When Li Fugui and the other chefs heard the emperor's strange decree, they were all shocked. They looked at me in unison and I explained,
"The emperor called me over because he received a secret report and knew about this matter. He was prepared to punish you severely. I spent a lot of effort and even used my own life to vouch for everyone before the emperor changed his mind and punished you to be cooks in Huafeng Restaurant. This is already a great grace. You have to do your job well and not let down my painstaking efforts.”
Only then did everyone understand that it was because I had bitterly remonstrated in front of the emperor that they had saved their lives. They all kowtowed to me and thanked me for saving their lives. Li Fugui sighed." The Emperor really has nothing to say to Eunuch Gui. He can even suppress such a big matter. Eunuch Gui's face is probably even greater than His Highness's."”
With the imperial edict, I wasn't afraid of being seen by others. The warriors and I escorted the imperial chefs to Huafeng Restaurant and placed them in Li Ya Shed. Little Lian had already gone home to rest after a long time. Li Yapeng was very capable and had already tidied up the restaurant. When he saw that I had gathered more than forty chefs, he was extremely surprised. When he found out that these people were all imperial chefs in the palace, he said in surprise,"My goodness, to be able to eat the food cooked by the imperial chef is already a blessing that has been cultivated for eight lifetimes. To actually invite more than forty great immortals to cook for the emperor at once, even your highness isn't so capable.”I laughed and said,"This is nothing. Look at what this is."”He took out a plaque written by Kang Xi and handed it to him."Our shop was named by the emperor. This is the door sign that the emperor personally wrote. Tomorrow, find a good craftsman and carefully carve it into a signboard.”
Li Yapeng had never seen such a thing before. He hesitated and didn't know how to take it. In the end, he knelt down and kowtowed three times before catching it with both hands. He said in a trembling voice,"This…this was written by the Emperor?" I smiled and nodded. Li Yapeng stuck out his tongue and said,"The Emperor wrote and sent the imperial chef. Could this restaurant be opened by the Emperor?"”I laughed and said,"It's good that you know. You have to be careful."”Li Yapeng said," Never in my dreams would I have thought that I would have such good fortune in my old age. I'm doing business with the Emperor. I must have been blessed by my ancestors. If this were to spread, who would dare to look down on me?"”
Zhang Debiao had long heard the commotion here. He left the casino and ran over. As soon as he entered, he asked,"Brother, what's with this huge group of people?”"The Emperor sent some royal chefs to cook for me."”Zhang De Biao originally knew that I intended to poach a few chefs from the imperial kitchen, but he didn't expect that the emperor would assign them to me. What was even more unexpected was that he would send so many imperial chefs at once. He also stuck out his tongue and said,"Good fellow, not only did the emperor not blame you for opening a shop, he even sent you a chef. What kind of grace is this?”I laughed,"If it wasn't for Wu Liangfu that kid who reported me, I wouldn't have such good luck."”
Zhang Debiao said angrily,"This eunuch donkey is so bold, ah!" Brother, don't mind me. I'm talking about that kid Wu Liangfu.”Only then did I understand that he thought I was a eunuch and scolded Wu Liangfu for bringing me along. He waved his hand and said,"It's fine. I know you're scolding him.”Zhang Debiao then continued," This kid is really something. When Lord Shunzhi was around, he was in charge of the 13 yamens and had great power. Everyone was afraid of him. But now, it's the Kangxi Dynasty. The Emperor doesn't like him and the 13 yamens have also withdrawn. They have long lost their power, yet they still dare to mess with us. Brother, don't worry about it. Let's take the opportunity to kill him."”
Seeing that Zhang Debiao wanted to help me deal with Wu Liangfu, it was exactly what I wanted. It's just that this kid is timid and might not dare to do it. He laughed and said,"Thank you for your trouble, brother."”Zhang Debiao patted his chest again and said,"Brother, don't worry. Leave this matter to me.”I said,"Let's put this matter aside for now. I still have something for you to do. Tomorrow, you will pick sixty good-looking servants from the servants that our brothers have been assigned to and send them here to Shopkeeper Li."”Zhang Debiao and Li Yapeng did not understand and asked,""What's the use of these servants?" I said to Li Yapeng," All the servants in our restaurant will be served by the big girls. After Big Brother Zhang sends them here, you must hurry up and train them. Fortunately, most of these people used to serve people, so they have some experience. In addition, he had to make clothes for them. They should all wear cheongsams and dress up as they looked good.”
"Isn't this a restaurant?" Zhang Debiao interrupted. Could it be that you're secretly working as a brothel?" I laughed and said,"Does it have to be a brothel?" Who said that women couldn't be waitresses? We are the only super luxurious restaurant in the capital, so why couldn't we use women?”The two of them shook their heads repeatedly when they heard this. Li Yapeng said,"I've never heard of using a woman as a waiter since I was young. I think your idea shouldn't be wrong. Let's give it a try.”Although Old Man Li was not young, his brain worked quickly and he was quite able to accept new things. I think I didn't choose the wrong person. I should be relieved to leave the restaurant to him. Thus, he took out ten thousand taels of silver from his cup and handed it to Li Yapeng as liquid capital on the counter.
When I got home, I told Little Lian about the use of the royal chef and the female waiter. Little Lian was quite satisfied with the fact that the restaurant could use the royal chef, but she was deeply suspicious of my motive for choosing the female waiter. I couldn't explain it to her, so I only told her to see the effect when the time came.
The next few days, I relaxed. The restaurant had a duck shed to take care of, and Little Lian would often go for a walk. If there's any problem that can be solved, solve it. If there's something that can't be solved, come home and discuss it with me tonight. Other than serving the Emperor during the day, I spent the rest of my time strolling around the capital, or going to the teahouse to listen to books. I didn't like to watch plays. In these years, listening to books was the only entertainment. Sometimes, when I saw beautiful young ladies in the teahouse, I couldn't help but secretly fantasize about them. I reckon that there might be brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society following me secretly, but since they don't come looking for me, I'm happy to be idle. To be honest, with so much silver on me, not to mention the real Wei Xiaobao, even I, a dealer who used to have a good income, felt itchy all day long. I always wanted to find a reason to spend some.
A few days later, Little Lian told me that the restaurant was about to open. I rushed over the next day and happened to catch up with Li Yapeng writing the menu. When he saw me enter, he showed it to me and said,"These dishes were all provided by the royal chefs. I discussed the price with Grandma.”"How old is your grandmother?" I asked.”Li Yapeng's face turned red." It's not my grandmother," she said anxiously." It's the grandmother of the owner."”Only then did I understand that he was talking about Little Lian. I laughed out loud.
Li Yapeng continued," I've discussed it with Grandma Dong. We use imperial chefs in our shop, so the price is naturally higher than other shops. Therefore, we set the price a little higher. You can see if it's suitable."”I took a look and saw that the prices written by Li Yapeng ranged from a few taels to more than twenty taels. The highest price did not exceed thirty taels of silver. I shook my head and said,"This price is not suitable." "If you think it's too expensive, I'll lower the price."”"It's not expensive, it's too cheap. Increase the price of each dish by ten times."”
***
Li Yapeng beamed with joy and said," There will be an enhancement session later. After I collect this book, I will definitely come over to earn some money. Not only will I support the author, but I will also benefit from it. I might even be able to marry a wife when I'm old."”
###################################
When Li Fugui and the other chefs heard the emperor's strange decree, they were all shocked. They looked at me in unison and I explained,
"The emperor called me over because he received a secret report and knew about this matter. He was prepared to punish you severely. I spent a lot of effort and even used my own life to vouch for everyone before the emperor changed his mind and punished you to be cooks in Huafeng Restaurant. This is already a great grace. You have to do your job well and not let down my painstaking efforts.”
Only then did everyone understand that it was because I had bitterly remonstrated in front of the emperor that they had saved their lives. They all kowtowed to me and thanked me for saving their lives. Li Fugui sighed." The Emperor really has nothing to say to Eunuch Gui. He can even suppress such a big matter. Eunuch Gui's face is probably even greater than His Highness's."”
With the imperial edict, I wasn't afraid of being seen by others. The warriors and I escorted the imperial chefs to Huafeng Restaurant and placed them in Li Ya Shed. Little Lian had already gone home to rest after a long time. Li Yapeng was very capable and had already tidied up the restaurant. When he saw that I had gathered more than forty chefs, he was extremely surprised. When he found out that these people were all imperial chefs in the palace, he said in surprise,"My goodness, to be able to eat the food cooked by the imperial chef is already a blessing that has been cultivated for eight lifetimes. To actually invite more than forty great immortals to cook for the emperor at once, even your highness isn't so capable.”I laughed and said,"This is nothing. Look at what this is."”He took out a plaque written by Kang Xi and handed it to him."Our shop was named by the emperor. This is the door sign that the emperor personally wrote. Tomorrow, find a good craftsman and carefully carve it into a signboard.”
Li Yapeng had never seen such a thing before. He hesitated and didn't know how to take it. In the end, he knelt down and kowtowed three times before catching it with both hands. He said in a trembling voice,"This…this was written by the Emperor?" I smiled and nodded. Li Yapeng stuck out his tongue and said,"The Emperor wrote and sent the imperial chef. Could this restaurant be opened by the Emperor?"”I laughed and said,"It's good that you know. You have to be careful."”Li Yapeng said," Never in my dreams would I have thought that I would have such good fortune in my old age. I'm doing business with the Emperor. I must have been blessed by my ancestors. If this were to spread, who would dare to look down on me?"”
Zhang Debiao had long heard the commotion here. He left the casino and ran over. As soon as he entered, he asked,"Brother, what's with this huge group of people?”"The Emperor sent some royal chefs to cook for me."”Zhang De Biao originally knew that I intended to poach a few chefs from the imperial kitchen, but he didn't expect that the emperor would assign them to me. What was even more unexpected was that he would send so many imperial chefs at once. He also stuck out his tongue and said,"Good fellow, not only did the emperor not blame you for opening a shop, he even sent you a chef. What kind of grace is this?”I laughed,"If it wasn't for Wu Liangfu that kid who reported me, I wouldn't have such good luck."”
Zhang Debiao said angrily,"This eunuch donkey is so bold, ah!" Brother, don't mind me. I'm talking about that kid Wu Liangfu.”Only then did I understand that he thought I was a eunuch and scolded Wu Liangfu for bringing me along. He waved his hand and said,"It's fine. I know you're scolding him.”Zhang Debiao then continued," This kid is really something. When Lord Shunzhi was around, he was in charge of the 13 yamens and had great power. Everyone was afraid of him. But now, it's the Kangxi Dynasty. The Emperor doesn't like him and the 13 yamens have also withdrawn. They have long lost their power, yet they still dare to mess with us. Brother, don't worry about it. Let's take the opportunity to kill him."”
Seeing that Zhang Debiao wanted to help me deal with Wu Liangfu, it was exactly what I wanted. It's just that this kid is timid and might not dare to do it. He laughed and said,"Thank you for your trouble, brother."”Zhang Debiao patted his chest again and said,"Brother, don't worry. Leave this matter to me.”I said,"Let's put this matter aside for now. I still have something for you to do. Tomorrow, you will pick sixty good-looking servants from the servants that our brothers have been assigned to and send them here to Shopkeeper Li."”Zhang Debiao and Li Yapeng did not understand and asked,""What's the use of these servants?" I said to Li Yapeng," All the servants in our restaurant will be served by the big girls. After Big Brother Zhang sends them here, you must hurry up and train them. Fortunately, most of these people used to serve people, so they have some experience. In addition, he had to make clothes for them. They should all wear cheongsams and dress up as they looked good.”
"Isn't this a restaurant?" Zhang Debiao interrupted. Could it be that you're secretly working as a brothel?" I laughed and said,"Does it have to be a brothel?" Who said that women couldn't be waitresses? We are the only super luxurious restaurant in the capital, so why couldn't we use women?”The two of them shook their heads repeatedly when they heard this. Li Yapeng said,"I've never heard of using a woman as a waiter since I was young. I think your idea shouldn't be wrong. Let's give it a try.”Although Old Man Li was not young, his brain worked quickly and he was quite able to accept new things. I think I didn't choose the wrong person. I should be relieved to leave the restaurant to him. Thus, he took out ten thousand taels of silver from his cup and handed it to Li Yapeng as liquid capital on the counter.
When I got home, I told Little Lian about the use of the royal chef and the female waiter. Little Lian was quite satisfied with the fact that the restaurant could use the royal chef, but she was deeply suspicious of my motive for choosing the female waiter. I couldn't explain it to her, so I only told her to see the effect when the time came.
The next few days, I relaxed. The restaurant had a duck shed to take care of, and Little Lian would often go for a walk. If there's any problem that can be solved, solve it. If there's something that can't be solved, come home and discuss it with me tonight. Other than serving the Emperor during the day, I spent the rest of my time strolling around the capital, or going to the teahouse to listen to books. I didn't like to watch plays. In these years, listening to books was the only entertainment. Sometimes, when I saw beautiful young ladies in the teahouse, I couldn't help but secretly fantasize about them. I reckon that there might be brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society following me secretly, but since they don't come looking for me, I'm happy to be idle. To be honest, with so much silver on me, not to mention the real Wei Xiaobao, even I, a dealer who used to have a good income, felt itchy all day long. I always wanted to find a reason to spend some.
A few days later, Little Lian told me that the restaurant was about to open. I rushed over the next day and happened to catch up with Li Yapeng writing the menu. When he saw me enter, he showed it to me and said,"These dishes were all provided by the royal chefs. I discussed the price with Grandma.”"How old is your grandmother?" I asked.”Li Yapeng's face turned red." It's not my grandmother," she said anxiously." It's the grandmother of the owner."”Only then did I understand that he was talking about Little Lian. I laughed out loud.
Li Yapeng continued," I've discussed it with Grandma Dong. We use imperial chefs in our shop, so the price is naturally higher than other shops. Therefore, we set the price a little higher. You can see if it's suitable."”I took a look and saw that the prices written by Li Yapeng ranged from a few taels to more than twenty taels. The highest price did not exceed thirty taels of silver. I shook my head and said,"This price is not suitable." "If you think it's too expensive, I'll lower the price."”"It's not expensive, it's too cheap. Increase the price of each dish by ten times."”
***
Li Yapeng beamed with joy and said," There will be an enhancement session later. After I collect this book, I will definitely come over to earn some money. Not only will I support the author, but I will also benefit from it. I might even be able to marry a wife when I'm old."”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。