Chapter 42 Such a Big Scandal

Chapter 42: What a Juicy Piece of Gossip

Luo Yunchen smiled at Su Zheng and asked, "Big bro, are you going to give me all these recipes?"

The shopkeeper nearly fell flat on his face.

It seemed the young master's relationship with this gentleman was truly special.

Rarity makes things valuable; any one of these recipes could bring freshness and flavor, ensuring the restaurant would make a huge profit.

And there were so many recipes—yet the master wanted them for free, not paying a single coin.

Su Zheng had originally planned to trade them with the shopkeeper.

It would boost the restaurant's business and let him make some money to save for future expenses.

Now that Luo Yunchen said he wanted them, he could only nod and agree.

After all, they were meant for him; he'd worry about the money later.

With these new dishes, the restaurant's customer traffic gradually picked up.

Su Zheng and Luo Yunchen weren't in a rush to leave, since Su Zheng hadn't had these foods in ages and was craving them.

As more customers arrived, the once-quiet shop started getting lively.

Su Zheng vaguely overheard a lot of people talking about "Master Shen, Master Lin, fiancée" and such.

The names "Shen" and "Lin" caught Su Zheng's attention, and he asked the system curiously, "System, do you know what those people are talking about?"

"I do, Host!"

Su Zheng: "Tell me."

"Master Shen pinned Master Lin down in a private tea room, doing indecent things, and was caught in the act by Master Shen's fiancée, Miss Zhang. Master Lin couldn't handle the intense stimulation and died afterward. Master Shen was too worked up and has been out cold ever since."

"Pfft!! Cough, cough, cough!!"

Su Zheng spat out a mouthful of tea and started coughing like crazy.

Luo Yunchen quickly patted his back to help him breathe and took out a handkerchief to wipe the water from his mouth.

Once Su Zheng stopped coughing, he grabbed the handkerchief from Luo Yunchen to wipe his mouth and hands.

Seeing Luo Yunchen look worried, Su Zheng gave a calm smile and said, "It's nothing, just choked a bit."

In his head, he was already cussing the system out.

Su Zheng: "System, give me the details. Are the two guys the same Master Shen and Master Lin who were racing their horses through the streets? When did this happen? Shouldn't the Shen and Lin families want to cover this up? Why has it spread so widely? Almost every customer coming in seems to know! Could Luo Yunchen have a hand in this?"

"They are indeed the two who rode recklessly. If it had been anyone else, it might not have ended with one dead and one paralyzed. It happened right after they galloped through the streets. The male lead had someone slip them both an aphrodisiac and lock them in a room."

Right after intense exertion, they were drugged. Their emotions swung wildly, and their hearts couldn't take the strain—one dropped dead from a heart attack, the other was brain dead.

In their confused state, their movements were too rough, and they crashed through the private room door, putting on a show for the whole tea house.

Miss Zhang was having tea and gossiping with a few young ladies in the next room. Then the whole room of ladies got whispered updates from their maids.

Miss Zhang stormed out, saw it with her own eyes, and after yelling a few curses, ran off crying. That's how the story got out.

Su Zheng: "As expected of the male lead. This plan kills three birds with one stone.

It punishes those two, while also ramping up the feud between the Shen and Lin families, bringing it all out into the open.

Now, if the two families don't demand justice for their kids, their reputation and dignity will take the first hit.

And then there's the Zhang family. Miss Zhang is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Zhang family's main branch. Now everyone knows her fiancé pulled such indecent acts in public—a slap in the face to the Zhang family.

With Young Master Shen still unconscious, why would Miss Zhang want to marry into that and be a widow?

Now the Shen and Zhang families have gone from allies to enemies. Even if they can make a deal to sweep it under the rug, there's bound to be bad blood.

Not to mention the Lin family and the Fifth Prince meddling...

I imagine there will be no shortage of drama in the future. Empress Shen and the Fifth Prince are in for a headache!"

A smirk tugged at the corner of Su Zheng's mouth. He glanced at Luo Yunchen and said, "Chen Di, you done eating? Ready to head out?"

"Yeah."

The two left the restaurant and kept walking through the streets.

It was still early, so no need to hurry back.

Su Zheng really liked the lively, bustling streets with people everywhere, so he wanted to take a longer stroll.

"You little brat! Stop right there! I'll beat you black and blue! Stealing my buns! Stop!"

Su Zheng followed the sound and saw a middle-aged man holding something like a rolling pin, pointing it at a little boy squaring off with him across a steamer basket.

The boy opposite was dressed in rags, covered in dirt.

His hair was a tangled mess, like wild grass, and his long bangs hid most of his face.

Only a pair of big, dark eyes stared warily at the middle-aged man.

His small, grimy hands each clutched a steamed bun, which he was stuffing into his mouth as fast as he could.

The middle-aged man was likely the owner of this bun shop.

The little boy was probably a beggar, too hungry and penniless, so he had stolen the buns.

Seeing the boy almost finished with the buns, the owner angrily chased after him to hit him.

But the boy was very agile. As soon as the owner moved, he darted out from the other side.

The onlookers could tell the child was a beggar, and even if caught, he couldn't pay for the buns.

At most, the owner would beat him to vent his anger, so no one stepped in to block him.

However, as the boy ran past, some people instinctively tried to stop him.

But the little boy was like a slippery loach, ducking and weaving left and right, and in no time, he'd ducked into an alley and vanished from sight.

Su Zheng looked around but didn't see a single beggar.

After checking with the system, Su Zheng figured it out.

They were in the East City now. Though not as prestigious as the West City with its nobility, it was still home to many wealthy people. Beggars were not allowed here, at most a few slip through the cracks.

All the beggars in the city had been driven to the South City.

A sudden idea hit Su Zheng. He grabbed Luo Yunchen's hand and said, "Chen Di, come with me to a place."

They rented a carriage, and Su Zheng bought two big bundles of steamed buns from the bun shop owner and had the driver take them to the South City.

Su Zheng planned to bring Luo Yunchen to distribute food to the beggars.

First, he wanted Luo Yunchen to see how lucky he was to have enough to eat and drink, and if it could also lower his darkening value, that'd be even better.

Second, he hoped Luo Yunchen would understand the hardships of the common people, so that once he took the dragon throne, he'd work to help the people and strive to ensure everyone could live a stable life with enough food and drink.

The carriage slowly entered the city. Su Zheng was about to ask where the beggars in the city gathered on which streets.

But when he lifted the curtain, the scene stunned him. His mind and body froze, and he couldn't say a word.