The next day, the Dusi Mansion sent two reception officials to accompany them on the tour and announced that a banquet would be held in the banquet hall in the afternoon to entertain everyone.
The officials from the capital were very curious, banquet hall?
The local officials gave a brief introduction, which immediately aroused everyone's interest and they strongly requested to visit.
Liangcheng Office is located diagonally opposite the Dusi Mansion. It is shaped like a twin tower connected by a glass corridor in the middle.
On the left is the government building, which has four floors in total and serves as a window to the society. Procedures such as buying a house, buying land, opening a shop, collecting rent, paying taxes, etc. are all handled here.
Every day, there is an endless stream of common people and merchants, and it is extremely busy. Of course, there are guards at the door, and only those with something to do can enter.
The officials were friendly and smiling, without any arrogance or domineering attitude at all.
If people don’t understand something, they can go to the gate to ask, where there is special service.
On the right is the comprehensive building. The first floor is the officials' canteen, the second floor is the conference room, the third and fourth floors are banquet halls, and there are other entrances and exits.
The officials from the capital were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. Everything they saw was new to them. They kept exclaiming in their hearts, but pretended to be calm on the surface.
What a magical world this is! Grassroots officials are polite to the people, and the people do not shrink back in fear.
The efficiency is extremely high, there is no delay, and all processes can be completed in this building.
Everyone was amazed. There were so many government offices in the capital, and it was not very convenient to do business.
"Let's go next door."
"OK."
Next door was the officials' cafeteria. There were two guards at the gate who stopped them outside. "Excuse me, please show us your door cards."
Key card? What is that?
The official in charge of reception came over from behind and showed a door card with the official's name and position on it.
"Xiao Liu, this is an official from the capital, he wants to come and see us."
The guard took a careful look and made sure everything was correct before making way for them to enter.
The cafeteria is very large, with neatly arranged tables. More than twenty plates of steaming dishes are lined up in the glass window on the left. The variety of dishes and the tempting aroma make one's appetite surge.
Officials were seen picking up lunch boxes and lining up to get their meals. They could choose between one meat and one vegetable, and the staple food was sufficient.
Everyone was envious. They had never eaten these dishes before, but they looked delicious.
"We want to have lunch here."
The receptionist thought about it for a while and agreed, "The reception meal will be two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. You can choose what you like."
Officials from other towns who come to Liangcheng for meetings all come here to have their working meals and they love it very much.
The officials happily picked up the clean wooden plates and lined up to get their meals.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites ordered a signature dish of spicy chicken, braised pork, tofu with preserved eggs, and fried seasonal vegetables, which was delicious and fragrant.
He couldn't wait to take a bite of the spicy chicken. The spicy taste made him feel uncomfortable and he kept drinking water. But the aftertaste was so endless that he couldn't help but take another bite.
The rhythm just can't be stopped.
The others were the same, they just thought every dish was delicious and just focused on eating and drinking.
"Why is the food here so delicious?" It's really strange. It doesn't make sense that it would be better than in Beijing.
The staff were also amazed when they ate it for the first time, but now they have become accustomed to it.
"It's fried in an iron pan. It tastes better if you add more oil and seasoning. Isn't that the way it is in Beijing?"
This sudden blow made everyone silent. Where could there be any stir-fried dishes in the capital?
Border officials have high pay, good benefits, and eat so well. I’m so envious that I’m crying.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites could not help but ask, "General Du and Princess Qingping are also coming here to eat?"
The receptionist shook his head slightly. "The general is in the barracks all year round, and Princess Qingping comes to eat occasionally. She usually eats the food sent by her family. She prefers light taste."
The big pot rice contains a lot of oil and salt, and has a heavier taste, which is more in line with the taste of Xiliang people.
The Minister of Rites murmured sourly, "She is really pampered." They couldn't even eat it.
"Spoiled?" The staff was unhappy. These officials from the capital thought themselves noble and discriminated against women. No, they discriminated against Princess Qingping.
Is it so difficult to admit that Princess Qingping is better than men like them?
"All these dishes are contributed by her free of charge. She is selfless and dedicated to benefiting the people of Xiliang. She is the person most respected by all of us soldiers and civilians."
So, don’t talk nonsense in front of them, they will beat you up when they get angry!
All the officials understood and their mouths twitched.
Hey, why is there a woman coming in? And taking food away?
"Who are they?"
The staff member took a quick glance and said, "All of the personal soldiers of Qingping County Lord are capable of fighting. One of them can easily beat several men."
The Minister of Rites gasped, "She has her own soldiers?" This is against the rules.
The staff nodded with a smile, "Yes, Princess Qingping is too outstanding, there are too many people who are jealous of her, and there are always people who use dirty tricks to harm her."
An officer couldn't help but say, "You think too much."
The staff member said solemnly, "Not long ago, the Prince of Jin's Mansion sent a group of assassins to kill the Princess of Qingping County, but they were killed instead, and their bodies were all hung on the city wall."
In fact, they couldn’t even get into Liangcheng. Something strange was discovered at the city gate, and a fierce sniping attack was launched.
Afterwards, it was discovered that these people came to assassinate Princess Qingping.
This made the people very angry, and they threw stones at the bodies on the city wall...
Everyone looked at each other, feeling that he was hinting at something.
The Minister of Rites stood by the window and saw a building with the words "public housing" written on it. "Hey, what is that?"
The staff member looked over and couldn't help but smile, "It's low-rent housing for officials. As long as you pay 100 wen, you can get a one-bedroom apartment, and 200 wen can get a family apartment."
One hundred coins is too cheap. I wonder what the environment inside is like? The officials strongly requested to visit. Maybe the environment is very bad.
After entering, the officials regretted coming.
Look, although the house is small, it has everything needed and is finely decorated. It is very comfortable to stand on the balcony and look into the distance.
The family room is even better, with three bedrooms and two living rooms, clean and spacious, and most importantly, it has precious glass, which provides excellent lighting and ventilation from north to south.
In such an environment, even high-ranking officials could not help but say good things and want to get one.
Banquet Hall
The time was almost up, and officials arrived one after another. They were all from the government, and the two sides had a friendly exchange.
The Minister of Rites tried a few times and found that the Xiliang officials worshipped Mu Wanqing as a god, and there was really light in their eyes.
This is too much.
But in front of these people, he didn't dare say a bad word about Mu Wanqing, for fear of being beaten up.
He and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
Mu Wanqing's position is unbreakable; her mass base is too solid and there are no flaws.
"Young Marshal Du has arrived, and the Princess of Qingping County has arrived."
A young couple walked in side by side. The man was talented and the woman was beautiful, a perfect match. The room suddenly brightened up.
Everyone stood up to greet them.
The negotiating delegation all looked at the woman next to Du Shaoxuan at the same time. The only word to describe her was: shining like a pearl.
In their impression, Princess Qingping was a very serious, stern-looking woman.
But unexpectedly, she was extremely beautiful, with picturesque eyebrows and eyes, a smile on her lips, and she was very friendly, which made people feel good about her involuntarily.
Du Shaoxuan had traveled with the delegation and was not unfamiliar with them, so he took the initiative to introduce these people to Mu Wanqing.
Mu Wanqing was smiling, polite yet friendly, and every word she said made people feel like spring breeze.
Soon, even the Minister of Rites, who was most prejudiced against her, had to admit that she was a politician with great charisma.
That’s right, he is a politician, deep-minded, extremely resourceful, and impeccable in his conduct.
She knew everyone's name, knew their family situation very well, and could even chat about family matters.
"I heard that your son passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. He is a young talent and has a long family history of learning. You have a good way of educating your son. Can you tell us how you raised such an outstanding child?"
Well, these words touched the sore spot of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Even the most serious person couldn't help but smile and talk more.
"Lord Liu was born in a poor family, but he worked hard to improve himself. He relied on his perseverance and indomitable spirit to move up step by step. He can be called a legendary figure in our Great Qi Dynasty. He is really admirable."
Listen, even the Minister of Rites couldn't stand such flattery and couldn't help laughing.
Even though she knew that there was too much water in these words, they were still too nice to hear. Princess Qingping had good vision, not bad.
Du Shaoxuan looked at the girls around him who were coaxing smiles with sweet words, and they reciprocated by complimenting them, completely forgetting how resistant they were before.
For a sixteen-year-old girl to be able to do this, she can only be said to be gifted.
Mu Wanqing noticed his gaze, "What's wrong?"
Think she's too tacky? As long as you can catch the mouse, it doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white.
Unexpectedly, Du Shaoxuan said softly, "You are so cute."
Mu Wanqing: ...
She calmly looked away and looked around, "Everyone has come from far away, please try our Xiliang specialties."
Several carts were pushed in, and the shelves were filled with a wide variety of delicious food, which was already portioned out.
The staff brought portions of food to each person. Not only had the officials in the capital seen it before, even the local officials had not seen it often.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was well-informed, but he had never seen anything like this before. "What is this?"
Mu Wanqing introduced with a smile, "There are three desserts in total, and three savory dishes. This is yogurt honey ice cream, it's icy and sweet, a great way to cool down."
"Cream cake, sweet but not greasy, suitable for all ages."
“Butter cookies, crispy and crunchy, melt in your mouth.”
“The fried chicken is tender and juicy, the skin is crispy, and it’s salty and delicious.”
“Chicken burger, soft bun, juicy meat.”
"Meat floss cake roll, salty and sweet, very special taste."
Mu Wanqing picked up the ice cream and scooped a spoonful. "Everyone, try it. Do you think these are okay as snacks to entertain foreign guests?"
Seeing her start, others started eating as well. They couldn’t stop eating. Some were salty, some were sweet, and the food was of different styles, but each one was delicious.
"Yes, that's fine."
"This is so delicious." I'm crazy about it!
The Minister of Rites loved it very much. The more he ate, the more sad he felt, because he would not be able to taste such a delicacy when he returned.
The officials in Xiliang are so lucky. They have high incomes and so many delicious foods to eat.
Damn, their capital city is not as good as Xiliang! What a shame.
A few days later, the negotiation delegations from Beichu and Xiwu entered the city.
Du Shaoxuan and Mu Wanqing brought their own delegation to greet them. Although they were enemies, the corresponding ceremony still had to be performed.
Whether it is for deterrence or to show their power, the Xiliang side has put on enough airs, the only thing missing is a banner saying, "We are the victorious country and you are the big losers."
The leader of the Northern Chu delegation was an acquaintance, "Princess Qingping, we meet again."
The man had an imposing manner and a pair of fierce tiger eyes. It was none other than the King of Yan.
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