Resplendent – Chapter 427

Chapter 427: Qingfeng Pavilion Delivery

“Qingfeng Pavilion? Then we absolutely can’t accept it! Haven’t you heard the saying? Unwarranted attention is either deceit or theft? Send it back, all of it, send it back!” 

Qingfeng Pavilion even has delivery service now? The Duke was considering whether he should send one of his sons to Qingfeng to pack some of the signature dishes for his daughter.

“Uh…” As soon as Gu Ye heard it was from Qingfeng, her spirits lifted. She put down the piece of lotus root and quickly said, “Father, we can accept this banquet!”

Chu Mufeng, having spent nearly two years in the border city, was somewhat aware of the happenings in Yan City. He remembered that when his sister dined at Qingfeng in Yan City, she never needed to make a reservation, and she could use the most popular ‘Buchan Palace’ private room anytime she wanted. 

Could it be…

“Sister, did you have someone arrange this banquet?” Chu Mufeng asked with a slight smile, noticing the surprised looks on his brothers’ faces. After all, he had spent a year and a half at the place closest to his sister!

Gu Ye shook her head slowly. “No. It wasn’t me, but it was probably arranged by a friend…” 

Yin Mei had been sent by Brother Chen to take care of her food and lodging along the way, attending to her every need. This banquet was likely arranged and sent by him. He was under Brother Chen’s command, and Qingfeng Restaurant was also part of Brother Chen’s business, so technically, she wasn’t lying!

A friend? The Duke’s heart tensed. 

His daughter had just arrived in the capital. What wealthy friends could she possibly have? He felt a surge of protectiveness. He had finally found his daughter and couldn’t let her be snatched away by a big, sly wolf so soon. 

From now on, he would need to pay close attention to the people around her and assign his sons, Xiaosi, Xiaowu, and Xiaoliu, as her personal guards. Yes, that would be the plan!

Chu Mufeng, however, looked enlightened. “Gu Pharmaceuticals was created entirely by our sister. She’s always kind to others, so it’s only natural that she would make a few friends who can get things arranged at Qingfeng Pavilion.”

Hearing this, the Duke’s heart slowly eased. That should be it! It must be those people who wanted to buy medicine from his daughter. They sent this banquet just to curry favor with her. His daughter was still so young; no one could be so beastly as to try to harm her!

The ‘beast’ the Duke was muttering about—Ling Juechen—was following the envoy team from Yan Kingdom, slowly making his way to the capital of Dongling. His mind had long since flown to Fanjing, to his little girl. 

Little did he know, his path to marriage would become even more complicated, with yet more obstacles added!

“General, we’re less than a hundred li from Fanjing. Messages have already been sent to the Dongling emperor; at the latest, we’ll arrive the day after tomorrow,” Dapeng ran over, reporting to his master.

“The Great Pharmacists Convention starts in ten days. We’ll make it in time!” Ling Juechen pursed his lips and let out a long, clear whistle. Before long, a snow-white falcon landed on his arm.

Ling Juechen tied a detailed painting of a court lady he had drawn a few days ago to the falcon’s claw and gently released it. Xiao Bai flapped its wings, letting out a bright, cheerful cry as it flew toward Fanjing.

Back at the Duke’s residence, the Qingfeng Pavilion food boxes were opened one by one, and plate after plate of dishes. Perfect in color, aroma, and taste replaced the original table fare. 

Gu Ye’s eyes lit up—everything was her favorite seafood!

Scrumptious!

Seeing his daughter finally show a little drooling excitement, the Duke was overjoyed and gave each Qingfeng Pavilion attendant a tip of five taels of silver.

Gu Ye first served a bowl of seafood porridge to her mother. It was slowly simmered with abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, and other seafood, rich in flavor and incredibly fresh. Even Lady Jun, who hadn’t had much appetite lately due to medicine and tonics, happily drank a small bowl!

Gu Ye acted like a gracious host, calling to everyone at the table, “The seafood from Qingfeng is really fresh, and the cooking techniques are unique. Everyone should try it!” 

With that, she picked up a piece of fish from the steamed turbot and put it in her mouth. The fish melted instantly, exceptionally delicious. It had been a long time since she’d eaten seafood so rich and flavorful, and Gu Ye’s face was full of delight.

Garlic-baked scallops, baked lobster, shark fin soup… the little girl who had just said she wasn’t hungry suddenly ate with great enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoying herself.

 Yue Yuan, by her side, had reminded her several times to be careful not to overeat, warning that her stomach might hurt afterward.

The Duke watched his daughter eat with such relish, feeling a mix of emotions. 

Sigh, he really wasn’t a qualified father. He had no idea what his daughter liked or disliked. Even the foods she loved were all brought by someone else.

Looking at the lavish Qingfeng feast before her, the pressure in his heart was immense. This entire seafood feast must have cost at least several hundred taels of silver. He really had to think of a way to make money, or else he wouldn’t even be able to support his daughter. How embarrassing that would be!

“Father, if you don’t eat soon, my brothers will grab all the food!” Gu Ye personally peeled a large lobster and placed it into his bowl.

The Duke, moved by her gesture, looked across the table—and his eyes immediately widened in anger. 

These little brats! Were they born as starving ghosts in their past life or what? They ate like they were fighting for it! 

Xiaosi and Xiaowu almost came to blows over the last oyster… utterly disgraceful! And they weren’t even afraid of being laughed at by their sister!

Jun Miao ate a piece of braised grouper and then picked up a baked scallop. Although she had never eaten at Qingfeng herself, she had overheard things at gatherings of the young ladies in the capital. She knew that even the simplest dishes at Qingfeng, like oyster sauce lettuce, could cost several taels of silver.

At the time, she had thought, why not just steal from Qingfeng Pavilion? A few taels of silver could buy several carts of lettuce! A few taels of silver could buy several carts of lettuce, right? 

Today, having finally tasted Qingfeng Pavilion’s dishes, she realized the high price was justified.

She looked at her little cousin with a complicated expression. The young girl, under the strict watch of her own maid and forbidden from eating too much seafood, was now staring longingly at others enjoying the feast, her little mouth almost pouting to the sky.

Her eyes darted around, and in a soft voice she asked, “Cousin Bao’er, what kind of person is your friend, that they could have Qingfeng Pavilion deliver a full feast? I’ve never heard of them offering such a service!”

Gu Ye didn’t have much patience for the showy Jun Miao. But after all, she was a young lady from the Duke’s Manor, so Gu Ye didn’t completely ignore her, just said vaguely, “My friend has quite a connection with the owner behind Qingfeng Pavilion…”

Gu Ming looked up at his sister: Wait, isn’t that the ‘connection with Qingfeng’s owner’ supposed to be you, little sister? 

Well, it was fine to say it that way; it would prevent certain people with ulterior motives from deliberately getting close to her. People in the capital weren’t as innocent and kind as those in Yan City. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble!

Ding Fang had held back for a long time, but now she finally spoke. She looked at Gu Ye’s moon-white pharmacist’s robe with interest and asked, “Cousin Bao’er, is learning to make medicine difficult?”

“If it’s just simple preparation, it’s not hard. Once you grasp the methods, you can manage with practice. But if you want to learn full-scale medicine-making, you need a certain talent. What’s wrong?  Do you want to learn medicine?” Gu Ye asked casually.