Chapter 8: What to Eat at a Night Banquet

Xi Xizhi was placed on An Honghan's thigh, with the tuft of red fur in the middle of its forehead gradually becoming shiny due to the arrival of night. The faint reddish glow was like the twinkling stars in the night sky, bright one moment and dim the next. This special tuft of flame-like fur was a unique characteristic of Fengyun mink.

Although Xi Xizhi couldn't see its own forehead, it could feel that the temperature there was much higher than the rest of its body.

An Honghan looked at the little mink's forehead as if he had discovered a new world and reached out to touch it.

When An Honghan's fingers touched the tuft of fur, Xi Xizhi's whole body felt numb, as if it had been electrocuted. Can't people touch this spot? This was the first thought that came to Xi Xizhi's mind. But during the day, when An Honghan touched the tuft of fur, there was no abnormal reaction. Therefore, the only conclusion was that once this tuft of fur began to glow, it couldn't be easily touched by others.

Xi Xizhi turned its head to avoid the big hand.

It squeaked... as if protesting not to touch that spot.

An Honghan's eyes sparkled with interest. The more he was forbidden to touch, the more curious he became. He grabbed the little mink's front legs, and his fingers covered the tuft of fur again.

Xi Xizhi's eyes widened, struggling in vain to avoid the big hand that came over. As the flame-like fur was gently stroked, a tiny current seemed to spread from there throughout Xi Xizhi's body. Soon, Xi Xizhi's entire body went numb, lying powerlessly on An Honghan's leg.

What was going on? Xi Xizhi's mind was full of doubts. It knew much more about the habits of Fengyun mink than the people of this dynasty. As for the changes in its own body, it was just as clueless as a monk two-feet tall.

Compared to Xi Xizhi's reaction, An Honghan was much more composed. Apart from the gleam in his eyes, he made no other move.

So that's how it is? An Honghan stared at the little mink, raising a smile that could not be understood.

The man and the mink on the Golden Dragon Throne were having a great time, while the poor ministers below were sitting nervously, waiting for His Majesty to announce the start of the palace banquet.

All the ministers gestured at Lin En, indicating that he should hurry up and remind Majesty, or they didn't know how long they would be left hanging by His Majesty.

Unable to withstand the gaze of the ministers, Lin En reluctantly stepped forward, softly reminding, "Majesty, should we start the banquet?"

Withdrawing his hand from teasing the little mink and smoothing its fur, An Honghan said, "Let's start." As soon as he finished speaking, he added, "The food has been quite tasty lately. Bring up the imperial chef and let him show off his skills in front of the ministers."

Xi Xizhi's soft ears trembled, and it clenched its teeth resentfully. As it had guessed, An Honghan really wanted to skin it alive and then deep-fry it in public.

Xi Xizhi was full of grief and helplessness. Grieved that its short-lived rebirth was over, and helpless that it had no chance to fight back. Xi Xizhi lifted its furry head, its sparkling blue eyes, and narrow animal-like pupils.

As soon as An Honghan finished giving orders, Lin En hurried off.

Upon hearing that His Majesty wanted to see him and praised his cooking, the imperial chef beamed as he followed the young eunuch into the hall.

In the center of the hall, a table was already set up, with a simple stove on it and all the necessary pots, pans, and utensils.

As the young eunuch left, he whispered, "It's your ancestors' blessings to be appreciated by His Majesty. Seize this opportunity, and wealth and glory await you."

The imperial chef gratefully nodded his head.

Since this palace banquet was specifically held to entertain the envoys of the Jiu Kingdom, An Honghan didn't forget this protagonist and said, "Although Jiu Kingdom is wealthy and prosperous, their cuisine is still slightly inferior to Feng Ze Kingdom's. Since the envoys have come to our Feng Ze Kingdom, we should show our hospitality. Why don't we first taste the delicious cuisine of our kingdom?"

The cuisine of Feng Ze Kingdom was the most famous among all the nations. Many foreign visitors to Feng Ze complimented the delicious food there. Many people even became addicted to the cuisine, often spending a lot of money to invite the chefs from Feng Ze back to their countries.

The envoy had long wanted to try the cuisine of Feng Ze, and when An Honghan voluntarily proposed it, he was immediately flattered, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your hospitality."

Xi Xizhi clung tightly to An Honghan's dragon robe with its two paws. Its small 'claws' in the paws were all stretched out due to nervousness. Since Xi Xizhi was still just a little mink cub, its small 'claws' didn't have any lethality and couldn't even pierce human skin.

Squeak... The panicked little mink cried out, scared enough to make its fur stand on end.

Seeing the little mink's reaction, An Honghan couldn't help but want to tease it even more. His character was even more wicked than one could describe. He deliberately lifted the little mink up and shouted to the side, "Lin En, what do you think we should ask the imperial chef to cook?"

Lin En turned around, puzzled. His Majesty had always been a man with opinions, so why suddenly ask for his opinion? Seeing the trembling little mink in His Majesty's arms, Lin En had guessed why His Majesty asked this question.

Xi Xizhi sighed in its heart, thinking that anything would be fine as long as it wasn't deep-fried mink meat or steamed mink meat!

Since His Majesty had already asked, Lin En had to go along with His Majesty's wishes and play along. If he went against His Majesty's intentions, he would not be treated well.

"Majesty, we've heard that this imperial chef's specialty is... Kung Pao Mink. The mink meat he makes is rich in color, aroma, and taste, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Everyone who has tried it has praised it as a delicious dish." Lin En had been a steward for many years and often had to guess His Majesty's mind. If he guessed right, then everything would be fine. If he guessed wrong, whether his head could be saved was a question worth pondering.

The round puffed-up fur ball stiffened, and its little paws gripping An Honghan's clothes tightened even more. It was extremely afraid that An Honghan would hand it over to the imperial chef and enact a scene of skinning and deboning in front of so many ministers.