Chapter 241: Ideas of Palaces and Feasts

“Leader, I’ve got an idea!”

The young woman with her hand raised quickly spoke up.

“You speak!”

Ding Xiaoping nodded, signaling her to share her idea boldly and without hesitation.

“Leader, I recalled an ancient text we studied—the ‘Epalang Palace Rhapsody.’ It goes: ‘The Epalang Palace spans over three hundred li, blocking out the sun; two rivers merge and flow into its walls. Every five steps a tower, every ten a pavilion; corridors twist gracefully, eaves jut like beaks; each structure clings to the terrain, competing in ingenuity. In one day, within a single palace, even the climate shifts.’”

“Now, the Epalang Palace has vanished into history. Theoretically, it represents the pinnacle of ancient architecture!”

The young woman voiced her idea.

“Epalang Palace?”

The other youths were taken aback, and even Ding Xiaoping looked surprised.

The young woman was right—Epalang Palace remains in our textbooks. By the description, it truly is the zenith of ancient architectural ensembles.

“This…”

Yet, after the initial excitement, Ding Xiaoping hesitated.

This announcement wasn’t meant solely for the people of the Long Kingdom; it had to match the style of Mingsha City! In other words, Mingsha City planned to stage an exhibition where this project would be the ultimate showpiece.

With only five months until the Cultural Expo and several other exhibits in planning, Mingsha City had little chance to undertake such an architectural feat.

Of course,

if Mingsha City were given three to five years, constructing an Epalang Palace would be very possible.

“Alright, let’s keep this option on the table and see if we can come up with any other ideas!”

Returning to the main discussion,

Ding Xiaoping spoke again.

“Leader, we’re still keeping Epalang Palace in the mix!”

The youths couldn’t help but exchange glances.

As soon as the words ‘Epalang Palace’ were mentioned, its image filled their minds, making every other lost ancient structure pale in comparison.

“We’re all webnovel authors with wild imaginations—let’s stretch our ideas even further.”

“Leader, if we push our imaginations too far, we might have to borrow from historical myth—because, frankly, it’s hard to top Epalang Palace without some legendary twist.”

(A brief silence followed.)

The young woman who had raised her hand spoke again.

“Historical myths, you say?”

Ding Xiaoping’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Could you elaborate?”

“Sure—think of the palaces in Journey to the West, like those of Chechi Kingdom or Daughter Kingdom, or even the great Shang palace in Fengshen Yanyi.”

The young woman replied promptly.

“The great Shang palace in Fengshen Yanyi? Now that does sound intriguing.”

At that,

Ding Xiaoping stroked his chin in thoughtful contemplation, his eyes growing brighter.

The bright moon hung high,

over the southern Long Kingdom, at the foot of a steep, primeval mountain. There, two ragged Daoist Masters clinked their wine gourds in conversation. “You took years to fetch medicine this time. Is Mingsha City being neglected? Weren’t you the one who said it was a rare treasure, discovered only after years of searching?”

In the moonlight, one of the Daoist Masters remarked.

If Luo Peng were here, he would have immediately recognized the speaker. Opposite him was the Cangshan Daoist, who kept insisting that Wuzhuang Temple be built in Mingsha City.

At that moment,

Cangshan Daoist looked rather odd—his eyebrows were missing and his head was a mess, resembling a disheveled nest, even more pitiable than a beggar.

“Who said I’m neglecting it? Didn’t I leave the detailed construction plans with the city lord of Mingsha City? Every detail has been arranged perfectly.”

At these words, the other Daoist raised an eyebrow.

“Hah! You’re not joking? You really plan to have that city lord do the building?”

The first-speaking Daoist paused before replying,

“Not at all. I believe he’s a natural in this field and has the insight. More importantly, we share a special connection!”

The Daoist added,

“Cangshan—I’m not underestimating Mingsha City’s lord. It’s just that the standards for your temple are sky-high. The materials must be of the utmost quality and the builders must meet rigorous personal criteria!

I wager that when you return in a few years, that plot of land will barely support a wall—do you believe it?”

The Daoist across couldn’t help but retort,

“Just a wall? That simply won’t do.”

The other Daoist paused briefly.

“Won’t do? Let’s be honest—if you want to rebuild your temple, the first step is to master all thirteen Daoist classics. Most can’t accomplish that! Even prodigies would need months, and those less gifted might take two or three years.

Besides, the city lord of Mingsha City has other matters to attend to.”

The Daoist rolled his eyes.

“Who cares? Don’t you know Cangshan’s background? Not many in our circle could even manage to build a temple for Cangshan, let alone common folk.”

“This…”

The Daoist fell momentarily silent.

“So when you return, if the city lord of Mingsha lacks the patience, the plot you had your eye on might already be developed into another project.”

“He wouldn’t be that way!”

“People are unpredictable—hard to say.”

“Then why not hurry up? At worst, I’ll return sooner to personally oversee the temple’s construction.”

After a long pause,

the Daoist grabbed his wine gourd and took a hearty swig.

“Your suggestion is practical—nothing beats returning early to manage the temple construction yourself.”

The Daoist looked up at the brilliant moon hanging in the sky.

“Ah!”

The Daoist sighed deeply and fell into contemplation.

In the temporary construction area of Jixia Academy in Mingsha City, inside a makeshift steel hall, Xu Hao instinctively picked up the book “Self-Cultivation for Temple Builders” and had already reached page six.

The more he read, the more fascinating the book became. It sometimes seemed superstitious, yet on reflection, it held a lot of wisdom.

Thus,

Xu Hao grew even more eager to continue reading.

He was genuinely curious to see if, after meeting the conditions laid out in the first 32 pages, he could truly construct a hall imbued with celestial aura.

Ring-ring-ring. Just as Xu Hao became increasingly absorbed in the book and began mimicking the illustrations, his phone suddenly rang.

“Hmm?”

Glancing at his phone, he saw that Zhu Qiang was calling.

“What’s up, Qiangzi?”

Xu Hao answered smoothly.

“Brother Hao, the taste test results are in today!”

Immediately, Zhu Qiang’s voice came through the line.

“Oh? How did it go?”

On hearing this,

Xu Hao asked anxiously.

He had planned to visit the Vermilion Bird Building that afternoon, but ended up getting lost in his book “Self-Cultivation for Temple Builders,” and had entrusted everything to Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng.

“Brother Hao, they say this is the legendary Confucius Mansion Feast!”

Zhu Qiang declared instantly.

It turned out that there really was a culinary expert. A man named Lou Haiyuan had started his cooking marathon yesterday afternoon and only finished this evening, preparing more than two hundred dishes.

The Confucius Mansion Feast uses a variety of techniques—frying, braising, stir-frying, and steaming—with signature dishes including Immortal Duck, Supreme Sea Cucumber, Shredded Shark Fin, Farewell Embrace, Winter-Braised Charcoal, Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Ruckus with Arhats, Dried Pork from the Confucius Mansion, Basket Mandarin Fish, Supreme Tofu, among others.

Lou Haiyuan executed every dish flawlessly.

Moreover, besides these, he crafted some unconventional dishes that, while unfamiliar, clearly weren’t ordinary.

Anyway,

two hours later, Zhu Qiang’s immediate reaction was that with skills like that, he could easily become a top chef at any restaurant—why would he even need to look for a job in Mingsha City?

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Lou Haiyuan’s culinary talent was a family tradition—he always prepared an entire Confucius Mansion Feast rather than individual dishes.

This ancestral precept existed because the elders feared that if dishes were made separately, some would be omitted, eventually leading to the complete loss of the tradition!

Who then could afford Lou Haiyuan? Even the top restaurants in the country wouldn’t serve the Confucius Mansion Feast casually—it had to be specifically ordered by guests.

Eventually, word of Mingsha City reached Lou Haiyuan, prompting him to give it a try.

“Alright! Is he willing to stay in Mingsha City?”

With delight, Xu Hao immediately asked.

Traditional cuisine had solved one rather tricky issue.

“He’s very willing. Besides, he doesn’t demand a high salary. His only condition is: if the stove isn’t lit, nothing cooks; once the oil’s hot, a full Confucius Mansion Feast must be prepared.”

Zhu Qiang replied,

“That’s not a problem at all—even if tourists can’t afford the feast, he’s a talent we can’t let slip by!”

Without a second thought, Xu Hao agreed.

Mingsha City might choose not to stage the feast, but it would never fail to prepare it. The menu would be available for visitors to choose from at their leisure.

“Brother Hao, one more thing!”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Brother Hao, Master Lou mentioned that a complete Confucius Mansion Feast is extraordinarily elaborate. It requires the entire Vermilion Bird Building to fully showcase it!”

“The entire Vermilion Bird Building?”

Xu Hao was taken aback.

After all, the Vermilion Bird Building is massive—it now serves as the main venue for visitor banquets in Mingsha City! The idea that a Confucius Mansion Feast would need the whole building…

“Brother Hao, Master Lou explained that, aside from ranking dishes into different tiers, there are various subtypes! First-tier dishes were once reserved for royalty and nobility; second-tier dishes for all manner of banquets—including weddings, funerals, and birthdays; and third-tier dishes for ordinary people.

And according to the feast’s regulations,

different events such as weddings, funerals, and birthdays require different setups.

Mentioning this, Zhu Qiang’s voice grew reflective.

Sometimes, you only truly appreciate the profound and extensive traditional culture of the Long Kingdom when you learn more about it—modern cultures merely a few centuries old can’t compare.

“So, to fully present the Confucius Mansion Feast, we need the entire Vermilion Bird Building?”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao replied,

“Yes!”

“In that case, let’s reserve the Vermilion Bird Building exclusively for the Confucius Mansion Feast. We can figure out the Manchu-Han Feast later.”

“So you mean we build a few more ancient halls?”

Zhu Qiang interjected.

The Four Great Banquets are no small matter. If the Confucius Mansion Feast requires just one ancient hall, then the others might not be far behind.

“The Confucius Mansion Feast must be showcased in its entirety—it can’t be presented in fragments.”

Xu Hao exhaled deeply.