Li Ru put down the writing brush in his hand and then presented the paper he had written on.
"Your Highness, all accounts have been settled. Here is the complete general ledger."
After taking it and examining it carefully, Li Ke frowned immediately.
Two words.
Short of money!
This is not to say that he is poor, but that he has very little liquidity on his books. In addition to the money necessary for daily expenses, he can only draw out two to thirty thousand taels.
This is indeed too little for a prince.
However, although there is not much liquidity, there is a lot of Zhuangzi and Tian on the books.
Among them is Zhuangzi, which is currently just outside Chang'an City. The fields in Zhuangzi are all top-grade fields, and the annual output is pretty good.
Li Ke put down the account book and let out a long sigh.
I really didn’t expect that the government was so short of money.
How lacking is it?
If the one-time expenditure exceeds 20,000 yuan, the government may not even be able to pay the workers' wages next month.
"Let's put the matter of buying a restaurant on hold for now."
"Let's deal with the Chongrenfang murder case first."
Li Ke sighed helplessly, put down his account book and said.
"yes."
…
Chongrenfang.
This square is one of the city squares outside Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. Geographically, it borders Chunmingmen to Jinguangmen Street in the south, and is connected to Dongshi in the southeast.
At the same time, the imperial city here is only separated by a wall, which can be said to be the true meaning of the emperor's feet.
Due to its natural geographical location, hotels are everywhere here, and both merchants and officials from other places who come to Beijing will stay here.
In Chongrenfang, the most impressive thing is North Street, which is very bustling during the day and even brighter after nightfall.
It can be said to be the nightlife capital of the Tang Dynasty!
And because there is a ceremonial courtyard next to the south gate of Chongrenfang.
This place is where the princess and the county lord get married and hold their wedding.
Some dignitaries in Chang'an would also set up residences in Chongrenfang for the convenience of travel.
In this way, Chongrenfang has been improved a lot invisibly.
"Access to the guest house."
In front of a hotel on North Street, four men were standing at the moment, led by a middle-aged man with a big belly.
And Li Ke also changed his appearance and became one of the four.
Of course, since he didn't know how to solve the case, he naturally gave it to Di Renjie to handle it.
"Sir, this is the hotel where the murder occurred."
"At the time of the original investigation, the hotel was temporarily closed."
"However, because of His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Song Ying smiled bitterly.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Di Renjie nodded slightly and walked inside.
Li Ke and Li Yuanfang followed behind and walked into the guest house together.
Due to a murder, even if business resumed, there were not many people in the lobby.
There were only one or two tables of customers drinking wine.
In addition, there is a waiter cleaning the place.
When he saw someone coming in, he ran over quickly.
"Guests, do you want to be a top-notch person or stay in a hotel?"
"If it's a tip, then you've come to the right place. Our chef here has developed a new good dish..."
The waiter introduced it enthusiastically right away, complimenting his words and speaking at an appropriate speed, which made him unbearable.
Di Renjie and the other three came to a table and sat down.
"We want to be a top-notch person and also stay in a hotel. Let's arrange a guest room for each of us."
Li Yuanfang looked at him and said.
"Okay, sir, what would you like to eat?"
When the waiter heard this, he immediately smiled.
"Just serve a few signature dishes. There's no need to bring the wine. Go prepare it quickly."
Li Yuanfang waved his hand.
Not long after, several signature dishes were brought out by the waiter and filled the table.
"My lord, please take it easy. If you need anything, just call me."
After the waiter finished speaking, he left.
Li Ke was not polite and started using his chopsticks directly, which made He Ying frown slightly.
However, seeing that Di Renjie didn't say anything, his brows relaxed.
"This dish tastes pretty good."
Li Ke commented aloud.
It has to be said that the dishes that can be regarded as signature dishes are not bad in appearance and taste.
Although it is not as good as the food in the homes of princes and nobles, it is still a rare delicacy in the eyes of ordinary people.
Song Ying heard this and replied: "Actually, this business was quite prosperous before."
"The chef here's surname is Zhao. He has a book name. He is an experienced chef. His Yangzhou cuisine is the most delicious."
"So, this chef is from Yangzhou?" Li Ke asked.
"That's not clear."
He Ying shook his head and looked at the three people opposite him, his mind couldn't help but go back to half an hour ago.
The three people in front of them, holding the waist badges of Prince Wu's Mansion, walked into the Sanfa Si Yamen Office.
After that, he was forced to work overtime when he was supposed to get off work, not to mention how uncomfortable he felt.
But he is the direct investigator of this murder case that leads to the guest house. No matter who wants to investigate this case, he must accompany him.
It's just that these adults came up and casually asked for some information about the case, and then offered to come for an on-site inspection.
As a result, now that I have arrived, I can actually eat.
What are you doing?
Song Ying was confused, but he wouldn't ask any more questions. Anyway, he was just a small official, so he just cooperated with the investigation above.
This can also be a free meal, how great!
"The chef is from Yangzhou, and the waiter's accent is also a southern accent."
"Song Ying, the person behind this store is also from Yangzhou, right?"
Di Renjie suddenly asked.
"Indeed, but how do you know?"
Song Ying looked at him in surprise.
Naturally, he wouldn't get to know a cook, but he definitely had to remember the person behind the hotel.
"Without more than three years of cooking skills, these dishes cannot be cooked at this level."
Di Renjie smiled slightly.
These are very easy to analyze.
The gentry have always been fond of complaining, especially southerners.
The decoration style of this store, the staff all have southern accents, and even the dishes they cook are Yangzhou cuisine.
Most of the people behind it were from Yangzhou.
Chongrenfang is in an excellent location. If a southerner can open a store here, there won’t be anyone behind it.
Moreover, such a hotel where a murder occurred was able to recover so quickly after the lockdown was lifted.
It also shows that there is someone behind you.
Song Ying opened his mouth, but he remembered that there was no such content in the file he gave him.
"Sir, you mean that this case may be related to..."
Li Yuanfang heard this and asked pointedly.
Seeing this, Di Renjie shook his head slightly and objected: "There is no contact for the time being. We need to wait for Xin Qiji to come back before making any inferences."
Li Ke on the side blinked, slightly confused.
