Chapter 161: Chapter 161
Chapter 161
The sound of popping and the aroma wafting through the air captured everyone’s attention. It was a fragrance unfamiliar to them, something they had never encountered even in the royal palace. So, the enticing smell easily drew people’s interest.
Yueqian, unfazed by others, borrowed one of the many campfires to pop corn in a pan. The rich scent of butter filled the air, soon followed by the aroma of chocolate. The mere smell of the popcorn was thrilling enough, but combined with these alluring scents, how could anyone resist stopping what they were doing?
The two children put their heads together and eventually defeated the princess in two games, much to her humiliation. Her losses were not casual but utterly embarrassing. After losing two games, Huan’er lost interest, leaving her second brother to continue the chess match. As for herself, she ran eagerly to her beautiful sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, may I help you?" Yueqian looked at the excited child with affection. Seeing that Xiao Long was now the sole opponent of the princess, she guessed that the game might have become too easy for the two of them.
Although the princess had learned how to play chess, she only learned it to know how to play, unlike the two young children who understood chess through reading books. They asked Yueqian to buy them a chess set. The two children took turns playing with the book in hand. There were various patterns and strategies to the game. The siblings alternated placing pieces according to their preferred strategies and later chose to use the playing methods they were most skilled at.
It could be seen that they were quite sharp for their age. Since coming to the capital, the children, bored with playing number sliding puzzles, switched to playing chess instead.
Yueqian had two lives. In her previous life, she had access to many learning resources and even watched live broadcasts of annual chess competitions. Hence, many highly skilled players emerged, making it easy to watch them, unlike in this era. Therefore, she could adapt more than the two children and could easily finish the princess’s game.
Despite this era’s knowledge, the two children were not lacking compared to anyone. They enjoyed doing what interested them, playing joyfully together. Perhaps... even now, Qu Yi might be better than the princess.
"So, help your sister-in-law prepare the bowls." Since she needed to divide into three flavors, Yueqian took out a large bowl. She didn’t make it for anyone else, just for her husband and the two children.
Of course, this made others extremely jealous!
After she finished, she asked Huan’er to bring the first batch of popcorn to her elder brother. Meanwhile, Yueqian brought another batch to where Xiao Long was sitting. Mu Heng and his master were drinking alcohol, uninterested in fruit juice. So, only she and the two younger ones got to drink the juice. No! Qu Yi also got to enjoy the delicious fruit juice.
"Ah, it’s so delicious," Huan’er drank the juice to her heart’s content. This juice was different from usual because her sister-in-law mixed various fruits together, unlike before when it was just a single type of fruit like orange juice, lemon juice, or even apple juice.
This time, there was an unusual yellow color. Of course, Yueqian added more fruits. She had added pineapple to enhance the flavor. She actually wanted to bring out prune juice from the supermarket but couldn’t do that, so she squeezed fresh fruits instead. As for the pineapple, she didn’t tell anyone what else she put in.
The taste was slightly sour, a bit sweet, and had a pinch of salt to create a balanced flavor. This would refresh the children from today’s exhaustion.
Drinking fruit juice wasn’t very popular; the wealthy preferred tea. Yueqian also liked drinking tea, but in such hot weather, tea wasn’t suitable for her. Fruit juice was much more helpful.
Crunch, crunch.
As Xiao Long played, he grabbed some popcorn to eat. When his tongue tasted the flavor, his eyes widened with delight. He didn’t say anything because he was too busy enjoying his chewing.
Seeing his happy face, the princess and her servants couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. The same happened in Mu Heng’s drinking circle. The young man and his master had the privilege of enjoying delicious food. Fortunately, Mu Heng wasn’t stingy, so he placed the snack in the center for everyone to share. Seeing Mu Heng and his master eating with gusto, the noblemen from neighboring Regions reached out to grab some of the snack as well.
"It’s truly delicious. In my entire life, I’ve never tasted anything this good," the Wang said, which increased the surrounding people’s interest. However, they didn’t have the courage to ask for a taste. How could they dare to snatch it when the Wang was satisfied?
Mu Heng didn’t respond. He and his master merely looked at the Wang with odd expressions. Of course, those who had tasted Yueqian’s cooking before knew that popcorn was just popcorn. The process wasn’t overly luxurious. Was it delicious? Yes, it was. But it was just a snack.
If the main dishes they ate every day were tasted by the others, would they demolish their own palace out of frustration? Just the popcorn had already made them say they had never tasted anything so delicious in their life!
They must have forgotten that when they first tasted it, they had the same thought. Especially the former great general, who had traveled far and wide, believed he had tasted better food than the emperor. Who would have thought that at that time, he nearly coughed up blood, realizing that he had only eaten junk food before, yet claimed to have tasted the finest delicacies!
What a disgrace!
"The grilled meat is delicious," Mu Heng said comfortingly, even though he could barely stomach swallowing it.
These meats were special orders from his wife, who had hoped to make a delectable meal. Who would have thought that these premium cuts would be grilled until they lost all their value? His wife’s grilled meat smelled mouthwateringly good, whereas the grilled meat these people were eating resembled the carcass of a pig that had been dead for ten years.
"Ha! Delicious, you say? I saw you almost toss it after just two bites. I believe your wife must be quite skilled. Otherwise, you wouldn’t regard this food as worthless." The Wang wasn’t a fool; he laughed mockingly.
This startled the accompanying chefs, causing their apprentices to quickly hide their faces. Although they had prepared dishes like this before without issue, they couldn’t help but feel genuinely embarrassed by the unfamiliar aroma this time.
After all, they were palace chefs, selected and reselected for their positions. Who wouldn’t be confident in their skills? Hearing such disdainful remarks, their eyes couldn’t help but turn red.
"Indeed, my wife is very talented." Mu Heng might have been humble about his own abilities, but he couldn’t deny a compliment to his wife.
"In that case, tomorrow, I’ll have my men learn a thing or two. What do you say?"
"I don’t want my wife to be too exhausted," Mu Heng refused without a second thought. This caused those around to bow their heads in fear. Normally, who would dare to refuse the fierce Wang? If the other party dared to do this, he would lose his head for sure.
As everyone thought this, their Wang laughed aloud.
“It’s not necessary for her to cook. How about something simple like the juice the children drink? I saw her squeezing fresh juice. It shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Of course, I’ll pay for it as if I were dining at a famous restaurant. What do you say?”
Mu Heng thought for a moment. After considering his wife’s well-being, he asked.
“Can you pay in gold taels instead of banknotes?” Since he noticed his wife was always happier seeing gold taels rather than banknotes, Mu Heng made this request.
“Hm? Alright then.” Although he did not understand, as most people preferred banknotes, the other party was asking for heavy taels. It was a bit strange, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t give it.
Once they agreed, they stopped talking about food and shifted to more masculine topics. Mostly, they shared stories about their travels in the Du Region. Since Mu Heng and his master were from this Region, the Bai Region people weren’t afraid to share.
Of course, they didn’t dare share routes within their own Region, fearing that future enemies might learn too much. Little did they know that Mu Heng would be the very person they’d follow in the future. The legends about Mu Heng, even before he entered the Bai Region, were unforgettable, and from now, they already had a favorable impression of him.
Warriors always admire skilled warriors.
Meanwhile, Yueqian and her siblings nearly brought the princess to tears. Finally, she conceded and asked them to teach her seriously. This was initiated by the kind-hearted Huan’er, who recommended the books she had bought and read. Since she had read and memorized them, the young girl didn’t hesitate to share them with her new friend.
In fact, these books were expensive, but it seemed that the rewards her sister-in-law received were far more valuable. Thus, she didn’t regret spending money on books. Moreover, she had copied many books herself. Her sister-in-law said that copying books could earn money, and they could be sold in any Region. So, the two children spent their free time practicing calligraphy, honing their skills, and making money simultaneously.
The princess, grateful for their kindness, began to see the three of them differently. Reading books was not difficult for her, and the method of play wasn’t too challenging either. She already knew and understood it beforehand. Comparing it with the children’s play earlier, she realized which strategies they were referencing.
In the end, it was she who became fascinated with the board game. The more she learned about its variations and complexities, the more she liked it.
Yueqian immediately knew her job was done. She took her siblings to bed, leaving the others to discuss among themselves in the women’s tent.
By the time Mu Heng came to bed, Yueqian and her siblings were already asleep. He didn’t wake his beautiful wife, letting her rest because she had a busy day ahead.
While Mu Heng’s party and the Wang were resting peacefully, the other side couldn’t remain calm after hearing that their plan had failed miserably!
“What do we do now? We can’t leave that princess from the Bai Region alone. The Bai Region supports the crown prince. If she gains power, doesn’t that mean the crown prince will surely secure his position?” The Fifth Prince exclaimed angrily.
The Third Prince, sitting nearby, could only sigh. He sat quietly, drinking his wine, listening to his men argue and shift blame.“If it weren’t for that lowborn interfering...” The Fifth Prince was furious. Recalling the face of that lowborn commoner, he wanted to kill him even more!
