It doesn't matter what the lord is.

It didn't take much effort to get out of the palace.

After showing our IDs, the palace guards did not dare to stop us. However, it was already mid-afternoon, and time did not allow us to stroll around the capital.

Bai Huang had already made a plan. He first sent Alayya and Heji away to buy some things, and then took me straight to the brothel tavern.

Bai Huang said that when she was a child, she once went to the famous Baihua Tower with the adults. That day, there was a girl named Yayu who played and sang by herself. As her name suggests, she was as white and smooth as jade, and her singing was beautiful. She left a deep impression on Bai Huang when she was a child. So when she came to the capital this time, Bai Huang must go to see her.

I was no longer surprised by Bai Huang's various weird requests, so I was dragged along by her.

But unfortunately, no one present had heard of Yayu.

After asking many people, a cook finally remembered and said to Bai Huang with her dazed eyes:

"Xiaoyu... Xiaoyu was bought by a high-ranking official in the court. She followed Lord Tamros, one of the ten ministers, and went to enjoy a good life. On the day she left, she asked me if I wanted to go with her. I have been in Baihua Tower for decades and have taken root there. I can't leave, and I don't want to leave... But she has been gone for several years, and I haven't heard from her since. My two nobles, if you want to listen to a song, the current top prostitute and the four famous prostitutes are all good..."

After listening to this, Bai Huang did not say anything. He just took out an old handkerchief from his pocket and stood at the door of Baihua Tower for a while.

Several madams were still recommending girls to us, but when they saw me waving my hands, they quickly changed their expressions and ignored us. I stood with Bai Huang for a while before Bai Huang said she wanted to go back and meet Alayya and Heji.

On the way, Bai Huang told me about her past.

Ten years ago, Bai Huang was only six or seven years old. He and his brother Bai Feng came to the capital to celebrate the king's birthday. On the first night, Bai Huang played on the pleasure boat with various big shots and saw the prosperity of the capital. For a child, everything here was so novel and attractive.

That night, Yayu, one of the four famous prostitutes at that time, came out to sing. In terms of singing skills, she was only at the bottom of the four famous prostitutes, but Baihuang just liked her smile with two dimples. That night, Baihuang was locked in the hall because she was a girl and could not go out to play, so she asked Yayu to sing two more songs.

At that time, Yayu was about 17 or 18 years old, in her prime. Girls who grew up in brothels were very worried about their future, so when chatting with Bai Huang, Yayu smiled and lamented that she didn't know where she would go in the future. Bai Huang liked this beautiful big sister very much, so he told her that he would come to see her again in the future and take her away if he had the chance.

Yayu just smiled, but Baihuang said seriously that she was the daughter of the Lord of Yunhai and could definitely redeem a girl. Yayu also believed it a little, so she gave her personal handkerchief to Baihuang.

When Bai Huang was a child, he told his brother about this matter, but Bai Feng was against redeeming Ya Yu. In this era, same-sex relationships were not recognized by the mainstream. Bai Huang redeeming a prostitute would have a great impact on Yun Hai's reputation. Needless to say, Bai Feng did this. For Bai Feng, who cherishes her reputation, this is also not something she can do.

So when Bai Huang was young, he was like a child who didn't get his favorite toy. He would make a fuss at first, but soon forget about it. He would be sad and heartbroken, which was normal, but after a while, he would like the new toy.

Yunhai is very rich and never lacks all kinds of interesting things.

But Bai Huang would occasionally think of this woman with dimples when she smiled. In her own words, it was:

"Now that I think about it, that should be considered my first love. It should be considered."

Walking on the snow-cleared street, Bai Huang put his hands in his coat pockets, exhaled a breath of hot air, and said:

"I feel really sorry for her. Maybe she has been waiting for me. Tamros... I don't even remember there is such a person in the court. Will he treat Yayu well? Can a simple girl like Yayu be better than his other wives and concubines?"

I did some calculations. Bai Huang is eighteen years old this year. She said she was six or seven years old then, which means it was eleven or twelve years ago. Yayu was seventeen or eighteen years old at that time, and now she is a woman in her thirties. At this age, and coming from a brothel, it is unlikely that she will be taken seriously in the homes of high-ranking officials in the court.

Most men in the world are the same. Once they get a woman, they will be in love with her for a while, but then they will abandon her. Especially those high-ranking officials and nobles who have no shortage of women around them. In their eyes, these prostitutes are no different from goods. When he was in Lingyun City, my brother slept with at least three digits of women a year. My father slept with fewer women a year, but it was normal for him to have a good time with a few high-quality women every now and then.

But I didn't tell Bai Huang these words, I just said:

"Women in brothels should be grateful to have a high-ranking official in the court redeem them. Those who use their beauty to please men will lose their love when their beauty fades. Most women are left alone when they get old. There are so many people suffering in the world. Saving them is a favor, and not saving them is a duty. There is nothing to feel guilty about."

Bai Huang raised his eyebrows and asked me:

"Are you talking about the 300,000 disaster victims in Tianyue Mountain?"

I put my hands in my pockets and said:

"I didn't say that."

Bai Huang said "Hey" and said:

"My lady is a brave and righteous man, unlike a bastard like you who just eats and waits for death. That year, I couldn't even save a prostitute, but this year is different. Even if the capital is completely dark, I will poke a hole in it!... I will start with this Tamros. As one of the top ten ministers, this person should also attend the dinner tonight. You have to help me keep a close eye on him."

Isn't this just a personal revenge?

I looked at Bai Huang speechlessly. Bai Huang put his hands on his waist and said:

"Look at my dad, he never messes around outside. Those stinky men who bring women home all day long are obviously no good. Maybe Tamros is related to the Tianyue Mountain incident, and this money might be embezzled by him, otherwise how could he have so much money to buy women everywhere, humph."

I just nodded, but when I think about it, to Alayya, am I not just that stinky man who brings women home all day? After thinking about it, I shook my head calmly to protest.

But Bai Huang's idea is not a bad idea. Since we have been to Tianyue Mountain and returned to the capital with the white-robed minister Wu Mi, Bai Huang and I have been involved in this incident. We can't just get away with it. I'm afraid that today's dinner will not be too peaceful, and using Tamros as a breakthrough point is not a bad idea for us who have no idea what to do now.

-----------------------

Wish you all a happy 2019!!

30. Born to be cheap

The banquet held by the royal family was so luxurious that I had never heard of it before.

It is not only reflected in the exquisite food, the high-end tableware, the beauty of the singing girls and dancing girls, but also in the appearance and departure of various rare and exotic animals. It was mentioned earlier that dragons are only mounts that can be ridden by the royal family, because the dragon race is actually one of the "six middle races", theoretically a nobler race than humans. But just like elves, orcs and other races can also be bought in human society, as long as there is profit, any business can be done.

Many human traffickers would also sell humans to other races as slaves. These were all shady gray industrial chains. For the royal family, they theoretically owned the entire Eternal Kingdom, and ordinary things were hard to impress them. Instead, things from other races could arouse their curiosity.

At the opening of this banquet, there was a guy with a fish-like head beating a bone drum. This guy looked like a mermaid in reverse, with a fish head and a human body. He stared with a pair of round eyes and no one knew what he was thinking. There was an elf lady with blonde hair like a waterfall and breasts like mountains. She was wearing thin clothes in winter, and her white jade-like fingers gently plucked the shamisen, making people worry that the strings would scratch her delicate fingers. There was also a half-wolf with a purple back and a white belly, standing upright, playing a snow-white bone flute, with brown flesh pads blocking one pore after another, and his bloodshot eyes were full of tenderness at the moment. He didn't look like a werewolf, but more like a big dog.

In addition, there are countless other races, including demons. Winged succubi fly in the sky, singing softly.

Inside the magnificent hall, the atmosphere was harmonious to the extreme.

The singing and dancing performance at the beginning was just an appetizer, followed by quite exquisite dishes.

The food in the palace is indeed exquisite and delicious. Just like Bai Huang said, a dish of ordinary tofu has to go through eighteen processes. But Bai Huang's way of eating is to swallow it in one gulp, so the difference between eighteen processes and two or three processes is not much. If you really savor it slowly, you will find that it is really delicious.

It’s not that the more steps the better, but you can taste the feeling in between. The tofu is boiled in water so that it melts in your mouth while retaining a bit of elasticity, which maximizes the freshness of the tofu and brings out the rich flavor of the sauce. The meat stuffing in the tofu also plays a perfect role, plus a little chopped green onion sprinkled on top. When you take a bite, you feel like your clothes are about to burst.

There are indeed many spices in this world that cannot be found, but the food here does not need so many spices.

Just like when I was working as a bricklayer, my greatest pleasure was to buy a roujiamo on the street. It was 2.5 yuan each and the size of a palm. When I took a bite, the gravy burst in my mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance. I thought it was delicious. But later, I also tried a small piece of steak that cost thousands of yuan. When I put it in my mouth, I felt that it tasted completely different. It didn't have so many ingredients and flavors, but it was delicious.

I slowly savored the delicious food on the table, and asked Alayya to sit next to me and eat together.

There are not many kinds of food, but there are many kinds of food. It's like showing off wealth. I cook you this dish first. You think it's delicious and want to eat more. Sorry, it's gone. But can I cook you this dish again? It's still delicious, even better, but sorry, that's all. But I can show you another trick -

I think this chef, or the royal family who arranged the banquet, also has a bit of a bad taste.

This time, the royal family arranged 37 seats for dinner, leaving the seat of the Lingwu Lord vacant, and then added a table at the end of the hall, which was near the door, as my dining place. As for Bai Huang, this time he sat at the eighth seat on the right, which was also the comprehensive ranking of Yunhai among the 36 territories in the country last time.

If I am not counted, there are 18 seats on each side this time, and my brother is sitting in the fourth seat on the left, which means that Yunyang was ranked 22nd last time, which is in the middle and lower ranking.

Fang Yuan was one place higher than him, third on the left, and ranked 21st overall. Yunyang Territory and Zhaochen Territory have indeed been about the same in recent years.

Kaia, the squinty-eyed man from the Huaiwang territory, is the thirteenth seat on the right, and is of an above-average level.

As for the son of Lord Tiancheng, he was the fifteenth seat on the left, which was the last one. He himself didn't care at all, because I was the nineteenth seat on the left, and he sat quite close to me. At the beginning, he even greeted me from a few tables away.

The seat for the Lingwu Lord should be the third one, because it was empty now. The first one was occupied by an unknown, taciturn young man who didn't speak or watch the performances on the stage. He just ate silently with his head down, and occasionally yawned secretly. I don't know if it was because he didn't sleep well yesterday because he changed the bed.

I saw Kaiya chatting with people around him while looking at me. It was obvious that he was talking about me, but we were quite far away and the sound of playing instruments and singing was quite loud, so I couldn't hear what they were talking about. The man next to him was about 22 or 23 years old, with short red hair and scars on his face. He looked at me with unfriendly eyes, but I didn't bother to pay attention to him and ate with Alaiya.

But among so many tables, only my table has two people sitting at it. Including Fang Yuan's table, Xi Que stood behind him. Not to mention the guards, in fact, if you bring your wives and concubines, they are not qualified to sit side by side with the city lord, which is not in line with etiquette. In public, wives and concubines can only sit behind their husbands, which is the etiquette of Yongtian Kingdom.

It's not that you will be punished for violating etiquette, but that no one would do it. If you do it, you will be criticized. But for me, these things are really delicious, so I want Alaiya to try them, hoping that she can get some inspiration from them and improve the radish and cabbage stew for me next year, otherwise I really can't stand it.

I picked up a piece of "boiled cabbage" made from boiling chicken soup, fish soup, and beef and mutton soup and put it into Alayya's mouth.

"Is it tasty?"

I asked Alaiya, and she nodded. I picked up another crystal clear Longjing shrimp and fed it to her.

Alayya chewed silently and nodded as well.

After all, there is only one pair of chopsticks for two people to eat with, so it is impossible not to show their affection.

I cleared all the dishes on the plate, and naturally a maid came to take away the empty plate, so that the next dish could be served smoothly. After about three minutes, I heard a laugh from Kaia:

"Eating at the same table with a maid, I really don't know if this is lowering one's status or if one is born lowly."

This time the other party's voice was quite loud. Alayya trembled, and she supported her knees with her hands and tried to stand up, but I pushed her down again.

I raised my head and looked in the direction where the voice came from. The red-haired man next to Kaia with squinting eyes was also looking at me provocatively, with an indescribable smile on his face revealing unspeakable contempt and sarcasm.

31. Half a catty vs. eight ounces

Kaia sat in seat thirteen, and the red-haired man next to him was one seat higher than him and sat in seat twelfth.

I stared at him for a moment, making sure I had never seen this man before.

If Li Yi was instigated because he and I had always been at odds, then what the hell is this guy whom I have never met before? Is it because there are only 18 seats on the right and 19 seats on the left, so I stand out? ?

Then this should be the opposite of protrusion. What's the point of competing with me?

Before I could say anything, Kaiya tapped his hands with his folding fan and said with a smile:

"Noren, don't underestimate the Lord of Yuxi City. The Miss Alaiya beside him is a famous young genius in Yunyang. She is only sixteen years old this year. With such a genius in the inner circle and Yunhai Baihuang protecting him outside, of course he will not take you seriously."

Oh, it's Noren.

Noren glanced at Alayya who was sitting next to me and said with a sneer:

"What use is a guard who has achieved the fifth level of perfection in the way of swordsmanship to this king? He can kill anyone with ease. Bringing such a loser to such an important occasion, it is not difficult to imagine what kind of people are under his command. What good is it to have the protection of the White Phoenix? When he goes out, he still has to hide behind a woman. I think he has no ambition at all."

Among the thirty-six forces present today, Alayya is indeed the weakest of the guards. Even my brother brought a guard with a swordsmanship of the eighth and a half level, although I have never seen this person before, he should be borrowed from my father for show. This reflects the advantages of the other people present. If they have a territory behind them, no matter whether the territory is strong or weak, the resources they can provide are far more than a small Yuxi City.

In this situation where everyone present was an expert and I was the only rookie, the psychological pressure on Alayya was definitely not small.

Kaia smiled and said:

"That can't be said. The Lord of Lide City should not be underestimated. Internally, he has the assistance of He Yue from the Tiancheng Family, and externally, Fang Shisan from the Zhaochen Family helps him. On paper, his strength is quite strong."

Noren laughed and said:

"What can an actor and a blind man accomplish?"

He leaned forward, looked at me provocatively, and said:

"You're curious about who I am, right? It's okay to tell you, I'm the prince of Qiming Territory, Norn. Have you heard of Qiming Territory? Judging from the look in your eyes, you don't even know it. You are a frog in the well, a country bumpkin, and you are worthy of coming to the capital to attend such a banquet?"

At this time, the eyes in the hall slowly shifted towards this side.

Except for the guy sitting at the first seat who was still picking meat from the fish, the rest of the people looked over here more or less. Everyone looked at me in different ways, some were puzzled, some were scrutinizing, some were mocking, and some were just watching the show. After mocking me, Norn turned his gaze to Fang Yuan and said with a smile:

"You have something to do with him? You've sent your sister over, you must be capable. Are you planning to go against us?"

Fang Yuan swallowed his saliva, didn't dare to speak, lowered his head and ate the food in silence.

In the silence, Bai Huang slammed the table and said loudly:

"Noren, what do you mean? If you want to cause trouble, just say it clearly. If you want to declare war, just issue a notice. What's the point of saying so much? And you, Kaia, are you really bored or what? You're always causing trouble. You have nothing to do."

Kaia smiled and opened his folding fan, saying:

"It is said that Miss Bai Huang and Li De have a special relationship. She can even speak up for him in front of so many people. It seems that they are indeed very close."

Norn said to Bai Huang with disdain:

"You are not qualified to talk to me. It would be better if your two brothers came. But if your two brothers were here, not only would they not speak up today, they would not have made such a fuss at the gate of the capital when they first arrived! You? You are just a yellow-haired girl, your hair hasn't even grown out yet, do you really think you are a hero? You meddle in everything, but you can't even take care of your own family affairs!"

Bai Huang was so angry that he stood up from behind the table and shouted:

"Nolen!"

I narrowed my eyes.

At this moment, I seemed to more or less understand why Noren wanted to cause trouble for me.

At the gate of the capital... I take care of everything...

Tianyue Mountain... 300,000 disaster victims...

No wonder people say that the king's world is full of muddy water. It turns out that there are not only those high-ranking officials and ministers, but also countless people standing behind them.

Norn turned to me and said sarcastically:

"Why, you don't say a word and you're still planning on hiding behind Bai Huang?"

As he spoke, he swung his hand and slapped the wine glass in front of him. The wine glass came over and shattered on my forehead. The wine and blood flowed down my cheek, and the broken pieces of porcelain fell on my body. The palace maid who was about to come over to serve the dishes was so scared that she stood still and dared not move.

I smiled at her, motioning her to continue her work, and then reached out to wipe the blood off my face. Alayya beside me had a look of resentment and anger, and one hand was already on the hilt of the sword, ready to move forward with the sword at any time.

But not at this time.

Not to mention that the person behind Norn was a ninth-level swordsman, whom Alaya could not defeat. Just talking about this situation, it couldn't be easily provoked.

After quickly going through it in my mind, I first blacklisted both Norn and Kaia, then opened my eyes, letting the blood flow down my face, and said calmly:

"You asked me whether I lowered my status or was born a lowly person. Now I will answer you."

"I, Li De, was born humble. I was driven out of Yunyang and fled to a wild land, surrounded by tigers and wolves. A few backward and primitive small broken cities, a few civil officials and generals who were not wanted by others, and a guard who was mocked by you as a waste. Isn't this humble?"

"But in fact, I am such a lowly person that I would rather eat with the maids than waste my breath on you. We are all the same. I am a lowly lowly person, and you are a lowly person. We are the same. No one should laugh at anyone else."

Kaiya's fan struck against his palm, and before he could say anything, Norn beside him had already flipped the table over.