Chapter 1570: The Sky-Detonating Gang's Sea King Hotpot

Opening a restaurant in the Imperial City would cost, at most, two thousand taels of silver.

Although some behind-the-scenes maneuvering was still required, Xu Que was, after all, the Emperor; with just a few casual words, everything could proceed without obstruction.

Of course, he did all this secretly from Xuan Yuan Wanrong, even carefully employing a front man to avoid the sight of spies.

That woman had a very petty heart; if she found out, she might secretly resort to underhanded tactics.

A few days later, a brand-new restaurant rose abruptly within the Imperial City.

This suddenly appearing restaurant immediately attracted the attention of many people.

After all, land in the Imperial City was worth its weight in gold; to open a restaurant, one needed not only money but also vast connections.

Otherwise, such a restaurant would absolutely not last long.

"White Cloud Tower... I don't recall hearing of a similar restaurant before."

"Which noble family suddenly decided to open a restaurant?"

"I'm not sure, but I've never heard of their signature dish; it seems to be called something like Hot Pot..."

"Isn't it written right on the plaque? Sea King Hotpot of the Sky-Detonating Gang!"

Just as everyone was discussing this, a shocking scene unfolded!

The notorious prodigal sons of the Imperial City gathered in groups and happily headed toward the restaurant.

The common folk immediately felt a chill in their hearts.

These prodigals were infamous evildoers in the Imperial City; although they hadn't committed any heinous crimes, they were usually arrogant, domineering, and acted without restraint.

Whenever these guys appeared in groups, they were either visiting brothels or looking to cause trouble for someone.

"I'm afraid this restaurant won't last until tomorrow..." sighed someone well-versed in such matters.

What a pity for such a fine restaurant; just as it opened, it was about to suffer at the hands of these evildoers.

Before everyone could finish lamenting, an even more shocking scene occurred.

These prodigals walked in on their own feet but were carried out of the restaurant!

Moreover, they weren't carried out because they were severely injured and unable to walk, but because they had eaten until they were too stuffed to move, so they had to be carried out!

Some even clung to the restaurant entrance, refusing to leave, wailing loudly: "Shopkeeper! I beg you, let me take some away! I haven't eaten enough yet!"

The white-haired Shopkeeper didn't even appear personally, merely sending a message out: "The restaurant allows only one meal per person per day; no more are permitted."

Even though the prodigal sons were extremely reluctant to leave, they could only be carried back to their mansions.

Clamor!

Instantly, discussions about this restaurant erupted everywhere.

"This is ghostly! The last time those prodigals patronized a restaurant like this, that restaurant closed down the very same day!"

"Haven't you noticed? Even though the Shopkeeper showed them such disrespect, none of those prodigals caused any trouble!"

"Exactly! They are a group that fears neither heaven nor earth; since when have they been so obedient?"

Those with sharp eyes quickly pinpointed the key issue: the owner behind this restaurant must possess influence beyond imagination.

Soon, someone leaked relevant information about the restaurant.

"Let me tell you, this restaurant sells only one dish, and that is Hot Pot; I heard it costs one hundred taels of silver per serving!" said an informant.

"Really? One hundred taels of silver? That expensive?"

"It's true! Moreover, it's said the taste is incredibly wonderful, making people linger and forget to return!"

Although the prodigal sons had a bad reputation, they were also the group in the Imperial City most skilled at enjoying life.

Whenever there was something delicious or fun, these guys would swarm over like sharks smelling blood.

With them acting as the vanguard this time, the fame of White Cloud Tower quickly spread throughout the Imperial City, and soon crowds flocked there.

The Imperial City was under the Emperor's feet; although one hundred taels of silver per dish was expensive, there were plenty of people who could afford it.

In merely half a day, a long queue formed below White Cloud Tower, stretching across the entire street, with people even queuing on the neighboring street.

Just as everyone was complaining about the large crowd, the Shopkeeper spoke again.

"The restaurant's Hot Pot has a daily limit of ninety-nine servings; if you are unwilling to queue, you can purchase a Membership Card for nine hundred and ninety-eight taels of silver to be seated in advance."

Immediately, some high-ranking officials and nobles handed over their silver, bought a card, and were instantly treated as honored guests to enjoy the delicacy.

Other wealthy people scoffed at this.

"Fools! Buying a Membership Card just to enjoy it early is simply ignorant beyond measure."

"Indeed, little do they know that only waiting makes beautiful things more valuable."

"Such nouveau riche simply do not deserve to queue alongside us."

The high-ranking official and noble who had bought the Membership Card walked out after eating, heard these words, and displayed a subtle expression on his face before declaring loudly: "No way, no way, could it be that there are really people who can't even afford a Membership Card, queuing here, yet still have the audacity to call themselves wealthy?"

Holy crap!

One stone stirred up a thousand waves; everyone here was wealthy, so what right did you have to be so arrogant?

It's merely nine hundred and ninety-eight taels of silver; do you think I can't afford it?!

"Get me one!" shouted a wealthy person indignantly, pulling out silver on the spot to buy a card.

"I want one too!"

"Get me ten! One for everyone eating at the table, so some nouveau riche won't think I can't afford to eat!"

According to incomplete statistics, over one hundred wealthy individuals purchased Membership Cards.

Some wealthy people, refusing to believe in evil, stubbornly refused to buy a card, only to queue for an entire day without getting a turn.

When asked, the reply was that member orders were being processed with priority.

The wealthy person was instantly dumbfounded; it turned out that without a Membership Card nowadays, one couldn't even smell the aroma of Hot Pot, let alone eat it!

Thus, almost all the wealthy people who wanted to eat Hot Pot shamefully rushed off to buy cards.

Xuan Yuan Wanrong, within the Imperial Palace, received the news and could not help but feel somewhat surprised.

"A mere Hot Pot, yet it has actually attracted so many devotees?"

The scout who had come to report hesitated for a moment, then whispered softly, "Your Majesty, there is unconfirmed information suggesting that this White Cloud Tower was established by Your Majesty."

"I know." Xuan Yuan Wanrong showed not a trace of surprise. "Only he could conceive of such a ridiculous scheme, making money by opening a restaurant."

But waging war requires millions of taels of Silver, and that is merely the minimum.

Yet today's revenue from the restaurant, even including the sale of membership cards, amounted to barely less than two hundred thousand taels of silver.

Xuan Yuan Wanrong did not understand statecraft, but she knew that in a world devoid of Spiritual Energy, no matter how delicious the food, there would come a day when people grew tired of it.

The reason for such high income today was simply because everyone was seeking novelty.

As time passed, revenue would gradually decline; at that rate, earning one hundred taels of silver per dish, it was impossible to know how long it would take to accumulate a million taels of silver.

However, she did not know that this was merely Xu Que's first step.

"Leeks, of course, cannot be harvested all at once; one must leave them some room to grow!"

Xu Que, who was currently imparting experience to the Shopkeeper, spoke thus.