The Prodigal Son

At noon, the imperial chefs prepared a sumptuous birthday banquet.

The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was actually quite similar to those of ordinary high-ranking officials and nobles.

The only difference was that the dishes were more elaborate, the wine was all imperial wine, there were some palace musicians playing music, and there were dancers performing.

The birthday banquet adopted the seating arrangement of a court banquet.

Two people sat at each table, arranged from front to back. Empress Dowager Guo and Zhao Luan sat in the main seats at the top, leaving the middle section empty for dance and music performances.

People like Qin Yu and his ilk, being small fry, naturally don't deserve to sit in the front row.

It's unclear whether Zhao Luan was deliberately trying to disgust Qin Yu, but she actually ordered someone to arrange for Qin Yu and Lü Si to sit together.

The two exchanged a disapproving look and slowly sat down.

"Despicable and shameless!"

Lu Si lowered his voice and snorted coldly.

"Coward, wimp!"

Qin Yu responded without hesitation.

Lu Si's face stiffened slightly, and he glared at Qin Yu through gritted teeth: "Don't be too smug!"

"At least I was proud of myself."

Qin Yu grinned, "Unlike you, you're either getting beaten up or on your way to getting beaten up."

"I……"

Lu Si instantly lost his composure. If it weren't for the occasion, he would have jumped up and started cursing at Qin Yu.

Lu Si gritted his teeth so hard they were almost grinding to powder. After struggling to suppress his rage, he said viciously, "Just you wait! After the birthday banquet, see how the Empress Dowager deals with you!"

"Useless! You want to deal with me? You think you can get the Empress Dowager to help?"

Qin Yu looked at Lü Si with disdain. "Look at me, I'm more capable than you. If I want to teach you a lesson, I have to do it myself!"

Lu Si's face twitched violently, and he gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.

When did this bastard become so sharp-tongued?

In the past, when I argued with him, I could at least hold my own against him, but now I'm not quite a match for him anymore?

No!

This bastard's arrogance must be suppressed!

After taking a deep breath to compose himself, Lü Si said sarcastically, "Some people age prematurely and will only be able to secretly shed tears while watching women in the future!"

Thinking that Qin Yu had become a cripple, Lü Si's mood finally improved a little.

So what if he survives?

For someone like Qin Yu, if he can't even have fun with women, what fun is there to speak of?

"fine."

Qin Yu flashed him a set of gleaming white teeth, "If all I can do is watch women cry, I'll spend all my time fucking you!"

As he spoke, Qin Yu brandished his fist, the size of a sandbag, at Lü Si under the table.

Lu Si's face twitched violently; he really wanted to pick up the plate on the table and smash it on Qin Yu's head.

Damn it!

I must practice my speaking skills when I get back!

I may not be able to beat Qin Yu in a fight, but I absolutely cannot lose a verbal battle!

Soon, the banquet officially began.

Qin Yu spent the whole night borrowing money and then came here to prepare. He didn't even have time for breakfast and is now starving.

He lost interest in the dance and began to feast.

Yes, the imperial chef's skills are truly excellent!

The color, fragrance and taste!

However, I had eaten quite a few delicious dishes in the restaurants in the city a few days ago.

I'll go back and poach all the chefs from those restaurants!

Once my restaurant opens, I'll have to offer everything from roast duck to hot pot, making sure the menu is comprehensive!

Qin Yu pondered for a moment while stuffing something into his mouth.

Lu Si glanced at Qin Yu sideways, cursing inwardly: "A starving ghost reincarnated!"

Today's birthday banquet was relatively harmonious.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and toasts, the ministers of Ning Kingdom frequently drank with the envoys from various countries.

In particular, Yu Jing, the crown prince of Min, was frequently toasted.

The connection between the Min Kingdom and the Da Ning Kingdom is undeniably deep.

Since its founding, Ningguo has maintained close relations with Minguo.

Emperor Xiaowu, a man of extraordinary talent, fought against all the surrounding countries, yet he did not harm the Min Kingdom in the slightest.

In the past, during the transition of power in the Min Kingdom, a palace coup occurred, and the current emperor of Min, Yu Yong, was forced to flee to Daning.

Emperor Xiaowen not only took him in, but also lent him troops to help him reclaim the throne.

After Emperor Xiaowen passed away, Yu Yong, as the emperor himself, rushed to the capital of Daning with only fifty-odd horsemen, just to help carry the coffin of Emperor Xiaowen.

A few years ago, the Yan state, a double agent, launched a surprise attack on Dingzhou. The Ning state, which was locked in a fierce battle with the Northern Qi, faced a shortage of troops. The Min state mobilized almost its entire army to support the Ning state, helping it defeat the Yan state.

Compared to Yu Jing, Xiao Baoju and Yan Li's side was much quieter.

Only a few ministers were ordered to toast them on behalf of Empress Dowager Guo; no one took the initiative to drink with them.

After the luncheon, no one left. They stayed in the restaurant to play games like pitch-pot with Empress Dowager Guo, while some officials took the opportunity to discuss trade with envoys from various countries.

Even the envoys from Beiqi had officials from the Ministry of War "communicating" with them.

Only Yan Li, the third prince of Yan, was ignored by everyone.

Yan Li smiled bitterly and had no choice but to get up and leave the noisy place to go outside the restaurant to enjoy the scenery.

When he arrived at the back of the restaurant, he discovered that Qin Yu was actually lying on a deck chair with someone, sunbathing.

As soon as Yan Li approached, Qi Dachui suddenly sat up, swung his golden mace, and stared at Yan Li with a wary expression.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm just here to enjoy the scenery!"

Yan Li quickly forced a smile to show goodwill to Qi Dachui.

"Young Master Thirteen is sleeping, don't disturb him!"

Qi Dachui stood there like an iron tower, his face full of fierceness.

Qin Yu was woken up by the noise. He slowly opened his eyes, glanced back, and said lazily, "Third Prince, you'd better stay away from me. My guard isn't very bright. If he accidentally beats you to death, I won't be responsible!"

Yan Li's face stiffened slightly, and she asked in confusion, "Young Master Qin seems to be very hostile towards me?"

The first time he met Qin Yu, Qin Yu inexplicably bared his teeth at him.

These words now reveal no trace of hostility.

Qin Yu yawned. "A traitor, everyone has the right to kill him!"

"A traitor...?"

Yan Li was puzzled. "What does this mean?"

"They're just fickle, capricious people!"

Qin Yu's straightforward explanation.

Yan Li suddenly realized, but then smiled calmly: "Our Yan Kingdom has barren land and is sandwiched between the powerful Northern Qi and Da Ning. If we want to survive and avoid being devoured, we can only be forced to be fickle and treacherous."

Both Beiqi and Ningguo wanted to annex Yanguo.

The State of Yan was also struggling to survive.

Trying to survive in such a precarious situation is no easy feat!

"understand!"

Qin Yu shrugged. "But since you've become a traitor, you have to bear the consequences, right?"

"really."

Yan Li smiled helplessly, "Hearing you say that, I understand why the people of your country dislike me so much."

"You only understand now? Your awareness is really quite low!"

Qin Yu rolled his eyes, then a hint of curiosity appeared on his face. "Speaking of which, your mission to Da Ning wasn't just to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her birthday, was it?"

"certainly!"

Yan Li nodded slightly and said frankly, "We hope to repair relations with your country and reopen trade."

The Yan state was relatively poor to begin with, and in order to deal with the threats from Bei Qi and Da Ning, it had to maintain an army of four to five hundred thousand people year-round.

Over the years, the people of Yan have become unbearable.

If this continues, the Yan state will be on the verge of collapse...