The First Mix Chapter 25: The Hundred Flowers Banquet

  As Yun Qin Wang returned to the Ling Sheng Ge, there were only two people in the house: the old mother and the female emperor. The servant was also alone, Cao Da Gu. The courtyard of Ling Sheng Ge was small and exquisite, and the house was not big either. In the ten or so square meters of space, except for a four-sided leaning couch placed in the center, there were two rows of wooden stools along the walls. In the middle of the room, there was an eight-immortal table. The female emperor sat on the main seat, and the old mother accompanied her with her head bowed. I originally thought that when the emperor invited people to dinner, she would sit at the top and give each person a small table below, but it seemed that it was not much different from ordinary families.

  The old mother saw Yun Qianwang enter, stood up to greet her, and the empress pressed her into a seat, saying: "Sister, let's follow the old rules. Since it's just family now, don't be formal." I was surprised again - the empress actually called my mom "sister". This is rarely seen in the interactions between monarchs and their subjects. Many emperors had sworn brothers when they weren't yet emperors, but after ascending to the throne, they didn't dare call them that anymore. Calling an emperor "brother" or "younger brother" was originally a very taboo thing to do.

  The old lady seemed to have gotten used to it, exchanged a few pleasantries with Yun Qinwang and sat down. The empress ordered Cao Daguzi: "Since Mr. Sword God is back, let's serve the dishes."

  Mrs. Cao responded promptly and went out, soon someone brought up the dishes, as a result, I was surprised when the dessert came up, only to see a big girl bringing up a square plate, the plate was surrounded by an ice carving wall around it, crystal clear without any water bubbles, in the center of the ice carving was a small stack of white cheese. Yun Qinwang introduced: "This dessert is called Snow Falling on Spring City, sir please try some."

  I picked up the jade spoon and scooped up a piece to put in my mouth. It turned out that the cheese was made from frozen fresh milk, with some flour mixed in. The cheese was slightly cool but not icy, and had a rich flavor. I ate one piece, smacking my lips, and felt very satisfied. At this time, it was already late summer in the Women's Country, and having ice in the palace was nothing special. What was rare was that this dessert had a flavor similar to H?agen-Dazs. I ate two pieces, feeling embarrassed about eating too much, but this thing really did have an appetizing effect - not eating would be fine, but after finishing it, I felt hungry again. Next were five more desserts, which tasted pretty good, but they all prioritized form over content. After taking one or two bites of each, the plates were taken away.

  I gazed eagerly at the waitress carrying dishes, and as I ate several desserts, I became hungrier. After finishing the desserts, it was indeed the main course. A waitress brought a large food box to the table, opened it, and I was slightly surprised again - inside the box was an enormous peony flower. Not only were the petals vibrant, but even the stamens and pistils were intricately presented. As I held my chopsticks, unsure of what to do, Yun Qingwang said: "Sir, we are having the famous Hundred Flowers Banquet from the imperial palace of the Women's Country. This dish is extremely complicated to make, and it's not something you can usually get to eat."

  The empress saw that I was still in a daze, and smiled slightly. She took the lead by picking up a petal and putting it in her mouth to demonstrate. I followed suit and picked up a petal, putting it in my mouth. As soon as I chewed, I was shocked again. It turned out that what looked like peony petals were actually thinly sliced pieces of meat. The most peculiar thing was that the meat had not been colored, and the vibrant flower color was entirely brought out by the heat of steaming. Upon closer inspection, the stamens were clearly made from honey-pulled silk threads.

  Before long, someone brought up various food boxes. When opened, they were all in the shape of flowers without exception. Only after eating carefully could you taste what ingredients were used. The only drawback was that they looked good but didn't taste good. You couldn't eat a dish for more than a few mouthfuls before it was gone. Some dishes were so beautiful that you couldn't bear to pick up your chopsticks. Among them, there was a dish called "Ephemeral Flower" which was the most unusual. It was like teppanyaki, with charcoal burning underneath. When it was brought in, it was still a flower bud. As it heated up, it suddenly bloomed and then slowly wilted. Only after eating it did I realize that it was made from fish meat slices, probably using the principle of thermal expansion and contraction. I was amazed and speechless. The only regret was that although these dishes were colorful and fragrant, they didn't seem to be very filling. But this was also inevitable. If a plate of braised pig's trotters had suddenly appeared at this time, it would have been a shocking sight.

  After the dishes had been served for a while, two elder sisters-in-law joined forces to carry in a large object and placed it on the table. At first, I thought it was the "hard dish" that had arrived, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem like it. They carried in this thing that looked like a large potted plant, with a high white jade bowl placed inside the pot. The jade bowl resembled an upside-down horse trough and had a lid on top. The pot was filled with steaming hot water, which seemed to be being sucked up from the bottom of the pot by some force, flowing continuously down the sides of the jade bowl. The surface of the jade bowl was covered in fine, flowing streams, resembling a warm spring waterfall. I was still wondering what this thing was when Queen Yun said, "Our wine has arrived." Just as she was about to get up, the Empress suddenly pressed her hand on hers and personally went to the front of the jade bowl, picked up a ladle from inside the belly of the jade bowl, and scooped out a ladle of pink-colored wine.

  It turns out that this thing is a wine utensil, and the jade bowl is placed in a hot water basin, wrapped in hot water from time to time, neither cold nor scalding. The cleverness of the idea and the excellence of the craftsmanship are eye-opening for me. The small objects of the Daughter State are indeed unparalleled in the world.

  The queen held the jug and came to my side, filling my cup with wine from the jug, and also poured some for Yun Qin Wang and Lao Ma. The two of them hastily stood up to apologize, and the queen refilled her own cup with wine. With a gentle smile, she raised her cup and said: "There are no outsiders here, the two people present are my imperial sister and my elder sister. Today, we only talk about our feelings and do not care about seniority." She smiled warmly at me and said: "As for you, sir, this cup of wine is a formal welcome to our country of women. In your eyes, we are all ordinary people, and those worldly etiquettes are even more unnecessary."

  I clinked my cup against hers and said, "Not many people reach a state like yours."

  The empress smiled, and the wine was drained in one gulp. The old mother and Yun Qinwang also accompanied her to drink it all up. This wine had a slightly spicy taste when entering the mouth, but as it flowed down the throat, only a faint scent of fragrance was felt throughout the oral cavity and five internal organs. After finishing a cup, the empress's cheeks flushed, obviously not used to drinking much. Yun Qinwang quickly grabbed the wine jug to refill our cups. The empress looked at me and said: "I heard that Mr. Sword God comes from a country with completely different customs than ours on the two continents. Can you introduce us to the local conditions and customs of that place?"

  "I thought for a moment and said, 'How to put it, in our society where men are the mainstay, women's status is not low - let's count the world we're in as a continent too. In most countries on this continent, there is no distinction between male and female nations, and even in countries where men rule as emperors, there are high-ranking female officials, while in countries where women rule as emperors, men can also participate in politics, so it's relatively equal.'"

  The empress asked incredulously: "Can men and women really be equal? I've heard that in the male-dominated countries of the Federation, women have no status at all."

  I knew that discussing this issue with the people of Women's Country would be futile, and besides, the Queen's concerns were normal. Under their current feudal system, men and women really couldn't be equal - it was either women oppressing men or men oppressing women. I could only interject: "Anyway, Men's Country would never have such a delicious Hundred Flowers Banquet."

  Next, I chatted with the queen and Yunqin Wang about some trivial matters as jokes. As a result, they both expressed their disbelief that there were cars in the world. However, when I mentioned cosmetics, they took an attitude of "it's better to believe it exists than not" and asked me detailed questions for half a day...

  The middle-aged mother didn't say a word, looking somewhat disheartened. The queen noticed she was out of sorts and took the opportunity to ask: "Sister, there hasn't been any news from Hei Jisi's side recently, has there?"

  "According to the letter from my spy stationed over there, Blackgeese is already making a move. They have gathered an army of 800,000 at the border of the Dark Forest on the intersection of the two continents, preparing to be the vanguard of the first attack."

  The empress originally wanted to introduce her into the conversation, but upon hearing this news, she suddenly became solemn: "They acted so quickly, just a few days ago you told me it was only at the stage of mobilizing grain and fodder."

  "Looks like they're determined this time and want to make a big push."

  The queen said: "As for this battle, does sister have confidence?"

  "Our daughter has done everything she can, now it's up to the Federation to unite and resist the enemy. The Black Forest border is fully capable of withstanding the first wave of Blackges' attack, but their morale seems to be low. The Eighteen Kingdoms Alliance is much weaker, their population is less than half of the Honglie Empire, and they are disunited, each going their own way. When it comes to crucial moments, not only can't they rescue each other, but sometimes they even become enemies. Their soldiers are also poorly trained and have a psychological fear of Blackges. If Blackges really attacks this weak point, they will be defeated in no time."

  The queen frowned and said: "This situation in the eighteen countries is not a new thing, if the eighteen countries are broken, it will be our daughter country next. Do you have any countermeasures, sister?"

  The old mother said, "I have dispatched 50,000 Flying Phoenix Troops and had them mixed with their army. All the military supplies will be provided by us. I think that even if we need to fight, let's try to put the battlefield outside of our daughter's country."

  The queen nodded and said: "You did the right thing." She then asked, "Has that batch of military supplies been recovered?"

  Hearing this, I hastily said: "Your Majesty, I must confess to you about this matter. The military supplies were stolen by me." After explaining the situation at that time, the empress just smiled and didn't mind at all. My mother said: "Those were originally sent to the Fei Feng army on the border of the eighteen countries. I have already ordered someone to prepare another batch, which can be delivered again in a day or two."

  The empress smiled and said, "After the incident, Su Chongwei even hypocritically asked someone to deliver a note to me saying that she would compensate for all the losses. How could I possibly want her money? Besides, Su Jing is your goddaughter, and it seems that you, as her godmother, are not ashamed to ask for her mother's money."

  I asked Mom in surprise: "Is Su Jing your goddaughter?"

  The old mother nodded and said: "Su Jing this girl can be said to be selfless for the country and the people, but unfortunately her mother is a complete money lover."

  The empress smiled and said: "I also wonder how Su Chongwei could raise a daughter like Su Jing."

  Three women again discussed the great affairs of the military and the country, Old Mother and Yun Qinwang responded fluently. These three women were the core of power in the Daughter Country, each one was not to be underestimated. Although Yun Qinwang seemed somewhat frivolous, she arranged all the matters for my return with just a few words. I couldn't get a word in edgewise, but the Female Emperor frequently toasted me, so I wasn't idle. From her status, the Female Emperor treated me as an honored guest, but this banquet was also very private, from the location to the conversation content, they treated me like an outsider.

  Their conversation came to an end, and the queen seemed to ask me unintentionally: "What are Mr. Sword God's plans after returning?"

  I scratched my head and said, "Haven't thought of it yet."

  "Sir, you're coming back, aren't you?"

  I looked at my mom and said, "Of course I'll be back."

  The empress's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and she suddenly rose to her feet, curtsying deeply towards me: "After you return to the Federation Continent, Mr., I hope you can help us out!" My mother and Yun Qinwang were shocked by her sudden display of respect towards me, despite our difference in status, and they both stood up together.

  "I stared blankly and said: 'How can I help you?'"

  The empress stood still, her expression unchanging, and said solemnly: "Mr. Sword God, you have been renowned throughout the world since your previous life, and you saved the people of the United Federation from disaster. Unfortunately, the Black Geis Empire's ambition has not died, and they have sent a large army to attack again. Now our continent's military strength has not recovered, morale is low, and the soldiers and civilians are terrified at the mention of the enemy. The only one who can save them is you, Mr. Sword God. I venture to ask you to come out of retirement, climb to a high place, and rally the United Federation once again to escape this disaster."

  I put down my chopsticks and said, "What is the emperor talking about? I'm back to help you all, am I supposed to be helping that Black Geis Empire instead?"

  The Empress Dowager said: "It's fortunate that Qingyang has made some progress, this time please hurry back and forth, Mr."

  I said: "I'll try my best."

  The queen finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you!" She lightly sighed and said, "Originally, sir had already sacrificed himself for the people of the mainland once. By rights, we shouldn't have any more extravagant hopes, this time not getting your consent but again dragging you in, is even more inappropriate."

  These words made me feel extremely comfortable, and it's rare that she still knows the depression and grievance in my heart. However, I also got to see my old mom because of this, so it's not a total loss. As a dignified empress, her approach also makes me feel at ease. Although I'm now just a famous but powerless Sword God, she treated me with utmost respect, and considering she made this request in front of the entire court, I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. But instead of being overbearing, she asked me privately and politely, her tact is impeccable. This empress's... ah, rather, her magnanimity is truly impressive.

  The queen's mind was relieved and she raised her glass again: "This cup of wine, I represent the people of our country to thank you, sir."

  I drained the cup in one gulp and held it absent-mindedly for a moment before asking: "Your Majesty, may I ask you something?"

  "The Queen smiled and said: 'Just call me Qingyang then.'"

  I coughed awkwardly: "It's said that resisting the Dark Tide is a matter for the entire continent, so why is it always your country taking action on my issues?"

  "The truth is, sir, that the Honglie Empire can defend itself with ease. The eighteen countries of the alliance are all opportunists who will surrender as soon as they realize they can't win. Only our country, located on the Great Plains, has been coveted by Heijisuto for years. We cannot surrender, nor do we have any guarantee of victory, so the pressure is greatest on us. To be honest, sir, we have ulterior motives in dealing with you."

  I was taken aback for a moment, then picked up my wine cup and said: "For the emperor's sincerity, I'll drink this cup to you!"

  The queen drank it all in one gulp, her face flushed with pleasure. "Just this one cup," she said, "I really can't drink any more."

  Yun Qinwang was also slightly drunk at this time, and his interest was piqued as he said: "Imperial sister, why not have some music and dance to liven things up?"

  As soon as I heard it, I became interested and asked: "Are there any beauties?"

  Yun Qin Wang chuckled and said: "There are no beauties, but there are many handsome young men, don't you see?"