Li Zhiling was caught off guard. She hadn’t expected that Ye Chuan would make such an announcement without consulting her first. In an instant, it felt as though all the attention in the hall turned toward her, making her feel awkward and resentful.

“How could you do this?” she said, her face flushed, eyebrows furrowed as she glared at Ye Chuan. “I don’t like to make a spectacle of myself. How could you just…”

Before she could finish, her words were cut off by the appearance of a little clay figure—no, a little clay “monkey.”

As a devoted fan of Journey to the West’s “Legend of the Monkey King,” Li Zhiling immediately recognized the pose of this clay monkey. It was in the same posture as the stone monkey at the moment of his birth, eyes glowing with golden light as he battled the Bull Demon King! The little monkey was half-squatting, one hand resting on the canopy, eyes gazing upward—adorably playful.

And the craftsmanship of the figurine was superb—every detail and color meticulously executed!

Her anger disappeared in an instant, replaced by pure delight.

“Congratulations, Miss Li, you’ve earned the first stamp on your loyalty card!” Ye Chuan said, his voice tinged with mystery. “In addition to the promised silver voucher, there’s also a small gift!”

With a gleam in her eyes, Li Zhiling immediately snatched the little clay monkey from Ye Chuan’s hands, stroking it lovingly as if it were a treasure. A soft, amused smile spread across her face.

Nearby, Li Wuling was stunned.

Incredible… He couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. To think that his older brother could handle things so easily, even making his aunt adore him to this extent!

Meanwhile, Li Zhiling couldn’t contain her excitement. “You said a surprise, right? What’s next after the next stamp? A figure of Xuanzang? Or Bodhidharma?”

Ye Chuan hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice with a dramatic flair. “Well… I wasn’t going to reveal this, but since you’re such an honored guest…”

He leaned in slightly, his voice lowered even further, “A limited-edition outfit for the Monkey King—his tiger-skin skirt!”

Li Zhiling’s eyes instantly widened with excitement. “Quick, give me the new card!”

…

At another table, Emperor Xiaowu and General Li Xuanwu had been watching the exchange silently for some time. After a long pause, the Emperor spoke.

“Li, if I’m not mistaken… that’s your grandson, and your niece, right?”

“Yes…” General Li Xuanwu replied.

“I remember telling you to handle Ye Chuan, didn’t I?”

“Yes…”

“And yet, I don’t recall telling you to let him handle your family, either?”

“…”

“Why do I get the feeling that your family has already been taken over by him?”

Li Xuanwu twitched his lips in frustration.

He’d known that his grandson had been hanging around with Ye Chuan lately, but he hadn’t known that his niece had been coming here for meals every day!

As a father who had lost his brother early, he had raised his niece like his own daughter. She was well-educated, intelligent, and had a bright future. Plus, she was incredibly beautiful!

He’d always treated her like a treasure.

But now…

Watching his niece’s adoring gaze at Ye Chuan, he felt something akin to the uncomfortable feeling of seeing his own cabbage being stolen by a pig!

…

In a quiet corner of the hall, two figures were whispering furtively.

“Master, what should we do now?” the servant asked, looking uneasy.

Ye Cheng, with a face full of bitterness, gritted his teeth. Seeing how flourishing Ming De Lou was under Ye Chuan’s control, he seethed with resentment.

Just a few days ago, he had been punished severely by his father for causing a scene outside the Ye family residence. He had received fifty strokes, and his backside still burned with pain! It had originally been a hundred strokes, but thanks to his mother’s pleading, the punishment had been reduced.

After spending two days nursing his wounds at home, he had heard that Ming De Lou was bustling with customers every day, and he couldn’t sit still any longer.

Ming De Lou is mine, mine!

He clenched his teeth in frustration, his jealousy growing.

A few days ago, when the restaurant was in his hands, it never had such success. And now Ye Chuan was not only running the place smoothly but even telling stories so compellingly that it almost cured his gambling addiction!

If things continued like this, Ye Chuan would be making a fortune in no time! This was supposed to be his money!

Ye Cheng felt his thoughts twist in a mad, jealous frenzy. He had lost a major source of gambling money from Ming De Lou. How could he live like this?

He glanced around, seeing every table with guests holding the “loyalty card” in their hands. A sudden idea crossed his mind.

“Go and get one of those loyalty cards. Find out what those stamps look like,” he ordered.

“Yes, young master.”

After a while, the servant returned with a card, handing it to Ye Cheng. The card already had the first stamp, the character “Loyalty” neatly etched on it.

“Well done!” Ye Cheng said with a sinister grin. “You, take this card and go to Old Zhang’s shop in the west of the city. I want fifty cards exactly like this one, with all seven stamps filled! And bring back fifty servants dressed as regular customers—each with one card, and they will all come to redeem.”

The servant’s eyes lit up. “Young master, brilliant! Understood!”

After the servant left, Ye Cheng ground his teeth, his heart burning with rage. “One silver coin per person—it’s not much, but how many people can keep coming every day to redeem this? Ye Chuan, you dare take Ming De Lou from me? I’ll make sure you lose everything!”

…

Just as Ye Chuan was about to settle things with Li Zhiling, Lin Zhao walked up to him.

“Bad luck…” Ye Chuan cursed inwardly, though he forced a smile onto his face.

“Lin Zhao, welcome, welcome!” he greeted.

“I know you don’t welcome me,” Lin Zhao rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “The two old gentlemen are here. They’d like to have a word with you.”

Li Zhiling paused, her gaze scanning the hall, and then her pupils contracted in shock.

“My uncle’s here… and… His Majesty?!”

She was stunned. Was it possible… that the Emperor himself had come to see Ye Chuan?

Despite her growing interest in the stories and figurines, her preconceived notions about Ye Chuan were hard to shake. She couldn’t help but feel, deep down, that he didn’t deserve such attention.

Ye Chuan, sensing the situation, could only smile helplessly. It was inevitable.

Lin Zhao hadn’t been able to handle things, and these two old men were never going to give up.

He followed Lin Zhao, with Li Zhiling in tow, toward the table of the Emperor and General Li Xuanwu.

Li Wuling, seeing the Emperor and his grandfather, groaned inwardly. He wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, he found another table and poured himself a drink.

“Old General, Master Xia, good evening,” Ye Chuan greeted politely, bowing slightly.

Li Zhiling followed suit, offering a graceful nod.

“Ah, no need for such formalities,” the Emperor smiled, gesturing for them to sit.

After they were seated, he leaned back, a friendly smile on his face. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, Ye Chuan.”

Ye Chuan sighed, his mouth curving into a reluctant grin. “Master Xia, please don’t say that…”

“I wouldn’t dare hold a grudge,” Ye Chuan added lightly.

“Pfft…”

Li Xuanwu, who had just taken a sip of his wine, immediately spit it out in surprise.

The Emperor couldn’t help but shake his head, smiling in amusement.

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