Chapter 494 The Prince’s Thoughts
Nanlinwang City is located in the mountains with steep terrain, making it very difficult to excavate the foundation. The weather is often rainy, humid and foggy, so most of the buildings are stilt houses.
As soon as they entered the city, they saw many such wooden buildings, four rows of three rooms in each building, and each wooden building generally had three floors.
The upper floor is used to store grain, the middle floor is used for living and receiving guests, and the lower floor is enclosed by a fence at the foot of the building and is used to store sundries or raise livestock.
The houses on the street are crowded together, which makes them look well-arranged and has a completely different style from Dakang.
Now that they had entered the royal city, it had nothing to do with the magnificent palace that Yun Ran had imagined.
The palace of King Nanlin is also of this stilt house style, but it is built more spacious and majestic, which is quite spectacular.
The roof is made of ebony and black tiles, and the upturned eaves are carved with strange-looking beasts. The number of floors has also increased from the ordinary three-story houses to four or five.
The wooden pillars at the foot of the building are also thicker than those of ordinary houses, and are covered with various pictures painted with bright paint mixed with gold and silver powder.
However, the patterns depicted in these pictures were very abstract, more like some simple shapes randomly put together. Yun Ran stared at them but didn't understand them.
Mengrao Kuntu was still riding the black cheetah to lead the way, taking Yun Ran and Miao Yi through different palaces and gardens, circling around, and finally stopped in front of a quiet courtyard.
The black cheetah stopped steadily at the gate of the courtyard, crawling on the ground to make it easier for Mengrao Kuntu to get off it.
"Miss Yun, this Qingtan Residence is where you will live in Nanlin."
Mengrao Kuntu stood next to the black panther and looked at Yun Ran with a smile.
Yun Ran didn't say anything, turned over and got off Hei Wang, and Miao Yi followed her and rolled off Hei Wang's back.
I followed him all the way, and just as Yun Ran's toes touched the ground, it rubbed past him.
Maybe it was because he was in an unfamiliar environment, but the King changed his usual carefree and lazy appearance, squatting at Yun Ran's feet, his pair of dark green and sharp wolf eyes looked around vigilantly.
"Qingtanju and Xiaoliu's residence are adjacent to each other and not far from Yongdi Palace, so it is quite convenient." Seeing that Yunran did not answer, Mengrao Kuntu continued to speak to himself.
"There will be a banquet tonight. It's a welcoming banquet that father prepared specially for you. Miss Yun, have a good rest and be sure to attend."
Yun Ran's gaze fell on the elegant and unique stilt house not far in front of him. He still did not answer, but only nodded lightly.
Mengrao Kuntu narrowed his eyes and stood at the door with no intention of leaving.
"Oh, we came all the way back, and we're exhausted from the bumpy ride. Brother Wang, go and do your work. I'll take Sister Ran over later!"
Miao Yi interrupted at the right time, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Mengrao Kuntu glanced at her, said "hmm", and turned away with Black Panther.
The several shirtless, burly warriors who had been following him also left.
Yun Ran then secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She wondered if it was her illusion, but this eldest prince seemed to be deliberately approaching her?
"Let's go in first and take a rest. We have to go to the banquet later." Miao Yi said.
Yun Ran nodded, and the two of them entered the courtyard together and went up to the second floor.
The reception room on the second floor was spacious and bright, with a simple and elegant layout. Two maids were already waiting at the door. After welcoming the two people in, they turned around and left, probably to pour tea.
After entering the house, Miao Yi seemed to relax completely. She sat down on the soft and thick velvet carpet on the floor and sighed.
"Mengrao Kuntu is a smiling tiger. He always has a smile on his face when he treats everyone," Miao Yi said, "Don't mind it."
"It's okay." Yun Ran nodded. She had also noticed it just now.
Miao Yi's attitude towards Mengrao Kuntu seems close, but in fact it is not. She has always been trying to strike a balance between them.
After a while, the two maids came in carrying two cups of tea and several plates of exquisite snacks.
Yun Ran was already more interested in food and drink, so Nanlin’s tea naturally attracted her attention.
Two cups of light pink floral tea, the tea was clear and clean, with many petals of different shapes floating in it.
These petals seem to be carved and are very delicately made. I have never seen them in Dakang. They must be a specialty of Nanlin.
The two maids placed several plates of exquisite snacks on the table, and two cups of tea in front of Yun Ran and Miao Yi respectively, then retreated to the corner of the room to wait.
After a whole day of hard work, Yun Ran was already thirsty. The two cups of tea were the same. She thought that King Nanlin or the eldest prince would not poison her in front of Miao Yi, so she picked up the cup of tea in front of her and put it into her mouth.
Miao Yi glanced back and forth between the teacup in front of her and the teacup in front of Yun Ran, then suddenly spoke out to stop him: "Don't drink yet!"
Yun Ran was startled by her, and his lips had already touched the rim of the cup, but he stopped immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Miao Yi's serious expression, she didn't ask any more questions and put down the tea bowl.
Miao Yi glanced at the two maids standing in the corner and asked in a deep voice, "Who sent Princess Jing'an this cup of Wanhua Tea?"
The two maids' expressions froze. Glancing at Miao Yi's darkened face, one of them spoke up, "Sixth Princess, the eldest prince asked us to deliver it."
Mengrao Kuntu?
Yun Ran frowned.
"Take it away." Miao Yi said directly, "Send it back the same way it was delivered!"
Maybe she was just very capable, but the two maids didn't dare to say anything. They removed the tea in front of Yun Ran and retreated without a word.
For a moment, they were the only two people left in the reception room. Miao Yi stood up, closed the door, and sat down opposite Yun Ran again.
"Sister Miao Yi, is there something wrong with the tea?" Yun Ran asked.
Miao Yi nodded, then shook her head: "There's nothing wrong with this Wanhua tea itself, but if you drink it, there will be a problem."
This was a bit contradictory, and Yun Ran didn't understand.
Miao Yi explained: "This is our Nanlin custom."
"Wanhua Tea is made from the peels of ripe winter melon and young pomelo, carved into various designs of flowers, birds, fish, insects, etc., then soaked in aquatic water, simmered over a low fire, carefully marinated with sugar and osmanthus honey, and exposed to the sun. Through multiple processes, the resulting tea is rich and fragrant, sweet and delicious, making it an excellent choice for entertaining guests."
"But..." She changed the subject, "This kaleidoscope tea is also a way for young men and women to express their love to each other."
"I don't know if you noticed just now, but besides the three leaves of Wanhua Tea, there was a dark red object at the bottom of the cup."
Yun Ran frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded: "It seems so."
"That's a flying snake carved from a thuja cypress tree. It's a hand-held ornament that Mengrao Kuntu often plays with. If you just drank that flower tea, it would be equivalent to tacitly accepting his love."
Yun Ran: ...
Is it something you play with constantly? Wouldn't it be rubbed to a patina? And even soak it in her tea?
It’s just... so disgusting!
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