Chapter 374: A Negotiation That Changed Dynasty History (Part 1)
"Yes." The elegant and sweet Xu Junling smiled and nodded, as if it was just the way it was.
"..." Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "Why didn't the princess tell me before? If I remember correctly, the princess only said that she would take me to visit the lake pavilion at night and arranged a dinner."
Prince Huai'an wants to see him!
This really caught Mr. Zhao off guard, although he had vaguely sensed from the little princess's behavior along the way that this guy seemed to have prepared some surprise.
But on the first day in the city, I first met Prince Jing, and then Prince Huai'an, a native of the Huai River...
He still felt a little uncomfortable with the tight pace.
The key is...
Not prepared.
Xu Junling feigned bewilderment and said, "Really? Didn't I tell you? Perhaps I forgot for a moment? Or perhaps the envoy didn't hear?"
Zhao Duan sighed. He had no way to deal with this clever princess, but he did not feel unhappy in his heart.
From a standpoint, if he, representing the court, could meet with Prince Huai'an, it would undoubtedly send a positive signal.
This is the ingenuity of the big family's thinking. They caught Zhao Duan off guard and left him no time to make full preparations, thus gaining the upper hand in this meeting.
But such a grand banquet was also beneficial to him, so he couldn't get angry...
Well, in this way, arranging Xu Junling, a woman, to handle this matter is also a reflection of his ingenuity. If it was Xu Qian, the prince of Huai'an, who completed this "deception", Zhao Duan would not easily expose it.
At this moment, his thoughts turned, but he also perked up and turned to look at Eunuch Hai and others following behind him:
"So many people..."
Xu Junling smiled sweetly:
"There are six floors in Dafeng Tower. In addition to the top floor for viewing, my father is hosting a private banquet for the envoy on the fifth floor. There is also a banquet on the fourth floor to entertain everyone."
Okay... No wonder they booked the entire place with such a big fanfare, they even took security into consideration.
The old worshipper smiled and said:
"Hurry up, hurry up. I'm really hungry and want to try the Huai River seafood. The last time I came to Dafenglou was decades ago."
Haitang, Lang Shiba, Jiyue, and the Jinyi staff of Lihuatang were all tempted.
There's only one level between them, so there's no need to worry about any danger... Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment, nodded, and continued to climb the stairs.
The entire Dafeng Building is extremely quiet and has excellent sound insulation. When you walk inside, you can hardly hear the noise outside.
When we reached the fourth floor, we found that there were indeed waiters from Dafeng Tower waiting respectfully. Standing at the front was the princess's brother, Prince Xu Qian.
Xu Qian greeted Zhao Duan with a complicated look, and then said respectfully to Hai Gongfeng:
"Eunuch Hai, please."
If it were an ordinary guard, the prince would not have to accompany him personally, but Hai Chunlin's status was different.
As the head of the royal family's offerings and a legendary figure who had served three generations of emperors, he must leave behind some important figures to accompany him.
"Haha, okay." Eunuch Hai said carelessly as he led the guards to take their seats.
The maidservants beside the princess, such as Lu Shui, also stayed on this floor.
Only Zhao Duan and Xu Junling were left to go up one level.
…
…
When Zhao Duan walked up the stairs to the fifth floor, he saw the entire spacious and luxurious floor, brightly lit.
The floor was covered with precious knitted carpets, and the lampposts in the corners of the walls illuminated the room like daylight.
On this floor, maids who were obviously servants of the Prince of Huai'an's Palace stood around with their heads bowed respectfully, and in the center, surrounded by everyone, there was a long table that particularly attracted attention.
On the long table, there was a spindle-shaped bamboo tray, and on the tray lay a large, well-proportioned black carp.
At this moment, behind the long desk, there was an old man with a plump figure, a fair face, and such good care that it was almost impossible to tell his real age.
She was wearing an apron and holding a narrow knife as she prepared the herring. Every time her wet hands moved, another cut appeared on the fish, and it seemed that she had reached the final step of cooking the ingredients.
"Father, Envoy Zhao is here." Xu Junling bowed softly.
This "rich businessman" who killed the fish is Xu An, the King of Huai'an, Zhenbao's uncle, who controls several fleets on the Huai River and holds great wealth?
Zhao Duan was surprised.
Although he had seen the portrait of the Eighth Prince, it was still difficult for him to connect a royal prince with the chef who killed fish himself in a restaurant.
Prince Huai'an just put away his last knife, raised his head, and the eyes on his fat face met Zhao Duan's.
"I am Zhao Duan, your humble servant, honored to meet the prince." Zhao Duan saluted with a smile.
His attitude towards this person is very different from that of Prince Jing.
When the King of Huai'an smiled, he looked like Maitreya in the temple:
"Haha, today's not a formal meeting. Since you are familiar with my daughter, just address her as your junior."
Zhao Duan readily accepted the advice and smiled, saying:
"Your Highness is right. I never thought that besides being a well-known foodie in the Great Yu Dynasty, you also have such a great cooking skill."
Good praise must be put into practice.
The corners of Prince Huai'an's mouth widened a little, and he heard the princess next to him smile and say:
"My father loves to cook when he's home, but he doesn't cook often. This time, thanks to you, I was able to taste the fish he cooked."
Zhao Duan was flattered.
But Prince Huai'an shook his head, picked up a rag and wiped his hands, and said seriously:
"My fish cooking skills may not be as good as the chef of Dafeng Tower, but I always feel at ease when I prepare good ingredients myself. Generally speaking, the chef's contribution to a meal is six, and the comprador's contribution is four... Besides, each dish has its own flavor, and they cannot be mixed together..."
"For example, in recent years, the Yu court has been accustomed to using hot pot at winter banquets. The noise it makes is already tiresome. Furthermore, the flavor of each dish requires a certain degree of heat, whether it's gentle or heavy, whether it's removed or added, and it's difficult to change it in an instant. Now, if you force it with fire, how can the taste still be good? Some people these days use liquor instead of charcoal, thinking it's a good idea, but they don't realize that excessive boiling will inevitably alter the flavor..."
Zhao Duan was speechless. He didn't expect that once he brought up a topic, the other party would talk nonstop and tell him... No wonder he was nicknamed "Foodie Prince".
Although I don't know much about it, I can tell that he is quite knowledgeable about "eating".
Xu Junling said helplessly, "Father, Envoy Zhao is hungry tonight."
Prince Huai'an laughed heartily and said, "I am indeed being too long-winded. Come, have it cooked and have the food served in the kitchen."
Immediately, a maid came forward, took the big blue fish and went downstairs.
Some people even worked together to remove the long case.
Prince Huai'an took off his apron and made a gesture. Zhao Duan immediately followed and sat down with the father and daughter at the eight-immortal table prepared nearby.
He and Xu An were facing each other, with the princess accompanying them.
As footsteps came one after another, the maids brought up dishes from downstairs. In the blink of an eye, all the beautifully presented, delicious dishes filled the table.
Only a large empty space was left in the middle, as if it was reserved for the fresh fish that was still being cooked.
Zhao Duan took a quick look and found that the dishes on the table were mainly river seafood, with the rest as supplements. Among them, the eight river seafood plates in a circle were the most eye-catching.
He looked towards the side window again. The window was slightly open, and he could vaguely see a series of lights in the distance, which seemed to be coming from a pleasure boat.
"That's the smoke-locked lake over there," Prince Huai'an explained.
"This lake has a history of over a thousand years. When the Grand Canal was built in the previous dynasty, it was used to discharge floodwaters. Although it was originally a scenic spot, it was not very famous. Instead, the lake pavilion gradually became lively after the opening of the canal.
Although it is outside the city, it is not far away. There are pleasure boats staying there at night. However, its prosperity is inferior to the "Huaihe River" in the Huai River. Therefore, it is also known as the "Little Huaihe River" in recent years. Unfortunately, among the eighteen prefectures of the Dayu Dynasty, there are more than ten prefectures vying for the title of "Little Huaihe River".
Oh, the scenery here is nothing special except for the statue of the god carved on the ancient mountain wall. In my opinion, its reputation is greater than its actual reality, mostly due to the praises of scholars in their poems.
But my daughter had a different opinion, saying it had a unique atmosphere, and she actually wrote several poems about it."
It would be better if you were simply talking about the smoke-locked lake instead of using any metaphors... Zhao Duan smiled:
"I have only been at the lake pavilion for half a day, but I haven't had time to see it yet."
"Really? There's no rush." Huai'an King smiled. He leaned back in his chair, his voluptuous figure filling the space.
"In my opinion, in this world, natural scenery is secondary. Talent is the most worth savoring."
"For example?" Zhao Duan asked.
Prince Huai'an said with great interest:
"For example, that lively scene between you and Xu Jinglong on the river, or the visit of Xu Wen in person at the Humble Administrator's Garden."
Let’s get to the point!
Zhao Duan knew that the greetings were over, and he quietly tensed up. Suddenly, he thought about it and said in a joking tone:
"Your Highness is well-informed. He even knows about what happened between Prince Jing and me on the river. Could it be that he saw it with his own eyes?"
Prince Huai'an smiled and said, "Indeed, I saw it by chance."
He actually admitted it!
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, realizing that the source of the prying he had vaguely sensed on the official ship was the foodie prince in front of him.
Zhao Duan's thoughts raced, and a smile appeared on his face:
"Is that so? That's quite a coincidence. Well, then, could it be that this banquet tonight was just a spur-of-the-moment idea after seeing Prince Jing go to the Humble Administrator's Garden?"
Prince Huai'an was slightly surprised, but he smiled and nodded: "Indeed."
Admitted it again!
Xu Junling, who was accompanying him, explained with a smile:
"Father indeed arranged this dinner after hearing what I said, so it's not that I didn't tell the envoy in advance."
An innocent tone.
I don't believe you at all... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, watching the father and daughter singing the same tune, and they held the initiative of this meeting from the beginning to the end.
This won't work... He certainly didn't think that this was a simple banquet.
I also know that if I keep following the other party's rhythm, I will always be at a disadvantage.
Zhao Du'an thought for a moment, smiled with relief, and simply bent down to pick up the wine pot. He stood up and poured a cup for King Huai'an, then looked at the princess. The latter raised her hand to protect the wine cup and smiled, saying that she would drink tea instead of wine.
Zhao Duan put down the wine jug and used this action to artificially interrupt the conversation dominated by the father and daughter.
Then he leisurely handed over a sentence:
"If word gets out that Your Highness met with me alone, aren't you afraid that Prince Jing will find out and misunderstand your stance and intentions?"
…
Next chapter will be updated before midnight
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
