Chapter 25: The Prince's Hard Days

At the banquet, only Zhao Cheng was a child, and everyone else had been served wine. He glanced at the chief steward, who was already eating with a broad smile, clearly enjoying the meal. "Thank you all for your hospitality. I, the prince, cannot drink, so let the chief steward drink on my behalf!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile to Chen Tang and the others.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I am ashamed. My son dared to be disrespectful to Your Highness. I should apologize to you first. I will punish myself with three cups of wine!" Chen Tang stood up and bowed, then drank three cups of wine in succession.

"Mr. Prefect, you are too polite. This cup of wine must still be offered!" Zhao Cheng had Jixi pour wine for Chen Tang and said, the chief steward and Chen Tang then drank another cup together.

"The second dish, stir-fried eel with horseshoe crab and goose giblets soup!" As the second dish was served, "Your Highness, this stir-fried eel with horseshoe crab is made from yellow eel and horseshoe crab meat. Although the horseshoe crab meat may not look impressive, it has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, and can treat eye problems and skin sores. It is indeed a top-notch dish of river and sea delicacies. Please try it and see if it suits your taste!" Chen Tang introduced enthusiastically, as if nothing unpleasant had happened. "As for the goose giblets and feet soup, it is made from goose giblets and feet, carefully stewed in a casserole for several hours. After it is served, it is mixed with finely chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic. It warms the stomach and has a delicious taste, making it perfect for this season."

"Hmm, hmm, it tastes good. Everyone, let's eat together!" Zhao Cheng tasted it and invited everyone to start eating.

"The third dish, three treasures of raw fish, and fried duck gizzards!" It turned out that the three treasures of raw fish were actually sashimi. Could it be that the Japanese learned this dish from China? Zhao Cheng gently picked up a piece of meat and held it up to the window, and it was almost as translucent as a thin piece of paper.

While eating the sashimi, Zhao Cheng felt a bit disappointed that there was no wasabi, as if something was missing. In the future, such a dish might cost hundreds or even thousands of yuan. Thinking of this, he ate a few more pieces to make up for the regret of his past life.

"The fourth dish, hand-washing crab, and blood powder soup!" The waiter brought another dish. "Hand-washing crab? What is that?" Zhao Cheng was surprised. He never thought he would be able to eat crab, but he didn't know if it was sea crab or river crab.

At this moment, Chen Tang personally cut the crab and distributed it to everyone, saying, "Although it is past the best time for eating crabs, we can still enjoy them thanks to our proximity to the canal."

Jixi saw that the prince was staring at the crab, seemingly unsure how to eat it, and quickly said, "Second Master, this is a live crab cut in half, sprinkled with salt and doused with wine, then mixed with ginger and orange pulp. This crab is quite plump, probably weighing six or seven taels, and is a very good dish!" As he spoke, he picked out the meat and put it in the prince's mouth.

"Is this plate of crab quite expensive?" Zhao Cheng asked Chen Tang after taking a bite.

"Yes, this plate probably costs forty guan!" Chen Tang thought for a moment and replied.

"Ah!" Zhao Cheng put down his chopsticks and sighed heavily.

"Your Highness, is the taste not to your liking?" Chen Tang asked quickly.

"This plate of crab is enough for our family to eat and drink for a day, but here it is only enough for one person to have one. I feel heartache!" Zhao Cheng said with a sad face.

"Is Your Highness's monthly salary not enough to cover expenses?" Chen Tang knew that a prince with the title of military governor received a monthly salary of four hundred guan, and he was curious why a child would worry about money.

"Mr. Prefect, you don't know," Zhao Cheng said with a bitter face, but before he could finish, there was a commotion downstairs. Chen Tang quickly signaled the clerk to go check.

A short while later, the clerk came back with a smile, "Mr. Prefect, what happened downstairs?"

"Sir," the clerk hesitated, then continued, "The prince's attendants have already added food and drink twice, and they have drunk more than ten jars of wine, but they say they are still not full. The kitchen can't keep up, so they are causing a disturbance!" Everyone's eyes turned to the chief steward, wondering if he had starved the guards and bearers for several days.

"Please forgive me, I am having a tight time now. The servants in my mansion haven't eaten meat for nearly two months. Today, they must have slipped up. Jixi, go and discipline them!" Zhao Cheng saw the chief steward trying to explain and quickly took over.

"No need, Mr. Clerk, quickly have the kitchen prepare more. How can we let the prince's attendants go hungry!" Chen Tang quickly stopped Jixi and gave the order.

"Thank you, Mr. Prefect. Since more needs to be prepared, have them make a few more servings. My guards haven't eaten yet!" Zhao Cheng said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Immediately instruct the waiters to set up another table at the end and invite the brave men to join us!"

"Pan Long, you should thank Mr. Prefect. I, the prince, have been unable to provide you with good meals for a long time. Since Mr. Prefect is so kind, you should eat more and enjoy yourselves!" Zhao Cheng said to the four strongmen.

"Thank you, Mr. Prefect." Pan Long was puzzled. In the mansion, they ate meat as their main meal and were already tired of it. Why was the prince speaking in reverse? But since the prince told them to eat more, they didn't need to be polite. He said to the waiter, "Waiter, no need for plates and bowls. Just cook a fat sheep and two large geese!"

Pan Long's mind was simple. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it. This made Chen Tang and the others believe that these people were really hungry!

"Is there anything troubling Your Highness?" Chen Tang, seeing Zhao Cheng's embarrassed look, asked with concern.

"Mr. Prefect, you don't know. A while ago, there was an issue in my mansion. A few of the managers embezzled the mansion's funds, causing a deficit. Now, I have to live on my monthly salary. But look, my grandfather sent me a group of idle people and some cats and dogs. I can't kick them out, so I have to keep them. Life has become even tighter. Last month, the empress gave me ten thousand coins to buy land and repair the house, but the land is so expensive now. The chief steward worked hard but couldn't even buy a small estate!" Zhao Cheng spoke with a sad tone, almost on the verge of tears.

"Children don't lie. It seems the prince's life is really hard!" Chen Tang looked at the four strongmen at the other table, who had already eaten half a sheep, and believed Zhao Cheng's words to be true.

"Ah, I am in a difficult situation now. When I left the palace, my father instructed me not to bully others, to treat my subordinates well, to follow the law, and to be a good person. But everywhere, people are asking for money. Today, the state needs to collect two taxes, tomorrow, the county needs to collect labor taxes, and even the reception fees for the countryside have to come from me. The most hateful is Zhang Yan, who demands ten thousand guan from me. Now, I only have this golden belt left, given to me by Emperor Taizong. Should I sell it to get money for him?" Zhao Cheng became angrier as he spoke. "And that Chen Zian, when I and a few servants tried to catch some rabbits for meat to improve our lives, he took them away. I told him my father is the current emperor, but he still dared to chase and beat me. They treat me like a small fry. Today, I will show them that I, the second prince, am not to be bullied!"

Hearing Zhao Cheng's words, everyone at the table was stunned. The officials from the prefecture and the county exchanged glances, realizing how corrupt the prefect was, even extorting money from the prince's mansion, forcing the prince to sell the emperor's gift. They looked at Chen Tang with a mix of 'admiration.' The people from the Zhao mansion were even more surprised. Their lives weren't that bad. The palace's rewards alone were enough to last for years. Since the prince ordered better meals, the mansion now had meat at every meal, and everyone had new cotton clothes. Everyone was happy, even though there were some unclear levies and higher taxes, which were just a small fraction of their income.

"Your Highness, please eat more. You haven't had such good food for a long time!" Jixi, who was 'perceptive,' although he didn't understand why the prince was 'exposing his family's shortcomings' in public, knew that the prince must have a deeper intention. He quickly took the role of the first supporting character.

"Ah, I, the chief steward, have failed. I have been troubling Your Highness with these trivial matters every day!" The chief steward, seeing that Jixi had taken the lead, could only take the second role. "The mansion looks grand from the outside, but life is hard. The prince lives frugally, with only one meat dish and one vegetable dish per meal, but the money is still not enough. Although the estate has some income, it is not enough to cover the expenses. The empress wants to buy more property, but the land prices have skyrocketed, and the reward money is not enough."

The four strongmen at the other table, hearing their conversation, suddenly stopped eating, put down their bones, and stood behind the prince again. They felt ashamed, realizing that the prince rarely ate meat himself but saved money to provide meat for them. Although they were short of money, the prince never owed them their salaries. They were a good master, but their eyes turned unfriendly toward Chen Tang, as the prince's anger today was due to his son. If the prince gave a signal, they would beat them up.

Chen Tang, seeing everyone's eyes, felt even more awkward. He knew the origin of the golden belt, which had been hidden in the imperial treasury for a hundred years. The emperor's favor for this prince was evident, and his mother was the emperor's most beloved concubine. The prime minister's return to power was due to her efforts. There were rumors in the capital that the emperor intended to make the second prince the crown prince. If the emperor knew that his son was being bullied by Chen Tang's son and brother-in-law in his territory, his family would not be enough to pay for the consequences. Chen Tang was already drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if his buttocks were on fire, unable to sit still.

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