The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 535

Soon, three large bowls of mutton soup and three steamed buns were served.

Zhou Chu and the others began to break the steamed buns in their hands.

Dazhu followed suit and imitated him.

Back in Datong, Dazhu made a fool of himself because he had never eaten mutton stew before. Dazhu went to eat mutton stew alone, and afterwards Zhou Chu asked him how the mutton stew was.

"It's alright. The mutton soup is delicious, but the bread is too hard. It's a bit hard to chew and it's a bit dry."

Da Zhu's words made Zhou Chu and Shen Lian tease him for days. So this time Da Zhu learned his lesson. Looking at what the two did, he suddenly realized why they had been laughing at him last time. It turned out that the bread was to be broken into pieces and put into the mutton soup.

Zhou Chu and Shen Lian broke the pieces very carefully because they were always methodical and never rushed. But Da Zhu was different. He was already hungry. At first, he was patient and broke the pieces into smaller pieces. But later, the pieces he broke into larger and larger pieces. In less than three minutes, he had finished breaking them all.

After Da Zhu finished breaking the bark, he didn't eat it immediately. Instead, he stared at Zhou Chu expectantly, as if he was waiting for Zhou Chu to finish breaking the bark before he could start eating.

"You ate yourself."

Zhou Chu rolled his eyes at Da Zhu and said irritably.

Upon hearing this, Dazhu chuckled, picked up the bowl, and began to devour the food like a whirlwind.

Before Zhou Chu and Shen Lian could finish their argument, Da Zhu had already finished his first bowl of mutton stew.

Just then, the waiter came over with a plate of roasted lamb legs. The lamb legs were sprinkled with spices, which masked the gamey smell of the lamb. The aroma filled the entire restaurant, and everyone looked at the two roasted lamb legs with envy and longing in their eyes.

Roasted lamb leg and roasted lamb leg sprinkled with spices are not the same thing at all. Many people dare not eat it that way because it is too expensive.

"Give him another bowl of knife-cut noodles."

Zhou Chu pointed to the large pillar and said.

"Okay, wait a moment."

The waiter placed the roasted lamb leg on the table and said.

In fact, before Zhou Chu and his group entered Taiyuan, someone had already investigated the situation there, and this restaurant was naturally among those investigated. If there were any problems with this restaurant, Yun Jin would have informed Zhou Chu and his group before they entered.

Zhou Chu then recalled the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) who was skilled in poisons that he had brought with him when he first arrived in Datong. It seemed that he should keep this person by his side from now on.

The main reason Zhou Chu didn't go to the Prince of Jin's residence immediately was to see the Prince of Jin's attitude. He had been so high-profile all the way to stir up trouble and see how everyone reacted. Zhou Chu wasn't without options when it came to the Prince of Jin's residence. If the Prince of Jin's residence didn't know what was good for them, Jiajing had given Zhou Chu the authority to act as he saw fit.

However, Zhou Chu still didn't want to touch the Prince of Jin's residence unless it came to that point.

Since ancient times, the saying "princes are subject to the same laws as commoners" has been a joke. It is already commendable that the current emperor has demoted the Prince of Jin and his heir to commoners.

Moreover, for Zhou Chu, how to deal with the Prince of Jin and his son has little impact on the overall situation. On the contrary, if the punishment is too harsh, it will trigger a series of chain reactions and make other vassal kings dissatisfied with Zhou Chu.

After all, Zhou Chu's handling of the Prince of Jin's residence meant he was destined to take the blame for the emperor. If he dealt with it too harshly, Zhou Chu would definitely be held responsible.

The current outcome is the best result for both Zhou Chu and all the vassal kings.

Zhou Chu brought Shen Lian and the other person into this restaurant to eat, just to wait for the reactions from all sides.

Soon, Dazhu's knife-cut noodles were served again. Dazhu used the small knife on the plate to cut the roasted lamb leg while eating the noodles, his mouth full of oil.

"Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you. If you're not full, ask for more. Why are you acting like a starving ghost?"

Zhou Chu looked at Dazhu as if he were looking at his own younger brother, his face full of reproach.

Dazhu felt a little embarrassed after hearing this.

“Back in the village, where have we ever eaten anything this delicious? My dad only got to eat the meat he hunted once or twice a year.”

As Dazhu spoke, he didn't stop eating, popping a clove of garlic into his mouth as he spoke.

"There are so many delicious foods in the capital, haven't you had enough?"

Shen Lian asked with some doubt.

"Don't even mention it. The food in the capital is too delicate and doesn't suit me. I always feel unsatisfied when I eat those things. This lamb leg is much more flavorful."

"That's what Dazhu said."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian suddenly understood.

"Wild boars cannot eat fine bran."

Zhou Chu couldn't help but say.

"hey-hey!"

Upon hearing this, Dazhu was not annoyed at all; instead, he smiled.

As they were talking, a group of people rushed into the restaurant. These people were all carrying weapons and looked intimidating.

The leader went directly to Zhou Chu.

"Robbery! Hand over all your valuables!"

This man had the demeanor of a bandit and a tyrant, he said.

The other diners were terrified. Seeing that the attack wasn't coming at them, they all hurriedly ran away. These people didn't even glance at the other diners, staring straight at Zhou Chu and his group.

"Were you sent by the Prince of Jin's mansion, or by those merchants?"

Zhou Chu was in no hurry. He used a small knife to cut meat from the lamb leg, put it in his mouth, and said as he chewed.

Upon hearing this, the man's expression immediately changed.

"Shut the hell up! I don't understand what you're saying. Say it again, hand over all your money!"

This man was all bark and no bite.

At this moment, Shen Lian and Da Zhu both placed their hands on the hilts of their embroidered spring knives, ready to make a move at any moment.

"Pretend to be bandits? You're way off. This is Taiyuan City, where would you find bandits? Besides, can't you see the embroidered spring knives we're holding?"

When Zhou Chu uttered the words "Embroidered Spring Blade," his expression instantly turned icy cold, and this sudden aura made the people in front of him tremble with fear.

"Enough talk, brothers, let's do it! Kill them, and all their money is ours."

The leader knew that if he said any more, he would be exposed, so he simply took action.

"Who dares to take action?"

At that moment, a voice came from outside the restaurant.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Prince Zhu Qiyuan, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin, leading a group of Imperial Guards into the restaurant.

"Lord Zhou, Zhu Qiyuan is late and has caused you alarm. Zhu Qiyuan deserves to die!"

Zhu Qiyuan approached Zhou Chu and bowed respectfully.