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During her new year shopping, Mrs. Yang bought and gave a lot of triangular maltose to Zhuang Zhuang. However, Xiaoguo was worried about his teeth, so she didn’t buy any for him during the new year. She also didn’t allow him to eat too many lollipops at home.

It seemed that the little glutton was unable to resist his cravings anymore. Since it was the new year, Xiaoguo decided to turn a blind eye.

In the morning, the adults in Peach Blossom Village went out for visitations. Some of them chose to hitch-hike to other villages to visit their friends and relatives. Children, on the other hand, would gather in groups to visit other families and greet them with auspicious words. If they happen to come across a generous family, they might get one or two sugar cubes. Those who did not have sugar cubes at home would reciprocate with their blessings.

–

In the evening, the lights were dimmed within the village, but Xiaoguo’s house was brightly lit and filled with laughter and frolicking.

“Sister Xiaoguo, why are you chopping the chicken?”

Xiao Cui held the copper pot in her hand and looked at Xiaoguo in confusion. “Haven’t we decided on having hot pot? Why do we need chicken meat?”

“Let’s eat hotpot chicken. We’ll stir-fry it with some other ingredients later. It’s going to be very delicious.”

Xiaoguo threw the chopped chicken pieces into the pot. She had prepared a total of three big chickens—they were the last three in the fridge. The usual original and spicy soup bases were delicious, but hotpot chicken had its own unique flavor.

She had prepared two copper pots—one for making the spicy version and one for making a sauce-based chicken.

From blanching to stir-frying the chicken, Ruyi and the others stood around her to observe the steps. They followed closely behind Xiaoguo under the pretext of learning how to cook.

The group of them were standing in Zhuang Zhuang’s usual spot, causing him to be pushed away from the center of activity. When he tried to squeeze past them, he was pushed out right after he secured a spot.

He gave up and went straight to look for Qin Anming. He even thought to himself that a gentleman should not fight with women. He was not going to bother himself with a group of older girls.

Xiaoguo added some charcoal to the stove and placed two pots of fragrant hotpot chicken on the table. Surrounding the pots were plates of meatballs and vegetables. There were also two large trays of mutton rolls.

In addition, there was also Xiaoguo’s specially concocted sesame sauce and her specialty dish, pickled garlic.

When she went to the market previously, she found some young garlic, so she bought a bag of it. Half of it was kept for normal cooking, and the other half was made into pickled garlic.

Mutton must be eaten with garlic, otherwise its flavor would be reduced by half.

Raw garlic is spicy and not as delicious as pickled garlic. Xiaoguo preferred the taste of pickled garlic, so she ate quite a lot of it tonight.

The hotpot chicken was tender and springy. The broth was filled with flavor, and the more they ate, the more flavorful it became. Everyone couldn’t get enough of it. Even the bones smelled delicious.

It felt nice and warm to enjoy this hot piping dish on a cold day. The hot pot chicken was well received by everyone.

In the capital.

The streets were bustling with activity all day.

From all directions, carriages and sedans were headed towards the palace. Although they came from different places, their destinations were the same.

Jiang Danhe was standing at the entrance of the hall of the Qianqing Palace in his official uniform. Although he was smiling as he welcomed the envoys from various countries, he was actually cursing Shao Zhan in his heart.

The emperor knew very well that Jiang Danhe did not enjoy attending such events, but he still insisted on handing this responsibility to him. The crown prince was still young, and the only minister he valued was Jiang Danhe. Who else could he send other than him?

And so, Jiang Danhe was tasked to take on the job.

Looking at the group of idle civil officials behind him, Jiang Danhe was on the verge of flaring up again. If there was really no other way, he could have just picked a civil official to stand here. Why did Shao Zhan have to make him do it?

However, even though he was thinking that, he still wore a smile on his face. He had to keep his manners in check being a representative of the country.

The banquet could actually be called a banquet for the foreigners.

The main purpose of the banquet was to invite the leaders of the border ethnic minorities or the envoys of the vassal states. On this day, the envoys or leaders would bring tributes from their countries to the capital to offer to the emperor.

The security situation today was of utmost importance. Jiang Danhe had his hands tied. He was a little worried about having only the Imperial Guards patrol around the palace. Therefore, he arranged for Li Shouji to be present today as well.

He assigned Li Shouji to lead a team to ensure security at every entrance and every corner that could reach the emperor. Even the tribute items were sent for security checks. The security was so tight that not a single fly could fly into the palace. Jiang Danhe had complete trust in Li Shouji’s ability.

The banquet began smoothly.

The first step was for the emperor to greet everyone and say some words. Then, it was time for the various envoys to seek an audience with the emperor. The list of tributes that they had brought would be read out by Eunuch Su and the young eunuch behind him would record it on paper.

The Shao Nation was a large country with a large population. There are countless small countries around it that are looking to depend on it.

Although the surrounding countries were small, due to their geographical location, the generous tributes that were offered every year were mostly unique and rare. As a result, the national treasury of the Shao Kingdom had amassed quite a collection due to this reason.

After the list of tributes was read out, Shao Zhan frowned slightly. He glanced at the leaders of the envoys sitting below. There should be twelve names on the list, but one was missing.

After looking around, Shao Zhan locked his eyes on an envoy.

“Why isn’t the envoy from the Western Region on the list?”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s gazes were instantly focused on the Western Region envoy.

That person seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He stood up excitedly and walked to the middle of the hall. He placed his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed.

“Your Majesty, it’s better to see the tributes of the Western Region with your own eyes.”

As soon as he finished speaking, whispers could be heard across the hall. They were obviously trying to guess what he was talking about and discussing what the tribute might be.

Shao Zhan narrowed his eyes and seemed a little interested. “Bring it on.”

The envoy from the Western Region was wearing a knowing look on his face. At first, he was a little hesitant about his gift. However, when he saw that the emperor was alone at the throne and there was no sign of the empress, he became more confident of what he was about to present.

The envoy from the Western Region looked smug and gestured to the people outside.

Everyone in the hall was craning their necks to look out for the tribute. It was obvious that they were highly anticipating the tribute from the Western Region.

In the entire venue, only Jiang Danhe was expressionless. He was still sitting in the front seat and drinking his tea leisurely. He should have been drinking wine, but he thought better of it. At his age, he should take better care of himself. After all, when he returned home in spring, he was planning to try for a daughter. Drinking alcohol is detrimental to health after all.

Shao Zhan was wearing a curious expression on his face, but his heart was calm.

Looking at the Western Region envoy’s expression, he sneered. “What a fool.”

Under everyone’s anticipation, a graceful figure with an exotic fragrance appeared at the entrance.

She was wearing a jade blue top and a pale green pleated skirt. Draped over her shoulders was a gauzy blue veil. Her figure was slim and slender, while her skin was fair and smooth.

Her eyes were sparkling and clear like the river waters. There was a filigree golden hairpin on her head with purple jade studded on it. The tassels of the hair ornament rested against her jet black hair. Her delicate face was as beautiful as a flower. Every single expression on her face tugged at one’s heart and soul. She was a real beauty.

Some of the envoys could not help but swallow their saliva. As they watched the beautiful figure float past them, they inhaled deeply to take in the intoxicating fragrance.

When the men came back to their senses, they looked regretfully at the figure who had stopped beside the envoy from the Western Region. The region was well-known for their beautiful ladies. Looking at this woman in front of them, they have to admit that the region truly deserved their reputation.

From the moment the beauty appeared, the fake interest in Shao Zhan’s eyes instantly disappeared. “That was a new low.”

The envoy of the Western Region didn’t know what was going through the emperor’s mind. He could only hear the gasps around him and became more conceited. The Western Region was well-known for their beautiful ladies. He was now offering the most beautiful woman in his country to the emperor of Shao Kingdom. If she was lucky enough to gain the favor of the emperor, it would be a great achievement. By then, the Western Region would be…

Just thinking about it made the envoy very happy.

The envoy from the Western Region smiled from the bottom of his heart. However, if he had taken a closer look at the expression on the emperor’s face, he might not be smiling now.