webnovelfull Chapter 465 Prince Xuannan Enters the Capital, Amber Cicada
Chapter 465 Prince Xuannan Enters the Capital, Amber Cicada
When Xiao Ming left the Jiang family, his tongue was tied in knots, his feet were stumbling, and his eyes were blurry.
Fortunately, the driver he brought with him helped him, otherwise he would have had close contact with the ground before even leaving the gate.
It's unclear what the two talked about in the end, but Xiao Ming willingly drank two jars of berry wine...
The further north you go, the less snow there is.
The air gradually became drier.
The Prince of Xuan Nan's carriage was about to enter Tongxian County, and Jiang Wenqing had received the news well in advance.
The two advisors, Qian and Xing, worked together seamlessly and had already taken steps to reorganize the docks and commercial street ahead of time.
The streets were neat and clean, and there were no idle people loitering around.
Although it was a somewhat desolate winter day, it was clearly very different from the area outside the capital.
When the Prince of Xuannan's carriage entered Tongxian County, it was already night.
Tongzhou Post Station could not accommodate such a large honor guard and escort team, so the county government office became the first choice.
Prince Xuan Nan originally wanted to stay in his luxurious RV, but he couldn't resist the persuasion of his subordinates.
"Your Highness has suffered on this journey, sleeping in the carriage the whole way. It's time to get off and relax."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Prince Xuannan then alighted from his carriage, intending to stay overnight at the county government office.
Jiang Wenqing and a group of county officials were already waiting outside the county government office, and they all knelt down to pay their respects.
Prince Xuannan waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand up.
Under the personal guidance of Jiang Wenqing, they entered the back office of the county government.
The back office of the county government was brightly lit, and the tables in the main hall were already laden with a sumptuous feast.
Although the Prince of Xuannan was somewhat tired, he became quite interested when he saw several dishes that he had never seen before.
Jiang Wenqing held a low-ranking official position and dared not sit with the emperor's uncle, the powerful Prince Quan, who had made great military achievements.
They stood aside and served him, just as Master Qian and Master Xing usually treated him with the same respect.
The only difference is that the two advisors bowed down for money, while Jiang Wenqing is now bowing down for power.
In officialdom, one has no choice but to bow one's head.
Having served as a county magistrate for so long, even if he's not good at administrative affairs, he's at least somewhat knowledgeable about human relationships and social interactions.
The fresh dishes on the table were all made using recipes lovingly provided by the son, and they were exquisite, delicious, and innovative.
No wonder the Prince of Xuannan, such a high-ranking prince, would have something to say to a mere county magistrate.
"Lord Jiang, what is this?"
Prince Xuannan picked up a piece of candied sweet potato, and the sugar strands rose up naturally.
This dish can no longer be pulled into strands when it's completely cold, so the chef made it separately in the next room using a small stove.
And it was served as dessert when the prince had almost finished eating.
It was just a short walk, and the candied sweet potato arrived at the table at the perfect temperature.
It's not too hot to eat, nor too cold to pull out the sugar threads.
If it's still too hot, there's also cooled boiled water on the table. Soak it in the water before eating to make the sugar coating even crispier.
Jiang Wenqing had eaten this candied sweet potato dish many times, so his explanation of it was natural and fluent.
He has always loved sweets, though not as much as he loves fishing, since eating too much sugar can cause toothache.
"Your Highness, this dish is actually a dessert called Amber Cicada."
That's right, how could candied sweet potatoes be called candied sweet potatoes in front of the prince?
It has to be given a fancy name, otherwise the dish will seem cheap.
After all, sweet potatoes are something that common people use to fill their stomachs, and they are generally not considered fine food.
Moreover, eating too many sweet potatoes can cause bloating and flatulence, which is considered very impolite in upper-class circles.
This is one of the reasons why wealthy people, even if they love sweet potatoes, won't eat too many.
"Amber Cicada, what a wonderful name, so fitting."
As Jiang Wenqing expected, the Prince of Xuannan did not ask any further questions about the preparation method and ingredients of the dish.
Jiang Wenqing had only asked for the name of the dish, but he roughly knew what the Prince of Xuannan meant. He simply wanted the Prince to name the dish so that he could prepare it whenever he wanted to eat it in the future.
However, at that time, the Prince of Xuannan would probably find that no one in the entire capital or even the entire Zhou Dynasty would know how to make this "Amber Cicada".
After all, Jiang Wenqing had just come up with the name on the spot; it would be strange if chefs elsewhere could make it like this.
Xuan Nan Wang's chopsticks reached for the "Amber Cicada" again. The plate only contained seven or eight pieces, and in the blink of an eye, they were all gone into Xuan Nan Wang's stomach.
After a hearty meal, Prince Xuan Nan naturally moved into the main courtyard of the county government office, where Jiang Wenqing had already instructed his two advisors to prepare the place.
He then took Aunt Pan, Master Qian, and Master Xing to stay at the largest inn in Tongxian.
Making the entire rear quarters available for Prince Xuannan to live in was quite a thoughtful move.
The Prince of Xuannan was somewhat surprised when he learned of this, as he had stayed in various state and prefectural government offices before.
However, he was always accompanied by a local official. He didn't mind whether someone accompanied him or not, since everyone was trying to get closer to him, the prince, by taking the opportunity.
This Tongzhou magistrate is a bit different; he's paving the way for his career by finding shortcuts.
They actually moved all their family members and advisors to an inn, which wasn't exactly wrong, but it was a bit unusual.
Jiang Wenqing didn't think that much about it. He didn't want a promotion, and he was quite comfortable being a minor county magistrate on the outskirts of the capital.
If someone gets promoted and gains more power, wouldn't they also have greater responsibilities and obligations to do more work?
As for cultivating a relationship with the prince, that goes without saying; he knew he didn't have that ability.
Having a meal with him and reciting the menu is already his limit.
Staying in the county government office meant being responsible for security and always having to be ready to serve.
Then we won't have to sleep tonight. Isn't that great? We can just dismiss all the yamen runners and leave the Prince of Xuannan with a completely clean and tidy back office.
Let the old prince take responsibility for his own safety. He's not just there for show; he should be on guard duty with his hundreds of guards.
With so many people, there would be plenty to spare even if they surrounded the county government office.
As a minor county magistrate, a nobody with little influence and insufficient manpower, he decided not to get involved.
The captain of the guard who took over the county government office thought that this handsome middle-aged magistrate was a rare and intelligent man.
Do not use this opportunity to curry favor or show off.
His tact and knowing when to advance and retreat make people feel very comfortable.
At the same time, he minimized his own responsibility by dismissing all the people in the county government, including the servants.
He paid out of his own pocket to book the largest inn for everyone in the county government, even though there wasn't a single lower-class room available, let alone the dirty, chaotic, and cramped dormitory-style rooms.
Understand your own position and don't overstep your boundaries.
He was lenient and forgiving towards his subordinates and servants, and did not stingy with their money.
This Lord Jiang is indeed a remarkable person.
Jiang Wenqing, who was already fast asleep on the big bed in the inn, had no idea that his laziness and shirking of responsibility had taken a whole new level of attention from others.
It left a deep impression on Prince Xuannan and the head of the guards who were temporarily staying at the county government office, which can be considered an unintentional success.
After all, only he knew that he wasn't noble or virtuous; he was simply lazy.