A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 1103: Neither Owed Nor Wronged Anyone
Previously on A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace...
Even then,
countless citizens in their lands still starve to death year after year.
Hatred flashed across Prince Jin’s eyes.
He sensed a profound unfairness, an intense imbalance!
Why?
How could these useless fools from the Great Chu Dynasty bask in such a tranquil and affluent time?
While his people fought desperately, enduring endless hunger and grueling labor all their lives?
Why must it be so?!
Merely because they were born on the bountiful territory of the Great Chu Dynasty?!
Ha ha?! Such a massive wrong!
Oh heavens!
If you stay so sightless!
Then I’ll force your eyes to see clearly!
After all, isn’t it our moment to savor those fine days?
…
Minister of Rites Qiu Daren stood short and chubby in his forties.
He wasn’t truly obese, merely sporting a large gut, stubby legs, and compact build that made him look plump.
As a second-rank court heavyweight, that belly was basically mandatory, a mark of affluence!
Just like most officials.
His strong suits included:
Deftly managing tasks, solid expertise in duties, and especially after eating well, his skills became nearly superhuman.
Every issue in or out of the Ministry of Rites, he handled to perfection.
Amid officialdom’s tangled webs, such abilities were beyond others’ reach to copy or master.
Of course, even top talents carry stacks of flaws.
For example, greed and lechery, toadying and groveling, plus... vanity, bragging addiction, and the like.
However...
Greedy though he was, timidity held him back, so under the Emperor’s watch, he never went wild, pocketing just a hundred or two taels per go—Zhao Junyao knew it all but saw no need to dig deeper.
His lechery remained a typical male weakness.
Gaze upon the court’s civil and military ranks.
Which one dares vow they’ve skipped brothels entirely or shunned sweethearts?
Including those grizzled censors.
Back in youth, as striking scholars boasting their genius, linking arms with brothel girls to muse on existence—how ordinary was that?
So long as no coercion or harm befell virtuous women.
Frequenting brothels or claiming one or two lovers was wholly standard.
Zhao Junyao ignored it, provided consent flowed freely!
Moreover.
Toadying, vanity, boasting—these scarcely counted as faults.
If Zhao Junyao chased down each one.
No usable hands would remain, leaving him a lone tyrant.
Therefore...
Measured by skill in governance, Qiu Daren ranked as a solid official!
…
Qiu Daren escorted Prince Jin with a warm, friendly grin.
His bearing overflowed with eagerness, his speech precise and suitable.
When guests faced confusion over some matter.
He’d stoop gladly to clarify with a smile, soft as a balmy breeze, leaving all relaxed and comfortable.
Hospitality-wise, he excelled utterly.
From famed Capital City restaurant specialties to rare Great Chu-exclusive treats.
Any hint of interest from Western Xia visitors.
And he’d deliver samples at once for trying.
With service this flawless.
Even gods would leave thrilled and fulfilled.
Yet Prince Jin...
Qiu Daren kept feeling a cold shudder up his spine.
Prince Jin’s gaze hid something shadowy, something elusive.
Qiu Daren, a battle-hardened officialdom survivor, fooled no more.
Details might escape him, but instinct rang true!
Thus.
His smile stayed plastered on.
But inwardly, defenses stood firm and thick!
The Emperor tasked him with Prince Jin’s company.
Not also to keep an eye on him?!
Clearly, the Emperor’s senses hit the mark—Prince Jin was far from ordinary!
…
Once the Lantern Festival ended, Prince Jin’s party geared up to head home.
On the eighteenth of the first lunar month, Zhao Junyao held a parting feast in Taihe Hall.
On the nineteenth of the first lunar month, Zhao Junyao dispatched the Ministry of Internal Affairs with return gifts for Prince Jin.
Silk, porcelain, rare medicines, top teas—enough for five big carts.
Prince Jin, deeply touched, bowed over and over, thanking Great Chu’s Emperor profusely.
On the twentieth of the first lunar month, Prince Jin’s procession departed for real.
Zhao Junyao accompanied him to the palace doors.
Fifth Master Hai Feng and Ministry of Rites officials saw him to the city gates.
Beyond the city gates.
Hai Feng teared up.
"Father! Who knows when we can meet again, please take care of your health!"
Prince Jin’s eyes reddened as well.
"Fengfeng, you are my only daughter!"
"Seeing you well-married and living happily puts my heart at ease!"
Hai Feng sobbed without control.
Prince Jin turned to the Fifth Prince.
"Fifth Prince, Fengfeng was spoiled from childhood, her nature proud and capricious, yet she harbors no evil intent and possesses a kind, genuine heart!"
"Should Fengfeng commit any errors, I beg the Fifth Prince to pardon her!"
"I... have just this one daughter; committing her to your care eases my worries!"
The Fifth Prince smiled warmly.
"Fear not, Prince Jin!"
"The Princess Consort is open and magnanimous, blessed with exceptional talents!"
"She keeps the household impeccably managed, enjoys warm bonds with her sisters-in-law, honors the mother consort with filial devotion, and has borne a son for the Young Prince!"
"Truly, she stands out as an outstanding wife!"
"The Young Prince treasures her deeply and holds her in high regard; how could he ever fault her?"
Having said that, he cast a loving glance toward Hai Feng!
Hai Feng responded in kind, meeting his eyes.
This duo, she radiant like a blossom and he refined like a bookish gentleman, formed a picture-perfect match!
Prince Jin, observing this scene, felt entirely relieved.
"Excellent!"
"I feel at ease now!"
With that, he spun around and took his leave.
The procession began to move slowly.
Wheels clattered louder over the stone pavement.
Carriages trailed one by one, fading into the distance.
Tears streamed down Hai Feng’s face.
"Father!"
Prince Jin, astride his horse afar, waved goodbye.
"Head back, the wind blows fiercely here!"
Hai Feng broke into heartbroken sobs.
For an instant, she longed to spur her horse forward, chasing after her father to depart alongside him.
Curse riches, status, and soaring dreams.
None of it mattered; she yearned only to return home.
She could no longer endure this web of intrigue and lies.
Not a soul here truly valued her.
Even her bedside companion brimmed with schemes.
In their bond’s bleakest phase, he skipped visiting during her childbirth.
Afterward, chasing gains and prestige.
They acted the harmonious couple, but truth be told...
Hah! Bitterness surged through Hai Feng.
"Commandery Princess, watch out for the wind!" Yingge wrapped a heavy brocade cloak stuffed with eiderdown around her.
Hai Feng bowed her head, eyes swimming with tears.
"Commandery Princess, they’ve vanished; time to return!"
Hai Feng stayed mute.
Not until the final carriage rounded the corner and disappeared did she depart alongside Yingge.
Just ahead, not far away.
The Fifth Prince had departed ages ago, declining to wait.
A sardonic smile twisted Hai Feng’s lips.
Hah! Precisely so!
Their union thrived solely on shared gains.
He shunned his fiefdom, wedding her to linger smoothly in the Capital City and seal the royal pact across realms.
She wed into this for superior prospects.
Neither had done the other wrong, had they?