304 Untitled (2/2)
Truly… shameless to no end.
The extravagant procession was precisely to compensate them for the ”attacks” they had ”suffered” during their ”disappearance,” and the Xuanji officials had intended to make them feel guilty under their warm and generous hospitality. Unfortunately, before any of their plans could take action, the other party had not given them even a chance to speak before shutting them down completely.
Putting on airs and refusing to let matters rest, Meng Fuyao and company were clearly deliberately making things difficult for Xuanji.
It was truly life's greatest tragedy to have someone that was as shameless yet politically powerful as Meng Fuyao.
It soon became clear that one could offend anyone under the heavens except Meng Fuyao. She was the only person within the Five Regions Continent to have personal and close relationships with three major countries, even playing a part in resolving the civil conflicts within the three countries and oversee the replacement of a new reign. Offending her could very well mean challenging Wuji, Dahan, and Xuanyuan—such a consequence was too heavy to bear.
The Xuanji officials retreated several meters away, leaving this incredulous person to the Prince and Princess to deal with.
The Second Prince forced a smile and said, ”The sun is strong, why do we have to stand under the sun… May Your Highness the Crown Prince and King Meng enter the city, we've already prepared a feast for you at Ning Xi Pavilion in the palace, may the two of you…”
”Are the dishes prepared by a lukewarm fire fit for human consumption?” Meng Fuyao's response made the Xuanji representatives' faces contort. They had yet to think of how to reply to ber disrespectful and remark when she continued, ”It is only fit for the emperor.”
Some people lived to torture others…
Finally, King Meng insisted on rejecting the feast, claiming it to be ”pretty but not that fantastic and that I have to keep toasting and it's just a plaything created by nobles it's not something that suits Crown Prince Wuji's taste and Dahan's King Meng's commoner background.”
After listening to her speech, they began breathing heavily as they racked their brains for a solution when the Second Prince asked courteously, ”Then, the two of you intend to…”
Zhangsun Wuji smiled faintly and glanced at Meng Fuyao. ”Ask King Meng,” he said.
The officials secretly rolled their eyes.
'The entire world knows that you only have eyes for King Meng, pleasing him is equivalent to pleasing you, perhaps even better than pleasing you directly, asking you was but an act of courtesy.'
King Meng slapped the table and began. ”I came from a humble beginning…”
The officials lowered their eyes.
'We know, the way you speak is way too common…'
”I like wok-fried dishes…”
The officials began thinking, 'XX street or XX alley seemed to have such a restaurant, but was it large enough to fit so many people?'
”… I miss my mother's gyoza the most…”
Gyoza? What kind of thing was that?
”Steamed on top and fried at the bottom, filled with vegetables, once the vegetables are cooked the gyoza is ready, the steamed part is soft and juicy, the fried part crispy, filled with the flavor of vegetables… Ahh, truly unparalleled!”
… How can something be steamed and fried at the same time? And, was it flour or vegetables?
”That's it.” Meng Fuyao clapped her hands and mounted her horse, suddenly casting a smile. ”Could it be possible that this treasured nation, which claims to have the most talented individuals, not know how to make a common dish like gyoza?”
”Ah, no, no, we'll make it immediately, make it immediately!”
Meng Fuyao sat on her horse and watched as the little messenger scurried away under the gaze of his superior, probably to search the entire city for ”Gyoza”. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled. Beside her, Zhangsun Wuji asked softly, ”What kind of thing is that?”
”You wouldn't know either,” Meng Fuyao smiled, ”I'll make some for you next time.”
”That's a promise,” Zhangsun Wuji smiled, ”However, I'm afraid I don't know when we can finally eat something today.”
”We've already eaten before going out today,” Meng Fuyao said heartlessly as she glanced at the starving Xuanji officials who had yet to eat anything. ”After leaving the worst possible first impression, there will be less of them trying to curry favor later on.”
Since the two of them didn't know when they could eat dinner that night, they decided to retire into their sleeping quarters first. Meng Fuyao glanced at the black-faced Tenth Princess who had excused herself and shook her head. ”Trouble in the making,” she remarked.
Then, she glanced at the Second Prince, who had been trying to accede to all her requests, and shook her head again. ”Not an easy person.”
Then she wondered aloud, ”Who is the queen exactly? We can't even see her shadow, could she really be an old acquaintance of ours?”
Zhangsun Wuji smiled and said, ”Come what may, when the queen arrives, King Meng will beat her up as always.”
Meng Fuyao snorted and suddenly raised her head to look at the moon. ”Why hasn't that imposter not appeared yet? Is he waiting in Tong City?” she said.
Ji Yu appeared beside her as she asked, ”Where is the chef that I asked you guys to receive, Hua Yan, now?”
”After we entered Tong City, some of us stayed in the inns, the rest stayed outside the city. After that, Mister Zong's Virtuous Guild found us and relocated us to a secret assembly point,” Ji Yu was still more comfortable with using Zong Yue's old title, ”The two of them are now in a manor at Sweet Water Alley.”
”Change locations,” Meng Fuyao said, ”I asked earlier, the queen's coronation will happen on the sixth day of the fourth month, that date is an auspicious date, choosing that day means that the coronation is extremely urgent and important. In other words, all activity leading up to it will be under heavy surveillance. The Crown Prince and I will be under close scrutiny, and I expect it to be extremely difficult for us to say or do anything. Even if I put on airs and make them not dare to ask anything, they will definitely watch me from the shadows or find ways to follow me. Hence, I want all of you to assemble and find a way to mix the two of them among yourselves and bring them here.”