At the hour of Chen in the evening, Helan Zong finally left the palace and returned to the Duke Mansion.
Zhang Yizhu greeted him with a smile. "Why are you back so late? What did His Majesty talk to you about?"
Helan Zong said, "What else could it be? Just matters concerning the border. Now that the northern barbarians have sued for peace and pledged allegiance, the rest isn't my concern—others will handle it. I was merely a companion for conversation."
While helping Helan Zong change out of his official robes, Zhang Yizhu asked, "When the news of victory first reached the capital, His Majesty bestowed many gifts on the mansion. Did he give you anything else this time?"
"His Majesty originally intended to add another five hundred households to my fief, but I declined." Helan Zong paused, his tone becoming serious. "In recent years, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have had frequent friction. I've had close dealings with the Empress Dowager's maternal clan before. If I were to request further rewards, I fear His Majesty might become suspicious."
"That's what I think too," said Zhang Yizhu. "The Duke Mansion has been rising rapidly lately. Many families have sent invitations asking me to banquets, but I've found excuses to decline. His Majesty wants to promote you to show his stance toward loyal subjects, but we must keep our own measure and not displease him."
"Yes, so I told His Majesty that I was severely wounded in this battle—if not for being saved by my subordinates, I might have died outside the Great Wall. I asked for time to recuperate, and His Majesty granted it."
Zhang Yizhu frowned. "How serious was the injury? Let me see."
"There's nothing to see. They've healed long ago, just a few scars left." Helan Zong changed into casual clothes and relaxed his shoulders, laughing. "Time for dinner, isn't it? I came back late—you must be hungry."
Zhang Yizhu: "The meal has been ready for a while. I also had them make your favorite bass."
Helan Zong laughed heartily. "I haven't had it in months! I've been craving it!"
When they reached the dining hall, the children, big and small, were already waiting at the table, having received word.
Helan Zong's eyes immediately fell on Lu Shuo, who stood at the very back.
"Changed your clothes?" he asked, looking at Lu Shuo's new plain-colored outfit. "Do they fit?"
Lu Shuo lowered his head. "Very well. The Duchess was thoughtful."
Zhang Yizhu interjected, "This afternoon, I had all the children measured for new clothes. Since Lu Shuo had no old clothes to wear, I bought him a few ready-made ones until the new ones are ready."
Helan Zong nodded in satisfaction. "These clothes are nice. You look much more spirited." Then he said, "What are you all standing around for? Sit down, sit down. Let's eat."
Everyone took their seats.
Lu Shuo glanced up. Duke Xuan sat on the left with the Duchess, and on his right sat the Fourth Miss. Even the Eldest Young Master had to sit further to the side, showing how favored the Fourth Miss was.
Lu Shuo had already asked Tianqing about dining etiquette in the mansion. Tianqing had said there were no strict rules—the master liked efficiency and disliked formalities. He told Lu Shuo not to worry too much and just follow what others did.
Tianqing had spoken the truth. Meals in the mansion were indeed informal. As soon as Duke Xuan finished speaking, the Second and Third Young Masters started helping themselves to food.
Duke Xuan also picked up his chopsticks, but not for himself. First, he placed the crescent-shaped cheek meat of the fish on the Fourth Miss's plate, then a piece of the belly. After she started chewing, he smiled and began to eat heartily.
Lu Shuo pursed his lips and looked at the dish closest to him.
It was a plate of sautéed mushrooms and baby bok choy, glistening and glossy, looking very appetizing.
Slowly, he extended his chopsticks, picked up a bit, placed it in his bowl, and buried his head in eating.
Perhaps it was his lack of experience—the ingredients didn't seem particularly precious, but somehow, they had an indescribable freshness and tenderness. Was it because they used plenty of oil?
He observed the others' eating pace out of the corner of his eye, so he wouldn't eat too fast and seem like a starving ghost.
But when he reached for the mushrooms and bok choy for the fourth time, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him from across the table.
He looked up and met the Fourth Miss's eyes. His fingers, holding the chopsticks, stiffened.
His mind raced: Was his table manners that bad? Did she notice? Or did she like this dish but he had eaten too much, upsetting her?
Before he could figure it out, the Fourth Miss averted her gaze and returned to her meal.
Perhaps prompted by his daughter's stare, Duke Xuan also looked at Lu Shuo and asked, "How is it, Lu Shuo? Is the food at home to your liking?"
Lu Shuo quickly set down his bowl. "It's very good. Thank you for your concern, Duke."
The Third Young Master, who sat next to him, glanced over and said, "Why do you keep staring at that one dish? Try something else. There's plenty of food."
Only then did Duke Xuan notice the plate of mushrooms and bok choy that was nearly half empty. He smiled. "Eat whatever you like. If you don't, and it's not finished, it'll just be thrown away."
The Duchess also added kindly, "You can have more rice if you need it."
Suddenly, everyone at the table was looking at him. Lu Shuo felt deeply embarrassed, his ears burning. He mumbled a vague "okay."
He changed the direction of his chopsticks and reached for the plate next to the mushrooms and bok choy.
He wasn't sure what it was, but he had been smelling a distinctive aroma for a while. He guessed it was some meat dish, but since the Third Young Master seemed to like it, he hadn't dared to take any.
Cautiously, he picked up a piece of meat. Then he heard the Third Young Master's puzzled voice: "Can you eat this? It's rabbit..."
Before he could finish, the Second Young Master stomped hard on his foot. Wincing, the Third Young Master fell silent.
Lu Shuo froze.
He looked at the meat not yet in his bowl, then at everyone staring at him. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
"What the second means," the Eldest Young Master said calmly, "is that this rabbit meat has some Chinese prickly ash and Sichuan pepper. We don't know if you can handle it."
Lu Shuo hesitated.
His hometown didn't grow Chinese prickly ash, nor did they have spare money to buy special seasonings for cooking. So he had no idea what the dish tasted like.
The Eldest Young Master: "Go ahead and try it."
Obediently, Lu Shuo put the rabbit meat in his mouth and chewed. A pungent, spicy aroma rushed straight to his head, and he couldn't help but cough, covering his mouth.
"If you don't like it, don't eat it. There are other dishes," he heard the Duchess say. "Tianqing, bring a bowl of soup."
Tianqing came forward and served Lu Shuo a bowl of jade-green tofu soup. Lowering his voice, he said, "Young master, drink this to soothe your throat."