Chapter 136: Chapter 136: A Special Presence
After everyone returned, Qu Fulan did not go back with Third Miss and the others.
Instead, she went to an estate with Heir Pei, Prince An, and others.
Along with them were a group of servants and attendants, but among the maids, Qu Fulan received special treatment.
She too was riding a horse, surrounded by Prince An and others, asking her about various things related to polo.
A young master couldn’t help but laugh, "Why ask a girl when you have experts ready at hand? Aren’t you afraid of offending her?"
Prince An turned back and scoffed at the man, "What do you know? Do you think we can learn Jian’s battlefield skills just by asking? Miss Qu is different; her experiences and skills are definitely easier to learn."
After speaking, he paused and added, "I mentioned that impressive girl to you earlier, the one Heir Pei regards highly. She’s not like the maids around you; that’s her."
Qu Fulan: "..." Was he talking about her?
Among those present who could speak, along with Prince An, there were three new faces that Qu Fulan had never seen before.
These people addressed Heir Pei as a brother, clearly had a good relationship, likely childhood friends.
Then, introduced by Pei Ji’an, Qu Fulan learned the identities of the three men apart from Prince An.
Chu Jin, Wei Xu, and Ge Yang, sons of the Vice Ministers of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Rites, respectively.
My goodness, almost a full gathering of the Six Ministries.
As expected, noble circles are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Despite their noble status, they were not offended when Pei Ji’an introduced them to a maid, possibly shocked by her polo skills and hence accepted it readily.
An Ruchang had mentioned this maid more than once, but seeing is believing. Now that they’ve met her, they understood why Pei Ji’an valued her so much.
She indeed had outstanding qualities.
Those with abilities are treated differently not just by Pei Ji’an, but by them as well.
So they didn’t treat Qu Fulan as a maid but regarded her more like an advisor, treating her with respect.
After the pleasantries, the group began laughing and chatting again, clearly carefree individuals afraid of nothing.
After these people went ahead to play, Pei Ji’an told her something, and Qu Fulan understood why he took her to the estate.
Because her idea of selling milk tea around the polo competition was realized through connections with the Assistant Minister of Rites’ family.
If she could build good relations with these Vice Ministers’ sons, what couldn’t she accomplish in the future?
On reaching the estate, Heir Pei and Mr. Chu went hunting in the back mountain, while Qu Fulan proposed to cook a dish herself.
But with so many people, she couldn’t manage alone, so she only took responsibility for a braised dish, leaving the rest to the chef there.
The reason for choosing braised dishes was that with the added various personally selected spices, the aroma cooked out was irresistible to anyone who smelled it.
Such a dish left a deep impression.
Sure enough, when the braised dish was seventy percent cooked, the aroma was already wafting in the air.
Prince An and others were discussing the polo plan in the rear courtyard, and the scent attracted them, causing their stomachs to growl on cue despite not feeling hungry before.
An Ruchang patted his stomach and smacked his lips, "What smells so good?"
"Replying to Prince An, it’s the braised dish cooked by Miss Qu."
When the dishes were served, as the host, Prince An pretended to be generous and waved his hand, saying boldly.
"Today, my treat, feel free, don’t stand on ceremony."
Right after he said it, he was the first to stretch out his chopsticks to grab that braised meat, putting a piece in his mouth before anyone else could react.
Just as he took a bite, his eyes squinted in delight, "Wow, how could there be such delicious braised meat? The previous ones were not worth eating!"
Wei Xu and Ge Yang were dumbfounded for a moment, then couldn’t care about maintaining decorum. They knew An Ruchang too well and quickly picked up their chopsticks to grab the braised meat, exclaiming in delight at the taste. No wonder it smelled so fragrant, it tasted even better, and their stomachs were won over by Qu Fulan’s culinary skills.
That plate of braised dish was quickly devoured by them, especially when there was only one piece left. Prince An and Wei Xu refused to yield, dueling with their chopsticks.
"You, a civil official, eating so much meat, for what? Leave it for us military officers!" Prince An scolded.
"What kind of military officer are you? You haven’t even set foot on a battlefield!"
"That’s still better than a civil official who can’t even truss a chicken!"
"You’ve gotten so fat your belly sticks out. Last year’s polo match you fell off the horse, remember?" Wei Xu ’kindly’ reminded.
Prince An stiffened his neck in rebuttal, "I was set up, it was an accident, unlike you who might blow away with the wind with your thin frame."
Wei Xu kicked Prince An, smiling, "I don’t aspire to battlefield glory like you. I just need to interrogate criminals in the Ministry of Justice, no need to be tall or imposing."
The two bickered spiritedly until someone else picked up the last piece of meat with chopsticks and ate it.
Who else could it be but Ge Yang, the son of the Ministry of Rites?
He lived up to the ’rites’ in his name, even after eating, he didn’t forget to clasp his hands in thanks to the bickering pair, "Thank you, thank you."
Prince An: "..."
Wei Xu: "..."
Isn’t this the classic case of ’the sandpiper and the clam fighting, and the fisherman profiting’?
At this moment, Pei Ji’an and Chu Jin returned from hunting, hearing the commotion inside, they couldn’t help but ask what happened.
Wei Xu, somewhat gloating, said, "Miss Qu made delicious braised meat, and we finished it all, Chu Jin, you missed out!"
Prince An, having not gotten the last bite, also chimed in gleefully, "Yes, yes, Chu Jin missed out!"
Compared to Prince An, Chu Jin, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was the actual military officer. As soon as they arrived at the estate, he eagerly went hunting with Heir Pei, taking action without hesitation, so he paid no mind to their gloating.
But how delicious could a bite of food be?
Qu Fulan, seeing Prince An and Mr. Wei’s gloating faces, was a bit heartless but couldn’t help saying, "Actually, I saved some braised meat for Heir Pei and Mr. Chu."
The air fell into an instant silence.
The next moment, the two gloaters turned into beggars.
"Give me a bite to eat..."
"Give me a bite to eat..."
Young Master Ge smiled warmly, showing a row of bright white teeth, "Actually, I haven’t had enough either..."