The Eternal Beauty of the City of Wealth

Zixuan was led by the master of ceremonies to the front of the altar to burn incense and pray. After offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, he came to the Zi family ancestral hall.

She lit the incense and candles, knelt on the ground, and prayed silently in her heart: "My dear ancestors, I swear here that it won't be long before I will make the Lai Kingdom strong and prosperous."

"As for the people of Vanlaidi, my grandson will also ensure their happiness and well-being, and they will never have to worry about food and clothing!"

After the sacrifice was completed, it was already noon.

Then the eunuch shouted, "My lords, the king has ordered a banquet to be held in the dining hall of the palace at noon today. Please go there!"

After expressing their gratitude, the ministers surrounded Zixuan and the queen and walked towards the dining hall.

Crown Prince Jiang Guang walked beside Zixuan, stealing glances at her from time to time.

Zixuan felt funny when he saw him like this; this Taizi Guang, his head full of love, could it be that he has fallen in love with me, haha.

Soon everyone arrived at the main door of the dining hall. The door was open, and dozens of guards stood in neat rows on both sides. They were all tall and mighty, with determined expressions.

Above the gate hung a black plaque, on which were written in large, gold-plated characters: (Imperial Kitchen)

As they entered the courtyard, the eunuch shouted, "Ministers, please dine in the room on the right. The king and the envoy will dine on the left!"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. "Didn't the late king always dine with us at banquets when he was alive? Why has this changed today?"

Thinking back, it was true that Prince Guang and Yan Ying were both summoned on behalf of Duke Ling of Qi.

As special envoys, it is not objectionable for the king to entertain them individually.

So, everyone slowly walked into the restaurant on the right.

After entering the restaurant, everyone looked around and was immediately stunned by the scene before them. Where is this? Is this the dining hall? Are those all food?

While everyone was discussing in surprise, the Chief Manager Qi Shi stood on a high place.

He bowed to everyone and said, "My Lords, I am the Head Steward of the Imperial Kitchen. Most of this food has been shipped in from overseas, so please enjoy it with confidence!"

"All of these things are for eating, drinking, and daily use. Everyone can use them as they please. Take as much as you want!"

"Since there are so many different kinds of food, please take a smaller portion and add more if you don't have enough."

"The king has said that we can only eat here and not take anything out. If you disobey his orders, anyone who takes too much and has no leftovers, or secretly takes anything out, will be punished with a year's imprisonment!"

"The king has also issued an order that, starting tomorrow, the morning court session will be changed to the hour of Si in the morning."

"Every day at noon, we eat in the imperial kitchen. The king provides the meals."

"If you don't know how to eat or use it, we have restaurant staff here. If you don't understand anything, they will teach you!"

Qi Shi finished speaking and waved towards the door. Immediately, fifty guards came in and dispersed among the ministers.

The ministers were stunned at first, and then they started discussing excitedly; the court time was changed to Si time, which was great, now they don’t have to get up early and stay up late.

Your Majesty, you provide lunch every day. How wonderful! This time, I am in for a treat.

Haha, Lord Lin, you wouldn't even skip breakfast and just wait for this meal, hahahaha.

Look at these eating and drinking utensils, I have never seen or heard of them before, yes, yes.

Everyone was talking and laughing, and someone immediately started moving, walking towards the direction where the food was placed.

Dozens of guards also followed them and patiently explained things to them.

How to eat this, how to drink that, how to open the bottle cap, how to tear the packaging bag.

Immediately, the restaurant was filled with people and became bustling with activity.

One minister picked up a glass bottle of white wine, his face flushed with excitement. "My Lords, come and see what material this bottle is made of! It's so translucent and smooth, even jade wall is better than it!"

"Look at the wine in here, it's so clear and transparent, without any impurities at all."

"Come on, come on, gentlemen, let's go over and have a taste together. What do you think?"

"Okay, okay, Master Zhu, we are willing to enjoy it with you!"

Then in a moment, the sound of finger-guessing games could be heard in the hall.

They had completely forgotten about the late king's coffin, which was still in a side hall.

The guard commander Ji You couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head.

He muttered to himself, "When a person dies, it's like a light goes out. It's time to have a feast right away, hehe."

On the other side, the Queen, Zixuan, Crown Prince Guang and Yan Ying, as well as several ministers whose loyalty had reached full marks, slowly tasted the food.

Several guards also patiently explained to them, and everyone's reaction was the same as that of everyone in the other room.

Crown Prince Jiang Guang never left Zixuan's side. Whenever Zixuan took something, he took it too. Whenever Zixuan took something, he took it too. Whatever Zixuan ate, he ate too.

Zixuan was so upset that she looked at Jiang Guang helplessly and thought to herself: This kid is just a follower.

Although my current body is eighteen years old, my soul is already over a hundred years old.

At sixteen years old, he is about the same age as his great-grandson in his previous life, haha.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard the queen calling her: "Xuan'er, come and sit down!"

Zixuan agreed and walked to the table and sat down. Prince Guang also quickly followed and sat next to her.

The table was already filled with food, including everyone's favorite dishes, as well as drinks and wine.

Taiwei Yi Ke stood up, holding a bottle of white wine. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen, Your Majesty the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, and all the nobles!"

"Today is the day of my great king's coronation. Ke and the others, fill up the glasses and let us drink a toast to celebrate!"

After that, he filled the glasses according to the order of honor. Everyone raised their glasses and said in unison, "Congratulations to the King on his successful coronation!"

After that, everyone drank the wine in one gulp. Zixuan also stood up, holding his glass.

He said to the Crown Prince and Yan Ying, "Your Highness, Prime Minister Yan, it is thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Prince of Qi that Zixuan has achieved the honor he has today."

"Here, Zixuan offers a toast to the King of Qi and the two special envoys. I hope you will return to Linzi and meet the King of Qi to express my gratitude to him on my behalf."

"I'd also like to trouble you two to speak well of me in front of the King of Qi. Zixuan will surely be grateful!"

After saying this, he drank the wine in the cup in one gulp. The Crown Prince and Yan Ying quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty. We will do as you say when we return!"

After saying this, he also drank up the wine in his cup. Then everyone toasted each other and started eating happily.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Prince Guang's face flushed from drinking. He said to Zixuan, "Xuan'er, Guang and you hit it off right away. I'm very happy. I'd like to treat you like brother or sister. What do you think?"

Zixuan was a little confused and looked at him in surprise.

Before she could say anything, the queen's anxious voice reached her ears: "Xuan'er, mother agrees, from now on you two can call each other brother and sister!"

Then he turned to Prince Guang and said, "Your Highness, you are so condescending. Xuan'er is marrying above your station."

"In that case, may I trouble Your Highness to tell me how old you are?"

Gongzi Guang's lips trembled with excitement, so he clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Guang is sixteen years old this year."

The queen nodded after hearing this and said, "Xuan'er is eighteen years old this year. She is the elder sister and you are the younger brother."

Prince Guang hurriedly bowed to Zixuan and said, "I am Jiang Guang, the younger brother, and I pay my respects to Sister Xuan."

Zixuan was still covered in tears, and the queen pulled her sleeve and said, "Xuan'er, why don't you return the greeting?"

Zixuan coughed dryly twice and bowed to the prince hurriedly: "Oh, um...well...Okay then, Xuan'er will accept you as his younger brother!"

Jiang Guang quickly supported her, and the two had physical contact.

Jiang Guang felt a tingling sensation throughout his body. A current of electricity coursed through him, and he couldn't help but shudder slightly.

When everyone saw this, they immediately stood up, holding their wine glasses, and shouted in unison: "Congratulations to the King, congratulations to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"