Chapter 46 Guests and hosts alike enjoyed themselves immensely.

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the constables watching from the sidelines lit up instantly, and they all revealed looks of joy.

Yanbin Restaurant!

That was the best restaurant in Yunmeng City!

In an instant, the way everyone looked at Chen Mu and Liu Ziming became a bit more genuine, and they even felt a bit more anticipation for the County Magistrate, who was being generous for the first time.

Xu Changze's smile stiffened on his face, his mouth twitched involuntarily a few times, and as he scanned the crowd, his chest felt tight.

Yet he still let out two dry laughs, waved his hand grandly, and tried his best to make his voice sound heroic and magnanimous.

"Good! What Chen Mu said is exactly what I intended. Colleagues should enjoy themselves together! Today's banquet, everyone go together. Everyone must enjoy themselves to the fullest; we won't return until we're drunk!"

"Many thanks for your grace, my lord!"

The crowd of constables immediately cheered like thunder. Head Constable Wang stood to the side watching, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, yet he had no way to stop it and could only glare fiercely at Chen Mu a few times to vent his hatred.

...

Inside Yanbin Restaurant, the entire first-floor hall was packed full of constables.

Xu Changze sat at the main table, and Chen Mu was intentionally arranged to sit by his side to accompany him, which was convenient for conversation and also for keeping him in check.

Head Constable Wang sat at the lower seat with a gloomy face.

Before the wine was served, the polite pleasantries had already been exchanged once. Just as Xu Changze was about to spout some more bureaucratic nonsense, Chen Mu suddenly turned to the side and instructed Liu Ziming next to him.

"Ziming, the lord has gone to great expense today to specially set up this banquet to reward us, so we must not be disrespectful. Although your legs are inconvenient, you should still personally go to the kitchen and carefully instruct the head chef not to hold anything back, so as not to let down the lord's great kindness!"

His words were neither too loud nor too soft, pitched at a volume that everyone could hear without being overly conspicuous.

Liu Ziming was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening. He could barely suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up, and quickly put on a look of fearful respect, bowing and lowering his head.

"Thank you for your grace, my lord. I will go right now and make sure to watch them bring out their best skills!"

Having said that, without waiting for Xu Changze to react, he leaned on his crutch and moved quickly toward the kitchen.

"This..."

Xu Changze's words were stuck in his throat before he could finish. Watching Liu Ziming's rapidly departing figure, he felt a surge of stifled rage shoot straight to the top of his head, and he almost failed to maintain his usual poise and upbringing.

This fellow Chen Mu is truly cunning. If he had ordered the dishes in the hall, there would at least be some decorum, and it would be largely controllable.

But that rascal Liu Ziming actually slipped directly into the kitchen; wouldn't he be like a wild horse off the leash?

But things had reached this point, and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't have just boasted about not returning until drunk, only to then haggle over the dishes.

Meanwhile, where was there any sign of a limp in Liu Ziming back in the kitchen? He stood with his back straight and ordered loudly.

"Shopkeeper, I heard your Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is the signature dish? Bring one for every table first!"

"Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Troubling the Arhat? This name sounds lively, order that too."

"Three-Set Duck? Sounds decent, bring ten sets!"

"Rock Sugar Bird's Nest? This is good, bring one bowl for everyone!"

"As for wine, what do you have here? Yellow wine? Who are you looking down on! Bring that aged Huadiao, move ten jars up first!"

He specifically chose the most expensive dishes with the most complex preparation processes, and his voice was so loud that Xu Changze could hear it clearly.

By now, Xu Changze was so angry that his hands were trembling slightly. With every dish name Liu Ziming announced, his face became a little uglier. Calculating how much ingredients and effort it would cost, his heart was dripping with blood.

Head Constable Wang was also ashen-faced on the side. Taking the opportunity to pour tea, he leaned down close to Xu Changze and lowered his voice.

"Brother-in-law, this skinny monkey is clearly doing this on purpose, and there's also that Chen Mu..."

"Shut up!"

How could Xu Changze not know? But it was too late to say anything now; he could only swallow his broken teeth along with the blood.

Before long, all kinds of dishes were being served like a flowing stream. It was a dazzling array, and the fragrance was mouth-watering.

These constables, whose monthly salary was only a few taels of silver, had never seen such a scene. Each one ate so much they wished they could chew their own tongues, praising the County Magistrate's generosity endlessly.

Although this generosity was not voluntary.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food.

Xu Changze watched the scene of gluttony filling the hall, listening to the endless flattery in his ears, and felt a wave of dizziness.

After this meal, it would cost at least three or four hundred taels of silver!

He had painstakingly managed for over a month, and after deducting all expenses, what remained was just about this much!

Pain! It was too painful!

Just then, there was a sudden burst of gongs and drums on the street, firecrackers sounding in unison; it was exceptionally lively.

Everyone was full and satisfied, and had the leisure to watch the excitement, so they all leaned out the windows to look.

They saw a wedding procession with quite a bit of pomp and circumstance, playing music and beating drums, passing through the street.

In the middle of the procession was a large red bridal sedan chair carried by eight people, its curtains hanging low. However, those following in front and behind were not the usual maids and matrons, but a group of young men wearing makeup and brightly colored clothes.

"Oh, whose wedding is this? Why such a spectacle?"

A constable who had never seen such a scene asked curiously.

A well-informed constable nearby immediately lowered his voice, a strange smile on his face.

"You don't know about this, do you? This isn't some young maiden getting married; it's a Xianggu from the Peony Pavilion getting married! Xianggu, you all know what that is, right? It's men doing that kind of business..."

"A Xianggu getting married?" The crowd was in an uproar.

"Isn't that right! I heard he's marrying into the family of Squire Zhao from the west side of the city."

Someone nearby immediately shared the news they knew with their colleagues.

"That Squire Zhao can be considered a local wealthy man, it's just that his daughter looks... truly indescribable, and she has a reputation, so she simply can't get married!"

"I don't know what that Squire Zhao is thinking. In order to get his daughter married, he actually spent a large sum of money to marry a Xianggu home from the Peony Pavilion! He says it's for his daughter to have a son-in-law. Would you say that's strange or not?"

"Ah? There's such a thing!"

"Tsk tsk, this world..."

Everyone in the hall was dumbfounded, their words filled with curiosity and ridicule.

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Head Constable Wang's gaze swept over Chen Mu's handsome and fair face. Seeing that his gaze was also cast outside the window, as if he were somewhat interested, he immediately became sarcastic.

"Brother Chen Mu, you are watching so intently; could it be that you are also interested in this Xianggu?"

"Come to think of it, with Brother Chen Mu's appearance, if you were to go to the Peony Pavilion, you would probably be prime material for a top attraction!"