The Demon Lords-Chapter 749 - 165: Re-enter the Plate_3

"Ever heard of the roast duck from Quande Building in the capital?"

He Chu nodded. It was a household name!

"Let's go eat!"

Head Constable Yan decided to treat his brother-in-law generously, as a gesture of local hospitality.

Besides, a few years ago, Quande Building had been his own business.

"Is it expensive?" He Chu asked.

Head Constable Yan paused. A single duck from Quande Building cost as much as an ordinary family's expenses for a whole month.

He turned to look at his wife.

The woman was considerate, saying, "My dear husband, I'm craving noodles. I've heard that the noodles in the capital are different from ours back home."

A good woman, she knows how to protect her husband's dignity.

However, Head Constable Yan, somewhat awkwardly, said to his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law."

"What?"

"Can I borrow some money?"

He Chu was speechless.

"I'll pay this money back; it's a genuine loan. As soon as I get my salary next month, I'll return it to you. No matter what, we've finally made it to the capital, and I absolutely must treat my wife to a duck!"

Is the duck at Quande Building truly that delicious? How could Head Constable Yan, the very person who had single-handedly orchestrated the hype around this duck, not know the truth!

But this was a matter of ritual, a sense of occasion.

To visit the capital, to savor a Quande Building duck—only then is the ritual complete.

Years later, or even when they were old, they might not remember if the duck tasted good or what exactly it tasted like. But they would remember that first time they traveled to the capital, dining on that duck, and who they ate it with.

He Chu looked at Head Constable Yan, then at his own sister.

Nodding decisively, he said, "My treat!"

"Nonsense, I'll pay. That's the proper way; it can't be messed up."

Head Constable Yan was adamant about this.

People who grew up in Yanjing are all like this: I can be broke, but I absolutely cannot lose face!

The carriage arrived at the entrance of Quande Building. A waiter came forward to help them with the carriage, and the three of them entered the roast duck restaurant.

This wasn't the main Quande Building restaurant but a branch. Furthermore, the original manager had stopped working there long ago and moved to Shengle. Therefore, no one here recognized Head Constable Yan as their former owner.

"A Grade A private room! Two of your finest ducks, with all the trimmings, and a pot of Peach Blossom Brew!"

Head Constable Yan ordered in a grandiose manner.

So expensive. Goddamn, it's really expensive!

The 'finest ducks' were just a gimmick, and the Peach Blossom Brew was watered down.

The trouble I stirred up in the past... I now have to deal with the consequences myself.

For a moment, Head Constable Yan found himself regretting why he hadn't been a better person in the past.

Once they were in the private room, He Chu felt somewhat ill at ease. He couldn't exactly lean on his brother-in-law the way his sister did.

His brother-in-law, however, seemed quite adept, already directing the waiter to pour tea.

The tea was just served. He Chu hadn't even received his cup when his brother-in-law leaned down, sniffed it, and directly overturned the teacup, scolding, "Who are you trying to fool!"

The waiter immediately apologized, wiped up the spill, and went to prepare new tea.

Then, Head Constable Yan said to his brother-in-law, "People here are all like that. They always think they're superior and look down on others. Hmph, they even give you attitude when pouring tea. The nerve!"

All He Chu could think about was the cost. This meal is going to cost me several pigs I'd otherwise have slaughtered for profit!

Hearing his brother-in-law, He Chu immediately said, "This is the capital. We still need to be careful."

They say if an ornamental archway in the capital fell and hit ten people, at least five of them would be high-ranking officials.

Head Constable Yan, however, shook his head, let out a sigh, and said, "I've been careful for so many years..."

As he spoke, Head Constable Yan looked down again at the woman beside him, this woman who had thrown herself at him to become his wife.

He smiled and said, "Now, I don't want to be careful anymore."

...

His Majesty's imperial carriage appeared at the Princes' Estate.

The Princes' Estate served as the residences for the imperial princes. In the past, the former emperor had a fondness for "pursuing immortality," so many temples were built within the palace. After the current Yan Emperor ascended to the throne, this trend changed. Monks and occultists of that sort had their property confiscated and were exiled or sentenced to penal servitude, and these temples were converted into government offices.

Consequently, the Yan State's imperial palace, unlike those in the capitals of other nations, was not neatly square.

It wasn't that no one had submitted proposals for the reconstruction of the palace, but they were all rejected by the Yan Emperor.

Reports of victory arrived frequently, and Lord Jingnan's Memorandum was also delivered.

Proposals for post-war rewards were included within it, but the specific implementation still needed to be discussed further by Li Jiulang and the others.

An unexpected storm had finally been calmed. The pressure on the Yan Emperor also lessened considerably.

Actually, concerning the Situ Family, I had initially only intended for them to submit.

However, the deteriorating situation with the wild people, coupled with the subsequent involvement of the Chu people, forced Yan to mobilize troops and expend resources to wage a large-scale war.

These expenditures were not what I had anticipated.

Compared to the ravaged lands of the Three Jin, what I truly wanted to do was invade Qian!

Qian State was exceedingly wealthy but militarily weak. In the previous great war among the three states, although Yan had managed to seize most of the Three Jin lands that constituted Cheng State, Qian State itself had not been truly damaged; it had merely lost face.

However, a country this large and prosperous cannot be destroyed in a single blow. If it's allowed to recover, to sharpen its weapons and feed its horses, it will be much harder to deal with in the future.

The war against the wild people had significantly disrupted the Yan Emperor's original plans. The campaign to attack Qian had to be temporarily shelved; indeed, there was no other choice.

Furthermore, just last night, a report arrived from the Spy Bureau in Qian State, delivered personally by Wei Zhonghe to the imperial desk.