Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 40 The Japanese got beaten three more times.

Just as they saw the young eunuch off, Liu Zhong and his group returned.

"Master, the ceramic stove and copper pot you requested have been prepared!" Liu Zhong shook his head, his face full of heartache. "You needed them urgently, so it cost nearly a hundred extra coins."

Yang Zhengdao was overjoyed, as the ceramic stove and copper pot were specially prepared for hot pot.

The imperial decree arrived early in the morning, ordering him to postpone his mandatory cultivation practice.

Therefore, before going to the Martial Virtue Hall to practice martial arts, one must have a good meal to break the ice.

Behind Liu Zhong.

Aba carried a specially made ceramic stove, which looked rather small in his hands, despite its original size.

With one hand, he firmly grasped the furnace, which weighed over a hundred pounds, while with the other hand he took out a piece of jade dew dumpling from his pocket and handed it to Yang Zhengdao.

"Ado, I've seen that little guy."

Yang Zhengdao was taken aback at first, before realizing that Aba was referring to Li Tai.

However, Li Tai still made a promise to Aba at Qingshan Palace: "You can have as many Jade Dew Dumplings as you want."

Abba remembers this very clearly.

It seems that Li Tailai will have to take on all of Aba's jade dew dumplings for the rest of his life.

Yang Zhengdao was both amused and exasperated. He pushed the jade dew dumpling to Aba and said with a smile, "Eat less of this in the future, or you'll get cavities."

Seeing Aba nod earnestly, Yang Zhengdao thought to himself, "Second brother-in-law, this is all I can do to help you."

Shi Tu put down the large copper hot pot he was carrying on his shoulder.

He took a breath and explained, "My lord, we encountered the King of Yue in the East Market."

Gao Kan held a large wine jar in his hands. He hesitated for a moment, then reminded Yang Zhengdao, "My lord, it seems that both the King of Yue and the King of Jiangxia are inquiring about an ancient book, and they are spending quite lavishly on it."

"Ancient books?!" Yang Zhengdao raised an eyebrow. He didn't recall any remarkable ancient books being published during the Zhenguan era.

"Oh!" Shi Tu suddenly remembered this and quickly added, "My lord, I know about this. The information about that ancient book was bought from the second son of the Prince of Hejian, probably for over a hundred strings of cash."

Li Hui!?

Then Yang Zhengdao vaguely guessed it.

Could that ancient book be the "Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration" that he casually mentioned to Li Hui?

Good heavens, all my scheming has only managed to swindle Du He and Fang Yi'ai out of a few dozen strings of cash.

Li Hui easily swindled a hundred strings of cash with a single piece of false information.

What a shameless scoundrel with no bottom line! I'm quite envious.

Yang Zhengdao took a deep breath to suppress his anger and then directed everyone to set up the pots and stoves.

On the other side, Naza held a short knife in one hand and pressed down on the sheep's head with the other, stabbing it in with practiced ease and decisiveness.

Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, holding thin knives, worked together to process the fresh mutton.

Meanwhile, Tun Qiaoqiao was already busy at the stove, concentrating on simmering the broth.

The fire in the stove was lukewarm, and the soup in the pot slowly began to boil.

In just a moment, the rich and mellow fragrance slowly spread throughout the courtyard.

Tun Qiaoqiao smiled. The secret recipe provided by her master was indeed exquisite. She looked forward to the restaurants that were being prepared in the East and West markets.

Perhaps everyone was busy, and even the aloof and taciturn Su Hongyi felt embarrassed to stand by and watch any longer.

She always dressed in a sporty outfit, but unexpectedly, she's also quite skilled at cooking.

She worked quickly and efficiently, cutting up the vibrant green vegetables, plump mushrooms, and tender tofu, and arranging them on a wooden plate.

Before long, the soup base in the copper pot boiled, and all the ingredients were prepared.

The aroma from the copper pot, mingled with the pungent scents of scallions, ginger, and garlic, filled the entire courtyard with warmth.

Tun Qiaoqiao prepared her secret dipping sauce for everyone.

Then everyone looked at Yang Zhengdao with anticipation, among them Aba and Shi Tu swallowing their saliva particularly loudly.

Everyone was waiting for Yang Zhengdao to make the first move, both out of respect for the master and to set an example.

After all, this was the first hot pot banquet in the Tang Dynasty.

Yang Zhengdao smiled, coughed lightly, and felt that the moment was particularly ceremonial.

He held long chopsticks and slowly added slices of meat to the pot. As soon as the meat changed color, he would scoop it out, dip it in sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The long-awaited deliciousness exploded on my tongue, and a sense of satisfaction leaped onto my face.

This made everyone even more excited.

Yang Zhengdao waved his hand and exclaimed, "Let's eat! Let's eat!"

Then everyone followed Yang Zhengdao's example and began to try it, and were quickly won over by this unprecedented delicacy.

The atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

Naza, who was sitting on the left, had just cooked a piece of mutton for Yang Zhengdao when Awu, not to be outdone, added a piece of lung to his bowl.

Xiao Liu covered her mouth and chuckled, while Tun Qiaoqiao's eyes were filled with flirtatious glances.

Such a lively gathering of beautiful women, how delightful!

In this situation, Yang Zhengdao couldn't help but glance at everyone, and he missed the future.

In the Tang Dynasty, the practice of individual servings was still the mainstream. It was a rare and heartwarming scene to see everyone sitting together like today, without distinction between master and servant, enjoying each other's company.

The vague goal in his mind became clearer at this moment.

This is not the end times or a chaotic era; there is no need for him to save the world.

This was the reign of Zhenguan, a time of peace and prosperity, where there was no need for him to establish a moral compass for the world or to secure a destiny for the people.

All he wanted and all he desired was to live freely and joyfully in this magnificent Tang Dynasty, following his own heart.

Having surveyed the vast landscape, I've drunkenly fallen asleep amidst three thousand... three hundred... and thirty beauties.

Just then, a jarring voice interrupted Yang Zhengdao's reverie.

"Brother, do you remember those two Japanese men at the Pingkangfang intersection the other day?"

Yang Zhengdao nodded.

He's been so busy these past two days that he's completely forgotten about the Japanese envoy to Tang China.

"Big Brother..." Tan Feng paused, stealing a glance at Su Hongyi.

Yang Zhengdao knew what Tan Feng was worried about, so he looked over as well.

Su Hongyi was engrossed in eating the cooked lamb blood, clearly enjoying herself immensely, her smile barely concealed, yet she maintained a cool and aloof demeanor.

Tan Feng could sense Da Lang's disgust for the Japanese, and after learning about the two Japanese people's ordeal, he naturally wanted to share it.

Seeing that Su Hongyi didn't seem to care, he began to speak with great enthusiasm.

"I asked someone I knew, and they said that the two Japanese men were beaten three more times after we left."

"The first meal was served by the Marquis of Wu. After we left that day, the Marquis of Wu arrived and saw that they were drunk and had broken the law. He immediately gave them twenty lashes."

Yang Zhengdao nodded. The curfew system of the Tang Dynasty has always been strict.

The Tang Code stipulated that anyone who violated the law at night would be punished with twenty strokes of the cane.

These twenty boards are already the minimum.

It seems that Zhuge Liang was afraid of killing someone and having to explain it to the Court of State Ceremonial.

Tan Feng continued, "The second meal was at the Court of State Ceremonial. After Zhuge Liang punished the two men, he took them to the Court of State Ceremonial. When the Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs learned that they had run away from the Sifangguan without permission and were drunk and staying out all night, he was so angry that he beat them up on the spot."

"The last meal was at the Sifangguan. After the Honglu Temple sent the people back to their residence, their chief envoy punished them with forty strokes of the cane."

After Tan Feng finished speaking, everyone laughed, and Yang Zhengdao also felt refreshed.

But amidst the laughter of the crowd, he suddenly realized something.

The Japanese are incredibly patient, while the Tang Dynasty people are completely unaware of their wolfish ambitions.