Road to the Crown

Chapter 63: Feast (2)

9th march 1574

"I'm sorry sir, but revealing it would deprive me of all the trade opportunities I have right now in the entire province. But I can promise, that as soon as I will deal with the problems plaguing my territories, I could open up a trade route to Sandomir, and sell it at the price similar to what I need to pay to obtain it As long as I sir Governor will be the sole buyer, and I will be granted a monopoly for it in the Sandomir and Rhuthernia provinces!"

Instead of using the spice to ask for help in dealing with Peter, I decided to aim for something I would have anyway. With how only the system was currently capable of producing any amount of MSG, while the construction of the manufacturing plant capable of replacing me at the core of production, instead of local monopoly, I could say that I had one over the entire world!

But when dealing with such an intelligent person, experienced in the field of politic way more than I could ever hope to be just by playing some strategic games, instead of aiming them towards the trouble I required their help with, just by hinting at its existence, I could give them something akin to an ace card they could play whenever they felt they could gain something really important from me.

"It's not something I can promise right away but you mentioned some troubles with your lands, mind elaborating a bit more about it, sir brother?"

It was rather hard for me to not smile openly at this very moment. While I gave this opportunity to Jan myself with the very hope that he would use it rather soon, for him to latch on it right away was still quite positively surprising!

"Nothing really big. Just a disappointed warlord from the east, unhappy with the fact that my beloved one prefered a true love instead of spending her future in the bloodied hands of the Peter of Hellan. By the time I was leaving Pilzno to notify your governorship about our marriage, I had to send my people to put the guards both in my city and the castle on alert against his likely attempts at messing my lands up. But just like I said, it's something that sooner or later, I should be able to deal with, no reason for your governorship to sour your mood over this matter during a feast! It's better to focus on the next meal coming, and I can assure you, sir governor, that this form of preparing meat is not yet known in these lands!"

Instead of using the opportunity right away, I acted as if I was uncomfortable when speaking about matters related to Peter. Just like before, I couldn't just act outright, but I was forced to dance around the social rules only leaving the hints for the governor to pick from my tracks!

"Peter? Hmm The one from Ropian Village?"

Instead of allowing me to gesture at the servants to bring the grilled meat, the Governor dug deeper into the topic, as if seeing the opportunity that I was trying so hard to present him on a silver plater. At this point, I couldn't help but start guessing whether it was me dropping the hints in a bit too obvious manner, or just the governor taking me too lightly!

"Yeah, that's the guy, but I don't think this is a topic to be discussed at the meal. Let's not sour the mood even before I was given a chance to present the best use of the spice! Cooks! Bring the meat!"

Decisively cutting the discussion out, I called the cooks out. The preparation of the meat was not only the most important but the most resource and time consuming as well. While with the soups, all one had to do was to pour the ingredients into the pot, fill it with water and let it boil for long enough, I used them to buy myself some time so that the cooks could at least finish the preparation work.

After all, instead of grilling the whole bit at once over the fire, I had to go out of my way by poaching and combining a set of spears to create a primitive grill, over which a thin slice of meat was roasting slowly.

Smeared from all sides with the MSG, salt and some of the herbs that I found at the edge of the forest, if not for the aroma barrier created by the sour creme soup, everyone could only think about the main dish for today instead of enjoying its first part!

Thankfully, the time I took to slowly taste all the soups paid off, with the first batch of the meat already arriving at the table as soon as I gave the signal to the cooks.

"Gentlemen! What you are all used to, is an animal gutted and roasted whole over the fire. While such a method could work for sating the hunger of big groups, with the meat hunted by the governor himself, I do believe we were ought to do a better job at preparing it! As such, let me present you, thin slices of grilled meat! Keep in mind, that what you can see on the table right now, is just a small, first portion with only more to come as soon as it's ready! Eat while it's still hot!"

Once again sitting down after making a small speech, I took out the knife and slammed it onto the wooden plater soaked with the juices oozing from the freshly roasted meat, marked with the characteristic strings of the dark burns from where the edges of the spear touched it while keeping it over the fire.

With one slice already locked at the top of my knife, I raised it to my mouth and took a hearty bite.

As if a cloud dissolved in my mouth, turning into a fountain of juices rich in the aroma of wilderness. Encouraged by my example, the governor followed the same steps, starting with a small bite Only to stuff the entire piece right in his mouth!

"This is insane!"

Even before he managed to fully swallow his piece, his hand already abandoned the knife and reached for the next one directly.

"How did you get rid of the foul taste in the meat? How did you bring out so much of its flavour?!"

Using the time between swallowing one piece and stuffing his mouth with another, governor sang praises for the food, unknowingly sinking deeper and deeper into my trap.

And it would soon be the time for it to spring up on him!

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