Chapter 79

Chapter 80: Stirring the Capital (Part 1)

Pan Long was stunned as the prince handed him the bowl of porridge, and the others were even more bewildered. A bowl of porridge was not usually considered a great treat, but after nearly five days without food, anyone who said they didn't want it would be a fool.

"Are you giving the porridge to them? Aren't you hungry?" the young lady asked in surprise.

"I am hungry, and very hungry. They are also very hungry!" Zhao Cheng said honestly. "They could have eaten their fill every day, but they chose to go hungry with me. Now that we have a bowl of porridge from the young lady, how can I enjoy it alone!"

"Very well, though young, the prince has the spirit of a hero, which commands respect!" the young lady couldn't help but praise.

"The young lady speaks well. Sharing in both good times and bad, that is true righteousness," some onlookers who had gathered around called out in approval.

"Brothers, the prince has given us this face, and I, Pan Long, must eat this porridge!" Pan Long took the bowl, drank a mouthful, and passed it to Xue Bao. Xue Bao drank a mouthful and passed it to the next person. By the time the bowl returned to Zhao Cheng, everyone had shown their respect, leaving just the bottom of the bowl.

"The bottom, the place of good fortune, I will drink it all!" Zhao Cheng scraped the bottom with his finger, poured it into his mouth, and smiled. His comical gesture made everyone laugh, but there was a glimmer of something bright in everyone's eyes.

"Thank you, young lady. The kindness of a single meal will never be forgotten. I cannot promise to repay it, but this will be a token of my gratitude to your young lady!" Zhao Cheng unfastened the jade ring from his waist, placed it in the food box along with the bowl, and returned it to the young lady.

"Hehe, if I didn't accept it, it would seem pretentious!" The young lady was straightforward, took the food box, and walked away down the imperial street, parting the crowd.

This sudden appearance of the young lady seemed to bring them good luck. By dinner time, they each received a bowl of porridge. Though not full, their stomachs finally had some food. The next morning, before dawn, an eight-person sedan chair passed by them, and a servant following the chair placed a food box, nodded and smiled at them, and then followed the chair into the palace gate.

"Who is he?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"Don't know, but from the sedan chair, he must be at least a third-rank official!" Jian Xi shook his head and said.

"Oh, a large bowl of seven-treasure vegetarian porridge, well-cooked!" Zhang Hao lifted the lid of the food box and looked inside. The bowl was more like a basin, and he smiled broadly.

"Let me see!" Jian Xi examined the porridge in the food box carefully and sniffed it. "I know who it is. He is the Inspector of the Works, Tong Guan. He loves seven-treasure vegetarian porridge, and his household's vegetarian porridge is quite famous!"

"Tong Guan?!" This name was very familiar to Zhao Cheng. From a young age, he knew him as the second villain in "Water Margin" after Gao Qiu, a notorious eunuch and one of the six corrupt officials of the Northern Song Dynasty. In his memory, there was nothing positive about him. "I have never met him, and we have no connection. Why would he send me porridge?" Zhao Cheng thought for a moment but couldn't figure it out. However, he didn't let it stop him from calling everyone to eat the porridge. He didn't realize that his relationship with Tong Guan would start with this bowl of porridge.

Before they finished the basin of porridge, another young servant came over, smiling, and placed a food box. "Your Highness, I am a servant from the Bai Fan Lou. Our boss specially asked the kitchen to prepare this bowl of five-flavor porridge and sent it to you while it's hot!" The young servant said, took out a basin of porridge from the food box, served it in a silver bowl, and placed a delicate silver spoon, handing it to Zhao Cheng. He then served a few more bowls to everyone.

"Who asked your boss to send us porridge?" Zhao Cheng stirred the porridge with a spoon, took a couple of mouthfuls, and asked.

"Your Highness, no one gave the order. You may not know, but the whole capital is talking about it. Your Highness defied the imperial edict to come to the capital to mourn your mother, set up a memorial hall outside the palace, and have not eaten for five days, touching the hearts of the people. You shared a bowl of porridge with your guards, showing great righteousness. Our boss was deeply moved and specially sent this porridge to you and your brothers, but we arrived a bit late!" The young servant looked at the food box left by Tong Guan with a hint of regret.

"Second Master, more people are coming!" Before they finished the two basins of porridge, Hong Ba saw two more people carrying food boxes approaching.

"Hey, isn't that Li Si from the Bai Fan Lou? You came early!" The newcomer, seeing Li Si packing up, knew he had been beaten to the punch, and said with a hint of jealousy.

"Hehe, Zhang San, you're not late either. Your Chang Qing Lou is a bit farther away, so I got here first. I'll take my leave now!" Li Si was not upset, and he sent a soft rebuff. Though he lost to someone else, beating Chang Qing Lou was still a good thing.

"Second Master, Chang Qing Lou is one of the top restaurants in the capital. Why are they sending us porridge today? Did they all take the wrong medicine last night?" Jian Xi remembered the prince's saying, "Abnormality is a sign of trouble," and immediately began to suspect if this was a premeditated event.

"I can't figure it out either, but since they are sending us food, let's eat!" Zhao Cheng answered straightforwardly.

"Your Highness, I got up early but still arrived late. However, our Chang Qing Lou's porridge is no worse than the Bai Fan Lou's. Please try a few mouthfuls!" Zhang San, though beaten to the punch, still smiled and served them enthusiastically.

"Thank your boss. This porridge is delicious, on par with the Bai Fan Lou's!" Zhao Cheng lifted a bowl of porridge, took a mouthful, and then called everyone to eat. These large restaurants were well-established and wouldn't dare to poison them, so he could eat with peace of mind. Besides, the taste was indeed good.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Our boss said that as long as you enjoy it, from today on, we will provide breakfast for everyone, with a different dish every day!" The young servant said happily.

Just as Chang Qing Lou finished and left, the next group arrived, as if they had planned it. This time it was Jin Liang Bridge's Liu Lou, followed by Ren He Store outside the Song Gate to the east of the city, Yi Cheng Lou to the west, Ba Xian Lou to the north, Zhang Ba's Home in Dai Lou Gate, and Li Qi's Home.

"Jian Xi, how many large restaurants are there in the capital?" Zhao Cheng, having eaten three rounds, was already full. He could only give a nod to the later arrivals, but the porridge was already up to his throat. He rubbed his stomach and asked.

"There are seventy-two major restaurants in the capital, and countless smaller 'foot shops' that sell fine dishes and cater to the nobility. The top ones are Bai Chu in Anzhou Alley to the west of the city, Bao Kang Gate's Li Qing, Dong Jier Alley's Guo Chu, Cao Gate's Brick Tube Li, Si East's Dice Li, Huang Pang, and the Nine Bridges Street Market. There are too many to count," Jian Xi, who was familiar with this, answered immediately.

"This is uneven. We were starving and ignored for days, but today, just for breakfast, we had over ten groups. If they all come, we'll burst!" Zhao Cheng burped and said, looking ungraceful.

"But we can say we've tasted the porridge from every major restaurant in the capital!" Hong Ba laughed.

"There will be a day when we not only eat our way through the capital but also open our own restaurant here!" Zhao Cheng said solemnly.

"Second Master, this porridge, even if we die, we can't finish it!" Jian Xi looked at the large and small food boxes and bowls around the memorial tent and the crowd surrounding them. He now suspected that the ban on entertainment during the queen's mourning period had driven the people to come for entertainment.

"Ah, what is going on?" Zhao Cheng was also confused. In the morning, he thought his mother or grandfather had instructed the major restaurants to send food, but by noon, not only the restaurants around the imperial city but also silk shops and miscellaneous goods stores, which did not sell food, were sending them meals. Even commoners carrying small baskets and bowls of porridge were coming in a steady stream, enough to open a large porridge shop. Was there a "Learn from Lei Feng" movement in this era? Zhao Cheng wondered.

"Second Master, more people are coming, get ready!" Jian Xi looked at the prince with some pity. Now, those sending food also paid their respects at the queen's memorial, and the prince, as a filial son, had to return the courtesy. Though he only needed to bow, he insisted on kneeling and bowing, and in less than an hour, he had bowed at least two or three hundred times.

At this moment, an old lady walked over, placed a small basket, took out a bundle of incense, two candles, and a stack of paper money, and handed them to Xue Bao, who was receiving the offerings. She then placed a bowl of coarse rice porridge and walked to the memorial. Jian Xi quickly lit an incense stick and handed it to her. The old lady took it, inserted it into the incense burner, knelt down, and respectfully bowed three times. Zhao Cheng returned the courtesy.

"Your Highness, you are a filial son. The queen's spirit will bless you with a lifetime of peace!" The old lady, out of breath, walked over and helped Zhao Cheng up.

"Old lady, thank you, please rest!" Zhao Cheng stood up, supported the old lady, and moved a stack of paper, took off his cloak, and laid it down before helping her sit.

"Tsk tsk, look, the prince is afraid the old lady will get cold, so he used his cloak to cushion her. At first, I thought the prince's five-day fast was a rumor, but now seeing how he treats a stranger, I know it's true!" A spectator commented.

"The prince hasn't eaten for five days, I saw it with my own eyes. Their guards bought food, but it was only for offerings, nothing else!" Another person said.

"How do you know that so well?"

"My shop is at the street corner, and they passed by my door every time they bought something, so I saw it!"

"Then why didn't you send a bowl of porridge when you knew the prince was hungry?"

"At first, I thought it was just for show, and someone from the palace would surely bring food. But I didn't expect it to be like this. His guards are also remarkable; they didn't eat for five days, which is truly admirable!"

"Yes, I saw it too. Yesterday, someone sent a bowl of porridge, and the prince only took one mouthful and shared it with everyone. The scene made even me, a grown man, shed tears. Last night, I had my wife cook porridge and brought it here!" A person gestured as he spoke, and those around him were moved.

"Wu Liu, your mother's house is almost falling apart, and you don't care in this cold weather, yet you can make people cry with your filial piety!" A familiar person teased.

"Ah, I didn't treat my mother well in the past, and it was wrong. After I came back from here yesterday, I brought my mother to our home. The prince defied the imperial edict to mourn his mother, risking his life, while I, a commoner, didn't even take care of my mother. I truly deserve to die!" The crowd looked at Wu Liu, who admitted his mistake, as if the sun had risen in the west, unable to believe that this street thug had reformed.

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