In the main hall, the envoy from the northern desert was determined to succeed, thinking that Emperor Wanling probably didn't care about the two boxes of jewels.

After exchanging a glance with his colleague, he gritted his teeth and said, "Mobei will add another thousand taels of gold on top of the two boxes of jewels!"

"Smack!"

The Sang Kingdom envoy's chopsticks, which were holding a tomato, trembled, and a piece of tomato fell squarely into the soup bowl, splashing a drop of water into the soup.

The messenger's heart bled as he watched the scalding soup half-cook the tomatoes.

He originally thought that no one had seen his little tricks, but this scene had already been seen by a minister on the opposite side.

That man was none other than Lin Xiangzhi, the Minister of Revenue.

He didn't have to attend today's banquet, but the Emperor said he was knowledgeable and familiar with the customs and traditions of other countries, so he specially invited him to accompany him.

The Sang Kingdom envoy's eyes darted around, his expression was tense, and he looked furtive.

When he saw the messenger raise his chopsticks and reach for the only piece of tomato in the dish again, Lin Xiangzhi, considering the situation in the main hall, had a sudden inspiration.

The envoy from Sang Kingdom wants to steal the seeds?!

Pshaw!

He wants to make money without any investment; we can't let him succeed!

Lin Xiangzhi picked up his wine cup and walked over.

"The envoy has come from afar; you must be tired from your journey."

"You're too kind, sir. I..."

The tomato held by the Sang Kingdom envoy's chopsticks was suspended in mid-air. It was inappropriate to put it back on the plate, and it would be even more inappropriate to put it on a handkerchief in front of Wanling's ministers. Putting it in his mouth would feel like a waste.

Lin Xiangzhi was not about to give him a chance to put it down. He smiled and said, "Your Excellency, please taste it carefully. This tomato has been specially processed by the imperial chef. It tastes sweet with a hint of sourness and sourness with a hint of sweetness. It is very juicy and refreshing."

The envoy's lips twitched, and he forced a smile.

Just as he was about to put the tomato back on the plate and pick up his wine glass, Lin Xiangzhi gestured with one hand, "Don't rush to drink, Your Excellency. You should eat these pickled tomatoes first, as they will affect the taste if left for too long."

"Sweet pickled?"

"What is sweet pickling? Isn't it meant to be eaten raw?"

The Sang Kingdom envoy was taken aback. Had he misheard? He had clearly heard someone say that the dish was served cold.

Based on my experience, cold-dressed vegetables are no different from eating them raw, and the seeds inside can be saved for propagation.

He stared at the envoy, momentarily stunned.

Lin Xiangzhi smiled slightly and said in a serious tone, "Your Excellency may not know, but this dish looks simple. In fact, it is complicated to make. The marinating process alone requires three steps, and it takes quite a bit of time to allow the flavor to penetrate."

"You mean it's fully pickled?"

Lin Xiangzhi's eyes revealed a look of aptitude for teaching, and he nodded slightly, "Not bad, being thoroughly pickled is the same as being thoroughly cooked."

Upon hearing this, the Sang Kingdom envoy immediately abandoned any thoughts of scheming and quickly stuffed the tomato into his mouth.

"Mmm! Great, it tastes delicious."

Looking at the Sang Kingdom envoy's expression, which was more like crying, Lin Xiangzhi would have laughed so hard he was doubled over if the occasion hadn't been inappropriate.

Lin Xiangzhi toasted each of the envoys in turn, and he noticed that most of them had eaten all the tomatoes on their tables.

Only the plate on the table of the envoy from the northern desert, who was standing in the center of the hall, still had two slices of tomato.

Today's banquet is one person per table, and each dish is small, with about half a tomato in each person's plate.

To prevent anyone from having any more wicked thoughts, Prime Minister Lin waved to the palace maids serving outside.

Several palace maids quickly stepped forward and curtsied, "What are your orders, sir?"

Lin Xiangzhi pointed to the tomatoes on the envoy's table in the northern desert and said, "Remove these leftovers along with all the other empty plates."

"Yes, ma'am."

The palace maids moved nimbly and quickly cleared away all the empty plates on the table, including the two remaining tomatoes.

Inside the main hall, the envoy from the northern desert tried to win the emperor's favor by throwing money around, but to no avail. So he simply pestered the Right Chancellor and started to coax and plead with him.

Everyone's attention was focused on the two people, and no one noticed that two people were peeking out from the back door of the main hall.

"Your Highness, this is a banquet for foreign envoys. If I trespass, I will be beheaded."

Jing'er walked to the side door, but her hand just touched the gauze curtain before she stepped back.

Chang Le looked around and saw guards standing at the front door of the main hall.

She lowered her voice and said, "There's no one at the back door. I'm not asking you to barge in. Just lift a corner of the gauze curtain and take a look at where Sui Sui is."

Chang Le was absolutely certain that even if palace maids and eunuchs saw Jing'er, they would choose to ignore her.

If I were to peek inside myself, a simple "Greetings, Your Highness" would attract the attention of my elder brother, the Emperor.

Jing'er took a deep breath, clutching her chest, and mustered her courage to step forward again.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting one side of the gauze curtain. Jing'er immediately saw Sui Sui sitting behind a gauze curtain, rubbing her hands together, looking very anxious.

It seemed like there were other people around Sui Sui, but Jing'er didn't have time to see them clearly before the gauze curtain returned to its original state.

Seeing Jing'er turn around, Chang Le asked, "Did you see that?"

Jing'er nodded vigorously, "I saw it, the young master is ruling from behind the curtain."

"Silly girl, that's not how you rule from behind the curtain. Your brother doesn't want to reveal Sui Sui's identity without any ceremony. He's protecting him, you know?"

Jing'er nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Sui Sui's identity was no longer a secret in Chang Le Palace and Yong He Palace.

Everyone understood the unspoken agreement and bowed respectfully to Sui Sui, treating him as if he were the future crown prince.

Chang Le asked, "Are there any other people inside?"

"I didn't see clearly, but there didn't seem to be anyone there."

Upon hearing that there was no one around, Chang Le's courage instantly grew.

"Jing'er, wait here, I'll go in and take a look."

Chang Le lifted a corner of the gauze curtain and quickly slipped inside.

"Auntie!"

Every year when she saw her aunt come in, it was like seeing a savior.

"Shh!" Chang Le made a shushing gesture, crouched down, and tiptoed over.

When Eunuch Ma, who was serving nearby, saw Chang Le go in out of the corner of his eye, he moved his feet to try to cover for her.

Xiao Jingzhao turned his head slightly and gave him a cryptic look.

Eunuch Ma quickly lowered his eyes, pretending to be oblivious.

Xiao Jingzhao was a martial artist with keen hearing, so Chang Le's little movements could not escape his eyes.

This little sister is cute but mischievous. When she was younger, I could sternly scare her, but now she seems to be completely unresponsive to reason.

Since Sui Sui came into his life, Xiao Jingzhao has found that his patience has never been better than ever before.

He slightly curled the corners of his lips, pretending not to know anything, and took a sip of his wine.

“Aunt, you’ve come at the right time. It’s not convenient for me to go out and talk. Listen, the envoy from the northern desert has spent a lot of money to buy tomato seeds, but that stubborn old man still won’t agree.”

"Cough cough!"

Xiao Jingzhao naturally put himself in the shoes of the stubborn old man.

Before she could catch her breath, Sui Sui muttered again, "Daddy has to replace that old stubborn man. He's too stupid."

"You mean the Right Chancellor? We can't replace him. He's cunning and shrewd."