Chapter 47: Chapter 47: "That Proprietress of Ming’s Restaurant...

"No matter what, an intruder broke into our home. Tomorrow, I’ll speak with the governor. Since the Jingzhao Mansion is responsible for the safety of Shangjing City, they should increase patrols in our area," Ming Lingyi said.

Xiao Chun nodded.

"Sleep here tonight," Ming Lingyi added. "If that group shows up again, it’s better for the two of us to be in one place so we can look out for each other."

Xiao Chun followed Ming Lingyi’s instructions.

However, she didn’t sleep beside Ming Lingyi, but at the foot of the bed.

Perhaps because the night had been so frightening, Ming Lingyi tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Business was good today. They’d earned several strings of cash. After deducting costs, Ming Lingyi calculated that the profit was probably about two taels of silver.

The upcoming orders would cost some of that, but there should still be some left over. ’In that case,’ Ming Lingyi thought, ’when I have time in a few days, I’ll go to a brokerage and see about hiring a guard.’

From what she knew of the market, it was now fashionable for the noble families of the Dayan Dynasty to use Kunlun Slaves. However, Ming Lingyi thought, ’With my current status, it would be almost impossible to bring a Kunlun Slave home.’

But finding a loyal and skilled guard at a brokerage was easier said than done.

In the past, even though she was the esteemed Empress, she never had to worry about such matters. Whether in the Great Desert or the palace, there were always people to arrange everything for her.

Now, it seemed her only option was to test the waters and take things one step at a time.

Ming Lingyi didn’t even know when she had finally fallen asleep. When the crowing of roosters outside woke her, she rubbed her eyes and wrestled with the warm comfort of her blankets a dozen times before finally sitting up to get dressed.

Today was the second day of business. Ming Lingyi had Xiao Chun open the shop doors and move the stove and other things outside. But unexpectedly, the moment she opened the doors, Xiao Chun cried out in alarm.

"What’s wrong? What is it?" Hearing the commotion, Ming Lingyi walked out from the back kitchen.

When she looked up, she saw the area in front of her shop was brightly lit.

It was brightly lit because a crowd of people had gathered outside, each holding a lantern that illuminated the sign of Ming’s Restaurant until it glowed.

Xiao Chun came to her senses and turned around. "Miss, it looks like... it looks like they’re all customers outside."

Xiao Chun was slightly mistaken. On these early spring mornings, the ones waiting outside Ming’s Restaurant to buy breakfast were most likely the servants of the customers.

These people were almost all servants who waited on the students of the Imperial College.

Yesterday, nearly everyone from Class A had eaten the Golden Jiji Qiong Ban. As for the other three classes, perhaps only the two portly fellows, Shangguan Jun and Qiao Ming, had enjoyed it with gusto. The rest could only stand by and drool with envy.

The students of the four classes—A, B, C, and D—didn’t just compete academically; their rivalry extended to daily life.

Yesterday, the students of Class A got to eat Golden Jiji Qiong Ban. Today, many students from the other three classes were holding a grudge, determined to "avenge their shame."

Their method of avenging this shame was to wake up extra early, send people to line up at the entrance of Ming’s Restaurant, and buy up all of Ming’s breakfast! That way, the students from Class A would have nothing to buy!

The idea sounded truly childish.

Ming Lingyi didn’t know about the rivalry between the students, nor that her breakfast would cause another "bloody battle" at the Imperial College today. All she knew was that when her neighbors from around Huaided Fang came to buy breakfast and found nothing left, they were all extremely resentful.

"Why are these Imperial College students competing with us for breakfast?"

"Exactly! Don’t tell me they started lining up the moment the market opened?"

"Damn it! Yesterday my son said Miss Ming’s milk tea was especially good, and he wanted more today. I even woke up early to buy a couple of cups, but who knew there wouldn’t be a single one left!"

Among them, the most furious was probably Mr. Du.

As luck would have it, the person right in front of Du Xuan bought the very last cup of milk tea in the shop.

Du Xuan watched, helpless, as the last cup of milk tea was poured into a bamboo tube and carried away. It was enough to make his heart bleed.

"Scoundrels! That bunch of scoundrels from the Imperial College! Isn’t one pastry in the morning enough? Why did they have to buy up all the pastries, five or ten at a time?! Is the Imperial College raising a bunch of gluttons?" Mr. Du ground his teeth.

Ming Lingyi, listening from the side, couldn’t help but laugh. It was clearly the resentment of a true foodie.

Mr. Du said, "Boss Ming, can’t you supply a little more each day?"

Ming Lingyi replied, "Mm, I’ll consider it. It seems everyone quite likes the milk tea, so I’ll supply more in the future. However, the Jade Plum Shocking Snow Cake will probably be taken off the menu in about ten days."

Hearing the first half of Ming Lingyi’s response, the corners of Mr. Du’s mouth curved up. But when he heard the second half, Du Xuan grew anxious.

"How can you take it off the menu!" Du Xuan didn’t understand. "I eat it every day and I’m still not tired of it!"

Ming Lingyi explained, "The filling for the Jade Plum Shocking Snow Cake is made from fresh plum blossom petals. The plum blossom season is over now, so without the ingredients, we can only regretfully take it off the menu. If Mr. Du likes it that much, you can always wait until next year!"

Du Xuan: "..."

Making a foodie wait for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was a sin. How could he possibly wait a whole year! He felt truly crushed this morning.

Two days passed, and Ming Lingyi continued to keep the courtyard brightly lit every night, but the intruder from that day never seemed to reappear.

However, the current Prefect of Jingzhao Mansion had increased patrols around Huaided Fang, which helped put Ming Lingyi’s mind at ease.

In Taiji Palace, Liu Ye was attending to his duties in the hall while the other palace staff had already withdrawn.

A shadowy figure landed soundlessly and knelt respectfully on the ground in salute.

"Rise and report," Li Yun said in a low voice from the Dragon Throne.

The Hidden Guard stood up and, without any preamble, reported every detail of his investigation into the female owner of the restaurant to the man on the Dragon Throne.

"The female boss of Ming’s Restaurant is named Ming Yao. She was the only daughter of the boss of a two-story restaurant in the West Market. But at the beginning of this year, a misfortune befell the Ming Family..."

Li Yun sat listening to his subordinate’s words. "You’re saying she went to Yongxing Square?"

The Hidden Guard replied, "Your subordinate learned that she not only went there, but she also asked a vendor who has been selling steamed cakes in Yongxing Square for years about the old affairs of Grand Tutor Ming’s family. According to the vendor’s wife, this woman claimed she was new to Shangjing, having just arrived from out of town. She said she was unfamiliar with Shangjing City and wanted to purchase property, which was why she was asking around. In fact, while the Ming father and daughter were indeed outsiders originally, they settled in the Capital City ten years ago. Considering her age, this woman should be considered a resident of the Capital City."

Li Yun asked, "What kind of person was she before?"

"According to the neighbors, although Miss Ming was the daughter of a merchant, her father valued her greatly and raised her like an official’s daughter. She was taught the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She didn’t like to go out or socialize and had a rather reclusive personality."

This current Miss Ming seemed somewhat different from the rumors.