Chapter 1438
Lord Danchuan
Chapter 1438 Lord Danchuan
Unfortunately, Yin Qi, that idiot, was completely oblivious to subtle cues and couldn't see the murderous intent in Shangguan Jing's eyes. He even excitedly held up a finger and said:
"I'll just take one, and we'll live alone together. Then you can live however you want, and I'll never shake your position, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Jing stood up and said, "Okay!"
"Really?" Yin Qi was even happier in an instant. He never expected Shangguan Jing to be so easy to talk to.
Yin Qi thought to himself, "If I had known, I would have said ...
"Clap~!" The next second, Yin Qi clapped her hands, then danced around excitedly in front of Shangguan Jing, saying:
"You're so straightforward, Shangguan! You're so loyal!"
"Let me tell you, you have no idea, back then Mrs. Chuan found two women from Yanchuan for me, and they were really... *slurp*."
"No wonder it's the best place for women to marry. They're all as gentle and tender as Hao Jiahao!"
"There's another girl from Yingchuan who's not bad either, she has a soft, sweet voice, how about that~!" As she said this, she looked up at the sky with a smitten expression.
Yin Qi even thought about discussing with Shangguan Jing whether they could take two concubines!
But he didn't notice that Shangguan Jing gritted her teeth and walked over to the weapon rack, picking and choosing a spiked club.
"Hey, Shangguan, what are you doing?" Yin Qi was startled.
Shangguan Jing said expressionlessly, "You want to take a concubine, is that it?"
"I...I..." Yin Qi stammered, unable to continue.
"Get the hell out of here right now and go find concubines. If you don't manage to find twenty-four, I'll break your legs."
Shangguan Jing chased after Yin Qi, wanting to hit him, but Yin Qi only wished that his parents had given him two more legs, and desperately ran around the yard.
After honestly recounting what happened, Yin Qi whispered, "This is what happened last night!"
"You unfilial son!" The new Chuan master's forehead twitched upon hearing this. He shouted angrily and was about to step forward to beat him, but fortunately, his wife pulled him back.
"You get back to Danchuan right now and coax Shangguan Jing back as soon as possible. You're not allowed to return to the palace if you don't succeed!"
"Yes, yes, yes~!" Yin Qi scrambled to run out of the hall.
"If you anger Lord Danchuan and cause a war between the two rivers, I will hold you accountable!" the new Lord Danchuan roared angrily at the end.
"I'm going right now!" Yin Qi replied as she ran.
On Lin Hao's side, a eunuch from the new Chuanzhu's side came to announce the imperial decree.
"By imperial decree of the new Lord of Chuan, in recognition of the merits and exemplary conduct of the Sixth Young Master in organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival Palace Banquet, the Sixth Young Master is hereby ordered to accompany the Fifth Young Master to Danchuan to appease the wrath of the Princess of Danchuan and prevent further conflict between the two Chuan regions. They shall depart soon!"
"The minister accepts the order!"
Chief Steward Liang handed the imperial edict to Lin Hao, and on behalf of the River Lord, gave him the following instructions:
"His Majesty also said that the flood control in Danchuan has been completed and the people's lives have returned to normal. Sixth Young Master can go and see the situation!"
"Yes, sir!" Lin Hao nodded in response, then changed the subject:
"However, I have another request. This peacemaking should be accompanied by a woman. I hope the steward can grant me an audience and ask His Majesty to lift the confinement of Lady Kirikawa and allow her to accompany me."
Upon hearing this, Steward Liang smiled and said, "His Majesty is wise and has already considered this matter. If the Sixth Young Master has this intention, then let it be done!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
"I'll take my leave!"
After Steward Liang left, Lin Hao instructed Su Shen to pack his bags and prepare to head to Danchuan with Li Wei.
Two hours later at the palace gate, Yin Qi said gratefully to Lin Hao and Li Wei, "Thank you so much, Sixth Brother and Sister-in-law, for accompanying me on this trip!"
Lin Hao helped Li Wei into the car, then said to the dejected Yin Qi:
"You're really something! You've only been married a short time and you're already thinking about taking a concubine. Don't you know that lust is a dangerous thing? Besides, you're a gun!"
"I didn't expect this either!" Yin Qi said somewhat awkwardly.
"We were having a great time chatting, so I tried mentioning it, but I never expected that one sentence would get me killed!"
After getting into the carriage, Li Wei lifted the curtain and said: "Shangguan is just angry. Fifth Young Master, you can go and persuade her!"
Then, with some empathy, she said, "Don't do that again. Actually, she's feeling really bad being alone in Xinchuan!"
“Exactly!” Lin Hao agreed.
"Okay, I got it!" Yin Qi then said somewhat carelessly:
"Alright then, I'll treat this trip as a long journey. Let's go to Danchuan to play mahjong and eat spicy food, and experience the charm of the hometown of sons-in-law. Let's go!"
Afterwards, the group traveled through mountains and rivers, and finally arrived in Danchuan. With Lin Hao there, they naturally wouldn't have to endure the elements.
Later, at a restaurant in Danchuan, the group stopped their carriage and prepared to get some food.
As soon as he sat down, Yin Qi said, "Waiter!"
"Sir, what would you like to order?"
Yin Qi said loudly, "Give me a flawless white jade!"
The waiter asked in confusion, "What?"
Seeing the waiter's bewildered expression, Lin Hao knew what it was from his memory, so he looked at Yin Qi and said, "This place isn't called 'Flawless Jade'!"
Then, looking at the waiter, he said, "I'll have wontons!"
Seeing that the waiter was still a little confused but didn't seem to understand, he then smiled and said, "Just your local wontons!"
"Oh, it's wontons!" The waiter suddenly realized.
Seeing the puzzled looks on Li Wei and Yin Qi's faces, Lin Hao smiled and explained:
"When I was at the Inner Garden Academy, I saw the geographical features of Danchuan. In addition to the text, there were also illustrations!"
"Oh, it's called 'chaoshou' (a type of wonton), that's fine!" Yin Qi suddenly realized.
Then he looked at the waiter and said, "One more, one with a hidden secret."
Waiter: "What?"
Lin Hao: "Xiaolongbao!"
Waiter: "Oh, xiaolongbao!"
Yin Qi: "One last serving of this fine wine, hurry up and bring it on, I'm starving!"
"No, what are you talking about? How am I supposed to know?!" The waiter suddenly became a little anxious, as these were all things he had never heard of before.
Then the waiter looked at Lin Hao and asked, "Miss, what exactly is he saying?"
Yin Qi pointed at the waiter and looked at Li Wei, saying, "You translate this."
Li Wei: "He probably wants to drink?"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi waved his hand and said, "It's not wine, it's not wine, it's that white, thick stuff."
Lin Hao said with a smile, "Tofu pudding!"
Seeing the waiter's bewildered expression, Li Wei said, "Tofu pudding."
The waiter looked at Yin Qi speechlessly: "Tofu pudding is tofu pudding, why 'jade liquor'? I thought it was your brain!" This nonsensical exchange almost confused Yin Qi. The waiter didn't understand a word of this nonsense, and in the end, it was Lin Hao who came up with the solution.
He thought that was about it, but the food that was served next made him wonder if he had eaten some kind of culinary disaster.
Not only are the wontons spicy, but the tofu pudding is also spicy, and even the steamed buns are filled with chili peppers. I was completely overwhelmed.
Not to mention Yin Qi, even Lin Hao was speechless. Sichuan province in reality does love spicy food, but it's not nearly as extreme as this.
It could even be said that, being the Land of Abundance, the people are relatively wealthy, so their food is not only unique but also caters to both the north and south, or more accurately, to the southeast and northwest.
For example, tofu pudding. People might think that all tofu pudding in Sichuan Province is spicy, but it actually has both sweet and savory options, and they've even developed a spicy version for people to choose from.
Take seafood, for example. Logically, it should be a favorite of coastal provinces, but in fact, Sichuan Province is one of the top experts in handling seafood.
However, the seafood from the seaside is fresh, while the seafood from Sichuan province is "fa," which refers to the process of processing seafood.
Although Sichuan is not located by the sea, it has always maintained close trade ties with the outside world. Through the Yangtze River, a golden waterway, dozens of kinds of seafood, or dried seafood, such as shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone, scallops, and prawns, are traded.
But this Danchuan, oh well, the spicy buns are just too much to bear.
Although it was a bit strange, Lin Hao felt that the spicy wontons and tofu pudding tasted really good after eating them.
On the other hand, Yin Qi felt terrible. After a few bites, she was so spicy that she started jumping around.
He was even looked down upon by the waiter, who said, "If you can't eat spicy food, you can't have a daughter!"
Well, in Danchuan, women are in power, women manage the household, women have high status, and every family is proud to have a daughter.
After traveling for several more days, the group arrived outside Danchuan Palace and disembarked from the carriage.
Because the journey ahead cannot be made by car; only by boat can one get there, and the reason for this is that Danchuan Palace is built on water.
The group arrived at an arched bridge. The fifth brother, Yin Qi, pointed to several girls playing mahjong on the lower left side of the bridge and remarked with a sigh:
"I must say, the girls here are truly beautiful! Look!"
Lin Hao looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a woman slam her hand on the table and shout:
"Not a single one of them is allowed to leave today! We must fight to the death!"
This terrified Yin Qi. As if some unpleasant memory had been triggered, she said tremblingly, "What is this? This is too scary!"
Then he looked to the right of the arched bridge, where a woman was spearing a fish with a harpoon.
Terrified, Yin Qi clung to Lin Hao's arm, repeatedly shouting, "This is too brutal and cruel!"
"Madam, we know we were wrong!" Just then, the pleading voices of several men came over.
Lin Hao and his group looked over at the sound and saw a woman pointing at three men and scolding them:
"None of you go home to cook, are you going to let your old lady starve?"
Lin Hao's lips twitched upon seeing this. A woman with three husbands, and the key point is that they are all legal.
Well, okay, this is so Danchuan. Lin Hao was too lazy to even complain. He simply went back to the era of the matriarchal clan.
The problem is, matriarchal societies are not societies where "women rule men."
Ugh, this bizarre setup has a familiar feel to it; even a fool could guess what's going on.
Yin Qi hid behind Lin Hao, looking scared: "Sixth brother, I don't know why, but my knees feel weak when I get here!"
Li Wei looked at the two of them with a smile and said:
"I've long heard that men in Danchuan are all afraid of their wives, taking pride in taking care of them and feeling ashamed of disobeying them. Seeing it today, I can confirm that the rumors are true!"
Lin Hao grinned mischievously. "What, you want me to do this again?"
Li Wei was somewhat tempted and said timidly, "If you're willing, I won't stop you!"
"Oh ho, you dare talk to me like that? Believe me or not, I'll consummate our marriage tonight!"
"No, you have to keep your word. You said you wouldn't force me!" Li Wei said, pouting.
Before Lin Hao could speak, Yin Qi said, her heart pounding:
"Sixth Brother, stop showing off your love. You know what? I feel like there's a bunch of officials here!"
"This...this is hell! I'm telling you, this...this is unbearable! I have to go home!"
Yin Qi was about to leave in fear when Su Shen quickly stopped him. This was something the Lord of Chuan had entrusted to him; if he returned empty-handed, even the Sixth Young Master would be in trouble.
"Young masters, please wait!" Just then, a woman dressed in red leather armor walked over with several guards.
They bowed to each other with clasped hands to the left, and the woman said, "I am Situ Jin, the Minister of the Imperial Household of Danchuan. I have come to welcome you on the orders of the Lord."
As soon as the woman finished speaking, Lin Hao saw Yin Qi beside him collapse to the ground in fright, unable to be helped up.
Arriving at Shangguan Jing's maternal home, where her eldest sister is the ruler of a region, how could one not be afraid?
Moreover, Shangguan Jing had been driven back to her parents' home by him. Thinking of this, Yin Qi felt his future was bleak.
The group followed Situ Jin to Danchuan Palace, which was quite different from Xinchuan Palace.
Everything was red—red pavilions, red bridges, even the guards' clothes were red.
Lin Hao and his group followed Situ Jin through many twists and turns for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before finally arriving at the "Danpei Palace".
In an unnamed hall of Danchuan Palace, a woman dressed in a red robe with gold thread, wearing a gold hairpin, a gold pendant around her neck, and holding a gold and red scepter slowly walked over.
Her beauty was like that of peach blossoms and plums, yet she was as stern as ice. She had a slender figure and graceful bearing, exuding a queenly and mature aura.
He exuded an aura that seemed to reach two meters and eighty centimeters, making most people hesitant to look him in the eye. Situ Jin stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"My lord, the group from Xinchuan has entered the palace!"
Shangguan Yan sat down in a chair, flicked her sleeve, and said domineeringly, "So what if she's in the palace? My sister can go back if she doesn't want to!"
Shangguan Jing said with a worried expression:
"Sister, but things are serious now. The new governor has sent two of his sons. If I refuse to go back, won't that put you in a very difficult position?"
Shangguan Yan said with an arrogant and disdainful expression:
"What Nine Rivers Alliance? It's just about sacrificing women to maintain relations!"
"I have made my decision. Three years from now, no woman from Danchuan will be allowed to participate in the selection. I can protect them, so why can't I protect you?"
"Sister, Danchuan has been plagued by floods many times. Even if I'm ignorant, I know that this is the time when Xinchuan needs our help!"
After Shangguan Jing finished speaking, she said with a worried expression:
"Three years? That's too long. We can't confront Xinchuan right now!"
Shangguan Yan paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said forcefully:
"No matter how weak Danchuan is, it still has the strongest navy in Jiuchuan. In any case, Xinchuan has to be wary of it!"
"You don't need to worry about these things. Just ask yourself if you're willing. If you're not willing, even if the new river chief comes in person, I can still protect you."
Meanwhile, the guards led Lin Hao and his group into a palace.
Inside the palace, there is a seat placed at the top. Needless to say, that seat must be the main seat for Lord Danchuan!