Four small dishes—the crystal shrimp and crispy fennel beans remained unchanged, while the red oil bamboo shoots and purple sweet potato jelly were replaced with refreshing pickled radish skin and brown sugar jelly.

They looked just as appealing together, as if the previous red oil bamboo shoots and purple sweet potato jelly had never existed.

“Thank you, Miss Luo.” Wei Han raised his cup.

Luo Sheng glanced at the table: “Your Highness has had an extra pot of wine today.”

Normally, watching coldly, she knew Prince Kaiyang wasn’t one to be greedy for wine. Though he ordered many drinking dishes, he drank at most two pots of liquor.

Thinking of his hidden ailment, and out of consideration for the transaction they’d successfully reached today, Luo Sheng showed concern: “Your Highness should drink less. After all—”

“After all what?” Wei Han looked at her.

Luo Sheng smiled: “After all, drinking too much harms the body.”

Telling someone they were ill wasn’t very polite.

Wei Han gazed at her and suddenly smiled: “Miss Luo seems to be in a good mood.”

Luo Sheng beckoned for Kou’er to bring a wine cup, lifted the wine pot, and poured herself a cup.

“Not bad.” She took a sip of wine.

Having something she’d been uncertain about verified, like a suspended boulder finally settling to the ground, was certainly worth being happy about.

The liquor entering her throat was sharp yet sweet in aftertaste, that domineering strength surging straight up.

Wei Han held his cup and said: “If Miss Luo wants to drink, orange wine would be more suitable.”

Luo Sheng shook the now-empty wine pot and smiled: “This meal of Your Highness’s today, I’m treating.”

Wei Han paused.

Did Miss Luo think he felt bad about the liquor being drunk?

“Why doesn’t Your Highness try the small dishes? Today’s complimentary dishes have two new items. The radish skin is tangy and refreshing, the brown sugar jelly is cool and rich—perfect for eating with braised beef on a hot summer day.”

Wei Han extended his chopsticks and picked up a piece of radish skin.

The specially pickled radish skin was crisp, sour and spicy with a hint of sweetness. Never mind eating it with the savory and delicious braised beef—one could eat two large steamed buns with this alone.

“Is it good?”

Wei Han was startled and looked at the young lady propping her chin, asking as if casually.

Did eating complimentary dishes come with the privilege of giving opinions?

Of course there were no complaints.

“Mm.” Wei Han nodded truthfully.

Luo Sheng smiled and pointed at the white porcelain dish containing the refreshing radish skin: “The shop’s radish skin can be taken out.”

Now Wei Han was even more surprised.

Not allowing takeout had been a source of frustration for countless regular customers since the tavern opened.

After all, the tavern’s drinking dishes were incredibly delicious and incredibly expensive. If you worked up the courage to come eat once but didn’t bring something back for the tigress at home, how could you save money to come eat again?

“Can the food and wine be taken out now?”

Luo Sheng shook her head: “No, only the radish skin can be taken out, starting from today.”

Starting from today, there were complimentary dishes to eat, and they could even be taken out…

Wei Han thought about it a bit more, and his mood inexplicably improved.

Taking another piece of the refreshing radish skin, it tasted even better.

Meanwhile, Grand Commander Luo, who was waiting eagerly at the manor, stared dumbfounded at the black ceramic jar his subordinate held while sneaking in: “What? Only the radish skin can be taken out?”

The Brocade Scale Guard didn’t even dare look up and stammered: “This subordinate asked—only the radish skin can be taken out, nothing else.”

“What kind of rule is that!” Grand Commander Luo slammed the table.

The Brocade Scale Guard’s scalp tingled and quickly said: “It’s a rule set by Third Miss.”

Grand Commander Luo came to his senses.

Right, the tavern’s proprietress was his daughter.

What could he say about rules set by his own daughter? He could only follow them.

But having his anticipated meal for the entire day fall through, Grand Commander Luo felt thoroughly uncomfortable and asked unwillingly: “Since nothing can be taken out, why can the radish skin suddenly be taken out?”

“The tavern worker said only the radish skin keeps well for a while without affecting the taste. The other dishes can’t be taken out to avoid damaging the reputation.”

“Which worker said that?” Grand Commander Luo asked with a dark expression.

It sounded like an excuse to him.

Clearly braised beef would be fine sitting for a while.

Besides, how could it sit long? He’d eat it as soon as he brought it back.

“Young Master Biao said so.”

Grand Commander Luo chuckled.

Since it was his nephew who said it, he’d believe it.

Grand Commander Luo reached out to open the oiled paper sealing the black ceramic jar and picked up a piece of radish skin to taste.

Delicious!

Grand Commander Luo’s eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered the servants: “Go to the kitchen and bring two white steamed buns.”

Fine, he’d make do eating it with radish skin. He couldn’t go hungry after all.

In the end, Grand Commander Luo, having eaten four white steamed buns, collapsed motionless in his armchair, rubbing his belly and burping continuously.

The tangy, refreshing radish skin paired with large steamed buns was truly a perfect match.

Over the next few days, the tavern’s business gradually recovered, while the uproar over Prince Pingnan’s assassination hadn’t yet passed.

The number of patrol soldiers on the streets increased. The Five Cities Military Commission was reprimanded for their continued failure to capture the criminals, and several related government offices didn’t fare well either.

From century-old teahouses down to street-side tea stalls, tea was consumed faster this summer than in previous years.

With such a major incident, it naturally became excellent gossip material.

The Prince Pingnan’s manor, at the center of this turmoil, had been shrouded in dark clouds these past days.

Prince Pingnan hadn’t died, but he hadn’t shown obvious improvement either—he remained almost constantly unconscious.

The Prince Pingnan’s manor couldn’t persuade the divine physician to come again.

In the physician’s words, what needed to be done had been done. How much the prince could recover depended on luck.

When anything became uncontrollable and could only rely on luck, it was deeply anxiety-inducing.

In just a few short days, Princess Consort Pingnan had become haggard beyond recognition. Even the young Princess Wei Wen had lost her usual proud composure, showing signs of bleakness.

Seeing his mother and sister like this, Wei Feng inevitably felt heartache.

With father fallen, he had to hold up the manor and take good care of mother and sister.

This day, an extra plate of radish skin appeared on the dining table.

“Mother, try this—it’s quite appetite-stimulating.” Wei Feng picked up a piece of radish skin and placed it in Princess Consort Pingnan’s bowl.

Princess Consort Pingnan didn’t move her chopsticks.

Wei Feng urged: “Mother, you’ve barely eaten these past days. If this continues and father doesn’t recover, but your health breaks down instead, what will sister and I do?”

Only then was Princess Consort Pingnan persuaded. She absent-mindedly picked up a piece of radish skin and ate it, then nodded slightly at her son’s expectant gaze: “It is quite good. Did the manor’s pickle chef change?”

Pickled dishes—even with the same recipe and same ingredients—would taste different when made by different hands.

The slightest differences created vastly different textures.

“It was bought from Youjian Tavern.”

“Youjian Tavern?” Princess Consort Pingnan was stunned, then her eyes reddened as she murmured: “If your father and I hadn’t gone to the tavern that day, your father wouldn’t have had this happen…”

Wei Wen lowered her eyes, clenching her fists tightly.

Only after calming down did she realize that father’s incident happened near Youjian Tavern. According to the investigators, the criminals had scouted the location long ago and learned father’s habits before striking.

The tavern bore some responsibility for father’s incident, yet Luo Sheng had the nerve to set conditions for helping father request the divine physician.

Mercenary and shameless—no wonder she was the daughter of the Brocade Scale Guard commander.

Staring at that dish of radish skin, Wei Wen spoke: “Second brother, didn’t Miss Luo really like my bracelet? If we gave her the other one too, could we get her to help request the divine physician again?”