Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 640 Born as a unicorn, how can I wash away this blood (Part )

The atmosphere in the field did not change. Everyone still finished their spoken words with a smile. Then there was a brief silence. Some people looked at the leader, and some looked at Yong Ji.

"It has been a while since the prince came to the capital, but unfortunately it was not a coincidence that he was able to come to the palace to have a chat today." Li Huang fixed his eyes on Yong Ji and said to everyone, "Your Majesty often told me that when he was young, he fought bloody battles in the northern borders with the King of Yan, and rode with him. The two of them survived, and I don't know how many times they saved each other's lives."

Li Huang's voice was gentle and soft, like the spring night breeze: "In the past dynasties, once the monarch and his subjects were separated, they were thousands of miles apart and had not seen each other for years, and they often became jealous of each other. I am even more worried that one of them would be in the imperial court while the other would be in charge of the army. They would have different thoughts and ideas, which would easily lead to misunderstandings. I am not in the imperial court, so I don't understand everything. Sometimes I was worried about this matter and discussed it with Your Majesty, but Your Majesty just waved his hand, as if he heard nothing but nonsense."

"It is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty that the emperor and his subjects have such trust in each other. It is what the elders want to see the friendship between the previous generations continue to the next generation. Now that Prince Yongji has come to the capital, you should get to know him better. This is not only to cherish the friendship, but also for the stability of the future of the Tang Dynasty."

Everyone nodded in agreement and raised their glasses to toast Yong Ji. Yong Ji stood up and saluted everyone one by one. He was tall and straight, and the nobility cultivated as a prince still stood out among the yellow robes.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Queen. My father sent me to the capital. In addition to some affairs, he especially reminded me to be friendly with the other princes. In the past few months, because of our common love of hunting, I have played a lot with the Third Prince. I am a humble and distant person, so I hope the other princes will treat me more in the future." After saying this, he bowed to everyone and drank a full cup. It was all light spring wine, which was not intoxicating.

Li Huang looked at him with a satisfied expression, then turned around and smiled, "But these are just empty words. You can't ignore them in the future. In order to avoid estrangement between the two sides, and because their respective young people are still young, Your Majesty and the King of Yan have agreed to cultivate a Qin-Jin friendship. I think many of you have already known about this."

Li Yujin laughed and said, "Pulling cartloads of red silk into the palace... unless you are blind."

Princess Yuan also laughed: "It's a rare lively occasion, everyone is talking about it."

"Does a few carts of red silk bother you? You don't have to pull the carts." Li Huang glared at him. "A royal marriage starts when a girl is eight or nine years old. She has to embroider red clothes and make gold threads... What can you do with that little bit of red silk? You don't care about your sisters' affairs, but just talk here."

Li Yujin lowered his head and raised his glass.

Li Huang turned back and continued, "There is nothing to be shy about in the Tang dynasty. The only daughters of marriageable age in the royal family are the Sixth Prince and my daughter, and they are both at the table. Marriages must always be a happy one for both parties. I wonder which one the prince likes. Since this is a family dinner, why not tell me first?"

Yong Ji bowed and raised his glass, saying modestly: "It is a great honor for Yong Ji to have a girl like you look after me. How dare I make any choices? It is all up to you, Your Majesty."

"Your Highness respects the emperor with courtesy, and is a good man." Li Huang laughed twice, "But I didn't ask you to 'choose', as if you can take whoever you like - you tell me who you like first, and then I will ask my daughters what they think, and we may not like you either."

Everyone at the table laughed.

Yong Ji lowered his head in embarrassment, but still bowed, and said in a gentle voice: "Yong Ji dare not say anything that offends Miss Lin, I just hope you can look at me."

Li Youlong's face was still pale, and he looked at the untouched dishes on the table with a distracted look, as if he wanted to look to the west from time to time. Li Cannan sat in front of the table, the pride of the Tang princess was still alive and well, but her cheeks were already stained with a little red. After Yong Ji's two words, she raised her chin slightly.

"Then it depends on who is willing to 'look after' you - well, I just said that the first four plates are all cold in nature." Li Huang turned around and saw a row of palace maids lined up behind him.

She raised her hand to signal for the fifth course to be served, and handed a pot of hot stew to each table.

"Camel hoof soup is the dish that took the longest time to cook today. We started preparing it before sunrise." Li Huang picked up the chopsticks and introduced, "It uses the tribute camel's front hoof from the Western Regions, stewed with partridge and bamboo fungus, and topped with Western red flowers, which is quite warming. As the saying goes, 'The purple camel's peak emerges from the green cauldron, and the crystal plate is covered with white scales'. This fourth and fifth dish of mine is taken from this poem."

Yong Ji tasted a piece and said, "I've never had such a soft and refreshing pork trotter soup before. The ones made by the chefs in the mansion are either strong or fishy."

"That's really not the fault of the cooking skills. The hooves of livestock are easy to smell fishy and are difficult to eat. The palace makes this dish well because the tribute camels have been raised clean since childhood, especially for these four hooves."

"I see."

Li Yujin ate two pieces and praised it highly. Li Chen stood there with his hands up, not knowing what he was thinking. Li Cannan picked up a piece of camel's hoof with chopsticks very elegantly. This princess was indeed impeccable in etiquette and looked much more noble than Li Youlong.

Li Xizhou didn't move her chopsticks. Pei Ye looked at her questioningly. She pushed him nonchalantly, "This is delicious. I'll give you both cans."

"Thank you." Pei Yezheng felt that it tasted good.

After tasting a few mouthfuls, everyone at the table put down their chopsticks. This round of dishes was considered a tasting. Li Huang's movements were very precise and clean when eating, without getting any soup on her. However, she still had to wait for the maid to wipe her lips and hands before continuing, "Youlong, you have been with the prince for the past two days, so you should be more familiar with him. In your eyes, what kind of person is Prince Yong Ji? Is there anything about him that you are not used to?"

Li Youlong bowed slightly and said, "Mother, the Crown Prince is modest and polite, has profound insights, and is as elegant as a gentleman. I have no complaints."

Li Huang nodded and said, "Although this is the case, friends and lovers are different after all. If there is a matchmaker between you and Prince Yong Ji, would you be willing to get engaged?"

"Mother, I am willing to do so."

Li Huang curled his lips in satisfaction, and looked to the other side: "Cannan, you are my biological child. Zhier left early because of an important mission, so I kept you in the palace all these years, and I was reluctant to let you go. However, a girl should get married when she grows up. Now that I have a good matchmaker, I also want to ask you, what do you think of Prince Yongji?"

"Your son, your son will obey your mother's arrangements."

"As a person of this position, I am naturally responsible for marriages in the palace. However, since this is a family matter and this is a family banquet, we might as well discuss it first." Li Huang said in a gentle voice, "Once we have an agreement, we can inform outsiders when we get engaged."

"I will not hide my thoughts, because I feel that the northern border is remote and desolate, and Youlong is a rare child of the Ming Palace, with true blood, and I really don't want him to be far away from the clan. So I intend to point Cannan to this marriage." Li Huang said, "What do you think?"

Li Youlong drooped his eyelids and stopped fiddling with the spoon.

At this time, the next row of palace maids walked to the table. Their footsteps and movements of serving food were gentler, and they almost tiptoed as they walked.

This dish consists of three light pink duck eggs, which were dyed this color by unknown factors. The dome has been neatly cut open, and a few lines of ancient seal characters are engraved on the remaining shell surface. Looking inside, it is filled with orange-red and tender white, which are crab roe and diced bamboo shoots.

"I think Sixth Sister and Yong Ji are a better match."

The place was very quiet. Li Yujin raised his head and swallowed a duck egg. He stared at the inside and picked up the residue with chopsticks. After swallowing it, he put it down with satisfaction: "The two of them are dressed in black and white. They are usually taciturn, but they have something to talk about when they get together these days." Li Huang tapped the duck egg in front of him with his fingernails and smiled, "Really? What are you talking about?"

"Mother, you are making things difficult for me. Am I supposed to be following them and eavesdropping?" Li Yujin said, "However, my sixth sister likes the cold by nature, so going to the north should suit her. My eighth sister likes the hustle and bustle, so it would be inappropriate to ask her to leave the capital."

He picked up another duck egg with his chopsticks.

"That makes sense." Li Huang scratched the eggshell lightly with his fingernails and smiled, "But I suddenly remembered something. It seems that after getting married, we don't have to go far to the northern border. There is also the Prince of Yan's Mansion in Shenjing City. Living there, we can avoid the pain of separation from our blood relatives."

Li Yujin smiled: "That depends on Yong Ji's willingness - if he gets married, he will be alone when he returns to Northern Xinjiang, which is too miserable."

"You are the most heartless. He is suffering, but don't you miss your sister? You don't even know which side you are standing on." Li Huang smiled and glared at him.

Li Bijun sat obediently. She knew not to interrupt when adults were talking. She lowered her head and ate half a duck egg. She found it so delicious that she raised her head and handed it to her mother. Her mother took it with one hand and covered her mouth with the other hand without leaving a trace.

Li Youlong lowered his head, his fingers still resting on the handle of the spoon, without any expression and without words.

She listened to what each of them said, and moved her eyes downward. The hand resting on her leg under the table was trembling slightly, and she mobilized her true energy to suppress it.

Will there be another chance? She wondered silently.

No more.

Just this once.

Whether you agree or not, I will take Meng'er away.

"Yes," Li Chen said seriously at this time, "I will miss Sister Nan very much."

"...You two have played well together since childhood. Cannan must miss you too."

"So, I am reluctant to let Sister Nan get married, so why not let Sixth Sister take care of the marriage?"

Li Cannan was stunned for a moment and looked at him blankly.

Li Huang frowned and scolded: "You are so old and still talk like a child. Youlong is also my sister, you can't talk like that."

"Oh." Li Chen stood up apologetically and bowed to Li Youlong.

Li Huang sighed and smiled: "Your strength since childhood is that you are serious, but you are always too serious and can't take a joke."

She paused, her fingers still tapping the duck eggs: "I have considered what you said, but... I'm afraid Cannan will be angry with me after I say this - I want her to go, not because I'm partial to anyone, but because she met Prince Yongji a while ago and fell in love with him, and my mother is selfish and always wants to make this a good thing."

As soon as he said this, Pei Ye paused in his eating movements and looked up at Li Cannan. As expected, he saw that her face was pale.

"I feel that Sister Nan doesn't like Prince Yong Ji, and she has never been to the Northern Territory." Li Chen spoke slowly and quietly, "Sister Nan, you just want to save face, so you'd better not go. If you really get married, you will definitely regret it."

"Ah! If you say that, my eighth sister will pull your ears hard." Li Yujin raised her head and laughed, "Although it's a family dinner, there are still many people here!"

Li Chen didn't say anything. Li Cannan forced a smile and stared into space.

Li Huang smiled: "We are all family, it's nothing."

"However, if Youlong wants to get married, there will be many troubles." She slightly suppressed her smile and lowered her eyes to think, "Don't forget that Youlong is a true blood heir. First of all, the unicorn blood cannot leave the capital, which is a hurdle."

She raised her eyes and said seriously, "Secondly, going to the northern border is different from going anywhere else. Going further north means we are bordering the barbarians. Although there has been a truce for many years, I live deep in the palace and I know that war is always imminent. The blood of unicorns is the foundation of a country. If we place them on the border, the country may be in danger. You are all unicorns, so you should think more about this."

Li Youlong lowered his head and gripped the handle of the spoon. He suddenly tasted something fishy and sweet in his mouth and subconsciously relaxed his jaw.

Yes, Pei Ye thought, I wonder what the King of Yan is going to do.

He wants unicorn blood, so of course I can't give it to him.

Pei Ye raised his eyes to glance above him. Li Zhi was still sitting upright, like air or a tree. Li Yujin lowered his head to eat the third duck egg. Li Chen clasped his hands together, looking at Li Cannan beside him nervously.

Is this the situation Yong Ji expected? However, it seems that it is not enough to push anything forward, as Li Huang has already said the word "Linxue".

Then he was stunned and turned his head. The woman beside him said calmly, "Ask Youlong to go to the northern border. Linzi is not a sheep to be chased by others. As soon as she shows up, the enemy will not dare to approach. Youlong is very talented and has a strong will. Asking her to stay in the north is to be a pillar to resist the barbarians."

Li Huang paused with his fingers, and a small crack appeared on the duck egg.

She withdrew her fingers, gathered her sleeves, thought for a moment, turned around and smiled, indicating that the seventh dish that had been prepared earlier should be brought in.

"This is 'Cold Toad Soup'. There are two dishes, one salty and one fishy. Let's have a light cold snack to soothe the throat." Li Huang smiled and said softly, "In this case, let's take Youlong first. I will report the true blood of Youlong to His Majesty and inform the five surnames. We will discuss it together and think of a solution. If there is a solution, everyone will be happy. If Youlong's matter is difficult to accomplish, there is no need to delay the marriage of the two families. The marriage of Cannan will be completed."

(End of this chapter)