The princess relies on the cat to ascend the throne

Le Ning never expected that Lu Wanzhen would mention their relationship in public.

She thought, if this was the game "Werewolf Killer" in later generations, Lu Wanzhen would definitely be a wolf who made a fuss about her identity.

Le Ning didn't know what plan Lu Wanzhen had in mind.

It stands to reason that Lu Xing is the mainstay of the generation of Duke Lu's mansion, she thought, after Le Ning is taken back by the Duke of Lu's mansion, with the fact that she has a good relationship with Le Ning, the Duke of Lu's mansion should not object to their marriage is.

Lu Wanzhen had plans in mind, but Le Ning was too lazy to care about this person's sudden illness, so he just moved the topic back to eating, and briefly talked about the recent new products with Lu Chen.

Huang Chen's eyes turned around between Le Ning and Lu Wanzhen, he was embarrassed to ask clearly, all kinds of guesses emerged in his mind, but on his face, Le Ning was talking about the new dishes in the restaurant.

"Longjing Shrimp?"

Huang Xing's name was attracted by a dish.

Le Ning nodded. When she mentioned her dishes, she always had a smile on her face. No matter how unpleasant the topic was, she could immediately forget it and concentrate on the dishes. She immediately said: :

"Yes, this dish looks bland, but it has all the flavors."

Huang Chen also wished to have some other topics to dilute the shock in his heart just now, and immediately followed Le Ning's words and continued: "It's a good feeling, so let's do it!"

"Other new dishes can also be presented one by one, and I can try them for you."

Huang Xing has a good relationship with Le Ning and the senior brothers of this Zougong restaurant. Now Zougong restaurant has connected four or five shops in this street, and the private room on the second floor has been repaired more and more stylishly. Juezhong has become a gathering place for princes and scholars in Wang'an City, and even officials come here for dinner when they rest and take a bath.

The restaurant undertakes a lot of business. There are restaurants on the second and third floors, which allow people to take a look at the scenery of Wang'anjurenfang when they gather together, and look at the things in the distance, because it is a building in Wang'an City. In order to avoid spying on the palace, the height of the building is not allowed to go beyond the third floor. The places where ordinary people live are mostly one-story houses. Therefore, the height of this restaurant is high enough to overlook.

Literati and poets are sometimes very fond of poetry, so they leave some sentences on the walls. On the walls of restaurants and restaurants, there are poems that have been altered and altered. Some of them answer and criticize each other.

Even though the wall is painted in a mess, not only is it not offensive, but there are more people who come here attracted by it.

Le Ning knows that this is the same as some milk tea shops in the later generations specially paste some sticky notes on the wall, allowing customers to leave messages casually. Feelings are an existence that young literary and artistic youth cannot resist.

Recently, she also suggested to her seniors that if the building is renovated next time, she might consider having someone transcribe all the well-known sentences on the wall, and then pin some colored notes on the wall to transcribe those "messages" one by one. Copy it.

It's just that the senior brothers don't know what it is. Le Ning plans to enrich the content of papermaking in his spare time, such as making some colored paper with flowers and plants. It is estimated that it will be sold out among literati.

Of course, these are all for later.

In short, the current reputation of Zougong restaurant has been spread from the court to the common people, everyone knows it, and because the price of the dishes varies, Le Ning knows how to use exquisite packaging and decoration to present a dish with The two different appearances are presented by nobles and civilians, so the high-end and low-end customers of restaurants are well caught.

What are the obvious recipes called "boiled shrimp" and "drunk crab" in the common people, but in the private room, they will become names such as dragon liver and phoenix gallbladder.

And because of the difference between the plate arrangement and the special service, the distinguished customers are also very useful. In particular, Le Ning also provides different "takeaway boxes" for the guests in the private room. The special customization is very popular with the rich no matter what age. For example, a small bamboo basket specially made for steamed cakes and other pastries, with a floral square cloth on the top and some flowers around it. Ladies can carry this basket as a carry-on accessory when they go out. Nowadays, people don’t have the concept of going out with a bag. , naturally very happy.

Not to mention the exquisite food boxes that Leninte found some craftsmen and carpenters to make. They are not only exquisite, but also creative in appearance, different from each other, and specially provided for private room guests.

In this way, as long as you bring your family members to eat in the restaurant, you will no longer be used to going to other restaurants.

From this we can also see the booming business of Zougong restaurants.

Le Ning also heard that the master wrote a letter from Luoyang a few days ago, saying that he wanted to go to the south to talk about a marriage, but he already had some ideas about the business in Wang'an City, and decided to buy the whole street after returning. Turn this street into a restaurant.

……

Soon.

Le Ning came up with Longjing Shrimp. The plate was specially cooked by someone recently. It has a special shape. What is amazing is that there is a small teapot on the side of the dish.

Thanks to the previous culture of Luoyang scented tea, some people in Wang'an City who are not used to the strong flavor of tea are slowly starting to drink the original flavor of tea.

It's just that the tea leaves have not been processed through multiple processes, so the taste of the brewed tea is not very fragrant. The tea leaves in the shrimp that Le Ning specially mixes today are also temporarily fried, so I don't know how it tastes.

Huang Xing saw the small teapot at a glance, and frowned:

"Why, do you have to drink tea with this dish?"

While speaking, his gaze had already noticed the appearance of the dishes on the plate——

The prawns whose heads had been pinched and had their threads removed did not know how to make them tangled up, leaving their tails standing upright like a small fan. They were placed upside down on the plate and stood firmly. The shrimp has been dyed with any seasoning, and at first glance, not only does it not make people feel bland, but it actually looks a little shiny.

The oily light seemed to invisibly paint a layer of color on the shrimp, making it turn red after cooking into a red that makes your index finger tantalize, but there is no trace of other seasonings around.

A plate of shrimps rolled into flowers stands on the plate with their tails cocked, and there are a few pieces of boiled tea leaves lightly dotted there on the very edge. This picture is so simple and elegant!

Huang Xing thought, if those brothers who are good at reading on weekdays see it, maybe they will have a spring of creativity again, and they can only calm down after writing a few poems.

"Tea can soothe tiredness, and it's green tea."

Le Ning simply explained that this tea pairing is not the one given in the system, but the one she tasted in a certain store many years ago. She deeply feels that green tea relieves greasy, and it goes well with each other.

"green tea?"

At this moment, the people of Dali don’t have a deep understanding of tea, and it’s not as good as the ten famous teas that Le Ning can count with his eyes closed. I don't know where it is.

She consciously made a slip of the tongue, but before she could explain, Huang Xing had already realized:

"It means that the color of the tea soup is light and almost green?"

Le Ning smiled and acquiesced.

This time she also brought some new dishes, which are some summer cold dishes that the store will launch. Nowadays, people eat some cold noodles in summer at most, and more cold foods are still used to be used during the cold food festival. , even if the weather is hot, it is just to put the food a little cooler before eating.

Therefore, in the restaurant, Le Ning and a few seniors also intend to specialize in making cold dishes recently, and it is estimated that they will be very popular in summer.

Huang Xing has practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he has practiced relatively masculine kung fu. Naturally, he doesn't like the hot summer. Although he has internal strength, he is not affected much, but he can satisfy himself more in terms of food , he is very happy.

Now that he heard it, he immediately became excited, so he subconsciously glanced in Lu Wanzhen's direction:

"Your Highness, may I taste it for you first?"

After leaving the palace, Lu Wanzhen was not used to bringing so many people with her. Apart from the shadow guards who were close to protect her, it was naturally impossible for her to come out with a palace maid to test the poison for her.

It was in accordance with the rules for Huang Xing to help her taste it.

Ever since she teased Le Ning out of the blue just now, but Le Ning didn't pick up the words, Lu Wanzhen didn't say a word, and couldn't see any joy or anger. She just glanced in Le Ning's direction indifferently, as if she was used to it So, I asked:

"Aren't you going to sit down and have a taste?"

When Huang Xing heard this, he was very troubled.

Did he follow Lu Wanzhen's wishes and let Le Silang sit down, or did he persuade the prince from the perspective of his parents?

Le Ning, however, was thinking about the fact that the relationship between the two was not easy to reveal, so she politely declined after saying thank you, and then she took the initiative to go out.

After seeing her figure disappear at the door, Lu Wanzhen casually picked up his chopsticks.

avoid me?

she thinks.

What's the use of hiding for a while, sooner or later one day someone will wake up early to see me, and at night before going to bed, I can only see myself.

Thinking of this, she slowly picked up a shrimp and put it into her mouth. She didn't bother to remove the shell on the tail. When she bit the tail with her teeth, the tender and smooth shrimp meat fell off the shell completely. , only a piece of ripe red tail shell was exposed from the lips.

Lu Wanzhen used chopsticks to clamp the shells around his lips to the plate, and slowly chewed the shrimps in his mouth.

The fresh and tender meat is full of deliciousness. If boiled shrimp and soy sauce are used to bring out the tenderness of the shrimp to the fullest, then this dish of Longjing shrimp seems to be loaded with fresh shrimp. The tender meat is wrapped in an unpredictable taste. Going down, it is fresh, fragrant, smooth, and tender, and the taste hidden in the meat pops out, which only makes people feel pleasantly surprised.

Lu Wanzhen ate and felt that this dish was quite similar to Le Ning.

It looks simple and soft on the surface, but no one else knows what she is thinking in her heart.

only……

Should be as good as this dish.

……

Simultaneously.

After Zou Dequan finished dealing with the affairs in Luoyang, he had already booked a boat going south with the boatman, and rested in the inn with a heavy heart.

Obviously so many years have passed——

For some reason, he remembered more and more clearly what happened back then.

Even when he picked up the child and left the palace all the way, the child didn't cry or fuss, but just stared at him with black and white eyes, he could still vividly remember it.

As a result, some inexplicable and unclear emotions appeared in his heart, forcing him to suddenly want to go for a walk to the south. Although he could not get in touch with Yazi outside the palace, he also heard that there was a big flood in the south many years ago. Many villages were destroyed. He was afraid that he might not find the person he was looking for, but he still wanted to visit.

It's strange that recently he keeps dreaming about things from many years ago.

Sometimes I followed the eunuch in the palace and walked carefully forward, holding a heavy food box in my hand, carefully stepping on my feet, knowing that even if I fell, I had to protect the food box, otherwise I would meet some embarrassing masters, Because of lack of patience, people who are not good at errands are sent down to be beaten to death with sticks, and thrown out of the palace again and again.

So he walked carefully, but the palace road was long and endless, only the anxiety in his heart remained. It was a precarious day with his head tied to his belt, he always knew it.

The screen turns -

After he became the head of the imperial dining room, the courtiers who had disdained him, insulted him, and beat and scolded him all posted up flattery and flattery. Zou Dequan obviously stood in the same position as them, but because of his different skin, The power in his hands is different, and he has some illusions that he is standing on a high ground.

Today's world is Lu Shengren's world.

After staying in Zou Dequan's palace for so many years, he vaguely remembered the appearance of the saint back then. Before Lu Yining entered the palace, the saint's harem was so bad. No matter the favored or unfavored palace servants, they all behaved with their tails between their legs and were cautious. As if breathless.

I don't know when I met a nobleman who was in a good mood. I might be convicted by a nobleman for a trivial matter, or I might be exonerated by another bigger concubine.

This happened to Zou Dequan.

At that time, he was just a little eunuch who waited by the side of his new lover, but because he was not quick enough to do things, he just happened to meet the day when his lover failed to compete for favor and was in a bad mood.

When Zou Dequan was dragged down by other eunuchs, his heart was cold.

He hit him with a stick, and it hurt very much. He screamed until he lost his voice, but he vaguely heard the voice of a court lady: "Concubine Shu is benevolent, today is her birthday, I don't want to see these dirty things. Your master took this guy's life... It's your fate... Remember to repay the favor..."

Before Zou Dequan lost consciousness, he heard this sentence, which should be to tell him to thank him, but unfortunately, he was in too much pain, and before he could react to anything, he passed out.

When he woke up, he found that he was still alive.

From then on, he became a servant who owed Concubine Shu a name.

Later Lu Yining entered the palace——

The emperor didn't like her, but because of her power in the Lu family, in order to gain the military power of the Lu family, the emperor ignored the objections of the ministers and directly appointed Lu Yining as queen.

Ever since Lu Yining took over the affairs of the harem, the orderly rules have come down, and although the turmoil in the harem is still the same, in the face of these slaves, life has been much easier.

at least……

Lu Yining is not someone who likes to vent anger.

The harem was indeed well-organized by her, and the servants lived a peaceful life for a while.

After so many years, Zou Dequan has witnessed Lu Yining and Zhou Yuanhua break up the fourth concubine and stabilize the front and harem. Goodbye, the world is peaceful, the sea is clean and the river is clean. Anyone with a discerning eye knows who should be in charge of the world.

What's more, Zhou Hou likes his craftsmanship very much, even if the palace changed that year, he saved his life and didn't let him be implicated because of Concubine Shu's matter.

Zou Dequan couldn't help feeling guilty.

After so many years, the rumors in and out of the palace spread randomly, even if he guessed, he guessed the identity of the child in the same year.

If he was not mistaken, it should be that the Lu family wanted to take the child to the palace to be taught by the empress while the child was still young, but for some reason, concubine Shu's people got close to the child and immediately sent him out of the palace. .

Many years have passed in this flash.

The empress has already appointed a new crown prince, but Duke Lu's mansion and the Zhou family are still looking for the child from back then.

It was a thorn in their hearts.

Zou Dequan thought about that incident back then, and when he saw the black mole between the baby's eyebrows at that time, he was worried that the Lu family would find him, so he took a sharp stone from the roadside and scratched the corner of the baby's eyebrows, and then used the most precious stone in the palace to scratch the corner of the baby's eyebrows. The behavior after the good sore medicine was poured, I can still recall my trembling at that time.

he thinks.

How long can this secret be kept?

Zou Dequan thought about it, and fell into a deep sleep amidst the restlessness. Now that he fell asleep, his sleep was very shallow, and he could almost wake up with the slightest movement.

In a daze, Zou Dequan felt someone standing in front of him, with a gaze staring at him.

He woke up suddenly.

But he found that there was really someone standing in front of his bed.

The other party was dressed in black, and looked as if he was coming to assassinate him, with his sword still unsheathed, Zou Dequan vaguely felt that...

As if I could say another word, and continue my life for a while.

He stood up suspiciously, as if he was worried that the strong man in front of him would suddenly wake up, so he violently killed people until he half sat up, and found that the other party had no intention of doing anything, Zou Dequan said slowly:

"Yes... she sent you here?"

No, not right.

Concubine Shu is dead.

And that matter has passed for so many years, it stands to reason that no one can find out, how could it be possible that Concubine Shu has sent someone to kill him now?

Doubts flashed across Zou Dequan's mind.

Just at that time, he heard the other party's low voice: "My master has an invitation, please trouble Eunuch Zou to accompany us."

When Zou Dequan heard this, he understood that the person in front of him was probably not some kind of Jianghu hero, nor was he some kind of enemy of his.

He is already old, with deep wrinkles on his face, deep folds drooping at the corners of his eyes, almost covering his eyelids into an inverted triangle, only the shining light inside, as if to prove that he was once I have fought fiercely with life.

"May I ask who your master is?"

Zou Dequan wanted to inquire.

He thought, it should not be the empress's person, otherwise the government should come to arrest him at this moment.

After all, he was lucky to be able to hide it for such a long time.

The man in black didn't say a word, Zou Dequan could only smile and said: "My disciple is next door, it seems inappropriate for me to disappear without saying a word, can I leave a message for my disciple to go back to see you first? "

The man in black granted his request.

After Zou Dequan left the note, not long after, he was taken out of the wall by the collar by the man in black.

A young old man was picked up and down with light kung fu, thanks to the fact that Zou Dequan was well-informed when he was young, and he had learned a few tricks from some skilled eunuchs in the palace, otherwise he would have died in the first moment of heaven. , and perhaps pouted in shock.

……

Inside the restaurant.

Lu Wanzhen was asking what Huang Chen thought of Le Ning.

Huang Xing thinks this question is really weird, but after all, the brother in front of him is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he can no longer bully others as he did when he was a child, so Huang Chen pondered for a while, and answered in a well-regulated way:

"Shiro has a pure heart and good moral character, but he seems to be a culinary idiot. Except for dishes, he is not interested in anything else on weekdays, and he devotes all his attention to eating."

Otherwise, Huang Xing would not be attracted by this place. From before to now, this Zougong restaurant feels fresh every day.

Not to mention Le Ning, including several of her senior brothers, judging from what Huang Xing has been in contact with, he thinks that Zou Dequan has a good eye for accepting apprentices, and his temperament is almost carved out of the same mold, he is not good at communication, Only focus on this line.

But Huang Xing thought about it again, most craftsmen are like this, so it's normal to think about it this way.

Lu Wanzhen couldn't see anything in his expression, so he just added a sentence lightly:

"And cats."

"Huh?" Huang Xing didn't react for a while.

Lu Wanzhen stopped talking about this matter, but started another topic: "How is Mrs. Zhou doing?"

Huang Chen frowned and looked at her. Although he was considered a playboy in Wang'an, he did not fail to learn everything. In the future, whether he went to the battlefield with his father or was recommended to the court, he would be an excellent seedling.

This also means that his ability to observe words and expressions is not bad.

Immediately, he thought of Lu Wanzhen's return to the Duke's Mansion earlier, and asked, "After you woke up earlier, you were supposed to go straight back to the palace, but somehow you went home."

"Your Highness, why not tell me the truth—"

"Do you have any plans to find the little sister?"

Since Mrs. Zhou entered the Lu family, she had such a child. It has been a total of 18 years since she lost the child, and she has been immersed in pain for almost half of her life.

Both the Lu family and the Zhou family couldn't stand it anymore. They were all looking for someone in secret, but there was no trace. They heard that they had managed to inquire about some information in the south, but they were cut off because of the flood. very.

He didn't expect that Lu Wanzhen would suddenly be interested in this matter. After all, according to some rumors, Lu Wanzhen should be the last thing that wanted that person to be found.

Lu Wanzhen naturally understood his excitement.

To be honest, she was able to discover Le Ning's identity. In fact, it was a bit like cheating. Others searched blindly from the beginning, but she was the only one who stood at the end and deduced the clues backwards. The people that the Zhong, Lu, and Zhou families are looking for together are wandering around Wang'an City every day?

She still has something to say, Huang Xing has already followed her weird words just now -

"Are you going to tell me..."

"Shiro, he..."

"Impossible, is Shiro a gentleman, or is there a sister in his family...?"

Huang Xing began to spread his thoughts.

Lu Wanzhen was straightforward: "A-Ning is a little lady, not an Erlang."

Huang Chen: "..."

Huang Chen: "!!!"

Many, many years of brothers and close friends, in the end it turned out to be... my sister? ? ?

No matter how calm Huang Chen is usually, he couldn't help being stunned at this moment.

Before Le Ning left Wang'an City, he said he wanted to go out to visit Wang'an. This trip lasted for eight years. Fortunately, Huang Xing never forgot her craftsmanship, and came to continue as soon as Le Ning returned to the restaurant. Joining in, maintaining the brotherhood of the two.

But he never thought of——

This brother can finally become a sister.

Huang Xing looked around, raised his hand to pick up the sand pot next to the Longjing shrimp, and poured himself a cup of cold tea. After the slightly astringent tea entered his mouth, he calmed down.

Recalling all the things he had with Le Ning, he couldn't help but say:

"How do you know..."

After leaving the words, he changed another sentence: "How sure are you about this matter? I see Shiro... Le Lang... Le Ning has no mole between her eyebrows, at most a thin mark."

His eyesight is better than that of ordinary people, and it is because of this that he can recall a slight trace between Le Ning's eyebrows.

That little mark is not even a scar, who knows if the original part is a mole?

What if it's just an accidental trace of childhood?

Lu Wanzhen turned the tea bowl in his hand, and said flatly: "There is still one last person left."

Immediately, Huang Chen couldn't sit still anymore, he got up and walked back and forth, "I have to be [-]% sure about this before I can tell my aunt, she can't help being defeated again."

"If you have news about the person you want to arrest, please let me know. No matter what, I have to talk to my parents first."

"she……"

"Why is she pretending to be a man?"

Finally, Huang Xing asked again with some hesitation.

Of course Lu Wanzhen understood, and told the story of Le Ning's original parents in a few words, only concealing his absurd marriage with her, so as to prevent Yao's mother from being held accountable by the saint.

"boom!"

The dishes that were originally placed on the table jumped with the sound. It was because Huang Xing was so angry that he raised his hand and slapped the table.

"No reason!"

Huang Xing thought back to the first time he met Le Ning, at the Qixi Lantern Festival, the other party was not as tall as a grill, sweating profusely flipping the skewers on hand, with only a spiritual cat following her.

Thinking of Le Ning's close relationship with the cat, Huang Xing almost instantly imagined the many abuses the other party received at home, otherwise why would she need to disguise herself as a man and learn to cook under Zou Dequan?

Learning to cook, how hard it is, originally doing embroidery and being a female celebrity, now moving the cauldron and burning firewood, Huang Xing almost wished he could crush the couple right away.

But Lu Wanzhen said calmly: "Those two are dead."

"The case solved yesterday was killed at home by their eldest son."

"People are doing it, but the sky is watching." Huang Chen said coldly.

Obviously it was just a guess that Lu Wanzhen told him at this moment, but through various brain supplements, Huang Xing felt that Le Ning was more pitiful the more he recalled, so the next moment Le Ning came in with the food -

Huang Xing walked over, took the food, and said in an almost soft voice:

"I'll come, I'll come, you just sit down and eat, you don't have to work so hard."

"How about a sweet cake for you? Do you like sweet or savory?"

Longman:"……"

what's the situation?

She looked in Lu Wanzhen's direction blankly, but the other party deliberately lowered his head to eat, so as not to meet her gaze.

Le Ning could only pursed his lips, and said to Huang Chen: "Brother Lu——"

"Hey, we have known each other for many years, calling Brother Lu is too strange, if you don't mind, just call me brother."

Longman:"……"

Lu Wanzhen couldn't listen anymore, and vaguely reminded: "Lu Xing."

Huang Xing immediately recovered from the role of the silly brother.

Not sure yet, this may not be my sister, calm down.

Lu Wanzhen looked at him as if he hadn't recovered, sighed secretly in his heart, but said to him on the face:

"I heard a sugar seller calling from below, go and buy one for me."

By the way, calm down your eagerness to recognize relatives.

As soon as Huang Chen heard that it made sense, he walked out, not forgetting to tell Le Ning to eat more.

until going out the door——

A cold wind blows.

Huang Chen suddenly felt something was wrong.

Why did that kid Lu Wanzhen pay himself out suddenly?

Only him and Le Ning, who might be his younger sister, are left upstairs, is that okay? !

At this moment, in the private room.

Le Ning was holding the freshly fried brown sugar glutinous rice cakes. Hearing from Lu Wanzhen that the taste was only fair, she couldn't help picking up a piece and putting it in her mouth. It was crispy on the outside, soft and glutinous on the inside, and matched with the sweetness of brown sugar. She just bit it off and was about to taste it ——

Suddenly.

The person next to him leaned over, tilted his head, and bit the other part of her lip, and the brown sugar water stuck between their lips, sticky and elongated.

Lu Wanzhen ate the glutinous rice cakes without changing his face, licked his lower lip while chewing, and said:

"This one tastes much better than the one just now."

Longman:"……"

She began to wonder if this His Highness suffered from some kind of psychological problem like Kiss hunger and thirst.