Zi'an had already walked two steps when he heard there was good news. He turned around and asked, "What good news?"
"I have already found out that Concubine Zhao will go to Guoan Temple to worship Buddha in two days." Prince Liang said solemnly.
Zi'an sat down and asked, "Pray to the Buddha?"
"I don't know whether the purpose is to worship Buddha, but we can finally leave the palace. Then we can go and find out about Xia Lin." King Liang said.
"Okay, you go and arrange this matter. After it's done, I'll treat you to three consecutive meals at Jufulou." Zi'an agreed without hesitation.
"That's great." King Liang said happily.
Xia Lin's affairs have always been Zi'an's biggest concern, even more than Lao Qi's.
Xia Lin is just a child. From his tone that day, I knew he felt very aggrieved and wanted to come back very much.
Thinking of this, Zi'an's heart was like an ant on hot pan, and he couldn't wait to rescue him.
Zi'an hosted a banquet and the mansion was very lively.
Prince Li and his wife came, the old lady and Liu Liu came, Zhuangzhuang came, Huanxi came, and King Ye came in like a thief after Huanxi entered the house.
"When I heard there was delicious food, I hurried back from outside the city," he said to Huanxi.
"Really?" Hu Huanxi turned his face away and ignored him.
"Manager Hu, I haven't seen you for a few days. You seem haggard. Is it serious that you miss me?" King Ye asked with his chin in his hand.
When everyone heard this, they turned to look at Hu Huanxi and him.
Hu Huanxi was so angry that his teeth itched, but he forced a smile and said, "I've been busy these past few days, so I naturally look haggard because I didn't sleep well."
The Night King said, "Then you have to pay attention to rest. Women should be lively and beautiful. If you become a dry old lady, you will never be able to get married again."
The old lady gave him a sidelong glance and said, "I don't like what you said. Why is it that no one likes a dry old lady? Are you talking about me?"
Ye Wang raised his eyebrows and said in a tone of asking for a beating: "How could I say that about you, old lady? How can you be a dry old lady? Look, everyone says you are lively and pretty. If you want to marry again, I'm afraid these handsome men will line up from the city gate to the gate of Chen's house."
The old lady laughed, "You are too honest sometimes."
"Isn't it? I never tell lies!" said the Night King proudly.
Prince Li looked at the old lady slowly and said, "What he said is a lie. If you want to get married again, I'm afraid only the old man will want you. But he doesn't want anything else but the wealth of your Chen family."
At the end, he added, "This is the truth, my king."
The old lady rolled her eyes at him and said, "Forget it. I'd better listen to the truth from the Night King. Your truth hurts people."
"The truth is what hurts people!" Prince Li said stubbornly.
The old lady looked at the Princess of Liqin and asked, "You have been married for many years, have you never thought of committing suicide?"
Princess Li sighed, "Old Madam, if I say that I have the urge to hang myself at least once a month, would you believe me?"
The old lady glanced at Prince Li's stern face and nodded, "Xin, you haven't gone crazy yet, it's all thanks to your ancestors' kindness."
Chen Liuliu and Zhuangzhuang laughed so hard that they fell forward and backward, and Hu Huanxi also laughed.
Prince Li glanced at the princess calmly, "Why do you want to commit suicide? Is it so unbearable for me? I have tolerated you for many years and never said a word, but you said bad things about me in front of outsiders. It shows that the Queen Mother's words that you are not virtuous are also true."
Princess Li slapped her forehead and looked at the old lady. "Look, this is the lightest punishment. If it was a little more serious, I'm afraid I would have to hang myself here in Zi'an."
Everyone laughed. Prince Li frowned, unable to think of anything to say in rebuttal, so he could only shut up in dissatisfaction.
Zi'an walked in and said with a smile, "Don't commit suicide here with me. Go back to your Prince Li's mansion and commit suicide. It's ok to disgust Third Brother, but don't disgust me."
Prince Li asked coldly, "Have you prepared all your meals?"
"It's ready. We can eat it right away. The servants will serve the dishes right away." Zi'an wiped his hands and sat down. "This meal is not simple. It's not expensive, but it's very thoughtful."
"Really?" The Night King said happily, "I love eating delicious food the most."
"I guarantee you haven't eaten it." Zi'an said meaningfully.
After a while, a servant came in and set the table.
This time, the food was shared. Each person had a low table and sat cross-legged on a cushion. Then, a small charcoal stove was brought up with the charcoal fire already lit. A strong servant came in with a large kettle and poured water into the small pot on the charcoal stove.
When Hu Huanxi saw this, he laughed, "Hot pot?"
Zian smiled and said, "Yes, hot pot."
Hot pot is not a modern product, but when Zi'an came here, he had never seen anyone eating hot pot. As a foodie, hot pot culture must be brought here.
As the hot pot side dishes were served, they were so numerous that the low table could no longer hold them. Zi'an ordered people to put them on the big table first and add more when appropriate.
"This is my first time eating this." Prince Li studied it for a moment, "Is this called hot pot?"
"That's right. Put the raw meat in there, and when it's cooked, dip it in my special sauce. The sauce is slightly spicy. If you can't handle spicy food, you can use minced garlic."
"I like spicy food. Is this fish fillet?" Prince Li picked up a piece and looked at it carefully. "Did you cut it? Why is it so thin?"
Zi'an said, "This is freshly caught fish from the lake. It only takes a few moments to put it in the pot and you can eat it. Third brother, would you like to try it?"
Prince Li's acceptance of new things was limited, but this new way of eating really attracted him, so he did as Zi'an said.
He put a mouthful of fresh fish into the pot, picked it up after a while, dipped it in the seasoning and put it in his mouth. His mouth was immediately filled with freshness and a slightly spicy taste. He exclaimed, "It's so delicious?"
Everyone knew that he was always very strict, but they still said it was delicious, so they all tried it.
Eating hotpot on such a hot day without air conditioning was really difficult for this group of ancient people, but everyone enjoyed the meal very much. For a while, they only focused on eating and not talking.
"This beef slice is very tender, much better than stir-frying." Ye Wang looked at Hu Huanxi, "Why doesn't your Jufulou have this... hot pot style?"
Hu Huanxi said calmly, "Jufulou is a high-end place. As for hot pot, I have read about it in a book and learned that it is a relatively cheap way of eating."
"Cheap? Who has ever eaten something so cheap and delicious?" The Night King disagreed.
Zi'an looked at King Liang who was eating heartily, "Are you satisfied with this meal?"
King Liang gave a thumbs-up while eating, "Good, very satisfied, let's have another meal tomorrow. After all, there are three good news."
"What good news?" Liu Liu asked.
Zi'an looked at King Liang in surprise, "Didn't you tell them?"
King Liang raised his head and said, "Didn't you say that?"
"I'm busy in the kitchen. How can I have time to talk?" Zi'an said unhappily.
Zhuangzhuang put down his chopsticks and looked at King Liang, "What good news? Tell me quickly."
(End of this chapter)