Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 786 The Illusionary Feast (Part 1)

Yuan Zhao's lips trembled slightly.

Outside Chengtian Gate, all was quiet. He walked five steps forward with a blank expression, knelt down to receive the imperial edict, and the officials behind him all prostrated themselves, shouting in unison that the country was blessed.

Three hundred messengers had already reined in their horses outside the Vermilion Bird Gate. Now that they had received the imperial edict, they raised their messenger flags and galloped out, as swift as a rain of arrows and as scattered as an open flower.

The news from the Ming Palace was spread throughout the city.

Then, from this magnificent city, countless messages would fly in all directions, exiting through the thirty-two gates and spreading throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, and even beyond its northern and southern borders.

Of course, some were relieved, some were pleasantly surprised, and some were shocked and found it hard to accept. But no matter how the world reacted, the selection of Qilin had been announced to the world.

As the midday sun shone, the Tang Dynasty welcomed its new emperor.

Pei Ye stood outside the Zichen Hall. After the Tang Emperor handed over the edict, he turned and went back into the hall. A moment later, the other six heirs filed out.

The magnificent sounds of bells and chimes resounded in the palace, and the high-pitched voice of the master of ceremonies echoed once again before the hall. Pei Ye and the rest of the imperial guards were led to the edge, and a large number of eunuchs began to bow their heads and leave, escorting the hall masters back to their respective halls.

Grand Eunuch Feng had already returned to the palace to coordinate the events, and most of the people had dispersed. He noticed the young man beside him, who was staring intently at the Zichen Hall with his hand on his sword. He stopped the official in charge of ceremonies from approaching, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped forward himself: "Young Master Pei, His Highness Prince Jinyang should follow His Majesty out of the Vermilion Bird Gate to receive the homage of his subjects and will not come to see you. Young Master, would you like to return to the Vermilion Mirror Hall to wait, or leave the palace?"

Pei Ye snapped out of her reverie: "Oh, Eunuch Feng. Is it against etiquette for me to catch a glimpse of His Highness as he emerges?"

Feng Zhongyu was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the young man to utter such a sentence. He didn't dare to speculate on what the swordsman was worried about, and only said, "It's not impossible. However, His Majesty and His Highness should be out soon. After that, they will be receiving their ministers and holding a grand ceremony. They may not have the energy to take care of you, young hero. If you have a place to go after that, I can make arrangements for you."

Pei Ye didn't answer. He turned his head and saw the two figures walking out of the Zichen Palace, followed by a large entourage. The bright sunlight shone on the woman's face, making her look like a deity.

Relieved, he turned around and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Feng. I will now leave with His Highness the Eleventh Prince."

He turned and left. In front of the Zichen Palace, Li Xizhou followed Li Yao out of the palace gate and was immediately struck by the bright sunlight of the world.

It was already noon.

Her expression remained unchanged, but the man in front of her stopped, seemingly gazing into the distance.

Li Xizhou looked over the man's shoulder and saw that the palace buildings with their green tiles shone brightly, and in the distance, the eaves, like the sea, were covered with a light mist.

Zichen Hall is not the highest point in Shenjing, but no building taller than it is allowed on this central axis. So, theoretically, as long as you have good eyesight, you can see all the way to the South Gate of Shenjing from here.

But she only glanced at him, because most of her vision was occupied by the man's back.

In Li Xizhou's memory, there had almost never been a time when they were this close. If there had been, it was when they were very young, and their heads were probably not even as high as the hem of his clothes.

At this moment, he could almost smell the masculine scent emanating from him. Like the perspective from which he was viewed, it was completely unfamiliar to Li Xizhou.

For the past twenty-three years, apart from the last night visit to the Zichen Palace, the two have had almost no communication. If there was any, it was at most her one-sided blessing during sacrificial rites or festivals. Moreover, she has not often participated in palace festivals in recent years.

The man's back view was somewhat different from what Li Xizhou remembered. The imagined, more concrete image than the real one was much larger and more unpredictable, while the figure in front of him was handsome and tall, with shoulders narrower than Pei Ye's, and seemed like a real person.

In reality, the seven years Li Xizhou spent manipulating events in Shenjing were seven years of trying to understand this figure. In some areas, she knew she understood correctly, and proceeded without hesitation; in others, she misunderstood and encountered insurmountable obstacles. And in still others, she didn't understand clearly—it was a fog and a deep sea.

The more she knew him, the more power she wielded.

Li Yao suddenly spoke up: "Are you scared?"

Li Xizhou paused slightly: "Some."

"Don't be afraid." Li Yao didn't turn around. "I'm still young."

He lowered his head and walked down the steps, while Li Xizhou lagged behind by a step and followed.

The bright sunlight streaming through the entire Daming Palace made it clear that it was summer, and Li Xizhou felt a bit hot, especially when the distant cheers and noise reached him.

But this was probably the first time she didn't have to decide the direction of her steps, nor did she have to think about how to control or how to speak. She followed the man in the yellow robe in front of her without expression as she climbed the city wall, and in an instant, it seemed as if the entire capital was boiling with excitement.

Crowded in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate, the endless sea of ​​people had been waiting for who knows how long.

Until they saw two figures, one in yellow robes and the other in black, appear on the gate tower.

After countless years, the Tang Emperor finally met with the people once again. Countless elderly people were moved to tears. He was still young and strong, and there was not a trace of frost on his temples.

This yellow robe is the pillar of the empire, and also its faith. Without any words, his very presence here is enough to infuse the empire with warmth and dispel countless conspiracies and rumors.

Beside him stood the new heir of the Tang Dynasty, the second person in the Tang Dynasty to make a pact with the Qilin. The previous imperial edict had already spread throughout the name of this eldest daughter. She was dressed in a crown and imperial robes, her pale eyes slightly lowered, looking even younger, and her face was as sacred and astonishing as rumored.

Hundreds of thousands of people gradually quieted down.

"I have heard that when the emperor establishes the empire, he must appoint a virtuous and capable ruler; when the auspicious signs appear, they truly signify a blessed destiny." Li Yao's calm voice echoed throughout the entire imperial city. "Your eldest daughter, Xizhou, is of exceptional intelligence and has been blessed with wisdom since childhood. Today, the emperor has made her crown prince and placed her in the Eastern Palace."

Yuan Zhao prostrated himself and kowtowed: "May the Purple Emperor shine brightly, may the Crown Prince be wise and sagacious, may Heaven bless the Great Tang!"

Officials kowtowed, and it was unclear who started it. The onlookers also knelt down one after another, and the area in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate was transformed into a solemn and grand scene.

Countless white cranes were released from the Daming Palace, bells and chimes rang out, and the master of ceremonies announced loudly: "All officials shall enter the court for the investiture ceremony. We shall then proceed to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to receive the Imperial Seal!"

……

……

Daming Palace.

Li Wuyan, who was waiting outside the door, finally smiled slightly when she saw the young man coming over.

Pei Ye walked over, and the eunuchs subconsciously raised their hands, but Li Wuyan stepped forward first and grabbed Pei Ye's sleeve.

Pei Ye lowered her head and smiled: "Now you've learned to smile without showing your teeth."

Li Wuyan felt a little embarrassed.

Pei Ye looked at the little girl and seemed to see Li Xizhou as a child.

After her bloodline awakened, her eyes were bright and clear, yet she was like a newborn infant, observing and contemplating everything in the past and present. However, unlike Li Xizhou back then, a six-year-old life had indeed not seen much.

"Is Your Highness nervous?"

“I’m a little nervous. Father and my brothers and sisters are not saying anything,” Li Wuyan said, her little face becoming serious. “Brother Pei Ye, I can’t reveal anything about the selection of the emperor.”

Pei Ye nodded: "I know, I didn't ask you."

"If Brother Pei Ye asks, we'll be arrested."

Pei Ye smiled.

“But I can say that in the end, Father Emperor told us to pay our respects to our elder sister,” Li Wuyan said. “Then he said that we should assist in the new policies and support our elder sister—Brother Pei Ye. What are ‘assist’ and ‘support’?”

Pei Ye looked down at her, while Li Wuyan looked up at him with her big eyes wide open.

"...Did I not study hard enough? I need to study harder in the future."

"I haven't started studying yet, Brother Pei Ye. I've only just learned to read." Li Wuyan said, somewhat bewildered.

“Hmm.” Pei Ye turned his head. “Where do you want to go fishing?” Although the girl was quick-witted and noticed that her brother Pei Ye was unwilling to delve deeper into this topic, she still didn’t understand how important it was for an adult to save face.

Before he could figure out the previous question, a surge of joy welled up inside him, and he exclaimed, "Let's go to Taiye Pond!"

No matter how lively the front palace was, the back palace remained quiet. Li Wuyan took the boy to see her newly bestowed palace, "Lingqi," and got a small fishing rod. Then Pei Ye led her to Taiye Pond.

The spring waters were rippling, and there was no need to break the ice anymore. The two of them sat on benches, casting their lines and chatting and laughing, until dusk was approaching when a voice came from behind them.

"I've worked hard all day, and you're here having fun with Wuyan."

Pei Ye turned his head and saw the woman's clean and clear face. She had changed back into Xu Chuo's attire and was leaning against a tree, smiling at them.

Pei Ye was stunned for a moment, then stood up, walked forward, and gently hugged her.

Li Xizhou stiffened slightly, then smiled and rested his chin on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke.

Li Wuyan stood to the side, holding two fishing rods, looking up in a daze, and then let out a soft "Ah!"

She thought for a moment and said, "Brother Pei Ye, your fishing rod is so heavy, I can't hold it."

Pei Ye smiled and turned around, taking the fishing rod from her hand: "I'll fish for one last one with you, and then your elder sister and I will leave the palace."

"Great!" Li Wuyan thought. It took Pei Ye more than an hour to catch one fish, so they could play until dark.

Before she could finish speaking, the boy lifted the fishing rod and pulled up a lively fish.

"Alright. Wuyan, let's play again next time." Pei Ye wrapped the fishing rod and handed it to her. "Please keep it for me."

Li Wuyan stared blankly, then glanced at Li Xizhou by the tree with a hint of grievance and resentment before lowering her head to pack up her small fishing rod.

“You look forward to your Pei Ye brother every day, but sometimes when I’m in the palace, you don’t even ask me to come fishing with you,” Li Xizhou said with a smile.

"My elder sister doesn't even know how to bait the hook and cast it properly, and she doesn't even want to touch the earthworm." Li Wuyan frowned. "How can I fish with my elder sister?"

"..."

Pei Ye smiled and said, "It's alright. I'll come to the palace to visit you more often later."

……

……

The excitement in the capital city had not yet completely subsided; the entire city would celebrate for three days until the Feather Scale Trial began.

Pei Ye, dressed as a scholar, walked through the bustling crowd on the street. He didn't say anything, but he was greatly relieved to see the woman reappear unharmed in front of him.

In front of a clothing shop on the street, Li Xizhou lowered her head and covered her face. Pei Ye went in, bought a straw hat, and put it on her head. The woman adjusted herself and drew the curtain, then stopped acting suspiciously.

Instead of watching the commotion on the bustling street, the two went to the beef bone shop in Peach Blossom Alley. After greeting the old woman, they ordered a pot of hot beef bone soup. Seeing that the shop was empty, the woman took off her hat.

Pei Ye stared intently at the woman's face, finding no visible changes.

"How do you feel?" Pei Ye asked.

Li Xizhou shook his head: "My connection with the Qilin is not that close yet. If I don't ask, the Qilin usually won't issue any decrees."

“From now on, you’ll be working with it,” Pei Ye said.

He knew that from now on, they could no longer mention the secret of that mirage, even though they hadn't brought it up again after they left.

Forgotten between the two, but remembered in each other's hearts.

Li Xizhou smiled slightly and placed a brocade pouch on the table, inside which appeared to be a sturdy stone artifact: "Take a look at this."

Pei Ye took it and opened it, and was taken aback to find that it was half of the national seal.

“It has nothing to do with the contract, but today, as I pay homage at the temple and receive my coronation, I do feel a weight being placed upon me.” Li Xizhou looked at the table and said softly, “I used to think I was ready, but today I think I might not be.”

“The Tang Empire was so vast.” She paused for a moment, then said, “It was truly unforgettable that hundreds of thousands of people looked up at me.”

Pei Ye carefully put away the imperial seal and handed it back, then picked up two pieces of beef bone for her: "After fulfilling a long-cherished wish, there's always a brief period of confusion. Don't worry about that, just eat."

Li Xizhou smiled, took the bowl, and picked up his chopsticks.

Pei Ye said, "I've thought of a pretty good way to decide whether or not to hold the Illusionary Pavilion Banquet tomorrow. But if we don't send out invitations soon, I'm afraid everyone won't have time to prepare."

Li Xizhou looked up from the edge of the bowl: "What?"

Pei Ye told her.

Li Xizhou smiled as he leaned over his desk and said, "Then, for the sake of your ingenious idea, we'll postpone it for a day—that way you won't have to rush tonight and we can do the cleaning together tomorrow."

Pei Ye asked curiously, "What sweeping?"

"We need to set up the Illusionary Tower, and we also need to move things in the palace," Li Xizhou said. "Tonight, when I get back, I'll tell Xianfang to call Guo You over to help."

What are you moving into from the palace?

"Move from the Zhujing Palace to the East Palace," Li Xizhou said.

April 1st, dusk.

The day's hustle and bustle gradually subsided, and people began to feel tired.

Countless people spent the entire afternoon seeking contact with the new crown prince of the empire. No matter what kind of power they were, as long as they lived on the land of the Tang Dynasty, they could not help but pay attention to this matter.

However, his only overt connections are with the Left Chancellor Yuan Zhao and Tong Jun of the Xiuwen Hall, which has long been closed to visitors. Just as this prince has never shown himself in public before, he now has no way to offer any tribute.

It wasn't until after dusk, when the sky was already darkening, that Jianghu Xian of Shenjing was surprised to receive an elegant invitation.

The content made no mention of national affairs or today's ceremony. The tone suggested familiarity with martial arts and chivalry.

It is said that:

"Scales dive and feathers fly, brilliant swords gather like stars; this is the fourth month in the capital."

I have long wished to read your work, but my worldly affairs have prevented me from doing so by the hour of Chen (7-9 AM). Now that I have some free time, I sincerely invite you to come to my residence on the third day of the fourth month. I will be waiting for you at the Illusionary Pavilion.

A celestial realm amidst the mortal world, a relic of bygone days. Those wishing to attend, from the time of receipt of this invitation until the commencement of the banquet, are requested to fish for a single scale in any body of water within the capital city, retrieve one scale, and release it back into the sea. This scale serves as proof of entry to the Illusionary Pavilion from Xunfang Garden.

Many of the heroes of the Crane and Duck Sect have already accepted the invitation. We extend our sincere gratitude to the six-figure sum of those who have already agreed to attend: Ming Qitian, Nie Shangheng, Zhu Gaoyang, Luwei, Qunfei, and Pei Ye.

Written on the first day of the fourth lunar month by Gu Xizhou.

At the end was an extremely fresh name stamp.

(End of this chapter)