Chapter 115

Chapter 115

As they stepped through the main gate, a thirty-something official greeted them with effusive warmth. "I am Pan Hua, Vice Director of the Court of State Ceremonial. Greetings, Your Highness Prince Zhao. I understand His Majesty has tasked you and Vice Director Meng with escorting the envoys around the capital. Please command me if you have any needs."

Pan Hua wasn't strictly required to be there, but with Jiang Cihe present, having a subordinate handle the reception would have appeared dismissive of Prince Zhao.

Jiang Cihe nodded. "Thank you for your trouble. Could you first take me to meet them?"

Pan Hua quickly replied, "Of course, Your Highness, this way."

The group followed Pan Hua into the guesthouse. Soon, they neared the courtyard where the Goryeo envoys were staying. Before they even entered, Meng Shuping heard a boisterous voice from within.

He subtly tugged on Jiang Cihe's sleeve. "Can you understand what they're saying?"

Before Jiang Cihe could answer, Pan Hua explained, a hint of exasperation in his voice, "Vice Director Meng, they are boasting that only Goryeo people possess the skill of stripping meat cleanly from bones, and that no other nation can do it as perfectly as they can."

Meng Shuping found this incredible. "What?"

[Laughable! Isn't it just because they're poor? After gnawing the bones clean, they can sell them again! I'm not trying to be mean, but how can they brag about this? How many times a year do they even get to eat meat? Does their king eat meat more than three times a year?]

[I don't know how they have the nerve to boast. If they haven't seen something, they claim only they can do it; if they have seen something, they claim they invented it. How utterly shameless!]

Jiang Cihe was surprised. Selling the bones after gnawing them clean? How uncouth! No wonder they dared to claim they could clean the meat off the bones perfectly—of course they could!

Park Doyun bristled. Who was talking about them? He turned around and saw Jiang Cihe and the other two. Though he wasn't entirely sure of Jiang Cihe's identity, the Prince's opulent attire and vaguely familiar presence suggested he was someone of consequence. Suppressing his displeasure, he approached. "And you are…?"

Pan Hua quickly introduced him. "This is His Highness Prince Zhao of Great Chu."

Then, he turned to Jiang Cihe. "This is Chief Envoy Park."

Upon hearing that the visitor was a prince, Park Doyun immediately said, "So it is Prince Zhao! Greetings, Your Highness Prince Zhao."

Jiang Cihe nodded casually. "Chief Envoy Park, you've come a long way. I trust you are settling in well here?"

Park Doyun replied with superficial politeness but clear disdain. "The accommodations are acceptable, but the food here is very hard to get used to…"

Meng Shuping couldn't help but inwardly scoff, [Well, of course. Country bumpkins can't appreciate fine dining. Even if you give them good food, they wouldn't know how to enjoy it. I say we should just give them a few radishes, some cabbage, and a handful of salt, and let them cook for themselves. That’s what they’re used to.]

[But later, I’ll have to ask: since they claim the food in Great Chu is no good, did they actually eat it when it was served? I heard they eat like they’ve never seen food before—they even lick the plates clean. If they complain about the food being bad while scrambling to eat it, that would be truly two-faced.]

Although Park Doyun didn't fully grasp the first part, he understood enough of the rest. He was furious. Who licked plates? They were simply being frugal! Fuming, he scanned the room, trying to identify the source of the insolent remarks.

But after looking around, he couldn't pinpoint the speaker. With no outlet for his anger, Park Doyun’s face turned crimson with frustration.

Jiang Cihe's lips curved into a smile, which he quickly masked. "I’ve heard that in your country, there’s a dish you particularly enjoy. Since that’s the case, I’ll make it convenient for you."

He turned to Pan Hua. "Vice Director Pan."

Pan Hua asked, puzzled, "What are your instructions, Your Highness?"

Jiang Cihe said, "Later, prepare some radishes, cabbage, and salt for Chief Envoy Park and his party, so they can enjoy their native cuisine even while in Great Chu. This way, Chief Envoy Park won’t accuse us of poor hospitality. As for the dishes prepared by Great Chu, since Chief Envoy Park doesn’t care for them, there’s no need to serve them. We shouldn’t force-feed them, should we?"

Pan Hua was astonished. So this was what the people of Goryeo usually ate? And they still had the nerve to complain about the food prepared by Great Chu? He immediately said, "Yes."

Since they disliked Great Chu’s food, this would actually simplify matters.

Park Doyun’s face stiffened. "This… there’s no need for such trouble. Guests should defer to the host’s arrangements. How could we make unreasonable demands?"

How did the people of Great Chu know what they ate back home? Could it be that Great Chu was so intimately familiar with Goryeo?

Jiang Cihe said cheerfully, "It’s no trouble at all. Since you’re here, you should feel right at home. We’ll do our utmost to accommodate you."

Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he turned to Pan Hua. "Vice Director Pan, ensure everyone in the Court of State Ceremonial remembers this: from now on, whenever envoys from Goryeo visit, they must be served according to this standard. We must make them feel truly welcome!"

Pan Hua suppressed a laugh and said, "Yes."

Park Doyun was dumbfounded. Although he had complained about Great Chu’s food, he knew perfectly well that his country’s cuisine couldn’t compare. He was on the verge of tears. If people found out that the decline in food quality was because of him, how would he ever explain it?

Meng Shuping, however, burst into hearty laughter. [Hahahaha! Serves them right for being so pretentious! They must be regretting it now, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did they think our politeness meant they could act all high and mighty? I’d advise them not to push their luck!]

[Oh, I almost forgot. Should I remind Vice Director Pan to keep a close eye on the guesthouse kitchen? Otherwise, those Goryeo people might pilfer things they’ve never seen before. After all, such things have happened before!]

Hearing this, Jiang Cihe immediately instructed Pan Hua, "Vice Director Pan, the food for the envoys is of utmost importance. If anything goes wrong, it could affect relations between our two countries. Therefore, the guesthouse kitchen and meals must be under strict guard. There can be no mistakes."

Pan Hua straightened up and said solemnly, "Your Highness, rest assured. I will ensure it is well managed. Not even a fly will be able to get in."

Park Doyun’s face darkened. Although Prince Zhao wasn’t directly targeting them, this meant they wouldn’t even have a chance to sneak anything now.

Suppressing his frustration, he asked, "Might I ask what brings Your Highness here today?"

Jiang Cihe seemed to suddenly remember something. "Ah, yes. I do have business here. Vice Director Pan, could you please invite the envoys from Japan as well?"

Pan Hua quickly said, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I will go invite them right away."

A short while later, Takigawa Daisuke, the chief envoy from Japan, was summoned. Before arriving, he had been briefed on Jiang Cihe’s identity, so he said in stiff official language, "Greetings, Prince Zhao. My apologies for the oversight."

Jiang Cihe nodded. "Chief Envoy Takigawa, no need for formalities. Since you’ve come all this way, it would be a shame not to see the capital. I’ve come today to arrange for someone to show you around the city, so your trip won’t be in vain."

Takigawa Daisuke was overjoyed. He never expected Great Chu to be so enthusiastic toward Japan. Did Great Chu value them so highly?

Park Doyun hadn’t expected Jiang Cihe to come for this purpose. He began to wonder: had Jiang Cihe’s suggestion that they cook for themselves not been intentional but actually considerate?

With a pained expression, he said, "Your Highness Prince Zhao, there’s something I don’t understand. What is this 'voucher'?"

He also wanted to ask why they weren’t giving out silver directly, but he held back to avoid seeming ungrateful.

Instead of answering directly, Jiang Cihe asked, "Since you’ve come all the way to Great Chu, is there anything you’re particularly interested in?"

Park Doyun thought the prince was offering to give them gifts and immediately said, "Of course! I quite like Great Chu’s porcelain, tea, and other goods."

Not to be outdone, Takigawa Daisuke added, "Everything from Great Chu is excellent."

Jiang Cihe said earnestly, "This voucher is specially made by Great Chu to welcome you. With it, you can shop freely in the capital, just as if you were using silver."

Park Doyun pondered this for a moment before finally understanding. "You mean, we can use this to buy things?"

Takigawa Daisuke also had a sudden realization. "It can replace silver!"

Jiang Cihe said, "Precisely."

The two were delighted. They had thought they would have no money, but it turned out this was no different from being given cash directly. Although it was a pity they couldn’t save the silver, taking goods back was just as good—perhaps even more valuable.

Park Doyun said with feigned excitement, "His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu is truly generous. Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Cihe smiled. "I have a subordinate who is very familiar with the capital. If there’s anything you want to buy, he can take you to the best places with the most affordable prices."

Then he called to someone nearby. "Li Bo, did you hear that?"

The subordinate named Li Bo quickly replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"

Seeing how much Great Chu valued them, Park Doyun and Takigawa Daisuke were utterly overwhelmed. They stumbled over their words, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

"If there's anything you need, Your Highness, just say the word. I will surely handle it for you!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiang Cihe had Li Bo take them out. Soon, the group arrived at a bustling street.

Li Bo was indeed smooth-tongued and knew the capital's shops like the back of his hand. Takigawa Daisuke and Park Doyun had only been to a couple shops but had already bought plenty of items, all thanks to Li Bo's constant urging: "Just 998, and you can take this fine product home!"

"First come, first served—grab it now, it's a total steal!"

"These goods are in such high demand in Great Chu, they'll be gone before you know it!"

Fearing that the other Goryeo and Japanese might not understand, Jiang Cihe had specifically arranged interpreters for them. Under the hyped atmosphere, every single one of these Goryeo and Japanese got swept up in the excitement.

Somehow, listening to Li Bo’s words, Takigawa Daisuke, Park Doyun, and the others felt that not buying would be leaving money on the table. Moreover, according to Li Bo, even if they didn’t use the items themselves, they could resell them back home for big bucks.

What’s more, this young man’s introductions were incredibly detailed, and his enthusiasm and attentiveness made it a breeze. Never before had they shopped so comfortably!

With no need to spend their own money, these Goryeo and Japanese quickly used up all their vouchers.

Pan Hua was blown away, never expecting Prince Zhao to have such a smooth operator. He was truly impressive—even Pan Hua felt tempted to buy, especially since everything seemed like such a great deal!

Jiang Cihe couldn’t help but praise Meng Shuping. "Good thing you never went into business—you’d definitely be a shrewd merchant!"

Meng Shuping asked doubtfully, "Is that a compliment?"

Jiang Cihe burst into laughter. "What else could it be?"

Just then, the group arrived in front of a cosmetics shop. Takigawa Daisuke and Park Doyun had basically run out of vouchers and hesitated whether to suggest heading back. But just as they were about to speak, Li Bo said dismissively, "Let’s skip this shop. After all, you probably can’t afford anything in here."

Takigawa Daisuke felt seriously offended. Though he came from a smaller nation, how could this young man be so condescending? A small country didn’t mean he lacked silver. Even if his vouchers were spent, couldn’t he use his own money?

Hearing this, Park Doyun also felt his pride wounded. He retorted discontentedly, "It’s just a small shop—how could I not afford it? Hmph, I come from a prominent family in Goryeo. Do you think I can’t come up with a bit of money?"

Although Li Bo’s words were part of Meng Shuping’s prearranged plan, hearing Park Doyun’s boast still made Meng Shuping inwardly scoff, [“Prominent family”? Just having a few people doesn't make a family prominent. Besides, how can their small country compare to ours? They probably haven’t even seen what real wealth looks like! I didn’t even dare take him to the expensive places—I’d worry he couldn’t pay and end up detained there!]

Park Doyun’s face turned livid with anger. How dare this kid look down on him! He marched right in. "Let’s go in!"

Not to be outdone, Takigawa Daisuke rushed in after him. Who did this guy think he was looking down on?

Li Bo eagerly followed them inside, still spouting words that sounded like warnings but were actually taunts: "Chief Envoy Park, listen to me—you really can’t afford this. I see you’ve used up your vouchers. What will you do if you can’t pay? Wouldn’t that embarrass your entire country here in Great Chu?"

The more Park Doyun heard, the angrier he became. How could he not afford it? How could he possibly lose face?

"And Chief Envoy Takigawa, why are you causing trouble too? Your country isn’t even as developed as Goryeo, right? If you end up without money to pay, don’t go making a scene here!"

Takigawa Daisuke felt that really got under his skin. They could admit that Japan lagged behind Great Chu, but to say it was worse than Goryeo? What a joke!