AWB Chapter 259 She's the Only One in My Eyes
Chapter 259 She's the Only One in My Eyes
The final explanation for King Xiang's death was that it was a revenge killing.
It is said that the man who had once harmed the daughter of King Xiang took advantage of the fact that King Xiang had been stripped of his title and exiled to the imperial mausoleum, and bribed the eunuch guarding the mausoleum with a large sum of money to secretly kill him.
The matter of King Xiang ended with Emperor Wenjing ordering the criminals to pay with their lives.
Things calmed down, and no one mentioned it again, but in private, everyone would secretly gossip about it.
This reason sounds like a flimsy excuse; otherwise, why would His Highness Prince Yong, who was still considered a favorite, be suddenly confined to his quarters at this particular time?
It was said that the reason was the lack of discipline among the people in the manor, but was it necessary to confine a prince to his quarters for such a trivial matter?
The powerful families and court officials each had their own guesses, but none of them voiced them openly.
It was more than half a month later when the matter concerning the Prince of Xiang was completely resolved.
As the year drew to a close, the Ministry of Rites became increasingly busy with trivial matters, and Yun Shang was so busy that he left home before dawn and did not return until dark.
In addition, after consulting a fortune teller, no auspicious day was found in the past two months, so the wedding ceremony could only be rescheduled for after the new year.
He privately explained the situation to the Duchess of Anguo, and she did not make things difficult for him. Instead, she said, "In that case, make good preparations. Wan'er has suffered so much since she was lost for many years. Now that she is getting married, the Duke's Mansion should prepare a generous dowry for her."
More than generous, in recent days, the Duke and Duchess of Anguo almost gave Yu Wan everything in the Duke's private treasury as her dowry.
Everyone knew about this, but Yu Wan was kept completely in the dark.
Yu Wan's Yu Ji Hot Pot business was booming, and she was thinking about expanding the store, so she didn't have time to notice the occasional abnormalities that everyone showed.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.
Yu Wan also took over the shop next to Yu Ji Hot Pot and renovated it.
The original shop was a bit narrow, so she combined two shops into one and created several private rooms.
She originally thought that those pampered nobles would not like this way of eating, but unexpectedly, there were as many nobles as fish crossing a river who liked to eat hot pot.
There were too few private rooms originally, and every day, maids and servants from noble households would come to book them. The orders were so exaggerated that they were booked until after the New Year.
Therefore, Yu Wan's renovation this time mainly involved adding many private rooms. To improve the guests' experience, she made sure the soundproofing was excellent, ensuring that no two adjacent private rooms could hear each other's movements.
This ensures the privacy of guests in the private rooms, allowing those VIPs to dine with greater peace of mind.
The store reopened without any pre-opening promotion; every day, hungry customers come to ask when Yu Ji Hot Pot will reopen.
Yu Wan set the date for the auspicious day of November 16th, which happened to be the day when Prince Yong was released from confinement.
After being confined for a full month, on the first day of his release, Prince Yong went to Prince Qi's residence to see Prince Qi.
Just as he was about to leave, the Prince of Qi suddenly called him back and said with a gentle smile, "Ninth Brother, the Yu's Hot Pot restaurant in Shengjing City will reopen in a couple of days. I've heard that the hot pot is very popular these days. Why don't we go and try it together?"
Yu Ji Hot Pot?
Prince Yong had heard of this restaurant before, but he hadn't paid it any attention.
He doesn't care much for food and isn't particularly fond of it.
Hearing the King of Qi mention it now, he took it to heart.
Therefore, after returning to his residence, Prince Yong sent people to inquire about the origin of Yu's Hot Pot.
The steward Kang Qian soon returned to report, "Your Highness, the owner of Yu's Hot Pot is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, who was recently found."
Butler Kang paused for a moment, a hint of disdain and contempt on his face. "She grew up in the countryside after all. Daughters of noble families usually study music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Unlike her, she shows her face in public and has no shame."
"I also learned that when this eldest daughter of the Duke of Anguo's family was found, she was already married. Her husband is none other than Yun Shang, the rising star in the Ministry of Rites who has completely suppressed Wang Ling."
Cloud-shaped wine cup?
Prince Yong lowered his eyes, a flash of fierceness crossing his gaze. He slowly spoke, "This Lady Yu, is she Yun Shang's wife?"
Butler Kang responded.
Prince Yong asked, "How is their relationship?"
"Well... there's no such rumor." Butler Kang hesitated for a moment, then said with certainty, "I think their relationship must be quite good, otherwise the Duke and Duchess of Anguo wouldn't have allowed their daughter to stay in the Yun family."
The two families are simply too mismatched in terms of status and position.
Prince Yong lowered his eyes thoughtfully.
It seems he can go and join in the fun on the opening day of Yu's Hot Pot.
……
On November 16th, Yu Ji Hot Pot reopened.
This opening was even more lively than the first one. Yu Wan had just cut the ribbon and stepped aside when the shop assistant banged on the gong and shouted, "Open for business!" Before the words were even finished, the crowd gathered at the shop entrance rushed in to squeeze inside.
Seeing this situation, Yu Wan was afraid that a stampede would occur.
Fortunately, she had prepared in advance, and soon the shop assistants came forward and directed the people to line up and enter in an orderly manner.
A loud-voiced waiter stood at the door and shouted, "Customers who line up in an orderly manner to enter the store can receive a 30% discount coupon!"
Upon hearing about the discount, everyone lined up voluntarily.
Instantly, the chaotic scene became orderly.
Yun Shang was absent from the last opening of Yu Ji Hot Pot Restaurant, so he specially took half a day off to come this time.
He stood quietly beside Yu Wan, his gaze gentle and focused, as if everything else in the world had vanished, leaving only Yu Wan before him clear and real.
Today, Yu Wan wore a light red cross-front long dress with a matching fox fur-collar cloak. Her long black hair was simply tied up in a bun, adorned with an exquisitely carved plum blossom jade hairpin.
Such an outfit is both vibrant and elegant.
Yu Wan's face was flushed with a faint blush under the light of the large red lanterns overhead.
Her eyes were bright and spirited, like stars falling into a clear spring, moist and lively.
Yun Shang had never seen a woman like this before.
Women are expected to adhere to social norms, smile without showing their teeth, and be gentle and graceful, but Yu Wan always does things that go against these norms.
In Dazhao, only impoverished women from families with no means of support and useless men would have no choice but to go out and do business in order to make a living.
In the eyes of aristocratic families, it was shameless for women to show their faces in public.
Moreover, no noblewoman from a prominent family would ever do something so outrageous and unconventional; they all considered it shameful to show their faces in public and would avoid it at all costs.
But Yu Wan is different.
She seemed to genuinely approve of what she was doing, driven by her persistence and passion, unconcerned with worldly opinions or the constraints of outdated rules.
Her smile was bright and genuine, without any hint of affectation.
In Yun Shang's eyes, her courage and persistence made her shine like a bright pearl.
Every glance, every movement, could stir up ripples in his heart.
He gradually became entangled in it.