Chu Lian was feeling exceedingly awkward. That Xiao Bojian had to be absolutely mental. She had already made it so obvious that she disliked him, yet he pretended not to notice a thing. Seeing her, he looked like a fly that had just found food.
She truly couldn’t help but suspect that there was something wrong with Xiao Bojian’s mind.
Seemingly oblivious to the drama happening under his nose, Prince Wei ordered for the food to be brought in. He took delight in announcing, “Today, this prince shall have a proper taste of Jinyi and Duanjia’s cooking.”
The servants of the estate moved very quickly and the dining tables were prepared in a few short moments.
There were two tables set out; one was occupied by Prince Wei and the young men, while Princess Wei sat at the head of the other with Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia.
There weren’t any screens placed between the men and women to obscure their view of each other. This was was already common practice in the capital and there was nothing inappropriate about it.
The servants soon carried in plate after plate and carefully placed them on the table.
The plates in the centre of the two round tables were the first to catch everyone’s attention. A single roast duck with glistening, crispy skin was displayed on each table.
While the roast ducks were exactly the same, they had been split into two plates with two completely different ways of eating it.
On the first plate, the duck had been cut up into convenient bite-sized pieces and submerged in a special gravy. Meanwhile, the duck on the second plate had been cut into small slices and deboned, with thin wheat-flour pancakes and various vegetables to go along with it. There were also several small dishes with different dipping sauces.
The latter was the renowned Peking Duck.
Even the experienced and knowledgeable Prince Wei had his eyes wide open in astonishment. After looking at the fragrant roast ducks, he turned to Chu Lian who was at the other table and asked, “Jinyi, could you introduce these roast ducks to us?”
As Prince Wei had called her out by name, Chu Lian quickly stood up and patiently explained how the dishes had been cooked, as well as how the Peking Duck was to be eaten.
After Chu Lian’s explanation, Prince Wei waved his hand and everyone immediately rushed for the food…
Lu Tai had been starving for a while now and he was practically drooling from the aroma of the roast duck. The moment his father had given permission, his chopsticks were already hastily reaching into a plate of roast duck.
There was only one roast duck for each table, with the two halves separated into two different eating styles.
Although roast ducks were delicious, it was too rich to eat all by itself. Thus, there were more than ten other dishes on the tables. These other dishes were the handiwork of the chefs from Prince Wei’s Estate.
The moment a slice of the roast duck entered his mouth, Royal Prince Lu Tai revealed an expression of utter bliss. The duck was crispy, fragrant, and fatty without being too greasy. The meat wasn’t dry or hard, and was incredibly soft and tender! The most delicious part of it all was the smoky and crispy duck skin.
Once he was done with his first piece of duck, Lu Tai’s gaze fell upon the plate in the middle and widened in absolute shock.
What the hell happened!? The plate was obviously full just a moment ago, but… why was there only half of it left in the blink of an eye!?
While he was dumbstruck, Prince Wei had already picked up another piece and stuffed it into his mouth at a ridiculous speed.
Lu Tai wailed in his heart for the lost piece of duck. He reacted quickly and reached his chopsticks out for the largest piece, placing it in his small white bowl.
He Erlang’s eyes stayed on the plate at all times while his arms moved continuously. As he stuffed piece after piece into his mouth, he thought to himself, ‘This was made by the princess, no wonder it’s so delicious…’
Xiao Bojian had finally gotten the opportunity to taste Chu Lian’s cooking, so he wasn’t going to let anyone get the better of him in this situation. Although he appeared to be eating gracefully, his chopsticks weren’t any slower than the rest.
Although He Sanlang’s expression remained stormy, he didn’t give the others any chances.
The scene over at Chu Lian’s table was much better. After all, it was only Chu Lian, Princess Wei, and Royal Princess Duanjia seated there.
Prince Wei’s Estate had never followed the ancient custom of remaining silent during a meal, but today was the exception with everyone busy gulping down their food.
There wasn’t much meat on a single roast duck in the first place, so it didn’t stand any chance against the five grown men at the table. In less than five minutes, the duck was completely gone…
