Lu Wanning was in a daze for a while. She looked at Sheng Songyan and then at He Nanfeng, pointing at the dishes on the table. "Linglong Pavilion. It belongs to Prince Yu, right?"
He Nanfeng nodded. "Yes, it does belong to His Highness Prince Yu. But not many people know about it."
So after all this, she had come to his place to treat him to a meal?
Lu Wanning immediately reached out and picked the spareribs back from Sheng Jinyu's bowl and started eating. As she ate, she said, "You should have said so earlier. It turns out it's your restaurant. The spareribs taste great, and so do the pig's feet. By the way, Your Highness, tell your chef later that the chicken feet are always under - flavored. They're not good."
Sheng Songyan felt his face twitch. This girl was truly fearless. It was true that the restaurant belonged to Jinyu, but Jinyu wasn't so idle as to just watch over a restaurant all day. Whether the dishes were delicious or not wasn't something Jinyu would personally arrange.
Lu Wanning ate heartily with both hands and mouth. Her hands and mouth were all greasy. As she ate, she stared at them. "Why are you all looking at me? Hurry up and eat. These dishes are so delicious."
Sheng Jinyu picked up his chopsticks to get some food. Only then did the others at the table pick up their chopsticks one after another, but they still couldn't help but look at Lu Wanning out of the corner of their eyes.
Zhen Yan couldn't help but tug at Lu Wanning's sleeve. "You should pay a little more attention."
Lu Wanning lowered her voice. "Come on. Do I still have an image? I think His Highness Prince Yu was sent by heaven to counter me. I might as well just be myself."
After the meal, Lu Wanning quickly rinsed her mouth and washed her hands. She smiled at Sheng Jinyu. "Well, we won't bother you anymore. We'll be leaving first."
"Wait. Didn't you say you were going to treat me to a meal? Aren't you... going to pay?"
Lu Wanning stared at him with wide eyes. Wasn't this his restaurant? Why was he asking her for money?
He Nanfeng quickly said, "I'll pay. I promised my cousin today, so it's okay for me to do it."
But Sheng Jinyu just coldly put down his chopsticks.
"Waiter, bill! Keep the change!" Lu Wanning sat down angrily and shouted. Then she took out her purse and slapped it on the table heavily. She glared at Sheng Jinyu before getting up aggressively and continuing to leave.
The waiter ran over, opened the purse, and hesitated. "Miss, this... this isn't enough."
Lu Wanning looked back in surprise. "There are eighty taels in there. Isn't it enough?"
The waiter nodded honestly. "No. You ordered a lot of expensive dishes. It'll cost one hundred and fifty taels."
Lu Wanning had never paid for her own meals before, so she naturally didn't know how much things cost. The princess was very generous with money. When she bought small things and snacks, she had never encountered a situation where she didn't have enough money. This was the first time.
For a moment, she felt quite embarrassed.
Only then did Sheng Jinyu smile satisfactorily. "Put it on my account."
The waiter put down the purse and bowed before backing out.
Lu Wanning touched her nose and scratched her head. "Well, thank you. I'll send the money to the prince's mansion later."
"No need." Sheng Jinyu smiled. "Starting tomorrow, report for duty at the Ministry of Justice."
"Ah?" Lu Wanning was completely confused. She didn't understand what this meant.
"Didn't you just say you wanted to follow me? There's a case in the Ministry of Justice recently about the abduction of women and children. They haven't been able to solve it for a long time. You can go and help."
Lu Wanning's mind went blank for a moment, and then she reacted. Had she finally grabbed onto this powerful backer? She nodded repeatedly, smiling brightly. "Let me work? No problem. I will definitely... definitely..."
She pondered for a while. What word should she use to express that she would work hard?
"Meet your satisfaction?"
Sheng Jinyu's words almost made Sheng Songyan spit out the tea in his mouth. What was this... such an inappropriate phrase to use here?
Lu Wanning scratched her head and didn't say much. She patted Sheng Jinyu on the shoulder. "Anyway, I'll work hard. See you tomorrow."
After Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan left in a hurry, He Nanfeng asked, "Your Highness, are you going to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow?"
"No." Sheng Jinyu calmly sipped his tea and then put down the teacup. "There have been too many things recently. I don't have the time."
He Nanfeng asked again, "Then why did you send Ning'er to the Ministry of Justice?"
Sheng Jinyu said, "This case has been going on for too long, and we still haven't sorted out the clues. I suspect there's someone behind those criminals. It won't be easy to draw out the key person."
He Nanfeng hesitated. He didn't hold any official position, so he could take some actions outside. But it was really inconvenient after returning to the capital. Sheng Songyan was even more unsuitable. Prince Yu didn't have many useful people in the capital, and there were also the Crown Prince's minions causing trouble. It was really difficult for him alone. But what could Lu Wanning do? She was just an innocent, somewhat reckless girl.
"We always need a catalyst. Since Lu Wanning is willing, let her go."
He Nanfeng stared at him with wide eyes. "Your Highness, she's my cousin. Aren't you just sending her into the tiger's den?"
Sheng Jinyu glanced at him indifferently. "She wanted to do it herself."
He Nanfeng was so anxious that he scratched his head. "Your Highness, Ning'er is a weak woman. She only knows a little bit of martial arts, not even as good as me. Well, I'll go there tomorrow. Please don't let Ning'er do such a dangerous thing."
"Are you a woman?"
He Nanfeng was at a loss for words. He and Sheng Songyan looked at each other.
Sheng Songyan couldn't bear it and said, "Jinyu, I have two women in my mansion with good looks and martial arts skills. How about letting them go?"
Sheng Jinyu shook his head. "You haven't studied that case, so you don't know the details. Those criminals are very cunning. They only abduct children and innocent women. The women in your mansion obviously look well - trained. The criminals won't take a fancy to them."
He Nanfeng became even more anxious. Did this mean that Ning'er still had to put herself in danger?
"But Your Highness, Ning'er is simple - minded. Your Highness hasn't told her the truth. What if..."
"There won't be any 'what if'." Sheng Jinyu got up coldly. "If you have time, think more about the refugees in the north. You've also heard the voices in the court recently. The Crown Prince's goal is nothing more than to drive a wedge between me and the Emperor."
Sheng Songyan nodded in agreement. "Yes, I've also noticed these things. And it seems that the Emperor has recently placed quite a lot of trust in the Fu family."
"As one rises, the other falls. The Lu family is a thorn in the Emperor's heart. If we want to deal with the Fu family, the Lu family has to make the Emperor let down his guard."
He Nanfeng shook his head. "My uncle is stubborn. He's not someone who will listen to advice. It'll be very difficult."
Sheng Jinyu smiled faintly. "If persuasion doesn't work, then find something for him to do so that he won't stare at the army and the court all day."
He Nanfeng was stunned. "So, Your Highness, you're planning to kill two birds with one stone and let my uncle deal with those criminals?"
Sheng Jinyu gave him a deep look. "After all these years, you still aren't sharp - witted enough."
He Nanfeng felt a bit embarrassed. As he lowered his head, the hairpin in his bosom was exposed. He quickly put the hairpin away.
Sheng Jinyu sneered. "Being overly concerned with love will surely affect our grand plan. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way."