Restaurants are crowded places and are also the best place to listen to rumors.
In order to listen to rumors in the market, Jiang Changning saw a big restaurant in front of her, "Today, please condescend to accompany me to dine in this hall."
Emperor Xuanzhi smiled and said, "I will listen to you, Madam."
The waiter came out with a smile on his face. Seeing that the clothes the two were wearing were made of high-quality materials and they were followed by a group of servants, he knew that they were either rich or noble.
He added a bit more hospitality, "My two guests, please go upstairs."
"I don't want a private room, I want a table by the window." Jiang Changning said.
"I understand. Please come in, gentlemen." The waiter led the way. "The scenery of Huiwei Tower overlooking the lake is extremely beautiful. The spring mountains by the lake are dotted with mist, and the distant trees in the clouds are dark and sparse."
Jiang Changning smiled, "Little Second Brother is quite talented."
"Thank you for the compliment, ma'am. I've heard this poem recited many times, so I wrote it down." The waiter said with a smile.
Another waiter had already cleaned up a table by the window on the second floor with quick movements.
After the couple sat down at the table, the waiter asked attentively, "What would you like to eat, sirs?"
"Master, please order some dishes." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
Emperor Xuanzhi coughed lightly and pretended to be reserved. "Siyang fat chicken, double-skinned crucian carp, yellow dog pig head meat"
"Master, I don't eat dog meat." Jiang Changning said hurriedly.
"Madam, you are wrong. The meat of the yellow dog pig's head is not dog meat, but pig's head meat." Emperor Xuanzhi said with a smile.
"I see. This yellow dog is a place name."
Emperor Xuanzhi smiled and shook his head, "Huanggou is not a place name."
Jiang Changning's eyes flickered as she smiled slyly, "There is a chef in Suqian named Huang, nicknamed Big Dog. He is good at making pig's head meat, so he named the pig's head meat he made for himself Yellow Dog Pig's Head Meat. Master, am I right?"
"Madam is well-read and knowledgeable." Emperor Xuanzhi praised with a smile.
Jiang Changning raised her eyebrows, "Thanks to my husband's good teaching."
The couple joked with each other for a few words and then continued to order food.
"Master and Madam, please wait a moment. The dishes will be served soon." The waiter stepped back and went to the kitchen to serve the dishes.
Cao Jiang followed the waiter downstairs, found the shopkeeper, showed his badge, and whispered, "Master, please be careful and serve me."
The shopkeeper's expression became serious. He told the accountant to stay at the counter while he went to the kitchen to watch the chef cook.
Siyang fat chicken is the appetizer, a famous dish in Suqian with great presentation.
Slices of red and white fat chicken, soaked in clear soup and paired with emerald green vegetables, are mouth-watering.
I smelled the aroma of meat.
Eat a piece, the taste is fresh and tender.
"This fat chicken tastes great." Jiang Changning ate another piece, "I wonder how it's made?"
Emperor Xuanzhi glanced at the waiter standing next to him, and the waiter immediately said cleverly: "The method of cooking this fat chicken is a bit complicated. Let me explain it to Madam in detail."
"You go ahead." Jiang Changning made up his mind to start by talking about food, and then slowly transition to talking about the current emperor.
The waiter had no idea of the Empress's "evil" intentions, so he told her earnestly, "Chop the fresh pork belly into paste, pick a piece of yam grown in Siyang, put it in a pot and steam it until it's soft, then mash it. When it's cold, put the prepared meat paste on the bottom, then the yam paste on top, then wrap it with Qianzhang sheets, steam it on high heat for an hour and a half, then simmer for another hour."
"This takes too much time." Jiang Changning sighed.
"That's right." Jiang Changning smiled, "With such meticulous preparation of dishes, your business must be very good."
"The chef of this shop is well-known locally, with decades of skills under his belt. The business of this shop is quite good," said the waiter with a smile.
"In times of war, no matter how good your skills are, you can't make a living. It's only in these peaceful and prosperous times that we can have such a prosperous scene." Jiang Changning's patience is not very good.
Emperor Xuanzhi smiled with his lips pursed. His queen said that she had no selfish motives and had worked so hard to guide him just to make people praise her.
"As the saying goes, it is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in chaos. Thanks to the current emperor." The waiter bowed to the sky, "He appointed talented people and quelled foreign invasions, so that everyone can live a stable and good life."
Jiang Changning looked at Emperor Xuanzhi's handsome face and couldn't think of the old man the waiter was talking about. He chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, yes, he is smart and decisive, brave and mighty, and he is a hero who will last forever."
Chang Youzhong saw Emperor Xuanzhi laughing so happily when he heard this, and suddenly remembered that a minister had once said something similar, but it made His Majesty unhappy.
Now it seems that Your Majesty does not dislike hearing such words, but such words are only pleasing when spoken by the Queen.
Under Jiang Changning's deliberate guidance, not only did the waiter praise Emperor Xuanzhi, but the people at the tables next to him were also very grateful to Emperor Xuanzhi, "The current emperor is a rare wise ruler."
"In my opinion, His Majesty is a benevolent monarch. He has redressed many unjust cases, abolished many harsh policies, and improved military equipment, making foreign races dare not invade, allowing the people to live and work in peace."
Just when Jiang Changning was listening happily, a discordant voice sounded, "Bah, a traitor who usurped the throne is boasted by you as a wise and benevolent ruler!"
A drunk man who had just come out of a private room shouted loudly.
Except for Emperor Xuanzhi and Jiang Changning, everyone else was frightened pale by his bold words.
The person who was traveling with him forcibly covered his mouth and said to everyone with a smile: "He is drunk and talking nonsense. Just pretend you didn't hear it."
"He speaks the truth after drinking. He is very dissatisfied with the current emperor." Cao Jiang said coldly.
"Everyone knows that he is a drunkard who talks nonsense. He is definitely not dissatisfied with the current emperor." The three people who were traveling with the man said in unison.
Cao Jiang glanced at the others, "Do you know him?"
Others shook their heads, "No, no."
Who dares to meet such a daring person
Aren’t you afraid of being implicated and beheaded
"Let them go and don't disturb me and my wife while we dine." Emperor Xuanzhi did not bother with the drunkard. When he asked Emperor Xun to abdicate, he expected that people in the world would say that he had obtained the throne illegitimately.
He cannot change this fact. All he can do is work hard to govern the country well.
The drunken man broke free of the hand covering his mouth and shouted again: "Anyone can kill him!"
Cao Jiang strode over, grabbed the man, and knocked him unconscious with a palm strike in front of the horrified gazes of several people, "Get lost."
The three men dragged and helped the drunk man away.
Jiang Changning was upset by him and put down his chopsticks.
"Are you full?" asked Emperor Xuanzhi.
Jiang Changning nodded, and Emperor Xuanzhi raised his hand, motioning Chang Youzhong to pay the bill.
As he walked out of the restaurant, Emperor Xuanzhi said calmly, "Madam, you don't need to care about what a fool says."
"The words of fools are not to be trusted and really should not be taken seriously." Jiang Changning agreed.
(End of this chapter)