875 Royal Banquet
When the Emperor heard Guo Shizhong’s words, he did not probe further. After laughing a few times, he said to Guo Bing, ” I say, Guo Bing, you are not young anymore, are you? Do you need to anger your old man that much?”
Guo Bing replied, ” Your Majesty, my father likes to lecture me all the time. If it weren’t for my mother’s nagging, saying that my personality is exactly the same as my father when he was young, I would have thought that I wasn’t his biological son!
“Hahaha …”
When Guo Shizhong heard Guo Bing’s words, he pretended to be angry and pointed at Guo Bing. He scolded, ” you stinky brat, how can you mock your father like this? ”
When the Emperor heard this, he was immediately happy, and his mood became even better.
He laughed again. “haha, Minister Guo, you and your son are really funny!”
Then, he sat in his seat and said to the crowd, ” everyone, please sit!”
The Emperor sat down and looked at the fruits on the table. He looked at the red cherries and said with interest, ” Crown Prince, I heard that cherries are gone. Where did these come from?”
Crown Prince Yuwen Yuyu stood up and replied, “Father, I went to Zhou Shan city. There’s a restaurant there called Ni Lai Wo Wang Restaurant. The restaurant was selling these cherries. The cherries were sold out, but the shopkeeper sold the rest to me on account of your son’s sincerity!”
After the Crown Prince finished speaking, the Emperor nodded his head in satisfaction.
He and the concubines all liked this cherry, but after eating it a few times, the servants said that they didn’t have any more cherries. They couldn’t forget the sweet and sour taste of the cherry, but this thing was gone just like that, and they couldn’t do anything.
This time, the Crown Prince was able to get his hands on the cherries at the banquet.
The Emperor said, ” yes, the Crown Prince is very thoughtful!”
The third Prince clenched his hands under the table, looking angry and furious.
What right did the Crown Prince have to receive his father’s praise with just a few fruits?
After hearing the crown prince’s words, he immediately said, “Big Brother, I have no idea you have to bend over backward to a small shopkeeper to get something you want. Winning father’s blessing is so important to you that you’d do something below the status of a crown prince.”
This was a hint that in order to gain the emperor’s approval, the Crown Prince would lower his status and beg a lowly commoner.
Everyone’s expression changed when they heard the third Prince’s words. Then, they all looked at the Emperor, trying to see the expression on his face.
However, was it so easy to see the expression on the emperor’s face?
The Emperor was only eating the cherries with interest as if he didn’t hear the third Prince’s words.
The Imperial grandson, Yuwen Xuhong, took a sip of wine and said, ” third uncle, I don’t agree with what you said. Who said that uncle crown prince’s sincere attitude towards the shopkeeper had to be submissive?
“Besides, with the status of the Crown Prince, was there a need to bow down? As long as he revealed his identity, the shopkeeper would obediently hand over the item.
“However, I heard that Zhou Shan city’s restaurant is very different. They won’t bend their backs for power, nor will they lower their heads for power. In other words, even those with power and influence might not be able to get anything from them. Therefore, even if the Crown Prince were subservient to a shopkeeper, they wouldn’t sell anything they didn’t want to sell.
“Therefore, I believe that uncle Crown Prince really used his sincerity to exchange for the shopkeeper’s item.”
Yuwen Xuhong’s words immediately sparked a discussion among the crowd.
“Is there really such a restaurant? How come we’ve never heard of it?”
“How can there be such a restaurant that doesn’t fear power?”
“But what kind of restaurant is this?” Someone was equally puzzled. “I heard that their restaurant not only sold cherries some time ago but also all kinds of strange fruits that we’ve never seen before. Not only is it expensive, but there’s also a limit to how much you can buy!”
“Speaking of which, I’ve also heard of this restaurant and its rules. I want to go take a look, but Zhou Shan city is too far.”
“Are you guys all talking about Ni Lai Wo Wang restaurant?” Guo Shizhong’s loud voice suddenly rang out in the discussion.
The others immediately looked at Guo Shizhong and said, “Minister Guo, have you heard of this restaurant? ”
Guo Shizhong glanced at his son, who had no table manners at all, and said loudly, ” of course. I’ve not only heard of that restaurant, but I’ve also eaten the cherries there. In fact, I’ve also eaten other fruits and dishes there. The dishes made there are all beautiful, fragrant, and delicious. I’ve been reminiscing about the wonderful taste until today!”