A mouthwatering aroma spread through the kitchen of the temporary command post.
The Chang Island abalone was being carefully cooked by the chef into a delicious dish. Yang Chengye and Xiao Ming were chatting casually, but the smell was so tempting that no one could resist.
Whether studying or handling government affairs, balancing work and rest was the right way. It wasn’t that Xiao Ming had become lazy, but that he understood the balance between life and work: play when it’s time to play, eat when it’s time to eat.
After about half an hour, a maid finally brought out the braised abalone from the kitchen.
“Smells amazing!”
When Yang Chengye saw the braised abalone, his eyes nearly popped out. He had never seen abalone cooked this way before. Usually, he just boiled it in water.
This time, the kitchen prepared twenty abalones in total. In modern terms, abalone is called “the gold of the dining table,” the crown of sea delicacies, showing just how delicious it was.
Xiao Ming understood why these abalones were court tributes—the abalones caught by these fishermen were all one-headed abalones.
As is well known, the fewer the heads on an abalone, the more precious it is, because it means the abalone is heavier. Even a four-headed abalone is considered top grade nowadays. These Chang Island abalones were on another level entirely.
Such supreme abalone was rarely even seen at state banquets.
“The environment of this era really is good,” Xiao Ming sighed. Only such a natural environment could produce such abalone.
Gulp.
Yang Chengye swallowed his saliva.
Xiao Ming shook his head and gave ten of the abalones to Yang Chengye. “Take these and share them around.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Yang Chengye felt a bit embarrassed. The maid had already packed the abalones into a food box.
Taking the box, Yang Chengye thanked him and hurried back, his heart already itching with anticipation.
After Yang Chengye left, Xiao Ming rubbed his hands and told the maid to bring the abalones to his chamber, where Fei Yue’er was waiting.
“Princess, the delicacy has arrived,” Xiao Ming said with a smile.
Fei Yue’er had never eaten sea delicacies before and was very curious. She asked, “Your Highness, can we really eat this?”
“Of course, not only can you eat it, it’s very delicious.” Xiao Ming picked up an abalone and brought it to her lips.
After taking a small bite, Fei Yue’er chewed carefully, her expression becoming more and more amazed. For the next bite, she took a big piece and started eating by herself.
Xiao Ming smiled and began eating quickly himself. The Chang Island abalones were large enough to satisfy them both.
At the same time, he thought that sending such delicacies to the palace would surely please Xiao Wenxuan. That might make discussing the immigration issue easier.
Meanwhile, Yang Chengye was sneaking with the food box back to the government office, but he hadn’t gone far before bumping into Yue Yun, who was returning from the military harbor.
Seeing Yang Chengye, Yue Yun frowned and greeted him, “Inspector Yang, have you seen Old Dong? That old man didn’t leave a single Chang Island abalone for me.”
“Old Dong seems to have left already,” Yang Chengye said, hiding the food box behind his back, sweat forming on his forehead as he had his own little plan.
Yue Yun looked disappointed, muttering, “What a pity.”
Then he turned to leave but suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. Yue Yun immediately noticed something unusual about Yang Chengye.
“Inspector Yang, this smell doesn’t fool me. You’re secretly hiding abalone. Just wait, I’ll report this to His Highness.” He leaned forward and saw the food box behind Yang Chengye.
Yang Chengye cursed silently and had no choice but to honestly take out the box and say, “This was a gift from His Highness. You and I know about it. Don’t tell anyone else.”
They exchanged a glance and laughed like foxes. Who could resist tribute-grade abalone?
…
At Bisha City, Park Jeong-ho led the only two remaining warships back. The terrifying Great Yu warships from Chang Island still haunted their minds like a nightmare.
The soldiers on the ships got off one by one, all looking dazed like sleepwalkers.
“General Park, we have to report this to the king now. Otherwise, we will be blamed for failing to bring back the tribute. Don’t forget, this abalone was meant to be given to Bei Shan Taiji to help with his health,” Vice General Kim said nervously.
Park Jeong-ho frowned deeply. He knew how serious the situation was. Offending Bei Shan was worse than offending the king. Bisha City remained under Goryeo control only because they had flattered Bei Shan well. Otherwise, they would have had to retreat to the peninsula.
Looking at Vice General Kim, whose face was pale with fear, Park sighed bitterly. “What we should worry about now isn’t the tribute, but the safety of Goryeo. Didn’t you see those Great Yu warships breathing fire? They are now just outside Goryeo’s waters. We will lose the Chang Island fishing grounds. We must see the king and tell him everything we saw.”
“You’re right. It’s not our fault. The Great Yu warships are just too strong. The king won’t blame us, and Bei Shan Taiji won’t either,” Vice General Kim tried to excuse himself.
While they were talking, a cavalry unit approached them. Seeing the riders, their faces changed. These were troops from the Golden Horde. Now both Bei Shan Taiji and the Goryeo king were in Bisha City.
It was on Bei Shan’s orders that the Goryeo king had come from Hanseong to Bisha.
“Did you bring back the tribute for the Taiji?” The lead barbarian soldier asked coldly.
Vice General Kim’s legs trembled so much he couldn’t speak. Park Jeong-ho paused, then said, “No, we were attacked by Great Yu warships.”
Smack.
As soon as Park finished speaking, the barbarian cavalry whipped his face hard. A blood streak appeared on Park’s face and he staggered back three steps.
Seeing this, Vice General Kim immediately knelt on the ground in fear.
“What is going on?” At that moment, two men arrived at the Bisha City dock surrounded by soldiers.
Seeing them, Vice General Kim crawled like a rolling gourd to the feet of the Goryeo king, begging, “Have mercy, Your Majesty…”
The Goryeo king was a slightly obese middle-aged man. Beside him stood Bei Shan.
“The Taiji, these dogs didn’t bring back the tribute. They deserve to die,” the cavalry commander said.
The Goryeo king’s face turned extremely ugly. He forced a flattering smile toward Bei Shan, then angrily said, “Park Jeong-ho, what happened? You couldn’t even handle such a small matter. What punishment do you deserve?”
“Your Majesty, it’s not our fault. We encountered the Great Yu navy. Their warships flew Prince Qi’s flag. It is likely Prince Qi’s army,” Park Jeong-ho explained.
“Prince Qi!” Bei Shan hissed these words, his eyes burning with murderous intent.