liu Mei'e, ran away from home before she got married. It seems that she eloped with her lover. The Liu family is also a powerful family. They just brought her back... It's just a pity for Master Ji..."
The fortune teller slammed his fan shut and said, "What he said is correct. Liu Mei'e ran away from home before marrying into the Ji family. The baby in her belly is not Ji Baichuan's. Then who is the real father of Princess Chen?"
After the fortune teller had whetted everyone's appetite, he tapped the fan in his hand and said, "If you want to know what will happen next, please listen to the answer tomorrow."
Chi Feng's hands were shaking and the corners of his mouth were twitching as he was sitting on the second floor drinking tea. He just came to drink some tea, but why did he hear such shocking information that forced him to do something
It was obvious that this rumor was spread intentionally by someone, who took advantage of the fact that Ji Lingxue made a scene and tore down the plaque on the door of Deqing Building today.
In the imperial study of the palace, Xiao Yimo and Xiao Yichen sat opposite each other drinking tea. The king's uncle was still sulking, and turned to the door, waiting for Ji Lingxue to arrive.
Ji Lingxue did not come wearing the authentic fashionable clothes of Princess Chen. She was directly pulled into the carriage by the eunuch who delivered the message on the street.
Ji Lingxue, who was wearing a charming rouge-red dress, bowed and greeted, then asked, "I wonder why the emperor called me here in such a hurry?" After saying that, she turned her gaze to Xiao Yichen, who was standing aside with a faint smile, and the emperor's uncle, who looked very unhappy.
The uncle said, "Princess Chen, do you know who owns the store you smashed today?"
Ji Lingxue said, "Oh, so that's what happened. Uncle, did you send thugs to Qingfeng Yashe to smash things, injure people, and steal the recipe I wrote?"
The uncle's beard trembled, "Princess Chen, you can eat whatever you want but you can't say anything you want. Your Majesty, I have never instructed anyone. There must be a misunderstanding here!"
Xiao Yimo glanced at the uncle pretending to be pitiful, raised his finger and asked, "Princess Chen, what happened to Qingfeng Yashe? I heard that even the signboard with my own handwriting was smashed by someone."
Ji Lingxue nodded vigorously, "This is what happened..." She repeated what she had seen and heard, "This morning, I asked my secret guards to investigate the gangster who was causing trouble. I approached the gangster and learned from him that Deqing Tower had the signature dishes of my Qingfeng Yashe. The chef also confirmed that he had the recipe, but the dishes he made were not tasty. If the emperor does not believe what I said, he can summon the gangster and the chef to ask them and you will know."
"What nonsense!" The uncle-in-law said, shaking his sleeves. "Princess Chen, what's the big deal about the chef of Deqinglou developing a signature dish with the same name as Qingfeng Yashe? Are you going to smash my shop and tear down the plaque just for this?"
(End of this chapter)