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Pang Yuanying is a troublemaker who has caused chaos in the capital, leading countless officials and nobles to complain to the Pang Family. However, due to his high status and the favor he enjoys from the Empress Dowager, no one can do anything about him.
This time, Pang Yuanying has stirred up serious trouble in the capital and can no longer stay. The Emperor, tired of hearing complaints and not wanting to worry his mother, simply assigned him a random job to send him out of the capital. Although he was given the title of Imperial Envoy, someone else would actually handle the work.
He was initially quite pleased, thinking he could enjoy sightseeing and leisure along the way. However, his older brother unexpectedly sent someone to keep an eye on him, insisting that he must act discreetly.
The letter from his brother had a very serious tone and carried a hint of urgency.
Pang Yuanying quickly realized that someone was likely trying to take advantage of his departure from the capital to cause him trouble. After all, this individual has offended countless people, and now he has gotten himself into big trouble again! There are definitely many who want him dead!
Pang Yuanying is not afraid, but with an older brother watching over him—who is like a father to him—he cannot act recklessly or show off his wild side in front of his brother. He can only obediently retreat to this remote place to avoid any issues.
However, since he feels wronged, his temper has become even worse, making Wu County Magistrate extremely anxious. The Pang Family is one of the prominent families during the Song Dynasty, deeply rooted in the court with numerous connections. Even in the capital, no one dares to provoke them, let alone in a place like Wudang. If local officials make a mistake and anger this noble young man, no one would be able to bear the consequences!
Since Pang Yuanying arrived, Wu County Magistrate has been completely at a loss due to his strange temperament. Seeing that this noble young man remains unsmiling, he fears that if he fails to serve well, he might face dire consequences. Thus, he reluctantly decides to prepare a lavish ‘Pufferfish Feast’ to appease him!
With no other options left, Wu County Magistrate tries every possible way to cheer up Pang Yuanying. Despite all his efforts—including inviting the renowned beauty of Wudang County, Mei Xin, Mei Daxingshou, to accompany him—he still cannot bring a smile to this Marquis, not even managing to elicit half a smile.
In the end, he has no choice but to prepare the Pufferfish Feast.
On the other hand, upon hearing that Wu County Magistrate wanted to host a banquet for him in such a mysterious manner, Pang Yuanying felt little interest. What kind of delicacies could there possibly be in such a rural area?
Having grown up in a wealthy family where food was always exquisite and meticulously prepared—even when it came to serving rice and dishes by beautiful maidservants—he found that so-called first beauties in this place could only offer slight charm. They might catch his eye for a moment but would soon lose their novelty after just tasting their offerings.
He was just bored, and since the Magistrate had warmly invited him, he decided to attend the banquet without much thought.
The banquet was held at the Vermilion Bird Tower, which could be considered the best restaurant in Wudang County. Pang Yuanying, accompanied by the Magistrate, went upstairs and casually took a seat.
As he sat down, the color on his face improved slightly, and there was a hint of appreciation in his brows: "This is quite interesting."
The decor of this restaurant was clearly not designed by an ordinary person, nor did it use any extravagant gold or silver ornaments. A few pots of peonies were placed casually, the tablecloth was adorned with a few ink bamboo sketches, and two landscape paintings without titles hung on the walls, creating an elegant atmosphere.
While it was far from the opulence of those grand restaurants in the capital, it lacked some of their vulgarity and had a touch more tranquility and elegance.
When the Pufferfish was served, Pang Yuanying's eyes narrowed with delight. It seemed that the Magistrate had indeed put in effort; there were as many as twenty dishes for the appetizers alone, all rich in color, aroma, and flavor.
Since he had tasted Pufferfish once before, he had completely fallen in love with its delicacy. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't eat it for even a day.
However, Pufferfish is poisonous, and only a few Imperial Chefs in the palace could prepare it well. They wouldn't dare to take risks easily. His status was precious, and he was deeply favored by the Empress Dowager; those chefs wouldn’t risk punishment just to let him indulge frequently.
Only when his elder brother was in a good mood would he specifically invite the Imperial Chef who excelled at preparing Pufferfish to carefully prepare a dish for him to satisfy his cravings.
Now that he had left the capital and was less constrained, seeing his favorite dish lifted his spirits somewhat. He looked up and smiled: "Wu County Magistrate, you’ve gone to great lengths..."
But as he lifted his head, all his attention shifted from the mouthwatering food to a stunning beauty slowly walking down the polished wooden staircase.
Qin Yaru was actually dressed simply; she had just come out of the kitchen wearing a plain linen robe and apron from cooking. Her hair was neatly tied up, giving her a somewhat mature appearance.
Pang Yuanying felt that although he had only seen a side profile of the woman, she seemed as if she had walked out of a painting.
Pang Yuanying couldn't help but stand up, take a step forward, and lean in to look. He saw her standing tall, slowly ascending the stairs, her waist slender and delicate, barely filling a grasp. Bathed in the afternoon sunlight, she resembled a jade figure, charming yet dignified, radiating an indescribable brilliance.
After a long while, Pang Yuanying hoarsely asked, "Who is she?"
Wu County Magistrate, though in his fifties, also found Qin Yaru beautiful and looked at her a few more times. Hearing Pang Yuanying's inquiry, he quickly replied, "She is Consort Qin. Someone specifically invited her to prepare the Pufferfish Feast for the Marquis."
However, Pang Yuanying seemed not to have heard him at all. A smile crept onto his face as he gazed at that enchanting figure. He took a deep breath, contentedly squinted his eyes, and softly said, "With such an exquisite Beauty cooking personally, no matter what dish it is, it would surely be delightful."
Wu County Magistrate was taken aback and turned to look at Pang Yuanying. He saw the burning light in his eyes; although his body remained languid, he no longer appeared indifferent or bored. Instead, he resembled a powerful leopard that had just found its prey and was ready to pounce.
Qin Yaru frowned. The lavishly dressed man before her made her feel uncomfortable with his brazen gaze. She couldn't help but feel a bit regretful—if it weren't for the rules requiring the chef of the Pufferfish Feast to taste the dishes beforehand, she wouldn't have come out to show her face.
Wu County Magistrate frowned as well, clearly not expecting this young nobleman to be so reckless. He cleared his throat lightly and smiled, "Come now, Consort Qin is still a scholar's Wife. Her husband is a well-respected talent in our Wudang County, Chen Wenyue. The Chen Family is also a prominent family here. Consort Qin herself comes from a Scholarly Family. Otherwise, how could she manage the Pufferfish? An ordinary farmer's wife probably hasn't even seen one."
He seemed to be reminding Pang Yuanying that although this Beauty was captivating, she was someone else's Wife!
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