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Chapter 1447 Western Region Tower

Located in Nianzi Hutong outside Daming Gate, Xiyu Lou was the first large-scale restaurant in Beijing specializing in Western Region cuisine, renowned for its authentic flavors and exotic dancers.

Since its opening in 22 years ago, Jingyang has become one of the most upscale restaurants in Beijing, on par with Jieyunlou in Xijiangmi Lane, Liuquanju in Xisi Archway, Liubiju outside Zhengyangmen, and Taihelou in Langfang Toutiao.

But besides its unique cuisine, Xiyulou is even more famous for its silverware and exotic music and dance, attracting many dignitaries to come and explore. It is also an important venue for wealthy merchants to hold banquets and socialize.

To open a comprehensive entertainment venue that integrates catering, accommodation, and karaoke near the prime real estate of Qipan Street, one needs not only a substantial investment but also a good network of connections.

I wouldn't dare say I can navigate both the legitimate and criminal worlds smoothly, but I need to be able to speak with various parties. Otherwise, I'll be constantly bothered by freeloaders or subjected to frequent government inspections, and my business certainly won't last long.

The owner of Xiyulou is no ordinary person; he is said to have military connections. This is not just hearsay. Pang Taiping, the manager who usually appears in public, is a centurion in the army who was wounded and retired during the western expedition to Yarkand.

That was a genuine veteran, with half a leg left outside Kashgar. If it weren't for the skilled military doctor, he probably would have lost his life on the Gobi Desert.

His life could be saved, but he certainly couldn't serve again after recovering from his injuries. According to regulations, the General Staff and the Ministry of War should properly arrange his work. However, he took his pension and stayed with a herdsman in Khotan to recuperate. He became one of the first thousand-household commanders of the Construction Corps to settle in the Western Regions, still under the army's organization and the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

The Construction Corps was another new initiative created by the General Staff to implement the emperor's assimilation policy. It was an army composed mainly of retired veterans, old border troops, and military households, plus some scholars who had passed the imperial examinations and graduates of the Imperial Academy.

However, in the eyes of most officials in the imperial court and even military generals, the Construction Corps was an anomaly. It was half military and half civilian, neither military nor civilian, neither a regular army nor a combat force, but it did not take combat as its main task, but focused more on local production, construction and land reclamation.

If we consider them as former military households, there were no household registration restrictions, and no possibility of being trapped in a cycle of poverty for generations. Their descendants could go to school and take exams as usual, without any disruption to their lives.

While it may not be considered a military household, once someone is registered in the military, their household registration must follow the military. Wherever the Production and Construction Corps goes, the person must go there; military orders are absolute and non-negotiable.

Moreover, in times of emergency, military orders must be obeyed to take up arms and fight. It's not necessarily about going to the front lines; maintaining local security and protecting immigrants in border areas is the primary task.

To be honest, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has made great contributions to the current situation in the Western Regions and even the border areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, the northern frontier, and the Northeast.

Without their dedication to these remote and underdeveloped areas, braving blizzards and sandstorms, shunning venomous insects and wild animals, and enduring the exclusion from local inhabitants, they managed to create a huge hole in this age-old problem, and even the best policies would not have been able to be implemented.

Pang Qianhu served in the Western Regions Production and Construction Corps for three years, but suddenly decided he didn't want to continue in the military. Although he was too young, he had military merits and injuries, so he could still choose to retire. Although his household registration was no longer in the military, Pang Qianhu did not completely sever ties with the army. Less than half a year after returning to the mainland, he transformed himself into the manager of the Western Regions Pavilion.

To run such a large business in the most prosperous area of ​​the capital, the status of a retired army centurion and a construction corps commander alone would definitely not be enough to keep things in check. Even adding a dozen or so hangers-on who were also retired from the army wouldn't be enough.

Just as all the forces were secretly speculating about who was behind Commander Pang, the joint appearance of several people brought all the discussions to a halt, and also made some people with ulterior motives who were planning to test the waters quickly stop their actions.

On the day the market opened with banners, Lu Xiang-sheng, the commander of the reserve force of the General Staff, booked the largest private room to host a banquet. Although Lu Xiang-sheng, a fourth-rank official, was not considered a big shot in the capital, the people he invited were all very prominent.

Grand Secretary Li Ruzhang, Army Chief of Staff Ding Shun, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Zhou Jiaqing, Dean of Academic Affairs of the Royal Academy Zou Budong, and Director of the Audit Department of the Sun and Moon Bank Gulandam.

Whether these individuals were invited to make a show of business or genuinely have ties to Xiyu Restaurant, their mere presence on the opening day signifies their willingness to give Xiyu Restaurant face. From now on, anyone attempting to circumvent the rules will have to think twice.

Even without these individuals present, Pang Qianhu's Western Regions Pavilion wouldn't necessarily have failed to operate. After all, he was a meritorious official who had accompanied the emperor on his personal campaigns. As long as he displayed his silver Sun and Moon Medal at the Meridian Gate, the Ministry of Justice would be obliged to receive a memorial from him.

This is a decree issued by the emperor and written into the Great Ming Code: all those who have been honored with the Monument to Heroes and have received the Silver Medal have an opportunity to speak directly to the emperor once a year. Anyone who dares to obstruct or shirk this opportunity will be punished as a traitor!
Of course, if Commander Pang wanted the Emperor to intervene, then the Western Regions Pavilion itself couldn't have any problems. For example, whether the Western Regions dancers had a clean background, whether the shop sold smuggled goods, etc. Any concealment would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor, resulting in hard labor for the entire family!
"Clang... Clang..." As heavy knocking sounds came from the stairs, a burly man slowly walked up.

Judging from his appearance, he was in his forties, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a angular, bronze-colored face, which met the standards of a dignified appearance in this era. However, his short hair and short beard on his chin were somewhat unconventional, at least not mainstream.

Looking further down, it was even more appalling. He was dressed in a drab yellow outfit, looking exactly like an army soldier except for the lack of rank insignia and a belt. No, there was another obvious difference: his right trouser leg was lightly draped, his left foot wore a thin-soled leather boot, while his right foot was a wooden stick wrapped in leather, making a thumping sound as he stepped on the stairs.

Beside him was a boy of about ten years old, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, carrying a jujube wood cane, following closely behind. They looked like master and servant, but the boy's eyes showed no sign of submission, and his back was not as supple as that of a servant from a wealthy family.

"Manager..." A servant in blue robes waited respectfully at the top of the stairs. As soon as Commander Pang stepped onto the last step and stood still, he glanced over and immediately bowed to greet him.

"Which lord has arrived?" Commander Pang nodded slightly, but his eyes glanced towards the third floor, where a mixture of awe and panic seemed to linger.

"..." The young servant in blue remained unfazed, his face still beaming with obsequiousness. But upon closer inspection, his eyes held a resolute gaze, as if he were wearing a mask that didn't truly belong to him. After hearing this, he didn't speak, but instead held up his right hand and gestured two sixes.

(End of this chapter)