Having gained experience from preparing to open a restaurant in the town, and considering that the Cloud-Rising Pavilion was already exquisitely and luxuriously decorated, with the help of Shopkeeper Wu, Lu Xunguang and others, it didn't take Li Ying much time to take over the pavilion.
She was secretly calculating in her mind what kind of activities she should hold on the official opening day to make it a great success. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw a figure in a blue robe pacing back and forth hesitantly not far outside the door.
The man looked like a gentle scholar. Li Ying put down the pen and ink in her hand, stood up and greeted him with a smile.
"Sir, do you have any orders for our little shop?"
Seeing that she was a young and beautiful woman, the man in blue unconsciously blushed slightly. After a long while, he finally coughed twice and awkwardly stepped into the Cloud-Rising Pavilion.
"I'm a colleague of Lord Su. I've heard that your cooking skills are excellent, often original and full of ingenuity. I'm here to order a congratulatory feast from you."
Oh?
Li Ying raised her eyebrows upon hearing this - was business already coming to her?
She smiled sweetly and said warmly, "Congratulations, sir! You think so highly of Li's Restaurant. I will surely do my best and never let you down!"
The man in blue nodded, but then his face showed a bit of embarrassment.
He looked as if he had something hard to say. Li Ying, being so shrewd, immediately waved her hand to dismiss the servants around her and said softly, "Sir, do you have any special instructions? Please feel free to say. Our shop will surely do our best to meet your wishes."
The man in blue blushed even more. After a long while, he finally lowered his voice and said in a deep voice, "I... don't want it to be too extravagant. This congratulatory feast must be decent, but not overly luxurious."
Li Ying understood - in plain words, he wanted the feast to be presentable but didn't have a large budget.
It wasn't a difficult task for her.
The blue-robed civil official probably knew that his request was a bit demanding. Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, he blushed first, getting angry and anxious. He said coldly, "If you can't do it, forget it! I'll find someone else!"
Li Ying knew that it was his "scholarly integrity" and excessive self-esteem that were causing this. She wasn't annoyed. Instead, she calmly explained softly, "Sir, what are you saying! As the saying goes, 'A three - year honest prefect accumulates 100,000 taels of silver.' You don't like ostentation. I'm sure you're an honest and upright official. Our shop admires you so much. How could we ever look down on you? Just now I was just thinking about what kind of dishes to prepare to match your noble character. If there's any rudeness, please forgive me."
This speech was so proper and flawless that the blue - robed civil official couldn't say anything more. His expression finally softened. He sat down calmly and discussed with her the dishes for the congratulatory feast.
He had obviously seen Lord Su's feast. He selected a few delicate, well - prepared and cost - effective dishes, and for the rest, he asked Li Ying to use her own judgment. In short, it shouldn't be too ostentatious.
Li Ying nodded understandingly and politely saw him out. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the door, she heard an eager voice.
"Lord Xu! Just now the waiter was rude and neglected you! There's absolutely no disrespect from our Jixian Tower!"
Li Ying raised her eyebrows and took a closer look. She recognized this person.
The Jixian Tower was another extremely luxurious dining place in the capital. Even the former Cloud - Rising Pavilion couldn't compare with it.
The reason was simple. Li Yun relied on a third - rank grand councilor and had to be cautious in front of Commissioner Lin.
But the Jixian Tower was clearly the property of Lady Lin's maternal family.
Since ancient times, serving the emperor was like being beside a tiger. Commissioner Lin, being highly valued by the emperor, knew he had to be cautious to avoid the emperor's suspicion. Therefore, the Jixian Tower had always been very low - key in the capital.
Now that the Cloud - Rising Pavilion had fallen, the shopkeeper of the Jixian Tower immediately jumped out anxiously. It showed that Commissioner Lin was indeed a bit flustered.
Before Li Ying could react, the shopkeeper of the Jixian Tower continued, "Lord Xu, this congratulatory feast for your promotion to the assistant judge of the Court of Judicial Review is of great importance. We can't be careless. Otherwise, you may become the laughingstock of all the court officials. Although Boss Li's dishes are full of ingenuity, she's new here and doesn't know much about the traditional dishes and rules of the congratulatory feast. If there's any joke..."
This hit the hidden worry in Lord Xu's heart.
He came from a poor family and had been walking on thin ice in the officialdom for many years. He finally got a chance for promotion. His future success all depended on this congratulatory feast. He mustn't become the talk of his colleagues after dinner!
"Lord Xu, I dare to ask you to hand over this congratulatory feast to our Jixian Tower. We can discuss the dishes slowly..."
Hearing the words "assistant judge of the Court of Judicial Review", Li Ying's eyes lit up and she immediately understood the key point.
Under Lord Wu, the second - rank chief judge of the Court of Judicial Review, there were two assistant judges. One was Su Buchi, and the other was Lord Xu.
The former assistant judge who had been convicted was a trusted subordinate of Commissioner Lin and the grand councilor. Now, without this useful pawn, if Li Ying was allowed to take over Lord Xu's congratulatory feast and the three people from the Court of Judicial Review united, it would be very unfavorable to Commissioner Lin's influence in the court.
No wonder the shopkeeper of the Jixian Tower was willing to humble himself and come to plead in person.
Seeing Lord Xu hesitating and showing a bit of embarrassment on his face, Li Ying was calm and confident. She said, "Lord Xu, in my opinion, why don't you let me have a cooking competition with the Jixian Tower? After the trial dishes, we'll decide which restaurant to hold the feast in according to whose cooking skills suit your taste better. How about it?"
She spoke so confidently that the shopkeeper of the Jixian Tower couldn't help but sneer secretly in his heart.
What an arrogant girl!
The Jixian Tower had just been hiding its strength. It had been famous in the capital for many years. How could it be no match for a mere country woman?
A cooking competition?
It was just self - humiliation!
On the surface, his expression remained normal. His eyes flickered and he pretended to be modest as he replied, "That's a great idea. Our Jixian Tower has no problem with it! It all depends on Lord Xu's decision."
Lord Xu frowned and thought for a while, then made up his mind and nodded in agreement.
"In that case, you two should use 'fish' as the main ingredient and show your skills!"