Attending the Banquet
As the highest of the Nine Ministers, the Fengchang Temple had offices within the Imperial City area, so the leading officials did not need to go to the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, which had various functions.
Fengchang Temple is not far from the King of Huainan's Household.
Amidst the creaking of the cart wheels, in just a quarter of an hour, Zhang Xuezhou saw the familiar and spacious King of Huainan's Household.
He avoided Liu Ling's presence in the carriage, and although they were in the same carriage, he did not approach him or speak to him.
Zhang Xuezhou only coughed slightly when they entered the street where the King of Huainan's Household was located.
"I sent Zhang Cigong, who drives this carriage, to pay a visit to Lord Dongfang. I thought he was incompetent and would have difficulty persuading Lord Dongfang to attend the banquet," Liu Ling said with a smile.
"The people from your esteemed residence are very polite; it's just that I'm late due to personal reasons," Zhang Xuezhou replied.
"Luckily, Lord Dongfang made things clear," Liu Ling laughed. "Otherwise, I would have thought he had failed in his duties and punished him by making him a carriage slave for life!"
Liu Ling glanced at Zhang Cigong, whose body trembled slightly, and stared at him for a moment.
When they parked and entered the King of Huainan's Household, she pointed at Zhang Cigong.
"It's your good fortune to have Lord Dongfang here," Liu Ling said. "You're skilled at training horses, but you lack the ability to ride into battle. Go to the manor to get a token, then return to Shouchun City to find Wu Bei. He will teach you!"
"Thank you for the generous gift, Your Highness!"
Zhang Cigong looked up at Zhang Xuezhou, then glanced at Liu Ling and quickly lowered his head to accept the reward.
Listening to the hushed discussions of several people, Zhang Cigong knew very well that he had received an extraordinary reward.
Wu Bei was a military officer in Huainan, capable of commanding the Huainan army and managing countless retainers for the King of Huainan. Such a person held a position equivalent to a Grand General in the Huainan Kingdom, making him one of the top figures in Huainan.
This reward is not just a plaque, but also a guarantor, who will even train and teach him skills.
Perhaps due to the recognition he gained from riding with Liu Ling, or perhaps because of Zhang Xuezhou, Liu Ling was extremely generous when bestowing gifts, even Zhang Cigong was flattered.
"Brother Zhouzi is truly formidable!"
Just one trip to the King of Huainan's Household changed his fate. Zhang Cigong watched the crowd entering the mansion gate and getting into sheep-drawn carts, feeling a mix of excitement and envy.
He longed to one day ride in the sheep-drawn carriage of the King of Huainan's Household, but whenever he thought of his mother, who was still suffering in the northern mountains of Shouchun City, all his desires were extinguished like a bucket of cold water, leaving him with no romantic thoughts whatsoever.
With his inner fervor fading, he calmly followed the others into the mansion and headed towards the place where they would obtain the token.
Riding in the sheep-drawn cart, Zhang Xuezhou continued his journey, enjoying the luxurious lifestyle of the nobles.
His complexion was perfectly normal. Although Zhang Xuezhou lived in a 400-square-meter mansion, these low-end material conditions could not deceive him.
Putting aside his similar experience in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, the conditions Zhang Xuezhou achieved in the real world were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
To the average person, attending high-end dinners, frequenting opulent venues, savoring rare and expensive cuisine, and owning luxury cars and other valuables are the hallmarks of the upper class's wealth. However, in the true upper class, only the resources they control truly constitute luxury.
He can mobilize high-end medical resources with a single transfer order, freely select gene drugs of different levels, own a private laboratory, and mobilize various resources by water, land, and air. His network of connections is so vast that it exceeds the comprehension of ordinary people.
Putting aside other matters, the cargo ships they requisitioned for hunting ferocious beasts had been docked at Huli Port, and there were only fourteen such heavy industrial vessels of the same tonnage in the world.
Having ever possessed sufficient power and been able to wield it, Zhang Xuezhou had only a normal attitude towards excessive luxury.
Riding in a sheep-drawn cart, Zhang Xuezhou followed Liu Ling directly to the banquet hall.
The fires in the hall were blazing, and the twelve large, scorching ovens were bubbling with broth and meat, while large chunks of meat were sizzling in the broth, releasing their aroma.
"This is the neck meat from forty sheep I had brought," Liu Ling said. "Leg meat is the best ingredient we use when entertaining guests. It's neither fishy nor gamey, and it has a good balance of lean and fat, giving it a nice chewy texture!"
"Wonderful!" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed. "Lamb is sweet and warm in nature, so it's good to add ginseng, deer antler, angelica, astragalus, and dried tangerine peel. The aroma of the meat in this large oven is irresistible, and it's also filled with a nourishing fragrance!"
"I never expected Lord Dongfang to be able to identify medicine by its scent!" Liu Ling exclaimed in amazement. "He could recognize the medicinal herbs in the mutton neck meat from three zhang away!"
"This unique aroma must be the result of a blend of three parts ginseng, two parts deer antler, three parts angelica, one part astragalus, and one part dried tangerine peel," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"Impressive skill!"
As Zhang Xuezhou finished speaking, a man with long gray hair stood up in the banquet hall.
The ability to identify medicinal herbs by smell is not unusual; most people skilled in alchemy possess this ability. However, accurately judging the proportions of herbs to be brewed based on their aroma is a skill beyond the ordinary.
"This is Li Shang, a first-class guest minister of our King of Huainan's Household," Liu Ling introduced.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Li Shang!"
Zhang Xuezhou cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
At official banquets, guest ministers like Li Shang were not entitled to be seated.
But this was clearly not an official banquet; it was more like a banquet for investigation.
Zhang Xuezhou glanced around and realized that everyone sitting by the large banquet stove was a capable cultivator, including the sickly Jin Chang.
"How is your martial uncle?"
Zhang Xuezhou glanced at them and even took the initiative to greet Jin Chang.
"I am fine!"
Jin Chang stood up and returned the greeting, then plopped back down.
"I've heard that Lord Dongfang and Guest Elder Jin Chang are from the same school. It seems that this is indeed true?" Liu Ling asked.
"That's true, but my uncle belongs to the Nine People Sect, while I belong to the Nine Heavens Sect," Zhang Xuezhou replied. "My sect doesn't have much fighting ability; we can only learn alchemy and medicine-making skills!"
"The Yin Yang Nine Heavens Sect's skills in alchemy and medicine making are truly remarkable!"
Li Shang exclaimed in surprise, seemingly quite taken aback.
Some people couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
After Liu Ling introduced everyone, he took his seat at the head of the table and arranged for Zhang Xuezhou to sit on the lower side.
She removed the veil covering her face, revealing a beautiful face that matched Zhang Xuezhou's expectations—six parts innocent and four parts alluring. She smiled slightly at Zhang Xuezhou and then took a copper kettle and filled a cup with wine.
"This is my Huainan's 'Jade-in-the-Heart' wine, refreshing yet with a touch of spiciness, a rare brew by my father," Liu Ling said. "I will use this wine to welcome Lord Dongfang to the palace as a guest!"
"Your Highness is too kind. I am merely a minor official in charge of etiquette at court; I do not deserve such politeness!"
Zhang Xuezhou responded politely.
He took the wine cup from the maid and drank it straight without even glancing at it.
This unabashed behavior clearly increased everyone's goodwill towards him. Even Liu Ling's eyes widened, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was completely without guile, which was far from what she had imagined.
The King of Huainan's Household has people skilled at targeting those with cunning minds, and they also have methods for doing so.
Liu Ling set up a scheme to squeeze every last drop out of Zhang Xuezhou, even inviting influential figures to the banquet. However, given Zhang Xuezhou's Zhang Xuezhou behavior, she felt she might not even need these methods to snatch away his good fortune.