“Jinchuan is only a rural place. We have nothing fine to offer, just some simple home-cooked dishes. I hope Your Highness will not mind making do with a few bites. Please!”
Jin Feng pointed to the host seat, then plonked himself straight down in the guest seat.
After running about all day, he was truly exhausted.
In feudal times, hierarchy was strict.
How could an unmarried princess dine at the same table as an unrelated man?
Qin’er glared and was about to haul Jin Feng up, but the Ninth Princess stopped her with a look.
Jin Feng, however, caught the little movement.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Qing Muluan smiled and said, “Wuyang, do you know what I like most about Xihe Bay?”
“What?” The Ninth Princess cooperated at once.
“What I love most is the atmosphere when eating at Mister’s house.
The whole big family, men and women, young and old, all sit together at one table. Everyone says whatever they like. It’s really happy.”
Qing Muluan pressed the Ninth Princess into the host seat and continued, “Mister’s little sister-in-law is especially adorable. Every meal, I love sitting next to her.”
“That does sound nice.”
The Ninth Princess smiled in agreement.
She understood the hidden meaning: Qing Muluan was explaining that this was simply how meals were done in Jin Feng’s home.
“You’ve got the nerve to say that. Little E has complained to me many times, telling me to shut the door when we eat so you stop stealing her chicken legs.”
Jin Feng glanced at Qing Muluan.
“Food tastes better when you fight for it,” Qing Muluan said airily. “Mister, haven’t you noticed that ever since I started coming to your house for meals… no, ever since I started eating at your house, Little E has been eating much faster?”
“Of course she has. Eat slowly and all the chicken legs get snatched by you!”
“Sister, you actually fight a little girl for chicken legs?”
The Ninth Princess laughed so hard her eyes curved into crescents.
She truly could not imagine the sword-wielding, spear-brandishing Qing Muluan scrapping with a child over food.
While they chatted, Qin’er took an empty plate, picked a little of each dish, and quickly tasted them.
“Mister, Wuyang is a princess. Before she eats, the food must be tested for poison…”
Qing Muluan hurriedly explained for the Ninth Princess again.
“It’s fine. I understand.”
Jin Feng looked at Qin’er. “Miss, is that all right?”
Qin’er ignored him and simply nodded to the Ninth Princess.
By rights, the host Jin Feng should now offer a toast to the princess.
Yet Jin Feng remained completely unaware of the custom and had already picked up his chopsticks, wondering which dish to try first.
Seeing this, Qing Muluan swiftly lifted her cup. “Wuyang, alcohol is forbidden on Double Camel Peak, so your sister will use tea in place of wine and toast you! To calm your shock from today, and to wish you a smooth journey to Tubo!”
Hearing her, Jin Feng reluctantly set down his chopsticks, raised his own cup, and added casually, “May Your Highness have all your wishes come true!”
“Today I must thank Mister for coming to my rescue. Wen’er toasts Mister! And Sister Mulan too!”
The Ninth Princess lifted her cup, and the three of them drained them in one go.
“Why does Double Camel Peak forbid alcohol? Is it to prevent mistakes?” the Ninth Princess asked curiously after setting down her cup.
“No. Mister says that many people in the realm still cannot fill their bellies. Whether brewed from grain or fruit, alcohol is snatching life-saving food from the mouths of the common people. Mister cannot bear to do that.”
Qing Muluan explained.
“If every scholar in the land cared for the people as Mister does, how could Dakang fail to prosper!”
The Ninth Princess raised her cup again. “Wen’er offers Mister another toast!”
Qin’er hurried forward to refill it with tea.
“Your Highness flatters me.”
Jin Feng had no choice but to raise his cup once more.
He had not yet tasted a single dish, but his stomach was already full of tea…
Fortunately Qing Muluan rescued the situation in time, placing a portion of meat slices in the Ninth Princess’s bowl.
“Wuyang, don’t just drink tea. Try these stir-fried pork slices. They’re delicious.”
The slices were wild boar meat coated in flour starch, tender and springy. The Ninth Princess, who had never eaten stir-fried food before, instantly fell in love.
She was just about to take more when Qing Muluan gave her another helping of fish.
“Here, try the sweet-and-sour pork ribs. They’re my favourite.”
“And these vinegar-slipped cabbage leaves. Don’t be fooled by it being just a plain cabbage; stir-fried, it tastes completely different from boiled.”
…
Qing Muluan introduced every dish on the table to the Ninth Princess.
The princess ate with delight, momentarily forgetting even the worry of the sunken ship.
After sampling all dozen-plus dishes, she was about half full.
Qing Muluan then started telling her amusing stories from Xihe Bay and somehow returned to the topic of brewing.
“You have no idea, Wuyang. Mister is just as brilliant at brewing as he is at salt-making. I’ve drunk some in his laboratory a few times; it’s every bit as good as the wine my brother brings back from the capital. When you come to Xihe Bay, I’ll get some for you to try…”
Jin Feng, who had been concentrating on his food, looked up when he heard “laboratory”. “Qing Muluan, hold on. Exactly how many times have you been in my laboratory? And you’re going to ‘get some’ for Her Highness to taste? Why not get some for me first!”
“I…”
Qing Muluan realised she had misspoken and choked.
“Speak. Did Jin’er take you?” Jin Feng pressed.
His laboratory had the second-highest security level after the rear-mountain storehouse, guarded by escorts round the clock. Without someone leading her, Qing Muluan could never have entered.
“It wasn’t Jin’er. It was… Xiaorou.”
Afraid of getting Zhou Jin in trouble, Qing Muluan confessed honestly.
“What did she take you to the laboratory for?” Jin Feng asked.
Guan Xiaorou was fiercely protective of the family. She knew the secrets inside were worth a fortune and would never casually bring anyone in.
“Xiaorou and Wanniang were blending perfumes. I’m the only one in the village who has been to the capital, so after they finished blending, they asked me to smell them…”
Since she had already let it slip, Qing Muluan simply told everything.
“So you were sneaking my wine?”
Jin Feng reached over and lightly tapped Qing Muluan on the forehead. “Do you have any idea that some of those batches aren’t fully processed yet and shouldn’t be drunk casually? If you poisoned yourself, how would I explain it to Marquis Qing?”
Qing Muluan shrank back guiltily and even stuck out her tongue.
The Ninth Princess beside them was utterly stunned.
Because of shared interests, she and Qing Muluan were extremely close.
Yet in all the years she had known her, this was the first time she had seen Qing Muluan display such a girlish side.
It was clear that Qing Muluan trusted and relied on Jin Feng a great deal.
The three of them were enjoying the meal when Big Liu quietly entered.
“Mister, the county magistrate has arrived. He requests an audience with Her Highness. Shall I let him come up?”
The Ninth Princess had been attacked by bandits in Jinchuan territory and had nearly lost her life. Even if the magistrate had not known she was coming, he bore inescapable responsibility.
When the news reached him, he had nearly wet himself in terror and rushed to Double Camel Peak with his men at once.
In fact, it was not only the Jinchuan magistrate; the prefect of Guangyuan, who had only just received word, had already set out from the city in the rain and was hurrying through the night toward Jinchuan.
The magistrate had come to see the Ninth Princess, so Jin Feng did not answer Big Liu himself but looked toward her.
