That night, patrols of robust soldiers roamed the streets of Kaiyang City, large and small, enforcing the curfew.

Ji Province was not at peace nowadays, with Blood Dao Warriors appearing, and in some major cities, military patrols roamed the streets at night, exterminating all who roamed after dark.

Of course, those from the worldly society generally disregarded the court's orders, and it was common for them to roam at night. However, if such individuals were killed by the soldiers, they could hardly blame anyone else.

Every night, cries of agony from those dying would be heard. Those were the last sounds made by such overconfident individuals.

As for those with sufficient strength, if they wished to move around at night, they would not be detected by the soldiers. Since they were not discovered, naturally, they could not be considered in violation of the curfew.

However, on this particular night, there was still revelry in a tavern on Baiyun Street in Kaiyang City.

The tavern was an ordinary one, its tables and chairs held no semblance of luxury, made merely of common pear wood. It was referred to as a banquet, yet there were no grand setups, just an ordinary square table with a few small dishes and three cups of liquor.

Overall, it could be summed up as utterly unremarkable.

"Lord Ning, Lord Qin, come, I toast to you both!"

Inside the tavern, a big man, looking rather rugged, clad in luxurious garments, raised his cup.

"Prince, you are too kind; it should be us toasting to you," Ning Wuming replied, holding up his cup with refined politeness.

Indeed, the ones drinking here were Ning Wuming and Qin Xihai, who had come for King Renyi's night banquet. And that rugged big man was naturally King Renyi.

The term Renyi held profound significance in Daqian. It denoted not only a noble character but also represented the two branches of Confucian benevolence and righteousness from the past. Yet, such a title related to the Confucian, ended up with this rugged big man.

It was said that a scholar had once met King Renyi and wept bitterly, wailing that the later generations were useless and had let down the Great Master.

Qin Xihai had heard about this in the past but never took it seriously, dismissing it as rumors. It was not until today, upon meeting this King Renyi, that she changed her mind.

It must be said that King Renyi completely subverted her expectations. She had thought that this prince, who had remained in Ji Province since the late Emperor passed away, was an ambitious schemer, but seeing his demeanor and style now, it felt a bit unfair to even call him ambitious.

"How come, Lord Qin, are you dissatisfied with the food and drink?" Perhaps noticing Qin Xihai's hesitation, King Renyi, Feng Yuan, put down his cup and asked, puzzled.

'No, it's just that this banquet is a bit unexpected,' Qin Xihai thought, her lips twitching slightly.

In her mind, this banquet, if not in a luxurious mansion, should at least have been in the most extravagant Dengyun Building in Kaiyang City. But she had never imagined it would be in a common tavern.

"How could I dare," Qin Xihai smiled, "This food and drink seem common but are actually delicious. I am truly grateful for your hospitality, Your Highness."

This wasn't just flattery; although the pig head meat, boiled cabbage, sauce-coated beef, and the extremely common fried peanuts were ordinary dishes, their taste was anything but ordinary. Qin Xihai genuinely found them delicious.

"Haha, glad to hear that, glad to hear that, this puts my mind at ease," King Renyi laughed heartily.

His self-reference was always "I," not "this prince," showing none of the airs one might expect from royalty.

"Xihai truly knows how to appreciate good food," Ning Wuming chuckled, "These dishes may look ordinary, but they embody countless efforts of the chef and could be considered more precious than exotic delicacies."

He picked up a piece of pig head meat, "This meat must come from a Biluo Pig that has been fed thousand spirit ginseng and Qingbi Liquid from a young age. Each of these piglets, reared with Secret Techniques by the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, consumes over fifty thousand taels of Spiritual Medicine. And they sell for fifteen thousand taels each."

"In this dish of pig's head meat, each piece is taken from the freshest parts. Roughly speaking, it takes four Biluo Pigs. Just this dish alone costs six hundred thousand taels of silver."

"Prince, am I right?" Ning Wuming slowly put a piece of the pork into his mouth and chewed slowly.

"Then there's this boiled cabbage, the water is Pearl Liquid and the vegetable is White Jade Spirit Vegetable that has absorbed the medicinal liquid. The beef sauce, the meat is from the descendants of the divine bull left behind by the Peacock Dynasty. Even these peanuts were fried with Flame Light Fire."

Ning Wuming pointed out each dish's origin meticulously.

"The most precious, however, is the chef who prepared these dishes, utilizing pure True Qi to infuse Spiritual Energy into every ingredient, making them appear as ordinary dishes. Even a master tasting them would only think they taste extremely beautiful, yet they overlook the contained Spiritual Energy."

"And this faint scent..."

Suddenly, Ning Wuming's nostrils flared as he said, "Ambergris from the East Sea Fragrant Whale, exclusively provided for the Imperial Family, sought after by thousands at great cost."

"Prince, your hospitality overwhelms us."

As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere suddenly grew silent, only to be broken by loud laughter.

"Haha, really? I just asked my people to pick some good dishes to treat the two Divine Constables, and they brought such a big surprise for me. Hahaha... I'm a simple man, ignorant of all these intricate details; it's all thanks to Lord Ning for elaborating." Prince Renyi laughed heartily.

A simple man?

Even the nonchalant Ning Wuming's face twitched slightly.

If a descendant of a thousand-year-old Imperial Family is a simple man, what are we then? Peasants digging in the fields, or illiterate beggars on the streets?

Ning Wuming couldn't believe that Prince Renyi, who helped the late Emperor ascend the throne, was an ignorant simple man. Even if coarse, there must be nuances in his simplicity.

"Prince, you flatter me."

Prince Renyi's laughter faded slowly. He looked at the still expressionless Ning Wuming as if trying to see into his heart.

Silence suddenly descended upon this ordinary tavern.

But it didn't last long. Prince Renyi quickly broke the silence, "Since it's a feast, we need to eat, lest we fail to appreciate the chef's intentions. Divine Constables, let's continue, come, another drink."

Ning Wuming and Qin Xihai naturally did not refuse, and clinked their cups together.

The three of them ate and drank slowly, finishing these four invaluable rustic dishes and the especially delicious jar of yellow wine.

Prince Renyi continued to drink heartily and eat voraciously, showing his uninhibited nature.

While Ning Wuming maintained a calm demeanor, showing little enthusiasm.

The seemingly simple banquet ended quickly, as the three of them continuously ate. After finishing the meal, Ning Wuming took Qin Xihai to bid farewell, not minding Prince Renyi's attempt to make them stay.

While Prince Renyi seemed somewhat disappointed, there was no sign of anger.

The banquet thus began unexpectedly and ended in an equally strange manner.

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