Chapter Five, The Western King Hosts a Banquet

At this moment, Xiao Yungui also began to silently recite: "I thank Heavenly Father for providing me with food and clothing, and I thank Heavenly Brother for granting me sustenance. May the Holy Spirit always dwell in my heart, sweeping away demons, ensuring success in all endeavors."

Tang Erniu shouted: "What rebels? We are holy soldiers, heavenly soldiers! The Manchu lackeys are the real demons and monsters! They are the Qing demons! We have come to rescue you and lead you to paradise. You know nothing and blindly believe what others say! Why don't you hurry up and bow down to apologize!"

The plump chef wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up trembling, and began to introduce the dishes on the table one by one: "These are all famous dishes from our Hunan cuisine. The first course includes cured meat platter, Five Yuan Immortal Chicken, crispy duck with sesame, Dongting golden turtle, and Daozhou gray goose, all made from top-quality ingredients. The chicken is the famous Taoyuan chicken from Hunan, the duck is from Linwu, the goose is from Wugang, and the Dongting golden turtle is the golden line turtle from Dongting Lake. The twelve small dishes include rock candy lotus seeds..."

However, by this time, nearly two hundred years had passed since the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and many people could not clearly describe what Hanfu actually looked like. As a result, many members of the Taiping Army preferred to wear theatrical costumes rather than the qipao and mandarin jackets.

The cook's expression changed, and he quickly smiled, saying: "Your Highness, you flatter me; I am merely a cook and would not dare to sit at the same table as you esteemed gentlemen"

Xiao Yungui suddenly realized that the county magistrate of Chaling, Guo Shijian, was a glutton who spared no expense in procuring ingredients, yet he had not tasted a single bite, as everything had become the spoils of the Taiping Army

Tang Erniu was furious and seized the fat chef, demanding, "What did you put in it?!"

Following Xiao Yungui, everyone was called to have a meal together. Just as they were about to pick up their chopsticks, they noticed Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others holding their hands near their mouths, softly reciting something. Xiao Yungui slapped his thigh, thinking to himself how could he have forgotten this? These fellows were all followers of the God-worshiping faith and were accustomed to praying before meals.

Xiao Yungui laughed heartily as he returned to his seat, commanding someone to place the Dongting Golden Turtle in front of the chef. He said with a smile, "You, chef, are truly amusing. I shall not punish you; however, this ingredient is rare and must not be wasted. It would not be a problem for you to consume your own saliva."

Xiao Yungui raised his hand to interrupt him in surprise: "This is Chaling, why are there so many ingredients from various places in Hunan?"

The fat cook suddenly collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy with his head knocking like a pestle: "Your Highness, spare my life, Your Highness, spare my life. This humble servant was blinded by greed and, while serving the dishes just now, took advantage of the soldier's unpreparedness to add, add a little extra seasoning."

The cook sat at the end of the table, trembling and leaning to one side, his small squinting eyes constantly glancing at the plate of Dongting golden turtle. Xiao Yungui furrowed his brows and asked, "Is there something wrong with this dish?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Erniu raised his fist and was about to strike, but Xiao Yungui quickly intervened, then turned to the chef and burst into laughter. Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others were quite puzzled; given the fiery and petty temperament of the West King, this chef would surely face a severe beating, if not death. Tang Erniu, who acted first, intended to hit hard, thinking that if he could quell the West King's anger, perhaps he could spare his own life. However, he did not expect Xiao Yungui to laugh heartily.

At this moment, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others all noticed that the chef appeared guilty, indicating that there must be an issue with this dish. Tang Erniu stood up, grabbed the chef by the collar, and demanded, "I had my subordinates watching you while you were cooking just now; what exactly is wrong with this dish?"

Lin Fengxiang tightly pressed his lips together, his brows furrowed but remaining silent. Li Kaifang smiled and clasped his fists, saying: "Thank you, Your Highness the Western King. It has been a long journey filled with hardships, and I haven't had such good food in a long time." He then tugged at Lin Fengxiang, urging: "Quickly thank the Western King."

"My lord, these dishes are all famous Hunan cuisine, but I do not know if they suit your taste," said a plump chef, nodding and bowing with a heavy Hunan accent. His eyes were nearly closed due to his obesity, and he frequently wiped his hands on the greasy apron tied around his waist. The apron was oily, and no matter how much he wiped with his large, fat hands, they remained greasy, which was somewhat off-putting.

The chef nodded proudly and replied: "That miserly Guo in the world is very stingy; if I add too many seasonings, he will scold me for half a day. In the past, whenever he reprimanded me, I would always add some seasoning for him. During this month in the government office, he has no idea how much of my saliva he has consumed."

The cook appeared to be in his forties, significantly older than himself. Seeing him kneeling and begging for mercy made Xiao Yungui feel quite uncomfortable. Was he treating him as if he were already dead? In the context of ancient customs where bowing and kneeling were common, Xiao Yungui felt no sense of superiority; instead, he felt as if there were thorns in his back, very uneasy.

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Fengxiang interrupted him with a sharp shout: "Stop with these pretentious formalities! We are currently on the march and in battle, not here to drink some fancy wine!"

Only then did Tang Erniu lead two men into the room. The first man appeared to be around thirty years old, with a square face and a prominent jaw. He had a short mustache and wore a red scarf on his head. His attire consisted of a colorful opera robe, and he had a white jade belt wrapped around his waist. Relying on the memories of Xiao Chaogui, Xiao Yungui recognized this man as Lin Fengxiang

Xiao Yungui observed the chef's demeanor and felt that something was amiss, and with a stern expression, he said: "Don't you want to taste the dishes you prepared yourself? I insist that you sit down!"

The cook lowered his head, not daring to look at Xiao Yungui, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, you are rebelling against the officials in Guangxi, and initially, the people of Hunan admired you greatly. However, now that you have arrived in Hunan, and being followers of foreign teachings, both the government and the common people here are spreading rumors that you kill without blinking an eye, and that you are coercing the common people to join you. Those who do not follow you are killed, and even those who do not share your faith are also slain. Today, after I was captured, I was not allowed to return home. I know it must be that you want to coerce me into becoming a rebel, so in a moment of anger, I added some spice to my words."

Xiao Yungui laughed for a while, then got up and walked over, looking at the cook and asking, "I have not offended you, so why do you want to tease me?"

Xiao Yungui smiled and waved his hand, saying: "This chef is quite interesting. It is only natural for him to be angry after we captured him. However, I must tell you that our Holy Soldiers are here to stand up for the common people and to deal with those corrupt officials and tyrants. Along the way, we have taken down numerous towns. If we were to drag the common people along with us, how many people would we have? Surely not just this few, right?" Surely not just this few, right?

"You speak first." Xiao Yungui waved his hand, wanting to help him up, but feeling it inappropriate, ultimately refrained from extending his hand. He could only ask in confusion, "What are these dishes?" Xiao Yungui had eaten quite a few good things, but the dishes before him were all Hunan cuisine, which he had rarely eaten before.

Li Kaifang hurriedly kicked him, and Lin Fengxiang reluctantly lowered his head to look at the table. This little action of theirs did not escape the eyes of Xiao Yungui, who smiled and remarked that it seemed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was indeed quite ruthless; they hated the Qing court, even resenting the traditional tribute of a thousand from the Manchus.

Xiao Yungui adjusted his expression and, after a moment of contemplation, found that he truly could not smile. The attire of the two was actually not unusual among the Taiping Army; many veteran soldiers could forgo wearing uniform clothing, but they were required to wear headscarves. Generally, these were red scarves, while only those who had been conferred the title of king were allowed to wear yellow headscarves. The soldiers of the Taiping Army wore uniforms during wartime, but were not particularly particular about their appearance during peacetime. However, one thing the Taiping Army was adamant about was that they absolutely did not wear the qipao and long gown of the Manchus; they insisted on wearing the clothing and attire of the Han people.

The chef smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly. Xiao Yungui glanced at the dish and furrowed his brow, asking, "Did you often do this in the past?"

The dishes were served extremely quickly, with eight large plates and twelve small plates filled to the brim on the table. Xiao Yunui's eyes widened; he had originally thought that given Xiao Chaogui's current role in leading troops on a surprise attack, being able to have a bowl of hot rice would be considered fortunate. He did not expect it to be so lavish.

Xiao Yungui responded with a sound of agreement, saying: "Lin Xian弟 is right, we cannot drink at this moment. We can drink later after we have captured Changsha." He then cast a sidelong glance at the plump chef and gently said: "There are so many dishes that we cannot finish; you should sit down and have some as well."

The chef smiled wryly and nodded vigorously, thinking that he would at least lose his life or get beaten up. Unexpectedly, the prince merely asked him to eat the dish, which was quite magnanimous of him

Xiao Yungui recited it quite naturally, indicating that Xiao Chaogui must have been well-versed in it before. What kind of mealtime prayer is this? Even during meals, one does not forget to sweep away demons and monsters. No wonder the Taiping Army was initially extremely fierce; it seems that Master Hong's brainwashing skills are indeed quite remarkable

Upon thinking of this, Xiao Yungui could not smile, as a sense of inexplicable sorrow rose from his heart. Most of the Taiping army were of peasant origin, and their most simple thoughts guided them. The ancestors of the Han people had discarded their own ethnic attire and were forced to shave their heads and change their clothing. This was not the fault of the Taiping army; rather, their uprising against wearing the clothing of the enemy was something that should have been respected. However, it is tragic that they were forced to choose theatrical costumes because they could not ascertain what Han clothing truly looked like. This is not a matter of ridicule for the Taiping army, but rather a lament for the entire nation. The ancestors of the Han people had discarded their own ethnic attire and were forced to shave their heads and change their clothing. This was not the fault of the Taiping army; rather, their uprising against wearing the clothing of the enemy was something that should have been respected. However, it is tragic that they were forced to choose theatrical costumes because they could not ascertain what Han clothing truly looked like. This is not a matter of ridicule for the Taiping army, but rather a lament for the entire nation.

Another man, also in his twenties, had a thin face, high cheekbones, and a mustache shaped like the character '八' on his chin. He wore a red headscarf and was dressed entirely in red: a red short jacket and red lantern pants, with high-top riding boots on his feet. This man was Li Kaifang. The incongruous appearance of the two nearly made Xiao Yungui burst into laughter

Seeing everyone seated, the plump chef boldly bent his body and smiled, saying: "Your Highness, please take your time, I will go and prepare some fine wines for you gentlemen, there are still excellent ones in the cellar..."

The cook's face turned pale, and he hurriedly stood up and said, "There is nothing wrong."

At that moment, Tang Erniu reported loudly from outside the door: "Your Highness, the West King, Guard Lin and Chief Li have arrived"

The fat cook bowed and replied, "County magistrate Guo ... ... " Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Li Zuoche shouted angrily, "What nonsense county magistrate, it is the Qing demon county magistrate Guo Shijian!"

Xiao Yungui felt somewhat suspicious; why did Lin Fengxiang have such a sour expression? Could it be that he held a grudge against him? After the two took their seats, Xiao Yungui cheerfully invited Li Zuoche and Tang Erniu to sit down as well. The two were quite flattered and, after expressing their gratitude repeatedly, took their seats.

Xiao Yungui chuckled as he stood up and said, "Er Niu, quickly let the two brothers in." Xiao Yungui often engaged in such revelries, surrounded by a group of drinking buddies, so he knew how to extend small favors to win people over. Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang, two formidable generals, were currently his best cards; if played well, he would have some leverage to contend with the Heavenly King and the "Heavenly Father." If played poorly, he would truly have no hope.

Lin Fengxiang is indeed correct; we are now isolated and surrounded by enemy territory. Several leaders in the army are present here, and if they get drunk and something happens, it would be extremely serious

Xiao Yungui took a deep breath, suppressing the undercurrents of pressure within him. After all, he was not a person of this era, nor was he a hot-blooded youth. After a moment of reflection, he returned to his original mindset, prioritizing the preservation of his own life.

The fat cook was taken aback, his legs went weak and he knelt down, repeatedly bowing his head like pounding garlic, saying: "Your Highness, I am a lowly person with no discernment, I failed to recognize the greatness of Mount Tai, please spare my life..."

The driver Li Zuo beside him pressed the handle of his knife, his eyes wide open as he shouted, "What do you mean by 'my lord'? This is His Highness the Western King of our Heavenly Kingdom!"

The stout man hurriedly nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, yes, it is the County Magistrate Guo Shijian of Qingyao. He originally enjoyed the finest delicacies from around the world, and in a few days, it will be his birthday. Therefore, he spent a fortune gathering these ingredients from various places to prepare for a banquet. However, he did not expect that the prince would arrive with his troops so quickly. Yesterday, Guo Shijian had no choice but to flee the city overnight with his family, and in the haste, he left behind all these ingredients."

The fat cook lowered his head and muttered: "I added a bit of the little man's saliva in..."

At that moment, Xiao Yungui pointed to a few empty seats and said: "Brothers, come over quickly, hehe, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's have a meal together; these are all good things."