In feudal times, slandering the ruler was a grave crime.
If one met a tyrant, the punishment could extend to the extermination of nine kindreds.
Guan Xiaorou and Tang Xiaobei turned pale with fright on the spot.
Jin Feng’s heart also tightened.
“Hahaha, children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint!”
Qing Mu Lan hurriedly smoothed things over. “Wuyang, come sit quickly. Run Niang’s cooking is far better than the cooks at the saltworks.”
After the afternoon’s conversation, the Ninth Princess was even more determined to maintain good relations with Jin Feng. She truly had no intention of making trouble for them over a child’s careless words.
Since Qing Mu Lan had offered her a way out, she pretended not to have heard Little E and said with a smile, “Then I must have a proper taste!”
With that, she casually took a seat. “Mr Jin, all of you sit too. Sister Mu Lan told me that meals at the gentleman’s house have the best atmosphere. I have long yearned for it. Please do not treat me as any princess. Just think of me as another sister like Mu Lan, here to scrounge a meal!”
To show her sincerity, the Ninth Princess even changed how she referred to herself.
Previously she had used Wen’er, Wuyang, or This Palace. Now she directly used “I”.
Jin Feng and Tang Xiaobei exchanged a glance and both let out a long breath of relief.
By speaking this way, the Ninth Princess made clear she would not pursue the matter.
Yet before Jin Feng could fully relax, Little E spoke again.
She still had no idea she had nearly caused a disaster. Hearing the princess speak like this, her small face crumpled into a bitter gourd.
She placed the golden hairpin in front of the Ninth Princess. “I don’t want your hairpin any more, and you can’t steal my chicken leg either!”
Her tone was rather hostile.
“Haha, little girl, rest assured. I won’t steal your chicken leg, and I won’t let Sister Mu Lan steal it either.”
The Ninth Princess put both drumsticks into a bowl and set it to her right. “Here, little girl, they’re all yours!”
“Big sister, you’re not only pretty, you’re kind too. I really like you!”
Little E was delighted and plopped herself down right beside the Ninth Princess.
“No wonder Sister Mu Lan likes you. Little girl, you have such a sweet mouth.”
The Ninth Princess reached out and pinched Little E’s nose. “Big sister likes you too!”
“She likes me?” Little E widened her eyes and looked at Qing Mu Lan. “She must be lying to you. If she likes me, why does she steal my chicken legs? Why does she always knock me on the head? Brother-in-law says if you keep getting knocked on the head you’ll turn stupid!”
“Say one more word!”
Qing Mu Lan raised her hand as if to strike.
Little E shrank her neck in fright and hurriedly hugged the ceramic bowl with both drumsticks to her chest.
“Don’t be scared. I’m here. Sister Mu Lan won’t dare hit you!”
The Ninth Princess smiled and placed a hand on Little E’s head.
Qing Mu Lan glared at Little E, then turned to Jin Feng with an embarrassed grin. “Sir, now that Wuyang is here, shouldn’t we bring out a couple of jars of your good wine?”
“You want to drink?”
Little E’s eyes lit up. She egged him on. “Brother-in-law, where’s the wine? I’ll go get it!”
“You stay right there!”
Jin Feng nodded to Run Niang.
Run Niang smiled and went to fetch the wine.
One look at Little E’s expression told the Ninth Princess there was a story behind it. She asked with a laugh, “Little E, have you seen Sister Mu Lan drink before?”
“I have! Last time she got drunk at our house and wanted to duel brother-in-law. When brother-in-law ignored her, she made a scene about burning yellow paper and becoming sworn sisters with Sister A Mei. When Sister A Mei refused, she said A Mei looked down on her…”
“Guan Xiao E, shut your mouth!”
Qing Mu Lan leapt to her feet.
“A Mei, you missed a great chance. Why didn’t you swear sisterhood with her?”
The Ninth Princess laughed so hard her eyes narrowed into slits.
All she normally met were deep-scheming old foxes. Now her playful side emerged.
She pulled Little E into her arms and said with a smile, “Little Sister E, don’t be afraid. I’ve got you. She won’t dare hit you! Quick, tell big sister, what else did Sister Mu Lan do?”
Little E had often been bullied by Qing Mu Lan. Now that she had found a protector, she was overjoyed. “Princess big sister, do you know, last time she arm-wrestled the male soldiers and bragged everywhere after winning. Big Brother Da Liu said she wasn’t ladylike and would never marry!”
Da Liu, standing guard at the door, nearly fell flat on his backside.
He started calculating whether he should pack up and run away right now. He really feared that if he was too slow, Qing Mu Lan would break his legs.
“Whoa, sister, you have such a glorious battle record!”
The Ninth Princess covered her mouth and shook with laughter.
Ever since she had come of age, she had never felt as happy as she did today. Pulling Little E closer, she asked, “Anything else? Anything else?”
“There was another time when Sister Mu Lan went to the equipment room and stole brother-in-law’s new flash thunder…”
Little E rattled on, recounting Qing Mu Lan’s embarrassing moments one after another.
“Guan Xiao E, you’re done for. Once Wuyang leaves, just wait and see how I deal with you!”
Qing Mu Lan gnashed her teeth in threat.
“Don’t be scared. If she hits you again, just tickle her waist. She’s terrified of being tickled.”
The Ninth Princess passed on her ultimate weapon against Qing Mu Lan to Little E. “When we were little I couldn’t beat her either, so I used this move. Every time she begged for mercy.”
“It’s over. I won’t even be able to steal chicken legs any more…”
Qing Mu Lan collapsed onto the table in despair.
Yet deep down she was actually rather happy.
Because today the smile had never left the Ninth Princess’s face.
Qing Mu Lan had not seen her like this for many years.
“Enough, stop talking. Hurry up and eat.”
Run Niang brought the wine, and Jin Feng cut Little E off.
A female soldier followed Run Niang in and placed a hotpot on the table.
“Wow, Wuyang, you’re in luck today. We actually have hotpot!”
Qing Mu Lan excitedly picked up her chopsticks. “This is rattan-pepper hotpot. It’s incredibly satisfying. You’ve definitely never had it in the palace. Quick, try it.”
Skilfully she took a plate of mutton slices from the wooden rack beside them, tipped it into the boiling pot, and when it was nearly cooked, scooped a full plate and placed it in front of the Ninth Princess.
Qin’er wanted to stop her but was held back by Zhu’er.
She had already checked the dishes before they were served.
Dakang cuisine mainly featured stewing and boiling. Hotpot had long existed, but it was food for the poor, basically just vegetables boiled in plain water.
The Ninth Princess truly had never seen anything like it.
Moreover, the hotpot Jin Feng served the princess was different from traditional Dakang hotpot.
First, it was certainly not plain-water boiled vegetables. The base was made from mountain chicken simmered for hours, flavoured with rattan pepper, Chinese prickly ash, and the like. It could barely be called a numbing-and-spicy hotpot.
In his previous life, Sichuan had been the kingdom of numbing spice, but chilli peppers originated in America. At this time Dakang had no chillies, and the people of the Sichuan-Shu region did not yet favour numbing spice. They preferred sour flavours.
Thus in Dakang culinary circles there was a saying: “sweet in the south, salty in the north, spicy in the east, sour in the west.”
Those who ate spicy food were concentrated along the eastern coast, and the “spicy” in Dakang referred not to chilli heat but to the pungency of ginger, garlic, and prickly ash.
This was because people on the eastern coast often ate all kinds of fish and needed ginger and garlic to dispel the fishy taste.
The Ninth Princess picked up a slice of mutton and put it in her mouth.
The first impact of numbing-and-spicy food is the strongest. The Ninth Princess nearly spat the mutton out.
But after chewing a few times, she discovered its wonder.
The numbing fragrance of rattan pepper paired with the fresh, tender mutton was utterly unforgettable.
Add a cup of Jin Feng’s purified baijiu, and it was pure bliss.
The ever-composed Ninth Princess actually got drunk that evening.
