Chapter 576
“This subordinate will be there at once, at once.” Lu Jinchang wore a slightly ingratiating smile and hurried after him without daring to delay.
Yet inwardly, Lu Jinchang was cursing his luck. This man had clearly come with bad intentions. Even so, he quickly signaled to Feng Du, telling him to find Madam Yu and get some banknotes from her.
Otherwise, if he could not pay the bill later, he would be even more humiliated.
Lu Jinchang led the man to Lu City’s largest restaurant, Kelaiju.
As it happened, the manager arranged them in the private room next to the one where Li Zhiwei and the others were staying.
Xu Chuan, who was hiding nearby, frowned when he saw Lu Jinchang enter with the man.
He thought he had heard Lu Jinchang address the man as “Your Highness.”
Xu Chuan was puzzled. There were only a few princes in Lanno Kingdom, and he had never seen this one before.
When he saw the man enter the private room next to Li Zhiwei’s, Xu Chuan grew worried, especially that the man might harm Li Zhiwei.
After all, if this person was not Prince An, then Lu Jinchang must be in contact with an enemy nation.
At that moment, besides the Li family, members of the Jiang family were also in the private room. Xu Chuan was concerned that, if those people discovered the princess consort and the others were there, they might do something harmful to her.
For some reason, Xu Chuan instinctively felt that the people next door were dangerous.
The Lu Residence
“Feng Du, what did your master send you here for?” Madam Yu asked incredulously.
“Madam, Master sent me to ask you for some banknotes,” Feng Du said hurriedly.
“Banknotes? What banknotes? Your master’s salary isn’t even handed over to me. Isn’t managing this entire household enough to keep me busy?” Madam Yu sneered.
If Feng Du had come to ask her for banknotes in the past, she would certainly have handed them over without a second thought.
But ever since she had witnessed the way Li Zhiwei and Prince An interacted, she had decided that she ought to learn how to refuse as well.
Why should he come asking her for money?
This household had always been supported by her dowry.
And now Lu Jinchang still wanted to ask her for banknotes?
Did he really think she was a pushover?
“Madam, Master has no choice. Prince An has arrived, after all. Master wants to entertain him properly, so he has no choice but to ask you for some money.” Feng Du looked somewhat embarrassed.
“Prince An arrived a long time ago, didn’t he?” Madam Yu asked, puzzled by his words.
Feng Du glanced around. Only after making sure no one was nearby did he walk up to Madam Yu and whisper in her ear, “Madam, someone came to the county office today claiming to be Prince An. The moment he arrived, he demanded money and provisions from the county office. He said that someone had recently been impersonating him and swindling people everywhere. He even ordered Master to take him to Kelaiju.”
“So your master believes this man is the real Prince An?” Madam Yu looked at Feng Du with open mockery.
In her opinion, this man was certainly some swindler or con artist from who knew where.
After all, Li Zhiwei and the others were composed and proper in everything they did. They seemed much more like the real people than the so-called Prince An Feng Du had described.
“Master never said that he believed him. It’s just that, right now…” Feng Du chuckled awkwardly and looked at Madam Yu helplessly.
“Two hundred taels. Not a penny more. This is the money our Lu family needs for food and drink for the entire year. Tell your master to remember to pay me back later.”
Madam Yu took out two hundred taels’ worth of banknotes.
“This servant will certainly relay your words to Master.” Feng Du stared at the banknotes, secretly worried.
That man looked as though he had quite an appetite. He had no idea whether two hundred taels would be enough.
However, since Madam Lu had already offered this much, he could hardly say that it was insufficient. This was already the best outcome he could hope for.
After Feng Du finished speaking, he nervously tucked the two hundred taels of banknotes away and hurried toward Kelaiju.
Meanwhile, at Kelaiju, Madame Jiang gave Nanny Tang a meaningful look.
He was undoubtedly going to make a move against Jiang Yuanrang.
Nanny Tang nodded cautiously, her heart filled with unease. It seemed those people had already begun to suspect her.
She did not dare imagine what would happen if the Eldest Young Master Jiang discovered that she had secretly drugged him. Would he show her any mercy?
But she had no other choice.
Nanny Tang quietly slipped out.
Li Zhiwei quickly sent Cuiyue after her. She wanted to see exactly what the old nanny was up to.
Madame Jiang’s expression had been unpleasant from beginning to end.
She tried hard to put on an expression that suggested the Li family owed her something.
In truth, her heart was filled with panic. She did not dare imagine what the consequences would be if it were discovered that she was the one responsible.
Especially now, with the second branch coveting the Jiang family’s estate.
Nanny Tang was only gone for a short while and did not do anything.
Nor did she appear to have met with anyone. Yet, for some reason, Li Zhiwei still felt that there had been something unusual about her trip outside.
Before long, a waiter brought several small dishes to their table.
“Little brother, we didn’t order these dishes, did we?” Li Zhiwei asked, frowning at the food on the table.
“Guest, these were sent especially by our proprietor,” the waiter said with a smile.
“Eldest Young Master Jiang is a regular customer here at Kelaiju. He is also a friend of our proprietor. Our proprietor specifically sent these dishes for Eldest Young Master Jiang.”
The waiter bowed to Jiang Yuanrang and explained with a smile.
“Please thank Second Young Master Zhuang for me.” Jiang Yuanrang nodded. He was indeed on friendly terms with Zhuang Hualin.
Zhuang Hualin had probably heard that he was entertaining his family here and had specially ordered the dishes to be sent over. Jiang Yuanrang did not think anything of it.
“Enjoy your meal, Young Master Jiang!”
With that, the waiter smiled and withdrew.
Li Zhiwei and the others stared at the dishes.
“Eldest Brother, are you very familiar with the proprietor of this restaurant?” Li Zhiwei finally could not hold back and asked Jiang Yuanrang.
“More or less.” Jiang Yuanrang thought for a moment. His relationship with Zhuang Hualin could not be considered especially close, but they were not enemies either. They still had some business dealings with one another.
After all, some of Kelaiju’s dishes required medicinal ingredients.
“You little brat! You came to a restaurant to eat and drink your fill, yet you didn’t invite this old man?”
A sudden voice rang out from outside.
Jun Mowen strode in and, without asking anyone’s permission, went straight to an empty seat and sat down.
“What are you doing here?” Madame Jiang pointed at Jun Mowen and demanded without a second thought.
She was thinking about the dishes that had just been served. They had all been prepared especially for Jiang Yuanrang.
If this old man noticed something wrong, her plan would likely fall through.
“Madam Jiang, those who have done nothing wrong need not fear ghosts knocking at their doors. Could it be that you’re actually afraid of an old man like me? Don’t tell me you really have done something shameful?”
Jun Mowen looked mockingly at the dishes on the table, his gaze finally settling on the four dishes that had just been served.
He had known all along that this poisonous woman was up to no good.
And now he had caught her red-handed.
“Old man, what brings you here?”
Jiang Yuanrang was genuinely delighted to see Jun Mowen.
“Today, your eldest brother brought me to meet this friend of his,” Wen Xiu quietly said to Li Zhiwei.
“Elder Sister Wen, do you know where this older gentleman comes from?” Li Zhiwei asked curiously.
Although Jun Mowen was dressed in rags, she could tell that there was something extraordinary about him.
If her elder brother could befriend him, then he must be a man of some ability.
“I don’t know. He brought over a whole pile of bottles and jars. Your elder brother said they were good things, so you can have a look at them later,” Wen Xiu said, shaking her head. Thinking of that heap of bottles and jars, she was rather speechless.
“Hello, sir. I’m this brat’s younger sister.”
Li Zhiwei raised her brows at this, then rose to her feet and gave Jun Mowen a respectful bow.
“Haha, you have a good eye, young lady.” Seeing the admiration in Li Zhiwei’s eyes, Jun Mowen was in an excellent mood.
