Chapter 1087 - 1089: He Brought a Woman Back_1
Afterward, the three most severely injured people drank the decoction and rested at Yingke Lai for a while before being sent home.
What was supposed to be Yingke Lai’s busiest day suddenly turned into its bleakest. Bai Ruozhu simply instructed the shopkeeper to close the restaurant for repairs. With such an accident occurring, it was definitely not suitable to open for business as usual, and the broken railing would take time to fix.
The shopkeeper sighed heavily for quite some time, saying, "How am I supposed to explain this to the Dong Family, this, this..."
"Rest assured, this matter has nothing to do with you. Someone is just green with envy over Yingke Lai and has been working in the shadows. I’ll explain it to your Dong Family," Bai Ruozhu consoled him.
The shopkeeper gratefully bowed to Bai Ruozhu, "Madam Jiang, I owe you my thanks today. If it weren’t for you and Master Bai, I wouldn’t know what to do."
Having said that, he then bowed to Bai Zepei, "Thankfully, Master Bai is keen-eyed and noticed someone had tampered with the railing, or I would never have spotted it myself."
Bai Zepei replied with a smile, "I was merely fortunate to notice it. I presume that once my sister finishes her business and takes a look, she would also notice the issue."
In the following three days, Yingke Lai, the most popular restaurant in the capital, closed for repairs. The accident at Yingke Lai became a hot topic of conversation, but contrary to what the saboteur had intended, the people of the capital were not discussing the safety concerns of Yingke Lai. Nor was there public outrage over the accident. Instead, they were sympathizing with Yingke Lai and condemning the person behind the sabotage.
Because Bai Ruozhu had handled the situation promptly and the victims received proper care, and hearing that someone had sabotaged the restaurant and that Yingke Lai had offered them a month of free meals, they had no ill feelings left and wished for Yingke Lai to reopen immediately.
Most of them had only superficial injuries; even frequenting Yingke Lai for meals every day wouldn’t be a problem for them.
As for the three most severely injured, Yingke Lai sent medicines and supplements, as well as silver coins in compensation, with a very sincere attitude, so even their families had no more blame to put on Yingke Lai.
"Who knows which coward is behind this sabotage, perhaps it’s out of envy from a competitor? Which restaurant do you think it might be?" In the following days, groups of people chatting in the tea houses of the capital would invariably bring up Yingke Lai.
"Apart from Yingke Lai, there are several other well-known restaurants in the capital. Who can say for sure?"
"Hey, don’t just say anything. Each of these restaurants has its own powerful backing, doesn’t it?"
"Even so, they shouldn’t envy Yingke Lai to the point of stooping so low. With that effort, they’d be better off improving their own dishes. Having no talent and resorting to such underhanded tactics, I doubt their business would fare any better."
...
Inside the Imperial Palace, Princess Huilan was in Cining Palace paying her respects to the Empress Dowager. Though it was supposed to be an act of respect, she wasn’t particularly reverent in front of the Empress Dowager.
Princess Huilan should formally be addressed as Grand Princess Huilan since she was the current emperor’s aunt, the younger sister of the mother of the Former Emperor.
"Empress Dowager, Yingke Lai is closed, and you’re not worried? All that daily income in silver coins, isn’t it a pity?" Princess Huilan sipped her tea and said with an air of sarcasm.
The Empress Dowager smiled indifferently, "What can be done? With such an incident, it is necessary to inspect thoroughly and make the necessary repairs. If someone tampered with it again, it would tarnish our reputation even more."
Princess Huilan pursed her lips and continued, "That Bai Ruozhu too, couldn’t she just conduct her business properly? Why did she have to come up with such a bad idea like organizing a Poetry Conference? Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened."
"That’s not necessarily true, even without the poetry competition, the railing, tampered by someone with intent, was bound to cause an accident sooner or later. Fortunately, Ruozhu was present that day. Her medical skills are outstanding, and it was thanks to her that no lives were lost," the Empress Dowager said with a faint smile on her face, giving nothing away about her thoughts.
Princess Huilan huffed in displeasure, clearly disagreeing with the Empress Dowager’s statement, yet she could not find any words to refute her.
After Princess Huilan left, the Empress Dowager quietly started chatting with the lady-in-waiting by her side.
"The Empress Dowager is a discerning person; of course, she won’t be swayed by Princess Huilan, but hasn’t she been taking things too seriously lately?" The lady-in-waiting’s words weren’t explicitly clear, but they hinted at something.
The Empress Dowager nodded, "How could I not know that she is the sort to bear grudges and is also very greedy? I’ll have someone take precautions."
...
By the fourth day, Yingke Lai resumed business, and there were a few more guards in the restaurant. Although the number of customers was not as many as at the start, it was slowly recovering.
It was only when the customers had put the incident of the railing falling out of their minds that they remembered the poetry competition that day had not ended with a winner. The poems from that day were hanging in the restaurant, and whenever people read them, they couldn’t help but praise Tang Feng, the number one talent of Jiangnan, for his literary grace. Naturally, they also praised Bai Zepei, the dark horse who had surged forward unexpectedly. And when people learned that Bai Zepei had won the top prize twice in a row, their esteem for him increased even more.
The winner of the third round might not have been determined, but the poems were on display, and many said that Bai Zepei’s was superior.
In the past few days, Bai Ruozhu had been busy with matters concerning Yingke Lai, and had pushed aside her plans to open the Beauty Pavilion. Today, finally having some free time, she and Guizhi started discussing the details of the Beauty Pavilion once again.
The location had already been found, and the redecoration was underway. The overall style closely resembled the Beauty Pavilion in Beiyu City, to display the effect of a brand franchise. However, there would be some changes to ensure that the decor catered to the tastes of the noblewomen in the Capital.
As the two were discussing fervently, a little maid came running over, anxiously saying, "Miss, hurry and see, your brother-in-law has returned!"
Upon hearing that Jiang Yichun had returned, Bai Ruozhu’s face instantly lit up with joy, and she jumped up and headed outside. Guizhi followed behind, teasing her with a smile, "You’ve really been pining away."
Feeling her face heat up slightly, Bai Ruozhu turned back to glare at Guizhi and said, "Wait until you get married, then we’ll see how I’ll tease you."
After saying this, she ran towards the Main Courtyard. However, due to her overwhelming joy, she didn’t notice the maid’s unusual expression or even the odd tone in her words.
The maid who brought the news was anxious and hurriedly followed after her, "Miss, don’t get too excited, slow down, that... "
Unfortunately, just as the maid was about to speak, Bai Ruozhu picked up her pace and left her far behind, without giving the maid a chance to finish her sentence.
Bai Ruozhu rushed to the Main Courtyard and saw Jiang Yichun standing in the middle of the Yard, looking towards the Inner Courtyard. When he saw her, he suddenly sprang into action, rushing towards Bai Ruozhu like an arrow released from its bow and embraced her tightly.
"Ruozhu, I’ve missed you so much!" he whispered into her ear tenderly.
With her face turning red, Bai Ruozhu whispered back, "Me too."
At that moment, a look of guilt flashed across Jiang Yichun’s face, and he hesitated before speaking, "I’ve brought back a woman, but you must believe me..."