In the Imperial Palace, everything was ready. Musicians and acting troupes queued up and entered, while Palace Maids served platters of fruit and fine delicacies.
Ministers of the Third Grade and above sat in one row, foreign envoys in another, the Royal Family and Relatives in a third, and the Great Scholars and other scholars in a fourth.
As they t, an endless stream of complints could be heard.
"I have long admired Master Xun’s reputation. At last, I have the honor of eting you in person."
"Master Xun, since coming to the Capital City, has your stay been comfortable?"
An old man with graying hair, showered with complints, simply smiled and responded to each person in turn, handling the situation with graceful ease.
Amid the pleasant chatter and laughter, Master Xun noticed a sedan chair stopping outside Changle Palace.
"Prince Langya has arrived."
The Seventh Prince had arrived, yet few in attendance acknowledged him. It was clear they didn’t think much of this Prince.
In the traditional hierarchy of scholar, farr, artisan, and rchant, the status of rchants was not high in the Great Yan empire.
Master Xun stroked his beard and gave a faint, silent smile.
He saw the expression on the man who erged from the sedan chair. It was tinged with a strange lancholy, yet also a hint of relief and inner conflict. Clearly, his mindset had shifted after experiencing great ups and downs.
’Still hesitating? Then let give you a push. Why be a prisoner to your own heart?’
Master Xun’s thods were mysterious and unpredictable. With a flick of his finger...
A cryptic, four-character True Word entered Lu Yunwan’s body, yet he felt no change at all.
Prince Langya, Lu Yunwan, only made his appearance just before the banquet was about to begin. Including Lu Yunqing, only two Princes were in attendance.
Lu Yunwan’s gaze fell unnaturally upon the Eighth Prince’s seat not far away, his eyes wandering and unfocused.
But soon, a great wave of determination rose within his heart.
Noble Consort Wan, dressed in a complex and gorgeous palace gown, chided Lu Yunwan, "Oh, you. After coming to the Harem, you must properly thank Prince Huai’an, Lu Mingyuan. If it weren’t for him, you’d still be hiding in the palace. How would you have had the chance to et soone like Zhao Gongming?"
Lu Yunwan placed a hand on his stomach and smiled sheepishly. "I know, Mother."
For so reason, his mind felt perfectly lucid.
"I rember you like osmanthus cakes. I’ll go to the Imperial Kitchen and get a plate for you myself."
"Just have the servants go. Why are you going?" Noble Consort Wan stopped him.
"I don’t trust their choices."
As if to hide his awkwardness, Lu Yunwan briefly left the banquet.
In reality, he didn’t head for the Imperial Kitchen. Instead, he stopped a Palace Maid carrying a platter and asked, "Do you know which Palace Maid is responsible for Prince Chongwen’s table?"
Though the Palace Maid was confused, she still answered, pointing ahead. "It’s that one, Yellow Oriole."
The hierarchy in the Imperial Palace was strict. Food service by the Palace Maids was ticulously organized, with each maid assigned to serve a specific seat.
Lu Yunwan let the first Palace Maid go and fixed his sights on the pretty one nad Yellow Oriole.
Only then did he walk toward the Imperial Kitchen and shout rudely:
"Where are my osmanthus cakes? I want them sweet and large, not the small ones."
The Imperial Chef smiled apologetically, clearly in a difficult position. "Your Highness, the dishes for each seat are standardized. The quantity is the sa, and the appearance is identical. I’m afraid there is no distinction between large and small."
"Oh?"
Lu Yunwan looked extrely disappointed. He slamd his thick hand on the table with a loud SLAM.
"I don’t care! I told you to make them, so make them! Make a large one, I don’t want a small one!"
"Yes, I’ll do it right away!"
Faced with the demand, the Imperial Chef could only comply. He absolutely did not dare to offend the Seventh Prince.
Lu Yunwan then tore a chicken leg from a pot of stewing soup. The other Imperial Chefs who saw this clenched their fists. The quantity had been fixed; if one was missing, they would be punished.
"We’ll have to kill another chicken."
The head Imperial Chef gave a aningful look, and the others all shook their heads discreetly.
’This Seventh Prince is clearly just here to cause trouble.’
They all averted their gazes, clearly not intending to intervene. Their only choice was to prepare another one.
Lu Yunwan smiled to himself.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he stealthily pulled a thumb-sized red crystal from his sleeve and stuffed it into the freshly made chicken soup, right inside the chicken’s tail.
After doing this, he finally left the Imperial Kitchen. Before leaving, he shouted, "Hurry up with my order!"
He walked straight out. His round figure took up the space of two people. He saw the pretty Palace Maid nad Yellow Oriole returning, carrying a pot of chicken soup as she passed by.
As they brushed past each other, Lu Yunwan pretended not to see her, turned heavily, and knocked straight into Yellow Oriole.
CRASH!
The ceramic soup tureen fell to the ground, instantly shattering into pieces. Chicken soup spilled everywhere.
The pretty Palace Maid’s face went pale with fright.
"You wretched wench! Do you have any idea how expensive my clothes are?"
Furious, Lu Yunwan slapped the Palace Maid across the face.
"I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’m so sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose!"
The pretty Palace Maid clutched her face, her voice choked with tears.
Lu Yunwan snorted coldly. "Forget it. Today is an important occasion. I won’t lower myself to argue with you."
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stord off.
The pretty Palace Maid wiped the sweat from her brow. Her only choice was to go back to the Imperial Kitchen to get another serving.
As luck would have it, the one she took was the very one Lu Yunwan had tampered with.
Master Xun, who had been silently observing all of this from the shadows, smiled faintly.
"The Eldest Princess has arrived!"
The next person to arrive was the main character of the banquet: the Eldest Princess of the Golden Crow Country, Luo Qiufu.
After all, this banquet had been arranged for Luo Qiufu from the very beginning.
But Luo Qiufu was no longer just a simple Princess. She also held the power of a Regent in the Golden Crow Country.
Furthermore, with the Great Yan on the brink of war, they were in dire need of gold and silver. Their weapons and armor also needed to be upgraded. Naturally, they had to treat her with the utmost hospitality.
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