As soon as Jiang Mian stepped out of the room, she caught a whiff of the tantalizing aroma in the air. Following her parents' footsteps down the stairs, the sight in the main hall made her eyes widen in astonishment.
In the main hall of the inn, all the tables were pushed together, and right in the middle was a golden-roasted whole lamb!
The delicious fragrance Jiang Mian smelled came from this roasted lamb.
Apart from the roasted lamb, there were also many famous dishes that Jiang Mian could name.
To welcome Xiao Tianchi and Li Zhao, the Jingnan Inn had really gone to great lengths. No wonder Xiao Tianchi had said earlier that they would save all their words for later at night. From now on, they were going to drink and feast to celebrate!
Sure enough, after coming downstairs, Jiang Mian saw the officials who had greeted them outside the Jingnan Inn earlier.
They all bowed their hands and greeted Li Zhao, Jiang Zhiqing, and Jiang Mian.
"Greetings, Lady Li."
"Greetings, Princess."
"Greetings, County Princess."
Jiang Mian truly felt like a star surrounded by the moon following Li Zhao.
Since Xiao Tianchi hadn't shown up yet, Li Zhao took this opportunity to introduce the people present to Jiang Mian and Jiang Zhiqing again.
Although Li Zhao hadn't even entered the court yet, he could name the positions and ranks of everyone present one by one. Only then did Jiang Mian realize that those who had come to the Jingnan Inn today were the pillars of the Beisheng court.
Except for Qiu Qi, the Jiedushi of Luozhou, who was ordered to lead troops to garrison in Jianzhou to resist the troops of the Nansheng Emperor in Cangzhou, most of those who had followed Xiao Tianchi in seizing the throne were here.
Wen Gu, the Jiedushi of Lingyang, Zhang Tianzhao, the Jiedushi of Hexi, the Minister and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War...
Seventy percent of these people had crossed paths with Li Zhao and had a good relationship with him. As Li Zhao mentioned, when the Xiao family rebelled against the State of Chu many years ago, these people were already Xiao Tianchi's confidants. However, at that time, they were too young and didn't have many military achievements, so they didn't stand out in public and weren't noticed by the Nansheng Emperor.
"This is General Yuchi Qian, the Flying Tiger General. Now he serves as the commander of the imperial guards in the capital." The last person Li Zhao introduced was Yuchi Qian.
Yuchi Qian let out a hearty laugh and said, "I owe my current achievements to Big Brother Li. If you hadn't sent me to the military camp in Luozhou for training back then, I might still be a good-for-nothing now."
When he mentioned the past, although Yuchi Qian was smiling, there was also a hint of sadness and regret in his eyes.
"It's a pity that I was too young when the Li family had trouble back then. Otherwise, I..."
Li Zhao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, don't mention the past anymore. What matters is the present. Are you married now?"
Yuchi Qian quickly replied, "Yes, I am. I've married a wife and have two sons and a daughter. My two sons are sixteen and eleven years old respectively, and my daughter is five years younger than the County Princess."
Jiang Zhiqing said with a smile, "So you're married too, Xiao Qian. When you come to the capital, you must bring your wife and children to the palace so that I can have a good look at them."
"Of course!" Yuchi Qian quickly said, "I was just about to suggest that!"
Just then, Xiao Tianchi finally arrived. Seeing everyone chatting merrily, a smile appeared on his face.
"What are you all talking about so happily? Let me in on it."
After paying his respects, Yuchi Qian said, "We were just talking to Prince Li about bringing our families to pay a visit to the palace. Your Majesty, we still don't know where Prince Li's palace is located."
This was also a question that Jiang Mian was concerned about, so she couldn't help but look at Xiao Tianchi.
With a smile on his face, Xiao Tianchi said, "As for the palace, of course, it's better to use an existing one. Just remove the plaque of the Prince Mu's Palace and replace it with that of Prince Li."
Jiang Mian couldn't help but gasp.
The residence that His Majesty had prepared for them was actually the Prince Mu's... Palace?
If it was really the Prince Mu's Palace, it would truly be grand and spacious enough!
After all, back then, in order to console his seriously injured younger brother who had almost died, the Nansheng Emperor had bestowed the largest and most magnificent mansion in the capital on him as compensation for his inability to succeed to the throne.
Li Zhao was also stunned.
Throughout the journey, Xiao Tianchi had never revealed a single word about this to him! Every time Li Zhao brought it up, Xiao Tianchi would always change the subject!
"Your Majesty, this may not be appropriate," he said seriously.
But Xiao Tianchi didn't seem to care: "There's nothing inappropriate about it. You don't think I'll revisit the old place, do you?"
Li Zhao lowered his eyes: "I didn't mean that, Your Majesty."
Xiao Tianchi laughed and said, "Alright, if we delay any longer, the roasted lamb will get cold. Here at the Jingnan Inn today, there are no monarchs or subjects, only close friends. So enjoy your food and drinks and have a good chat."
Everyone cheered. They pulled each other and sat down with big smiles on their faces. Jiang Zhiqing pushed Li Zhao towards Yuchi Qian and said with a smile, "Don't worry about me and Mujin, husband. I know you and Xiao Qian have a lot to talk about."
Jiang Mian couldn't help but think that so many people had come to welcome her father even before he had reached the capital. Once they were fully settled in the capital, there would surely be even more people sending visiting cards to pay them a visit!
Men naturally had their own socializing, and women from noble families also had their own social obligations.
Throughout the four seasons, there were always all kinds of banquets, both inside and outside the city. Wives of court officials needed to communicate with each other, build good relationships with various families, and accumulate a good reputation for their own families so that they could better establish themselves and seek benefits for their families.
So, she, the "County Princess Zhaoping," wouldn't be idle either.
She wondered if those noble ladies who had once ridiculed and sneered at her would be shocked when they saw her reappear as a county princess.
It was really a pity that the Ye family had followed the Nansheng Emperor to Yunzhou. Otherwise, she really wanted to see the expressions on their faces when they saw the glory of the Li family now.
Would Lady Ye be so scared that she couldn't sleep at night?
Would she be worried that she and her mother would come to take revenge on her at any time?
After three rounds of drinking, the aroma of the roasted lamb mixed with the fragrance of the wine, making it even more intoxicating. Knowing that this occasion was not suitable for women, Jiang Zhiqing left after she was full, making up an excuse.
Jiang Mian naturally got up and followed behind her.
As they were leaving, she quietly looked around and noticed that Mo Zhizhang was not at the table. After thinking for a while, she secretly took a plate of pastries and stuffed them into her sleeve.
When the two of them left, someone at the scene started singing while tapping chopsticks on a porcelain bowl. Although the tune was a bit off, it sounded high-spirited and very pleasant.
Jiang Mian looked back and saw Xiao Tianchi propping his chin on one hand, smiling and looking at the singer. He looked so casual, without any airs of an emperor at all.
His Majesty...
He was really different from others.
After sending Jiang Zhiqing back to her room, Jiang Mian went looking for Mo Zhizhang with the pastries in her sleeve. However, Mo Zhizhang wasn't in his room. She wandered around the inn but still couldn't find him.
Not wanting to waste the pastries she had secretly taken, Jiang Mian sat on the railing outside the inn, gently swaying her feet. She picked up a pastry and put it into her mouth, then looked up at the moon in the sky.
What would Xiao Jingcheng's reaction be when he found out that the Prince Mu's Palace had become the Prince Li's Palace?
Had he arrived in the capital yet?
"Didn't you have enough to eat tonight? Why are you sitting here alone eating pastries?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from beside her ear. Jiang Mian was startled. When she looked back, she saw that Xiao Tianchi had somehow appeared behind her.