sjar Chapter 108 The Warming Cauldron at the Imperial Banquet
Chapter 108 The Warming Cauldron at the Imperial Banquet
"When was it all taken care of? You didn't even tell me." The eldest princess plopped down. "It made me rush to the palace in a panic, afraid that I wouldn't have enough time to change the banquet dishes to warm pots."
This was also part of the eldest princess's plan. She wanted Wen Ding to be the first to gain exposure to the world, and then everything else would fall into place naturally.
"I've been too busy lately and forgot to tell my royal aunt." His Highness the Crown Prince rubbed his temples.
The Empress immediately looked over with concern.
"So busy, how do you still have time to pawn your book at the bookstore... Ouch..." In the shadows where no one could see him, His Highness the Crown Prince stepped on the Princess's foot.
"What do you mean?" the Empress asked.
"Mother is fine! She just went to the bookstore to look at new books recently." Qi Jingyue gave the eldest princess a look, signaling her not to mention this matter in front of the Empress. He wondered if the Empress believed his absurd explanation.
They didn't talk for long before parting ways. The palace gates were locked, and anyone with a token could leave. His Highness the Crown Prince took the token and escorted the Princess out of the palace.
Walking along the road, apart from the silver moon in the sky, the ground was pitch black. The palace road was quiet and deserted, with only palace maids holding palace lanterns to illuminate the bluestone path ahead and the sound of footsteps on the palace road.
As they approached the palace gates, the princess, seeing that no one was around, suddenly asked him, "How much longer will Your Highness stay in the bookstore?"
How could the eldest princess not see his exhaustion these past few days? She thought Ye Yuwu was somewhat different, but she didn't think it was worth the Crown Prince staying by his side every day. They still had a big plan to complete.
Qi Jingyue did not answer her. Although it seemed like the princess was asking him a question, he knew the meaning behind her words.
"It's late, Your Majesty, please be careful on your way back."
There's another tough battle to fight tomorrow.
The next day, preparations were in full swing at the palace early in the morning.
The Empress hosted this banquet, and the secrecy was so tight that even the Emperor didn't know what dishes she had prepared.
These past few days, the emperor has wanted to go to Kunning Palace, but the empress has sent him to other palaces instead.
This made the concubines in the harem even more curious: could there be some rare and precious treasures in this dish?
Soon the moonlight gradually enveloped the magnificent palaces of the imperial city, but today was different. Inside the resplendent palace, two rows of tables and chairs were set up, and everyone was going to sit around them to eat.
Today's palace banquet was as grand and extraordinary as ever. The palace maids moved gracefully among the banquet tables, busy in an orderly manner, and some of them served the dishes.
As dusk settled in the banquet hall, palace lanterns were placed throughout the hall to ensure that every corner of the palace was brightly lit.
As the ministers took their seats one after another, the court officials and female guests sat separately, and the dazzling palace lights shone on the smiling faces of every guest, reflecting an indescribable sense of nobility.
The princes and nobles were already seated, waiting for the most honored emperor and empress to announce the start of the banquet.
At this grand banquet, the emperor sat high on the dragon throne, his face majestic and solemn, while the empress sat gracefully to his side.
On the other side of the Emperor was the Empress Dowager, on the other side of the Empress was His Highness the Crown Prince, and on the other side of the Empress Dowager was His Highness the Eldest Princess, whom she loved most.
Six people sat together at one table.
At the banquet, people were dressed in jade belts and gold, and there was singing and dancing. But everyone's eyes were drawn to something in the middle of the table.
Some people recognized what it was, such as the Light Cavalry Captain.
As a fan of Mr. Wuming's books, he not only bought the storybook as soon as possible, but also took his wife and several sons and daughters to eat at the tea restaurant, Chuwending, in order to taste what the Chuwending in the storybook really tasted like.
The taste was naturally excellent. I never expected that we could enjoy hot pot so soon in the palace! This delighted the Light Chariot Captain.
Heaven knows, after he went once, he wanted to go a second time, but by the second time he went, he couldn't get a private room. He could have used his official position to seek personal gain, but he didn't want to. He was happy to see that Wen Ding was loved by everyone, so how could some people still slander Wen Ding as not being delicious!
As the light chariot captain pondered this, he introduced the warm cauldron to his colleagues at the table, praising its flavor to the skies.
Since women could be brought to the banquet, the wife of the Light Cavalry Commandant was seated in the back seat for female guests.
Separated only by a screen, Madam Lü, in a completely different manner from her usual dignified self, chatted with the female guests about the deliciousness of the Wen Ding (a type of hot pot).
His appearance was no different from that of the Light Cavalry Commandant at the previous banquet.
The civil official sitting at the same table started sneering again, his mocking laughter coming directly from his nose.
"Lord Lü seems to have quite a bit of knowledge about these strange things!" Normally, these civil officials would have already chimed in with comments about how bad the cauldron was, but today, in the palace, and with the Empress preparing the cauldron, they couldn't say that.
"This cauldron is incredibly delicious, so good that you'll want to eat it again after just one bite. Lord Wen, you'd better have a good taste later, or you'll be speechless!" It would be best to shut him up!
The others fell silent as the emperor began to speak, “Today is the Winter Solstice, and I am in high spirits. My beloved ministers, let us rejoice together and enjoy ourselves to the fullest!”
At a command, the ministers all bowed and the banquet began. A palace maid serving nearby lifted the lid of the cauldron.
A rich, hot aroma followed, filling the entire banquet with the scent of the broth.
The pot was already boiling, and the palace maid put coal into the bottom of the cauldron. Some sharp-eyed people noticed that the coal was different, but no one dared to ask first.
As the billowing white mist dissipated, the ministers were able to see what was inside the cauldron.
One white and one red, the light cavalry captain noticed that this was different from what he had eaten last time. Last time, he only had one soup base, but this time there were two different soup bases at the banquet.
Could this be the "Yuan Yang hot pot" described in the book?!
After the meat and vegetables were placed down, everyone saw the emperor, who was seated at the head of the table, pick up the first piece of meat, which was covered with something red.
Only after the emperor ate the first piece could everyone else begin to pick up food.
As soon as the Emperor put the food in his mouth, the Light Cavalry Commandant couldn't wait to pick up some food from the table in front of him, but this time he picked it up from the bottom of the red pot.
While his tablemates were still hesitating about whether the food was good or not, he had already put the dish in his mouth.
Wow! The taste of this dish was completely different from what I usually eat. It was like a stimulating sensation on my tongue. I wasn't used to it at first, but the more I chewed, the more fragrant it became.
The emperor, seated above, had long been captivated by the aroma, but as the ruler of a nation, he could not reveal his emotions, so no one noticed anything amiss in his expression.
The eldest princess looked at him nervously. She finally understood why Ye Yuwu had been so nervous about her reaction last night, since it concerned the future.
Fortunately, no one could discern the emperor's expression, but as his own sister, she could still see his affection from his subtle expressions.
It seems like we're halfway there!