Liu Chang had exerted all his efforts to successfully acquire the agate lamp tree and the Seven-Treasure Purple Silk Canopy, but the matter was far from over.
There was a significant value difference between the 70 million treasure and the 17 million treasure. Although the Empress and Imperial Concubine had different statuses, the gap wasn’t that large. The Empress would surely be delighted with the 70 million treasure, but the Imperial Concubine would be very displeased, not only failing to achieve her goal but also potentially offending others.
Therefore, Liu Chang dared not stop there. Under Yuan Shijiu’s guidance, he carefully selected several rare and valuable items to add, ensuring everything was perfectly arranged without any loose ends. However, this meant he had to borrow another 20 million cash from Pan Rong.
With everything settled, he felt exhausted. Seeing that his friends had all bought what they wanted, he looked around and noticed the He Family had long since disappeared. Feeling somewhat dejected, he suggested, “Shall we head back?”
Pan Rong patted his shoulder sympathetically and said, “Rest well. I’ll come find you early tomorrow morning to go together.” He then joked, “See how good I am to you? I’ve given my all for your sake.”
Liu Chang gave a bitter laugh and after a long silence said, “I’ll repay you as soon as possible.” If he could get through this, he vowed never to act on impulse again.
Pan Rong rubbed his nose and said, “Remember to pay interest. It’s not easy for me to save up some private funds.” Catching sight of someone, he excitedly patted Liu Chang and said, “Look who’s there! How did Jiang Dalang end up here? Come on, let’s follow him and see where he’s going. I heard Fugui Tower just got two pretty new girls. Could he be heading there?”
Liu Chang glanced over disinterestedly and indeed saw a tall figure striding confidently through the nearby crowd, turning into a winding alley, and quickly disappearing. He wasn’t particularly interested in Jiang Changyang, so he tiredly rubbed his brow and said firmly, “No, I’d better head back early. My mother hasn’t been well lately. Besides, it’s not appropriate for me to be running around with these valuable items. Could you entertain Brother Yuan for me?”
Pan Rong found it all rather boring and lazily waved him off, “Go on then.” As Liu Chang walked away, Pan Rong turned and threw an arm around Yuan Shijiu’s bony shoulders, laughing, “Brother Yuan, shall we go see what’s happening?”
The other noble youths all chuckled knowingly at his words.
Yuan Shijiu slowly but firmly removed Pan Rong’s arm from his shoulders and said coolly, “I’ve been out too long. I need to head back.” Without bidding farewell to the other nobles, he walked away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
A young man in a brown silk robe sneered at Yuan Shijiu’s retreating figure, “He thinks he’s something special. If Prince Min hadn’t taken a liking to him, who would even bother with him?”
Pan Rong smiled tightly and said leisurely, “But he can catch Prince Min’s eye, and what can we do about that? Anyway, thanks to him, we all managed to acquire some nice treasures today. I have some business to attend to, so I can’t treat you all to drinks today. Let’s meet again another time, shall we all disperse?”
Since even the usually social Pan Rong said he had business and couldn’t drink, the others, not being in such a playful mood and carrying valuable items, decided it was better to head home early rather than risk mishaps while drinking. They all said their goodbyes and quickly dispersed. Pan Rong stood on the street corner with his arms folded, enthusiastically calling to his attendant, “Come on, let’s go see who Jiang Dalang is meeting dressed in those coarse clothes!”
Deep in the winding alley was a famous unnamed restaurant. It wasn’t a foreign tavern and had no beautiful foreign courtesans. What it did have were several renowned signature dishes: goose cooked in a jar, fat lamb without grease, camel hump, sliced raw fish, single-basket golden milk pastries, giant victory slaves, jade dew balls, clear wind rice, heavenly flower biscuits, and freshly made duck flower soup dumplings. They also had several fine wines: grape wine, milk wine, dragon fat wine, and their secret recipe called “Fragrant Green Waves.”
Pan Rong stood at the restaurant entrance, momentarily puzzled. This restaurant, known for its rare ingredients and complex cooking methods, usually catered to the rich and noble. Why would Jiang Dalang come here dressed in coarse clothing to eat? This wasn’t how one typically tried to avoid attention. Seeing his attendant about to walk in brazenly and call loudly for service, Pan Rong quickly stopped him, chuckling softly, “Don’t make a fuss. Let’s sneak in quietly. It’ll be more fun if no one knows we’re here.”
The attendant, knowing his master’s playful nature and not daring to disobey, smiled and said, “Understood, young master.” He then shielded Pan Rong as they quietly entered the restaurant.
A waiter came to greet them, and seeing Pan Rong’s fine attire, immediately moved to escort them to the upstairs private rooms.
Pan Rong’s sharp eyes quickly spotted Jiang Changyang sitting alone in a corner with his back to the door, talking to an impatient-looking waiter.
Pan Rong said, “It’s too windy upstairs. I’ll stay down here. Give me a seat next to that man in coarse clothing, with a screen between us.” After the waiter left to carry out his instructions, he found a hidden corner to stand and listen to Jiang Changyang’s conversation with the waiter.
He heard the waiter say with a hint of impatience, “Sir, we only have freshly made duck flower soup dumplings left. The regular soup dumplings are sold out.”
Jiang Changyang replied calmly, “Then bring me a jin of biscuits.”
The waiter said, “The biscuits are sold out too.”
Jiang Changyang asked politely, “Could you please check with the kitchen and let me know?”
The waiter in front of him rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned around, then came back saying, “Sir, the kitchen fires are out. Please try another establishment.”
Pan Rong covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. Even Jiang Dalang was being treated so rudely? Let’s see how he handles this. He heard Jiang Changyang say calmly, “No, I want to eat here. Tell the kitchen to relight the fires. I’ll wait.”
His demeanor remained calm, showing no sign of irritation at being treated poorly. But Pan Rong knew that if Jiang Changyang didn’t get what he wanted, he could sit there indefinitely.
The waiter, clearly at a loss with such a patient customer, had no choice but to purse his lips and go find the manager: “Some poor scholar came in asking for minced meat with rice. When told we were out, he asked for regular soup dumplings, then biscuits… We can’t get rid of him. What should we do?” He had thought this man in coarse clothing might be some noble in disguise, but he just asked for simple minced meat with rice. If he wanted such food, why not go elsewhere? Any place could make that. He had hinted that they didn’t sell such cheap food here, but the man acted as if he hadn’t heard, asking for soup dumplings and biscuits instead. Who had time to deal with such a poor scholar?
The manager was startled and then rushed out to look at Jiang Changyang. He came back and slapped the waiter on the head, scolding in a low voice, “You blind dog! Who says someone in coarse clothing must be poor? Whatever he wants, tell the kitchen to make it right away.”
Pan Rong watched as dishes were brought to other tables one by one, while Jiang Changyang’s table remained empty. Yet he sat there motionless, neither hurried nor annoyed. Pan Rong furrowed his brow in thought. His attendant, however, couldn’t bear to watch anymore and said, “Young master, these dogs look down on people. Jiang Gong is suffering because of his clothes. Why don’t you invite him to sit with us?”
Pan Rong frowned and said, “Shut up!”
Not long after, the waiter came back respectfully with a bowl of rice mixed with something, a bowl of hot soup dumplings with cilantro, and a plate of steaming hot biscuits. He placed them in front of Jiang Changyang with an apologetic smile, saying, “Sir, all the items you requested are ready. Please enjoy your meal.”
Jiang Changyang nodded slightly, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted the rice, then the soup dumplings, and finally a biscuit before setting down his chopsticks. As Pan Rong was craning his neck to look, Jiang Changyang said without turning around, “If the Second Young Master wants to try, feel free to come over and taste.”
Caught red-handed, Pan Rong showed no embarrassment. He chuckled as he walked over, patted Jiang Changyang’s shoulder, and while looking at the mysterious rice dish on the table, said loudly, “Well, well, Jiang Dalang! I haven’t seen you since that time at Secretary Liu’s house. I heard you injured someone while seizing a horse—quite the scandal! If I hadn’t spotted you on the street earlier and followed you here, who knows when I would have seen you again, you heartless man!”
Jiang Changyang smiled slightly and pushed the rice dish toward him, “Would you like to try it?”
Pan Rong poked at the rice with his chopsticks and saw it was mixed with some minced meat. He frowned and said, “Is this even fit for human consumption?”
Jiang Changyang replied, “Why wouldn’t it be? When I was young, I considered these dishes to be the finest delicacies in the world.”
Pan Rong furrowed his brow, “Oh come on, don’t tell me you came here just to eat these few dishes. Couldn’t you get these anywhere else? Did you have to come here? Were you looking for trouble? If I were the owner, I’d have thrown you out for sure.”
Just then, Pan Rong caught sight of a familiar figure striding towards them. Startled, he jumped up, “So you had an appointment! I won’t bother you anymore. I’m leaving.”
Jiang Changyang made no move to stop him.
Pan Rong retreated behind the screen, ignoring the delicacies that had just been served to his table. He called for his attendant, ready to leave. As he was leaving, he heard the newcomer question Jiang Changyang with some confusion, “Why are you dressed like this? What food did you order?”
Jiang Changyang replied calmly, “I wore clothes like these for over a decade, and these dishes were once the delicacies of my dreams. What, do you find them beneath you?” His tone was even, but there was a hint of sharpness to it.
The other person was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Let’s not talk about this. I saw you speaking with someone earlier. Is he a friend of yours? Since he’s here, why not invite him to join us?”
Hearing this, Pan Rong frantically fled the restaurant as if his life depended on it.