frightfiction Chapter 635 A Luxurious Feast
Chapter 635 A Luxurious Feast
When friends meet, they always have endless topics to talk about. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang kept talking to Xu Shu, and Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, and others would occasionally chime in. Guan Xing didn't even have a chance to go up and greet the legendary Xu Shu, so he had to go back to Liu Shan and chat with Liu Jun.
Liu Jun understood what Liu Bei's ascension to the throne meant for the Liu family, and he also understood Liu Bei's good intentions in getting Liu Shan closer to him. How could he dare to be negligent in the slightest?
You must know that Liu Shan is the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty and will inherit the throne in the future. The Liu family of Zhuojun will rise to prominence overnight.
There are two Liu families in Zhuojun. One is his branch, which is related to Liu Bei. Their ancestors were Prince Jing of Zhongshan.
Another branch belongs to Liu Fang, the Secretary of the Cao Wei regime, whose ancestors were Liu Dan, the Prince of Yan, son of Emperor Wu of Han.
The Liu family of Zhuojun that people often mention now is the branch to which Liu Fang belonged. They were the real powerful clan in the land, the famous Liu family of Zhuojun.
As for the Liu clan of Zhuojun, the descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, they have almost faded into obscurity. Liu Jun, the head of the Liu clan, is nearly forty years old and is still just a minor county magistrate, which shows how destitute their branch is. They are definitely from a poor family.
But now that their branch has Liu Bei, as long as they cling to Liu Bei's coattails, their branch can replace Liu Fang's branch and become the true Liu family of Zhuojun. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Liu Shan was naturally talkative, Liu Jun was eager to get close to him, and with Guan Xing's guidance, the group quickly became friends.
Just as they were having a great time chatting, they suddenly heard Guan Yu call out, "Anguo, come here and greet your Uncle Yuanzhi."
"Excuse me." Guan Xing nodded to Liu Jun, then turned and ran quickly forward.
Before Guan Yu could even bow, he introduced the son, Yuanzhi, saying, "Brother Yuanzhi, this is my son, Anguo. I hope you will guide me in the future."
Xu Shu was speechless. What kind of guidance is this? You red-faced thief, you're clearly showing off.
Nowadays, who in the world doesn't know that your youngest son is the Huo Qubing of our time? Back then, when you were defeated at Maicheng, in such a dangerous situation, your son not only turned the tide but also achieved a miraculous comeback. The classic battles he fought were even compiled into a military treatise by Cao Cao. What more can I say?
Guan Xing noticed Xu Shu's expression and followed Guan Yu's instructions to bow and say, "Nephew Guan Anguo greets Uncle Yuanzhi."
Xu Shu quickly helped him up and said with a smile, "Anguo, there's no need for such formalities. Let this old man take a good look at you. Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young. You are better than your father."
Guan Yu felt disgusted by these words, his heart filled with a mixture of pride and resentment, his feelings were extremely complicated.
The group entered the city smoothly and headed straight for the main hall of the palace. The new palace had been aired out and they had moved in smoothly. Today, Liu Bei ordered people to specially prepare the main hall for court meetings to serve as a banquet hall. Tea tables and sofas were placed on both sides of the hall, and the officials entered the hall and took their seats to wait for the dishes to be served.
In the past, Han Dynasty officials used to eat on small tables and chairs, but the tables were too small to hold many dishes. Guan Xing made a tea table that was about the same height as the tables, but more than three times larger in length and width. If it were filled with food, there would be no way to finish it.
It's worth mentioning that Guan Xing didn't make many sofas and coffee tables, and the palace alone couldn't gather them all. So Liu Bei requisitioned all the sofas and coffee tables from other families. As for whether to let each family take them back after they were used up, or to leave them in the palace for Guan Xing to make new ones for them, that was a matter for later.
Xu Shu followed Liu Bei into the hall and was astonished when he saw the brand-new tea table with its smooth, mirror-like surface. This was too extravagant.
Liu Bei, smugly enjoying Xu Shu's shocked expression, then ordered, "Anguo, serve the dishes."
Xu Shu was taken aback. What kind of dishes was Guan Xing serving? He wasn't the eunuch in charge of the palace's meals.
Liu Bei noticed his confusion and immediately explained, "Looking at the entire Han Dynasty, Anguo has the best cooking skills. Today, I will have him cook for us personally. We will drink until we drop."
Xu Shu: “…”
Would the renowned Marquis Shence personally cook for me?
What merit or ability do I, Xu Yuanzhi, possess?
Xu Shu was moved to tears, and for a moment he wanted to kneel down and pledge allegiance, but the tragic reality forced him to hold back.
Everyone took their seats, and Guan Xing led Zhang Bao to the kitchen. Soon, a variety of dishes were served in quick succession, a mix of meat and vegetables, both hot and cold, and all were delicious and visually appealing. Just looking at them made one's mouth water, not to mention the other dishes.
This scene shocked not only Xu Shu and Liu Jun, but also the accompanying officials and even Liu Bei himself. Liu Bei had never been to the imperial kitchen, so he did not know what Guan Xing had prepared. Now, seeing what was served, he couldn't help but sigh at how abundant it was.
Palace maids came and went, bringing a total of twenty-eight dishes, leaving everyone in the hall speechless. Zhang Fei exclaimed, "This is too much! How much did that brat Anguo make? If we bring any more, the tea table won't be able to hold it all!"
The coffee table in front of me is more than three times the size of a regular table. It's so big that it's already full. If it were a regular table, it would probably have to be placed on the floor by now.
Liu Bei was taken aback and said, "I don't know either. I just asked Anguo to prepare a few dishes, but who knew he would be so casual?"
Everyone: "..."
Is this how you use the word "casually"?
After the last group of maids left, Guan Xing entered, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, all the dishes have been served. Is there anything else you need?"
Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "Alright, take your seats and let's eat. Let's make it clear beforehand that today we're only eating, drinking, and talking about romance. No one is allowed to talk about serious matters. Let's eat."
Although he really wanted to ask Xu Shu's purpose for coming, he also knew that if he asked, the two sides might get into an argument and wouldn't be able to drink happily like they were now. So Liu Bei held back and decided to entertain Xu Shu properly first, and then talk about other things after that.
Liu Bei originally planned to clink glasses with everyone while eating, but once he started eating, he couldn't stop. There were so many dishes and they were so delicious that he was almost full after taking a bite from each dish. Besides, everyone was indeed hungry, so they decided to eat first.
The civil and military officials were feasting in the hall. Zhang Fei sat at a table with Xu Shu, stuffing his hands with food while piling food into Xu Shu's snack plate, saying, "Yuanzhi, try this. This pork knuckle is so tender. I never thought pork knuckle could be made so delicious. And this cold pork ear salad. When did pork become so delicious?"
"And this beef bone marrow, and this fish, these are specialties of the Yangtze River. Anguo calls this thing Chinese sturgeon, I think. And try this dish called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, right? And this braised beef. I, Old Zhang, am really getting a good deal from you today."
Xu Shu was not as boorish as him. He used chopsticks to pick up food and chewed slowly, eating very elegantly. But seeing that everyone else was so boorish, his elegance seemed a bit out of place, so he followed Zhang Fei's example and threw away his chopsticks and started eating with his hands.
As Xu Shu fell into depravity, everyone in the palace transformed into gluttons, devouring the food with ravenous abandon.
Especially Zhang Bao. Just as Guan Xing reached out his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, Zhang Bao, who was sitting next to him, took the whole plate away. Guan Xing said speechlessly, "Eat slowly. Don't act like you're starving. It makes it seem like our family is too poor to afford food."
With his mouth full of food, Zhang Bao muttered, "These things taste much better than hot pot. If you have this skill, why do you keep making hot pot all the time?"
Guan Xing rolled his eyes, wanting to eat something, but when he discovered that all the dishes were stained with Zhang Bao's food, he immediately grimaced in disgust.
Damn Guan Xingguo, don't you wash your hands before eating?
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