A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 105

Among the entourage escorting the princess, Zhan Zhao held the highest official rank, and since Yelü Hongji was hosting a banquet, he was naturally required to attend. Although nominally a bodyguard to the emperor, his actual role here was that of a steward, responsible not only for the princess's safety but also for mediating and arranging matters with the Liao people.

Mo Yan clapped her hands happily and said, "Then I'll go with you. I've long wanted to see the Liao people's banquet. It must be different from our Song Dynasty banquet. I heard that the meat is served in big chunks on the table, and you tear it apart with your hands to eat. It must be very interesting."

"You must stay with the princess."

"But the princess also has to attend the banquet."

"So you have to stand behind her."

"...You mean, there's something to see, but nothing to eat?" she said, annoyed.

Zhan Zhao nodded and smiled, "You could say that."

Considering that this was Zhao Yu's first time attending a Liao banquet, and that the Liao people were known for their rough and unruly nature, he was unsure what unexpected situations might arise during the meal. Therefore, he thought it would be more convenient to have Mo Yan disguise herself as a maidservant to accompany Zhao Yu. Mo Yan was unpretentious, clever, and resourceful; she should be able to shield Zhao Yu from some troubles.

"At the banquet later, I will do my best to protect her, but where I cannot, I will have to rely on you. If the princess loses face, it will be a loss of face for the Song Dynasty, so you..."

"Understood, understood," Mo Yan nodded repeatedly before he could finish speaking. "In short, I'd rather lose face myself than let the princess lose face. Because if the princess loses face, we all lose face."

Zhan Zhao nodded with a smile.

The author has something to say: A brief explanation of the term "elder brother": Actually, for people in ancient times, this was already considered a nickname, a rather affectionate way of addressing someone. Those who have read Jin Yong's novels might remember that in *The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain*, Madam Hu called Hu Yidao "elder brother," and in *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, A'Zhu also called Qiao Feng "elder brother."

Under the blue stone bridge, A'Zhu's words, "Brother, we don't recognize the characters on the Yi Jin Jing..." always bring a pang of sorrow to Lion's heart; the memory is simply too profound.

So, please set aside modern thinking for now; the term "elder brother" is actually quite intimate.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Even if Zhan Zhao didn't say much, Mo Yan would still do her best to protect Zhao Yu. In her opinion, the princess was her sister and brother-in-law's savior, so it was only natural for her to treat her well.

The banquet began, and everyone took their seats.

Yelü Hongji and Zhao Yu sat in the north and south seats respectively. Yelü Hongji's seat was next to Yelü Pusa Nu, and Zhao Yu's seat was next to Zhan Zhao. The Liao and Song people were seated in order, each in the north and south. When Zhao Yu first saw Yelü Hongji, their eyes met briefly, and then she lowered her head shyly, not daring to look at him closely.

Silver ewer, silver cup holder, silver spoon, silver knife with amber handle, silver knife with jade handle, glass bottle, agate cup... After Mo Yan helped Zhao Yu sit down, she stood quietly behind Zhao Yu. As she looked around, she thought to herself, "The Song Dynasty really makes the most of the 300,000 taels of silver that Liao Kingdom gives each year."

Although Zhao Yu remained outwardly calm, his gaze lingered on the glass bottle for a moment longer. Glass bottles were extremely valuable and rare even in the Song Dynasty, as the Song Dynasty did not yet have the technology to make glassware. This item must have come from a very distant place further west of the Western Regions.

Looking at Yelü Hongji's appearance, it was clear that he was quite used to using these expensive utensils, and it wasn't just to save face in front of Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly that although it was a remote and uncivilized place, the royal family's clothing and utensils were in no way inferior to those of the Great Song Dynasty.

The maids filed forward carrying plates, and when Mo Yan saw what was on the plates, she gasped in shock, looked at Zhan Zhao with pity, and secretly rejoiced that she didn't have to be seated.

On the large platter, the meat of bear fat, mutton, pig, pheasant, and rabbit was served as "soft meat," while the meat of cattle, deer, geese, wild geese, bear, and camel was served as "cured meat." All the meat was cut into neat squares and piled on the plate. I don't know how others felt, but Mo Yan lost all appetite just looking at it.

"Bring the wine!" Yelü Hongji said loudly.

Another jar of fine wine was brought to each person's table. The jars were as large as bellies, and the wine vessels were not the cups commonly used in the Central Plains, but large, engraved silver warming bowls. Mo Yan stared wide-eyed, gasping repeatedly, truly amazed, and suddenly realized that drinking wine was actually an extremely arduous task.

Forget about the wine for now, Zhao Yu was still staring blankly at the mountain of meat in front of her. She knew that the Khitans were used to eating large chunks of meat and drinking large bowls of wine, but she never imagined that the pieces of meat would be so big. Even if she wanted to cut them with a knife, she would not know where to start.

"Please, Your Highness!"

Yelü Hongji raised his silver bowl to toast Zhao Yu, and the Liao people sitting below him also stood up and raised their bowls to Zhao Yu.

The silver bowl in front of Zhao Yu had already been filled by the Liao maid who had just brought the wine. She had no choice but to pick up the bowl and cast a pleading glance at Zhan Zhao...

“Your Highness, the princess is not a good drinker. Why don’t you let Zhan Zhao drink in her place?” Zhan Zhao stood up to stop her.

Before Yelü Hongji could speak, Yelü Pusa Nu coldly snorted and said, "The Song people are so fussy. It's just a bowl of wine, why bother with a substitute?"

Just as Zhan Zhao was about to speak, Zhao Yu stood up, said nothing more, raised the silver bowl slightly, brought it to his lips, and drank it all in one gulp.

Yelü Hongji was taken aback for a moment, then saw Zhao Yu put down her bowl, her cheeks flushed a light pink, clearly indicating she was somewhat drunk. He didn't want to make things difficult for her, so he finished his own drink and sat down with a smile.

Behind Zhao Yu, Mo Yan secretly thought things were going badly. If the Liao people offered a few more rounds of toasts with such bowls, the princess would surely be forced to walk out sideways. She quickly whispered to her maids, ordering them to find a wine jar immediately, secretly fill it with water, and wait nearby.

Wanting to eat some meat to soothe the effects of the alcohol, Zhao Yu picked up a silver knife and painstakingly cut a piece of bear meat. Before even tasting it, a strong, fishy smell assaulted her nostrils, making her almost vomit, especially combined with the alcohol. She had no choice but to slowly put the meat back on the plate. "Princess, be careful not to cut your hands. Let me cut the meat for you," Mo Yan said softly from behind, then bent down and took the silver knife to cut the meat for her.

Mo Yan was a skilled cook; slicing a piece of meat was a piece of cake for her. Her silver knife flew, and in no time, a large plate of meat was sliced into thin slices. Remarkably, each slice was of uniform thickness, as thin as silk, and perfectly cooked. Zhao Yu was greatly pleased, and even the Liao people below couldn't help but admire Mo Yan's knife skills.

"Why don't I cut it for you too?" Mo Yan glanced at Zhan Zhao, her eyes full of smiles, and said this.

Zhan Zhao smiled gently and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

She smiled faintly, stepping back and turning to Zhao Yu, saying, "Please enjoy your meal, Princess." Before she finished speaking, she accidentally knocked over the wine jar beside the table, spilling wine all over the floor...

"Princess, please forgive me."

Mo Yan lowered her head to hide her grimacing expression. The kick she had made to the wine jar from under her skirt had almost broken her little toe; she hadn't expected the jar to be so heavy. She turned her head and winked at the maids behind her, signaling them to quickly bring out the prepared wine jar.

The maid cleaned up the broken pieces of the wine jar and replaced it with a new one. Mo Yan stood behind Zhao Yu with a smile. She glanced at the cut meat and remembered the fishy smell she had smelled when she cut it. She quickly instructed the maid to prepare a dish of vinegar with ginger slices and serve it to Zhao Yu and Zhan Zhao.

After dipping the meat in the ginger and vinegar sauce, the gamey smell was significantly reduced, making it palatable. Zhao Yu ate several slices, and the burning sensation in his stomach from the alcohol gradually subsided.

In the following rounds of toasts, Zhao Yu drank only water. Aside from feeling a slight bloating in her lower abdomen, she felt fine. She knew Mo Yan must have tampered with the wine jar earlier, and felt a surge of gratitude towards her. Yelü Hongji, seeing Zhao Yu's readily and decisive drinking, was suspicious, but not wanting to make things difficult for her, he didn't delve into it. However, Yelü Pusa Nu, sitting below, coldly glanced at the silver bowl a few times, but out of respect for Yelü Hongji, remained silent.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

After several rounds of drinks, Yelü Hongji struck three times with his palms, and six burly men, shirtless, stepped forward and bowed in respect. When the drums sounded, the men stood in pairs facing each other and began to fight.

In fact, sumo wrestling is widely popular among the common people. However, Zhao Yu, who usually lives deep in the palace, had never seen it before, let alone that these men were all shirtless. She immediately lowered her head in anger and shame. The maids who accompanied her also blushed and lowered their heads to whisper among themselves. Only Mo Yan opened her eyes wider than usual and watched the big men wrestling with great interest.

"These are all heroes of our Great Liao." Yelü Hongji turned to explain to Zhao Yu, only to find that she had already turned her head to the side and had not even glanced at the performance.

"Could it be that the princess doesn't like the performance of the heroes of our Great Liao?" he asked curiously.

Zhao Yu shook her head gently, unsure how to answer.