Princess Princess Yuan An offered a word of advice.
It was also her first time realizing that her Imperial Sister, who had always been sickly, actually had such a side to her.
She had thought Princess Ankang was a timid and fearful person, but it turned out she had more mischievous ideas than herself.
"Mm, that's true."
Princess Ankang didn't refute; instead, she agreed with Princess Princess Yuan An's point of view.
"Such matters are best left to fate."
"Perhaps we'll run into him again in a few days?"
Princess Ankang said, lowering her head to earnestly savor her steamed sugar cream.
This dessert was deeply to her liking; it was sweet and adorned with colorful fruits, making it both beautiful and delicious.
After they finished their steamed sugar cream, they continued to stroll and eat in the East Market.
However, their stomach capacity was ultimately limited, and eventually, they couldn't eat anymore; eating was out of the question, and it became more about strolling.
And this East Market indeed had many fresh and interesting things to see.
The East Market had a designated area for performers and street artists, where they could watch all sorts of amazing street shows, keeping them captivated.
People were hung on a spinning large disc, then knives were thrown wildly, yet they remained completely unharmed.
There were also traditional acts like sword swallowing and breaking large stones on the chest.
Various magic tricks were even more numerous in their routines, and when they enjoyed a performance, they would take a tael or two of broken silver from the 'life-buying money' they had acquired earlier and toss it up, enjoying the pleasure of giving a reward.
By noon, although they had eaten many street snacks and weren't hungry at all, their knees began to ache from walking a lot, so they decided to find a place to rest.
They found a nearby tall building that didn't have young ladies in revealing clothes soliciting customers.
Because they had accidentally almost gone to the wrong place earlier.
Although Li Xuan stubbornly craned his neck, shouting to go in and take a look, he was still stopped by the two princesses and a group of close attendants and guards.
"Li Xuan, you're just a cat, why are you always trying to sneak into places like that?"
Princess Ankang lectured Li Xuan, but her own eyes were also curiously peeking into these pleasure establishments.
Because she noticed that there seemed to be quite a few female customers going inside, warmly welcomed by the soliciting young ladies.
Li Xuan only learned something after coming to the East Market, and that was that the customs of Great Xing were extremely open, with absolutely no talk of women not being allowed to show their faces, or not leaving the house.
There were many women playing in the East Market, and many of them were dressed very boldly.
According to Li Xuan's observation, even if women on the street were stared at, while some felt shy, more often they boldly stared back, their gazes extremely aggressive, which in turn made the peeking young gentlemen blush and turn their heads away.
"Quite interesting."
Li Xuan nodded earnestly, gaining a deeper understanding of Great Xing's customs.
However, when he wanted to understand further, the people around him began to stop him.
But Li Xuan merely wanted to watch some high-class song and dance performances.
He had previously appreciated the Talent's song and dance in Yan Qu Hall for a long time.
He now wanted to see whether there were masters among the common folk, or if the palace's song and dance were superior.
As a result, Princess Ankang and Princess Princess Yuan An were unable to understand Li Xuan's determination to pursue art, and they hindered his exploration of aesthetic beauty.
"Darn it, next time I must come with Chief Steward Shang!"
Watching the pleasure establishments gradually recede from his view, Li Xuan could only shout "Next time for sure" in his heart.
The group arrived at the nearest restaurant.
[Cuihua Tower]
Looking at the restaurant's signboard, the group couldn't help but fall silent.
They were standing outside at this moment, already hearing crashing sounds coming from inside the restaurant, as if someone was smashing the place.
Princess Ankang and Princess Princess Yuan An exchanged glances.
"How about we go in and take a look?"
Princess Ankang suggested.
Princess Princess Yuan An shrugged helplessly, not expecting to encounter this again after all their wandering.
Zhao Four had said he was coming to Cuihua Tower earlier, and they unexpectedly ended up here after all their meandering.
And judging by the noise, things inside were quite chaotic.
Seeing the confusion inside, the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs changed into a tighter formation, firmly protecting the two princesses in the center.
And upon entering Cuihua Tower, they couldn't help but all be stunned.
It wasn't because the scene was too chaotic, but because it was too bizarre.
The ones smashing the place on the first floor were actually the shopkeeper and his Guys.
If it weren't for their easily recognizable attire and their familiar demeanor, Li Xuan would have thought it was the shopkeeper from next door bringing his employees to cause trouble.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower was in the midst of smashing things with his employees when he suddenly noticed a group of people at the entrance, quickly dropped the wine jar in his hand, and hurried over to greet them:
"Esteemed guests, esteemed guests..."
"Cuihua Tower is not suitable for receiving guests today, please find another place, I am truly sorry."
"Next time you come, this humble one will surely offer some wine and dishes as an apology; today's hospitality is truly lacking."
The shopkeeper apologized politely, with complete etiquette.
But they had come in precisely to watch the excitement.
"Shopkeeper, is this really your shop?"
"Who smashes their own shop?"
Princess Princess Yuan An looked disbelieving.
The shopkeeper, being questioned, didn't get angry, but merely chuckled.
To open a restaurant in the capital, one's eyes must be sharper than anyone else's.
This group of people before him was either rich or noble, so the shopkeeper naturally wouldn't neglect them.
And it only took a few words to explain, not much trouble at all.
The shopkeeper saw his employees looking his way, their smashing actions slowing down, so he quickly waved his hand, telling them to continue working hard.
"Esteemed guests are unaware."
As the shopkeeper spoke, he gestured forward, leading them towards the counter.
There was no complete table or chair left to sit on the first floor.
Upon reaching the counter, the shopkeeper poured several cups of tea and invited them to drink.
He also poured a cup for himself to moisten his throat, showing that he was quite tired from smashing things just now.
And Li Xuan also noticed that the sound of smashing was not only on the first floor; upstairs was even livelier, accompanied by sounds of 'hoo hoo ha hee,' as if many people were fighting.
After moistening his throat, the shopkeeper continued to explain: "My small shop, thanks to the appreciation of several young masters, some disputes are negotiated and resolved here."
"It's just that the negotiation process, well, it's often quite convoluted."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper silently pointed upwards.
"But these young masters are trustworthy; the loser always compensates the shop for its losses."
"It's just that once the shop is smashed, it takes several days to reopen for business."
"So we might as well smash it thoroughly and get more compensation."
After speaking, the shopkeeper chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed himself.
But the shopkeeper was quite open, telling them all these things directly.
Apparently, this matter was probably not a secret.
No wonder it was so lively here, and there weren't many people gathered at the entrance; only they came in to ask what was going on.
If they were ordinary people, the shopkeeper wouldn't waste so many words; he would have already told his employees to drive them out.
The shopkeeper saw that the two princesses had extraordinary temperaments, and their guards were mighty and strong, so he said a few more words.
"May I ask who are the young masters upstairs?"
Princess Ankang asked with a smile.
"This..."
The shopkeeper smiled, looking troubled.
"This humble one is not at liberty to say more."
Who was upstairs was easy to find out, but it absolutely couldn't come from his own mouth.
The shopkeeper did business with those young masters, so he naturally couldn't make things difficult for himself.
Although he saw that the two princesses had extraordinary temperaments, he also knew who was paying his bills.
"Alright, thank you for clarifying, shopkeeper."
Princess Ankang didn't ask any further questions and politely thanked the shopkeeper.
Seeing that it was about time, the shopkeeper bowed to the two princesses and said:
"If the esteemed guests have no other instructions, this humble one will continue to be busy."
The group was stunned, and Li Xuan even burst out laughing.
Perhaps this shopkeeper before them was the first one so enthusiastic about smashing his own shop.
Looking at his previous actions, it probably was indeed stress-relieving.
His perfectly good restaurant had become a dueling ground for several young masters to settle disputes; it was indeed difficult for this shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower.
"Please proceed, shopkeeper."
Princess Ankang and Princess Princess Yuan An couldn't help but smile and return the bow to the shopkeeper.
Then the shopkeeper rejoined the team of employees smashing the shop.
Watching them smash things with such fervor, they were probably enjoying it.
Seeing that the shopkeeper's attitude didn't seem feigned, he was genuinely happy.
It was estimated that smashing the shop once earned him a lot of money, probably far more than his usual daily operations.
They couldn't interfere with this kind of mutually agreeable business.
But they were all very curious about what was causing such a fierce commotion upstairs.
"How about we go up and take a look?"
Princess Ankang suggested.
Princess Princess Yuan An silently glanced at Princess Ankang, realizing that her Imperial Sister seemed unusually excited today, daring to meddle in everything, completely different from her usual quiet and gentle demeanor.
Princess Princess Yuan An considered for a moment, and seeing the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs around her, she also felt at ease.
With such a strong guard, the possibility of a group of ruffians harming them was almost zero.
And if things went wrong, they could just reveal their identities.
Princess Princess Yuan An didn't believe anyone would dare to trouble two princesses right under the emperor's nose.
Moreover, she was very clear that there were still people secretly protecting her.
"Alright, but Sister, you must be careful."
The scene upstairs would definitely be much more chaotic than down here, and Princess Ankang, in her wheelchair, was inconvenient to move and very frail, so Princess Princess Yuan An was truly afraid she might get hurt.
"Don't worry, Younger Sister, I have Li Xuan and Yuer protecting me; I'll be fine."
Hearing this, Princess Princess Yuan An felt a little sour.
She hadn't brought Baixiao with her this time out of the palace, as it was a bit inconvenient.
But seeing Princess Ankang holding Li Xuan, inseparable, made her very envious.
"Alas, I should have brought Baixiao too."
Princess Princess Yuan An sighed inwardly.
This time, with the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs present, Yuer didn't need to take action herself.
Four Flower-Clothed Eunuchs steadily held Princess Ankang's wheelchair, lifting it like a sedan chair, and easily ascended the stairs.
In the main hall, the employees of Cuihua Tower gathered around the shopkeeper and quietly asked:
"Shopkeeper, shouldn't we intervene?"
As they spoke, the employees gestured towards the stairs.
"No need to intervene, keep smashing, we didn't see anything."
The shopkeeper instructed, continuing to vigorously smash his own shop.
His shop had good decor, and the furnishings inside were also very stylish, but only he knew that these were all superficial items, specifically used for smashing and compensation.
After all, it was his own shop, and anyone smashing it would feel heartache, as it involved his own efforts.
But the shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower couldn't resist and could only silently endure.
Although he could receive a sum of compensation, at first, it was merely to recover losses.
After all, this was his legitimate business restaurant, and after being smashed once, it would take a long time to repair, so the first few times, he suffered terrible losses.
But as the number of times the shop was smashed increased, the shopkeeper gradually found his own path from the humiliation of being forced.
He put some thought into the storefront, finding a large number of fakes and seemingly luxurious cheap decorations.
After each smashing, the compensation remained the same, but the shopkeeper gradually began to profit, and earned more and more.
Thereafter, Cuihua Tower became the designated place for the capital's young ruffians to settle disputes.
Even when Cuihua Tower was being redecorated, the capital's young ruffians would even wait a few days before rescheduling their fights.
Gradually, the smashing of Cuihua Tower became a major spectacle in the capital; newcomers to the capital would always marvel at the sight, amazed that such a restaurant could exist in this world.
As a result, fewer and fewer people came to Cuihua Tower for a proper meal, and more and more came to arrange fights.