Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 191 - 160: To Get the Beef, We Must Defeat the Xiongnu

Chapter 191: Chapter 160: To Get the Beef, We Must Defeat the Xiongnu

At noon, in the house at the junction of East Market and West Market.

"Uncle, the hotpot at Zhenxiu Building is particularly delicious; you must eat more." Zhao Yao ordered hotpot from Zhenxiu Building and asked Tong Xi to help deliver it. "Lamb is really tasty when dipped in the hotpot." Zhao Yao put the freshly cooked lamb into the middle-aged man’s bowl.

"Uncle, you are too thin, you should eat more meat."

The middle-aged man picked up the lamb and started eating. The meat was tender and tasted delicious.

"Uncle, isn’t it delicious?"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said, "It tastes good."

"We added Sichuan peppercorns in this; it makes it taste better, but if you eat too much, your mouth will go numb." Zhao Yao has a love-hate relationship with Sichuan peppercorns. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as chili. In his dreams, Zhao Yao always places chili in the hotpot, which makes it taste great.

How could I forget chili?

Chili is also a foreign thing.

Tonight, I will talk to my second uncle, have him write a letter to my first uncle, and ask him to help find some chili.

Chili is a great thing; with it, not only does the hotpot taste better, but other dishes do too.

The middle-aged man noticed that Zhao Yao was just eating meat, not vegetables. He dipped some watercress in the hotpot and put it into Zhao Yao’s bowl immediately.

Zhao Yao frowned as he stared at the suddenly appearing watercress in his bowl. He looked up unhappy at the middle-aged man.

"Uncle, I don’t like vegetables."

"Children shouldn’t be picky eaters." The middle-aged man had a hint of amusement in his eyes, "Kids should eat more vegetables." This love for meat and dislike for vegetables is quite like our master.

Zhao Yao pouted, but obediently ate the watercress in his bowl.

"It’s a shame there is no beef; dipping beef is delicious, oh, and pan-fried steak is also very good."

"Pan-fried steak?" The middle-aged man had never heard of such a dish.

"Yeah, you just select a piece of beef and fry it in the pan..." Zhao Yao chatted zestfully with the middle-aged man about a hundred ways to eat beef while eating hotpot.

The middle-aged man listened in amazement; he didn’t expect beef could have so many ways of eating, and they all sounded very delicious.

As Zhao Yao spoke, he made himself hungry; he swallowed and said with a face of regret, "Unfortunately, I can’t usually eat beef."

"Do you like beef?"

Zhao Yao nodded vigorously: "I love it so much, but cattle are important and can’t be eaten casually." Zhao Yao was quite dissatisfied with being unable to eat beef daily, but there was no choice as cattle were scarce. "Uncle, do you think there are many cattle beyond the border?"

"Yes, they have grasslands there and raise many cattle, sheep, and horses." The middle-aged man said, "Outside the border, people can usually eat beef."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao’s eyes lit up, and he became a little excited: "Really? There are a lot of cattle outside the border? Can they really eat beef freely whenever they want?"

"Yes, there are many."

Suddenly, Zhao Yao slapped the table hard, scaring the hidden guards lurking in the shadows. They thought something had happened.

The middle-aged man was also startled by Zhao Yao’s table-slapping action.

Zhao Yao stood up, chopsticks in his right hand, and said excitedly: "Then I want to go beyond the border! I want to go outside the border to eat beef!"

The middle-aged man first paused, then laughed, "How are you going beyond the border? The land of the Xiongnu is not a place you can just wander into."

"Uncle, are you saying that in Xiongnu, beef can be eaten freely?"

"Yes."

"Then let’s conquer Xiongnu!" Zhao Yao, with chopsticks in his right hand and a fist in his left, said heroically, "Seize the Xiongnu’s grasslands and cattle, horses, and sheep, then we can eat beef every day!"

The middle-aged man, watching Zhao Yao act so ambitious, saying he wants to conquer Xiongnu, couldn’t help but recall an old incident. At that time, their master heard there was a group of mountain bandits who robbed a lot of grain and decided to lead troops to suppress them.

The master said it was for justice, but actually, they had their eyes on the grain the bandits hid. Looking back, the master led them to fight quite a few battles just for food.

"Didn’t expect Xiongnu to be such a good place!" Zhao Yao said enthusiastically, "It’s really a shame not to take over such a good place!"

The middle-aged man was amused by Zhao Yao’s words: "You want to fight Xiongnu just for their cattle?"

"And their horses and sheep." Zhao Yao sat back down and continued eating hotpot, "I heard from Uncle An Ren that their mutton is tastier than ours in the Central Plains."

"Uncle An Ren?"

"He’s a foreign trader from the West Market, the Wusun owner. He has a stall in West Market selling their food." Zhao Yao said, "He told us a lot about their delicious food."

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, looking puzzled: "Wusun people coming to the capital to do business?"

"Yes, Uncle An Ren said the court and Wusun are on good terms, so they sent them to the capital to do business." Zhao Yao accidentally ate a Sichuan peppercorn, his little mouth immediately went numb, and he said with a wrinkled face, "The Wusun people doing business in the capital are not pure Wusun, but descendants of Wusun and Han people."

The middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly became very sharp: "Are the Xiongnu up to something?"

"Uncle, how did you know?" Zhao Yao asked in surprise.

"If the Xiongnu are quiet, why would they befriend Wusun?" The middle-aged man could see the real purpose behind this just from Zhao Yao’s mention of Wusun people doing business in the capital. "What’s happening with the Xiongnu?"

"Uncle An Ren said that two or three years ago, a new Modu Chanyu appeared among the Luandi clan, and this new Chanyu is very powerful, having annexed two or three tribes in succession." Of course, it wasn’t Uncle An Ren who said this; it was Liang Zhaoyi who told Zhao Yao. "The leader of Wusun didn’t want to be invaded by the Xiongnu anymore, so they voluntarily befriended Great Zhou."

The middle-aged man’s expression turned a bit serious.

"Uncle, what’s wrong?"

"This new Modu Chanyu should not be underestimated."

"Fa..." Zhao Yao almost blurted out ’Father Emperor,’ "Being able to annex two or three tribes at once is certainly not simple. However, the court will definitely guard against the Xiongnu, otherwise, they wouldn’t have befriended Wusun."

The middle-aged man sneered, "What use is Wusun."

"At least they can learn of the Xiongnu’s movements before us." Wusun is right next to the Xiongnu, so they receive information about the Xiongnu faster than they do.

The middle-aged man said nothing more.

Zhao Yao changed the topic and talked about other delicious foods.

Hearing Zhao Yao talk about so much delicious food, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but be a bit curious, "Where did you hear about all these delicacies?"

"I read about them in books and heard from others too." Zhao Yao had noon meals at Lanyuan Pavilion every day, listening to the ministers who compile histories talk about many delicious foods from their hometowns. "When I grow up, I will travel everywhere and eat all the good food in the world."

The middle-aged man laughed, "You really have ambition, don’t you."

"Uncle, when the time comes, I’ll take you with me."

"I won’t go."

"Uncle, why won’t you go, let me tell you..."

The hidden guards in the shadows, listening to Zhao Yao talk about delicious foods, wondered if they were really that delicious.

This house became more lively and vibrant because of Zhao Yao’s presence.

The middle-aged man usually ate in a cold and cheerless manner, and he never ate much. But today, because of Zhao Yao’s company, this lunch was very lively.

Seeing Zhao Yao eating deliciously, the middle-aged man’s appetite unknowingly improved, and he ate more than usual.

After finishing lunch, Zhao Yao pushed the middle-aged man to the courtyard to bask in the sun.

"Do you know how to play chess?"

"Just learned this year." Zhao Yao asked, "Uncle, are you going to teach me how to play chess?"

"Yes." The middle-aged man instructed a servant, "Go fetch the chessboard."

After a short time, the servant brought the chessboard and pieces.

The middle-aged man taught Zhao Yao while playing chess.

He said the chessboard is like a battlefield, teaching Zhao Yao as he plays and also imparting military strategies.

Zhao Yao listened very attentively. When there were parts he didn’t understand, he would ask questions.

Although the middle-aged man usually appeared cold, he was very patient when teaching Zhao Yao. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

Zhao Yao was very intelligent; he learned quickly and grasped concepts instantly. Once he understood, he could extrapolate from it.

After finishing a game, the middle-aged man didn’t rush into the second game but told Zhao Yao to carefully ponder the game they just finished.

Zhao Yao sat on the stone table, propping his face with both hands, staring at the chessboard.

The previous game lasted over an hour, containing many elements that Zhao Yao needed to slowly digest.

After a while, Zhao Yao reached out and messed up the game they played earlier, then picked up the chess pieces and began to review the previous game.

While he was reviewing, the middle-aged man asked if he had thought of a better move.

Zhao Yao would tell him his new moves.

The question and answer process taught Zhao Yao a lot.

After the review, the middle-aged man started the second game with Zhao Yao.

The entire afternoon, the middle-aged man was teaching Zhao Yao how to play chess.

Seeing it was getting late, the middle-aged man reminded Zhao Yao it was time to go back.

Zhao Yao had to meet with Liang Run and Chu Huan, so he didn’t plan to stay too long with the middle-aged man.

"Uncle, I’ll come to see you next time during my break, and I’ll bring more delicious food for you then."

"When you go back, ponder the chess games we played this afternoon."

"Got it, Uncle." Zhao Yao bowed as a junior to the middle-aged man, "Uncle, while I’m not here, you should eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself."

The middle-aged man nodded lightly: "Okay."

"Uncle, I’m leaving then."

Liang Run and Chu Huan were waiting for Zhao Yao at the door, and when they saw him come out, they quickly approached him.

Zhao Yao and Liang Run had dinner before returning to the palace.

While Zhao Yao and his companions were having their dinner, the Emperor appeared at that house.

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