Chapter 151: Chapter 71: To the Minister

"Today, I really pushed myself, time for a reward—a drumstick."

Jiuyue’s cheeks were rosy, and she contentedly placed a drumstick onto her own plate. Under her seduction, Mr. Mingyuan finally succumbed to her pomegranate dress, skipped the gathering hosted by the Third Prince, and both slipped out of the palace, arriving at this roasted chicken restaurant that boasted "eat chicken until you’re stuffed."

Her specific method was to wrap her arms and legs around Mr. Mingyuan, refusing to let go until he agreed.

This trick she learned from a video.

When children in shopping malls want to buy toys and their parents disagree, they would cling to their parents’ arms or legs, refusing to budge.

Simple, yet extremely effective.

On her first day arriving at the Imperial Court, she had investigated, and this roasted chicken restaurant was the highest-rated civilian eatery nearby, much loved by the working class.

The restaurant was bustling, with groups of workers gathered after work, each sharing the odd tales and rumors they had heard recently.

The rumors of the Fox Demon had reached here, and Jiuyue heard at least three tables discussing her affairs, fortunately, their ability to cloud others’ eyes spared them much unnecessary trouble.

Now was dining time, a sacred moment that no one could interrupt.

"Mr. Mingyuan, you should try it too, the surface is so crispy, yet the meat is incredibly juicy. The owner of this place truly deserves the title of Roast Chicken Immortal!"

The food connoisseur Jiuyue acknowledged the shop’s level and granted the owner the right to use the immortal’s title.

Jiuyue introduced, "I read online that this roasted chicken restaurant has been around for hundreds of years, located here since the Imperial Court was first built. The current owner is the ninth-generation descendant. Generation after generation, they’ve honed the recipe for roasted chicken, perfecting the art to the pinnacle. The first thing their children learn once they’re sensible enough is how to roast chicken."

"That’s marketing copy, and the outdated kind at that."

Duan Mingyuan warned, fearing that only a naive little fox like Jiuyue would still believe the promotions found online.

He had seen at least a dozen of the same format, just replacing "roast chicken" with "barbecue," "skewers," "curry," or "cocktails."

In his view, the main reason this place was thriving was its affordability. In a spot as costly as the Imperial Court, maintaining a price of 45 Bei for a roasted chicken was truly a breath of fresh air.

"Take it easy, no one’s competing with you, it’s all over your mouth."

"Where?"

Jiuyue’s hands were entangled by her own crossed legs, and she leaned her mouth towards Duan Mingyuan, seeking his assistance.

Duan Mingyuan used his index finger to help wipe away the bits of meat from the corner of her mouth. Before he could retract it, the little fox opened her mouth and enveloped his finger, lingeringly licking it clean with her tongue.

The warm moisture of her mouth, that tingling sensation.

Every time he tried to withdraw his finger, Jiuyue would gently bite down with her teeth, causing a ticklish feeling.

That tickling feeling reached all the way to his heart.

Duan Mingyuan always felt that Jiuyue was becoming increasingly enchanting recently, gradually morphing into the femme fatale described in the records.

The charm of a Fox Demon might be related to its age.

Duan Mingyuan would not easily fall for it, at least he’d drawn some scholarly conclusions—between 20 and 30 years old was the peak of a Fox Demon’s allure. With just a slight display of their charm, they could make countless people rush towards them like moths to a flame.

He still remembered the look in the square-faced minister’s eyes when they departed, glaring at him, all the way until they left through the passage.

That pair of eyes full of schemes.

Out of jealousy, to use his power to investigate him, and employ unscrupulous means to coax or threaten him, to steal his love—these sorts of incidents, which wouldn’t be out of place in works banned from distribution, were probably not considered extraordinary in the Imperial Court where killing was as common as slaughtering chickens. Perhaps in certain forbidden tales, the square-faced minister might succeed.

But this was the real world, and Duan Mingyuan believed that someone high-ranking like the square-faced minister should be rational and dignified, understanding that in life, there are often many things beyond one’s control.

With these thoughts, he hadn’t spoken to the minister up until they parted, nor had he asked for the minister’s name.

Duan Mingyuan felt that the minister had already written everything on his face:

Minister Steve, whose family’s mysterious techniques had been passed down generation after generation, involved hitting things with a hoe.

However, it turned out that his reasoning had been flawed; he had seemingly placed too much trust in the minister’s rationality.

The roast chicken shop had become quiet unconsciously, as the breaking news being reported on the wall-mounted TV captured everyone’s attention.

It was about Minister Steve.

The minister hadn’t tried to misuse his power as one might in a banned work; instead, he exercised a right that belonged to every natural person—taking advantage of the distraction of the staff, he climbed alone to the theater’s roof, stood at the edge of the terrace, and reflected on his life amidst the cold wind.

Then, from the high building he leapt, crashing straight down in front of the Emerald Theater’s main entrance.

The scene was quite grisly.

Although the news had blurred the images, one could still vaguely make out that by the time people rushed over at the sound, Minister Steve had become a myriad of red squares scattered on the ground.

The good news was that, until the end of his life, the minister had not turned to the dark path of the Minotaurs; the bad news was that, deeply stricken, he chose to end his own life.

Truth be told, seeing the news left Duan Mingyuan’s mind in a muddle.

Looking at the red squares on the TV, with his comprehension, he simply could not make sense of the sudden incident reported in the news.

According to the theater’s preliminary investigation, the minister had committed suicide, and there was no possibility that an assassin had sneaked into the theater to murder a loyal official of the Imperial Court.

Was it really necessary just because the Fox Demon lady rejected him?

Just to jump like that?

"Who was that?"

Jiuyue was completely unaffected by the ghastly images in the news, continuing to feast with relish, oblivious to how utterly cold and heartless her question was.

Not only had the Fox Immortal lady rejected him, but she also gave him an extra push on his ascent to heaven.

"It’s the minister."

"What minister?"

"Minister Steve, probably from the Bureau of Minerals."

"Oh."

Jiuyue nodded, "No wonder he shattered like a rock."

As a child, she had seen humans come to the deep mountains to mine, burying bombs beside the boulders, and after detonation, the rocks would break into pieces, scattering into blocks.

Bless Minister Steve, may his spirit find peace in heaven.

The kind-hearted Jiuyue silently prayed for the minister in her heart.

After finishing her prayer, she used her phone to scan the order code on the table and added another serving of cumin crispy roast chicken, requesting extra cumin in the notes.

"For the minister!"

She picked up another drumstick, as if it were a wine glass, raising it to pay tribute.

Nobody would use a chicken leg in place of wine; people only disguised with tea that was similar in color to beer.

Even so, Duan Mingyuan still instinctively picked up the teacup on the table and clinked it with the drumstick in Jiuyue’s hand.

"To the minister."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read