sbdcsierra Chapter 269 Drunken Cloud Tower
Chapter 269 Drunken Cloud Tower
King Xuan grinned as he listened to Qingying's story; his current level of favorability towards Long Chuqing was quite high.
Knowing that she was not only skilled in martial arts but also capable of dealing with demons and evil spirits, he would like her to show him her skills if given the chance, so that his life would not have been in vain.
"Hello, Miss Long!" King Xuan greeted her with a smile.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Long Chuqing bowed.
"Were you the one who played chess with Father Emperor in the Imperial Garden this afternoon?" Prince Xuan asked.
"Yes. It's me..."
"It seems I guessed correctly. So, did you win, or did Father Emperor win?"
Xiao Han looked at Prince Xuan: I didn't expect that Sixth Brother would be concerned about this!
Looking into his starry, curious eyes, was he hoping his father would win against Chu Qing? Or was it that Chu Qing would win against his father?
"Both sides, Your Majesty and I, have had our wins and losses," Long Chuqing replied truthfully.
"Wow!" Prince Xuan was somewhat surprised. "Father's chess skills are extremely impressive. Only the Grand Tutor can rival him. I didn't expect you to win the game against him. Impressive."
"Your Majesty's chess skills are indeed superb; I only won by a narrow margin."
"In short, to defeat Father, even if it's a narrow victory, is still quite impressive," Prince Xuan affirmed.
Xiao Han glanced at the sky. The palace walls had blocked the setting sun, and the warm sunlight shone through the walls onto the palaces opposite.
"Sixth Brother, it's getting late. Now that Chu Qing has come out, let's leave the palace!"
"Leaving the palace, good! It's time to leave the palace."
Prince Xuan turned and took two steps, then suddenly turned back: "Seventh Brother, Miss Long, it's almost time for dinner. Why don't you stay at the manor for dinner tonight? I'll invite you to a restaurant."
As he spoke, he raised his fist with a thumbs-up and gestured behind him.
Xiao Han thought for two seconds after hearing this.
If they were to return to the manor, he and Chu Qing would each dine in their own courtyards, and dining alone would be quite lonely. Perhaps he should go out to eat with Chu Qing and his sixth brother.
He looked at Long Chuqing and asked expectantly, "Chuqing, are you going?"
"Very well! It is already an honor to receive an invitation from His Highness Prince Xuan, how could I refuse him!"
“That’s right! That’s more like it.” King Xuan raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Let's hurry up and leave!" He suddenly hugged his arms tightly: "I've been standing here in the cold wind for almost half an hour, and I'm almost frozen."
"Seventh brother, aren't you cold? You've been standing here longer than I have."
"It's getting colder now that it's almost night," Xiao Han said. "Let's go!"
The carriage departed the palace, heading towards Xuanque Avenue in the warm glow of the setting sun.
"Chu Qing, has my father made things difficult for you?"
"On the carriage," Xiao Han asked.
"No, they served the meal as soon as we went in, and they didn't ask us anything during that time."
"After the meal, I took a walk in the garden and asked some questions, which were basically the same as what you told me, but His Majesty did not ask any further questions."
“I won the first game against your father, and afterwards he focused all his attention on the chessboard and didn’t ask me any other questions.”
Xiao Han was relieved to hear this and smiled gently, "That's good. I was just afraid that Father would make things difficult for you."
"How could that be? I think your father is quite reasonable."
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of a restaurant called Zuiyunlou, which was just as famous in the capital as Juhonglou, which they had visited before.
If Juhonglou's dishes are exceptional, then Zuiyunlou boasts several homemade wines with unique flavors that are highly favored by consumers.
You can't find this drink anywhere else, so its business is just as good as Juhonglou next door.
"Greetings, esteemed guests." The waiter greeted them warmly.
"Waiter, are there any private rooms available?" Xuan Wang's guard stepped forward to inquire.
Do any of you have reservations?
"No appointment?" The guard shook his head.
"No reservation? I'm really sorry." The waiter looked apologetic, but his smile didn't fade at all. "It's lunchtime right now, and all the private rooms are full. The two remaining ones were reserved by other customers a long time ago."
"Now we only have seats left in the lobby. Are you alright, distinguished guests?"
"Could you give us your private seats? We're willing to pay a higher price," the guard continued to negotiate.
"I'm sorry, esteemed guest, but doing business requires integrity. Since the private room has already been reserved, we can't make any decisions before the guest arrives, otherwise we'll be labeled as dishonest! We hope you understand."
The waiter glanced at the group of people in front of him. They were dressed in expensive clothes and had an extraordinary demeanor. They must be young masters and ladies from wealthy families.
He noticed that the guests were hesitant, so he tried to persuade them to stay and continued speaking.
"The weather has gotten colder these past few days, and many guests are looking to have a drink to warm up, so the hall is often full. You've arrived early; if you had come any later, there wouldn't have been any seats left in the lobby."
"Our shop recently launched a new camellia wine. If you would like to stay for a meal, we can offer you a pot to try."
Prince Xuan looked at Xiao Han and Long Chuqing: "Seventh Brother, Miss Long, what do you think? How about we go to another place?"
Long Chuqing recalled the incident at the teahouse at noon earlier. It was lunchtime then, and there were no seats available even in the main hall.
These days, during mealtimes, it's true that you can't get a private seat without a reservation, and even the main hall might be full soon.
Even if you go to other places, there may not be any private seats available, and it's a hassle to go back and forth.
Xiao Han looked at Long Chuqing, waiting for her answer.
"I don't mind, but I'm afraid you two gentlemen might feel a little reserved," Long Chuqing said with a light smile. "It's lunchtime now, so it doesn't really matter where we go."
"Sixth Brother, why don't we just sit in the lobby?" Xiao Han said. "It's just a meal, it doesn't matter where we sit."
“Alright…” King Xuan agreed: “Since Seventh Brother and Miss Long don’t mind, I… won’t be so particular.”
Seeing this, the waiter bowed slightly and said with a smile, "Distinguished guests, this way please. Would you prefer a large table or a small table?"
Long Chuqing, Xiao Han, Prince Xuan, Qing Tong Qingying, and Prince Xuan's two guards, a total of seven people, can set up a large round table, while the smaller tables are square tables that can accommodate four people.
The waiter had seen all sorts of customers in the restaurant and knew that some noblemen were accompanied by guards or attendants, and some masters were unwilling to sit at the same table with their guards or attendants in order to highlight their status.
Some guards and attendants could only stand aside and watch or stand and serve, such as pouring wine.
“A large table will do,” King Xuan replied. “Everyone’s out dining; it’s more lively with more people!”
"Seventh Brother, Miss Long, is this feasible?"
"Sixth Master is right," Long Chuqing replied.
The two guards of Prince Xuan thought to themselves that they would rather have two small tables set up, as it would be too uncomfortable to sit and eat with the two princes!
They hadn't even dined with His Highness Prince Qin yet, let alone their own prince! Although they met often, His Highness Prince Qin was always serious and rarely smiled, which made them feel somewhat reserved.
Qingying Qingying didn't care; she had previously dined with Long Chuqing and Xiao Han.
Qingying was quite familiar with Prince Xuan and knew that he was also a free-spirited person, so she didn't feel constrained.