The Humble Family’s Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!
Chapter 777 - 695: Silent Boast_1

Chapter 777: Chapter 695: Silent Boast_1

"After reclaiming Dongqu City, the Eighth Prince fled all the way to the Tartar Imperial Court; by the time we pursued him there, he had already died of illness and was hastily buried in a mound on the desolate steppe," Xiu Xiangchen reported to the Emperor in the Qianqing Palace, detailing the events involving the Eighth Prince and his followers.

The Emperor fell silent for a long while, "Are you certain it was the Eighth Prince?"

Xiu Xiangchen nodded, "My subordinates and I have confirmed it." As he spoke, he quickly glanced at the Emperor and carefully added, "I did not dare to move the Eighth Prince’s remains on my own, but I have recorded the location."

The Emperor snickered and sighed, "For his selfish desires, the Eighth Prince flouted the greater good of the country, conspired with the Tartars, and set fire to our military provisions. Since that’s the case, let him be buried on the steppe and spare the soil of our great Daxia from contamination."

Suddenly, Xiu Xiangchen knelt down to confess a wrongdoing, and Xiao Yeyang, Yan Wentao, and Yan Wenkai behind him could only do the same, "Your Majesty, I beg for forgiveness, we were incapable of annihilating the Eighth Prince’s followers completely, allowing some of them to still be at large."

The Emperor did not blame them, "You cannot be faulted for this; the steppe is vast, and once they hide there, it would be difficult for you to find them. Without the Eighth Prince, they are just a rabble. All right, rise, all of you."

Xiu Xiangchen and the others stood up with Xiao Yeyang.

After Xiu Xiangchen finished reporting, Chui Gang also rushed to present military updates, "The Border Army has already taken control of the Tartar territory, but as the Tartars are nomadic, it is not particularly easy to manage."

The Emperor nodded, "We will discuss this matter with the ministers in the court meeting."

Hearing this, Chui Gang said no more; as a military officer, he was only responsible for warfare, not governance.

Once the northern affairs were largely understood, the Emperor smiled and led the men to the hall where the celebration was to be held.

In the great hall, the officials were already seated in order. Seeing the Emperor arriving, they all stood up and paid their respects.

The Emperor gestured for everyone to sit down, then took his place at the head of the hall and motioned for Xiao Yeyang to sit down at the designated seat beside him.

Chui Gang and Xiu Xiangchen naturally walked over to their seats without needing any prompting.

For Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai, who were attending such a formal banquet for the first time, they were somewhat at a loss.

Xiao Yeyang intended to speak out, but the Emperor stopped him.

Looking at the intrigued expression of his royal uncle and the smiling eunuch An behind him, Xiao Yeyang was swiftly reminded of the time his siblings bound and abducted them.

Xiao Yeyang shot a look of helplessness at Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai, then lifted his cup from the table and downed it in one gulp.

Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai exchanged glances and muttered under their breath.

"There are still empty spots, should they be for us?"

"But isn’t it a bit too far forward?"

"We are the heroes of this victory; sitting a bit closer is only proper. Let’s go sit down, standing like this makes us look rather silly, and many people are watching us."

"If we do something wrong and get asked to leave, that would be even more embarrassing."

"The Emperor is enjoying our blunder, we’ve already lost face, so there’s no harm in a bit more."

After saying this, Yan Wenkai took big steps toward the empty seats, but upon seeing Yang Chenghua, who was sitting nearby and smiling at him, he immediately veered off towards the seats at the very bottom.

"Eh, Minister Yan, where are you going? This is your seat, come and sit down," Yang Chenghua quickly called out to Yan Wenkai.

His voice was somewhat loud, immediately drawing the attention of others in the hall.

Yan Wentao, who was a few steps behind, seeing his younger brother standing stiffly in the middle of the hall, decisively took a seat below Yang Chenghua.

Yan Wenkai, noticing his father’s disdainful look and the audience enjoying the spectacle, resignedly kept quiet, then plastered a smile on his face, turned to Yang Chenghua, and walked over while self-reprimanding, "Oh my, it’s you, sir. Look at me, my eyesight is failing me; I didn’t recognize you at all. I really deserve a beating."

"Your gaze is quite dismissive, to even overlook the Prime Minister." The emperor followed up with a jovial laugh.

Upon hearing that Yang Chenghua was the Prime Minister, Yan Wenkai stumbled, and Wentao’s hand, holding his wine cup, also froze mid-air.

Yan Wenkai approached Yang Chenghua with an embarrassed smile, swiftly poured a cup of wine, and then offered it with both hands, a broad grin on his face, "It’s all the young lad’s fault, sir. You should be generous and not take it to heart. Drink this cup of wine, and let bygones be bygones with the wind." With that, he extended the wine cup.

Yang Chenghua looked at Yan Wenkai with a smile, "You say it can just drift away? I still remember that salty..." Stench!

Oh, he can’t continue that thought, for fear of losing composure in front of the court.

Yan Wenkai’s eyelids twitched, and he forcefully twisted Yang Chenghua’s words, "Did you mean to talk about pickles, sir?" Saying so, he gave Yang Chenghua a knowing look.

"It just so happens that sir has the same taste as me. I too quite like the pickles from our home!"

"Let me tell you, not to boast, but the pickles that we make truly are unmatched... Oh, I must stop talking now, or I’ll start drooling."

With that, he once again extended the wine cup toward Yang Chenghua.

"Since you enjoy them, sir, I’ll take care of all your pickle needs from now on."

Yang Chenghua watched Yan Wenkai with a look that was both amused and mocking, "Did I mention pickles?"

Yan Wenkai’s face stiffened, "Fresh vegetables are fine too."

Yang Chenghua looked at Yan Wenkai silently, then mused, "Speaking of vegetables, now that you mention it, I do have my favorites. Do you know about the Four Seasons Fruits and Vegetables Shop?"

Yan Wenkai nodded, "I know about it." Wasn’t the Four Seasons Fruits and Vegetables Shop the one opened by his eldest sister?

Yang Chenghua continued, "I particularly enjoy the vegetables sold in that shop. How about, from now on, you help me buy the vegetables I eat every day?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to them, internally cursing Yang Chenghua as an old fox.

The difficulty of purchasing vegetables from the Four Seasons Fruits and Vegetables Shop was well-known to everyone in the hall, requiring frequent queues. Just how much time would it take to get them every day?

The old fox sure knew how to make people suffer, and everyone couldn’t help but sympathize with Yan Wenkai in their hearts.

Unexpectedly, Yan Wenkai readily agreed, "Ah, if that’s all, no problem."

Yang Chenghua was also momentarily surprised, realizing that Yan Wenkai had just arrived in Beijing and might not be familiar with the affairs of the Four Seasons Fruits and Vegetables Shop, and kindly reminded him, "The vegetables from that shop are quite hard to get, you must not go back on your word to me."

Yan Wenkai laughed, "Hey, that shop is run by my younger sister. You have nothing to worry about, sir. You won’t miss out on what you eat."

At these words, everyone in the hall who was enjoying the spectacle suddenly became speechless.

The Minister of Revenue quickly turned to Yan Zhigao, "Is the Four Seasons Fruits and Vegetables Shop really owned by your family?"

Yan Zhigao, who had only recently arrived in Beijing and had been busy familiarizing himself with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, hadn’t paid much attention to this highly popular shop, "That... should be, I think."

He vaguely remembered that his eldest daughter’s fruit and vegetable shop in Xingzhou, Ningmen Prefecture, was named just that and had a business that was indeed booming.

What, had the shop already become so famous that word of it had reached Beijing?

The Minister of Revenue was somewhat speechless, "What do you mean ’you think’? You don’t know about your own family’s shop?"

Yan Zhigao showed a tinge of embarrassment, "That shop was something for my eldest daughter to practice with; I generally don’t interfere."

The officials: "..."

Practice?

This new Vice Minister of Revenue Yan, is he being modest or showing off?