Chapter 28: Each with Their Own Thoughts

In the Spring Garden, Huang Jingchen sat in his study, sipping tea, while Shunzi stood respectfully by his side, massaging his shoulders. "Sir, I have found out. After the midday banquet, Chen Tang had his son dragged to the street and slapped him a hundred times in front of everyone. Two of his servants were imprisoned, branded, and exiled to Lingnan!" Shunzi said calmly, recounting the news he had just received.

"Hmm, Chen Tang is still smart enough to know what to do!" Huang Jingchen said with a slight smile, squinting his eyes.

"There's another matter, but I can't quite figure it out. At the banquet, His Highness bought two hundred hectares of land next to ours from Chen Tang for just five thousand strings of cash. He exchanged a cat for the manor and all the livestock, and the people on Chen Tang's estate obediently came to settle the deal the next day!" Shunzi said, puzzled.

"Oh, there's also this episode. Tell me the details, don't leave out a single word!" Huang Jingchen frowned and said.

"Yes, it started with the meal." Shunzi was a linguistic genius. He vividly imitated how Zhao Cheng complained about being poor, how Jianxi and the chief steward played along, and how Chen Tang reacted, capturing the tone and demeanor of everyone at the table as if he had been there the whole time.

"Ha ha, His Highness is really a child, to come up with such a scheme to seize Chen Tang's estate. If he wanted it, why go through all this trouble? He could have just taken it. And he made me, the chief steward, the bad guy, crying poor in front of them, as if I mistreat the people in the mansion!" Huang Jingchen laughed heartily. He had seen many cases of forced seizures in the court and did not take it seriously.

"Sir, I think His Highness is very meticulous. As the governor of Gongzhou, Chen Tang has many bailiffs in the government office and commands two thousand imperial guards. Insulting the emperor and besieging the prince's mansion, if investigated, would be a capital offense. Chen Tang is not a good person. If he were desperate, he might think of killing to cover his tracks. In that case, His Highness..." Shunzi seemed to have figured out something and analyzed it bit by bit.

Huang Jingchen waved his hand to stop Shunzi, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "If it's as you say, then His Highness has once again escaped from the jaws of death. But His Highness is just a child raised in the palace," Huang Jingchen muttered to himself.

"Sir, I think His Highness has seized Chen Tang's weakness. By causing such a commotion, the governor has been humiliated, and everyone knows about it. No one with ill intentions around here will dare to cause trouble for us. I think this is His Highness's main goal. Seizing the estate was just a side benefit, an unexpected gain. His Highness used his wits and got both the substance and the appearance!" Shunzi said, refilling Huang Jingchen's teacup with hot tea.

"You have a point. His Highness's methods are more like a child's tantrum!" Huang Jingchen was startled by this thought. Could it be that His Highness is really as the two Taoists said, "accomplishing this without showing his true colors. If a seven-year-old child can have such a mind, then he must be..."

"Sir, Jianxi from the Xia Courtyard is here!" A young eunuch knocked on the door and said.

"Let him in!" Huang Jingchen quickly regained his usual demeanor and said, frowning.

"Sir, good day!" Jianxi bowed and smiled, saying, "Sir, His Highness invites you to have lunch today!"

"Oh, has a distinguished guest come to the mansion?" Huang Jingchen asked, somewhat surprised. These days, Zhao Cheng had been alone in his room or with the servants, and they hadn't eaten together for a long time.

"Sir, no, the second master said the vegetables in the greenhouse are ripe, and he picked the first batch. He wants you to come and try them. Today, he is cooking for you himself!" Jianxi replied.

"Is that so? I must go and try His Highness's cooking. But His Highness is being silly, how can he go into the kitchen? You should have advised him!" Huang Jingchen smiled, but there was no trace of anger in his words.

"I did advise him, but His Highness wouldn't listen. But the dishes His Highness made are really delicious!" Jianxi, seeing that Huang Jingchen was not angry, laughed and said.

In the small kitchen of the Xia Courtyard, Zhao Cheng was wearing a small apron made by Huahua, preparing a fish. The fish was a Yellow River carp, its tail flapping against the cutting board. He skillfully used a small knife to remove the scales, gut the fish, and make intricate cuts on both sides. He then washed it in clear water, wrapped the head in a wet towel, and coated it with dry starch. The two kitchen maids watched curiously, having never seen anyone prepare a fish like this.

"Zhangjie, quickly prepare the sweet and sour sauce. Li Jie, is the oil hot?" Zhao Cheng instructed the two kitchen maids while working.

"Sure thing, I'll put it in the pot right away!" Zhangjie quickly prepared the sweet and sour sauce in a pot as Zhao Cheng instructed.

"His Highness, the oil is hot!" Li Jie also replied.

With a 'sizzle,' Zhao Cheng held the fish by the head and placed it in the oil. After frying it for about a minute, he quickly removed it and placed it on a plate. He then removed the towel from the fish's head, poured the prepared sweet and sour sauce over it, and sprinkled some coriander leaves.

"Take it up immediately!" Zhao Cheng said, taking off his apron. A young eunuch immediately carried the plate inside.

"What's wrong with you, staring like that!" Li Jie waved her hand in front of the dazed Zhangjie.

"The dish is done, but the fish is still alive. How did the second master do that? If I learn this dish, I could become a famous chef in the capital!" Zhangjie was still in shock.

Huang Jingchen was casually walking around Zhao Cheng's room, with Jianxi respectfully following behind. "Jianxi, are all these books new purchases by His Highness?" Huang Jingchen asked, seeing that the bookshelves in the small study were filled with books, many of which were new.

"Sir, yes. When His Highness went to the state city, he saw a bookstore and had me buy every book in it, regardless of the content. It filled a whole cart and cost several hundred strings of cash!" Jianxi answered cautiously.

"Ha ha, I've never seen anyone buy books like that before. His Highness is truly a remarkable person!" Huang Jingchen laughed. "Does His Highness like to read books on military strategy and miscellaneous arts?" He asked, flipping through a stack of books on the desk.

"I don't know many characters, but His Highness has been reading until late at night these past few days!"

"Hmm!" Huang Jingchen nodded. Suddenly, he noticed something new on the pen stand—a small wooden rod with a copper tip, exquisitely crafted. "Jianxi, what is this? Did His Highness make it?"

"Sir, His Highness drew a design and had the mansion's coppersmith make it. He uses it to dip in ink and write, calling it a dip pen!" Jianxi answered, handing Huang Jingchen a sheet of paper covered in writing.

Huang Jingchen took it and examined it closely. The characters, though small, were neat and strong, lacking the softness of a brush and adding a sense of firmness, giving a refreshing feeling. He said nothing, put down the paper and pen, and looked at the bed on the side. His eyes widened at the neatly folded quilt, square and angular, with the bedsheet stretched as smooth as a calm water surface.

"Jianxi, who folded this quilt?" Huang Jingchen, unable to believe a quilt could be folded so neatly, touched it with his hand.

"Sir, since moving in, His Highness has been tidying his study and bedroom himself, rarely troubling others. This quilt was folded by His Highness!" Jianxi quickly smoothed out the quilt that Huang Jingchen had wrinkled, adding that the room would be messy if His Highness got angry.

"Oh? Let's go see the other rooms!" Huang Jingchen said, surprised. He quickly walked into the bedroom, and indeed, the quilt was folded just as neatly. He touched the items on the shelf, which were spotless, opened the wardrobe, and found the large clothes hung neatly on hangers, and the small clothes folded uniformly and stacked. The shoes were lined up with their toes pointing outward.

"Did His Highness tidy these as well?"

"Sir, His Highness gave instructions. After Guizhi and the others washed the clothes, they folded and arranged them according to His Highness's requirements."

"Does His Highness do this every day?" Huang Jingchen asked, still not quite believing it.

"Yes, His Highness does this every day, even the vegetable beds in the greenhouse are required to be square and uniform!" Jianxi answered calmly, no longer finding it strange.

"Hmm," Huang Jingchen nodded, then toured the other rooms. Everything was orderly, not at all like a child's room. He looked at Shunzi, who followed behind, and both felt a sense of unease. It seemed that the confrontation between His Highness and Chen Tang was not a child's whim but a planned and deliberate action. Everyone had been following His Highness's lead without understanding his true intentions.

When he returned to the dining room, several dishes were already on the table: cucumber with sauce, braised eggplant, stir-fried eggs with shrimp and leeks, and three meat dishes: white-cut chicken, braised mutton, and cold-cut mutton. The dishes were ordinary, but the fresh vegetables made them special, as they were hard to come by at this time of year.

"Jianxi, where did these vegetables come from?" Huang Jingchen asked.

"Sir, they were grown in the greenhouse. His Highness picked the first batch today and wanted to invite you to try them. These are all His Highness's cooking!" Jianxi smiled.

"Oh, His Highness's greenhouse really grows fresh vegetables in winter!" Huang Jingchen had previously thought the greenhouse was just a toy for His Highness, but now he was surprised to see it actually produce vegetables.

"Yes, the vegetables in the greenhouse are almost ripe, just in time for the New Year!" Jianxi said.

"Jianxi, why are you standing there? Quickly invite Uncle Huang to the table and warm the wine!" Before Huang Jingchen could ask more, Zhao Cheng entered, and a young eunuch placed the fish on the table. "Uncle Huang, this dish should be eaten first, or it won't taste as good!" Zhao Cheng sat at the head of the table, knowing that no one would sit until he did.

Huang Jingchen sat next to Zhao Cheng and glanced at the dish just placed on the table. The carp's mouth and gills were moving, and its eyes were bright, as if it were still alive. "Uncle Huang, try it and see how it tastes!" Zhao Cheng put a piece of fish on Huang Jingchen's plate. Huang Jingchen tasted it and found the fish meat tender and the flavor sweet and sour, marveling at it.

"His Highness, the fish is still alive. Is the meat raw?" Jianxi couldn't help but ask.

"Though it seems alive, it is already dead; though it seems dead, its mouth and gills are moving, so it can also be said to be alive!" Zhao Cheng said, putting a piece of fish in his mouth.

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