Song Dynasty Dreams: Marrying Zhao Pan’er at the beginning

Chapter 44 Zhao’s Tea House

“A banquet?”

Gao You looked at Lao Jia in confusion, wondering why Zheng Qingtian was suddenly hosting a banquet.

Could it be that he had accumulated so much illicit wealth that he wanted to squander it?

“Under the guise of a banquet, he is taking advantage of the chaos to divide the spoils. The invited scholars serve as mere cover.”

Lao Jia took a deep breath.

“Zheng Qingtian has already corrupted almost the entire Jiangnan officialdom!”

“From my investigation, only two officials remain clean—Yang Zhiyuan, the circuit judge of Liangzhe, and General Wen Hu of the coastal defense!”

A clean general?

Gao You was somewhat surprised but didn’t question further.

The forest was vast, and all kinds of birds exist within it. It was normal for a few to remain untainted despite the filth surrounding them. After confirming how to send a warning signal, Gao You left the alley and returned to Zhao’s Tea House. By this time, the tea house had already opened for business.

“Gao Lang!”

Zhao Pan’er ran over anxiously when she saw Gao You.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Gao You shook his head.

It was not like he was a child who could get lost!

Still, seeing Zhao Pan’er’s concern made him feel warm inside.

“Go read your book!”

Zhao Pan’er pointed to the elegant seat that Gao You usually occupied. Even if there were hundreds of people lining up outside, she would still reserve his seat under pressure. This was her husband’s seat, and no one else was allowed to sit there.

Looking at the bustling tea house, Gao You originally wanted to help. But considering his persona, he ultimately decided to remain comfortably idle. The lively crowd continued to surge until noon. Finally, with the implementation of Zhao Pan’er’s reservation system, customers began to leave in an orderly manner.

Sun Sanniang frowned and reminded her, “Pan’er, I just saw someone reselling our reservation tokens!”

“Reselling?”

Zhao Pan’er hadn’t expected the tea house to become this popular.

She had introduced the reservation system to prevent scholars and literati from complaining about long waits. Customers could book a time slot in advance and enjoy their tea experience without waiting.

Turns out, scalpers exist everywhere!

Gao You couldn’t help but sigh at the thought. Just then, a man dressed as a servant entered Zhao’s Tea House. Earlier that morning, Zhao Pan’er had finally decided on the new name for her tea house—Zhao’s Tea House.

Now, all that was left was to make a new sign and officially reopen!

“Who are you?”

The servant pulled out an invitation card from his robe.

“I am a servant from the County Magistrate’s residence.”

“The County Magistrate is hosting a Spring Outing Banquet at Phoenix Mountain and has specially invited Gao Gongren to attend.”

“Here is the invitation!”

After leaving the invitation, the servant swiftly exited the tea house. Zhao Pan’er held the invitation and turned to Gao You.

“Gao Lang?”

“Do you want to go?”

“Yes!”

Gao You nodded without hesitation. Zhao Pan’er was surprised. Her husband had never been fond of social gatherings. Over the years, numerous prominent figures had sent him invitations, all of which he had discarded without a second thought.

“Sanniang!”

Zhao Pan’er turned to Sun Sanniang.

“Take care of the tea house!”

“I’ll help Gao Lang prepare his things!”

“This Spring Outing Banquet lasts for three days!”

Three days?

Thinking about it, since it was essentially a division of spoils, it made sense. They needed time to distribute the money, summarize the past, and plan for the future. A short gathering wouldn’t suffice!

“Gao Lang?”

Seeing Gao You lost in thought, Zhao Pan’er called out to him.

Sun Sanniang teased, “He must be sad that he has to go alone while his wife stays behind!”

“Why don’t you go with him?”

Gao You silently gave Sun Sanniang a thumbs-up in his heart. He was only going to monitor Zheng Qingtian—there was no real danger. If he could bring his wife along, it would be perfect!

“I can’t!”

Zhao Pan’er shook her head.

“The invitation is for Gao Lang only!”

Gao You’s resentment towards Zheng Qingtian increased. After packing his things, Gao You set off for Phoenix Mountain, accompanied by Fu Bo.

By the time they arrived, Phoenix Mountain was heavily guarded. Every passerby was stopped and inspected. Even horse-drawn carriages were thoroughly searched.

All this for a County Magistrate’s Spring Outing Banquet?

Was he not afraid of being investigated?

Gao You couldn’t be bothered to ridicule the situation and simply handed over his invitation card for inspection.

After passing through another checkpoint, a beautiful and graceful maidservant approached him.

“Gao Gongren, from now on, I am your personal maid.”

“You may command me for anything you need.”

Every guest was assigned a personal maid?

Zheng Qingtian sure knew how to entertain his guests!

No wonder he managed to win over the entire Jiangnan officialdom as just an eighth-rank County Magistrate!

After about one incense stick’s time, the maid led Gao You to a small courtyard. Inside, two middle-aged scholars were already present, each accompanied by their own personal maids.

Seeing Gao You enter, they looked surprised before stepping forward to greet him.

Gao You smiled and nodded, then went straight to his own room. As the evening approached, lights lit up throughout Phoenix Mountain. It was even livelier than Qiantang City.

“Gao Gongren!”

The maid emerged from the adjacent room. So, she was not just here to serve, but also to monitor everyone’s movements!

Not that it mattered to Gao You—his only task was to keep an eye on Zheng Qingtian.

Whether someone watched him or not made no difference. Ignoring the maid, he leisurely fanned himself and strolled around the villa.

“Lord Zheng!”

“Lord Qian…”

In the distance, voices of greetings and flattery rang out.

Gao You glanced over and saw that Zheng Qingtian was chatting with several officials.

Target acquired. Yawning, Gao You walked towards a group of scholars who were admiring the moon.