The route to Tian Mansion from the South Gate had already been cleared by the Imperial Guard. Closing roads for official processions was a time-honored tradition.
However, Lord Jingnan deliberately halted his Pi Beast and waved to the person behind him.
Zheng Fan immediately spurred his horse forward to Lord Jingnan’s side.
Earlier in Tiantai County, they had only focused on washing up and hadn’t eaten.
"Yes, My Lord. I’m hungry."
"Is this your first time visiting the Imperial Capital?"
"What do you feel like eating?"
"My Lord, I hear the Peking duck at Quande Building in the Imperial Capital is famously good."
Lord Jingnan turned his head to look at Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan earnestly stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
After a brief pause, Lord Jingnan commanded, "To Quande Building."
Quande Building was bustling with activity once again.
The last time Quande Building had gained such fame was when the Earl of North Border ate several ducks there in one sitting during his visit to the capital.
This time, upon arriving in the Imperial Capital, Lord Jingnan, instead of entering Tian Mansion or the Imperial Palace, decided to visit Quande Building first for some duck.
With the two top nobles of Yan, one from the south and one from the north, both patronizing Quande Building, it was widely believed that the restaurant would henceforth become a must-visit establishment for out-of-town visitors to the Imperial Capital.
The Lord had not come incognito. He arrived directly from the South City Gate with all his soldiers, so clearing out the entire building was a matter of course.
Soldiers entered Quande Building, establishing a strict security perimeter.
Zheng Fan accompanied Lord Jingnan directly to the second floor, where they settled into a private room.
In truth, a private room was hardly necessary, as Lord Jingnan was now the sole patron in the entire Quande Building.
Lord Jingnan sat, while Zheng Fan stood beside him. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩
A Quande Building waiter served them tea and some appetizers.
Zheng Fan then took on the role of an intermediary:
"Go and hurry them along! Serve the dishes quickly; don’t keep the Lord waiting!"
The waiter was so frightened his legs were trembling.
"The roast duck is here!!!"
A young man in a plain robe with an apron tied around his waist walked over, carrying a platter of roast duck.
Zheng Fan didn’t pay much attention at first, but upon a closer look, his eyes widened. Wasn’t this the Sixth Prince?
Clearly, Lord Jingnan had also recognized the Sixth Prince.
But Lord Jingnan was a contemporary of the Yan Emperor. Unless it was the Crown Prince from the East Palace, who held the dignity of the heir apparent, it was perfectly acceptable for other princes to serve him tea and water.
Even if the Second Prince were to eventually reside in the East Palace, he likely wouldn’t dare put on airs before this powerful maternal uncle of his.
"Uncle, my apologies. The duck has been ready for some time, but slicing it took this nephew quite some effort."
"You see, selecting the duck, mastering the oven, marination, controlling the heat—these are all preliminary steps. There’s actually one more crucial stage: the skill of slicing the duck after it comes out of the oven."
"I couldn’t trust anyone else with it, so your nephew sliced it personally. Please, try it."
Lord Jingnan nodded, picked up a piece of duck with his chopsticks, and put it into his mouth.
In ancient times, the primary wife was held in the highest esteem. Children of concubines were all required to address their father’s primary wife as ’Mother.’ In stricter households, children of secondary wives or concubines were not permitted to call their biological mothers ’Mother’; they had to use a term like ’Auntie’ instead.
Lord Jingnan was the Empress’s biological brother. The Empress was, naturally, the primary wife of the Emperor and thus considered the principal mother to all the princes. Therefore, nominally, Lord Jingnan was the maternal uncle to all of them.
However, aside from the Second Prince, the other princes would only greet Lord Jingnan respectfully as ’Lord Jingnan’ rather than ’Uncle,’ as they valued their own standing.
"Uncle, how is the flavor? Ha! Thank you for gracing my humble establishment with your presence, thereby bolstering its reputation. This is Peach Blossom Wine from Wuchuan of Qian State. As the saying goes, ’Wuchuan’s fine brew is renowned for drawing forth the essence of Hengzhou’s ink.’ You can use this to cut through the richness of the duck."
"Of course, Uncle, if you’re so inclined, I also have Hengzhou ink prepared. This nephew has been eagerly hoping you would bestow a piece of your calligraphy upon my humble shop."
"Did Li Liangting leave any calligraphy when he ate duck here?" Lord Jingnan asked.
"Alas, Uncle, please don’t bring it up! When the Earl of North Border last came, he ate five ducks in one go. The shop manager shamelessly went up to request a piece of calligraphy, but his lordship merely took my finest paper from the capital to wipe his hands, then complained that my shop’s paper was too coarse and didn’t clean them properly!"
Lord Jingnan chuckled.
"Uncle, please continue eating. There’s a duck bone soup coming shortly. It’s a cold day, so I’ve told them to bring it out a bit later. These are cornbreads, baked stuck to the sides of the hearth—they’re wonderfully crisp. You must try them too."
"You are very thoughtful."
"Isn’t it this nephew’s duty to ensure you eat well and stay warm, Uncle? To see you satisfied is my responsibility."
With that, the Sixth Prince finally straightened up and said to the surrounding armored soldiers,
"A couple of you, come with me to the kitchen to bring out more ducks. Our brothers who’ve traveled all the way from the south must have a taste of our Quande Building’s fare, shouldn’t they?"
Lord Jingnan raised his wine cup, took a sip, and nodded.
Zheng Fan and two other guards followed the Sixth Prince downstairs to the kitchen. The two armored soldiers each carried out five or six roast ducks wrapped in lotus leaves to distribute, while Zheng Fan remained behind.
The Sixth Prince turned, looked Zheng Fan up and down carefully, and asked,
"What is it?" Zheng Fan asked.
"Just building up the right emotional atmosphere to win someone over."
"Oh. Carry on, then."
After a moment, a glint appeared in the Sixth Prince’s eyes. He began,
"My dear brother! How have you become so thin and haggard? It truly breaks my heart..."
"My good little brother!" Zheng Fan exclaimed with equal fervor.
The Sixth Prince was speechless. "..."
"Zheng Fan," the Sixth Prince said, "I must say, after your jaunt in the south, you don’t seem to have changed a bit."
Zheng Fan reached out and brushed some soot from the Sixth Prince’s hair.
"Did you really roast the ducks yourself?"
"Indeed I did. I was up at the crack of dawn preparing."
"You and Lord Jingnan seem to be quite close then."
"That’s right. I’ve been close to Lord Jingnan since I was a child."
"Is that so? How close, exactly?"
"He led troops and slaughtered my maternal grandfather’s entire family. Does that count as close?"