latelenovela Chapter 535 Mr. Zhongli Knows a Lot
Chapter 535 Mr. Zhongli Knows a Lot
Tide was grabbed by the arm by Xu Ning, and her face immediately showed some displeasure.
Seeing his expression, Xu Ning smiled slightly, "Or it should be fine to say it in front of Miss Sisi, after all, it's not a particularly important message."
As Chao Xi watched Xu Ning's smile grow increasingly unrestrained, she felt a slight sense of unease. In addition, upon seeing the copper gourd in Xu Ning's hand, a name suddenly popped into her mind. She quickly reassured Si Si and followed Xu Ning to a corner of a shop.
"You say it."
"I heard you have an invitation to the Pearl Pavilion?"
Chao Xi immediately understood; it turned out that this person had come to obtain the invitation.
"I can write you a letter of recommendation, but regarding Cui'er and Sisi, I hope..."
Xu Ning raised her hand to stop Chao Xi from answering, "I don't want the letter of recommendation, I want the invitation you have."
Tide was stunned. "You want my invitation? How am I supposed to go to the Pearl Pavilion next time...?"
Halfway through her sentence, Chao Xi suddenly understood Xu Ning's meaning. It turned out that this person disapproved of her actions and wanted to force her to sever ties with Cui'er.
"...This is my way of life. I haven't hurt anyone, and they're all happy to do it. What gives you the right?"
Xu Ning said disdainfully, "Willingly? You're two-timing and you still think you're right?"
Tide asked in confusion, "Aren't you still the same? Everyone in Liyue knows you have more women than you can count on two hands, while I only have two. Why are you targeting me like this?"
Xu Ning was furious and slammed Chao Xi against the wall. "Nonsense! I only have two women. Who dares to make up stories about me?"
Tide struggled, unconvinced, "Then we'll be the same! Why can you do it but I can't!"
"Who's like you? I know my two friends inside and out... What's with that envious look on your face... I'm just asking you, would you dare mention Cui'er to that Sisi...?"
Upon hearing Xu Ning's question, Chao Xi glanced at Si Si on the pier and hesitated before saying, "Cui'er should be able to... Si Si won't do. She has a fiery temper, and if she finds out, she'll probably fight me to the death..."
Xu Ning pulled him back, "That settles it. Give me the invitation, and you might thank me later."
Tide's expression changed several times, but she finally gritted her teeth and took out an invitation with gold trim and pearl inlay from her bosom, handing it to Xu Ning.
Xu Ning took the clothes and put them away. He then helped Chao Xi straighten her clothes and came out. He smiled at Si Si, who had turned around, and said, "It's just a wedding. What's the big deal? Sooner or later, this day will come. Everyone is waiting to drink the wedding wine. Don't keep them waiting too long."
After saying that, he ignored Sisi's delighted face and Chaoxi's utterly devastated expression and ran away in a flash.
This time, we won't have to go through the trouble of flying over from Nanshan Cliff.
Following Cui'er's instructions before departure, Xu Ning found a burly man named Ping Hai at the dock, showed him the invitation, and the man respectfully escorted him onto the Pearl-adorned Boat.
Xu Ning didn't stay on the first floor; he went straight to the second floor and found the girl.
"You got the recommendation letter faster than I expected. Oh? It's an invitation? I'd like to see who's so willing to send out an invitation from my Pearl Pavilion."
The girl took the invitation and examined the name inside. "How should I put it? As expected, Lord Xu Ning, from now on you are a distinguished guest of my Pearl Pavilion. You can enjoy any service here with peace of mind. After all, this place is recognized by the Seven Stars. I dare say that this place can make you forget all your troubles and worries. If you need anything, just call me. My name is Luo Xia."
Xu Ning took back the invitation and casually tossed it into the Dust-Hidden Cave.
"So you knew who I was. You're the owner here?"
Luo Xia laughed and said, "I dare not call myself the boss. I am just a manager of miscellaneous items. Our boss is named Rou Ran. He rarely receives guests, but he might give you special consideration someday and invite you to meet him... Of course, it is also possible that you have already met, hehe."
Xu Ning was a little confused by Luo Xia's cryptic explanation.
However, it seems unlikely that the owner of this place will be easy to find. Luo Xia just said that this place is recognized by the Seven Stars. If there is anything wrong, we can ask Ning Guang when we get back.
Anyway, I'm just here to see what's so special about this place that makes so many wealthy businessmen linger.
As Xu Ning came down from the second floor, he saw a man dressed in the clothes of the Winter Kingdom carrying two beautiful women walking towards him, and he couldn't help but take a second look.
"Since the falling out with Zhi Dong, apart from a very few business exchanges, most activities between the two countries have come to a standstill. How could there be merchants staying here for leisure or people working in other trades?"
When the man from Zhidong saw Xu Ning looking over, he laughed and said, "This Pearl-Inlaid Boat truly lives up to its reputation. The men are handsome and dashing, and the women are breathtakingly beautiful. It was a worthwhile trip, a truly worthwhile trip..."
Holy crap, this little brat from Zhidong thinks I'm some kind of rabbit god?
But the services at this Pearl-Inlaid Boat are so comprehensive? I've never seen anything like it before...
Xu Ning quickly stopped this dangerous thought and decided to take the opportunity to vent his anger on this blind man. After all, he was from the Zhidong Kingdom, so he could just hit the wrong person!
However, the Liyue merchant who had spoken to Xu Ning earlier stood up and stood between the two.
"Maxim, you're drunk. This is also a noble person from Liyue. Don't talk nonsense."
"Um... sir, this guy just speaks without thinking, he meant no harm... My surname is Luo, if you don't mind, may I buy you a drink?"
When Xu Ning heard him address him as "sir," he knew that the man had already recognized his identity. Seeing that the city lights were just coming on and the nightlife was about to begin, he readily sat down.
"The delicacies on this Pearl Pavilion are even more exquisite than those of the two great restaurants in Liyue. You may try them, my lord. As for the wine, it is Tianlu produced in your own winery. I'm afraid it's not as good as the wine you have, haha."
Xu Ning casually picked up a couple of bites, and they were just so-so, barely comparable to Qingyi's cooking skills.
The little snake has been eating a lot of good food with him now, and its cooking skills are becoming more and more refined, so Xu Ning doesn't really think much of the food and wine here.
"I came here to check out the other services..."
Luo Feng smiled bitterly. Was it really inevitable? He was truly sorry, Lady Ningguang.
Luo Feng picked up a scroll from the corner of the table and handed it to Xu Ning, saying, "This is also one of the recipes, called 'Jianzhenlu'. You can take a look at it."
Xu Ning unfurled the scroll, and there it read in elegant writing: "Exquisite beauty, graceful laughter, and gentle songs are all contained within, for you to choose from. As the saying goes, 'A river is charming when it holds a pearl,' may you hold a bright pearl and flow with the river, living up to the warmth of the pearl and the gentleness of the bright moon..."
"What should I choose? Pearls? Jade? I don't know anything about this. If Boss Zhongli were here, he might be able to give me some advice."
Xu Ning flipped through the back and found words like "Qiong Jiu, Lin Li, Yao Chai, Yin Hua" all over the place. He didn't know what kind of jade products they were, but he found them mysterious and impressive.
A gentle, refined voice immediately offered an explanation for him.
"The mountain shines because the stone contains jade, and the river is charming because the water holds pearls. These are not names of jade, but rather use jade and pearls as metaphors for beautiful women. The following are the names of the beautiful women in the Pearl-adorned Boat."
Xu Ning suddenly realized and turned to another page. Sure enough, he saw the names "Qiaochun, Yeming, Zhiyu, Meizhu, and Cainang" and even the name of the person who had asked him to deliver the letter, "Cui'er".
"As expected, Mr. Zhongli knows more. I am ignorant and incompetent, but... but..."
Xu Ning suddenly snapped out of his daze. Mr. Zhongli, Mr. Zhongli?!
Xu Ning shifted his gaze from the scroll in his hand and turned around to see the Emperor behind him.
Isn't Your Majesty always the one who walks silently?
No, it doesn't matter!
The important question is, how did you end up in...a place like this? And did you even click on any of the people on this list? If you did, can I still click on others?
"Ah, Mr. Zhongli, you've come too. Um, please have a seat?"
Xu Ning hurriedly made way for Zhong Li, who waved his hand gently and said with a smile, "I have a reserved seat here; that side is closer to where you're listening to the music."
Xu Ning quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, listening to music is good and healthy. I know you like it. Please do as you please. I'll just say a few words to them and then go get you a couple of drinks."
Zhong Li nodded and went to another table. Xu Ning quickly grabbed a girl following behind Zhong Li.
He recognized this young woman as the accountant at the Rebirth Hall who was in charge of paying Zhongli's bills and keeping accounts.
"Is Mr. Zhongli a regular here?" Xu Ning asked quietly.
The young woman smiled and said, "I already have a reserved seat, so of course I do."
Xu Ning clicked his tongue, "You came here just to listen to music?"
The young woman laughed again, "Otherwise what?"
Xu Ning shook his head vehemently, "I don't believe it."
The young woman covered her mouth and giggled, "Look at what you're saying, I don't believe you either. Okay, let go, I need to go order for the gentleman."
Xu Ning was conflicted. The nature of this pleasure boat was already quite clear. He and the Emperor bumped into each other here, which could be considered a kind of camaraderie. Bah, what was he thinking? He hadn't done anything.
However, how did the young ladies at the Rebirth Hall report Mr. Zhongli's expenses? It simply said, "Nothing to do today, listened to music at the brothel, 1.35 million Mora."
Seeing that Xu Ning seemed to care a lot about Zhongli, Luo Feng laughed and said, "There's nothing strange about that. We've all heard of Mr. Zhongli's great name. He's a very learned man, but it's perfectly normal for him to come here for some fun."
He pointed to the stern of the boat, "There's also Li Jiulang there, a very unrestrained poet who is often drunk. He often says that he wants to befriend you, sir, and drink and compose poetry with you!"
Xu Ning curled his lip. With the Emperor around, who cares about some damned poet?
After apologizing to Luo Feng, Xu Ning headed straight for the Emperor with his wine gourd, removed the wine that had just been served, personally poured "Qianyan" wine, and then took a clean wine cup and poured a cup of "Qianye" wine.
"Mr. Zhongli, please try this."