Having resolved the domestic issue of the "overly capable Empress," the new Emperor Xiao Tuan finally had time to host his first and grandest state banquet since his ascension to the throne—the "Tribute from All Nations" banquet.
On this day, inside and outside the palace, banners fluttered and drums and music resounded.
Envoys and envoys from all corners of the world and from overseas, dressed in all sorts of strange and wonderful clothes and carrying their own country's rare treasures, gathered in the capital of the Great Xiao Dynasty to pay homage to the young new emperor.
The state banquet was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a magnificent and resplendent hall where fine wines, delicacies from land and sea were served in a continuous stream. The atmosphere was one of peace and prosperity, displaying the grandeur of a celestial empire.
Xiao Tuan, dressed in a solemn black dragon robe, sat upright on the throne. His young face, bearing the majesty and composure of a monarch, smiled as he looked down at the envoys below, each with their own distinct appearance and thoughts.
Halfway through the banquet, after several rounds of drinks and dishes, the presentation of treasures by envoys from various countries officially began.
"The Yuezhi Kingdom of the Western Regions presents ten Ferghana horses and one hundred chests of fine jade to wish Emperor Xiao a long and prosperous life!"
"The southern barbarian lands of Baiyue offer a pair of thousand-year-old ivory tusks and a hundred peacock feathers, wishing our dynasty and the Great Xiao to be forever at peace!"
...
One after another, rare and precious treasures were presented, eliciting gasps of amazement from everyone in the hall.
Xiao Tuan smiled and nodded to each of them, instructing the master of ceremonies to accept the gifts and return them with appropriate presents. Everything proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.
However, at that moment, a discordant voice rang out.
The envoy from the most powerful kingdom in the Western Regions, the "Dayuan Kingdom," a burly man with a full beard, did not retreat after presenting his country's tribute. He stepped forward and, in a slightly arrogant tone, loudly proclaimed:
"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Xiao Dynasty! Our Great Yuan Kingdom has come here not only to offer tribute, but also to request a 'most rare' reward from the Celestial Empire!"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became somewhat subtle.
"Oh?" Xiao Tuan put down his wine cup and asked calmly, "What is it that the envoy desires?"
A sly glint flashed in the eyes of the Dayuan envoy. He proclaimed loudly, "We have heard that the Celestial Empire is vast and abundant in resources, possessing everything imaginable. We do not desire gold or silver, nor silk; we only ask that Your Majesty bestow upon us a 'rareest item' that belongs solely to our Dayuan Kingdom, an item that even we ourselves have searched far and wide for! This will demonstrate the vastness and wonder of the Celestial Empire!"
These words sound grand and dignified, but in reality, they present an extremely difficult problem.
Something that belongs only to your country, yet even you yourselves can't find? Isn't this asking the impossible? If you can't produce it, then the Great Xiao's reputation for "vast territory and abundant resources" is undeserved; if you just throw something in to fool us, then it further damages the dignity of the Celestial Empire.
This was clearly a show of force given to the young new emperor.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the throne, wanting to see how the young emperor would respond.
However, before Xiao Tuan could speak, on the other side, an envoy from Japan, a short man with a mustache, also slowly stepped forward, waving a fan.
He bowed deeply and said in a more sarcastic tone, "The request of the Dayuan envoy is quite interesting. We from Dongying also wish to request a 'most unique' delicacy from Your Majesty. This delicacy must be unique to Dongying and represent the soul of our nation. I wonder if Your Majesty would grant us this small wish?"
If the Dayuan envoy's request was "making things difficult," then the Japanese envoy's request was a blatant "provocation."
Food is inherently highly regional. To expect a foreign monarch to present a unique dish that represents the "soul of their nation"? That's simply a pipe dream!
For a moment, the officials of the Great Xiao Dynasty in the hall all showed expressions of anger. These two envoys were clearly conspiring to embarrass the new emperor in public at the grand banquet where all nations came to pay tribute!
However, Xiao Tuan, sitting on his throne, showed no anger at the onslaught of difficulties. Instead, he smiled slightly.
His clear eyes slowly swept over the two envoys below who thought they had succeeded.
In that instant, his "golden touch" in the culinary world had already quietly begun.
In his view, the whole world had become something else entirely.
He saw that above the arrogant Dayuan envoy's head floated a bowl of... a steaming liquid exuding a rich milky aroma. The liquid was half goat's milk and half mare's milk, with a few grains of golden roasted rice sprinkled on top.
Beside the bowl of [goat milk and mare's milk wine], a line of small print appeared: [Extreme homesickness—this is the warming wine my mother, far away on the grasslands, would make for me every winter. Ten years away from home, I haven't tasted it since.]
Xiao Tuan's gaze then turned to the sarcastic and eccentric Japanese envoy.
He saw a delicate little dish made of cherry blossom wood floating above the short man's head. On the dish were several pink, translucent pastries, made from fresh cherry blossom petals and unidentified white fruit pulp.
Next to the plate of cherry blossom wagashi (Japanese sweets), a line of small print appeared: "My favorite childhood flavor—this is my great-grandmother's unique recipe, sadly lost long ago."
...
Seeing all this, Xiao Tuan's smile deepened.
He slowly leaned back on the dragon throne and spoke in a calm and detached tone:
"The requests made by the two envoys are indeed...very innovative."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"However, since this is a grand banquet where all nations come to pay tribute, how can I allow my distinguished guests who have traveled from afar to leave disappointed?"
He gently raised his hand towards the chief eunuch beside him.
The chief eunuch immediately understood and bowed as he withdrew.
Everyone in the hall held their breath, wondering what the young emperor was up to. The two envoys, on the other hand, wore smug smiles, waiting for him to make a fool of himself.
A moment later, two groups of palace maids, with graceful steps, slowly walked out of the side hall.
In their hands, each held a tray covered with a gold thread cover.
All eyes were focused on the two trays.
The palace maids walked to the center of the hall and placed the tray steadily on the table in front of the two envoys.
Xiao Tuan's voice rang out again, carrying just the right amount of mystery:
“Envoy of Dayuan, please look. This is what I have prepared for you, something that belongs only to your Dayuan, and that even you yourselves find hard to find.”
Amidst everyone's curious gazes, the palace maid gently lifted the first gold-threaded cover.
A rich and unique milky aroma instantly filled the air.
On the tray sat a lustrous white jade bowl, filled to the brim with a warm, milky-white liquid, sprinkled with a few grains of golden roasted rice. The sight, the aroma…
"This...this is..."
The arrogant envoy from Dayuan was struck dumb the moment he saw the bowl of wine, and froze on the spot!
His eyes widened like saucers, staring intently at the bowl of wine. The arrogance on his face was instantly replaced by shock and disbelief! He even couldn't help but reach out and rub his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating from drinking too much!
This...this is the goat's milk and mare's milk wine that his mother had been brewing for him day and night, the wine he had been longing for!
The taste, the color, the fried rice sprinkled on top... it's exactly the same!
How...how is this possible?! This unique drink, which is only known to the king of Dayuan, is something even the king of Dayuan might not know about. How did this emperor of Daxiao, far away in the Central Plains, know about it?! And how did he manage to perfectly replicate it in such a short time?!
Before he could recover from his shock, Xiao Tuan's gaze turned to the Japanese envoy.
"Your Japanese envoy, please take a look. This is the 'unique' dish that I have prepared for you, representing the 'soul of your nation'."
The palace maid lifted the second gold-threaded cover.
A plate of pastries, as exquisite as a work of art, was presented to everyone.
Pink cherry blossom petals, enveloping snow-white fruit flesh, are crafted into translucent wagashi (Japanese sweets) and arranged on small cherry wood dishes. A delicate aroma, a blend of floral and fruity scents, wafts through the air.
"ah--!"
The moment the Japanese envoy saw the plate of wagashi (Japanese sweets), he let out a short gasp! The fan in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and he jumped up from his seat as if he had seen a ghost!
His face was filled with shock and fear ten times stronger than that of the Dayuan envoy!
“Sakura… cherry blossoms… Soul… Soul Fruit!” He pointed at the plate of pastries, his lips trembling, unable to even finish his sentence. “This… this is… the ‘Food of the Gods’ that has been lost for hundreds of years! How… how… how did you know?!”
This caused an uproar throughout the entire hall!
Everyone stared in disbelief at the surreal scene before them!
miracle!
This is simply a miracle!
This young emperor of the Great Xiao Dynasty not only accurately produced the things that the two envoys had deliberately made difficult for them, things that only existed in the depths of their memories, but also in such a casual and nonchalant way!
This can no longer be explained by "vast territory and abundant resources"!
This is practically... mind reading! No! It's a power only gods possess!
The two once arrogant envoys were now completely out of control. Looking at the young emperor on the throne, who was smiling at them, their expressions shifted from shock to horror, and finally to deep awe and fear.
What they seemed to see was no longer a mortal monarch, but an all-knowing, all-powerful...god!
Looking at their utterly shattered worldviews, Xiao Tuan chuckled inwardly, but maintained his inscrutable composure on his face.
He mimicked his mother's composed tone in court, slowly raised his wine cup, and said casually to the two terrified envoys below:
"This is just a small gift, nothing more."
He paused, his voice carrying the appropriate balance of humility and pride befitting a superior nation like China:
"Our country... is just vast and rich in resources."
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