Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Manager Sun stroked his chin. Ruyi Restaurant had powerful connections in the capital, backed by the Empress and the First Prince, and there were almost no people they couldn't afford to offend.

He would have been somewhat wary if the shop were located behind the Zhenyuan General's Mansion.

Since that's not the case, then he has nothing to worry about.

Manager Sun nodded and said slowly, "Take three thousand taels of silver and go to Qing Shuang Fang to find their owner and buy their secret recipe."

The shopkeeper was taken aback: "Three thousand taels for the secret formula of Qing Shuang Lu?"

That shop's daily profit is probably over a thousand taels.

They could earn back three thousand taels in three days at most.

Selling this money tree for three thousand taels? Only a fool would do that.

Manager Sun glanced at him and said indifferently, "Three thousand taels is not a small amount. We are willing to pay money for his prescription, which is an honor for him. If he knows what's good for him, he will take the money and leave, which is good for everyone. If he doesn't know what's good for him..."

He paused, not finishing his sentence, and simply waved his hand: "Go, do as I say."

The waiter understood and smiled, "Alright, boss, I'll go right away. Wait for my news..."

Manager Sun picked up the abacus again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ruyilou made an exception to buy someone else's recipe, which was already a huge favor to him. If that person refuses to listen to reason and then has to suffer the consequences, then they shouldn't blame them for being impolite...

South Street, Qingshuangfang.

Chen Chang'an had just returned from purchasing a batch of raw materials and was squatting in the backyard sorting through several large bundles of medicinal herbs, preparing to wait for the workshop workers to come and receive the goods, when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front.

He dusted off his hands, got up and walked to the front, where he saw a young man in a waiter's shirt sitting in a chair, legs crossed, toes swinging, looking impatient.

Pearl and Jade stood to the side, neither of them looking too happy.

When the shop assistant saw Chen Chang'an come out, he looked him up and down, then raised his chin and said, "You're the owner of Qing Shuang Fang?"

Chen Chang'an glanced at him and said calmly, "It's me."

The shop assistant stood up, pulled out several silver notes from his pocket, slammed them on the counter, and said in a forceful tone, "This is three thousand taels of silver. Our manager of Ruyi Tower said that these three thousand taels are for the formula of your Qing Shuang Lu..."

Chen Chang'an looked down at the silver note, then looked up at the shopkeeper's face. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, as if he had heard something interesting.

Seeing his expression, the waiter frowned: "What are you laughing at?"

Chen Chang'an didn't even glance at the silver notes, and said indifferently, "Not for sale."

Three thousand taels of silver? Is that enough to feed a beggar?

Qing Shuang Fang's net profit in the past few days is one thousand taels. He can earn back three thousand taels in three days. Only a fool would sell the secret recipe for three thousand taels.

Ruyilou was a household name in the capital. The waiter's expression changed, clearly not expecting him to refuse so decisively.

He gritted his teeth, his tone hardening further, and asked, "Do you know who our Ruyi Restaurant is? Our Manager Sun personally offered to buy your property; that's a sign of respect. You're just a newly opened shop; don't be ungrateful!"

Chen Chang'an leaned against the counter, arms crossed, showing no fear, and retorted, "Do you know who I am?"

The waiter was taken aback. He had clearly investigated this man but found nothing about his background. Hearing this, he asked, "You, who are you?"

Chen Chang'an looked at him indifferently and said calmly, "My father is Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the son-in-law of the Grand Tutor. Are you sure you want to oppose me?"

Chen Chang'an had only heard from Miss Gong Yue that Ruyi Tower seemed to have some background, but Miss Gong Yue did not say what that background was.

However, the identity of that cheap father is quite impressive.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the imperial court, in charge of the promotion and evaluation of officials throughout the country.

More importantly, he was the son-in-law of the Grand Tutor.

Although the Grand Tutor has not attended court for many years and does not pay much attention to court affairs, as long as he stands there, he is the thickest tree in the Great Ning court.

As a veteran official of three reigns, the Grand Tutor was already a pillar of the court even before His Majesty was born.

Over the decades, he has had countless disciples, who have long since banded together into a huge interest group. Even His Majesty has to be wary of them. No matter who is behind Ruyi Tower, they cannot completely disregard the Grand Tutor's reputation.

The waiter at Ruyilou was clearly frightened.

Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, didn't take the backers of Ruyi Tower seriously.

But even the Grand Tutor Zhao of the current dynasty... and his master's master dared not offend him easily.

The arrogance on his face vanished completely, and he asked suspiciously, "You, you are really Minister Chen's son?"

Chen Chang'an crossed his arms and said calmly, "Go outside and ask around, you'll find out. I had a fight with my father these days, and in a fit of anger, I ran away from home, thinking of making some money to spend. What, your Ruyi Tower won't allow it?"

"Make way, make way, of course you can!"

The waiter immediately changed his tune, his face beaming with a fawning smile, and said, "Young Master Chen, I'm so sorry, I apologize for what I did. I'll be leaving now, I'll be leaving now..."

He couldn't be sure yet if this person was Chen Shilang's son, but what if he was?

Perhaps we should go out and inquire first. If it is true, then we should be polite to her...

If not... well, then let's see what tricks Ruyi Tower has up its sleeve!

Watching the waiter from Ruyi Tower leave, Pearl and Jade looked at Chen Chang'an in shock and asked, "Young Master Shen, aren't you surnamed Shen? How come you're the son of Minister Chen?"

Chen Chang'an waved his hand and smiled, saying, "I was lying to him..."

The two women stared at Chen Chang'an in astonishment. How could he say such things?

Chen Chang'an returned to the backyard, sat on a stone bench, and looked thoughtful.

Ruyi Tower has a powerful background, and it cannot compete with them on its own. It would be better to bring out Chen Wenyuan and the Grand Tutor, which would make them hesitate to act.

Not a single word he said was a lie. He really is Chen Wenyuan's son, he really did quarrel with him, he really did run away from home, and he really wanted to earn some money to spend. Even if the people from Ruyi Tower confronted Chen Wenyuan face to face, they couldn't find a single fault with him...

For now, we can only rely on the prestige of the Chen family's Grand Tutor to stall for time.

Once Qing Shuang returns, he won't need to worry about these issues anymore...

now.

Near the Chen residence.

The waiter at Ruyilou asked around and actually found out that the eldest son of Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had a big fight with him, ran away from home, and moved out of the Chen residence.

This immediately filled him with a sense of lingering fear.

There's no such thing as a lifelong feud between fathers and sons. No matter how much they argue, they're still family. How dare an outsider like him bully the young master of the Chen family? He was glad he had stopped himself from going too far and immediately ran back to Ruyi Tower to report...