Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 78 Pig Dragon Emperor
The carriage arrived outside the palace.

Zhao Qi'an got off the carriage and entered the palace alone.

Behind Donghua Gate, eunuchs had been waiting. When they saw Zhao Qi'an, they came forward to greet him.

"My Lord, please come with us."

Led by the eunuch, Zhao Qi'an walked along the corridor in the palace.

The palace walls were high, and the glazed tiles sparkled in the sun. The passing palace maids and eunuchs saluted and made way for the prince consort when they saw him.

When they arrived outside the Yangxin Palace, the eunuch who led the way turned around and said politely to Zhao Qian'an, "Your Highness, please wait here. I will go in and inform you."

"Please do as you please, sir."

Zhao Qi'an was waiting outside the Yangxin Palace and straightened his clothes.

When the eunuch who led the way entered the hall, after a while, he heard a eunuch in the hall shouting in a shrill voice:

"Announce, the Prince Consort Zhao Qi'an is here to see you!"

The palace guards standing at the entrance of the palace then took away their crossed halberds, pushed open the palace door, and bowed to Zhao Qian'an.

Zhao Qi'an held his head high and walked towards the hall.

……

Zhao Qi'an had just entered the hall and had not yet turned around the screen.

I only heard a faint sound coming from the room behind the screen.

"Crunch, crunch..."

“Pah, pah…”

The sound is like that of a wild beast chewing.

There was the sound of wolfing down food again.

There was a strange fragrance wafting from the hall, which made people's appetites whetted.

At this moment, an impatient voice was heard in the hall:

"Remove it, remove it. I want to eat with my husband, why do you cover it up so tightly?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zhao Qi'an walked around the screen and into the hall. Several palace maids were retreating from him holding a cloth screen.

He looked up at the hall and his breathing stopped.

In the hall, there was a long table that could accommodate dozens of people. Palace maids came in one after another and placed dishes on the table.

There were so many delicacies on the table that it was dizzying. In addition to common ingredients such as pork, beef, mutton, and fish, there were also many ingredients that had never been seen before. Every dish was carefully prepared by the famous chefs in the palace, and the color, aroma, and taste were not what ordinary restaurants could make.

But behind the long table, there was a "mountain of meat" sitting there.

It was even hard to describe that it was a person.

It was nearly ten feet (about three meters) tall, with a surprisingly wide waist and limbs that were sturdy in proportion to its body. In its left hand it held a whole sheep, and in its right hand it held the leg of some unknown animal, and it was eating with relish, taking a bite of it with its left hand and a bite of it with its right hand.

The layers of fat on his body were hanging down, and he needed several eunuchs to support him.

During the banquet, young eunuchs kept picking up dishes from the table and placing them on the plate in front of the "meat mountain" to make it easier for him to eat.

When the "meat mountain" saw Zhao Qi'an coming in, it stopped eating and looked up.

Several palace maids beside him stepped forward quickly and wiped his greasy face and the oil on his hands.

The "Meat Mountain" smiled and said to the Five Marquises beside him, "My beloved son-in-law is here."

The shock in Zhao Qi'an's eyes gradually faded away, and he gradually calmed down.

Although it was not the first time I met Emperor Wu, every time I met him, it was always so impressive.

He took a step forward, bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, I am Zhao Qi'an."

Emperor Tianwu did not like others to kneel down to him, so

"No need to be polite, sit down."

Zhao Qi'an was unmoved, still maintaining his original posture of greeting, bowing his head and saying, "I have something to report." Emperor Tianwu didn't care, and smiled, "The world is big, but eating is the most important. We can talk about it later, sit down and eat first."

With a wave of Emperor Tianwu's hand, the eunuch quickly brought a spring stool and placed it in front of Zhao Qian'an.

Zhao Qi'an sat down after hearing him say this.

He glanced at the dishes on the table and his expression became a little serious.

To others, this table of food is nothing but delicacies.

But in Zhao Qi'an's eyes, this is not a delicacy? It is clearly a series of powerful medicines!
The hard-to-find holy medicine in the world, the powerful demon beast... they are all just a dish on this table.

Even if it is the most ordinary side dish, ordinary people are in danger of "boiling blood and dying" if they take a bite.

Emperor Tianwu seemed not to notice Zhao Qi'an's increasingly ugly expression, and continued to speak in a friendly manner: "You are too skinny, young man. Eat more, eat more, and don't be so reserved in front of me."

Under the urging of Emperor Tianwu, Zhao Qi'an finally picked up his chopsticks.

He glanced back and forth at the dishes in front of him, and finally his chopsticks landed on a meat dish.

The meat was stewed until it was mushy, and I could easily pick it up with the chopsticks, skin and meat included, without any effort.

Zhao Qi'an put the piece of meat into his mouth and felt a strange fragrance spreading in his mouth.

Even Zhao Qi'an, who had almost no desire for gossip, couldn't help but admire it in his heart.

But the next moment, he suddenly covered his mouth and nose, and blood spurted out of his mouth and nose, flowing down through his fingers and dripping onto the hem of his clothes.

Emperor Tianwu said dissatisfiedly: "You are so weak that you can't even digest meat. If you were my own son, I would have to punish you."

"I... plead guilty."

"Alright, alright, Wu Hou, have someone get him a different meal."

The Fifth Marquis bowed and accepted the order, then called over a young eunuch and whispered a few words to him.

The young eunuch took the order and soon a palace maid came in and removed the dishes in front of Zhao Qian'an and replaced them with a few home-cooked side dishes. Although they were also exquisite, they were also edible for ordinary people.

Someone else brought clean water and a towel for him to wash his face.

Zhao Qi'an washed the blood off his hands and face, and it took a long time for the abnormal blush on his face to gradually fade away.

After the meal has five flavors and the wine has been served three times.

Emperor Tianwu stopped eating and asked Zhao Qi'an, "How many years has Haiqing been in Beijing?"

The name "Haiqing" is what the current emperor calls Zhao Qi'an.

Although Zhao Qi'an had no official position, he had a title. He was named after Haiqing City, where the Zhao family's ancestral home in Donghai was located, and was granted the title of "Viscount Haiqing".

But Haiqing City was not called Haiqing City at first.

It was because Zhao Qinan was given the courtesy name "Haiqing" by his elders that the city was named "Haiqing City".

Therefore, the two words "Haiqing" are both Zhao Qi'an's courtesy name and his title of nobility.

But in the past, few people would call Zhao Qi'an like that.

Zhao Qi'an put down his bowl and chopsticks, straightened his posture, and replied: "Your Majesty, it has been ten years."

"Ten years..."

Emperor Tianwu's eyes flashed with a trace of reminiscence, and he smiled and said, "Come to think of it, the last time I personally visited the East China Sea was ten years ago. Time flies."

Mentioning the incident ten years ago when Emperor Tianwu personally visited the East Sea...

Zhao Qi'an's expression remained unchanged, but his lowered eyes suddenly became sharp.

After a moment, he returned to normal and said with his head down: "To me, it seems like yesterday. Your Majesty's heroic presence will be unforgettable for me in my lifetime."

Emperor Tianwu was relieved and laughed: "You are old now, not as good as before. But when I first met you, I had a very good impression of you."

He smiled and narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhao Qi'an who was looking down at the table, and said:
"I admire and like young talents like you the most. If not, why would I insist on having you come to the capital to be my son-in-law?"

The next moment, the topic changed:
"But Haiqing, I only have one daughter who can marry you. Now it has become like this, what should I do?"

(End of this chapter)