Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 862 - 860_1

Chapter 862: Chapter 860_1

After Gong Qinghua left, Xiao’er bid farewell to Shangguan Wanru.

Shangguan Wanru asked them both to stay for dinner, but Xiao’er shook her head, "You can’t handle spicy food while I’m the opposite; I might just be too much of a temptation for you if I remain. I need to go home and have a spicy beef hotpot!"

It is known that pregnant women can’t consume too much capsicum. Yet, Shangguan Wanru’s fondness for it was deep-rooted, probably due to the place she grew up in. Upon arriving at Nangong Country, Shangguan Wanru was susceptible to spicy food which gave her hot flushes, therefore she dared not eat spicy food during her pregnancy.

Is this not a temptation? Shangguan Wanru looked at Xiao’er with a sense of grievance, "You’re bullying me. Wait till you get pregnant. I’ll eat spicy, fragrant food every day in front of you!"

"Great! Remember to pack an extra portion for me, my physical constitution doesn’t require dietary restrictions," Xiao’er cheekily replied, after which, she bid her farewell with Shangguan Xuanyi.

Shangguan Wanru, with a smile on her face, saw off Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er. Only then did she retract her smile, sighed softly, and headed back indoors.

After Gong Qinghua left, he had his hound search the vicinity; he came close to literally leaving no stone unturned in his search for the hundreds of thousands of catties of grain that had vanished into thin air!

He was certain Shangguan Xuanyi was the thief, but however hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how the food was stolen without a trace! This was because he could never have imagined that Xiao’er had a space that could hold infinite items.

Another day passed, and Xiao’er along with Shangguan Xuanyi headed to the palace for the Nangong Emperor’s birthday banquet. The banquet was full of singing and dancing, the cuisines were mainly seafood, lobster, shark fin, sea cucumber, sea urchin, abalone, fish maw, grouper, coronus, emperor crab, scallops, oysters, sea snails... and so forth, an array of seafood delicacies for the banquet.

Nangong country was a coastal region, so the seafood was extremely fresh. The Imperial chefs had expertise in seafood preparation, bringing out the rich, fresh flavours of seafood to the full.

Xiao’er generally had smaller meals in the evening, but given the rare opportunity of being presented with such a variety of seafood, which was also delicious, she ate to her heart’s content, and ended up overeating.

The Nangong Emperor showed no interest, and the banquet ended relatively early.

As the banquet concluded during dusk, they exited the palace gates. Because Xiao’er was too full, Shangguan Xuanyi walked with her back to the Post Station to aid digestion.

The setting sun cast a long shadow of them.

Zhao Yong was driving the carriage at a slow pace behind them. The sight of two uneven shadows on the ground had him feeling as if they would walk like this across the seas and aged terrains forever...

Zhuge Jinquan, who also left the imperial palace, watched the pair’s receding figures, a trace of hatred swirled in his obscure gaze.

At the same moment, Gong Qinghai came out. He witnessed Zhuge Jinquan’s eyes strangely focused on them. He knew about a certain correlation between Zhuge Jinquan’s sister, Zhuge Meiyu’s death and Shangguan Xuanyi - right, the enemy of an enemy is a friend!

With this realization, Gong Qinghua approached Zhuge Jinquan, he orchestrated a salutation, cordially addressing him, "Brother Jinquan."

Zhuge Jinquan swiftly concealed the emotion in his eyes, and then turned towards him, returned the salute, in an unemotional tone, said: "Second Prince."

"Brother Jinquan, it would suffice if you call me Qinghua. I have some grape wine gifted from overseas in my mansion, would Brother Jinquan honor me with his presence for a wine tasting?"

Zhuge Jinquan knows that the invitation to drink wine is an excuse, most likely to seek a favor. Considering his recent troubles, which he cannot divorce from Shangguan Xuanyi, why not listen to what Xuanyi wants to ask for, being neither friend nor foe?

Thus, Zhuge Jinquan laughed and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Brother Qinghua. My favorite drink is imported wine from overseas."

In fact, the best wine is from the Shi family winery in Minze Country. However, the Eastern Jin Dynasty can only acquire a limited quantity. Those bottles are primarily for making the emperor enjoy. He can never get enough to drink!

"Is that so? Ha ha... it seems we indeed share similar tastes! Please, Brother Jinquan." Gong Qinghua stretched out his hand, making a gesture of invitation. He let Zhuge Jinquan walk ahead, and the two of them went to the second prince’s mansion to have a merry time with their drinks.

In the Prince’s Mansion, Zhuge Jinquan came across emissaries from Japan, and he suddenly felt that things were getting interesting.

And so, a conspiracy was quietly brewing...

After the banquet, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi went out to the sea for amusement. They decided to leave Nangong Country only after the officials and soldiers assigned by the Imperial Court arrived, and Minze Country truly took control of Zhan’er Island.

The ships made in Nangong Country were not bad. Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi bought the most luxurious ship they had for their maritime fun. They were accompanied by General Di and over a hundred soldiers and officers, as well as the dozens of Shangguan Xuanyi’s hidden guards.

"For most of my life, I’ve been stationed at the seaside, either to train soldiers or fight wars. This is my first time out to sea for leisure!" said the General Di, who was now past fifty with greying temples but still full of vigor. Looking at the vast sea, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Although it was a leisure trip, General Di also had a mission. He was to secretly prepare everything around Zhan’er Island in case Nangong Country ever reneged on its promise, at which point they would have to directly invade and take over the island.

As for the warships, they had already set sail from Minze Country’s border and were on their way.

Shangguan Xuanyi, Xiao’er, and General Di stood on the deck, admiring the sunset over the sea: At the end of the vast sea, a large red sun rested on the calm horizon, standing out prominently.

The sky was bright blue, the sea greener, and where they met, the red sun gradually turned from orange to gold, from full circle to half...

"General Di has devoted his life to wars in service of the country and people. It’s really admirable! Now that Brother Di has grown up and can stand on his own, General Di can confidently hand over his responsibilities to Brother Di and return to the Imperial Capital to spend his twilight years in peace." The emperor has already said that at the end of this year, General Di can retire, and his position will be taken over by Di Shaowei, which is why Xiao’er says so.

In fact, she deeply admires the Di family!

Since the reign of the founding emperor, the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion has been granted the title of generational loyalty. Indeed, generation after generation of sons in the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion lived up to the profound significance of these big words, "Of Generational Loyalty"!

Generation after generation, they interpreted these words with their blood and lives. In this generation, Di Junya’s father died in battle, leaving only Di Shaowei’s line of descent in the Di family.

After listening to Xiao’er, General Di shook his head: "The people of Japan are naturally cunning and sinister. That damn boy is still green. Besides, Prince Rui has just regained Zhan’er Island. I’m worried about the instability of the frontier. I have to stay here with that damn boy for a while, watch the situation, and then decide when to return to the Imperial Capital."

The emperor summoned him to return to the Imperial Capital and let Di Shaowei take his place. He, of course, knew that the emperor appreciated his lifelong dedication to the military and wanted him to enjoy his twilight years. But precisely because of this, he couldn’t let down the emperor’s deep affection and let his son, who lacked experience, be solely responsible. He should guide him a bit on the side.

He had guarded this place since he was twenty-five, and he had been through countless large and small wars. There were wins and losses, but he had never let the enemy successfully capture a city. His son was both intellectually and physically talented, but he lacked experience. He didn’t feel comfortable without keeping an eye on him.