The fat man heard the insults but did not turn around to refute them.

It wasn't because he was kind, but because he couldn't win.

Seeing the fat man tuck his tail between his legs and run away, the diners in the inn burst into laughter.

Most people still have some conscience; they wouldn't do something like eating one meal and then cursing the cook the next.

Since Li Chang'an came to Lantian County, their lives have been getting better and better.

There's no need to worry about the imperial court raising taxes, nor about corrupt officials.

As long as the prince is here, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to cause any trouble.

If you speak ill of the imperial court, they won't care; on the contrary, they'll think you're right.

But if you speak ill of the prince, they won't allow it.

Fatty should actually thank Chen Zuan; if it weren't for his curses, they probably wouldn't have been able to leave Tongfu Inn.

Many guests at the inn raised their wine glasses and toasted the group of scholars.

Bai Zhantang even brought over a pot of wine and placed it on their table.

"We didn't order any wine. Waiter, did you bring the wrong thing?"

Chen Zuan was a little confused. He had already drunk enough, and if he drank any more, he would get drunk. Alcohol is best enjoyed when you're just slightly tipsy.

Bai Zhantang looked at him and said, "You've served the right thing, sir. This is a complimentary drink from our shop. Please enjoy."

Looking at the wine on the table and the diners around him, Chen Zuan felt happy, as if he had come to the right place.

"Brother Jiang, do you remember when you first came here, you said that Tai'an City reeks of money and lacks the scholarly atmosphere of our Lu region?"

"Now look at it again, do you still feel the stench of money here?"

The scholar surnamed Jiang opened the wine on the table and poured himself a cup: "Yes, but beneath this smell of money lies the aroma of everyday meals from ordinary people's homes."

"I'm a little addicted to this smell."

The other scholars at the table burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Upon seeing the group of scholars, Li Chang'an thought for a moment, then led the silly girl over and cupped his hands in greeting to them.

"Gentlemen, could you share a seat?"

His voice made everyone at the table look up.

Chen Zuan looked him up and down, pointed to the chair next to him, and said with a smile, "As long as you're not here to cause trouble, I welcome you."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an sat down and addressed the scholars, saying, "My name is Li..."

"My name is Li Yunlong. May I ask how you gentlemen should address me?"

"My name is Chen Zu'an. I greet you, Brother Li."

"My name is Jiang Jingfu. I greet you, Brother Li."

"I met Brother Li at Shijinquan in my hometown."

"I am..."

Perhaps because of Li Chang'an's extraordinary presence, the scholars present were quite polite, introducing themselves one by one.

As they announced their names, Li Chang'an raised his glass and toasted them.

"Judging from your travel-worn appearance, you don't seem to be from Tai'an City."

Chen Zuan picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, his face flushing even more: "We came from Shandong for our studies. We heard that our Ming Dynasty Regent built a city called Tai'an here, so we came here specifically to take a look."

Upon hearing the word "Shandong," a song immediately came to mind for Li Chang'an.

"Lu Ai Jinan car, Lu Bi Qingdao..."

He shook his head to clear the song from his mind and then asked, "Brother Chen is a scholar, but you don't look like a weak scholar at all."

Chen Zuan smiled, revealing his muscular arms: "When Confucius traveled the world, he didn't just rely on reasoning with others."

“If he were a skinny, frail scholar, my brother Jiang and I would never have been able to travel to Tai’an City.”

"So, the purpose of reading is to reason with others."

"And this physical fitness is so that others can sit down calmly and listen to my reasoning."

"That fat guy clearly doesn't understand reasoning."

"Since he doesn't understand reason, I'll just have to talk to him about martial arts. Coincidentally, I also know a little about martial arts."

"Look, as soon as I show my fists and feet, that fat guy immediately understands what I'm saying."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an laughed heartily: "It seems that Brother Chen and I are kindred spirits."

As he spoke, he raised his wine glass: "I must toast Brother Chen, otherwise I would be disrespecting Brother Chen's principles."

After finishing his drink, Li Chang'an asked, "Brother Chen, what do you think of Tai'an City?"

Chen Zuan had drunk a bit too much, and his head was a little fuzzy. He started to blurt out, "A paradise on earth, breathtakingly beautiful."

“When I was sixteen, I traveled all over the world. I have been to all parts of the country, even the farthest Liao and Manchu kingdoms.”

"I have never seen any city that can reach the level of Tai'an City."

"The people were well-fed and clothed, and every household had grain piled up to the brim."

“In some farmers’ homes, there are still some cured meats hanging on the walls.”

“Especially those fertile fields in the suburbs, I feel like there’s never enough of them.”

"In my life, I, Chen Zu'an, love to see three things the most: golden fields, the grain in people's bowls, and young children in schools."

"These three things can only be found everywhere in Tai'an City."

Seeing his brother looking dizzy, Shi Jinquan quickly went over to help him up and said to Li Chang'an.

"Brother Li, I'm sorry, my brother has had too much to drink."

Li Chang'an smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

"I quite like what Brother Chen said."

Shi Jinquan's attempts to stop him didn't shut Chen Zuan up; instead, they made him talk even more.

"You might not believe it, but I, Chen, have traveled all over the world and what I've seen most often is the stench of meat and wine behind the rich and the frozen corpses on the road."

"The noble families are so full that their mouths are dripping with oil, while ordinary people are so hungry that they resort to cannibalism."

"Even in the Jiangnan region, which is known as the land of fish and rice, the people there were starving and dying everywhere."

"Local officials are only concerned with vying for power and profit; they don't care about the lives of ordinary people."

“Throughout the Ming Dynasty, regional princes held sway, and local forces were intertwined. One country had several local powers. Wasn’t this a betrayal of His Majesty the Great Ancestor?”

At this point, Chen Zuan sighed: "Rather than saying these places belong to the Ming Dynasty, it would be more accurate to say they belong to prominent families from various regions."

"These powerful families colluded with local martial arts sects, entrenched themselves throughout the Ming Dynasty, treated the imperial decrees as a joke, and only cared about making money for themselves."

"To be honest, in my whole life, I have traveled all over the country, and Tai'an City is the only place that wants me to stay."

"Here, at least you won't see any oppressive policies or taxes, nor will you see any corrupt officials."

"At least here we can see that the elderly have support and the young are cared for."