As night fell, Leng Ruoli ordered her subordinates to invite Murong Lichen, Prince Ji and his wife, Leng Jinyu, and her elder brother whom she had just recognized, to the Leng Royal Mansion for dinner.
She prepared a large table of delicious dishes. In the center of the table was a small Yinyang hot pot, flanked by five cold dishes and five hot dishes on both sides. The spread was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, whetting everyone's appetite.
"Lier, Father intended to cook a good meal for your elder brother tonight himself, but Father is just a rough man. After fiddling in the kitchen for a long time, I wasted a lot of ingredients and couldn't even put together a table of dishes. Fortunately, our Lier's culinary skills are outstanding. Haha…" Leng Jinyu said this as he brought Xie Yichuan to the Leng Royal Mansion.
"Yes, not only is the Leng Consort skilled in medicine, but her culinary skills are also so good. We are in for a treat tonight," Prince Ji and his wife also praised.
"Everyone, please be seated! Let's start eating," Leng Ruoli said with a smile.
Following that, everyone gradually sat down.
"Sister-in-law, thank you for going to so much trouble for tonight's meal," Murong Lichen said very politely.
"Aren't you all returning tomorrow? Let's have a reunion dinner together tonight," Leng Ruoli said, glancing at everyone.
"Leng Consort, you are truly thoughtful," Princess Ji said in a low voice.
"Lier, are we eating this soup pot and these raw meats and vegetables in the middle of the table raw?" Xie Yichuan asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruoli was about to enlighten him when Leng Jinyu preempted her.
"Ruier, this is an Yinyang hot pot. These vegetables and raw meats are all dipped and cooked in this Yinyang pot. It's especially delicious."
"Oh, this is my first time seeing this way of eating," Xie Yichuan said with a slight smile at the corner of his lips.
"The hot pot Lier made is delicious. I guarantee you'll want more after eating it," Leng Jinyu said happily.
"Really? This is also the first time we've seen this way of eating," Prince Ji and his wife also said with surprise.
"Whether it's delicious or not, everyone will know once they've eaten. Alright, let's start eating!" Leng Ruoli beckoned everyone.
With that, Leng Jinyu eagerly taught Xie Yichuan, Prince Ji and his wife, and Murong Lichen how to eat hot pot.
The few of them learned it at a glance.
"Mmm, delicious, delicious. Leng Consort, the soup base you made is really flavorful when used to cook dishes. And these refreshing cold dishes and stir-fried dishes are also exceptionally good," Prince Ji kept praising her.
"Yes, Sister-in-law. After eating the meal you made tonight, we don't want to leave the capital tomorrow," Murong Lichen also ate with great enjoyment.
The group sat around the table, chatting and eating, and burst into laughter at amusing moments.
However, halfway through dinner, Ming Jiuxiao rushed in, interrupting everyone's meal.
"Heavens, girl, you're too inconsiderate! Cooking such a big table of delicious food and not calling me. Wuwu…"
As Ming Jiuxiao spoke, he had a servant bring a chair and sit next to Leng Ruoli. Then, he instructed Xing'er to bring a set of bowls and chopsticks. Xing'er glanced at Leng Ruoli, and Leng Ruoli nodded at her before daring to get the bowls and chopsticks for Ming Jiuxiao.
After Xing'er brought him the bowls and chopsticks, he familiarly learned from everyone's example and started dipping and eating dishes.
At this moment, everyone's eyes kept shifting between Jun Mohan and Ming Jiuxiao. After all, everyone present was a prominent figure and was certainly well-informed about various news. They must have heard the rumors in the capital about the Leng Royal couple and Ming Jiuxiao these past few days.
Now that they were encountering the key figures of the conflict, they expected a major confrontation. To everyone's surprise, that did not happen.
What everyone did not know was that this was the result of Leng Ruoli's "sacrifice" and confession that night. Otherwise, Jun Mohan, the jealous emperor, would have already been upset.
"Why is everyone looking at me? Eat your dishes!" Jun Mohan swept his gaze over everyone speechlessly. Was he, a dignified prince, such a petty person? It was just a meal.
"Eat! Why are you all stunned? If you don't eat, all this food will be mine," Ming Jiuxiao said, his mouth full, not forgetting to urge everyone.
At this moment, everyone gradually came back to their senses and continued eating. Afterwards, everyone ate very happily.
This Ming Jiuxiao was truly a social butterfly. Within a few sentences, he connected with everyone and told funny jokes. By the end of the meal, he had befriended everyone and was very popular.
…
The next morning
The Leng Royal couple got up early and sent Murong Lichen and Prince Ji and his wife out of the city gates.
"Prince Leng, Leng Consort, we shall take our leave. We shall meet again," Prince Ji and his wife cupped their hands at the Leng Royal couple.
"Alright, you must be very careful on your journey," the Leng Royal couple said softly, glancing at the carriage not far behind Prince Ji and his wife.
"Thank you for the reminder, Prince Leng and Leng Consort. We will be careful," Prince Ji and his wife nodded in response.
Afterward, they had Xiao Liu Zi bid farewell to the Leng Royal couple before having the guards start the carriages and head towards Nanzhao.
Next, Murong Lichen also drove his carriage to the Leng Royal couple and bid them farewell.
"Senior brother, senior sister, thank you for saving Ziyi. Li Chen will never forget this kindness."
At this moment of parting, Murong Lichen finally couldn't help but shed tears. His senior brother and senior sister were not only benefactors to Ziyi but also benefactors to the millions of citizens of the Beichen Kingdom.
If it weren't for his senior brother and senior sister's help in strategizing and crushing Murong Qiansong and Jing Dehai's rebellion, their Beichen Kingdom would have fallen into the hands of villains, and the people of Beichen would have suffered immensely.
Moreover, if his younger brother Murong Ziyi hadn't been rescued in time by his senior brother and senior sister, Murong Ziyi would likely not be alive.
"You're so old, and you're still crying. If you're going, then hurry up. Your sister-in-law and I have things to do later," Jun Mohan retorted to someone for the first time, as he didn't want the parting to be like a farewell to life and death.
Hearing his senior brother's displeased words, Murong Lichen quickly wiped the tears from his face and put on a smiling face to the Leng Royal couple.
"Senior brother, senior sister, little brother bids farewell. When the court situation in Beichen stabilizes, we will come to the capital to visit you."
Saying this, he immediately ordered the guards to drive the carriage out of the capital. 138 Reading Network
The Leng Royal couple stood at the city gate, gazing in the direction of Murong Lichen's departure for a long time.
"Jun Mohan, my eyelids have been twitching just now. I hope their return journey won't have any…" Leng Ruoli stopped midway, hesitant to finish her sentence.
"I am quite at ease regarding Murong Lichen, but I cannot guarantee Prince Ji and his wife's journey," Jun Mohan said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruoli sighed deeply.
"Alas…"