As they were talking, the sound of horses neighing suddenly came from outside, followed by guards rushing in.
"My lord, the strategist and the others have arrived!" the guard whispered.
Lin Yi nodded slightly. In this way, almost everyone had arrived, except for Shen Fu, who was in charge of the saltworks, and some of his dispatched subordinates.
With a thought, he summoned Gan Ning, who then walked over with the group.
Jia Xu and the others, who were waiting in the front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, were taken aback when they noticed a new person suddenly appearing beside them. Who was this kid? He seemed so arrogant.
Chen Qun frowned and said, "Young man, this is the Prince's residence. How did you get in?"
Upon hearing this, the others immediately became alert, all fixing their gazes on Gan Ning.
"I am Gan Xingba from Xiliang, the newly appointed naval commander. Just because you called me 'brother' means you can come to me if you ever need anything, and I'll take care of it for you!" Gan Ning saw Chen Qun's wariness towards him but was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said.
When I, Gan Xingba, make friends, I never look at their background; I only care if I like them or not.
Forehead!
Everyone's lips twitched, speechless. This guy's got some issues.
Chen Qun's "young man" was just a polite remark, yet you took it as a compliment—that's unbelievable. However, this person claims to be a naval commander, which is crucial information. Could this person be the lord's secret agent?
Jia Xu couldn't help but burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Brother Gan, is that right? I, Jia Xu, love friends with your temperament the most! Let's drink until we drop tonight!"
He really liked this straightforward person; at least he didn't have to guess what he was thinking, which was great.
"Brother Gan?" Gan Ning frowned slightly and looked at Jia Xu.
The latter's face stiffened, thinking that Gan Ning would refuse. He realized he had been too hasty and was now in an awkward situation.
Gan Ning nodded and said seriously, "If you want to be my older brother and drink with me, you'll at least have to drink with me first, otherwise I won't acknowledge you!"
Hahaha!
Everyone burst into laughter; what a witty person!
The group entered the living room and, looking at Lin Yi seated at the head of the table, respectfully greeted him, " Jia Xu / Chen Qun / Mi Zhu / Gan Ning pay their respects to our lord!"
"Haha, you've finally arrived!"
Lin Yi nodded and smiled, "You guys came here specifically for lunch, didn't you? It's such a coincidence that you arrived just before it's time to eat."
"Hehe, better late than never, I've made it in time for this meal!" Jia Xu chuckled and plopped down in his seat, clearly enjoying a feast.
He sighed deeply, "My lord, I've been so bored these past few days! It's been nothing but dry rations and roasted mutton; it's unbearable!"
Besides cattle and sheep, there was nothing else in Tuoba Yu's territory. Forget about cooking. At first, he thought the roasted beef and mutton was pretty good, but after a week, he felt like he smelled terrible.
"Haha, today I'm treating you all to hot pot, so you can really enjoy the delicious food," Lin Yi laughed.
"Hot pot?"
Everyone was very curious. What was the origin of this hot pot that could earn such praise from their lord?
At this moment, a maidservant cautiously entered and whispered, "Your Highness, the hot pot is ready. Shall we dine now?"
"Now that it's ready, bring it up!"
Wow!
Everyone's eyes lit up. A hot pot was actually prepared! Now they could finally taste this so-called delicacy.
Soon, the guards carried in small stoves, which Lin Yi had specially ordered. Paired with a small iron pot, they were enough to make a hot pot.
He prepared quite a lot, enough for one for each person, so there's no need to worry about it not suiting their taste; they can adjust the amount themselves.
"This is hot pot? It's just a few iron pots, isn't it?" Gongsun Zan was taken aback. Was it really that delicious? Was his lord trying to fool him?
Ha ha!
Lin Yi clapped his hands, and several maids came in and lifted the lid off the pot. In an instant, the entire hall was filled with a domineering aroma.
Slurp!
Holy crap, it smells amazing!
Having just eaten mutton for several days, Jia Xu couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling as if he had entered a celestial realm; the taste was simply too delicious.
"My lord, this hot pot looks extraordinary! The aroma alone makes my mouth water!"
"Haha, then don't be shy, let's eat!"
Lin Yi laughed heartily and immediately ordered everyone to start eating. Since everyone was present, there was no need to wait any longer; they could begin their meal.
He put some vegetables into the pot and started cooking them, explaining, "This hot pot needs a broth base. You just cook the vegetables as you eat, but the spiciness is quite strong, so be careful!"
Although he intended to trick Gongsun Zan and his group, he still gave them a heads-up to avoid embarrassing themselves later.
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback and immediately became serious, not wanting to be disrespectful in front of their lord.
"Hehe, my lord, don't worry. I, Gongsun Zan, have seen mountains of knives and seas of fire. This little super spicy one can't do anything to me. I'll set an example for the brothers!" Gongsun Zan patted his chest and said with a smile.
After saying that, he scooped a piece of meat out of the pot, put it in a bowl, blew on it, and then immediately put it in his mouth.
Holy crap!
Gongsun Zan Zan's pupils contracted, his whole body trembled, and then, under the stunned gazes of everyone, he actually shed tears.
"What's going on? Is it so delicious it'll make you cry?" Zhang Liao was taken aback. Was it really that delicious?
He quickly picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
boom!
In that instant, he felt an explosive taste burst on his tongue, and he couldn't help but shudder, sweat pouring out of his mouth.
He exclaimed, "My God, this is incredibly spicy! It truly lives up to its super spicy name!"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. This was so spicy! But somehow, she still felt like eating more.
Fine, let the tears flow.
Slurp!
Everyone looked at each other, then quickly threw their food into the small pots in front of them and began to wolf it down. Although it was spicy, it was so addictive that the more they ate, the more they wanted to eat.
"Even though it's so spicy it brings tears to my eyes, the taste is absolutely amazing! I'd rather cry than not eat it."
"Mine's okay, it's only medium spicy, which is acceptable."
"Delicious! This is the kind of flavor a man should eat—it's so domineering!"
"It's so spicy and numbing, it's irresistible!"
Even Gan Ning, the flat-headed man from Xiliang, was putting vegetables into the pot while shedding tears. The taste was amazing; he had never eaten anything so delicious before. He felt like he had wasted all these years of his life.