Chapter 96 Spicy Hot Pot

On the other side, the Duchess sat in the main seat, and Meng Zhelan and Ling'er sat down beside her. President Wang also brought two of her chamber of commerce members with her.

One of them was the wife of Sima, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, who was also the owner of Tianxianglou.

Thanks to the chili sauce provided by Chairman Wang earlier, she made a name for herself in Kyoto, and she could now hold her head high in front of her family. The restaurant was packed every day. Especially after Ling'er gave her pointers, the chef's skills improved even further, so she naturally treated Chairman Wang and his group with special regard.

Another was Madam Dong of the City Patrol Division, who was also the owner of the Treasure Pavilion.

They are all well-mannered and polite people.

Li Xi directed the servants in the mansion to cook meat for the distinguished guests.

The group sat around the copper pot, the charcoal fire crackling, the slices of meat tumbling in the hot broth, and an enticing aroma filling the air.

"It's truly spicy and delicious. The spiciness here is making my eyes water, and I can't help but reach for more with my chopsticks. The other broth is also incredibly flavorful. Young Master Li is truly a remarkable person," Prince An said with a smile, wiping away his tears.

Li Xi smiled and said, "Your Highness, you flatter me. My little skill has satisfied our distinguished guest, so it is quite a success."

Prince An shook his head: "Not at all, not at all. Your skill is by no means a trivial matter. Ordinary people don't have such skills."

Shen Xu echoed, "Your Highness Prince An is absolutely right. Every time I come here, there are always many novelties."

Meng Zhong, listening from the side, also felt a sense of pride. He relied on his several daughters and lived a carefree life every day after work.

"It's all thanks to your presence, come on, let's continue eating," Meng Zhong said, gesturing to everyone.

Meanwhile, at another table, the Duchess was busy eating. The beef was cooked to perfection in a spicy broth, tender and melt-in-your-mouth. She cooked slice after slice, enjoying it immensely.

The Duchess couldn't help but exclaim, "This spicy beef is absolutely delicious!"

Grandma Qing, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but advise, "Madam, please take care of your health."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, with Miss Meng here, there's nothing to fear." The Duchess continued to cook the mutton, the aroma of which was simply irresistible.

"Madam, how about we make a hot pot with mushroom broth? It would be absolutely delicious with dipping sauce. Don't worry, Grandma Qing, I've already had someone prepare some cooling herbal tea to help with digestion."

Meng Zhelan secretly thought that she should brew some herbal tea to cut through the grease, otherwise her clothes would soon burst.

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. Doctor Meng is right. I'm getting a little embarrassed that I often come here to freeload."

Despite saying that, the Duchess never stopped eating.

"You flatter me, Duchess. It's an honor for us that you visit us so often. We are more than grateful," Meng Zhelan said with a smile as she served her some food.

"That's right, that's right, the Duchess is too kind." The guests present echoed.

The meal lasted until evening. The Duchess seemed to have a good appetite and ate until everyone was quite full before putting down her chopsticks.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I ate too much." The Duchess finished two cups of digestive tea, rubbed her stomach, and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

A hot pot feast won over the stomachs of everyone present.

Li Xi understood. Sure enough, regardless of status or position, everyone was captivated by hot pot.

The people of Tingfeng Courtyard smiled and watched the guests leave.

On the carriage of the Duke's mansion

Qin Xiaolin sat upright to one side, his thoughts already wandering far away. Seeing her grandson so engrossed in thought, the Duchess couldn't help but call out curiously, "Xiaolin, are you perhaps thinking about some young lady?"

Qin Xiaolin snapped out of his reverie and found his grandmother looking at him with a smile. Feeling a little embarrassed, he scratched his head and said, "Nothing's wrong, Grandmother. I was just thinking about something."

"Oh? You seemed distracted during your meal today. Could it be that you have someone you admire?" the Duchess asked curiously.

Qin Xiaolin hesitated, then stubbornly said, "Grandmother, no, I was just thinking about how to refuse His Majesty. Serving His Majesty in this way is not very meaningful."

The Duchess was taken aback, not expecting Qin Xiaolin to have such thoughts. She pondered for a moment, then asked gently, "Xiaolin, why do you have such thoughts?"

“Grandmother, nowadays, those who run errands for the Emperor are mostly scions of powerful families. Even if they succeed, they are only rewarded with some material possessions.”

Qin Xiaolin really didn't want to live like this anymore. He had other things to do in secret, and serving the emperor had taken up a lot of his time.

The Duchess knew what the Emperor meant; he was simply afraid of the growing power of aristocratic families. "Have you discussed this with your grandfather?"

“Grandfather agrees, but we still need to plan carefully.” He pondered how to extricate himself.

Knowing her grandson's abilities, the Duchess said nothing more.

After seeing the two ladies off, Chairman Wang returned to Tingfeng Courtyard.

Meng Zhelan and Li Xi were in the old lady's room. "Grandmother, why didn't you go out and have hot pot with everyone today?"

Li Xi helped her cook a few slices of beef and put them in a bowl. "Luckily, I also had a few small pots made, so I can have hot pot by myself. Come on, Grandma, give it a try."

The old lady ate mushroom soup, as she hadn't fully recovered and was still eating a light diet.

"Having you all with me is enough. It's windy outside today, and I have a bit of a headache, so I won't go out." The old lady thoroughly enjoyed the company of the young girls as they ate and chatted.

"I'll make some pills for you tomorrow. They won't be bitter and will help you recover." Meng Zhelan was very patient with the old lady, and all three of them treated her like a grandmother.

"Thank you so much for keeping this old woman company," she said gratefully, even though she was just an elderly woman with amnesia.

Xiao Ge and Tian Tian have searched everywhere, but no one has reported an elderly person missing.

Meng Zhelan planned to discuss acupuncture with her father, but the specific needling techniques still needed to be discussed. She told the old lady her idea, and she agreed.

In the palace, the retired emperor kept insisting on leaving the palace to find the empress dowager.

"Father, don't sneak out. The people I sent have sent word that they've found the place where Mother went missing, so there should be news of her."

Emperor Wenyuan was in a real bind. He was anxiously searching for the Empress Dowager on one hand, and on the other hand, he had to stop the retired emperor from sneaking out of the palace.

"My son, I miss your mother. It's been so many days without any news from her. How can I not be worried? Arrange for a pair of guards to go out with her." The Emperor Emeritus had not been separated from the Empress Dowager for such a long time in a long time.

"Father, I promise I will find Mother very soon. You ran away and disappeared. What am I supposed to do?" Emperor Wenyuan was also exhausted. Twenty years ago, when the retired emperor was in his prime, he actually abdicated the throne to him and took his mother to travel around the world.

He had spent so many years painstakingly adapting to life as emperor, and now he saw that his white hair was more than that of the retired emperor.