Night Guard, Desireless Hall.
A new plaque had been installed at the office of the Guard Commander.
The graying Coward King quietly ate his way through a table laden with dishes.
The dozens of plates on the table were sorted into categories. A quarter contained nothing but meat dishes, such as stewed pork hock, stewed chicken, and braised fish.
A quarter consisted of steamed buns, stuffed buns, rice, noodles, and the like.
A quarter consisted of vegetable dishes with a little meat added: blanched lettuce, cold dressed cabbage hearts, pork stewed with pickled cabbage, and so on.
The remaining quarter consisted of snacks: candied fruit, nuts, and pastries.
The Coward King ate methodically. Beside his large table stood a small one.
At the small table, a beardless middle-aged man in a red python robe ate four dishes and a soup.
On one side, both hands flew; on the other, slender chopsticks made light, delicate movements.
On one side, a man feasted heartily; on the other, a man chewed carefully and swallowed slowly.
The Coward King finished first and waved a hand. Two guards stepped forward.
One carried a basin of fruit, the other a plate of fruit, which they placed on the two tables respectively.
The Coward King finished first and waited quietly.
The eunuch continued chewing carefully and swallowing slowly. After finishing his meal, he picked up a few grapes and chewed those thoroughly as well, even crushing the grape seeds between his teeth and swallowing them all.
The young eunuch beside him first offered a jade cup of water for rinsing his mouth, then brought over a copper basin and a brand-new white towel.
Cheng Baihan briefly rinsed his mouth and washed, tossed aside the towel, and looked at the Coward King with a smile.
"I hear the