In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

Chapter 129 Harmony is the Ultimate Truth

Song Xiaoyi roughly guessed that the person behind this pawnshop was most likely related to the Crown Prince! The fact that the shopkeeper wanted to speak with the Crown Prince meant that he knew the Crown Prince, and the answer was obvious!

Therefore, we cannot give him the chance to speak out. If we do, Mu Bin will be in a dilemma!

Zhu Youtang may be a good man, but even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Moreover, he only had one empress, so it was only natural for him to dote on her.

The key issue is that Empress Zhang enjoys the emperor's exclusive favor, which leads to her brothers, the Crown Prince's two maternal uncles, acting in a way that is inappropriate.

Clearly, the pawnshop's behind-the-scenes owner is one of them, or perhaps both of them.

Song Xiaoyi thought for a moment, then stood at the door and pulled Fang Jifan back from rushing in, whispering in his ear, "I deliberately didn't let the shopkeeper say it out loud—"

"I understand, they're the Zhang brothers, Heling and Yanling. I'll only take what's mine," Fang Jifan replied before rushing inside.

Since Fang Jifan also knew the truth, things became easier. But this matter could not be kept from Zhu You.

If the matter doesn't escalate and is simply handed over to the Imperial Guards, Mu Bin will inevitably be the one to take the blame in the end.

How could Song Xiaoyi let his brother take the blame for him?

So, there are two options: either make a big scene and demolish the pawnshop, or go directly to the palace to find Zhu You, bring the crown prince, and tell the truth.

"Choose the second one." Fang Jifan found his belongings one by one. When Song Xiaoyi presented him with two options, he chose the second one without hesitation.

"The Emperor—Brother Zhu is very strange. He knows everything. I'm a little scared," Fang Jifan whispered in Song Xiaoyi's ear.

"Alright then, Brother Mou, we'll only take what Brother Jifan pawned, and leave the rest untouched."

Song Xiaoyi and Mou Bin shared their guesses and then splashed a glass of cold water on the shopkeeper to wake him up.

"Hehe, I already thought of that." Mu Bin glanced at Song Xiaoyi. "I just wanted to see how you planned to push this matter forward, my good brother."

"Master Song, Commander Mou, what are you talking about?" The seven-year-old prince finally spoke up. "This pawnshop, could it be owned by my uncle?"

Song Xiaoyi glanced at Wei Bin, who was standing to the side of the Crown Prince. Wei Bin returned the glance and nodded almost imperceptibly.

They're all shrewd people, it turns out.

Song Xiaoyi pulled the shopkeeper aside and patted his still-sleepy face. "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you work for the Emperor's brother-in-law. Tell me, who ordered you to do this? Marquis Shouning? Or Marquis Jianchang?"

"Or perhaps you yourself are betraying your master, using your status as the emperor's brother-in-law to oppress the innocent and line your own pockets!"

"Think it through before you speak!"

The shopkeeper understood and turned to look at Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao with his bright little eyes. Wei Bin gave him a fierce look from behind.

The shopkeeper trembled violently and knelt down with a thud. "It was—it was this old man who was blinded by greed, wanting—wanting to devour this spendthrift—"

Oh! No, it's Fang—Young Master Fang's few items that he pawned—"

"That's more like it. Commander Mu, seal off this pawnshop first, and forbid anyone from touching any of the items. Let's take this guy to the Shuntian Prefecture government office."

"Brother Xiao Yi, take him to Shuntian Prefecture. I don't think the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture would dare to handle the case. It would be better to take him directly to see His Majesty."

"Forget it, those two are Brother Zhu's brothers-in-law. It's not good to complain about them to their faces. Let's just throw this guy into Shuntian Prefecture and deal with him however we want."

After finishing speaking, Song Xiaoyi ignored everyone else and directly put the porcelain and calligraphy that Fang Jifan had pawned into his system space, leaving Mu Bin dumbfounded.

"So that's why—so that's why—"

"So what? So this is how your bicycles were delivered, right?"

"So that's how it is! No wonder Lord Liu—Lord Liu investigated for so long—"

"You're all a devil! Get to work!"

In this era, the basic principles of being a person are actually no different from those in modern times; "being tactful" will never be outdated.

There's no need to create chaos and put Zhu Youcheng in a difficult position. In comparison, Zhu Youcheng has a deep relationship with the Empress, and those two are at least his brothers-in-law; you are merely outsiders at best.

Does it matter whether it's right or wrong here?

Song Xiaoyi didn't care what the two imperial brothers-in-law thought. Anyway, with the shopkeeper taking the blame, the matter was closed. He and Fang Jifan got what they wanted, so as long as they didn't lose out.

If the two imperial brothers-in-law were to cause trouble and insist on making a scene, then Song Xiaoyi and Fang Jifan would be in the right. If things really couldn't be resolved in the end, they could simply be sent on their way, and then the matter would be completely severed from Emperor Zhu Youtang's control.

Song Xiaoyi and Fang Jifan quickly exchanged ideas, and their thoughts were surprisingly aligned.

After leaving the pawnshop, Song Xiaoyi led the Crown Prince and Fang Jifan back to the East Garden to check on the renovation progress. Now that Young Master Fang was the head steward, the renovation should naturally be based on his opinion.

"I won't interfere with the kitchen; my major is management, which is a good fit. I can't find fault with Xiao Yi's planning; he even considered the speed of serving the food, and they've even brought in a little train! It's truly amazing!"

"A little train? What little train?"

"Hmm—, this is a bit difficult to explain. Once all the renovations are complete, I will bring His Highness the Crown Prince to experience this little train."

"Okay! Okay!"

"Hehe, His Highness wants to experience everything here except the miniature train. This is also part of the curriculum for improving people's livelihood."

"Brother Xiao Yi, your idea—"

What's wrong with my thinking?

"Awesome."

"Hahaha----"

"Teacher Song, what does 'awesome' mean?"

"Awesome" means very impressive.

"Oh, I understand."

Fang Jifan dared not say anything more and could only give Song Xiaoyi a thumbs up.

"Wait a minute, Brother Fang, what did you just say you studied?"

"Management, what's wrong?"

"Brother Zhu seems to have mentioned that you're a librarian, right?"

"Yes, library management and hotel management are both management positions, and there's not much difference between them."

"That's practically the same as what I'm talking about, I'm impressed."

There's not much to see at a construction site on a snowy day, and in the snowy winters of the north, outdoor renovations are a real ordeal, so the workers are all rushing to finish indoor renovations, which are all covered in dust.

After escorting the Crown Prince back to Donghua Gate, Fang Jifan pulled Song Xiaoyi aside, "Brother Xiaoyi, shall we find a place to have a couple of drinks?"

"Then why don't you come to my house? It's not far ahead, and I have plenty of food and drinks. The food in the Ming Dynasty is just so-so, so it'll be perfect for you to try the traditional dishes of the Song family."

"That's great, let's go!"

It was still early, so the three Song brothers were learning traditional cooking from their grandfather in the imperial kitchen. The scholars were in the Wuying Hall, and the women were all in the palace.

Song Xiaoyi had to do it himself.

Fortunately, there were some leftovers in the room, so we took them out, heated them up, and served them. "What kind of wine would you like to drink?"

What kind of wine do you have?

"You should have everything you can think of."

"Rémy Martin?"

"Why don't you just go home?"

"Haha, I love seeing you all cocky and then getting your comeuppance."

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