NOVEL WEB Chapter 82.1
“Your Majesty, what shall we do now?” The wives and children of the Emperor of the Three Kingdoms came out, asking with anxious hearts.
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom sighed, “Let us settle in! We have no other choice. Now that we are here let’s live a good life! From now on, we must keep a low profile, for I can no longer protect you all.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” his wives and concubines nodded.
“From now on, do not call me Your Majesty anymore, it’s taboo. Just call me ‘Master’!”
“Yes, Master!”
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom looked at the luxurious mansion bestowed by Lin Beifan and felt somewhat comforted.
At least his family was still with him, and their wealth and status remained unchanged. The quality of their lives hadn’t declined much, and that was enough.
However, his heart was still filled with hesitation and confusion about the future.
Uncontrollably, he was reminded of another monarch who had lost his nation.
Both being people who had fallen from grace, he wanted to see how this other fallen monarch was faring, to see how he was getting by, and perhaps to learn from his experience.“By the way, can I go out for a walk?” he asked.
The guard arranged by Lin Beifan bowed and said, “Of course! His Majesty has commanded that as long as you do not leave the boundaries of the capital city, you may go wherever you wish! My lord, are you planning to go out? I will arrange a carriage for you immediately!”
“Go ahead, I… I will wait for you here!”
Moments later, the Emperor of the Shang Kingdom boarded the carriage and headed towards the residence of the Emperor of the Mo Kingdom.
After being announced, the Emperor of Shang Kingdom was invited into the residence, only to find some women of the household. Puzzled, he asked, “Where is the Duke of Mo? I, the Duke of Shang, have come specially to visit him and seek his counsel on a certain matter!”
“Our master has already gone out to have fun. If it’s not urgent, perhaps you could come back another day!”
The Emperor of Shang Kingdom was dumbfounded. How could a deposed sovereign under house arrest, who should be living in constant fear, be in the mood to go out for fun?
After a moment of silence, he inquired, “Where has your master gone?”
“If nothing unexpected has happened, he should be at the food street! Lately, our master has been frequenting that place in search of delicious foods, eating to his heart’s content! If you go there, you should be able to find him!”
The Emperor of Shang Kingdom left with a bewildered expression.
Then he took a carriage to the food street.
After about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, he arrived at the food street.
He had barely stepped off the carriage when he was stunned by the scenes before him.
The place was bustling and thriving with activity, with a never-ending stream of pedestrians and the constant calls of vendors, several times more lively than his own capital city.
He almost thought he had arrived at the capital city of an empire.
Just then, a tantalizing scent of frying oil wafted over.
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom couldn’t help but inhale and exclaimed, “What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant!”
“My lord, that must be the scent of Liu Ji’s roast duck that was freshly made. Would you like to go and try some?”
The Emperor of Shang Kingdom was very tempted to indulge, but feeling that important matters took precedence, he waved his hand and said, “No, let’s go find the Duke of Mo first!”
Thus, the Emperor of Shang Kingdom resisted the alluring aroma all along the way, passing through the streets in search of the Emperor of Mo Kingdom.
In the end, he actually found the Emperor of Mo Kingdom inside the roast duck restaurant.
Upon seeing him for the first time, the Emperor of Shang Kingdom was shocked.
For the Emperor of Mo Kingdom, whom he had been searching for, was sitting there in the restaurant, eating with great relish.
In front of him were freshly sliced pieces of roast duck, still sizzling with oil and emitting a mouthwatering fragrance.
Beside them were some thin breads, vegetables, green onions, garlic, and various sauces.
The other party wrapped slices of roast duck, green onions, and sauce in the thin bread and began to eat heartily.
His hands and mouth were smeared with grease, showing no semblance of an Emperor’s image.
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom walked over, shocked, and exclaimed, “You… you are the Duke of Mo?!”
The Emperor of the Mo Kingdom looked up and saw a figure approaching slowly, whose presence and demeanor were in no way inferior to his own. The imperial aura emanating from the stranger felt strikingly familiar, and with a thought, he said, “You must be an Emperor from the Shang Kingdom, right?”
“Indeed!” The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom nodded.
“Haha! I knew it was you!”
The Emperor of Mo Kingdom laughed heartily. “Because I see my former self in you! Though there were grudges in the past, all that is history now! Since fate has brought us together, please take a seat. I insist on treating you to roast duck!”
He stood up and warmly pulled the Emperor of Shang Kingdom to sit down.
“Let me tell you, the roast duck here is second to none – it’s got the perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste. Wrapped in thin breads with vegetables and dipped in sauce, it’s simply delightful! Especially when it’s freshly made – that’s when it tastes the best!”
“It sells out every time it’s freshly made, but luckily, I have a bit of clout, so I managed to snag one for us, haha!”
“Besides this roast duck, there are many other delicious foods here!”
“Rice noodle rolls, chicken wing dumplings, sticky rice cakes… there are just too many to count. These are all delicacies that have made their appearance at the gourmet festival, and even His Majesty couldn’t stop singing their praises! When I have some free time, I’ll take you on a grand food tour! Haha…”
Throughout the process, the Shang Kingdom Emperor wore a look of utter bewilderment.
Is this really the once sovereign of a fallen nation?
Why does he seem so…
…Happy?
Just then, a piece of bread wrapped around roasted duck was stuffed into his mouth.
“What are you spacing out for? Eat up! It won’t taste good once it’s cold!”
The Shang Kingdom Emperor chewed a couple of times, his eyes lighting up: “Mmm~~”
Emperor Mo asked, “How’s the taste?”
“The taste is absolutely marvelous; I have never eaten such delicious roast duck before!” Emperor Shang exclaimed as he took big bites.
“If it’s delicious, have some more!”
Emperor Mo said with a smile. “The next batch of roast duck is almost ready. Let’s order another one!”
“Yes, yes, yes… We must order another one, my treat!”
Unknowingly, after devouring half a roast duck, Emperor Shang became bewildered!
Right, what was it that he was here for again?
How come he forgot everything after eating the roast duck?
This roast duck is poisonous!
I can’t eat it anymore, otherwise I might forget myself.
At this moment, the voice of the restaurant’s waiter came from a distance.
“Two noble lords, the second batch of roast duck is ready. Would you like some more?”
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom couldn’t help but raise his hand: “Yes, I want three. Package it so I can take it away!”
“Alright, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon!”
The Emperor of the Shang Kingdom stared at his own raised hand, frozen in shock.
This roast duck…
It’s truly damn poisonous!
The Shang Kingdom Emperor wiped his mouth with a napkin, concealing his inner embarrassment.
After a moment, he turned to the Emperor of the Mo Kingdom, who was still continuing to eat the roast duck and asked seriously, “Actually, the reason I came to see you was to seek your wisdom. What should I do to live a better life and to live a longer life here?”
“I figured it out a long time ago!”
The Mo Kingdom Emperor said with a laugh while eating the duck: “Because I went through the same thing. Afraid of being settled with after the autumn harvest, always living in fear, unable to eat well, unable to sleep well!”
The Emperor of Shang Kingdom nodded in agreement..
He too was worried about these issues, which is why he had come to seek counsel from the Emperor of Mo Kingdom for a point of reference.
“But in the end, I found that there’s no need to worry about these things at all!”
The Emperor of Mo Kingdom waved his hand with a laugh, “Eat what you want to eat, drink what you want to drink, play what you want to play, do what you want to do! As long as you don’t commit any taboos, break laws or cause disorder, the one above won’t bother with you at all!”
“Really? Can it truly be like this?” The Emperor of Shang Kingdom was bewildered; this was completely different from the captive life he had imagined.
“That’s exactly how it is. Look at me, isn’t this how I’m living now?” The Emperor of Mo Kingdom said with pride, spreading his arms wide.
The Emperor of Shang Kingdom nodded but still couldn’t comprehend or accept it.
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