With the arrival of tax season, the Palace of Curtea welcomes a distinguished guest.

For this purpose, Tsepesz specially arranged a banquet to which all the leading figures in Targovistai were invited.

In the palatial banquet hall, several aristocratic men, holding red wine or eaux-de-vie, gathered to discuss where to go hunting in a few days.

On the other side, several aristocratic ladies in gorgeous dresses had no interest in their husbands' conversations.

They are concerned with fashion, hairdressing, and gossip, as well as the marriage between marriageable men and women in various families.

The next moment, Cepes quietly walked into the banquet hall and took the wine glass and table knife from the waiter beside him.

The silver knives struck on the glasses, making a crisp sound that reached the ears of the noble ladies present.

The people fell silent and looked at the entrance of the ballroom, where Cepes became their focal point.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming.

Next, I would like to invite two distinguished guests, Mr. Buraye and Mr. Musman. ”

As the owner of the palace, Tsepesh was willing to be a green leaf, and he took the initiative to flash aside after introducing the distinguished guests like a third-rate host.

Next, Burye and another man with sunken eye sockets walked into the banquet hall one after the other, and it can be seen that Bureye's status is higher.

In the morning, the guy named Musman arrived at the Palace of Kurtea, who was the tax collector assigned to Wallachia by the Ottoman Empire.

For the next two months, he would travel throughout Wallachia, centralize and take away the property belonging to the Ottoman Empire.

He was accompanied by a cavalry to protect the Sultan's property, not a great number, only a hundred.

In fact, in Wallachia, no one dared to pay attention to the Ottoman taxes, even those, the lords who were inclined to the Hungarians.

The two guests appeared, and Braye smiled and waved to the nobles present.

Musman also smiled, but his smile gave everyone a feeling of bad intentions.

In a way, there was nothing wrong with this, and the duty of the Ottoman tax collectors was to compete for the interests of these foreign nobles.

If it weren't for the Ottomans, these nobles present would have levied about forty percent of the land output from the commoners in their domains.

And now, in order to keep those humble peasants from starving to death, they can only collect 20% of the tax, and then one by one boast of how merciful they are.

After greeting each other, everyone took their seats, and after asking Brae, Cepes sat down at the head of the banquet table.

All this is seen by everyone, and it goes without saying what those nobles in the country think.

Musman looked at Bula Ye with a small flame of jealousy, flickering constantly.

It's better to be a special envoy in a vassal country, as if he is the real controller of the country, has rights, and enjoys higher treatment than the monarch.

I, the tax collector, am an errand runner, and I have to go from place to place, non-stop.

Musman complained in his heart, and his expression was not concealed in the slightest.

For Musman's jealousy, Buraye accepted it very calmly, and even said that Musman's eyes and expressions at this moment made him enjoy it very much

Several court attendants served all kinds of delicacies, including new foods that Tsepes had researched with the cook in the past half a month.

Donkey meat grilled, beef ramen, lamb grilled on skewers.

Because of the food limitations, Cepes couldn't cook, so he barely managed to make three things.

There are now such results, thanks to the court chefs. He has a lot of experience in pastry, and with a little sowing, he can master the technique.

Among the three foods, the most eye-catching is beef ramen.

All the nobles present, including Musman, focused their eyes on a large basin of noodles in the middle of the banquet table.

In this era, there is already pasta, but it is not the same concept as the pot of noodles in front of it.

The group of nobles below, for the sake of face, even if they were curious, no one asked questions.

Even if you don't understand, you must pretend to understand, so as not to be laughed at and ignorant.

Mussman was much more straightforward than them, and listened to him:

"Your Excellency, can you tell me what kind of food this is?"

"This is called Lan ...... This is called beef ramen. ”

At first, Tsepes wanted to talk about Lanzhou ramen, but he thought that in Wallachia, there was really no such place as Lanzhou, so he simply changed his name to beef ramen.

"Beef ramen, it looks delicious, I don't know how it tastes." Mussman muttered to himself.

"It tastes just as good, I can guarantee that. Waiter, serve Mussman a bowl of beef ramen. ”

A few days ago, when Braye saw the beef ramen, he behaved like Mussman at this time.

But now, he is very knowledgeable, and directly commands the waiters.

Five minutes later, in the banquet hall, there was a sound of eating noodles.

Many of the nobles present did not care about the image at all, and gulped down the noodles.

"This beef ramen dish is really delicious. Your Excellency, could you please ask your chef to teach me my private chef? ”

The Ottoman tax collector, who has always been known for his bad weather, was moved to tears by a dish of beef ramen.

Musman, who was full of excitement, made a request to Bulray with a sincere face.

As for Tsepes, Mussman ignored it, and like everyone else, Tsepes was just a puppet.

But this time, Bulray gave Tsepes a lot of face, and he said:

"This delicacy is something that has been painstakingly researched by Cepes, and if you want the chef to learn it, you need to get permission from Cepes."

All along, on the premise that Braye's own interests are satisfied, he will give some small favors to Cepes, which is what he calls the way of his majesty.

And Cepes, who has always been very knowledgeable, took the initiative to say at this moment:

"It's just a piece of food, it's not a big deal, when the banquet is over, Mr. Musman can send your chef over, and I will definitely have someone teach you carefully."

"Thank you, then, Your Excellency."

Although he still didn't take Cepes to heart, Mussman politely thanked him.

The banquet continued, and in the constant praise of each other, it drew to a close.

The nobles, who had greatly satisfied their appetites, left one by one, and in the end, the waiters on the side were also sent away by Cepes.

In the banquet room, only Tepes, Burale and Mussman were left, and they had some business to talk about.

"Musman, this year's tax plan is no different from previous years, right?"

Braye took out a linen handkerchief, wiped the grease stains on his fat face, and asked Mussman very casually.

"As always, it's still going north first, then all the way south, and finally back to the empire with the taxes."

The direct territory of the Basarab family, in the plains of central Wallachia.

The Ottoman envoys would first go to the north to collect taxes, then return to Targoviste, take their share of the direct domain, and then go south.

In the end, he will take all the taxes and go directly back to Ottoman territory, and will not come to Targoviste again.

Braye nodded slightly, indicating that there was no problem with Musman's method, then he turned his head, looked at Cepes and said:

"On your side, have you chosen the person to cooperate with Musman?"

Although the Ottoman tax collectors were arrogant, in Wallachia they had to be accompanied by commissioners appointed by the Grand Duke of Wallachia.

Tsepeshi asked Arthur to hurry up and come back, just to let him do the job.