Chapter 72: Have You Asked Whether Quan Aoyu Would Agree?

Not long after sitting down, Jun Shuyan arrived. As soon as she entered, she said excitedly, "Second Sister, this restaurant of Crown Prince brother-in-law is truly beautiful. May I follow you here to eat and drink for free from now on?"

Quan Qingle laughed heartily:

"Jun Shuyan, you really are a foodie... but you have spoken my heart's desire."

"Count me in too. From now on, we shall all follow Zijin to eat and drink for free," He Linger also laughed.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, exquisite dishes were brought out, filling the table. He Linger and Quan Qingle couldn't wait to pick up their chopsticks, exclaiming how delicious everything was.

Jun Shuyan ate until her mouth was covered in grease. She licked her fingers and said, "Second Sister, we didn't pack up the leftovers from the palace banquet last time. There are so many dishes today that we won't be able to finish them all; let's pack them up later to eat tonight."

Jun Zijin picked up a piece of salt and pepper hairy crab and gnawed on it with relish. "Alright, I'll have the restaurant make a few fresh dishes later for you to take back to Grandmother and Zhou Yiniang."

While eating, Jun Zijin observed the restaurant's business. She noticed that customers were coming and going in an endless stream; whether in the main hall or the private rooms, one group after another was replaced. However, the private room right next to theirs remained empty the entire time. Finding this strange, she called over a waiter from outside the door and asked:

"Young man, why has the room next door been empty all this time?"

"Answering my mistress, that room is reserved long-term by the Right Minister of the current dynasty."

Just as they were speaking, someone actually arrived at the room next door. Jun Zijin’s mind stirred; she signaled for everyone to be quiet, and the waiter quietly retreated.

Sounds from the next room drifted over. First came the sound of chairs being pulled, then a young man’s voice spoke up:

"Junior Sister, did you rush back in such a hurry just because of the Crown Prince being granted a marriage?"

A woman’s voice replied:

"Crown Prince brother is mine; no one can take him away. I had only been away from the capital for three years, and he actually got engaged to that cousin of yours who grew up in the countryside. Does such a bumpkin even dare to covet my Crown Prince brother? Is she worthy? Senior Brother, tell me, can I be reconciled to this?"

Huasheng gave a cold scoff: "Mistress, let me go teach her a lesson!"

Jun Zijin waved her hand: "Let's watch a bit longer." She wanted to see what this love rival was capable of.

The young man’s voice from the next room spoke again:

"Don't be impatient, Junior Sister. Although the news I received says my uncle doesn't care for her, that bumpkin is a troublemaker and not easy to deal with. This matter must be planned carefully."

Jun Zijin felt a chill in her heart. Senior brother and sister? A cousin? So it was Jun Zhihao from the second branch, who had been studying at Mount Kunlun, who had returned. The household was in for some excitement now, Jun Zijin sneered.

"She is just a country girl from a lowly second-rank official's family who isn't even favored. Do you think I'm afraid of her? My father is the dignified Right Minister, after all, and I have studied martial arts for three years. Dealing with a bumpkin is a matter of minutes."

He Linger frowned and whispered: "It's the fifth young lady of the High Minister's residence, named Gao Shanshan, the niece of Imperial Consort Gao. It is said that on the day she was born, there was a glow in the sky, and a fortune teller predicted she would surely have great wealth and status. She was raised to be arrogant and domineering since childhood. Three years ago, she beat the daughter of a third-rank official to death and was sent to Mount Kunlun to study martial arts to avoid the fallout. I didn't expect her to return to the capital today."

Jun Zijin sneered: "A daughter of the Minister's residence, isn't that exactly great wealth and status?"

Quan Qingle held Gao Shanshan’s arrogant and domineering style in extreme contempt. When Gao Shanshan was in the capital a few years ago, she relied on having a father who was a Minister and an aunt who was an Imperial Consort to act high and mighty, and she had even fought with Quan Qingle.

Quan Qingle rolled her eyes at the ceiling: "So what if she's the daughter of the Minister's residence? Look at how full of herself she is."

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside; it was the waiter bringing food. They heard the sound of the door opening next door, followed by Gao Shanshan’s voice:

"Waiter, bring the food in!"

"I apologize, Miss Gao, this dish was not ordered by you," the waiter said.

"I told you to bring it in, so bring it in! What are you blathering about?" Gao Shanshan raged.

Quan Qingle could no longer sit still. She pulled the door open and glared at Gao Shanshan:

"Gao Shanshan, what kind of power are you throwing here!"

When Gao Shanshan saw it was Quan Qingle, she was stunned for a moment. The other was a Princess, while she was only the Minister's daughter, so she couldn't help but frown. But then she remembered that her aunt was the current Imperial Consort, and since there was no Empress in the palace, the inner palace was almost entirely run by her aunt. Perhaps one day, her aunt would naturally ascend to the position of Empress and become the master of the six palaces; it wouldn't be impossible for her to be named a Princess. What was a mere Princess? She would still be trampled under her feet.

Gao Shanshan’s heart, which had been a bit timid, became bold. She lifted her chin slightly and said disdainfully: "I wondered who it was. Quan Qingle, I am throwing my weight around, what are you going to do about it?"

Quan Qingle leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and sneered:

"Gao Shanshan, you have a habit of snatching things that belong to others, don't you? Coveting someone who doesn't belong to you, and now you're even trying to snatch other people's food!"

"What did you say?" Gao Shanshan roared, taking a few quick steps forward, intending to hit Quan Qingle.

Jun Zijin gave Guazi a look. Guazi grabbed a chopstick and shot it out; it struck Gao Shanshan’s knee perfectly. Gao Shanshan felt half her leg go numb with pain, and with a cry of agony, she fell to her knees at the entrance of the Immortal Shadow Pavilion with a "thud."

"Pfft." Everyone burst out laughing.

Quan Qingle laughed until she was doubled over, pointing at Gao Shanshan:

"Gao Shanshan, you show us such great respect; you are indeed teachable. I haven't told you to rise, so don't you dare get up."

Quan Qingle returned to the table and began eating. Seeing that her side hadn't suffered, Jun Zijin ignored her and continued eating leisurely.

Gao Shanshan was so angry she could vomit blood. She wanted to stand up, but her leg was painful and weak. It took a long while before she could stand up by holding onto the railing. Only then did she see the chopstick on the floor; she didn't know who had used it to force her to her knees. She had clearly kicked an iron plate, but this fifth young lady of the Minister's residence was not one to let things go.

At this time, the waiter bypassed Gao Shanshan and brought the dishes into the Immortal Shadow Pavilion. Seeing the waiter respectfully serving the dish elsewhere, Gao Shanshan couldn't swallow this insult. As she looked up, she recognized He Linger. The other two sitting there looked unfamiliar; the older one was eating leisurely, but the younger one was eating without any regard for her image—they looked like two wild girls. However, the two maids standing by the side seemed difficult to deal with, and she didn't know if it was them who had hit her with the chopstick earlier. Feeling a bit intimidated, she turned her target back to He Linger:

"He Linger, you dare to snatch things that I, this young lady, have taken a fancy to?"

He Linger didn't indulge her. She picked up a mouthful of food into her bowl, her eyes full of mockery. "Gao Shanshan, do you think the whole world belongs to your Minister's residence? Just because you fancy something, it becomes yours?"

Gao Shanshan was choked until her face turned red, but she was unwilling to let it go. Having nowhere to vent her anger, she spotted the waiter who had just finished serving. She grabbed him by the collar and slapped him twice. The waiter, in pain and shock, fell directly to his knees.

On this side, Jun Zijin stood up. The waiter had been beaten, and as she was half-owner of this restaurant, how could she allow others to beat her employees at will?

Gao Shanshan felt slightly better after hitting the waiter and turned back to look at He Linger provocatively. But as she turned, she saw Jun Zijin already standing in front of her. With someone suddenly standing before her, Gao Shanshan was startled. In that split second of hesitation, Jun Zijin mimicked her, grabbed her by the collar with one hand, raised her other hand, and "slap, slap, slap"—a few heavy slaps landed on her face. These slaps were delivered with force, and Gao Shanshan’s face swelled up instantly.

Gao Shanshan was stunned by Jun Zijin’s beating. She hadn't expected that she, a dignified young lady of the Minister's residence who had studied martial arts for three years, would be beaten by a wild girl who was shorter than her. Her face burned with pain, and she wanted to fight back, but then she heard Jun Zijin’s cold, emotionless voice:

"You come to my restaurant to beat my servant; have you asked whether Quan Aoyu would agree to it?"