Chapter 5758: The Conversation Killer
Mo Yu consistently ignored Princess Huaizhu, making the atmosphere at the table rather awkward. Qiao Lin, however, couldn't simply mimic Mo Yu and completely disregard the princess. So, she offered her a friendly, small smile. "Absolutely authentic."
Huaizhu: ... She felt like she couldn't respond.
Huaizhu had originally interjected inappropriately, wanting to make her presence known. Now, she hadn't managed to get Mo Yu's attention, and instead, a few words from this girl had left her speechless. In truth, she had just said it casually and hadn't paid much attention to the content. Now that she thought about it, she realized she might have just questioned the girl's statement. Her "amazement" at Qiao Lin's "sister being the Empress of Divine State," though spoken softly, was tinged with doubt.
Qiao Lin wasn't foolish; how could she not hear it? Moreover, the other party had displayed such an embarrassing look of shock in front of her, so overtly feigned that Qiao Lin couldn't bear to look. While she didn't want to engage, leaving the other party hanging wasn't Qiao Lin's style. So, she returned those four words with a sweet smile, effectively silencing Princess Huaizhu. You questioned my sister's identity, so I'll give you a definitive, precise answer.
Mo Yu smiled and picked up another piece of beef for Qiao Lin with his chopsticks, saying indifferently, "Little girl, what's there to argue about?" It was simply a fact; whether others believed it or not had nothing to do with them. Frogs in a well, never having ventured beyond a small star domain, their vision is only so high due to their arrogance. There's no point in arguing.
Qiao Lin gave Mo Yu a sidelong glance, then helped herself to a few more bites, trying to eat silently. Princess Huaizhu, feeling quite embarrassed, offered a small, polite laugh and didn't continue the conversation. It seemed the topic had been gently brushed aside.
Gu Qingfeng, seeing the low atmosphere at the table, quickly pulled Zhang Yan up. After a round of toasts, they finally managed to liven up the mood a bit. City Lord Gu said with a smile, "Princess of Tundong, you've come from afar. If the dishes aren't to your liking, please inform us in time. I can have someone prepare something else for the Princess."
Princess Huaizhu pursed her lips and smiled, her expression reserved and demure. "City Lord, you are too kind. The food and drink are very much to my taste; I'm not particularly picky."
"Ah, that's good, that's good."
"It's just that a few of these dishes are a bit spicy, and these two are a bit salty. Our Tundong people prefer lighter flavors, unlike you Beimo people, whose dishes are both spicy and salty. Actually, eating too much spicy and salty food isn't very good for your health, especially for someone of your age, City Lord. It's a time when you should be focusing on nurturing your health, so you might want to pay a little attention to your eating habits."
Everyone: ... And she says she's not picky? She said nothing, then when she spoke, she made City Lord Gu utterly mortified. Of the twenty-odd dishes on the table, the majority were deemed too salty and spicy by this Tundong princess. She hadn't even touched the rest, clearly showing her disdain.
Qiao Lin looked at the unperturbed Mo Yu beside her, then at the stiff-faced City Lord Gu, and almost burst out laughing. Frankly, the Princess of Tundong might have had good intentions in reminding the City Lord about "paying attention to health in old age," but hearing it, it just sounded incredibly grating. Gu Qingfeng lightly coughed, covering his embarrassment with a string of "Ah, yes, yes, yes," then gave Mr. Zhang a meaningful look, who quickly changed the subject.
Departure
As a result, the atmosphere at the table grew even more subdued. City Lord Gu simply urged Mo Yu and Little Lin to eat and drink, no longer bothering much with the Princess of Tundong... Mr. Zhang, sitting to the side, couldn't help but twitch his lips. Seeing the princess sitting there alone, creating quite a cold atmosphere, he could only occasionally chat with her to prevent the guest from Tundong from being too embarrassed.
Little Lin, however, had a very enjoyable meal. The dishes here were excellent, and Little Lin even asked City Lord Gu to pack up over a dozen family banquet sets, which she stored in her spatial talisman.
Princess Huaizhu from Tundong looked at the girl with the gaze of someone seeing a divine being. Her unreadable expression made goosebumps rise all over Little Lin's body. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She was the type to ask whatever was on her mind, never holding back.
Princess Huaizhu was startled, momentarily speechless. She paused before saying, "Oh, no, I was just observing the jade talisman in your hand. It's quite miraculous. This princess has never seen such a dazzling jade talisman before." She had also never seen a jade talisman that could store so many dishes at once. Could this be the legendary storage talisman? But could a storage talisman's space be this large?
That unreadable look in your eyes isn't thinking about that at all! Little Lin turned her small face away, huffing and ignoring her. She thought Little Lin was foolish, but she could see and understand everything. This Princess Huaizhu from Tundong clearly had a hint of mockery in her eyes. She was definitely secretly laughing at Little Lin for taking so much food to go after eating, like a country bumpkin from the mountains, ignorant of etiquette.
Qiao Lin immediately became unwilling to speak to Princess Huaizhu anymore. Mo Yu hooked his lips, stood up, and pulled her small hand. "Alright, it's getting late. We need to go back and pack our things to prepare for departure."
City Lord Gu and Mr. Zhang quickly stood up, bowed, and escorted the group to the restaurant entrance, respectfully seeing them off as they boarded the carriage and departed.
Princess Huaizhu was once again left behind by Mo Yu and the others, standing at the doorway, awkwardly exchanging glances with City Lord Gu. City Lord Gu lightly coughed, pretending to turn and speak to another subordinate. Mr. Zhang helplessly twitched his lips and could only ask with a smile, "Would Your Highness like this subordinate to send a carriage to take you back to the guesthouse?"
Princess Huaizhu smiled faintly and shook her head. "No need. This princess ate too much just now and plans to walk back to digest the food."
Zhang Yan then smiled and nodded, departing with City Lord Gu and the others. A little maidservant beside her quickly whispered, "Princess, why didn't you accept that gentleman's kind offer? It's quite a long walk back to the guesthouse from here."
Princess Huaizhu angrily said, "It's not like we don't have money; what's so hard about hiring a carriage? Didn't you see that City Lord and his subordinates were disrespectful towards this princess and spoke in a sarcastic manner?"
The little maidservant nodded, following behind the fuming Huaizhu, and asked as she walked, "Princess, was what that girl said true?"
"What truth or falsehood?"
"It's just that the girl said her sister is the Empress of Divine State and her brother-in-law is the Great Emperor of Divine State."
"Tsk," Princess Huaizhu scoffed, "Do you think that's possible?"
"This servant thinks it might be possible. Otherwise, how can one explain why His Royal Highness treats that girl with such special regard? She must be of extraordinary status."