Chapter 29: The Topic

The lamb wine was the best, and Jianxi had it warmed and poured for Huang Jingchen, saying, "There are no outsiders here, everyone should sit down and eat together!"

"Yes!" Jianxi replied and sat down, but Fengxi and Shunzi didn't dare to sit, looking at Huang Jingchen.

"The Prince has asked you to sit, so sit down!" Huang Jingchen raised his eyelids and put down his chopsticks, and Fengxi and Shunzi sat down next to him, only daring to sit on the edge of the chair.

"Jianxi, pour me some too. It's no fun for Uncle Huang to drink alone. I'll keep him company. Pour some for everyone, let's all drink together and have a lively time!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

"Prince, you are still young, you should drink less!" Huang Jingchen bowed in gratitude and said with concern.

"Uncle Huang, try this cucumber picked this morning, how does it taste?" Zhao Cheng pushed the plate towards him.

"To be able to eat freshly picked cucumbers in the middle of winter is like a dream!" Huang Jingchen took a bite of the cucumber, which was cool and refreshing, and he chewed slowly, sighing.

"Hehe, Uncle Huang likes it. We have plenty in our greenhouse, enough for the whole household!" Zhao Cheng smiled at Huang Jingchen's eyes, "Fengxi, you all eat too, don't be so formal!" Jianxi, Fengxi, and Shunzi all reached for the fish that was still open-mouthed.

"Uncle Huang, try this eggplant too, I cooked it myself!" Zhao Cheng picked up a piece of eggplant for Huang Jingchen. This braised eggplant was his favorite, and when he was in the army, he could eat two large bowls of rice with this dish.

"Hmm, it's quite good, the cooking method is different from the palace's?" Huang Jingchen had eaten many palace delicacies over the years, but he had never tasted eggplant cooked this way.

"Grand Chef, the Prince's cooking skills are so good that even the two cooks in the small kitchen admit defeat and want to learn from the Prince!" Jianxi said.

"Prince, the sage said, 'A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.' You should go to the kitchen less often. If you want to eat something, you can ask the servants to prepare it!" Huang Jingchen put down his chopsticks and said.

"Hehe, Uncle Huang, the sage saying that can only mean he's a hypocrite. He's not hungry. If he didn't eat for three days, he would crawl into the kitchen!"

"Ha ha," everyone at the table laughed at his joke, and the previously somber atmosphere was broken. The three young ones took the opportunity to taste each dish, their faces showing satisfaction.

"Come, let's all raise a glass to Uncle Huang. He works the hardest for the household every day, and we should thank him!" Zhao Cheng raised his glass and suggested.

"Prince, how can I dare to accept such an honor!" Huang Jingchen stood up in alarm, knowing his place.

"Uncle Huang, I am young, and the household relies on you to manage it. It's only right to show my respect!" Zhao Cheng pulled Huang Jingchen to sit down and drank the wine first. He sipped the legendary best wine of the Song Dynasty, finding it not so good, bland and tasteless, probably the strength of 'light beer,' not to his 'modern' taste.

Having tasted the wine, Zhao Cheng felt more confident, holding half a glass and toasting with everyone. After five flavors of dishes and three rounds of wine, everyone was a bit tipsy, their faces flushed. At this moment, a young eunuch brought in a gourd soup.

"This is a good thing, in previous years, we could only eat it in early summer!" Huang Jingchen took a sip of the soup and smiled contentedly.

"Uncle Huang, I plan to send the next batch of vegetables to the palace for the Emperor and the ladies to try. What do you think?" Zhao Cheng poured more wine for Huang Jingchen.

"Prince, absolutely not! If you offer it, our household will never have peace again!"

"Uncle Huang, why is that?" Zhao Cheng asked in confusion.

"Hehe, Prince, you don't understand the people in the capital. Not to mention the nobles in the palace, even the people from other princes' and prime ministers' households will come knocking!"

"I am a prince too, can they dare to snatch it from me?"

"Prince, you are young and don't know their methods. They may not dare to offend you openly, but they can cause trouble behind your back. Have you forgotten the words the lady gave you?" Huang Jingchen stroked his smooth chin.

"Stupid and dull!" Zhao Cheng nodded, "Uncle Huang, I understand. The lady is teaching me to be low-key!"

"Low-key is a fitting word, Prince. This time, you handled the Chen Tang matter well. You made him suffer a loss, but he is grateful and can't complain!" Huang Jingchen said.

"Oh, Chen Tang won't spread this around. I was afraid the Emperor would know and think I was causing trouble!"

"Ha ha, Prince, Chen Tang will try to keep it a secret. He will order everyone who knows about it to keep quiet. You don't need to worry!" Huang Jingchen found the Prince's words amusing and laughed.

"Hmph, if he dares to say a word, we can make him roll out of here tomorrow. This time, he disrespected the Prince, and he deserved a lesson!" Shunzi interjected, seemingly not taking the governor seriously.

"Shunzi, you've had too much to drink, don't talk nonsense!" Huang Jingchen glared and scolded, and Shunzi lowered his head in fear.

"Uncle Huang, do you think I was too harsh on Chen Tang?" Zhao Cheng looked at Shunzi and asked.

"Hehe, Prince, how could you think that? Chen Tang's crimes, if severe, could lead to his family being exterminated, and if minor, could result in his dismissal and permanent banishment. Prince, you only made him lose some money, and others would still say you are kind and righteous!" Huang Jingchen shook his head and smiled.

"Still, having an emperor as a father is good. No one can compete with that. Even though I took a shortcut, it's not much different from outright robbery, and everyone still praises me, just because they can't provoke my father!" Zhao Cheng thought, but he couldn't say it out loud, "Is that so? I thought it was too much!"

"Prince, you should have killed him to eliminate future troubles. If he escapes this time, he might have rebellious thoughts!" Shunzi, seemingly drunk, drank another glass and poured more for himself.

"Shunzi, you are wrong!" Zhao Cheng tapped the fish with his chopsticks, "Laozi said, 'Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.' Do you understand what this means?" He pointed at Jianxi and the others.

"Does it mean governing a country is like cooking?" Shunzi guessed, and Zhao Cheng shook his head without speaking, looking at Fengxi.

"Does it mean governing a country is not as simple as cooking?" Fengxi thought and said. Jianxi secretly rolled his eyes but didn't speak, knowing the Prince had a deeper meaning, and Fengxi's guess was off.

"Prince, please explain!" Huang Jingchen was surprised. Why would the Prince say such a thing? Does this child have some deeper thoughts?

"This saying comes from a story. In the late Xia Dynasty, Yi Yin suggested to Shang Tang to stop paying tribute to Xia Jie to test his strength. Xia Jie, enraged, mobilized the Nine Yi forces to attack Shang. Yi Yin then advised Shang Tang that Xia Jie could still mobilize forces, and the time was not right. Shang Tang resumed paying tribute. When the time was right, Yi Yin suggested stopping the tribute again. This time, due to Xia Jie's tyranny, he could not mobilize the forces. Yi Yin then advised Shang Tang to attack. Shang Tang quickly defeated Xia Jie's army, exiled him to Nanchao, and the Xia Dynasty fell. The feudal lords then enthroned the virtuous Shang Tang as the emperor, establishing the Shang Dynasty. The sage Laozi derived the principle of 'governing a country is like cooking a small fish' from this story." Zhao Cheng sipped his wine, "Since then, interpretations of this saying have varied. My interpretation is: doing things is like cooking, you need to control the heat. When it should be high, it should be high, and when it should be low, it should be low. Only by balancing can you achieve a good taste."

"Prince, how does this relate to the matter at hand?" Shunzi scratched his head and asked.

"Sigh, Shunzi, you need to read more books!" Huang Jingchen sighed, realizing the Prince was not a simple child. His words had deep meaning, "Shunzi, think about who Chen Tang is?"

"Chen Tang is a minor official under Cai Jing, skilled in deceit and favored by him. Even after Cai Jing was dismissed, he still showed respect. After Cai Jing returned to power, Chen Tang was immediately promoted to the governor of Gongzhou, rising six ranks. But we don't need to fear them!" Shunzi seemed very knowledgeable and answered quickly.

"Right, Cai Jing, with the help of the imperial concubine, quickly returned to power, purging his enemies and promoting his loyalists. Even the cats and dogs from his hometown were given positions. Now, his influence is widespread, and he has become a powerful force!" Huang Jingchen said, "As the saying goes, 'When beating a dog, one must consider the owner.' Chen Tang is under Cai Jing. If the Prince kills him, it will offend Cai Jing. Although he can't do much to us, it will create animosity and distance. This could be exploited by others, causing us trouble. Now, the Prince has only taught him a lesson. Chen Tang will be more obedient, and Cai Jing, being wise, will understand the situation and befriend us. Prince, is this correct?"

"Hehe, Uncle Huang, I didn't think that much. I just felt that bullying the governor, Chen Tang, would make him more cautious, and no one would dare to bully me again!" Zhao Cheng smiled, still 'playing dumb.'

"I've had a bit too much to drink today. Jianxi, tell the kitchen to make a sobering soup. Shunzi and Fengxi, go to my room and make me a cup of 'Xiaolongtuan' tea!" Huang Jingchen pinched his forehead and instructed. The three of them left, leaving only Zhao Cheng and Huang Jingchen in the room.

---

(AD begins)

(AD ends)