Without thinking, the Nancy Empress asked the pregnant woman whether she meant to go home next.
But the pregnant woman shook her head and said excitedly, "It's hard enough for me to get out once. Of course I'm going to eat my fill before I go back. Otherwise, once I'm back, it's 'you can't eat this, you can't eat that.'"
"Then what are you planning to eat?" the Nancy Empress asked curiously.
"Hotpot! Ice cream! Stinky tofu…" The pregnant woman counted off the things she liked to eat one by one.
Listening, the Nancy Empress could not help swallowing.
Seeing her swallow,
the pregnant woman took the Nancy Empress's hand, her eyes shining, and said, "Do you want to come and eat something good with me? I managed to grab a ticket for Long's Hotpot! Those tickets are really hard to get. Every day they're gone the moment they come out."
The Nancy Empress thought a moment, then nodded with a smile and said, "Sure. I hadn't decided what to have for lunch anyway. But let's agree first. I've got rather a lot of people with me. I'm paying."
Seeing that the pregnant woman still wanted to say something,
the Nancy Empress said, "We're using your place, aren't we? So that makes it even."
Seeing the Nancy Empress put it so, the pregnant woman said nothing more.
For the rest of the ride the two held hands like the best of friends.
Then the subway reached their station.
The three bodyguards and the ambassador followed behind the Nancy Empress.
The Nancy Empress held the pregnant woman by the wrist, and the two walked out of the subway station chatting as they went.
The bodyguards looked somewhat anxious.
For this sudden change of itinerary had sharply raised their sense of danger.
Not knowing where they were going left them wholly unprepared.
"All right, we'll just follow along. This is the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's capital; there isn't so much danger here." The ambassador had by now stopped caring entirely, and said quietly to the three bodyguards.
The three bodyguards exchanged a look and showed resignation too.
This too was the Nancy Empress's decision, and they could not change it.
They could only do what they could, as far as their abilities allowed.
Out of the subway station,
the Nancy Empress found herself among tall buildings.
On the roads around flowed an endless stream of traffic.
A huge crowd had gathered all around, and there were great electronic screens showing advertisements for various products.
"This is the busiest crossroads in our Fierce Dragon Kingdom's capital. Tons of people. Don't be scared; stay close to me. Long's Hotpot, where we're going, is in that building," the pregnant woman said, considerately holding on to the Nancy Empress.
Though there were many people along the way,
perhaps because of the pregnant woman, the people around made way for them of their own accord.
So it did not feel crowded at all.
Very soon their party reached the door of Long's Hotpot.
A long line was already waiting there.
"We've still got fifteen minutes. Wait a bit. We can look first at what to eat in a while. I really recommend these few dishes; I absolutely loved them before!" The pregnant woman and the Nancy Empress sat on chairs, waiting for their number to be called.
The pregnant woman's number was soon called.
But when the staff saw the Nancy Empress's party,
the host said helplessly, "I'm sorry; the number you got is for a table for four. Your party's a bit over; you won't all fit."
The Nancy Empress looked at her own party; there were already six of them.
They naturally could not sit at a table for four.
The two male bodyguards exchanged a look, about to say they could wait outside.
At this point
the ambassador cheerfully handed over his card.
"I already called ahead on the way. We've reserved a private room. Please check for me."
The host glanced at the card, then began to look it up.
"You do indeed have a private room reserved. Please follow me," the host said with a smile.
The Nancy Empress and the others looked at the ambassador in some surprise.
The ambassador said with a smile, "On the way here I thought of the problem of not fitting. So I used the subway's phone to contact someone I know, and asked them to keep a place for us."
The three bodyguards gave the ambassador a thumbs-up.
Truly a man fit to be an ambassador: he thought of everything, and thought of it ahead of time too.
Very soon they were shown to a private room.
Never mind seating six; this private room could have seated ten with room to spare.
The Nancy Empress frowned slightly; she was not displeased with the arrangement,
but she worried that it would scare her new friend.
"Wow! A private room at Long's Hotpot! Tickets for this are really hard to get. I hear there are only five a day! I never thought your position would be so handy. You can even get a reserved private room! I've really struck it lucky today!" The pregnant woman did not mind in the least, and excitedly took the Nancy Empress by the wrist.
Seeing this, the Nancy Empress let out a breath of relief too, and said with a smile, "It's only so we can eat comfortably. If you hadn't introduced me and brought me here, I'd never have come to this hotpot place today. It's thanks to you that I get this treat. All right. You order. I wouldn't know what to order anyway. This meal of ours is up to you."
The Nancy Empress handed the menu straight to the pregnant woman.
The pregnant woman did not stand on ceremony either.
"There are six of us. Then this, and this. And this. And this too…"
The pregnant woman picked all sorts of dishes on the menu,
then handed it back to the Nancy Empress, asking whether the Nancy Empress wanted anything else.
The Nancy Empress glanced at the menu.
She found that the pregnant woman had not ordered lavishly or picked the especially expensive dishes because the Nancy Empress was treating,
but had ordered just about the right amount for the six of them, neither more nor less.
Even if it was not enough, they could add a dish or two.
And what she had ordered was mostly the house specialties, most of them things she had mentioned before.
Some dishes were very expensive but few people ordered them; she had not specially ordered those either.
Next came the wait for the food.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, the Nancy Empress could just see the scene on the street outside.
It was noon now,
and a workday too.
But there were truly a lot of people on the street,
very lively.
The atmosphere of this city was truly very fine.
Then the hotpot was brought in.
Because it was a large private room, each person had a yin-yang pot of their own in front of them, and each ate from their own.
The dishes ordered were placed on the lazy Susan in the middle.
"The room is big, sure. But it doesn't have that feel of a hotpot set in the middle," the pregnant woman leaned close to the Nancy Empress and said quietly.
"Next time, I'll come and eat with you. Just the two of us," the Nancy Empress said with a cheerful smile.
The pregnant woman's eyes lit up: "Sure, then it'll be just the two of us. We'll go eat at another beef hotpot place; their beef is especially good. I hear they even run their own cattle ranch. Not the penned-up kind of cattle; cattle that run free on the grasslands. That beef is truly first-rate!"
Very soon lunch was over.
The pregnant woman held her belly and burped.
"That was such a happy meal. The happiest meal I've had these past few days. Ordinarily I'd probably go for a stroll to help it settle. But today I truly can't walk anymore. In a bit I'll take the subway back." The pregnant woman leaned back in her chair, looking thoroughly satisfied.
The Nancy Empress nodded.
She and the pregnant woman exchanged contact details.
But what she gave the pregnant woman was the Nancy Empire embassy's contact details; she had also stressed specially to the ambassador
that if this pregnant woman contacted her, she was to be told at once.
She truly regarded this pregnant woman as her friend.
They left the private room and walked to the roadside.
Just as the pregnant woman was about to head for the subway station,
the Nancy Empress held her back.
"I've called for a car. Let me take you home. Squeezing onto the subway like this, I'd worry about you," the Nancy Empress said.
As she spoke, a bodyguard watched the Nancy Empire embassy's car pull up in front of them.
"Hee hee hee, then I won't be shy. Thank you, Sister Xixi." The pregnant woman took the Nancy Empress's hand.
She did not know that this woman before her was the Nancy Empress; she knew only that she called herself Xixi.[1]
Riding in the embassy car,
they took the pregnant woman to a housing compound called Happiness Lane.
Then the Empress had a bodyguard escort her discreetly into the compound and watch until she was home.
"Your Majesty, the lady has reached home safely," the bodyguard said outside the car window.
"Mm, very well." As she spoke, the Nancy Empress glanced at the compound before her.
"Let's go back."
The car drove along the roads of the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's capital.
The Nancy Empress looked at the street scenes outside through the car window.
Although it was not as bustling here as at that crossroads before, there were still vehicles on the road every so often.
Above all, buses.
She found that this city's bus transport was extremely complete, and the bus stops were very well built too, sheltering from wind and rain, with seats as well.
The buses were clean and roomy too; every one looked as good as new.
On the buses could be seen children going to and from school, old people out shopping, buying groceries or visiting the park, and young people busy with work.
Everyone had something of their own to do.
They looked very busy, and some grumbling could be heard too:
grumbling that there was too much homework, grumbling that they had not managed to grab fresh eggs today,
grumbling that they had to work overtime again tonight.
But on everyone's faces and in their eyes there was still that feeling of youthful vigor.
Very soon the car entered a very quiet area.
Here the trees cast deep shade, and the buildings around each had a character of their own.
"This is the Fierce Dragon Kingdom capital's embassy district; nearly every country has set up an embassy here," the ambassador explained beside her.
Because it was the embassy district, there were basically few people about.
The few there were either embassy staff or young couples come to take photos.
It was very quiet.
The car stopped at the gate of the Nancy Empire's embassy.
The gate opened, and dozens of people could be seen waiting there.
The Nancy Empire was now the foremost power of the Southern Continent, holding one of the ten seats in the Dragon Star Alliance's Upper House.
Naturally its standing was much higher than other countries'.
There were also many senior people doing business and carrying on cooperation in the Fierce Dragon Kingdom.
With the Nancy Empress visiting, these people in the Fierce Dragon capital had naturally cleared all their engagements and were all waiting here for the Nancy Empress.
In fact they had originally been meant to have a lunch together too.
But who could have imagined the Nancy Empress would suddenly cancel the lunch? Everyone could only go on waiting here.
Fortunately, the Nancy Empress came after all.
The Nancy Empress stepped out of the car, her face showing the majesty proper to an Empress,
wholly different from her look on the subway and in the hotpot restaurant.
The ambassador walked beside the Nancy Empress, introducing these people to the Nancy Empress.
After a round of conversation, the afternoon was gone.
The evening was a banquet meeting with the ambassadors or leaders of several other countries.
The food at the banquet was lavish, but the Nancy Empress had no appetite.
Looking at that expensive food, she thought it not as tempting as the food at the hotpot restaurant at noon.
By the time everything was dealt with,
it was already late at night.
The female bodyguard came to the room where the Nancy Empress was staying.
She held a little booklet in her hand: "For the next three days you'll visit several important companies and factories of the Fierce Dragon Kingdom and meet some people. The Dragon Star Alliance's joint congress convenes in three days. You'll need to go on stage and give a speech then; I've already written the speech for you here; please look it over."
"Mm." The Nancy Empress took the speech, read it through, and pointed out several places to change.
Over the next three days, more than those occasions of meetings, she liked passing through the streets and lanes of the Fierce Dragon Kingdom,
even if only sitting in the car,
admiring this unbelievable city.
And on the day before the joint congress convened,
an invitation appeared before the Nancy Empress.
It was from the Fierce Dragon King.
Tonight, in the royal palace of the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's capital, he would host a dinner for her and nine others.[2]
The other eight were the representatives of the other eight countries of the Upper House:
two seats from the Northern Continent, two from the Western Continent, two from the Southern Continent, two from the Eastern Continent, and one from the Middle-Sea Archipelago.
After the Fierce Dragon Kingdom defeated the Doyle Empire's navy, the Middle-Sea Archipelago,
with the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's backing,
had set up an island nation here; though its military strength was not very great,
it did very well in fishing, tourism and transport,
above all in deep-sea shipping.
The Fierce Dragon Kingdom had invested in building several large ports here, where passing ships could rest.
When the Nancy Empress received this invitation, she knew
that compared with the joint congress,
this small meeting before the great congress was what truly mattered.
Many important matters would be discussed and settled at this small meeting.
And the matters to be discussed at the actual congress were the unimportant ones.
That night,
the Nancy Empress attended in full dress.
She saw the other eight representatives.
At the door of the banquet hall, they also saw the Fierce Dragon King waiting there to receive them.
"Welcome." Zhao Chen shook hands with each of these guests with a smile, then invited them into the banquet hall.
The moment the banquet hall's doors closed,
no one knew what was discussed in the banquet hall that night.
It was top secret.
Later generations guessed that the Fierce Dragon Kingdom was demanding some advantages.
Others said it was something like plans for Dragon Star's future development.
In any case, after the banquet that night,
the Dragon Star Alliance joint congress that began the next day went very smoothly.
The great majority of its measures passed.
Zhao Chen saw off these nine guests.
Glass in hand, he stood under the starry sky, and for a long while did not move to leave.