Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 93 Extra 5

Following the banquet at the imperial estate, red potatoes, potatoes, corn, chili peppers, apples, flat peaches, Kirin watermelons, large cherries, and other fruits and vegetables swept through the capital in an instant. Whenever aristocratic clans and nobles hosted banquets, they considered having such dishes, fruits, and vegetables on the table a matter of great pride. If any household’s banquet failed to prepare a few fresh dishes, they would even be mocked by their guests for being outdated.

With those at the top showing a preference, the common people at the bottom also began trying out new foods. They might not yet be able to afford expensive fruits like Kirin watermelons and large cherries, but they could certainly give a try to high-yield and low-priced fresh vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. Having received the Emperor’s instructions, the imperial estate did not forget to promote recipes when selling vegetables, and as time passed, the common people gradually grew accustomed to the extra few dishes on their dining tables.

By the time of the spring plowing the following year, when the court wanted to promote fruits and vegetables nationwide, the common people naturally accepted it without hesitation. After all, cheap potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes offered high yields and could fill their bellies, expensive fruits like Kirin watermelons, blueberries, and large cherries could fetch high prices, and even vegetables like green peppers, long beans, and tomatoes could be planted casually around the front and back of houses to improve their meals. Pondering over it from all angles, the common people could not find a single reason to resist, and instead simply felt grateful for the Emperor’s benevolence.

Thus, by the autumn harvest of the subsequent year, the dining tables of the Yin Dynasty’s common people became colorful and diverse as well, basically realizing the “vegetable basket” project desired by the Heavenly Emperor.

One day, the Heavenly Emperor was struck by a sudden whim to host a food festival in the capital.

It happened to be right after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The weather was gradually turning cold, and the temperature difference between morning and evening was also growing larger day by day, yet the daytime still remained bright and sunny. If a person stood under the sun for too long, they might even work up a sweat.

Yin Shuhuai sat in the middle of the blooming, brilliantly colorful flower beds of the imperial garden. Before him stood an iron grill used for barbecue, filled with top-quality silver frost charcoal, topped with a crisscrossed wire mesh. On a stone table chiseled from marble, various skewered meats and vegetables were laid out: green pepper and chicken skewers, lamb chops, tenderloin, pork skirt meat, kidneys, chicken wings, fish balls, chives, garlic shoots, enoki mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage… a dazzling array with everything imaginable, all of which were ingredients harvested from the imperial estate.

On a storage rack not far away, sliced watermelon, flat peaches, and other fruits were also placed. The cooks of the Imperial ancestral sacrificial office had blended freshly squeezed fruit juices and tea with the fruit tea specifically requested by the Emperor, serving it in a glass pitcher placed among blocks of ice. Shone upon by the sunlight, it reflected a crystal-clear luster.

Yin Shuhuai placed the skewered meats and vegetables onto the wire mesh, and after hearing the sizzling sounds, a rich aroma of barbecue permeated the imperial garden.

Before long, Yin Shuhuai handed the roasted chives and lamb kidneys to Shentu Yang, and said with great enthusiasm: “Come on, try my handiwork.”

Shentu Yang swallowed hard, his expression extremely solemn.

Yin Shuhuai asked with some suspicion: “What are you thinking about?” Surely he didn’t think these skewers weren’t fully cooked, did he?

Thinking it over, Yin Shuhuai added: “They’re definitely cooked. If you don’t believe me, taste them.”

Shentu Yang shook his head with a grave expression. It wasn’t that he distrusted the Emperor’s culinary skills; it was just that he couldn’t understand why, with such a rich variety of skewers available, the Emperor had specifically given him chives and lamb kidneys… Could it be that the Emperor was dissatisfied with his performance?

“Does Your Majesty think I’m running low on stamina?” Shentu Yang suddenly spoke up, but the question he posed left Yin Shuhuai momentarily stunned.

Yin Shuhuai looked at Shentu Yang with complete bewilderment, and only after quite a while did he understand what wild thoughts were running through Shentu Yang’s head. He could not help laughing as he pacified him: “Prince Yan is brave and formidable; I am exceedingly satisfied.”

“Then why did you…” want him to eat chives? Shentu Yang gazed steadily at Yin Shuhuai, a barely perceptible grievance and nervousness lurking in his gaze. He also felt that his performance had been stellar, practically fierce and valiant. But after all, the Emperor was an immortal reincarnate; perhaps His Majesty truly felt he was falling short?

“Stop right there!” Seeing Shentu Yang’s expression growing increasingly bizarre, Yin Shuhuai couldn’t help snapping his fingers in front of him, forcibly interrupting Shentu Yang’s wild train of thought: “You are forbidden from letting your imagination run wild.”

Shentu Yang did not feel that his imagination was running wild at all. A man, after all, hated nothing more than someone telling him he was falling short, especially when that person was the lover he cared about most. If not for the presence of too many attendants nearby, the Prince Yan, who usually possessed immense self-esteem, would have wanted to burrow right into the Emperor’s arms and shed a few golden tears, demanding to perform right on the spot so the Emperor could experience whether he was falling short or not!

Seeing Shentu Yang’s increasingly resentful gaze, Yin Shuhuai laughed until his face turned red, and could only wipe away his tears to explain: “I don’t think you’re falling short; I just thought you might love these too!”

When eating barbecue in later generations, Yin Shuhuai’s absolute favorites were grilled oysters, grilled chives, and grilled lamb kidneys, which he practically ordered without fail at every single meal. This preference hadn’t changed even after crossing over to the Yin Dynasty. Judging others by himself, Yin Shuhuai naturally assumed no man could refuse these three items. He simply hadn’t expected Prince Yan to read so much into it.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Yin Shuhuai reached out to stroke Shentu Yang’s abdominal muscles, soothing him in a gentle voice: “Rest assured, I am thoroughly satisfied with you.”

Sensing Yin Shuhuai’s infatuation with his physical body, Shentu Yang did indeed curve the corners of his lips in satisfaction. He reached out to take the barbecue skewers handed to him by the Emperor, and while eating, fiercely vowed: “Your Majesty can rest assured as well, this humble servant will work even harder.” He definitely wouldn’t let the Emperor feel he was falling short.

Looking at the resolute Shentu Yang, Yin Shuhuai inexplicably felt a twinge of kidney strain. It wasn’t that Yin Shuhuai was being cowardly, but ever since being blessed by the legendary saber, this man not only grew more energetic and robust by the day, but also increasingly clingy. He used to only pester him for it at night, but now he wouldn’t even let him go during the day, frequently pestering Yin Shuhuai until he had no energy left to read memorial reports.

At that thought, Yin Shuhuai suddenly regretted treating him to lamb kidneys and grilled chives. He was already such a beast before any tonics; if he really loaded up on tonics, where would that leave things?

Muttering inwardly, Yin Shuhuai immediately and nonchalantly removed the garlic-grilled oysters from the wire mesh. To his dismay, his movements were still too slow; thinking of who-knows-what, the quick-handed Prince Yan picked up the tongs, beat the Emperor to the punch by clamping down on all the remaining oysters and chives, and solemnly promised on his face: “Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble servant will definitely nourish his body properly and absolutely will not disappoint Your Majesty.”

Yin Shuhuai’s ears twitched; he actually misheard it as “nourish his kidneys properly,” and unconditionally blocked Shentu Yang’s path: “You don’t need any tonics, you really don’t need them. It was my lack of consideration—”

“No! No! No! When tonics are needed, one must still take them.” Prince Yan said with exceptional modesty: “This humble servant feels he can perform even more fiercely and valiantly.”

The cooks from the Imperial ancestral sacrificial office standing to the side watched the Heavenly Emperor and Prince Yan tugging back and forth over the grill with trembling hearts, wishing they could immediately rush forward and dismantle the grill.

Fortunately, after the monarch and minister fussed for a bit, they set it aside. Shentu Yang casually picked up a plate of squid and oysters, placed them on the wire mesh, and likewise vowed to let the Emperor sample his handiwork.

Those squid and oysters had both been hauled out of Qinhuangdao early that very morning and directly transported to the capital using the teleportation array, making them even faster and fresher than air-freighted goods of later generations. Especially the squid, which had been marinated in a special sauce provided by the cooks of the Imperial ancestral sacrificial office, grilled until done on the wire mesh, and then dusted once more with a special dry barbecue seasoning mixed with sesame, cumin, star anise, and cinnamon. Taking a single bite, the crisp tenderness and smoothness of the squid combined perfectly with the rich and heavy fragrance of the barbecue sauce, causing Yin Shuhuai to narrow his eyes in blissful enjoyment.

This was what life was all about!

Even as an emperor, if one couldn’t eat and drink to their heart’s content, life would lose eight-tenths of its flavor.

At this moment, the sky was high and the air crisp, with light clouds and a gentle breeze. Yin Shuhuai held grilled squid in one hand and a folding fan in the other, smiling as he watched Shentu Yang diligently grilling away in front of the grill, his gaze tracing Shentu Yang’s handsome brows and eyes inch by inch.

Shentu Yang sat before the grill, taking the full brunt of the charcoal fire’s scorching heat, yet felt no particular warmth. On the contrary, the Emperor’s focused gaze made his face grow red inch by inch.

Even the tips of his ears turned red enough to practically drip blood.

Yin Shuhuai chuckled softly, feeling all the more that such weather was suited for savoring delicacies. It neither suffered from the searing temperatures of midsummer that caused food to spoil quickly, nor the freezing conditions of deep winter when one couldn’t even pull their hands out of their sleeves, leaving prepared food completely congealed shortly after being made with oil spots hanging over it, looking cold and greasy enough to turn one’s stomach.

“Shall we host a food festival?” Struck by a sudden whim, Yin Shuhuai asked: “What does my beloved minister think?”

Shentu Yang felt that Yin Shuhuai didn’t look like he wanted to savor delicacies so much as he wanted to devour him. Shentu Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly; as the saying goes, a full stomach breeds desires, and Shentu Yang was no exception.

Shentu Yang looked up at the sky, then glanced at the stove fire before him, and under the pretext of the weather being too heat, seamlessly stripped off his outer robe, revealing his well-knit chest and arms, all while maintaining an unruffled expression as he continued grilling meat and offering wholehearted support to his Emperor. “A food festival is a wonderful idea! Let’s hold a food festival and let the common people of the capital all sample the new varieties grown by the imperial estate.”

As he spoke, Shentu Yang seamlessly wiped away the sweat on his body, a soft towel pressing a slight indentation against his muscular chest, making his bronze-toned skin appear all the more sexy and charming. Taking this in, Yin Shuhuai suddenly felt somewhat thirsty.

Thus, the midday barbecue on this particular day came to an abrupt halt. The Heavenly Emperor dragged his Prince Yan back to the bedchamber to discuss how to prepare for the food festival.

Regarding this, the valiant and formidable Prince Yan could only say that his oysters, chives, and lamb kidneys had not been eaten in vain.

At the morning court session the following day, a similarly refreshed Yin Shuhuai announced his decision to host a food festival in the capital to the civil and military officials.

By this time, a full year had passed since the Heavenly Emperor’s first banquet at the imperial estate, yet the senior court ministers still remembered that night’s immortal palace feast with lingering fondness. Upon learning that the Emperor wished to host a food festival, they naturally offered their utmost support.

“Is Your Majesty hoping to use this food festival to showcase the prosperous era of our Yin Dynasty, celebrating together with all under heaven and sharing the joy with the common people?” Yao Wenruo grasped the implied meaning behind the words. By this point, he, the Prime Minister of Yan, had long since been trained by the Emperor to be perceptive and tactful. With a single word from the Emperor, Yao Wenruo could instantly comprehend His Majesty’s deeper intentions. Such meticulous thoughtfulness made him even more attentive and capable than when he had assisted Shentu Yang in the past.

As for the bitterness and toil involved in all this, it was better left unsaid.

Yin Shuhuai smiled slightly, going along with the flow: “Since Wenruo, you are so attuned to the imperial will, this food festival shall be handed over to you to manage. I trust you will certainly handle it well.”

The smile on Yao Wenruo’s face froze slightly, and he felt a vague twinge of regret that he shouldn’t have spoken so much.

“Ha!” Huo Quan, standing to the side, couldn’t help letting out a burst of laughter.

Yin Shuhuai bowed to accept the decree without any surprise, and then turned a deadpan look toward the Grand Commandant Huo Quan who was standing nearby giggling foolishly: “This humble servant acknowledges the decree, but this humble servant requires the assistance of the Grand Commandant.”

“What in the world?” Huo Quan, who had just been mocking Yao Wenruo for having such a bitter fate, widened his eyes and said in disbelief: “What does this matter have to do with me? I am the Grand Commandant! Not a civil official! If you need to draft people, go find the Prime Minister!”

With that, Huo Quan pointed a hand toward Shentu Yang.

Shentu Yang sat serenely at the Emperor’s side. Hearing this, he smiled unconcernedly and said in a leisurely tone: “Grand Commandant Huo speaks incorrectly. The Grand Commandant commands the northern and southern armies, and the Jinwu Guards responsible for security in the capital belong to the northern army. If Wenruo is going to manage the food festival, he naturally must ensure that public security in the capital remains sound during the event, and that petty villains do not take the opportunity to stir up trouble. This is precisely the duty of the Jinwu Guards, how could it have nothing to do with the Grand Commandant?”

Huo Quan: “…” Well, if you put it that way, this matter really did concern him. But he truly didn’t want to be dragged down into working overtime for no reason!

With a collapsed expression, Huo Quan looked resentfully toward the Emperor. Yin Shuhuai smiled slightly, merely instructing Huo Quan and Yao Wenruo to coordinate well and ensure the inaugural food festival of the Yin Dynasty was held to a complete and successful conclusion.

The civil and military officials in the court looked at each other in dismay, subconsciously calculating in their hearts what benefits they could gain from the court hosting a food festival.

Zhao Bushi, the Censor-in-Chief, felt his heart stir and suddenly stepped forward to ask: “When the court hosts a food festival, will we be recruiting sponsors?”

The reason Zhao Bushi asked this was because during the Dragon Boat Festival over the past few years, whenever the court hosted dragon boat races, it would sincerely recruit sponsors. Anywhere from dozens to over a hundred sponsors could always pool together over a million bushels of grain and various sponsored goods, which were all shining silver taels. Every year when the court comforted widowers, widows, orphans, and the childless, it used this exact batch of money and grain.

As the Censor-in-Chief, although Zhao Bushi did not manage money and grain, he was well aware of the benefits they brought. The court was hosting a food festival to promote the new crops harvested by the imperial estate, celebrating with all under heaven and sharing joy with the people. This was already an immensely joyous occasion. If they could secure another batch of sponsorship fees during the food festival, even donating it to charitable houses across various regions would be good. Caring for the vulnerable groups—which of those didn’t require funds.

Yin Shuhuai felt this was deeply true, and smilingly said: “Wenruo is already well-versed in this, so let this be handed over to him as well.”

Over the years, whenever the court hosted dragon boat races, it had always been Yao Wenruo who liaised with the wealthy merchants and tycoons. When Yin Shuhuai said he was well-versed in it, he wasn’t just saying it casually. However, since this matter had ultimately been raised first by Zhao Bushi, Yin Shuhuai couldn’t well leave his Censor-in-Chief standing aside either, so he assigned Zhao Bushi another heavy responsibility: “…… Gather the literary talents and famous scholars in the capital who excel at composing poetry and prose, and tell them to write more fine works during the food festival.”

That’s right, Yin Shuhuai was handing over the publicity and marketing work of the food festival to Zhao Bushi. Having the Censorate, which supervised all officials, take charge of this matter could also be considered a matching of professions.

After all, both tasks required outstanding eloquence and a formidable writing brush.

The Censor-in-Chief raised an eyebrow and bowed to accept the decree.

Yao Wenruo likewise bowed to accept the decree with an expressionless face, while silently muttering inwardly: Right, right, right, just hand everything over to him, it would be just great if he worked himself to death.

Working himself to death was out of the question. After years of tempering, Yao Wenruo was already seasoned in handling state affairs and had learned how to delegate. The officials of the Prime Minister’s residence were run ragged by him, none of the Nine Ministers could escape, and even the Jinwu Guards were dispatched by Yao Wenruo to sweep the streets… Under the close cooperation and efficient operation of various court departments, in less than half a month, the capital food festival that Yin Shuhuai had been longing for officially commenced.

On the first day of the ninth month, auspicious for traveling. Chang’an Ward, north of Ji County, was a scene of bustling excitement.

This had originally been the largest trading market in Ji County, teeming with bustling crowds year-round, where small peddlers hawking their wares could be seen everywhere on the streets. Now designated by the court as the venue for hosting the food festival, even more people came rushing to join in the lively atmosphere.

At midday, Yin Shuhuai disguised himself in commoner clothes and, accompanied by Shentu Yang who was similarly dressed with an air of wealth, quietly mingled among the bustling crowds of common people.

Entering the market, various aromas rushed straight toward them. There were those pushing carts selling teppanyaki squid, those setting up grills to sell mutton skewers, grilled oysters, and grilled gluten, those setting up stalls to sell lamb offal soup and lamb noodles, those setting up iron pots to boil spicy soup, those setting up iron stoves to roast whole lambs, those selling baked naan and stuffed flatbreads, and those selling freshly squeezed fruit juices and milk tea… Yin Shuhuai even spotted signs for spicy hot pot and rice noodles, causing him to feel in a daze as if he were walking through the market of a tourist ancient town in later generations, surrounded everywhere by familiar elements.

Yin Shuhuai and Shentu Yang started eating from the very first stall upon entering the market, which sold grilled sausages. The fragrant, blossoming large grilled sausages exuded a robust and domineering aroma that instantly caught Yin Shuhuai’s attention. While waiting in line, he didn’t forget to complain to Shentu Yang: “How could I have forgotten to have someone make grilled sausages!”

Such simple and joyful delicacies had been completely thrown to the back of his mind. Unexpectedly, however, a delicacy that even Yin Shuhuai himself hadn’t thought of had been concocted by the common folk and even brought to the food festival to be sold. Sure enough, the mandatory gourmet elements of cultural and tourism markets everywhere were grilled sausages, grilled skewers, and large squid, unchanged from ancient times down to the present day.

The Imperial Guards following closely behind to protect the Emperor stepped forward stealthily, wanting to take turns in line on behalf of the Emperor. Yin Shuhuai quietly waved his hand to dismiss them, and stood in the middle of the queue with Shentu Yang for a quarter of an hour, happily spending five copper coins to buy two blossoming grilled sausages.

After eating half of one, he found it too rich and greasy, so he had no choice but to shove the other half onto Shentu Yang, before dragging Shentu Yang away to buy crab-shell pastries sold at another stall.

Shentu Yang never turned anything away; having just wolfed down one and a half grilled sausages, he was immediately stuffed with two crab-shell pastries by Yin Shuhuai.

The golden-yellow, brilliant pastries rested on yellowing kraft paper. Yin Shuhuai carefully pinched one, and the pastry crust, already baked to a crisp, crumbled into rustling fragments under the pressure of his fingertips. Taking a bite, it tasted both flaky and crispy, while the salty fragrance of pork and the sweet freshness of shrimp blended together perfectly. Yin Shuhuai’s eyes lit up, and he immediately stuffed the remaining half into Shentu Yang’s mouth.

Sensing the salty, fragrant, flaky crispness instantly spreading across his mouth, Shentu Yang nodded in approval. Truly, masters were to be found among the common folk; these crab-shell pastries tasted no worse than the handiwork of the palace cooks.

Yin Shuhuai brushed the pastry crumbs from his hands and walked light-footedly toward the next stall. This one sold teppanyaki grilled squid. Following the recipes promoted by the court, the vendor had sprinkled massive amounts of minced onions over the squid while grilling, which further drew out the natural freshness of the squid. Yin Shuhuai ate with great satisfaction. This time he took two bites before stuffing the rest of the squid to Shentu Yang.

Shentu Yang glanced sideways at the grilled oysters at another stall, and teased with a smile: “Still eating?”

Yin Shuhuai gave Shentu Yang a meaningful look: “If you lack confidence, then you should take a few more tonics.”

The smile on Shentu Yang’s face instantly stiffened, and he asked with exasperation: “Do you think I need tonics?”

Yin Shuhuai smiled without answering, walking with hands clasped behind his back toward the next stall.

This stall sold spiral potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted corn. The vendor, figuring it out on his own, had actually learned to sprinkle barbecue seasoning onto the corn, wrapping the sweet corn in thick dry seasonings, which tasted quite unique. Yin Shuhuai also ordered a portion of spiral potatoes. Having not eaten such snacks in a long time, eating them now filled him with a sense of nostalgia.

Shentu Yang once again caught the familiar look of wistful melancholy on the Emperor’s face. Without a sound, he accepted the roasted corn and spiral potatoes the Emperor didn’t want to finish, eating while probing: “What are you thinking about? Why did you suddenly grow unhappy?”

Yin Shuhuai smiled: “Your eyes really are getting sharper by the day, noticing even when I’m unhappy.”

Shentu Yang also smiled: “If I couldn’t even notice that much, then I might as well pluck out this pair of eyes.”

Yin Shuhuai gave a calm smile, somewhat touched by Shentu Yang’s perceptiveness, though unfortunately the matter of time travel was a secret Yin Shuhuai would never confide to anyone, not even Shentu Yang. Without answering Shentu Yang’s question, he pointed casually at the fruit tea stall ahead and smiled: “I’m a bit thirsty, let’s go drink some sour plum soup.”

That shop’s sour plum soup was served in bamboo tubes, so drinking it provided not only the sweet and sour taste of plum soup, but also a faint fragrance of bamboo.

As he drank, Shentu Yang worked up an appetite, and simply walked up to a stall selling red-willow mutton, purchasing a bunch of mutton skewers and a roasted lamb leg, before pulling Yin Shuhuai to sit down at a neighboring beef rice noodle stall.

While waiting for the boss to blanch the noodles, Shentu Yang handed the lamb leg to Yin Shuhuai, looking at him with eager anticipation.

Yin Shuhuai wrinkled his nose in mild disdain, having very little desire to eat it. Seeing this, Shentu Yang used the dagger he carried with him to slice off a small piece of lamb leg meat and fed it to Yin Shuhuai. Realizing Yin Shuhuai truly wouldn’t eat anymore, he then raised the lamb leg and took several fierce bites, letting out a heavy sigh of emotion: “Now this is what eating is all about!”

In Shentu Yang’s view, eating meant devouring meat in large mouthfuls to feel full. Constantly eating those tiny snacks that only got stuck between one’s teeth would only make a person hungrier the more they ate.

Yin Shuhuai looked speechlessly at the voraciously eating Shentu Yang: “Meals are meals, snacks are snacks, the two cannot be mentioned in the same breath.”

He also reminded Shentu Yang to eat a little less: “We’ve only strolled halfway through, there’s still another half-street left to explore. Don’t stuff yourself full, or you won’t be able to eat anything else later.”

Pausing slightly at that point, Yin Shuhuai smiled and said: “If you can’t eat it, I’ll just give it to someone else. We can’t waste food.”

Shentu Yang’s expression hardened, though he retorted: “Don’t underestimate people, such a small amount of food can’t possibly fill me up.”

Shentu Yang spoke with a double meaning, and Yin Shuhuai gave him a smile that was not quite a smile. Right on cue, the boss brought over the freshly cooked beef rice noodles, interrupting the pair’s eye contact.

The bone broth brewed from beef marrow bones was rich and fragrant, emitting rolling wisps of heat. Topped with a few slices of beef over the rice noodles and sprinkled with some chives and coriander, it looked all the more appetizing. Yin Shuhuai picked up a chopstick full of rice noodles and slurped them into his mouth; the rice noodles were chewy and smooth, carrying a deep rice fragrance mingled with the savory flavor of deeply-infused beef. If he added a bit of chili oil, the taste would be even better.

Yin Shuhuai drank a mouthful of soup in content, pushed the remaining beef rice noodles to Shentu Yang, and patiently waited for Shentu Yang to finish eating before continuing to tour the market.

As they walked, Shentu Yang noticed a candied hawthorn vendor, except the items strung on the bamboo sticks weren’t the usual hawthorns, but rather cubed Kirin watermelons, dekopon oranges, and flat peaches. Taking this in, Shentu Yang couldn’t help clicking his tongue in secret: “You can do things like that too, can this possibly taste good?”

With an expression of disgust, Shentu Yang simply couldn’t imagine the combination of fruit and sugar syrup. In his view, fruit was fruit and sugar was sugar; he could accept fruit-flavored candy, and he could accept putting sugar in fruit juice, but he could never accept such a bizarre pairing. Yin Shuhuai, however, found it rather interesting, stepping forward to purchase a skewer of candied orange segments. After taking a single bite, he cast an unspeakable look at Shentu Yang.

Shentu Yang uttered a “tsk,” yet resignedly accepted the remaining skewer of candied orange segments, wolfing them down in one go.

“The taste isn’t bad.” Shentu Yang reminisced; the sweet and sour orange segments paired with the crispy sugar coating weren’t unpalatable at all.

Yin Shuhuai looked at Shentu Yang with some surprise. He knew Shentu Yang had always liked sweets, but he hadn’t expected him to be able to accept even this kind of candied fruit. On the contrary, Yin Shuhuai himself, who fancied himself broad-minded and tolerant of all culinary delights, found his acceptance of innovative cuisine actually falling short of Shentu Yang, an ancient warrior who cared for nothing if not meat.

Yin Shuhuai suddenly thought of the candied honey-jujubes he used to eat as a child, and figured Shentu Yang would probably love them too, so he smiled and said: “When we get home, I’ll have someone make candied honey-jujubes for you.”

With the surroundings crowded with eyes and ears, Yin Shuhuai naturally phrased it somewhat ambiguously. Yet he hadn’t expected that upon hearing the words “get home,” Shentu Yang’s eyes would instantly brighten dazzlingly. He gazed intently at Yin Shuhuai, burning with a heat as if he wanted to melt Yin Shuhuai right on the spot.

Yin Shuhuai smilingly took hold of Shentu Yang’s hand, passing through the bustling crowd to press forward.

They ate their way from the head of the street all the way to the end of the alley. Apart from the food stalls, the food festival had specially carved out an area dedicated to selling various silk fabrics, brocades, rouge and powder, ready-made clothing, jewelry, sewing needles and threads, bamboo and straw handicrafts, masks, kites, and festive lanterns; Yin Shuhuai even spotted people trading horses, cattle, and camels. Merchants from all across the country gathered here with all manner of goods, resulting in ringing voices, clamoring carriages and horses, and a scene of a flourishing golden age.

By evening, the strings of lanterns suspended above the market were lit up, forming rows of bright red lanterns resembling a long dragon coiled across the Northern Market, illuminating the entire market as bright as day. A troupe carrying dragon lanterns shuttled back and forth through the market, followed by flower boats pulled by horses. Standing upon the flower boats were flower maidens with exquisite makeup, playing instruments and dancing as they went, attracting countless common people to trail behind them.

Small children holding pinwheels and festive lanterns were led or carried by adults, passing by Yin Shuhuai and Shentu Yang one after another. Jinwu Guards clad in armor rode tall horses, patrolling back and forth across the market.

The iron hooves that people once avoided in terror were now surrounded by curious, rubbernecking children. Little kids craned their necks to gaze up at the handsome young men atop the tall horses, naked admiration and adulation spilling from their eyes, pulling on their voices to loudly declare that “when I grow up, I want to be a cavalryman” to fight battles for the Emperor and expand the borders. This won loud cheers from the surrounding onlookers.

Further away in the suburban imperial estate, teleportation arrays lit up from time to time—those were civilian teleportation arrays specially constructed by the Emperor to promote commercial prosperity and the mobility of ordinary citizens. Guarded heavily by court troops, the people moving in and out of them were merchants and commoners hailing from every direction.

The emergence of these teleportation arrays not only shortened the time and space required for the court’s armies to rush to various regions, but equally reduced the travel costs for the Yin Dynasty’s commoners and merchants. Journeys that once took months or even years could now be reached in an instant simply by spending some silver and jade.

Although the startup price for the teleportation arrays was extraordinarily expensive, leaving them barely affordable for anything short of powerful local clans, aristocratic families, and wealthy merchants, one had to admit that their appearance had indeed immensely stimulated the prosperous development of the Yin Dynasty’s commerce, all of which was owed to the Emperor’s divine arts.

Ever since Yin Shuhuai restored his game interface, he had unsparingly displayed his miraculous nature. He used the teleportation arrays from his skill bar to improve transportation, enriched the common people’s dining tables with fruits and vegetables from his inventory space, and subtly altered the climate and weather across the Yin Dynasty’s territory, striving to ensure favorable winds and timely rain as well as bumper harvests year after year.

All these efforts were actually observed by the common people. They might not write gorgeously worded, beautiful essays singing praises like the aristocratic nobles did, but they knew precisely who had transformed them from ragged, starving, precarious refugees of a chaotic era who suffered endless bullying into prosperous, secure, self-sufficient subjects of a golden age who could even enjoy fine food nowadays. They didn’t know fancy philosophical theories; they simply and piously erected longevity tablets for the Emperor, burning incense and offering prayers for blessings every single day in hopes that His Majesty would live a boundless, endless life.

Walking through the market, Yin Shuhuai could always overhear the common people expressing profound gratitude toward the current Son of Heaven. Those unadorned praises and blessings made Yin Shuhuai’s ears burn warmly and his heart swell completely.

Sensing the Emperor’s quiet, unpretentious emotional stirring, and watching the Emperor’s flushed, jade-like imperial countenance glowing all the more under the festive lanterns, Shentu Yang couldn’t help his heart softening. He took hold of Yin Shuhuai’s hand, leaned close to his ear, and whispered softly: “……”

Right at that moment, several whistling sounds surged into the skies above. Raising their heads to look, everyone saw brilliant fireworks suddenly blossom across the dark night sky, reaching the pinnacle of splendor, and before they could fade, they were blanketed by successive clusters of blooming blossoms.

Outcries and screams erupted in waves from the crowd. Yin Shuhuai failed to catch what Shentu Yang had said, and couldn’t help asking loudly: “What did you just say?”

Shentu Yang merely shook his head, flashing a brilliant, radiant smile at his Emperor.

End of Side Stories