Contrary to what the new emperor of Qi had imagined, all the countries sent delegations to observe the ceremony. The importance attached to this mountain-opening ceremony far exceeded Emperor Qi's expectations.
The old enemy Qingguo sent a prince, a well-known heir apparent. Although there were not many people accompanying him, the presence of their identities was enough to show the importance they attached to Maoshan Xuanxin Zongzong.
The fourth prince came from the Chu Kingdom. His reputation was not much lower than that of the prince, and he was a strong contender for the throne. It is said that he won the opportunity to come to Maoshan from the prince of his country.
Wei Guo is also a member of the royal family, the seventeen-year-old Princess Wenzhu. At first glance, his identity seems ordinary, but his origins are actually extraordinary. His father was the crown prince of the former Wei State, a man known for his character. He disappeared in Siyin Mountain eighteen years ago, leaving behind a daughter who was just one month pregnant at the time.
The people sent by Liang and Yan were all ministers of the Ministry of Rites, second-rank court officials. It seems that no royal family has a good reputation, but the size of the envoy is the largest. Maoshan is at the junction of Liang and Yan, and the two countries have the advantage of being hosts.
Only the Qi State, which claimed to have the upper hand, only sent a lone commander of the Forbidden Army.
He is considered to be a first-class person, and he is also a popular person in front of the emperor. However, compared with the other five countries, it is obviously inferior.
Commander Meng was in a state of embarrassment, and it was too late to expand the scale temporarily. I can only send someone back to deliver the letter and bite the bullet and follow.
Most of the missions of other countries are mature and stable, and they do not easily have contact with members of other countries. Princess Wenzhu of the Wei State was young and a girl, so she didn't have so many scruples. She would talk to Commander Meng whenever she had nothing to do. He wouldn't stop eating porridge and chattered non-stop.
"Little princess, please don't make things difficult for the commander-in-chief." The old minister of the Liang Kingdom stirred the porridge gently with a spoon, looking mature and steady. "The commander-in-chief is an honest man and doesn't have so many thoughts. You always keep him in check like this. People around me are afraid that he is from Wei."
"It's not easy to admit your mistakes, but misunderstandings are inevitable." The fourth prince of Chu State added. "If Wei and Qi unite, some people will probably feel uncomfortable."
Commander Meng picked up the bowl of porridge and was about to drink it. He was shocked when he heard these words. He quickly stood up and walked away with the bowl in hand, as if to avoid the god of plague.
The biggest reason why he was trusted by the emperor was that he was a solitary minister and did not form any clique. Now not only are there suspicions of forming a party, but they are also with people from other countries. How can we not be panicked?
"Hey, you guys are so boring. It's rare for someone to talk to you, but you scared them away." Princess Wenzhu was very unhappy.
"I'm just a little woman. I'm here just to have fun. I don't think you are so thoughtful. If I had known it was so boring, I wouldn't have come."
"Haha, the princess is too arrogant to belittle herself." Prince Qingguo laughed.
"When your father was here, his reputation was once equal to that of my uncle Hui Wang. Now the little princess has just grown up, and she has the demeanor of your father. But I heard that the Wei Kingdom also asked the prince to come here. It was the little princess who came into the palace and said What happened, so we changed the candidate temporarily."
"So what?" Princess Wenzhu glared, "His Majesty the Emperor and the Crown Prince dote on me. I can do whatever I want. It's none of your business. Huh? How did you know that I came into the palace to whisper? Oh, I understand. Yes, you have planted spies. Even our country of Wei has them, and there must be others in other countries as well."
The envoys from other countries glanced at Prince Qing subconsciously, and a kind-hearted man like Commander Meng began to think even more involuntarily.
"The little princess is joking..."
The Crown Prince of Qing had a somewhat unnatural expression as he picked up the porridge bowl and took a sip.
It was a tacit agreement to set up spies for each other, but this little girl happened to expose it. It's really uncomfortable to be the target of public criticism for no reason.
"Huh?" The prince of Qing Kingdom was startled when he took a mouthful of porridge.
After several others tasted it, they almost had the same expression.
With their status and status, none of these people have ever tasted delicacies from the mountains and seas.
We came to the porridge shed today not for the porridge, but for this reason to test each other.
Countries have never stopped investigating Yan Chixia's background. Unlike the state of Qi, which has been fighting for the royal palace all day long in recent years, it is not as well understood as some Jianghu sects.
Yan Chixia is not only the number one person in the world of Qingzhou, but she is also suspected to be a descendant of Penglai. She does not practice martial arts but is suspected of being an immortal. Since no one has landed on Penglai Island for more than fifty years, the Maoshan Mountain Opening Ceremony is an excellent opportunity to get involved with the immortals.
It's just because the information is not transparent enough and a lot of it is speculation, that's why it's the current scale. If it can be confirmed, it will be another mighty search for immortals from the Six Kingdoms.
But after eating the porridge, other thoughts disappeared instantly. Only the indescribable deliciousness swirls between the tongue and the brain.
"Second, I never thought that white porridge could be so delicious."
"I once had Bazhen porridge, which was made with eight kinds of rare ingredients. But compared with this bowl of porridge, it was still a lot worse."
"Not just porridge, I have never eaten anything better than this."
"Little brother, don't stay in the mountains anymore and come back with me to be the royal chef."
"Is it true that we only sell one bowl? Can't we have another bowl?"
"Haha, there's no reason to only sell one bowl. It's nothing more than silver. Is the store willing to sell you a bowl of porridge for a thousand taels of silver?"
Several people were instantly attracted by the taste of the porridge and unanimously asked for another bowl. The old minister of Liang State even offered a sky-high price and waited for a reply with a smile.
"If you think this porridge is worth a thousand taels, I will give you a thousand taels." Su Qing said, "But only one bowl. No more will be sold."
The old minister frowned, then laughed, "It's just like the rumors."
"You are just talking nonsense. Naturally, people don't believe it." Prince Qing took out the silver note and said to Su Qing, "This is a three thousand tael silver note, which can be exchanged at Liang Guoqing's bank. As long as you bring more porridge, you can get it Walk."
"After you have finished your porridge, please leave." Su Qing gave the eviction order, "There are few tables and chairs here, and we have to entertain other guests."
The six people had different expressions.
"Forget it, people have their own rules, just one bowl of porridge." The Minister of Rites of Yan State stood up first.
This minister was about the same age as the minister of Liang, but he didn't speak much from beginning to end.
Among the six kingdoms, Yan is the weakest and has always been relatively low-key. The most high-profile thing in recent years is the appearance of Guan Zheng, a martial arts idiot. But Guan Zheng was not so obedient. He first challenged and caused trouble everywhere, and then suddenly retreated. This left the court in a state of turmoil and had no choice but to act steadily. Including this visit to Maoshan, etiquette exceeded the purpose.
The Minister of Rites of the State of Yan took out a jade pendant and gave it to Su Qing, "Your porridge is very suitable for me. I have been carrying this jade pendant for many years. I will give it to you as porridge money. If you don't want to live in the mountains in the future, you can bring the jade pendant to the capital of Yan State."
Su Qing reached out and took it. "If you go to Maoshan Mountain, remember to pay incense."
"Okay." The old minister of Yan State smiled.
Several other people also stood up one after another and paid their bills.
"If you say you give me three thousand taels, I will give you three thousand taels. I will not take back what I have given you." Prince Qing did not take back the banknotes, and put all three thousand taels on the table.
The fourth prince of Chu State did not say anything, but he also took three thousand taels.
"Hey, I'm no richer than your two highnesses. But a gentleman should not repent once he makes a promise." The old minister of Liang State took a thousand taels of silver.
Su Qing said nothing and took the banknote.
Commander Meng's face was red and his neck was thick, and he felt very embarrassed when he touched his body.
Now it's not just about money, it's also about competing with each other to save face. As a representative of Qi State, I don't want to weaken my momentum, but I am really powerless.
He said that he came here and was not a rich man, so he didn’t bring much with him. One thousand two cents of silver is really impossible to come up with.
Commander Meng hesitated and took out all the money. "That's all."
The total belongings totaled more than three hundred taels, and there were also a lot of broken silver. In the eyes of ordinary people, it is a huge sum of money, but in the eyes of these people now, it is just a drop of money.
The two princes suppressed their laughter, and Su Qing put it away formally. "You can also invite incense when you go up the mountain."
Princess Wenzhu didn't pay for anything. She tilted her head and looked at Su Qing, then suddenly grinned.
"Your porridge is so delicious, no matter how much money you spend, it's hard to buy it. Besides, the money doesn't belong to me, so I don't show sincerity in giving it to you." The princess puffed up her chest, "What do you think about using it to pay for it myself? "
Everyone couldn't help laughing and looked at Su Qing with interest, wanting to see what the porridge seller had to say. .
Su Qing thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Can."
Everyone was speechless for a while, even Princess Wenzhu was choked.
It was obvious that he was deliberately teasing the porridge seller. No matter how delicious the porridge was, it would be impossible for him to attract the attention of a dignified princess.
The reason why they all remained silent was because they wanted to see how this principled porridge seller would respond.
Unexpectedly, he actually dared to ask for it.
I don’t know whether I should say that the people in the mountains are bold, or that the ignorant are fearless.
In the end, it was the little princess herself who relieved the embarrassment.
"Hahaha, I'm teasing you, but you take it seriously. But when I said you couldn't buy your porridge with money, I wasn't joking." Princess Wenzhu pulled out a hairpin and handed it to Su Qing.
"This was a gift from Grandma Huang on my birthday. It is my most precious thing. Now that she is no longer here, you know how precious this is."
Su Qing took the hairpin. "I used to have three pillars of incense, but now I only have one."
The little princess was puzzled.
"Please give me some incense? What do you mean?"
…
The six nations are in alliance, and the descendants of the emperor are noble. I visited the streets for snacks, and there was a lot of competition among them when they ran out of food. There are those who produce a thousand pieces of gold, and there are those who produce treasures. Either because of stupidity or stupidity, or because of the wisdom of the country. Who knows what is right or wrong?
"Qingzhou Chronicle"
