Chapter 10 Meal

The meal had been prepared long in advance, as some dishes took a while to prepare.

Roast duck was a must. Coming to Yanjing City without having roast duck was like not having come at all.

In addition, there were four or five substantial dishes: braised pork knuckle, sliced pig’s head meat, a mutton hot pot, soft-shelled turtle soup, and a specially made beggar’s chicken.

These dishes circled the table.

In the middle,

was a stir-fried phoenix tail lettuce, a rare treat in winter.

When a distinguished guest arrived, it was only right to introduce them to the family, the bare minimum of respect. However, as both his wife and concubine were pregnant, they couldn't come out, so he could only have his son do the honors.

After meeting the guest, and being hugged by the Li family’s young master and receiving a small string of copper coins as a greeting gift, Ji Lao Liu had the servants take his son down to sleep.

Ji Lao Liu felt no reluctance or guilt about making his son stay up so late to meet a guest.

His own father had made him do far more of this kind of forced socializing back then.

They were all sons of the Ji family,

all Ji eggs,

and the boy was much better off with him than he would have been with his grandfather.

Still, the thought of his son being taken to the residence of the Consort Fengxin in a short while made Ji Lao Liu feel a little reluctant.

But one can’t catch wolves without risking their children,

and seizing the throne,

was said to depend on the grand scheme of things,

on the court, on military power,

and on the will of the two princes.

But when all was said and done,

it depended

on what his own imperial father preferred.

The old man was "old," and it looked like he wouldn't make it past this winter.

For an emperor, the most sensitive moment was also the most dangerous, but at the same time, the weakest.

One really couldn't catch wolves without risking their children.

If your father took the throne, you'd be sure to become the crown prince,

and the two of us would naturally have to work together!

A Fei stood there, looking a bit awkward. He wasn't pretending. If the Prince's residence had been lavishly decorated, it wouldn't have been a problem. However, it was full of stylish design, revealing an extremely high level of taste, which made A Fei, who hadn't left Chen Village much, feel a little constrained.

Ji Lao Liu turned around and invited A Fei to sit down,

smiling,

"Here with me, don't stand on ceremony or be so restrained. After all, we're practically brothers from different mothers."

"........" A Fei.

"Eat up. I've tasted the meals at the marquis's residence. Once you go back, it'll all be bland, watery stuff."

A Fei nodded and, without standing on ceremony, picked up the braised pork knuckle and started gnawing on it.

Ji Chengjue used a thin pancake to wrap the roast duck for him, handing him one as soon as he finished wrapping one.

A Fei ate with gusto.

"You should probably be looking for a wife soon," Ji Chengjue said with a smile.

"I'm still young, still young. I haven't thought about that yet."

"What kind of woman do you like? Tell me."

"I really haven't thought about it."

"Then let me ask you,

One, a cultured lady, beautiful and intelligent;

Two, slender and graceful, with captivating beauty;

Three, skilled in archery and horse riding, a heroic woman;

Four, strict in managing the household, saving you future worries;

Five, compatible in temperament, living in harmony.

What do you think?"

A Fei swallowed the food in his mouth,

and said,

"Sixth Brother, that kind of woman is hard to find, right?"

"Not hard, not hard at all. Not hard at all. You're a *shizi* (heir of a noble house), after all."

"But, even if I am a *shizi* (heir of a noble house), such a woman is still rare in this world, and hard to come by, right?"

"As long as you do one thing, there won't be a problem."

"What one thing?"

"Don't let the five of them meet."

"Huh? Five? *Pfft!*"

"Hahahaha!"

When they were about done eating and drinking, and A Fei really couldn't eat anymore, he smiled a little embarrassedly and pointed to the large amount of meat still left on the table,

"Can I, can I take this to go?"

"No problem. I don't like wasting food either. The leftovers will be put in the pot again tomorrow, to be paired with some other dish, or we can make noodles and use them as toppings.

You won't be able to leave tomorrow anyway."

"I won't be able to leave?"

"Yeah, the imperial father will meet with you."

"I'm going to meet... His Majesty?"

"Don't worry, the imperial father is always very kind to the younger generation."

Except, to his own sons.

"What, what do I need to prepare?"

"Get a good night's sleep."

...

The next morning, Ji Chengjue was uncharacteristically absent from his post at the Ministry of Revenue. Instead, he and A Fei once again boarded a carriage and headed for the back garden.

After arriving at the back garden,

Ji Chengjue and A Fei got out of the carriage together.

A Fei was a little nervous. He wasn't pretending. Although he had known about his background for a long time, if you suddenly told a young man who had grown up in a village that he was going to meet His Majesty, it would be impossible not to be flustered.

Ji Chengjue was actually a little flustered himself, because he suddenly realized that it seemed like he hadn't been to the back garden in a long time.

The Crown Prince did better than him in this regard. Even if he couldn't see the imperial father, he would come to pay his respects every few days.

But Ji Chengjue didn't want to do that.

Putting on an act now would

besmirch the old man,

and disgust himself.

The guards of the inner palace checked their identities and went through a procedure, after which two red-robed eunuchs came out and led Ji Chengjue and A Fei inside.

The back garden was created by the hands of the Qian people. The Qian people designed it, and a group of excellent Qian artisans built this palace with the flavor of the Jiangnan region of the Qian Kingdom here.

The Qian people weren't good at fighting wars, but when it came to enjoying life, they were truly unmatched.

The scenery in the back garden was different depending on the season. Even in winter, there was no desolation to be seen, but instead a more refined tranquility.

A Fei walked and looked around, following behind Ji Chengjue.

Ahead, at the end of the corridor, Eunuch Wei Zhonghe was already waiting. He stepped forward and said to Ji Chengjue,

"Your Highness hasn't been here in quite some time."

This was a complaint, but also a reminder.

Ji Chengjue had always had extremely good relations with the palace eunuchs. Logically speaking, this was a great taboo.

Whether it was an outside courtier or a prince, colluding with the inner palace was a serious crime.

But Ji Chengjue still did it this way. Most importantly, no one could get a handle on him.

Because he wouldn't give gold or silver to the eunuchs, but instead would freeload off their meals and use their money.

Back when Ji Chengjue was being bullied the most by his own imperial father, when he really couldn't stomach the cornmeal buns, he would hit up a different chief eunuch every day.

The Min family, once the head of merchants who dominated Great Yan, required their family's descendants, after reaching adulthood, to not learn how to do business from behind a counter first, but instead to work as a waiter in a Min family restaurant for a year. Only after passing the assessment could they begin to work in the family business. Those who couldn't pass would continue to work as waiters.

Therefore, the Min family had always been successful, and while their family was large and their business was prosperous, they were also cautious.

Their only oversight was probably when they married their daughter into the Prince's residence. The old master was a little too happy, and he really loved his precious daughter too much, so the dowry was too lavish.

Of course,

one couldn't blame the old master of the Min family back then. Even if he did nothing, even if he acted humbly, even if he ate chaff and swallowed vegetables, even if he only wore hemp clothing and didn't touch silk, if he had to deal with such an emperor, he still wouldn't be able to escape.

Back when powerful clans stood in great numbers, how could they all have been completely heinous?

They had nowhere to seek justice.

At this time, facing Eunuch Wei's kind reminder, Ji Chengjue shook his head and said,

"The affairs in the Ministry of Revenue are busy."

In this, there was actually a hint of resentment.

You were happy fighting wars,

Establishing merit, becoming an emperor of the ages,

And then you dusted off your clothes and retired to the back garden,

Leaving this mess for me to clean up.

Eunuch Wei didn't say any more, but instead bowed to A Fei at his side:

"This humble servant Wei Zhonghe greets the *shizi* (heir of a noble house)."

A Fei quickly avoided the bow, but he didn't act "overwhelmed by favor" like he did last night, or return a bow to Wei Zhonghe.

Having arrived here,

everything around him seemed to possess a kind of magic that could extinguish all his little thoughts.

Because the Emperor of Great Yan was right here.

The supreme sovereign,

If it were a clay statue, and a powerful minister openly played the game of calling a stag a horse, then there would be nothing to fear.

But if that supreme being had piercing eyes, astonishing political skills, and was wise and martial, then the pressure he brought would be truly frightening.

A Fei didn't dare to act clever here anymore. He knew that he wasn't worthy.

Even his father, whom he had never met, would have to fall behind by half a step and act like a younger brother when he met that person here.

"His Majesty has just woken up. This servant will lead the two Highnesses in."

The Yan Emperor wasn't inside the house, but in a pavilion, sitting in a recliner with two layers of blankets over his body.

There was no stove.

Continuously taking that kind of "elixir," a bit like how the Qian people took Wushi Powder, would cause the body to feel hot from time to time.

Even with the blankets on now, he didn't feel comfortable, and wanted to cool off a little.

But the Yan Emperor knew that he wasn't hot, but his body couldn't withstand another bout of wind-cold.

The inner fire had long been refined by him to the point where it could be separated or ignored.

"This son pays respects to the imperial father. May the imperial father live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

"This commoner pays respects to His Majesty. May my Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

His son,

could be put aside for now.

The Yan Emperor's gaze first fell on A Fei.

Then,

the Yan Emperor said to Eunuch Wei, who was waiting by his side:

"He really does look a bit like Liang Ting when he was young."

A Fei continued to kneel tremblingly.

When Ji Chengjue heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little disgusted in his heart.

The "like father, like son" that his old man spoke of

often turned into a kind of curse.

"You've suffered," the Yan Emperor said.

A Fei immediately said:

"Your Majesty, this commoner..."

"Say *chen* (I, your subject)."

"Yes, this *chen* (I, your subject) hasn't suffered. These years in Chen Village, although life has been a bit poor, it has also been fulfilling, and no one has bullied this *chen* (I, your subject).

Especially these years,

the village has been reallocated land,

and life is even better than before, and there's more hope.

To be a small commoner of Great Yan under Your Majesty's rule is actually a blessing."

"Heh..."

The Yan Emperor smiled,

and then looked at his son,

saying;

"What does he say?"

Ji Chengjue said:

"In response to Father, we should be exchanging children to eat them soon after the spring."

"........" A Fei.

The Yan Emperor looked at Ji Chengjue and said;

"Whose responsibility is this?"

"In response to Father, it is this son's responsibility for not managing the Ministry of Revenue well, for not managing the Great Yan's finances well. It is this son's fault."

"You feel resentment in your heart?"

Ji Chengjue shook his head,

and said;

"A son repays his father's debts, a principle that the common people understand and accept. This son has been reading and understanding principles since childhood, so there's no way I wouldn't understand."

Eunuch Wei at the side was a little anxious. Usually, the Sixth Prince was known for being the best at reading people's expressions, but today, he seemed to be on something, daring to speak to His Majesty like this, with his words containing daggers.

"Even the most difficult things are nothing compared to what I faced back then. Back then, in the world of Great Yan, everyone only knew the powerful clans and didn't know that there was an emperor named me.

At that time,

it wasn't a question of whether your affairs were difficult to handle,

but that you simply had no affairs to handle.

Without getting the local powerful clans to say hello, imperial decrees couldn't even leave Tiancheng County.

Difficult to handle

proves that you can still handle things."

"Yes, this son will keep Father's teachings in mind."

"You, too, are the same." These words were spoken by the Yan Emperor to A Fei. "Beifeng County is not a good place to live. I don't care what kind of life you lived in the past few years, but I only have one requirement for your future path.

Look at the Chen Village you once lived in, think about it more. Great Yan has many, many more Chen Villages. They are all behind your marquis's residence.

In the future,

no matter what happens,

you must ask yourself

whether you are willing to see thousands upon thousands of Chen Villages become scorched earth under the iron hooves of the barbarians."

"This *chen* (I, your subject) will keep it in mind!"

"Everyone, depending on what position they sit in, must bear the corresponding responsibility. As a prince, you must have the demeanor of a prince. As an official, you must also have the demeanor of an official. As a *shizi* (heir of a noble house), you must naturally have the demeanor of a *shizi* (heir of a noble house).

You haven't met your father yet,

so I

will teach you first.

Now,

stand up for me."

A Fei slowly stood up, looking at the emperor lying in the chair in front of him.

His knees began to tremble.

"It's not that a person can't kneel, but they must kneel comfortably. If kneeling isn't comfortable now, then think of a way to make yourself comfortable in the future.

These are the words your father said to my face back then;

Your father only has you as his son,

In the future,

you will be the Zhenbei (North Protector) Prince of Great Yan.

Your knees

must have several steel nails hammered into them for me. In the future, even if the sky falls, they must not bend in the slightest.

Earlier, when I saw you walking,

was there something wrong with your legs?"

"In response to Your Majesty, this *chen* (I, your subject) has had a disability in his legs since childhood."

The Yan Emperor nodded,

"This is not a big deal. I hope that in ten years, in twenty years, the barbarians will hate you so much that they gnash their teeth, and that the barbarian priests will curse that cripple day and night, wondering why he isn't dead yet;

Then you, as the Zhenbei (North Protector) Prince,

will have done a decent job."

"This *chen* (I, your subject) understands, and will certainly not fail His Majesty's expectations!"

"Mm, I will issue an edict today that, from today onwards, except for one's parents, when facing anyone, even when facing me again, there is no need to kneel anymore."

"This *chen* (I, your subject) thanks Your Majesty."

A Fei knelt down to salute.

"I said, there's no need to kneel."

"In response to Your Majesty, A Fei has never met his father and mother since childhood. Your Majesty is the first person to speak these words to A Fei as an elder. In A Fei's eyes, Your Majesty is A Fei's elder, a parent."

"Hehehe."

The Yan Emperor smiled,

and said to Wei Zhonghe;

"How does he compare to the Marquis of Pingxi?"

"In response to Your Majesty, naturally the Marquis of Pingxi is more, that, more..."

"When it comes to saying nice things, I haven't seen anyone better than him, hehe."

"That's right, Your Majesty. If it weren't for Prince Jingnan valuing him back then, this servant really would have wanted to..."

Eunuch Wei stopped.

Son of a bitch,

what nonsense was he spouting?

He was a marquis now, and you were saying that you wanted to castrate him and send him into the palace?

Not to mention what the Marquis of Pingxi would think when he heard this,

but even the current emperor,

did you want to castrate the marquis that I personally appointed?

Fortunately, the Yan Emperor didn't ask any further, because the Crown Prince walked over at this time.

"Crown Prince."

"This son pays respects to Imperial Father."

"Take your Li family brothers to have lunch."

"Yes, Imperial Father."

The Crown Prince came and didn't say a few words to his father before being immediately asked to entertain his own relatives for a meal.

Lunch was in another pavilion.

A Fei first respectfully saluted the Crown Prince, but didn't kneel. The Crown Prince returned half a salute.

The Crown Prince gave A Fei a completely different feeling from the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince acted and spoke in a very unrestrained and casual manner, while the Crown Prince was polite and followed the proper etiquette in every move he made, clearly possessing the demeanor of an heir.

The three of them sat down together.

Logically speaking,

this should be a small gathering of the Ji family brothers and the Li family brothers.

The dishes were brought up.

Because His Majesty couldn't eat rich foods right now, and because this was the back garden and the Crown Prince himself preferred light meals, the dishes that were brought up were exquisite, but a bit too simple for A Fei.

"There are still official duties this afternoon, so we will use tea instead of wine."

The Crown Prince raised his teacup,

and Ji Chengjue and A Fei both raised their cups.

The Crown Prince didn't like to talk while eating, so the dinner table was very quiet, and they just ate silently.

After the meal,

the Crown Prince washed his hands in a basin brought by a servant,

and while wiping them with a towel, he said to A Fei:

"Come to the Eastern Palace tonight. Let's chat."

"Yes, Your Highness."

A Fei immediately responded.

The Crown Prince seemed to want to say something more, but he still felt that the atmosphere wasn't relaxed enough.

If it were in the Eastern Palace, it wouldn't be like this, but this was, after all, where his imperial father was currently living.

Most importantly, his Sixth Brother didn't liven up the atmosphere this time.

The news that Little Six had brought the *shizi* (heir of a noble house) of the Zhenbei (North Protector) Prince's residence to the capital was known to all the major powers and figures in the capital.

His staff told him that Little Six was trying to play the Zhenbei (North Protector) Prince's card.

The Crown Prince didn't think much of it,

because the poker game had already been decided,

and it was already too late to win over anyone else.

But,

or perhaps,

his Sixth Brother had other purposes?

It was said that the Marquis of Pingxi was the signboard of the Sixth Prince's party,

but in reality, the Crown Prince knew that the reason why his Sixth Brother could still attract talents even when he, the Crown Prince, still held the title of legitimate heir, was because, in the eyes of outsiders, the Sixth Prince of Great Yan was the true talent scout.

This was no longer called buying horse bones with a thousand gold, but rather unearthing a horse god.

In comparison, he also had many talented people under his command, but none of them could truly shine like the Marquis of Pingxi, and they didn't even have the qualifications to compete.

The Crown Prince said to A Fei again;

"Call your older sister over tonight as well."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Sixth Brother, you can put aside the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue for today and entertain the Li family brothers."

"Don't worry, Second Brother."

The Crown Prince nodded and left.

After the Crown Prince left,

A Fei saw the Sixth Prince take out a food container from who knows where, place it on the table, and open it. Inside was actually a plate of braised chicken legs.

Ji Chengjue smiled,

took out a chicken leg and handed it to A Fei,

saying;

"I knew that the food here would definitely be bland. Come on, we're our own people, let's have a little treat first."

A Fei took the chicken leg, took a bite, and it was really fragrant.

Ji Chengjue also ate a chicken leg,

his gaze,

unintentionally sweeping in another direction.

Why had he been so stiff in front of his imperial father earlier? Why had he risked inserting barbs into his words?

It was all for the sake of building up to praise him later.

Flattery

had to be done with brains;

Did the Crown Prince coming to pay his respects every few days, rain or shine,

count as much as an old chicken leg?

...

Inside the pavilion,

Eunuch Wei bowed and reported to the Yan Emperor, who was lying there with his eyes half-closed:

"Your Majesty, after the Crown Prince left, the Sixth Prince took out the chicken legs he had secretly brought in and happily munched on them with the *shizi* (heir of a noble house)."

"Oh?"

The Yan Emperor's eyes slowly opened.

His son, and Li Liangting's son,

were hiding from that man who always liked to emphasize eating healthily and following the rules, and were secretly eating chicken legs.

Wei Zhonghe saw

a smile appear

on the corner of His Majesty's lips.

"Wei Zhonghe."

"This servant is here."

"I'm, reminded of the past."