Part 5
Clay’s anger deflated. “…Yes.”
Ning Yunyi looked at Clay and suddenly smiled. “I’m going to the A District underground city to check on the branch store. They are doing advance training for grilling there. If you go now, you can catch them hot. You can eat your fill, unlimited.”
Clay’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Ning Yunyi spread his hands with a half-smile. “Well?”
Clay clicked his tongue. Could he go back on his word now? But he still placed the invitation in Ning Yunyi’s hand.
When Ning Yunyi saw Big Brother Ning that evening, he mentioned attending the Crown Prince’s engagement party tomorrow.
As soon as he said this, the two playing nearby looked over in unison.
The kitten cub ran over da-da-da and hugged Ning Yunyi’s leg. “Father, what is a palace banquet? Is it a feast? Are there lots and lots of yummy things?”
Ning Yunyi laughed, rubbing his little head and measuring him. The little guy had grown taller from eating well recently, and his face was rounder. “Not many yummy things. Mostly plated nutrient solutions.”
There might be the grape wine City Lord White mentioned, but the taste probably wasn’t great. However, for the Crown Prince’s engagement, His Majesty would bring out plenty of good things.
Hearing there was no food, the kitten cub ran back da-da-da and sat on the carpet to continue playing with his small robot.
Zong Hao, however, looked up at them, lowering his eyes with a complex expression. He hadn’t expected that after being gone for a few months, the Crown Prince would be getting engaged.
It seemed many things had happened during the months he was missing.
Ning Yunyi had considered asking Clay for an extra invitation to take Big Brother Ning, but later dismissed the idea.
Big Brother Ning had been in the military for many years; many people knew him.
Many high-ranking military officials would surely attend the Crown Prince’s engagement party. If someone recognized Big Brother Ning, it would only add trouble.
Big Brother Ning knew this too. “Don’t worry about me. Be careful when you go with that Duke tomorrow. Palace banquets aren’t like other places; the rules are strict. Also, that Third Prince will be at the banquet. Although he won’t do anything drastic in the palace, using power to pressure people is possible.”
Ning Yunyi thought of Clay’s temper. “Big Brother can rest assured. I’m going as Duke Clay’s male companion. If the Third Prince really tries something, it’s a direct slap to the Duke’s face. As long as his brain is somewhat normal, he won’t choose this critical moment to cause trouble.”
Of course, if he did cause trouble, given Duke Clay’s temper, he would explode on the spot.
So Ning Yunyi wasn’t worried.
He was worried about another point. He feared that even if he went to the palace banquet tomorrow, he wouldn’t see his mother.
Without seeing with his own eyes that she was well, thinking of the ending of everyone in the Ning family in the book, he couldn’t be at peace.
So regardless of whether he could see her or not, he had to make this trip.
Zong Hao lay with his head on his paws, listening quietly, taking in their conversation. His mood was somewhat complex.
The situation in the palace was worse than he thought. Fortunately, Ichi, as the acting head of the Zong family, would also attend and look out for him.
The next afternoon, Ning Yunyi set off for A District.
Big Brother Ning left with him but didn’t travel directly with him, assuming the duty of a bodyguard in the shadows.
Just before leaving, City Lord White sent a message, in an extremely good mood: 【Mr. White, City Lord Xi received a palace order. City Lord Xi wants to bring a portion of skewers and braised meat into the palace for the nobles at this banquet to taste. Once successful, the two stores will instantly explode in popularity in A District. City Lord Xi wants to ask your opinion, are you willing?】
Ning Yunyi was silent for a long time upon seeing this message, but finally chose to send it into the palace.
He had confidence in the food he made. If many royals in the palace truly fell in love with it, then even if he couldn’t see his mother at this engagement party, there would be many more opportunities in the future.
Although Clay was a Duke, he didn’t enter the palace often.
The nobles who resided in the palace were different.
But similarly, opportunity and danger coexisted.
Ning Yunyi made his choice: 【Yes. Pack them in some exquisite food boxes. The portion doesn’t need to be too large.】
Ning Yunyi received City Lord White’s reply and set off for A District.
When he arrived at the palace gate, Clay was already waiting there. Seeing Ning Yunyi, he stepped down from his spaceship. He still held a folding fan and had changed into aristocratic attire, looking much more spirited than the last time they met.
Clay looked Ning Yunyi up and down, looking disdainfully at his stubble. “Your eyes look quite nice, so why couldn’t you bear to shave the stubble clean? You look rough.”
Ning Yunyi smiled. “So?”
Clay choked. Thinking of the skewers that satisfied him yesterday, he praised insincerely, “Of course, Mr. White’s overall image is quite outstanding, especially this outfit today. Very nice.”
Ning Yunyi accepted the insincere compliment. Looking up, he saw City Lord White and the other man waiting nearby and walked over.
Ning Yunyi had gone to the Fourth Underground City in A District yesterday and met City Lord Xi.
Seeing Clay, City Lord Xi bowed respectfully. “Your Highness the Duke.”
Clay pointed with his fan. “What are they doing?”
Ning Yunyi said, “Part of the food in the palace is going to use skewers and braised meat, so they brought some.”
Clay’s eyes lit up, and he began to look forward to this palace banquet he originally disliked.
Because the food had to be inspected, City Lord White’s side was delayed for some time.
After entering the palace, the two groups separated. City Lord White and his companion were led to the rear of the banquet hall.
Ning Yunyi walked towards the banquet hall with Clay.
Clay complained as they walked, “Your skewers and braised meat will definitely be supreme tonight. You don’t know what kind of stuff is usually at the banquets in previous years. The bionic food looks okay at first glance, but guess what? It’s just for show. Eating it tastes just like nutrient solution. This year should be better with a few more flavors, but…”
Ning Yunyi played along for a few sentences, then changed the subject. “Who is attending the palace banquet this time? It would be bad if I accidentally offended someone.”
Clay didn’t drop the ball. He listed a bunch of people, finally summarizing, “Tonight, there are three people you need to be careful not to offend. Although I have a bad temper and a bad reputation, I don’t actively harm people. These three are not good things.”
Ning Yunyi asked with interest, “Who are they?”
Clay lowered his voice. “The first one you know. It’s the Third Prince who went to the Zong family earlier. He’s insidious. Before I inherited the title, this grandson tripped me up quite a few times.”
Ning Yunyi nodded. “Indeed, he doesn’t look like a good person.”
Clay continued, “The second is the new City Lord of the First Underground City in A District. To be able to seize control of the city from his old man’s crowd of legitimate and illegitimate children at such a young age, and make it the number one underground city across all districts—you can imagine how much blood is on his hands.”
Even if his status wasn’t high enough, he could still enter and exit the Imperial Palace freely, showing his formidable power.
Ning Yunyi heard the warning and looked at Clay with a faint smile. “It seems Your Highness was very satisfied with yesterday’s skewers.”
Not hiding anything and giving such earnest warnings—he was afraid that if Ning Yunyi died, he wouldn’t be able to eat skewers anymore.
Clay blushed and fanned himself. “What nonsense are you talking about? Am I that kind of person? I really treat you as a friend.”
Ning Yunyi teased him. “Not a male companion?”
Clay hmphed. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
Ning Yunyi: “I’m listening. Who is the third one?” The last introduction—the danger level was probably a tier higher than the first two.
Clay gave a heavy hum of agreement. “It’s the current Young Master of the Herman family. The person the Crown Prince is engaged to is precisely his younger sister.”
Clay hesitated, not knowing whether to mention this person’s past battle records involving some palace secrets. After thinking about it, he just gave Ning Yunyi a look that said figure it out yourself.
But the next moment, when he looked up, his expression changed abruptly upon seeing the man leading a group of people walking not far away.
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thanks 4 the chapter! 👉👈
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