Chapter 259: A Stir at Mingsha City

“Well, it’s mainly to ease some pressure over there. They’ve had to suddenly revise many details of the exhibition, so a few small slip-ups are inevitable,” Zhu Qiang explained.

Zhu Qiang continued.

“That’s possible, but you need to explain it clearly to their leadership. If the commotion in Mingsha City gets so loud that no one pays attention to the main venue, don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Snapping back to reality, Xu Hao promptly agreed.

He knew exactly what their leaders meant – if even a minor issue was seized upon by opportunistic media, H Country would surely exploit it.

But after all, Mingsha City was just a sub-venue without an opening performance. “Brother Hao, rest assured! Their leadership said that no matter how big the commotion, it’s fine.”

“Alright, I got it.”

“By the way, Brother Hao, when do I get back? The Wan Gong Sedan Chair is already used up!”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang added.

Although Zhu Qiang had accepted the task, his mind remained with Mingsha City, worried that insufficient manpower might cause errors in their own presentations.

“No need to rush; everything here has been arranged. The key is to keep the Wan Gong Sedan Chair well protected.”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao spoke again.

“The culinary showcase at the sub-venue starts just after two in the afternoon. Once it’s over, some hands can be spared to help with the other exhibitions.”

“Got it, Brother Hao!”

With that, a few minutes later, Xu Hao arrived again at the reception hall.

“Boss, Zhu Qiang just called. He said that the leaders over there expect us to stir things up a bit in Mingsha City.”

Xu Hao immediately relayed the contents of the call.

Some matters, he believed, had to be made known to the leadership here.

“Stir up some commotion? But as long as we make a big enough scene here, their attention will naturally shift away.”

Dong Liping scratched his chin and pondered for a moment.

He looked up at Xu Hao, Li Jue, and the others.

“Alright, I’ll call our leadership to confirm things.”

Dong Liping wasn’t worried that Mingsha City would lack vitality – everyone knew Xu Hao’s capabilities. What troubled him was the possibility of Xu Hao going overboard. “Mm!”

After a short pause, Dong Liping dialed a high-ranking leader’s number and put the call on speaker.

“Boss, the main venue now needs the sub-venue to create some buzz with their exhibition projects. What’s your take?”

Once the call connected, Dong Liping spoke immediately.

“I know the situation! What’s happening? Is Mingsha City in trouble?”

Soon enough,

a firm, resonant voice came through the phone.

“The issue shouldn’t be too severe.”

Dong Liping instinctively glanced at Xu Hao.

“That works! In any case, the bigger the scene, the better. We’ve got your back. If you need anything, let us know and we’ll figure it out.”

The voice spoke once more.

“Understood, Boss!”

“Mm!”

“Xiao Xu, it’s all set! So, what’s the plan now? Stick to the original or…?”

After hanging up, Dong Liping turned to Xu Hao.

His eyes said it all – all necessary approvals had been secured, meaning some actions could be taken on the fly without strictly following the original procedures.

“Boss, it’s already past 1 PM. Trying to squeeze something into the culinary showcase now would be too late. We’ll have to cook up ideas for tomorrow’s presentations. But meanwhile, we can at least give H Country a little response.”

After a while, Xu Hao added,

“Right after Zhu Qiang’s call, I had an idea. If we can pull this off, Mingsha City will definitely make H Country see red.”

Checking the time,

he noted that if they worked through the night, they could finish everything before the Palace Festival performance.

And as for the display?

It would be far more impressive than what the other presentations had managed! “A response? How should we respond?”

Hearing Xu Hao, Feng Wancheng and Li Jue chimed in simultaneously.

They were not only shocked by the news from the main venue that morning but were also deeply infuriated.

H Country had applied for dozens of intangible cultural heritage projects – from ancestral temple ceremonies, the Jiangling Dragon Boat Festival, the Master Carpenter, eagle hunting, rope walking, Korean kimchi, tug-of-war, Eastern Medicine Treasure, to the Confucian Academy – clear signals of their intentions.

And yet, they still resorted to such underhanded tricks at the Cultural Expo! An eye for an eye, as they say; if Mingsha City could send a proper response, it would be perfect.

“Boss, Yan City TV is launching a food show today. The first series is on Sichuan kimchi. I was thinking, can we quickly set up an electronic board to showcase it?”

Xu Hao replied immediately.

“Kimchi? A temporary electronic board?”

Everyone was stunned! Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was 2:30 PM – only half an hour until the culinary exhibition began.

Online, discussions over the morning’s exhibit still raged on.

Although the Wan Gong Sedan Chair had allowed Long Kingdom to completely outclass H Country in the first segment, the later acts weren’t as striking, leaving the outcome ambiguous. Netizens across nations were divided, with many cheerleaders on both sides.

Eventually, as the debates died down, all eyes turned to the sub-venue’s afternoon performance.

No other reason,

the appearance of Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion during the morning’s opening had piqued widespread interest – even international netizens were convinced that Long Kingdom would emerge victorious without a doubt.

They simply wanted to see what kind of food could possibly do justice to such a splendid setting.

So, at 2:30 PM, Long Kingdom’s online fans either switched to Yan City TV or visited Long Kingdom TV’s website, while international viewers tuned into Long Kingdom TV International.

Furthermore,

the live chat window went live alongside the broadcast.

Netizens everywhere,

as well as Park Qi Ye and Cui Xiaozhong from H Country, sat in a meeting room.

Especially, Park Qi Ye hadn’t yet shaken off the anger from the morning’s defeat, and his resentment towards Mingsha City had peaked.

“Hmm?”

Just as Cui Xiaozhong was about to speak, the screen on Long Kingdom TV International flickered, and a host suddenly appeared.

“Dear viewers, welcome to the sub-venue of the Long Kingdom Traditional Cultural Expo here at Mingsha City. I’m Xiao Fei, a host from Long Kingdom TV’s general channel,” the host announced.

Through the camera, viewers could see that behind him, at a passageway, ticket holders were orderly passing through security and boarding Lutai.

“Friends, it’s now 2:35 PM Yan City time. In twenty-five minutes, the traditional culinary performance will officially begin. Up next, I’ll guide you inside the sub-venue.”

The shot then shifted,

revealing the host walking toward the ticket check area.

“Is it about to start?”

Seeing this, Park Qi Ye and Cui Xiaozhong’s expressions changed as they stared intently at the screen, anxious not to miss any detail.

“Friends, I’m currently standing on the north steps of Lutai in Mingsha City. This structure was built following historical records, modeled after the ancient Lutai from the Shang Dynasty of Long Kingdom. The moment you step onto it, you can feel a profound sense of history.

According to officials in Mingsha City, Lutai consists of six levels, with four main staircases and eight side staircases.”

Even though it was just what appeared on the screen, the host’s introduction made the grandeur palpable. Many international netizens were already considering a visit to Mingsha City.

One minute, two minutes – as time passed, the host resumed his introduction on the live broadcast.

“Friends, this Lutai is towering. Historical records from the Yin-Shang era suggest it rises over a hundred meters, so climbing it is no easy feat. And to keep its authenticity intact, there’s no elevator.”

After finishing his explanation, the camera panned around to display the surroundings in full.

At this point, the anticipation among international viewers and Long Kingdom fans had reached its peak, thanks to the immersive live experience.

No wonder,

the host was now standing at the sixth-floor railing of Lutai. Just one more level and the full panoramic view from the top would be revealed.

Earlier overviews had been rather vague. To truly appreciate the scene from the top, one needed such an immersive live stream.

Hence, the chat was flooded with messages all urging, “Reporter, hurry up the stairs! We can’t wait!”

But then,

just as viewers expected the host to continue his ascent, he paused and looked back at the camera.

“Dear viewers, I just noticed a temporary electronic board installed near the stairs. It appears to show details about this culinary performance. Let’s go check it out.”

“Culinary performance info? Well, why not? We could use some advance details.”

Though the viewers were anxious, they understood – a live broadcast reporter needed to cover every angle.

Soon,

the reporter reached the electronic board.

“Dear viewers, this board indeed displays details about Mingsha City’s culinary performance. Now, I’ll have the cameraman zoom in a bit.”

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

But then,

the live feed zoomed in on the electronic board, and the picture suddenly became much sharper. It no longer looked like a regular live stream, but more like a carefully produced segment.

So much so that many viewers began to wonder if an inserted program was being broadcast.

Of course,

this wasn’t the main issue. What was displayed was the famous “Kimchi.”

And that wasn’t all – whether by coincidence or design, the screen then began narrating the origins of this culinary art:

“Kimchi originated in Long Kingdom. Over 3100 years ago, during the Wu Ding era of the Shang Dynasty, our hardworking people knew how to preserve plums with salt. The Book of Songs records it. Moreover, the Northern Wei scholar Jia Sixie’s Qimin Yao Shu provides a detailed account of its production. Later, kimchi was carried to various countries by diplomatic missions.”