After finishing his conversation with Ye Liangyu, Song Qiming found Song Jinzhao and told her about his plans to attend the Imperial Academy.
Song Jinzhao, who was just about to head out to look at a residence, raised her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "That is perfect. Tomorrow, when I go to Prince Ying's Manor, I will tell his secondary consort that you have gone to study at the Imperial Academy and have no free time."
Song Qiming asked in confusion, "Why would she invite me?"
"Eldest sister~" Song Anhao called out as he ambled over slowly, riding on Xuetuan's back.
Song Jinzhao bent down to pick him up, turning her head to answer Song Qiming, "She probably wants to recruit you, and conveniently use you to bring down your teacher."
Lanxi stayed behind to guard the courtyard and Xuetuan, while Qingshuang drove the carriage, taking Song Jinzhao, Song Shixue, and Song Anhao to see the courtyard bestowed by the Emperor.
Staying at the Ye residence indefinitely was not a long-term solution. Song Jinzhao had originally planned to buy a house herself after the birthday banquet, but since the Emperor had rewarded her with a ready-made one, it was best to go over early and see what needed to be tidied up so they could move in sooner.
Upon arriving, they found not only a flatbed cart parked at the entrance but also people standing on the steps wearing official uniforms, with noisy sounds coming from inside.
Qingshuang turned her head and whispered into the carriage, "Eldest Miss, there are people inside. They look like government officials."
The Principal of the Ministry of Works, who was directing his subordinates to hang up a plaque, saw Song Jinzhao step down from the carriage. He immediately ran down the steps, stopped in front of her, and bowed respectfully. "I am Fang Zhixing, Principal of the Construction Bureau under the Ministry of Works. Greetings to County Princess Linghui."
He gritted his teeth, feeling extremely annoyed inwardly. How did she arrive so quickly?
If he had known, he would have worked through the night yesterday. Now, he could only try to smooth things over with her for the time being.
"Lord Fang, there is no need for such formality. What is going on here?" Song Jinzhao looked up at the plaque suspended beneath the door beam. Carved onto it were the words 'County Princess Manor'. The black paint outlining the characters had not yet fully dried, indicating it was likely rushed.
Fang Zhixing hurriedly explained, "To answer the County Princess, this residence originally belonged to a third-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel. During the rainy season this year, floods occurred in Jiangnan, and it was discovered that he had accepted bribes from local officials. The Emperor confiscated his estate, and this mansion was among the seized properties."
"The Ministry of Works had previously finished repairing the house, but a few days ago, heavy winds and rain blew off quite a few roof tiles, and trees in the courtyard were uprooted, leaving the landscaping a bit messy. Since the Emperor's reward came so suddenly, I brought men over early this morning to fix it up and clean the place out. In just a few more days, the County Princess will be able to move in comfortably."
In truth, the Ministry of Works had never finished repairing the house at all. They had been busy with other matters recently and figured the Emperor would not bestow the mansion upon anyone anytime soon, so they had slacked off and delayed the work.
Who could have known that a County Princess Linghui would suddenly appear out of nowhere, and that she would be granted this exact residence? When he went to work at the Ministry that morning and found out, he was completely panicked.
Song Jinzhao's gaze swept across the blue sky. The sunlight was so bright it was almost dazzling.
For the four days since they entered the capital, the weather had been perfectly fine every day. There had been no wind or rain, so how could tiles have fallen, let alone winds strong enough to uproot trees?
Even though she knew Fang Zhixing was lying to her, Song Jinzhao chose not to expose him. It simply meant moving in a few days later; there was no need to point it out and put him in an awkward position.
"Since that is the case, I will have to trouble Lord Fang. Once the repairs are done, just send someone to the Ye residence to let us know."
Fang Zhixing nodded repeatedly, seeing them off to their carriage with a face full of flattery.
Song Shixue asked, "Sister, are we going back now?"
Song Jinzhao shook her head and instructed Qingshuang, "Go to the liveliest market street in the capital. I want to take a stroll."
Qingshuang immediately changed direction and drove south.
The most prosperous main thoroughfare in the inner city was undoubtedly Chang'an Avenue, which led straight from the city gates to the Imperial City. The buildings on both sides of the street were also the newest and most beautiful.
The four-story Moon Ascension Pavilion stood tall in the middle of Chang'an Avenue, a true testament to the prosperity of the capital.
After wandering around the area for a bit, seeing that it was nearing noon, Song Jinzhao lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Let's go eat at the Moon Gazing Tower."
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the restaurant. The waiter greeting guests at the door saw Song Jinzhao step down and immediately came over enthusiastically. "Will the young lady be sitting on the first floor or the second floor?"
Her face was unfamiliar, so it was likely her first time here. Though her carriage was large, it lacked decoration, suggesting she was probably the daughter of an ordinary merchant family.
Song Jinzhao withdrew her gaze from the main hall. There really were quite a few people at this hour.
"The first floor. Please arrange a table in the corner for us."
The waiter led the four of them to the very last table by the window. "There are walls on both sides, so it has the fewest people here. What would you esteemed guests like to eat?"
Song Jinzhao replied, "Serve us a few of your restaurant's best-selling signature dishes, along with four bowls of rice."
"Right away! Please enjoy some tea first, the food will be served shortly." The water poured from the teapot was still steaming. It had a light color and a sweet taste, clearly not made from inferior tea leaves.
After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, the waiter began bringing out the dishes one after another.
"Sheep Milk Fish, Fresh Stir-fried River Shrimp, Roasted Quail, Scallion Vinegar Chicken, Broth Bathed Embroidered Meatballs, Taro Soup, and Chrysanthemum Cake. These are all our signature dishes at the Moon Gazing Tower. Please take your time and enjoy."
Looking at the seven dishes filling the table, the plates seemed large, but the portions were quite small. The only commonality was the exquisite plating and beautiful color combinations.
Song Shixue leaned over to stare at a few dishes she had never seen before. "The color of this fish soup is so white, it looks quite fake."
"Chopstick Spring... isn't this just quail?" The name sounded nice, but without seeing the actual dish, one really wouldn't know what it was.
It looked expensive, and gave the illusion that it wouldn't be filling at all.
Song Jinzhao picked up a spoon and first scooped half a bowl of the thick Sheep Milk Fish broth. "Let's taste it and see how it is."
Since the first-floor hall could be fully seated during mealtime, the taste shouldn't be too bad.
The moment it entered her mouth, Song Jinzhao raised her eyebrows in surprise. "It is fish stewed in sheep's milk. There is no gamey smell at all; you completely can't tell."
Hearing that it was sheep's milk, Song Shixue immediately took a taste. Sure enough, it was sheep's milk.
Seeing this, Song Anhao refused to let Qingshuang help him. He steadily scooped half a bowl for himself with a spoon, put his mouth to the rim of the bowl, and took a big gulp. As it slid into his stomach, he felt a warm and cozy sensation inside.
He generously gave a thumbs up. "It is delicious! It's smooth and fresher than regular fish soup, and it seems to have the fragrance of osmanthus."
The waiter, who was just bringing over the rice, heard this and smiled. "This young master has a very sharp palate. The sheep's milk used to make this dish has fresh osmanthus added just as it is about to boil. When serving, the osmanthus is filtered out, which is why it has a faint osmanthus scent."
The Fresh Stir-fried River Shrimp contained only scallion segments for garnish alongside the shrimp. The meat was firm, and you could tell it had been caught fresh today.
The skin of the quail was coated with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds, giving it a bright, translucent red color and firm meat.
By the end of the meal, Song Jinzhao had already formed a good initial impression of the Moon Gazing Tower.
The ingredients were fresh, the dishes had their own unique characteristics, and the head chef not only possessed great culinary skills but also knew how to innovate. No wonder they were able to run such a large restaurant.
