The reason for Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu's embarrassment was quite simple.
Last night, news came from the First Prince's palace that he had entered deep meditation.
Eager to prove the First Prince's extraordinary talent and garner more support for his claim to the throne, they hastily announced this at the morning court session.
However, the words of Remnant Star Douluo left them in a tight spot.
The First Prince had dined at Small Shop the previous night.
According to Remnant Star Douluo, the First Prince's deep meditation had nothing to do with his innate talent but was purely because of the exquisite cuisine at Small Shop.
This cannot be made public!
Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu exchanged glances and nodded, "Lord Remnant Star, please do not disclose that Small Shop's dishes can induce deep meditation."
Remnant Star Douluo was momentarily stunned, then seemed to understand their intent, "I see, such important news shouldn't be shared lightly."
In his understanding, Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu wanted to keep this a secret to gain an advantage by trying to recruit Small Shop for the empire's use.
Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu exchanged a peculiar look. Is this what we meant? Not exactly...
They just didn't want their morning proclamation to be immediately contradicted in the afternoon, which would damage the royal family's prestige.
But the misunderstanding was close enough, so they let it be.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" A voice called out, and a man in an inner servant's attire, one of Dai Yuansheng's trusted aides, burst in with a panicked look.
"For some reason, the entire Star Luo City is now buzzing with the news that Small Shop's dishes can make spirit masters enter deep meditation. They say the First Prince entered deep meditation because he dined at Small Shop last night!"
"What?!" Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu were shocked.
They had just learned this themselves.
Who leaked the news?!
...
"Has the news spread?" Xu Changling stood by the window in his study, a sharp glint in his eyes as he looked outside.
A faintly yellow sycamore leaf fluttered down from a branch, caught by the wind.
"We have fulfilled your request." A man in a black robe, hooded and standing in the shadows, spoke with a ghostly, low voice, "But when will you fulfill ours?"
"Soon," Xu Changling turned to face the hooded man, a fleeting look of disdain in his eyes, "We must wait until the tournament ends and the Shrek people leave. Otherwise, would you dare to act?"
"Hmph!" The hooded man, seemingly stung, lifted his head slightly, revealing a lock of golden hair and eyes like the golden sun filled with murderous intent, "Shrek! If we can restore our former glory, what is a mere Shrek!"
"Former glory?" Xu Changling's lips curved into a cold smile, "The Spirit Hall has been gone for over five thousand years. What former glory?"
The hooded man's face twisted with rage, "You!"
Xu Changling remained calm, "Moreover, the descendants of the Six-Winged Angel Spirit have fallen so low as to ally with evil spirit masters, constantly hiding and running in fear."
"That's because they forced us!" The man threw off his hood, revealing a handsome yet furious face with golden hair cascading down, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. What of evil spirit masters? We will restore order."
"Xu Changling! Don't forget, the Star Crown Family was a vassal of the Angel Family five thousand years ago!" The man glared at Xu Changling, "We rise and fall together."
"Assist us in rebuilding the Spirit Hall, that is your duty!" With that, the man vanished.
Every meeting with Xu Changling left him furious.
If not for Xu Changling's utility, he would have killed him long ago!
As the man disappeared, Xu Changling sneered and shook his head.
After five thousand years, the Angel Family remains blindly arrogant.
Is this the current leader of the Angel Family?
Quick-tempered, impulsive, arrogant—a fool, not worth much.
"Star Crown Family? Now, only the Xu Family remains!" Xu Changling murmured softly, his voice barely audible.
His gaze went beyond the window, toward a distant spot outside the door.
An eight-ring rat had been monitoring his house for two days.
If not for avoiding alerting the enemy, he would have crushed it with a slap!
However, he now had to reassess Small Shop's value.
Last night, Xu Changling and his wife barely touched the Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth and Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb, leaving them for their beloved daughter, Xu Yiyun.
As a result, Xu Yiyun entered deep meditation shortly after returning home.
Witnessing his daughter enter deep meditation, Xu Changling was profoundly shocked.
Though he loved his daughter dearly, he knew her deep meditation was closely linked to Small Shop's dishes.
The golden carp on her forehead and the lotus patterns on her body during meditation resembled the phenomena of Fish Belly Stuffed with Lamb and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth.
Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu's aggressive tactics and the constant pressure from the Angel Family had already left him overwhelmed.
Now, Small Shop's appearance added a new twist.
Before he could decide how to handle Small Shop, an even more dramatic event unfolded.
At the morning court session, Dai Yuansheng eagerly announced that the First Prince, Dai Tonghua, had entered deep meditation, with Zhao Qu extolling his extraordinary talent.
Xu Changling inwardly scoffed, knowing Dai Tonghua's deep meditation was linked to Small Shop, not innate talent.
The so-called talent was merely a means to win over ministers.
Xu Changling did not publicly object during the court session.
He let the arrows fly a little longer.
After the court session, Dai Yuansheng and Zhao Qu couldn't help but take further action.
When they spread the news about the First Prince's deep meditation throughout Star Luo City, Xu Changling knew the time for counterattack had arrived.
<+>
if you want to see more chapters of this story and don't mind playing $5 per month to see my latest update, please go to my Patreon [1]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron[2]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 313: This Kind Of Man[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-121763175[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-121763175
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-121763175