Chapter 103: The problem with having nosy neighbours 2 (1/2)

Mu's Restaurant, Ningzhuo.

The waitress handed the badge over to her manager, who stood by the counter going through the sales record. She tapped the table to get his attention, she smiled and relayed Baozhai's words to him when he looked up. Then presented the batch to him, the manager looked down at the batch and glace back at the governor's wife.

The Duchess of Wu sent drawn a portrait of both the Lu family's batch and the governor wife. Everything matched with her portraits so he dismissed the maid and walked over to Su Liya.

”Welcome to Mu restaurant, Your Highness. I am the manager Mu Chen, I will lead you to the governor's box”

Baozhai nodded and replied, ”thanks, lead the way Mu”

Mu Chen gestured to the step leading to the second floor of the restaurant, ”Please come this way”.

Su Liya nodded and they followed Mu Chen up the stairs to the private too at end of the hallway. Mu Chen unlocked the door, pulled the door open, walked into the room and stepped aside for Su Liya and Baozhai to walk in.

The room was quite similar to the traditional private room in modern times, it was a normal-sized room with a square-shaped table at the centre of the room and four heated seating mats placed around the table. There were two open windows in the room, which brightened up the room and made it airy.

Although the room hadn't been used in a while there wasn't a single spec of dust which spoke of the proper management of the restaurant and hard-working staff.

Su Liya took a seat facing the food while Baozhai stood behind her. A guard from the governor's mansion loitered for seconds, it wasn't a face she was familiar with so he could not be one of Lu Yaozhu's men. She got familiar with his men during the journey to Ningzhuo, so he had to be one of the steward Meng's Little spies.

She had suspected that they were a few of them placed around her, she took note of his face and sent him away from the room. As he left to keep him from getting suspicious of her visit to Mu restaurant, she asked ” What are the local dishes you have on the menu?”

Mu Chen saw the lurking guard and understood what she was getting at, he played along with her a began to explain most of their chef's special. The guard left a few minutes later when he didn't see anything out of place.

Mu Chen waited a few minutes for the guard to leave the door before falling on one knee, balled up his right fist and rested his fist on his heart ”Mu Chen greets your Highness”.

Su Liya wasn't yet used to people bowing to her and waved him up quickly, ”no no no please don't act so form a_”

”It is your due respect, your highness. I was given orders by the Duchess to help you during your stay in Ningzhuo. How may I help you?”

Su Liya looked intently at the door and back at Mu Chen, ”have the servants come in with my orders, to throw the snitch off”

Mu Chen nodded, ”Yes your Highness”. He left the room only to come back minutes later with three waiters following him behind with her order.

Dongyi watched the food with great concentration as the waiters carried them in, he hasn't had anything to eat since morning.

Steward Meng called him in to follow the new madam before he could eat his breakfast. He couldn't reject the orders since Steward Meng had him on a leach. He placed his hand on his tummy as his tummy rumbled silently.

Su Liya needed an excuse to send the guard away, well mostly steward Meng's spy. She could only order some food for the guards that came with her. It was a risky move but worked, the guards were led to a private room at the side by the waiters where they were served their meal.

With the guards out of hearing distance, She could talk freely with Mu Chen. ”Fengyin tells me that your family has been in Ningzhuo for decades, so you must be familiar with the officials and nobility, from these parts. Tell me all you can about the local officials starting with the previous governor”

Mu Chen sat on the mat opposite Su Liya and said ”The previous Governor surnamed Sun is the youngest son of the northern branch of the Longxi's Sun family. Although they are only a distant branch of the illustrious scholarly family that has produced four imperial Tutors to the crown prince. They had made a name for themselves in these parts but are now in decline.