At this moment, John Adams finally finished his speech. The master of ceremonies announced the start of the banquet, and the musicians and music slaves struck a series of ancient and melodious chime sounds on exquisitely crafted bronze bells and drums. Graceful palace maids brought out the sumptuous food and wine one by one. In the Shang dynasty court, besides bowls and plates, there were also vessels such as gui and dou, made from materials including jade, lacquerware, white pottery, and bronze. However, at this time, jade and ceramics were still rather simple. The food mainly consisted of beef, mutton, pork, fish, cured meat, and animal offal, accompanied by some delicious vegetables of the time (such as shepherd’s purse and chives).

This was the famous “ding feast” of the Shang dynasty. First, the cooked meat was placed in the prepared ding cauldrons to be boiled, then attendants would take it out from the ding, dip it in various sauces, and serve it to the Son of Heaven and the ministers. Interestingly, the ding feast also had a strict hierarchy: the Son of Heaven had nine ding, feudal lords had seven, high officials five, and other officials three. Any violation was considered treason. The food in each ding was also carefully selected, but there’s no need to elaborate on that here. By this time, the “ding” was no longer just a simple cooking vessel, but had become a highly symbolic ritual object.

Jessica Bolton tasted a little and found the food indeed very delicious, truly pure and natural without any pollution. However, the cooking methods and seasonings were rather lacking, not as flavorful as what he could make himself at the Prince Shou’s residence. The wine was brewed from grains; although better than what was sold in the city taverns, for Jessica Bolton who came from the twenty-fourth century, it was still hard to swallow.

“Third brother, you usually love to drink heartily—why are you so restrained today?”

The speaker was a young man in white with a short beard at the head of the table, the eldest brother of Prince Shou. John Adams had three sons: the eldest, Ethan (Ethan Smith); the second, Ryan (Ryan Smith); and Prince Shou, the youngest. Ethan Smith and Prince Shou were full brothers, born to the same mother. Their mother gave birth to Ethan Smith while she was still a concubine of John Adams, and was later promoted to empress, after which she gave birth to Prince Shou. Ryan Smith, on the other hand, was born to another concubine. According to Shang dynasty ritual law, both Ethan Smith and Ryan Smith were considered sons of concubines. It was precisely this “son of a concubine” status that made the two elder brothers wary of Prince Shou; even the seemingly kind and gentle Ethan Smith was no exception.

Chapter 7: Dragging Nine Bulls! If there’s one thing I don’t lack, it’s strength

Facing Ethan Smith’s feigned concern, Jessica Bolton replied unhurriedly, “Thank you for your concern, eldest brother. I have only just recovered from a serious illness and my body has not fully healed, so I shouldn’t drink much. That’s why Emily especially instructed me before I left…”

Before he could finish, Ryan Smith immediately interrupted, “I heard that after your illness, third brother, you seem like a different person—truly living up to your reputation. But you never used to heed a woman’s words, and today you’re actually so afraid of your wife? How strange!”

Seeing Jessica Bolton only smile silently, Ryan Smith continued, “Since you and your lovely wife get along so well, and you’ve rarely gone out lately, I suppose you won’t be competing with eldest brother for Miss Huang anymore, right?”

Miss Huang? Jessica Bolton was momentarily stunned, but quickly realized they were referring to King Zhou’s third wife, Lady Huang, the sister of Huang Feihu, who was later thrown from the Star-Picking Tower by King Zhou. Unexpectedly, his eldest brother Ethan Smith was also one of her suitors.

Ryan Smith seemed intent on opposing his third brother. Seeing him remain silent, he deliberately added, “You’re acting strange today, third brother. In the past, you would have argued with me for sure. Has your illness changed your temperament?”

Jessica Bolton could hear the mockery in Ryan Smith’s laughter. He already knew that Ryan Smith had always been jealous of Prince Shou, so he didn’t bother to argue, only sneered coldly. Seeing this, Ryan Smith became even more convinced that Jessica Bolton’s illness had made him easy to bully, and continued to provoke him: “Third brother, you’re born with great strength. Didn’t you once support a beam with one hand and swap pillars at Feiyun Pavilion a few months ago? How about this—since Father is hosting a grand banquet for the ministers today, I’ll find a few strong warriors to compete in a test of strength with you. It’ll liven up the banquet and show off your might before Father and the ministers. What do you say?”

“Second brother, with such enthusiasm, how could I refuse? Besides, I’ve always enjoyed martial contests.” Jessica Bolton was not one to be bullied. He pretended to be interested, then suddenly “lightly” grasped Ryan Smith’s hand and said cheerfully, “But what status do warriors have? How could they be worthy to compete with me? I’ve heard your martial skills have improved lately, second brother. Why don’t the two of us go down and have a match?”

“Ow!” Ryan Smith felt as if his wrist was about to break, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free. Ethan Smith looked at the friendly smile still on Jessica Bolton’s face and suddenly felt a strange sense of fear—was this really the same impulsive and easily provoked third brother as before?

Ryan Smith’s hand throbbed with pain. Knowing that Prince Shou was incredibly strong and that he was no match, he dared not provoke him further. Ethan Smith quickly raised his cup to smooth things over: “We’re all brothers, and this argument is only over a woman. If we take it too seriously, wouldn’t it embarrass Father? Come, let’s drink together!”

“Eldest brother is absolutely right. Please, both of you!”

Hearing Ethan Smith say this, Jessica Bolton no longer pressed Ryan Smith, released his hand, and, still smiling, raised his cup and drained it in one go. Ryan Smith gritted his teeth, glanced at the conspicuous purple marks on his wrist, and, trembling, also raised his cup to hide the fear in his eyes.