The shop assistant struck up a conversation with him, and before he knew it, he began to introduce the products in his shop.
Li Tai raised an eyebrow when he heard the words "Chen's Dried Meat": "Your family owns Chen's?"
The shopkeeper clapped his hands: "You've heard of my family's dried meat, haven't you? This is the prince's favorite dried meat! It's comparable to the Li family's..."
"What?"
Li Tai was startled and interrupted him.
"This isn't what my little cutie likes the most..."
Before he could finish speaking, he snapped out of his daze and abruptly shut his mouth.
But it was too late; the guy overheard the words "little cutie."
Yao Youqing bought her dog on the street in front of many people. She had taken the dog out to play more than once. Many people in Hucheng knew that her dog was called "Little Cutie".
Li Tai: "...I didn't say anything."
Waiter: "...I didn't hear anything."
Chapter 67 Thanks
After the rain stopped, Li Tai had left Chen's dried meat shop, but he didn't take with him the troubling and perplexing news he left behind.
The shop assistant carefully recalled the expression on the prince's face when he came to buy things shortly after his shop had changed its signboard, and finally understood why the prince's face had suddenly darkened at that time.
It turns out it wasn't because the princess's name wasn't included, but because...
"It's all my fault for not knowing how to read people's expressions!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped himself in the face, feeling guilty, remorseful, and self-reproachful. But more than anything, he was worried that the shopkeeper would fire him, because it was he who had suggested imitating the Li family's pastry shop by using the prince's name as their signboard. Anyway, the prince did come often, so they weren't exactly swindling anyone.
But little did they know that it was all a misunderstanding; the prince hadn't come to buy dried meat for himself.
Although the shopkeeper's expression was not good, he did not reprimand him harshly.
"It's not your fault. I agreed to change the facade in the first place. Besides, the Prince himself didn't say anything after seeing it, he just asked that the Princess's title be added as well. Who knew he would do this..."
Is this for a dog?
The waiter said with a mournful face, "Then I'll take this signboard and burn it, and put the old signboard back up."
"What are you burning?"
The shopkeeper said, "If we burn it, what will we say when someone asks? We'll say we misunderstood before, and that this dried meat isn't what the prince likes to eat, but what the princess's dog likes to eat?"
Wouldn't that mean the whole city would know?
At that time, the prince will not only not be happy, but will probably be even more furious.
"Then... what do we do?"
"I asked the waiter."
The shopkeeper looked at the signboard placed in front of him and pondered for a moment.
“We’ve been keeping this facade up for so long, and the Prince and Princess know it all but have never taken it down or made them remove it. They even come to buy from it often. That means they don’t want anyone to know the truth.”
"Because we know that not only will the prince lose face, but our shop will probably have to close down as well."
The jerky that the prince and princess love to eat is completely different from the jerky that the princess's dog loves to eat. Even if the latter also shares the princess's name, there is still a difference between people and dogs.
Even if it was the princess's dog, few people would be willing to say that they like to eat the same things as a dog.
At that time, their Chen's Dried Meat business will plummet, and they will be unable to continue without the prince's permission.
“This is the Prince and Princess’s kindness,” the shopkeeper said. “They know that it’s not easy for us ordinary people to make money in business, and they can’t bear to see us unable to continue our business because of a misunderstanding.”
So not only did they not expose them, they also helped them maintain their reputation and live up to their brand.
The waiter, only half understanding, said, "So, according to you, boss, this signboard..."
"Hang it up again."
"That's what the shopkeeper said."
The guy exclaimed, "Is this...okay? We didn't know before, but now that we do..."
"Who knows? Know what? I certainly don't know. Do you know?"
The shopkeeper asked a series of questions in quick succession.
The waiter stared blankly for a long time before he understood.
"I don't know anything!"
The old gentleman who let it slip earlier certainly won't say anything more when he gets back. There was no one else in the shop at the time, so as long as he and the shopkeeper don't say anything, things will remain the same as before. Everyone will keep quiet about it and no one will expose it.
The shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction: "Go ahead, we're doing this to save face for the prince and also to honor their goodwill. If anyone asks, just say the signboard was a bit damaged and we just took it down to repair it."
The waiter responded and went to hang the sign back up.
...
Wei Hong was unaware of what had happened at Chenji. Two days later, he celebrated Yao Youqing's sixteenth birthday with Li Tai and his wife.
The girl was a year older, but she seemed to have changed little. She was still as charming and cute as ever, and her mood became even happier after Mr. and Mrs. Li Tai arrived.
That day, Wei Hong took them to the manor in Shuliang Mountain. Yao Youqing couldn't wait to take Song Shi to see her large pond, saying that she wanted to swim for Song Shi to see.
Wei Hong originally planned to go together, but Cui Hao stopped him when he was leaving. He could only say to Madam Song, "Please take care of Ning'er, Aunt. Let her swim for no more than half an hour and then come up. Don't let her play too much and catch a cold."
Madam Song nodded: "Go ahead and do your work. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her."
Wei Hong thanked them and waited for them to leave before going to the study.
"Didn't find anything?"
He frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice.
Cui Hao lowered his eyes: "Yes, no one knows why His Majesty suddenly favored the Ji family. Our people have tried to find out more, but haven't been able to get any useful information."
The idea that the Ji family would abandon past grievances and give them a high position simply because they abandoned their daughter to surrender is not in line with Wei Chi's style.
Something unusual must be going on, so Cui Hao sent people to investigate, but they found nothing.
"The Ji family itself seemed puzzled by this matter. Lord Ji even privately asked someone to help find out why His Majesty suddenly appointed him, but to no avail."
"If we want to continue investigating this matter, we can only use the people we left in the palace. However, since the death of the Consort, the late Emperor removed many of our spies. Now, those who remain are all crucial. Moving one could mean losing one, or even more. Unless absolutely necessary... I do not recommend deploying them."
Back then, the late emperor forced Wei Hong's birth mother to death under the pretext of Emperor Gaozong's will. Afterwards, in order to prevent Wei Hong from retaliating, he investigated everyone in the palace from top to bottom, digging up three generations of his family, not even sparing the chamber pot cleaners. Anyone who might be related to him was replaced.
Although this method was clumsy, it was very effective. Most of the people Wei Hong had placed in the palace were lost, and those who remained were mostly not in important positions.
In order to protect them, the two sides have had almost no contact over the years.
Although Wei Chi's actions are strange now, they do not pose a direct threat to Wei Hong. Cui Hao felt that it was better to keep these people around just in case, and use them if something really serious happens in the future.
Otherwise, if Wei Chi and Wei Hong really turn against each other one day, they won't even have anyone in the palace to help them.
Wei Hong nodded, unconcerned.
"Then there's no need to investigate. Anyway, a family like the Ji family, which relies on selling their children to get ahead, can't cause any trouble."
"As for the people in the palace... don't touch them for now, let them do what they need to do."
Cui Hao agreed, and the matter was settled.
Wei Hong thought that was all, but then he told him about an unexpected gain from this trip.
"Although we didn't find out anything from the Ji family, our people accidentally discovered that the Yao family was being watched by His Majesty, with spies planted inside and outside the mansion."
Wei Hong almost burst out laughing when he heard this: "Why is he eyeing the Yao family? Does he think I would conspire with that Yao guy to harm him?"
Let alone Yao Yuzhi, who has always been pedantic and blindly loyal, she would never do such a thing.
Even if he really changed his mind and had that intention, he wouldn't want to cooperate with him.
Cui Hao lowered his eyes and remained silent. Seeing this, Wei Hong realized something and his face grew darker and darker.
"Did he secretly read the letters the princess sent to the capital?"
Cui Hao nodded: "Yes."
It shouldn't just be the princess who sent it; Lord Yao also wrote to the princess.
Upon hearing this, Wei Hong's breathing became heavier, and his nostrils flared.
Even though he hated Yao Yuzhi so much, he never secretly read the letters between him and Yao Youqing, nor did he check if Yao Yuzhi had said anything bad about him in the letters.
As the ruler of a country, Wei Chi actually did such a thing for the sake of personal feelings!
The words "romantic love" stung Wei Hong's mind again, reminding him of the past between Wei Chi and Yao Youqing.
Although Yao Youqing never liked him, Wei Chi did have feelings for her.
Wei Hong felt a lump in his throat when he thought that his father still hadn't let go of this thought.
"If you are not at ease, why don't you send our people to deliver the messages from now on? That way, they won't be intercepted by His Majesty."
Cui Hao suggested.
The messengers sent to the capital now are all servants brought by Yao Youqing from the Yao residence. These servants cannot guard against people in the palace, but the people around Wei Hong can.
Wei Hong did not immediately agree, but pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a forced smile.
"We'll talk about it later. He likes to watch it, so let's give it to him to watch."
...
"Write a letter to Father?"
Yao Youqing came out of the pool, changed her clothes, dried her hair, and sat down next to Wei Hong, puzzled.
"Does Your Highness have something you wish to tell my father?"
“No,” Wei Hong casually picked up a strand of her hair and played with it in his hand, “I was just thinking that it’s been a while since you wrote to him last time, so I should write another one so he won’t worry.”
Yao Youqing looked incredulous: "Why would you think of having me write a letter to Father? There must be something wrong, right?"
Although she is now very close to Wei Hong, she has not forgotten that she is at odds with her father, so why would she take the initiative to write to him?
Wei Hong knew she would be suspicious, but he didn't explain, because he knew that if he did, she would definitely stop writing.