Several female students who had been asking Tong Yuan questions all giggled and ran away when I called out to them. Tong Yuan, looking displeased, squinted as she walked over. As usual, she took a couple of bites of my son's food first, then scolded me, "Can't you be a little more mindful of your image?"
I said nonchalantly, "I'm a bandit from Liangshan, why should I care?"
Tong Yuan: "..."
I laughed and said, "Seriously, let me introduce you to two distinguished guests." There was no need to hide anything from Tong Yuan, so I told her the identities of the two wealthy and sophisticated women. Tong Yuan pulled me aside and exclaimed in surprise, "And Wu Zetian too?"
"Never mind who they are, the families of Liangshan should be treated equally and have the audacity to challenge even the emperor—now I'm giving you a task: take them around the school. Remember, don't go to Building 3, that building has a hanging scroll of Wu Zetian..."
No matter what, Tong Yuan was a modern person after all. After hearing my introduction, she smiled awkwardly at Empress Lü and Empress Wu Zetian and said, "You two, our etiquette is different here. Please forgive me for not being able to kneel and bow to you."
Empress Lü didn't care at all, but stared at Tong Yuan's face and said, "Oh, this girl has such good skin."
Wu Zetian said, "You still smell very nice."
Tong Yuan said shyly, "Really? It's all thanks to cosmetics."
The two women's eyes lit up immediately, and they said, "Oh, then you have to tell us about this cosmetic."
Tong Yuan pulled out various bottles and jars from her bag and led the two away, saying, "This is face wash, this is perfume..."
Empress Wu Zetian clutched her heart and exclaimed, "Sister, your bag is so beautiful!"
Tong Yuan: "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Wu Zetian: "How can I take your things for free? I'll pay for them. How much is this bag, sister?"
"It's not expensive, just over three hundred yuan."
"How many Yucai coins is three hundred yuan? Our Tang Dynasty local currency is worth one to six Yucai coins."
"Our Han Dynasty was one to three and a half times."
...The three of them finally walked away.
Chapter 213 Full Moon Celebration (Part 2)
As noon approached, Baozi said worriedly, "Who's going to cook today? The guests are all seasoned eaters; we don't want them to mess it up and become a laughing stock."
I said, "Let's go check out the cafeteria."
Baozi and I arrived at the cafeteria entrance, where we saw Xiao Liuzi and his gang of hooligans peeling scallions and garlic. I asked them, "Who's in charge of cooking?"
The group of people said with bitter faces, "Don't even mention it. We don't know where this fat guy came from. He doesn't even know how to use an electric wok. He kicked us all out. He also has a terrible temper. He said he was some kind of emperor's chef."
I glanced at the steamed buns and whispered, "Which emperor brought the cook with him?"
Baozi, worried that the fumes would choke her son, turned her back and said, "Why don't you go in and see for yourself?"
When I went inside, I saw a fat man in a chef's uniform and a white hat behind the counter. He was flipping food from the pot onto the ceiling like you see on TV, but he did it perfectly, without spilling a drop. He was really skilled. I recognized him, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen him before, especially today with so many people around.
Before I could even remember his name, the fat chef immediately knelt down upon seeing me and loudly proclaimed, "Greetings, King Qi!"
I remembered from the way he was addressed; this man was none other than the imperial chef under Qin Shi Huang. Of all those emperors, only the fat Qin Shi Huang loved to eat, and I never expected him to bring his chef along.
I laughed and said, "Get up quickly, the food is all burnt. Don't be so polite here next time."
The imperial chef got up, looked towards the door, and said, "Isn't that the Grand Marshal? I'll go and kowtow to her right now." The fat man was good at remembering kindness; he had never forgotten the kindness of Baozi teaching him how to make tomato and egg noodles.
I chuckled and said, "No need. Just focus on making the meal. These are all distinguished guests today. Don't embarrass His Majesty."
The royal chef said confidently, "Your Highness, rest assured, I am confident in my ability to cook a simple dish."
I turned on the range hood for him and said, "Who else came with you?"
Yu Chu said, "Meng Yi and General Wang Ben have both arrived and are waiting at the old campus to meet with Prince Qi."
I was carrying steamed buns as I walked towards the old campus. Just as I reached the wall of Yucai School, a child on the wall suddenly shouted, "Oh no! The principal is coming! Everyone run!"
With a series of "crash" sounds, countless children leaped over the wall and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I said dejectedly, "These little rascals are quite united; they never just think of running away on their own."
After the group of kids dispersed, only a boy of about thirteen or fourteen remained, staring blankly at the wall. I was overjoyed, went over and grabbed him, and said sternly, "Whose student are you?" To be honest, catching these little brats is not very successful. I finally caught one, and as Baozi would say, I should cherish this opportunity to abuse my power.
To my surprise, the big boy wasn't afraid at all. He gently pulled his hand away from mine and said, "Are you the Prince Qi that Father Emperor mentioned? Nephew greets Uncle Xiaoqiang."
I asked in surprise, "Oh, so you're Ying Ge's child? I've never seen you before."
Baozi said, "Doesn't Fatty have two sons? What's the eldest's name again?"
The older child bowed again: "Aunt Baozi is right. My name is Fusu, and Huhai is my younger brother."
Baozi whispered to me, "Look at this child, so clean and polite. Will Fatty be biased and give him all the family business?"
I said dismissively, "It would be biased for the fat man to give the family business to Hu Hai."
Fusu stared blankly at a painting on the wall and asked, "Uncle Xiaoqiang, do you know who painted this?"
When I looked at it, I saw a drawing of a galloping horse, its mane magnificent and powerfully drawn, clearly demonstrating the artist's skill. Out of habit, I picked up a piece of chalk from the ground and added two surrealist streaks of wind behind the horse…
One of them slowly turned around and said, "I drew it."
I turned around and couldn't help but chuckle, "You're here too?"
This man was none other than Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji. I hadn't seen him since our parting in Taiyuan, but I'd occasionally overhear clients from other dynasties talking about him. This fellow truly roamed between dynasties with just his paintbrush. You see, this guy wasn't cut out to be an emperor, but he was undeniably a master of art. His nomadic life probably gave him a lot of inspiration, and he actually managed to make a name for himself in the art world. Even Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Song) often sought his help to authenticate paintings…
Fusu looked up at Emperor Huizong with boundless admiration and asked, "May I learn to paint horses from you?"
I quietly tugged at Fusu and said, "If you want to learn painting, Uncle will find you a good teacher. This guy is unreliable; we won't learn from him." You can't always avoid trouble. Fusu might be the future crown prince; whether he'll succeed in art is uncertain, but I'm afraid he'll catch my talent for losing the throne. A person like Emperor Huizong is far more unlucky for the royal family than Xianglin's wife at Master Lu's house.