Chapter 150: Royal Banquet [1]
It was already afternoon as the royal carriage clattered through the bustling streets of the Northern Bei Kingdom's capital
"Woahhh..."
Ming Yuelin exclaimed in awe looking at the majestic buildings and shops through the window of the royal carriage.
"My province is small compared to this... haha."
Looking at her, Zhang Yuan smiled and gently patted her head...
After a few minutes, the royal carriage entered the area of the palace and Ming Yuelin hurriedly peeked out out of the window, raising her head to look at the castle.
"Oooh..."
Chen Zin's lips twitched in frustration "Idiot, what are you doing... pushing your head outside like that?"
She folded her arms, trying to maintain an air of sophistication. "You don't know how to act lady-like? We're in the royal capital. Have some manners!"
Huh? Ming Yuelin glared at her and pointed to Jin Wei "Say that to your Master.. I am not the one who puffed all the food into my mouth during lunch."
"Hmph, I know how to act ladylike."
Jin Wei blushed furiously at the remark, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. "Th-That was different!" she stammered, clearly flustered. "I know how to act ladylike!"
Zhang Yuan couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
Seeing his laugh caused Jin Wei embarrassment even further and she stammered "Senior Yuan, please don't laugh..."
With such banter, the carriage quickly entered the premises of the palace and stopped.
As they stepped out one by one, the guards stepped up and spoke "Esteemed guests, the banquet will be during the evening. Until then, I shall escort you to your rooms to rest."
Jin Wei gave a nod and the five of them quickly got their five rooms.
The group was quickly led inside the palace, where each of them was given a private room to freshen up and relax before the evening's banquet.
After showing them the rooms, one of the guards spoke with a bow "The lunch is already being prepared, you can have lunch with Our Highness."
...
Zhang Yuan, Ming Yuelin and Xue Hua are sitting in Zhang Yuan's room as Ming Yuelin was lying on Zhang Yuan's lap in the bed.
Xue Hua is sitting beside Zhang Yuan on the bed silently as Ming Yuelin muttered "Master, shall we go sightsee the capital after lunch?"
Zhang Yuan smiled softly, gently running his fingers through her hair. "Sure," he agreed, his voice warm and tender.
"What about you Hua?"
Xue Hua who was silent turned to Zhang Yuan and gave a faint nod "En..."
Smiling softly, Zhang Yuan raised his hand, patting her head.
H-Huh? Xue Hua stiffened slightly at the unexpected touch, but she did not pull away. Instead, she stayed still, allowing herself to relax under his comforting hand.
Ming Yuelin rolled her eyes "Do you think... we will have lunch with all the royal family members, the prince.. princess, Aunt and all?"
As she said, she heard a sudden knock on the door, and the guard's voice came from outside "Esteemed guests, His Highness is waiting for your presence in the Dining hall."
...
The five of them were walking through the royal corridor and as they reached the dining area, they could inhale the scent of delicious foods.
When they finally entered the grand dining hall, they were greeted by the sight of a long, elegantly set table, laden with a banquet fit for kings. The King of Northern Bei, Tian Ming, stood up to welcome them, his face breaking into a broad smile as he gestured for them to approach.
"Haha! Welcome, heroes of Pearl City!" he boomed, his voice filled with warmth and gratitude. "It is an honor to have you here. Please, be seated."
They all showed a smile and Zhang Yuan glanced at the other three people on the table, a woman who most likely should be the King's wife.
And two young men should be the princes of the Kingdom.
The woman gave a fond smile as she looked at them "We heard a lot about you... how you defeated those powerful spirit beasts."
Jin Wei kept a bright smile on her face and replied "Thank you... even though we are new to this city, we also heard a lot about the King, Tiang Ming of this kingdom."
"Calling us for a banquet like this alone shows how kind hearted and a great ruler you are."
King Tian Ming let out a hearty laugh, clearly pleased by the compliment. "Miss Jin Wei, you flatter me!" he said, waving his hand dismissively, though the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.
Jin Wei sighed in her heart 'He should have called us to strengthen our bond and get to know powerful people.. so he might gain any help from these powerful people in the future.'
'But it is true that I heard he is a great ruler...'
As the conversation flowed, the servants brought out a feast of delicious foods, from roasted duck to delicately spiced fish, along with an array of exotic fruits and delicacies.
The air was filled with the clinking of glasses and the soft murmur of conversation.
"Please," Tian Ming gestured to the feast before them, raising his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Eat to your heart's content."
Everyone nodded and began to eat, enjoying the rich flavors of the dishes laid before them.
The food was exquisite, each bite more flavorful than the last, and the mood in the room was light and cheerful as the royal family engaged their guests in lively conversation
As Ming Yuelin was eating, she felt a gaze on her and she raised her head to look at the first prince who was opposite her throwing flirting glances at her.
Eh? Irritated by this, she took a fork and gestured as if stabbing him 'I will rip your eyeball you fucker.' she mounted her lips.
W-What the hell? The first prince was terrified to see this and glanced away with a slight cough trying to keep his composure.
Then he glanced at Xue Hua and tried to hit his chance, however, seeing her cold crimson eyes, a shiver ran down his spine.
'W-Why is everyone having killing intentions? I will try a different approach.'
He turned his eyes to Chen Zin who was sitting straight in front of him and extended his leg, hitting her leg under the table.
Huh? Chen Zin who was about to take another sip of the soup raised her gaze and looked at the prince who winked his eyes with rizz.
Bwah! Disgusted by this, she pressed her foot on his leg, crushing it and the prince's eyes widened in pain.
'URGHHH!!!!"
She muffled his groan and his eyes turned red as he pleaded to her 'Please! Please! Please! I am sorry.. I am sorry...'
Seeing his pleading eyes, Chen Zin let go of his foot and the first prince winced silently in pain.
Zhang Yuan who watched the whole drama couldn't help but chuckle in his heart and turned his eyes to Xue Hua who was nibbling on the food instead of properly eating it.
He reached out, tenderly patting her head "Hua.. what happened?"
Surprised by his sudden touch, Xue Hua shook her head and mumbled "Nothing Master..."
Zhang Yuan frowned slightly as Xue Hua was acting quite weird. He knows that she is silent... but she is awfully silent.
With a guess, he leaned forward whispering in her ear "Hua, what happened?, they can't eavesdrop on us."
Xue Hua's eyes trembled as she glanced at all the people on the table and whispered back to Zhang Yuan.
"Master... there is a demon in the palace."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuan smiled faintly "Seems like you also sensed its presence..."
Xue Hua nodded her head "Yeah... the energy is very faint, most won't notice this..."
"But because I am a demon, I noticed it quickly... Why is there a demon in the Royal palace?"
Zhang Yuan smiled in amusement "I wonder why too... but for now, eat. We can think about it later."
Hearing this, Xue Hua nodded her head and began to eat properly.
Soon, the lunch came to an end and the servants came to clean up the plates.
Tian Ming spoke with a heart laugh "I hope all of you liked your meals..."
"The banquet will be held in the evening to appreciate your deeds during the Beast wave."
...
The three of them returned to Zhang Yuan's room and Ming Yuelin jumped onto the bed letting out a yawn "Aah... I am tired."
Zhang Yuan shook his head helplessly "You said, you wanted to sightsee and now you are sleeping?"
Ming Yuelin caressed her stomach and replied "I wanted to sight see.. but now I am full and tired after the long travel."
"So we can rest and maybe sightsee tomorrow."
Zhang Yuan glanced at Xue Hua who was still sense and placed a hand on her shoulder "Hua... don't worry."
Xue Hua glanced at his smiling face 'Yeah.. since Master is here, I don't have to be tensed.'
Seeing them, Ming Yuelin raised an eyebrow "What happened, Master?"
"Nothing Lin'er, it's just a demon in the pala-"
"A DEMON??!!"
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I hope you guys liked this chapter!