The happiest person upon Shao Yunan’s return to the capital was Guo Zimu. Shao Yunan’s absence from the capital always made him a bit insecure. As soon as Shao Yunan returned, he dared to go out without wearing a mask, although he hadn’t done so yet.

Guo Zimu also loved the fish maw he had eaten, and Shao Yunan was now teaching him how to process the fish maw and remove the fishy smell, hands-on.

At this moment, the steward of the private kitchen came in looking troubled: “Master, the steward from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion is here. They want to book three tables at our restaurant tomorrow night, but all our tables for the next five days are already booked, and now they’re asking for three more…”

Before Guo Zimu could react, Shao Yunan was the first to express his displeasure: “Don’t they know the rules of the restaurant? They should have come to book a table one day in advance. Where do they expect us to fit in three more tables? Cancel the other reservations? Then how are we going to do business in the future?”

Seeing Shao Yunan speak up, the steward was even more troubled: “Yes, the sixth young master of the Duke of Lu’s Mansion is hosting a gathering for his friends…”

Guo Zimu reminded: “Yunan, the Duke of Lu’s Mansion is your maternal family.”

Indeed, Shao Yunan had forgotten that his uncle was from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion.

Shao Yunan was not familiar with his “maternal grandfather’s” family, or rather, very unfamiliar. Although Su Chenyi came from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion, he himself was not a family-oriented person. Otherwise, with his status, general Dai, who had always been low-key, wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage between Su Chenyi and general Dai that could also be considered a love match. Shao Yunan had only met the people from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion once at the family recognition banquet, and had little contact with them afterward. Although the people from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion had requested several times to meet or have a meal with him, Shao Yunan was busy, and Su Chenyi knew that his son was impatient with such matters, so he helped him push them away. Therefore, Shao Yunan’s feelings towards the Duke of Lu’s Mansion were more of a stranger. Perhaps the main reason was that Su Chenyi’s mother had passed away, and his father had remarried, so Su Chenyi himself rarely interacted with his family, which directly led to Shao Yunan’s even less closeness with the Duke of Lu’s Mansion. However, despite not being close, Shao Yunan did not dislike the Duke of Lu’s Mansion, and he had not been stingy with the filial piety he had given to the Duke and the elders.

But knowing that the other party was from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion, Shao Yunan became even more unhappy: “Who is this sixth young master?”

Guo Zimu responded faster than the steward: “He is the Duke of Lu’s biological nephew, the only son of the Duke’s younger sister and your cousin. You either call him cousin or cousin, and he is about your age.”

The previous Duke of Lu passed away early, and the current Duke of Lu is Su Chenyi’s cousin. Su Chenyi’s father is the biological second uncle of the Duke of Lu. Among the former three dukes, the Duke of Lu was the youngest, belonging to the same generation as the former Crown Prince of Anguo. The former Duke of Lu had one legitimate wife, two concubines, and several concubines and maids. The current Duke of Lu has one legitimate wife, three concubines, and two maids. The Duke of Lu himself has three biological brothers and several half-brothers, none of whom have split from the family, all living together, plus the immediate family members of these brothers, the entire mansion has more than a hundred people. The more powerful a family is in this society, the more they avoid splitting up, which leads to larger populations in prestigious families. In modern society, which family can have so many people? Just remembering the names would make one dizzy.

Shao Yunan was confused: “How can my cousin be from the Duke of Lu’s Mansion? Is her husband an adoptee?” This was rare. His aunt lived in the General’s Mansion for security reasons, and her husband had his own mansion.

The steward didn’t understand what the husband meant but Guo Zimu calmly responded: “Madam Ru is widowed. It is said that Madam Su especially favored this child after her husband’s death and brought her and her son back to the Duke of Lu’s Mansion. This Ru Shuhan ranks sixth among the younger generation of the Duke of Lu’s Mansion. Everyone calls him the sixth young master.”

Shao Yunan widened his eyes: “Little Guo, how do you know so much?”

Guo Zimu lifted his chin proudly: “Doing business in the capital, how can I not understand these relationships? I’m afraid you don’t understand the situation in the Duke of Lu’s Mansion as well as I do.” Guo Zimu didn’t want to stand out, but he didn’t neglect his homework either.

“Admirable!” Shao Yunan clasped his fist. He was truly impressed; he had underestimated him after three days! Little Guo was too amazing! Was this the power of love?! Shao Yunan disgusted himself.

Unaware of Shao Yunan’s inner thoughts, Guo Zimu continued: “This sixth young master’s face cannot be lost. He is very favored by Madam Su and the Duke of Lu. His status in the Duke of Lu’s Mansion is higher than some legitimate young masters. Zhao, tell them that three tables are not possible. At most, two tables.”

Zhao, the steward, still looked troubled: “Master, if we only arrange for two tables, where do we place them?”

Guo Zimu also had no choice: “Let’s arrange it in the Bright Moon Room.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao furrowed his brow: “The Bright Moon Room belongs to the King…”

Guo Zimu replied: “We can use it occasionally. The Crown Prince won’t mind. I’ll talk to him later. Right now, the Bright Moon Room and the Chengxiang Courtyard are the only available places. The Chengxiang Courtyard cannot be used. But you also need to tell the people from the Lu Family that this time is an exception. In the future, they must follow the rules.”

Guo Zimu felt somewhat uncomfortable too. However, no matter what, the Lu Family was still related to Shao Yunan. He had to give them face. Perhaps they disregarded the rules because of this relationship. If the King or the Crown Prince were here, this matter would be easier to handle. But now, only he and Yunan were present, and he couldn’t show himself, nor could he let Yunan intervene. So, this arrangement would have to do.

The Bright Moon Room was a special room reserved for the King Rong to entertain his guests, decorated according to his preferences. The Chengxiang Courtyard was the only independent courtyard in the private restaurant, reserved for the Emperor and the Empress. If King Rong had guests, they would also be entertained in the Chengxiang Courtyard. Guo Zimu initially wanted to reserve a room specifically for Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing, but Yunan refused: “Qingyuan” wasn’t very spacious to begin with. Excluding essential rooms like the kitchen and Guo Zimu’s office, there were only eleven rooms available. If they reserved one for Yunan and Wang Shijing, it would be a waste of resources. Since they were coming to “Qingyuan” to give advance notice, it wasn’t necessary to reserve an extra room. They could just use the Bright Moon Room.

Yunan’s face darkened when Guo Zimu made the arrangements. He knew the layout of the private restaurant well, and he could guess why the other party made such a rude request.

“Wait a moment,” Yunan stopped Zhao, who was about to leave, and said with a stern face: “Tell the visitors that all the tables are fully booked for the next five days. If they want to entertain guests, they can go to another place, or they’ll have to wait for five days. Tell them it’s my decision.”

Guo Zimu was his brother, his family. The so-called “Sixth Young Master” he didn’t even remember the appearance of was just a stranger. There was no reason to make things difficult for his own family to help a stranger. As for the Lu Family, they were related to him through marriage, but he barely knew them. He had met them once at the recognition banquet, and they had hardly interacted since then. The Lu Family had invited him to meet or have dinner several times, but he was busy, and Su Chenyi knew that he wasn’t interested in such matters, so she helped him decline. Therefore, although they were related by marriage, he felt distant from the Lu Family. However, despite this, Yunan didn’t dislike the Lu Family, and he had shown them respect. But knowing that they were from the Lu Family made Yunan even more unhappy: “Just because someone from the Lu Family asks, they want to reserve three tables? What about the other young masters from the Lu Family? If you give an inch, they’ll take a mile. This precedent can’t be set, and we can’t let them use our friendship to save face. If there’s no availability, there’s no availability. Zhao, tell them to follow the rules, and say that it’s my decision.”

Seeing that Yunan was getting upset, Guo Zimu waved his hand, and Zhao hurriedly left. Wang Shijing’s anger was not something ordinary people could handle.

“Don’t be upset,” Guo Zimu took off his mask and looked at Yunan’s “charming” face. Yunan immediately softened, picked up the mask, and put it back on Guo Zimu’s face: “Don’t try to seduce me. I’m absolutely loyal to my brother, Shijing.”

“Go to hell!” Guo Zimu kicked him.

Despite the lack of face from Qingyuan, it was still madam Wang Shao who directly refused. The steward from the Lu Family left with a grim expression. He could already imagine the reaction this matter would provoke in the capital. Madam Wang Shao didn’t even give face to the Lu Family, he was simply too angry! Did he not care about the Lu Family, which was his own family?

After a while, Zhao came back, holding a thick stack of invitation cards: “Master, madam Wang Shao, many people outside want to see you. These are the invitations.”

“Why are the invitations sent here?”

Guo Zimu said knowingly: “You rarely come out of the palace. It’s not easy to see you. I guess you’ve been targeted as soon as you left the palace.”

Yunan looked at Guo Zimu with curiosity. The change in Little brother Guo was really too drastic! But then he didn’t understand why Little brother Guo always seemed so timid in front of the Empress. Yunan dared to treat the Empress as an equal, but he didn’t know how terrifying her aura was to others.

Yunan glanced disinterestedly at the invitation cards. He tried to avoid deep involvement with the prominent families of the capital. His family background with the General’s Mansion was deep enough, and his own family was already a marquis, plus he had a thousand-year-old little uncle. If he became too involved with the prominent families of the capital, it wouldn’t benefit the General’s Mansion and the Marquis’s Mansion. Wang Shijing’s family wasn’t trying to monopolize power or anything, so it was better to avoid these social interactions.

Among these invitation cards were from prestigious families as well as some from merchants. There were representatives from Dasi Kingdom, Xianlu Country, and the Great Mountain Tribe. The Great Mountain Tribe?

Shao Yunan picked up an invitation card from the Great Mountain Tribe. He still had a good impression of the Great Mountain Tribe. After all, he had been saved by someone from the tribe, and their merchants had cooperated well during the auction.

The invitation card was sent by someone named Wu Di, judging from the content, he was a merchant from the Great Mountain Tribe. Since he could send an invitation card, this person’s status in the tribe must be high, and his business must be substantial, otherwise, those small households wouldn’t dare to send him an invitation card so easily.

“Hey, Little Guo, have you heard of this Wu Di from the Great Mountain Tribe?”

Guo Zimu immediately responded: “This person is quite wealthy. He has dined at Qingyuan several times, and his background is quite impressive. The Prince has mentioned him before.”

Shao Yunan handed the invitation card to steward Zhao: “Let’s make it the day after tomorrow at noon, still here.” Then he turned his head, and before Guo Zimu could say anything, he said: “I’ll free up the Bright Moon Room for you the day after tomorrow at noon.”

“Okay.”

At the residence of the Lu Family, a young man who looked only slightly older than Shao Yunan was standing in front of the elder of the Lu Family, Lady Su, with a worried expression. This young man had rosy lips and white teeth, the epitome of a handsome youth from the current Great State of Yan. One of the reasons he was favored by the elder of the Lu Family despite being from an external surname was that he was not only sweet-talking but also very cute.

“Grandmother, what should I do? I told them there wouldn’t be a problem, but who knew that Yunan’s cousin would be so disrespectful. How can I meet my classmates like this?”

Lady Su was a bit unhappy. After all, Yunan was their own family member. How could he refuse without any hesitation? Moreover, the one in charge of Qingyuan was the quasi-legal wife of King Luo Rong, not Yunan. Lady Su’s unhappiness had another reason, but it was something she couldn’t say aloud and dared not say aloud.

Lady Su felt unhappy inside, but she still maintained a gentle demeanor and said: “Since Qingyuan said they need at least five days’ advance booking, it’s probably because they can’t free up a table. Since you’re going to Qingyuan, why didn’t you make the reservation earlier?”

Ru Shuhan also felt helpless and said: “It was decided today. My piece was praised by the master today, and He Wei said we should all gather. It just so happens that tomorrow is He Wei’s birthday, and he said it’s better to celebrate tomorrow together. He Wei kindly offered to celebrate at Qingyuan for me, and I’m grateful. He Wei said it’s hard to reserve seats at Qingyuan, even though his family has some money, they don’t have connections. So I thought madam Wang Shao could give me some face, but I didn’t expect Yunan’s cousin to refuse.”

Lady Su couldn’t help but suspect He Wei’s motives, but her external grandson had always been innocent, and she didn’t want him to worry. Lady Su also didn’t want to see her grandson so upset. After all, this really hurt his face. Lady Su said: “Okay, let your big brother go again.”

Ru Shuhan’s expression immediately became melancholy, and he lowered his head: “Is my cousin unhappy with me, so he…”

Lady Su felt sorry for him and held his hand: “Don’t think too much. You are the young master of the Lu Family. Who dares not to like you?”

Ru Shuhan said with grievance: “But I’m not surnamed Su.”

Now Lady Su felt even more distressed. She couldn’t help but blame Shao Yunan more forcefully: “It’s just three tables, even if it’s the entire Qingyuan, Yunan should give you this face.” Lady Su said to the maid beside her: “Go and call the master’s wife over.”

“Yes.”

Ru Shuhan hugged Lady Su and worried: “Grandmother, will my cousin be angry?”

“You’re his cousin, he should help you. Don’t worry, if he’s really so petty, grandmother will personally intervene.”

Ru Shuhan smiled and hugged Lady Su back: “Grandmother, I knew you always cared about me the most.”

Lady Su was amused by Ru Shuhan’s coaxing, and then Ru Shuhan went to see his mother. When Ru Madame Su Linrong saw him come back, she first greeted the maids to serve tea and snacks, and then let the maids retreat. She held Ru Shuhan’s hand and asked: “Shuhan, mother heard that you had a conflict with Shao Yunan?”

“No, he ignored me,” Ru Shuhan said with frustration, telling his mother about the matter, and then said: “No matter what, I’m still his cousin. Even if we’re not close, he shouldn’t refuse me so bluntly. What my sisters said is correct. Our marquis’s wife doesn’t care about our Lu Family at all, otherwise, she wouldn’t have forgotten about grandmother.”

Ru Madame Su Linrong lamented: “If he doesn’t care about the Lu Family, how can he not care about us? He is the legitimate young master of the Dai Family, and he is also favored by the Empress. Who are we? We are just orphans and widows under someone else’s roof.”

Ru Shuhan suddenly raised his voice and shouted: “Then why don’t you change my surname to Su? Even if I am favored by the Marquis’s family, I am just an outsider in this family!”

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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