Chapter 330: Chapter 211: Competing Fathers_4
Zhao Yao gestured to Prime Minister He and the others, smiling as he said, "Please rise."
"Thank you, Tenth Prince."
Zhao Yao stood under the corridor, in front of the window, with his hands resting on the windowsill, watching Zheng Rang with curious eyes.
"So, you’re the son of Grand Commandant Zheng."
"Yes."
Zhao Yao carefully examined Zheng Rang: handsome appearance, fair skin, upright posture, and an elegant demeanor.
"Indeed, a fine-looking man!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Rang couldn’t help but look up at Zhao Yao.
Zhao Yao beamed at him, "I heard that Grand Commandant Zheng is a fine-looking man, so I wanted to see if you are too."
So that’s what it was about.
"I fall short of my father." Be it appearance, demeanor, or talent, he felt he was far inferior to his father.
"Prime Minister He, why didn’t you go to the dining hall for lunch?" Zhao Yao tilted his head, looking at Prime Minister He and the others, "Many people are waiting for you."
Prime Minister He replied with a kindly expression, "I found it too noisy with so many people, so I didn’t go to the dining hall for lunch."
Zhao Yao nodded, "Oh, so you chose not to go."
Prime Minister He gave a slight smile and immediately asked, "Tenth Prince, what delicious food did you have for lunch?"
"I had braised duck for lunch today..." The mention of food made Zhao Yao’s eyes light up, as he enthusiastically recounted to Prime Minister He and the others what he ate for lunch.
Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu listened patiently, occasionally chiming in.
Zheng Rang listened from the side, bewildered. It was merely a common dish of braised duck, but the way the Tenth Prince described it made it sound like the most delectable dish in the world. He felt a sudden craving, wanting to eat braised duck at home tonight.
"Prime Minister He, what did you have for lunch?" Zhao Yao asked, pouting slightly, "You didn’t come to the dining hall, so I missed out on tasting the food you brought."
Prime Minister He chuckled, "We didn’t bring any special dishes today; our lunch was sent from the Imperial Kitchen."
"Grand Commandant Zheng’s son, does your hometown have any special delicacies?" Zhao Yao asked earnestly, staring at Zheng Rang, "Could you bring some from your hometown tomorrow? I can exchange them with my favorite dishes."
"Huh?" Zheng Rang was somewhat bewildered, not understanding what the Tenth Prince meant.
"Actually, Zheng Zhengshi’s hometown has plenty of delicious food; both I and Grandmaster Liu have tried them. The taste is quite commendable."
Hearing this from Prime Minister He, Zhao Yao’s face immediately lit up with anticipation, "Really?" He then turned to Zheng Rang, "Zheng Zhengshi, you must bring your hometown’s specialties tomorrow; I’ll exchange them for my favorite dishes."
Zheng Rang still didn’t understand what was going on, looking towards Prime Minister He for help.
Prime Minister He nodded at him.
He said, "Yes, Tenth Prince."
"By the way, Zheng Zhengshi, you can also use your hometown’s delicacies to exchange with others, like the ones at the northern building..." Zhao Yao proceeded to recite the famous dishes from the hometowns of the ministers at the Lanyuan Pavilion to Zheng Rang.
Not just Zheng Rang, even Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu were taken aback, surprised by how well the Tenth Prince knew about the ministers’ hometown delicacies at the Lanyuan Pavilion.
Zhao Yao was also aware of the ministers’ best dishes and pastries, as he had tasted them all.
Not only did he enjoy them, but he also asked them for their recipes. The ministers, seeing how much he cherished their food, were more than happy to write down the detailed recipes for Zhao Yao.
Zhao Yao had collected these recipes and asked Liang Zhaoyi to organize them into a book, thus compiling a cookbook of various regional specialties.
"Oh, since you’re new to the capital, you might not know about the good eats here. Let me tell you..." Zhao Yao enthusiastically introduced the famous foods and snacks of the capital to Zheng Rang. "Also, you must visit the West Market at night; it’s bustling and lively with lots of snacks."
Zheng Rang, overwhelmed by the honor, said, "I’ve taken note, I will certainly try them out when I have time."
"Prime Minister He, on my next day off, I must come to your house to eat your baked buns." The baked buns from Prime Minister He’s house were exceptionally tasty.
"I’ll be waiting for you, Your Highness."
Waving to Prime Minister He and the others, Zhao Yao excused himself, "I have to go now."
"Please take care, Your Highness."
Zhao Yao hummed a cheerful tune as he skipped away.
Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu watched Zhao Yao’s departing figure, smiles unconsciously appeared at the corners of their mouths.
Zheng Rang still hadn’t figured out what had happened. He looked at Prime Minister He and them, puzzled, "Prime Minister, Grandmaster, the Tenth Prince, he..." What was going on with the Tenth Prince?
Prime Minister He laughed, "The Tenth Prince loves gourmet food; he often visits Lanyuan Pavilion to inquire about the ministers’ local specialties and then exchanges food with them..."
Listening to Prime Minister He’s explanation, Zheng Rang was shocked, "This..."
Grandmaster Liu chuckled, "Thanks to the Tenth Prince, we’ve enjoyed many delicacies we’ve never had before."
"Let Brother, bring some of your hometown’s delicacies tomorrow to exchange with the Tenth Prince."
"Alright." Zheng Rang thought to himself, it turned out the Tenth Prince was quite interesting.
"Shall we continue?" Grandmaster Liu gestured towards the chessboard for Zheng Rang. Their earlier game was yet to be finished.
"Yes, Grandmaster." Zheng Rang returned to his seat, picked up a white piece, and resumed playing.
Zhao Yao returned to the History Compilation Hall and mentioned to the Fourth Prince about the delicacies from Zheng Rang’s hometown, saying that Zheng Rang would bring them tomorrow for an exchange.
Only then did the Fourth Prince realize that Zhao Yao had visited Zheng Rang not because he was the son of Grand Commandant Zheng, but rather for the delicacies from Zheng Rang’s hometown.
In Xingde Palace, the Eighth Prince received a letter from Wang Siqi, a concubine-born son of the Wang family. After reading the letter, he burned it over the candleholder.
Noticing a trace of coldness in the Eighth Prince’s expression, Yu Hai quickly inquired, "Your Highness, what happened?"
"Nothing," the Eighth Prince said, a subtle, ambiguous smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Wang Siqi has some talent; he hasn’t disappointed me."
Yu Hai asked in surprise, "Did Wang Siqi succeed?"
"He hasn’t succeeded, but he did gain some usefulness," the Eighth Prince said meaningfully, "give him some more time, and he’ll surprise us."
"What kind of surprise?"
"You’ll find out in due time."
Yu Hai, hearing the Eighth Prince’s words, didn’t press further but rather inquired about Zheng Rang’s situation.
"Your Highness, about the two sons of Grand Commandant Zheng, what do you plan to do?"
The Eighth Prince replied indifferently, "Do nothing."
"Huh?" Yu Hai was startled, "Your Highness, those are the sons of Grand Commandant Zheng, aren’t you going to try to win them over?"
The Eighth Prince cast a sidelong glance at Yu Hai, his tone emotionless, "Are you worried that my life is too long and want me to reach out to them?"