Chapter 20: Conflict

On the ground were two earthenware basins. One large basin contained boiled cabbage, with a few oil flowers floating on top and a few pieces of meat that could be counted on one hand. The other basin was filled with coarse rice. Each person's bowl contained two fried sparrows.

"Zhao Ren, do you eat this every day?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"Second Master, it's about the same. Sometimes it's radishes, but today we have the sparrows you gave us!" Zhao Ren put down his bowl and stood up to speak.

"Can you really eat this every day?"

"Second Master, when I was at home, I couldn't even get enough of the wheat porridge. This has rice and vegetables, it's quite good!" Zhao Li said with a smile.

"Yes, in the past, during winter, we only had pickled vegetables at home. But here, the dishes have oil and the rice is enough to fill us up!" Zhao Lian added.

"When my father was alive, we could eat meat during festivals. But after he died in the northwest, the compensation was only half of his salary, and we never ate meat again!" Zhao Yong said.

"Jianxi, bring my food over, let's all eat together!" Zhao Cheng turned to Jianxi and said. He then picked up another bowl and handed it to Zhao Xin, saying, "Zhao Xin, serve me a bowl of rice too!"

"Second Master, how can you eat the same food as us?" Zhao Ren said anxiously.

"You don't know, I love this. Zhao Xin, pour some of the vegetable broth over it, it's delicious!" Zhao Cheng patted Zhao Li, who sat down cross-legged next to him, and said with a smile.

"Second Master, here's your food!" Jianxi brought over Zhao Cheng's meal, which included a plate of braised mutton, a plate of fish, a plate of chicken, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a soup.

"Put it in the middle, let's all eat together!" Zhao Cheng placed the dishes in the center. He had lived in the military for over a decade in his previous life, and the concept of equality between officers and soldiers had deeply penetrated his bones. Seeing the simple meals of the servants, he felt very uneasy. However, in this hierarchical imperial society, he couldn't change the situation immediately.

"Second Master, how can this be? How can we eat your food?" The servants were all flustered, and Jianxi was also surprised. In the palace, the emperor's leftover food could be given to ministers or princes, but it would never be shared with the servants. The prince's actions were already considered a breach of protocol.

"I can't finish all this, and it would be a waste to let it go to the farmers. Let's share it, it will be a help to me!" Before Jianxi could dissuade him, Zhao Cheng had already picked up a spoon and started serving the food to everyone. "Zhao Xin, why are you crying? And you, Zhao Yi, why so many tears?"

"Second Master, I haven't had such a good meal in a long time!" Zhao Li said with tears in his eyes.

"Second Master, I lost my parents when I was young and have experienced the coldness of the world. I've never seen a master share his food with his servants!" Zhao Yi said, lowering his head and shedding tears. The others also looked sad. If their families were doing well, no one would sell their children into servitude. They all hoped for a good master.

"Hehe, what's the big deal? Try the food from our cook, I eat it every day and can't tell the difference!" Zhao Cheng felt a pang in his heart but still smiled.

"Yes, the cook's skills are good, but the fish used in the fish paste isn't from the Chanhua River. The fish wasn't dried properly before the ingredients were added, making the meat a bit loose, but it's still of high quality!" Zhao Xin took a bite of the fish paste and said after chewing.

"Oh, you really know your stuff. It seems you've eaten it often in the past!" Zhao Cheng, who had never tasted fish paste from other places, was surprised.

"Zhao Xin, you're just boasting. I've never eaten it before, but I know it's expensive. You can tell the difference?" Zhao Lian said with a sneer.

"What do you know? My family lives near the shops that sell fish paste from the He and Wu families. We often get to eat it!" Zhao Xin said, blushing.

"You're lucky to live near them. The fish paste from the He and Wu families in the capital is made from fish caught in the Chanhua River. It's stored in bamboo baskets and transported to the capital by water. It's sold in small pieces, known as 'ba zha,' with tight and delicious meat, famous throughout the land. There's even a saying, 'Who doesn't know the 'ba zha'?' " Jianxi said, not without envy. Even in the palace, it was hard to get a taste of the 'ba zha' from his hometown.

"Come, come, let's eat quickly. After we finish, we'll go to the empty field behind the yard to catch wild rabbits. I'll roast them for you tonight!" Zhao Cheng glanced at Zhao Xin, who felt as if the prince had seen through his thoughts and lowered his head to eat quickly, not daring to look at him.

"Second Master, I've been hunting with my grandfather since I was young. I'm good at catching rabbits. As long as they're here, they won't get away!" Zhao Zhi said excitedly. A few of the young boys, who were usually restricted by the many rules of the mansion, were eager to join in the fun and cheered at the prospect.

The sun was already high in the sky, and the vast wheat fields were still partially covered with snow, with some green wheat sprouts visible. Zhao Cheng led the servants to a piece of wasteland, where they set up a net. Despite wearing thick winter clothes, his face was still red from the cold. A few days ago, they had caught several rabbits in the garden, and everyone had eaten their fill. This activity had become addictive, and since there were no more rabbits in the garden, they had taken advantage of Huang Jingchen's absence to go hunting outside the mansion.

"Zhao Zhi, is the net set up here okay?" he asked.

"No problem, Second Master. I've already checked, there are rabbit tracks here!" Zhao Zhi blew on his hands and said confidently.

"Great, let's start. Drive the rabbits from the north to the south, and make them run into the net!" Zhao Cheng said to everyone.

"Okay, okay." About ten people spread out in a line, using sticks to poke and beat the grass and rocks, while shouting loudly. Five or six rabbits, unable to bear the disturbance, darted out of their hiding places. Everyone became more excited and tried to drive the rabbits toward the net.

Just as the rabbits were about to be driven into the net, a series of ringing bells sounded in the air, and a black shadow swooped down like an arrow, grabbing one of the rabbits. The sudden appearance of the hawk startled everyone.

"Second Master, it's a hawk!" Zhao Ren said.

"Let's ignore it for now. Keep driving them this way, don't let the other rabbits escape!" The hawk's sudden appearance made the rabbits even more frightened, and they ran in all directions. Zhao Cheng quickly directed everyone to close the gaps. However, before they could take a few steps, two arrows whizzed by, pinning two rabbits to the ground. Everyone panicked, and the remaining rabbits all escaped.

"Master, you hit them!" Accompanied by flattery, five or six horses galloped past them. Two men jumped off, one picking up the dead rabbits, the other grabbing the hawk that was still fighting with a rabbit, as if they hadn't even noticed Zhao Cheng and the others.

Zhao Cheng stopped and sized up the intruders. The leader was a fair-skinned, handsome young man with a white fox fur hat, a dark purple brocade robe, a golden sash, a red cloak, and black official boots with two large white jade pieces. He rode a red horse, with a bow on one side and arrows on the other, clearly a nobleman. However, his frown and pout marred his good looks. Behind him were four men dressed as peasants, also carrying bows and arrows, with two pheasants hanging from their saddles.

"Master, we caught three rabbits. We'll have something to drink with at noon!" One of the men said, holding up the rabbits and laughing.

"Boring, there are only rabbits here, no big game!" The young man fed a piece of meat to the hawk on his arm and said unhappily.

"Master, twenty miles to the east, there's a forest with larger game. Shall we go there?" One of the peasants asked with a smile.

"Let's skip it. I'm tired today. Let's go back to the manor!" The young man waved his arm, and the hawk immediately took flight. He said lazily.

"Okay!" The lead peasant responded, turned his horse, and was about to leave.

"Wait, who are you? You took our game and are leaving without a word!" The intruders had ignored them from the start, and Zhao Cheng was angry and said unhappily.

"Tsk, your game?" A seven- or eight-year-old boy blocked their path, and the lead peasant seemed to find it hilarious, saying disdainfully.

"Of course, we worked hard to drive the game out, and you just shot two arrows and claimed them. That doesn't seem right, does it?" Zhao Cheng said calmly.

"Get lost, who saw you drive them out? Besides, these are unclaimed animals. Whoever catches them gets to keep them!" Zhao Cheng, dressed like a servant for convenience, was treated as such by the lead peasant, who shouted angrily.

"How dare you be so disrespectful to our Second Master? You have some nerve!" Zhao Ren, seeing him insult Zhao Cheng, stepped forward and pointed a stick at the peasant, shouting.

"Who are they? Not from some powerful family, I hope?" The young man frowned and asked his followers. Xiangyi County was one of the four auxiliary counties, with fertile land and the Bian River running through it, making it a popular place for wealthy officials from the capital to buy land and build manors. He didn't want to offend someone he couldn't afford to anger.

"Master, the nearby manors used to belong to a former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Revenue, who was demoted a few years ago. It's said he sold the land to a nouveau riche from the capital. There's no adult in charge, only a child. They probably don't have any powerful connections. The former master is now a local official, so..." The lead peasant, a local thug, knew the situation well, but Zhao Cheng and his group were usually low-key, and he only saw the surface, not the deeper connections.

"Brat, how dare you block my way? Beat him!" The young man, who had been cautious at first, became bolder after hearing the description. He shouted, spurred his horse forward, and lashed out with his whip. Zhao Ren dodged to the side, but the whip hit his back, tearing his cotton coat and nearly knocking him over.

"Fight back!" Zhao Yi, seeing Zhao Ren injured, picked up a stone and threw it at the young man on the horse. The others rushed forward, protecting Zhao Cheng behind them, and charged with their sticks.

"Rebels, rebels, what are you waiting for? Fight back!" The young man, seeing the children fight back, was enraged and shouted.

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