Chapter 1525

Even back when he was down and out on the streets, he had never been that miserable.

Ashoka and the ministers reached out with their right hands toward the food on the table.

"Wait... hold on a second."

"Why do you all use your right hands to grab food?"

"Can't you use your left hand to grab food?"

Shanu raised his own question at this moment.

The other Great Qin generals were also confused.

Only then did they notice this issue; they all used their right hands to eat.

What was the reason for this?

Was the left hand not allowed to eat?

They clearly noticed that even those who were left-handed and had a habit of using their left hand were still using their right hand to eat.

This left them unable to understand.

As soon as Shanu's words came out, the people of the Maurya Empire immediately fell silent.

They all looked at Shanu without saying a word.

"What's wrong?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

Shanu was somewhat puzzled; he was the type of person who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself if he had questions.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing, little General, the situation is like this."

Ashoka took over the conversation, explaining to everyone the reason for using the right hand to eat.

"Our right hand is sacred, therefore we use the right hand to eat."

"Our left hand is dirty, and can only be used to wipe away filth when relieving oneself."

Ashoka said as much.

They had held this tradition since history began.

As for the origin of this tradition, it came from myths and legends.

Why one must use hands to eat, there were two reasons.

The first reason was that the people of the Maurya Empire believed

that the reason food could release its full deliciousness was in large part due to the sense of touch.

Therefore, they believed that if the hand did not directly touch the food,

it would to a great extent prevent people from experiencing the best flavor of the food.

Moreover, grabbing food with hands like this allowed one to feel the temperature of the food in advance, to ensure whether it could be eaten.

The second reason was that the people of the Maurya Empire did not like using utensils to touch food.

Even for things that needed to be deep-fried in a pot, they would prepare them directly with their hands.

They would put their hands into the oil pot, and only after frying until golden brown and ready to be scooped out would they use a spoon.

Because they believed that using iron utensils to touch food was an unholy act, a desecration of the gods.

Furthermore, their distinction between the roles of the two hands was very clear.

The right hand was for eating, and one absolutely must not use the left hand to eat.

Because the people of the Maurya Empire believed the left hand was dirty.

Therefore, it was absolutely impossible to use the left hand for eating.

Han Xin and the others almost vomited upon hearing this bizarre explanation.

Fortunately, they hadn't started eating yet, otherwise, they would have definitely vomited.

This was just too disgusting.

They could not accept this way of eating.

Even before they had manufactured Xuan paper in Great Qin, they hadn't resorted to using their hands to wipe.

Now, the entire Great Qin used Xuan paper for relieving themselves, and Xuan paper had become popularized throughout all of Great Qin.

If one truly followed this custom for eating, then everyone in this country ate and relieved themselves in this manner.

Then how good could the things they made be?

Wouldn't it be just as dirty?

"That..."

"Ugh..."

"Let me vomit first."

A few generals couldn't help but vomit directly.

Because they had just snuck a few pieces of meat from the table earlier.

At first, they felt the taste was not bad.

Now, upon hearing their explanation of how the left and right hands were used,

it immediately gave them an irresistible urge to vomit.

They directly vomited out what they had just eaten, along with what they had eaten in the morning.

The other generals looked at Shanu with admiration.

It was fortunate that this young man was sharp, otherwise, the ones vomiting now would be them.

They also felt incredibly lucky that they hadn't snuck any food earlier.

Ashoka and the Maurya Empire ministers had incredibly ugly expressions.

Just because of this, they had actually vomited.

It was simply too much.

But thinking about how their own country had become a vassal state,

even if they felt bad inside, there was absolutely nothing they could do.

"That... we won't be eating this meal."

"Our country's traditions are different."

"We cannot accept this way of eating of yours."

"But we also respect your traditions."

"Therefore, let's just cancel this meal."

Han Xin stood up.

He hadn't expected this Maurya Empire to be truly bizarre.

It was fortunate they hadn't eaten this meal, otherwise, he didn't know how many days he would be vomiting for.

The people of the Maurya Empire looked at the Great Qin generals speechlessly.

But they were helpless.

A perfectly good victory banquet had ended unhappily just because of the issue of the left and right hands.

They felt there was no problem at all and didn't know why the people of the Great Qin Empire had such a huge reaction.

"Don't be like that, Commander Han."

"If you aren't used to grabbing with your hands, we can manufacture the chopsticks you want."

"Wouldn't that allow us to eat together?"

Ashoka spoke up to persuade them to stay, feeling that the Great Qin people were making a mountain out of a molehill.

"No, no, no, we really can't eat anymore."

"We can only say that our traditions are different."

"Your way of thinking about eating with your hands is also deeply rooted."

"It's impossible to understand our way of eating with chopsticks in an instant."

"Everyone can understand this point."

Han Xin hurriedly waved his hand; he truly couldn't eat.

The moment he thought about the people of the Maurya Empire using their left hands to wipe away filth and their right hands to eat,

he felt a chill run through him.

After all, one still needed to use their hands to prepare food.

After all, one still needs to use their hands to prepare food.