Chapter 469: Acting skills
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Fang Zhengzhi didn't move.
Why didn't he move?
The reason was simple.
The look on the face of the Southern Region King said it all. Princess Shan Yu's actions couldn't have made things clearer.
They clearly wanted him to be a suitor.
Did they really think that he was dumb?
Fang Zhengzhi was sure that if he stepped forward, he would definitely be able to get a taste. Things would all fall into place from that moment on...
All Fang Zhengzhi could say was...
"Naive!"
How dumb did they think he was?
Marry Princess Shan Yu?
This was something that many people dreamed of. Those with neither name nor fortune all dreamed to be part of a royal family.
But the truth was...
Marrying a princess was not as glorious as people thought.
If one really married a princess, one would know how tough life could get.
If he married a Southern Region Princess, that difficulty would only increase.
Princess Shan Yu would never return to the Great Xia with him. In other words, he would have to stay here.
He wouldn't even have any control over the surname of his kids.
Furthermore...
The Southern Region was Princess Shan Yu's territory. Even though Fang Zhengzhi would never bully her, who was to say that she wouldn't bully him?
There was something that he still remembered to this day.
He had slapped Princess Shan Yu at the foot of the Sagely Mountain City. He didn't do it on purpose...
But did anyone hear his explanation?
No...
They just tried to kill him.
Princess Shan Yu lost her mind and Shan Ling was volcanic.
There was still a long way to go. Heaven knows what conflicts may arise in the future...
Even though Princess Shan Yu seemed very attractive and cultured now, Fang Zhengzhi knew her 'true colors'.
She had a bad temper.
She was far from demure...
She was capable...
But...
Perhaps she was overly capable.
He had to reject her.
Fang Zhengzhi's body didn't move, but his eyes kept darting towards the roasted lamb.
"Gulp!"
He swallowed another mouthful of saliva. The temptation was overwhelming.
He wondered how tasty the lamb would be. Would the skin be crispy? The lamb must be really young. The meat must be extremely tender! Shan Yu's roast meat might even be better than his!
Furthermore, the ingredients used were some of the best in the world.
Could he just try it for free?
Fang Zhengzhi really wanted to ask that question, but he stopped himself from doing so. He knew that the possibility of that was near to none.
He must not give in to temptation!
But...
It was really good... why was it so good? What could he do that would allow him to taste it without taking responsibility?
Fang Zhengzhi could not think of any possible methods. After all, there were so many people watching. If he stepped forward...
He would be walking right into the trap!
He grit his teeth and bit on the piece of meat at his table. It was okay, but it was a far cry from the lamb that was on offer.
The more he ate the meat at his table, the more he listed for the lamb.
If this was not the throne room but Princess Shan Yu's camp, then he would have many ways of tasting that lamb.
"Ah... I can't do this!"
I have to resist!
He had to resist the temptation! If not, he would be signing on for decades of torture just for one moment of enjoyment...
Hang on!
Could he even live for another decade?
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea. After all, there was no precedent in history. There was every chance that he could die tomorrow.
Should he just live in the moment?
No!
It wouldn't be fair to Princess Shan Yu.
If he died, Princess Shan Yu would be a widow! She would not be able to remarry!
That would be most unfair!
Hang on...
Oh yes!
If even he found it unacceptable, what would the King of the Southern Region think? What about Shan Ling? They loved Shan Yu...
Would they allow something like that to happen?
"Genius! This plan is genius!"
Fang Zhengzhi's eyes glittered as he looked at the King of the Southern Region.
He held a flask of wine in his hand as he stood up.
The crowd was silent as they watched him...
This was the respect that he commanded.
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the jealous gazes of the candidates around him. He gulped down the entire flask.
"Good!"
"Official Fang can handle his alcohol!"
"I never thought that Official Fang was so good! He is definitely no worse than our warriors! No, he is even better than our warriors!"
"Hahaha... indeed!"
The settlement chiefs and generals began to cheer as they watched Fang Zhengzhi down the flask of wine.
All of the candidates turned to look at each other.
So...
This was how to get to Princess Shan Yu?
Oh gosh, what a mistake!
All of the candidates regretted their actions. They had thought of impressing Princess Shan Yu with their brains or brawns... but Fang Zhengzhi was way ahead of them.
This simple act had already put him in the lead.
The candidates were jealous, but they had to admire Fang Zhengzhi's methods.
The King of the Southern Region beamed when he saw this.
To the people of the Southern Region...
Being able to handle one's alcohol was a skill!
Furthermore, they were a culture which prided themselves on courage and showmanship. Fang Zhengzhi's actions were representative of both these qualities.
Of course...
Most importantly, the King of the Southern Region knew what Princess Shan Yu was thinking.
"It's him!" The King of the Southern Region thought to himself as he looked at Princess Shan Yu. His eyes said it all.
Don't be wilful any longer!
Fang Zhengzhi saw the look on the King's face. He smiled, then began to hobble over tipsily. He shook from side to side as he walked towards Princess Shan Yu.
"It is good wine... but I don't have any good meat to complement it!" Fang Zhengzhi sighed as he walked up.
"Is he really going to try?"
"I guess he is trying to use his drunkenness as an excuse to absolve himself from any responsibility later..."
"How shameless!"
All of the candidates began to discuss amongst themselves.
Princess Shan Yu's eyes glittered as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi. She bit her lip, but it wasn't clear if it was out of surprise or hate.
But one thing was for sure...
She didn't ask him to scram...
"This meat..." Fang Zhengzhi pointed to the lamb on the fire, licking the remnants of the wine at the edges of his lips. He squinted, almost as though he was drunk.
"Do you think that this fella would claim that he was drunk and not take responsibility for his actions later?" One of the candidates asked.
"Oh? That's a real possibility!" Another candidate echoed.
All of the candidates looked on in scorn.
"Do you think that the Southern Region is stupid? If Fang Zhengzhi dared to do such a thing, he won't even be able to live past dawn!"
"That's true!"
"But... would he want to marry Princess Shan Yu?"
All of the candidates thought to themselves...
By this time, Fang Zhengzhi was within arm's reach of the lamb.
The entire throne room was silent.
Because...
Princess Shan Yu had not spoken.
In other words, Princess Shan Yu wasn't going to stop Fang Zhengzhi from eating... in other words... Fang Zhengzhi was moments away from becoming Princess Shan Yu's husband...
"Is Fang Zhengzhi really going to do it?"
Everyone from the candidates to the King of the Southern Region held their breaths.
Fang Zhengzhi was equally anxious. This had nothing to do with whether he could eat the lamb. He was nervous because the success of this plan...
Depended on this moment.
He looked at everyone. Then, he focused on one hulking, calm man sitting below the King.
Crown Prince Shan Ling!
"Why is he so calm?" Fang Zhengzhi was slightly suspicious. The King may like him, but Shan Ling should be making things difficult for him.
He had already accounted for it.
But the fact was...
Shan Ling never said anything.
Come on!
Come and make things difficult for me!
Damn it, I already thought of a response, yet you aren't doing your part? Fang Zhengzhi had already tried to slow down, but...
It was all to no avail. Shan Ling's silence was embarrassing him.
It was a strange feeling. He had prepared himself for a great obstacle ahead only to realize that...
The door was wide open for him!
Okay then...
Fang Zhengzhi looked away from Shan Ling. He extended his hand and took the leg...
It was all going much too smoothly.
"He got it!"
"He actually got it?"
"Who would have thought that he would be so lucky? Aish... she is out of my reach..."
All of the candidates were shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi hold that lamb leg in his hand. However, after all that he had done, they could see why...
Fang Zhengzhi had a leg of lamb...
Princess Shan Yu had not said anything. She showed no intention of stopping Fang Zhengzhi. Even an idiot knew that this was her way of giving him permission to eat.
That meant that...
If Fang Zhengzhi bit down on this leg of lamb... he would have the spot firmly in his grasp.
Would he eat it? That was the question in everyone's mind.
The King of the Southern Region looked at Fang Zhengzhi and smiled encouragingly.
Time seemed to freeze...
Princess Shan Yu clenched her fists, blushing as she did so. She looked at Fang Zhengzhi...
Almost as though she was making a tough decision.
"Are you guys all... pigs? Eating this is so simple, yet none of you managed to do it? You need me to do this?!"
A voice rang out.
It shattered the silence in the throne room. Everyone's eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
"What did he say?"
"He was... scolding us?"
"Just because he is on the verge of getting Shan Yu's hand in marriage doesn't give him the right to scold us!"
All of the candidates reacted instantly. They knew that it was Fang Zhengzhi's voice, and they knew what he was insinuating.
He was mocking them...
Plain and simple.
"Why? Are you all mad? Why bother with all the fanciful stuff? It's all of no use! What's the point of writing so much? Useless!" Fang Zhengzhi continued to ramble on.
He waved the leg of lamb as he berated the candidates.
"Fang Zhengzhi! Even though you were an important factor in our victory, that doesn't give you the right to humiliate us!"
"Yes, you aren't even married to her yet! Maybe Princess Shan Yu just pities you. Maybe she just wants to reward you for your valiant efforts!"
"Exactly! If she doesn't choose you, all you will have is a taste!"
All of the candidates couldn't take it lying down any longer.
Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
He was ecstatic. He had been waiting for this moment.
Fang Zhengzhi's initial plan was to act as though he was the victim after Shan Ling made things difficult for him.
However, Shan Ling's silence had made things more difficult.
He didn't want to get the leg of lamb so easily...
Since Shan Ling wasn't going to act according to the script...
Fang Zhengzhi had no choice but to change the script!