Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 299 Opening a Restaurant
Madam Xie's carriage had already turned into Yong'an Ward, so Xu En couldn't chase after it. He could only call Wang Yan and He Tan to go to the restaurant. Xu En wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Wang Yan seemed a little uninterested.

However, it's understandable that Wang Yan is rarely seen at banquets throughout the capital; he doesn't like those kinds of events.

For anyone else, such an approach might have made it difficult to gain a foothold in the court, but Wang Yan had the support of Prime Minister Wang and the Wang family of Taiyuan. In addition, he had a reputation that spread far and wide since childhood, was the top scholar appointed by the emperor, and was often summoned to the palace to present his arguments alone. No one dared to underestimate him.

I heard that Wang Yan rarely attends banquets in the Wang clan, and even if he does, he doesn't stay long. His personality has angered Prime Minister Wang quite a bit, but what can he do?
Before entering officialdom, his writing was unmatched; after entering officialdom, he made great achievements. Even the emperor praised him for his true character and established a firm foothold in the court. Minister Wang should be proud of him, so how could he criticize him further?

Having figured this out, Xu En no longer cared and instead said, "I've also carefully investigated this restaurant. I heard that they have stir-fried dishes that are only available at Dingxiang Restaurant in Bianjing."

“This restaurant only opened yesterday,” Xu En said. “I heard that their stir-fried beef and mutton, stir-fried shredded pork, stir-fried pork kidneys with lychee, and stir-fried eel are all excellent.”

"It took me a lot of effort to book a table for tonight."

Upon hearing this, He Tan immediately went to see Wang Yan. He was unaware that there was such a restaurant in Daming Prefecture; it must have been set up during their investigation.

Just look at these dishes, they're incredibly fresh.

However, in some ways, what gave him a sense of familiarity was not just because Madam Xie had brought him two plates of stir-fried dishes on New Year's Day.

Moreover, businesses like charcoal and water shops suddenly became popular, and then... they sold extremely well.

What they have in common is that they are all related to Madam Xie.

Having considered this, He Tan couldn't help but ask, "What's the name of that restaurant?"

Xu En said, "Anfanglou."

Anfang Building.

Yong'anfang.

It's not just a slight resemblance, it's an uncanny resemblance. He Tan's eyes flickered: "Who owns this restaurant?"

This time, Xu En was taken aback: "How would I know? Do you mean we have to find out about the host while we're drinking?"

He Tan laughed and said, "No, I just think this owner is quite amazing. It's hard to find a chef who can cook in Bianjing, but he was able to bring people to Daming Prefecture."

"If the government office hadn't been so busy lately, we might have found out sooner."

As He Tan spoke, he looked at Wang Yan, wondering if this restaurant really belonged to Madam Xie.

in the case of……

Wang Yan doesn't seem to know yet.

Although it was a bit unethical, He Tan felt incredibly pleased. There are always people more capable than you, and even Wang Hechun has his moments of incompetence.

"Hurry up, I'm really hungry." He Tan said, then spurred his horse forward.

Xu En hurried to look at Wang Yan, only to find that Wang Yan had also ridden his horse forward.

Anfang Restaurant is two stories high, with brightly colored signs hanging on it. Two waiters stand at the entrance, smiling as they welcome guests inside. It's not late yet, but several carriages are already parked in front of the restaurant.

Soon Wang Yan saw several familiar faces.

One of them was a man who had been hiding in the deep mountains with Chen Rong. He was on his way to settle the horses. When he saw Wang Yan, he was taken aback and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

“Angel Wang”.

Wang Yan nodded and asked, "Why are you here?"

The man quickly replied, "This is the village association's restaurant; we work as waiters here."

As expected. He Tan cleared his throat: "So, the mistress is Madam Xie?"

The man responded.

He Tan immediately felt more refreshed: "So this is Madam Xie's restaurant. Then we'll have to have a few more drinks this time."

It took Xu En, who was standing nearby, a while to come to her senses: "You mean... Anfanglou is... Madam Xie's?"

He Tan pointed to the plaque above the restaurant: "Anfang, Yong'anfang. I had a guess when I heard the name, and it was true."

Xu En took a deep breath. Not only does Madam Xie know how to make porcelain, but she also runs a restaurant? He never expected that he would stumble upon the right place by accident.

As the group entered the restaurant, they found it packed with people, with waiters constantly moving between tables, clearly indicating that the guests were very fond of the food.

"Are the next three days fully booked?" someone said to the shopkeeper. "No matter which day it is, book the earliest one for me. I want to host a banquet on the second floor."

Xu En looked at the waiter who had led the way: "Is it so difficult to eat in a restaurant these days?"

The waiter smiled and said, "There's no need for that on the first floor. Just come early. There are very few private rooms on the second floor. If you're planning to entertain guests, you'll have to book early. Before, there weren't any restaurants in Daming Prefecture that could cook, so everyone wanted to come and try the food."

After saying that, the waiter added, "That's what the lady said."

The private room that Xu En had booked was already filled with people. When the three gentlemen arrived, they all stood up and bowed.

“Let’s not stand on ceremony today. Everyone has worked so hard these past few days, so this feast is my way of rewarding you all,” Xu En said, looking at the waiter. “Just bring out the food and drinks.”

Just as Xu En was speaking, He Tan leaned close to Wang Yan's ear and whispered, "You really don't know?"

Wang Yan said calmly, "What do you think, brother?"

He Tan shook his head: "I don't know."

He might have been able to figure out the situation with other women, but with Madam Xie, he couldn't fathom it.

"Isn't this better?" Wang Yan said. "Why do we all have to know?"

She can do whatever she wants; why does she have to tell others beforehand? Even if it were him, it's not like he wants to control her.

Just help her when she needs it, and remember her when she's in danger.

That's enough.

He Tan only vaguely understood, but he shook his head. Even though he hadn't drunk any alcohol, someone was already drunk.

Wang Yan drank three cups of wine, and six dishes had already been served on the table. The wine was exceptionally fragrant today, and because they drank it quickly, some people at the banquet had already blushed slightly.

Wang Yan remained unchanged, but just as the waiter brought the dishes to the table again, he saw a small, thin figure through the lifted curtain.

That's Yang Xiaoshan.

Yang Xiaoshan often wanders the streets and alleys. He has Xie Yuyan's spies under his command. He is certainly not here to check on the restaurant's business.

Wang Yan put down his cup, and a moment later, Sang Dian walked over quickly and whispered, "People from the north have shown up in the restaurant."

When the two countries open a border market, they will send envoys, but before that, there will definitely be spies gathering information. Xie Yuyan already knew this and had made arrangements in advance.

If Xie Yuyan hadn't encountered Xu En's invitation on the way, he probably would have told him about this matter.

She was in the carriage when she heard Xu En talking to him. Since she knew he was coming to Anfang Tower, there was no need to mention it again, since they would run into each other here anyway.