Harem Daily Life

Li Yi said unhappily, "He Feng, what are you saying in such a sarcastic tone?"

He Feng glanced at him. Although he no longer had the status of the eldest son of Prince Ding's Mansion, his innate sense of superiority would still occasionally emanate from him, making Li Yi feel a little uncomfortable.

"Tao Jinan, don't deny it. You clearly bribed the teacher. I saw exactly what Master Xing had in his hand when he came out that day. You've done this kind of thing a lot in places where people can't see you, haven't you? So, relying on your connections with the Tao family, you're arranging things so that you can get a good reputation as an academic excellence student at the Imperial College. You're really bringing shame to the students."

He Jinan frowned: "Bribery? A box of frostbite cream is called a bribe? Haha, He Feng, are you okay?" He Jinan looked at He Feng's head: "I'm afraid you have been shocked by the incident in Prince Ding's Mansion and started to have wild thoughts."

Zhang Jian was a little amused. "No way! You gave away more than a dozen boxes of frostbite cream to teachers and classmates you knew, saving them from frostbite. Could this make people think you were bribing? This... is too funny."

He Feng looked a little unhappy: "No matter how big or small the gift is, it's bribery. Humph, and they're also forming cliques and going out for fun and entertainment."

Zhang Jian laughed so hard that his stomach hurt. "We went out for a get-together after the exams, and you called it a gathering of friends forming cliques. You, He Feng, don't have any friends, right? You're just jealous of us!"

Seeing the crazy look in He Feng's eyes, Li Yi quickly grabbed Zhang Jian and said, "Brother Zhang, there's no need to say anything. Let's go eat our meal. There's no need to talk too much." After that, Li Yi pulled Zhang Jian and winked at Fang Xuewen, asking him to pull He Jinan with him. Fang Xuewen had no choice but to follow him.

He Feng stood behind them with a resentful look on his face.

The carriage stopped outside the Imperial College. He Jinan and the others got on the carriage. The joy they had originally felt after finishing the exam was somewhat diluted, and none of them spoke.

Finally, Zhang Jian couldn't help himself and said, "This He Feng seems to be against you in every way. He always argues with you about schoolwork and he keeps an eye on you when you give anything to others. It's really annoying."

He Jinan smiled and said, "It's okay to have different opinions on academic matters, as the more we argue, the clearer the truth will be. But he always keeps an eye on my private life, which is really annoying. But fortunately, the holidays are coming soon, and I won't have to see him for a whole month." He Jinan began to feel relieved again as he could return to the palace to be with his brothers and sisters.

"If you ask me, He Feng has become dark because of the huge psychological gap. Think about it, he was a royal family member before, but he fell into the quagmire all of a sudden. Seeing Brother Tao, who is of lower status than him, being valued by the family and having all the good things sent to him, it would be strange if he is not jealous. That's why he always keeps an eye on Brother Tao and makes trouble for him." Li Yida.

He Jinan snorted coldly, "As the old saying goes, don't be happy with things, don't be sad with yourself. Who can he blame if he can't adjust his mood? He is a good student. If he wants to succeed in the Imperial College, he'd better change his current bad habits. Otherwise, he will suffer one day."

Seeing that He Jinan was rarely angry, Fang Xuewen advised, "Brother Tao, let's not talk about him anymore. Where do you want to take us to eat today? I have a lot of things left to pack before I came out with you."

He Jinan said to the driver outside: "Xiao Si, go to Sihai Restaurant."

The three people in the car were all stunned.

"Brother Tao, Sihai Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Beijing, and the prices are quite high. Are you sure you want to invite us there?" Zhang Jian hurriedly checked He Jinan's wallet: "Do you really have money in your wallet? Don't be so unlucky that you leave us to wash dishes and pay for the meal."

He Jinan's mouth twitched: "Am I that kind of person?" Even if I didn't bring any silver, my shadow guard Yin Jiu did.

Yin Jiu, who had been following all the way, felt an itch in his nose and sneezed softly, and couldn't help but hold his purse tightly.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Sihai Restaurant was experiencing brisk business. Not only were the upstairs and downstairs seats packed, but even the stalls selling New Year goods outside were overflowing. Even so, as soon as Shopkeeper Fang saw He Jinan, he hurriedly squeezed through the crowd to greet him personally.

"Please come in, distinguished guest. We have the best private rooms ready for you." The Empress had previously inspected the imperial property and had dined at the Sihai Restaurant. Coincidentally, the Second Prince also accompanied her that time. Eunuch Fang, who came out of the palace to manage the Sihai Restaurant, recognized him at a glance. At this moment, he felt both excited and scared.

He was excited that the Second Prince had come, giving him a chance to entertain his master. But he was also worried that it was a good thing that he was in the store today, otherwise if it had been someone else, he would have neglected his master today.

Zhang Jian and Fang Xuewen were getting a little nervous. Li Yi secretly tugged at He Jinan's cloak and whispered, "Brother Tao, it's better to sit in the main hall. The private rooms will cost more."

He Jinan glanced around the hall and found that all the seats were occupied. If they wanted to eat, they would have to queue, and who knew how long the queue would take. He said, "That's fine. Since there are private rooms, we can use them. You don't have to think about saving money for me. It's not like I treat you often."

Shopkeeper Fang said hurriedly, "It won't cost you any extra money. It won't cost you any extra money. All the meals are the same price. There's no separate charge for the private rooms."

The few of them finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed the shopkeeper up to the second floor. They walked through a few rooms on the left and arrived at the last room.

Pushing open the door, the interior was elegantly decorated and fresh. He Jinan took a look and knew that this was the same room he had dined in at Sihai Restaurant the last time he accompanied his mother to inspect the property.

"Boss, is this private room usually reserved for use? Otherwise, how could you leave one empty if your business is so good?" Zhang Jian asked.

Shopkeeper Fang glanced at He Jinan and said with a smile, "In reply to your question, sir, this is specially reserved for our boss in case he comes over to entertain a friend. As you know, our Sihai Restaurant has always had great business, and it's hard to get a good seat without a reservation."

As Manager Fang spoke, he personally poured tea for everyone. Zhang Jian and the other three stood up to express their gratitude, but He Jinan sat in the main seat and said nothing.

Zhang Jian was curious again and asked, "Why is the shopkeeper willing to give it to us? We... are just poor scholars."

Shopkeeper Fang glanced at He Jinan and said, "Gentlemen, you are wearing the clothes of the Imperial College. You look like gentlemen. I don't think you will order drinks or cause trouble, so I will give you this room. Here is the menu. Would you like to order?"

Shopkeeper Fang presented the menu to He Jinan with both hands. He Jinan didn't even look at it and said calmly, "Let's order. There are four of us, so you can order as much as you want. Don't waste too much, and don't leave too little."

Manager Fang immediately put away the menu: "Yes, how about three cold dishes, five hot dishes, and two desserts?" Eight dishes are enough for four people.

He Jinan nodded as a sign of agreement, and Manager Fang hurried down to make arrangements, not daring to delay his master's meal for even a moment.

After everyone left, Zhang Jian couldn't help but say, "Brother Tao, you don't even look at the prices or the dishes. What if all they serve are expensive dishes?"

He Jinan took a sip of tea and said, "The prices here have been reviewed and will not cheat you." The royal property is in the hands of the queen mother, and every workshop and shop is strictly managed. No one dares to charge random fees.

"Brother Tao, you seem to trust this place very much? Could it be that you have come here often before?" Li Yi asked suspiciously.

He Jinan shook his head. "I've only been here once before. I just thought that the best restaurant in the capital should be well-regulated. Otherwise, how could it have been in business for so many years and still have such a good reputation? Come to think of it, it must have a good reputation, many repeat customers, excellent dishes, and fair prices."

After their concerns were dispelled, they stopped asking questions. Soon, the dishes were served one after another. But before they could start eating, a waiter came hurriedly and said that the boss had arrived and asked the shopkeeper to leave quickly.

He Jinan: “…”

Shopkeeper Fang: “…”

The Queen is coming?!