Young Master Gao's face, which was full of "offering favors for no reason," made Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan extremely wary of the so-called "birthday banquet" tomorrow.

The two returned to their inn room, but instead of resting immediately, they discussed their experiences of the night in hushed tones by candlelight.

“This young master Gao is no ordinary man,” Lin Wanwan said first. “His father is the Salt Commissioner, and he himself is a leader in the literary world of Jiangnan. He probably has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. We need to be extra careful when we attend the banquet tomorrow.”

"The son of a local official has such great power that he even dares to openly interfere in trade routes and win over officials." A cold glint flashed in Xiao Che's eyes. "It seems that the administration in Jiangnan is much more interesting than what I have seen in the memorials."

He placed the gold-embossed invitation on the table, his tone calm, yet carrying a chilling undercurrent.

The two discussed the details of attending the banquet the next day before resting.

The next morning, Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan didn't rush out. According to the invitation, the birthday banquet was scheduled for the evening.

After having breakfast, they went down to the lobby of the inn, intending to find a place to sit and listen to what interesting things the merchants from all over the country were talking about.

Unexpectedly, they were stunned by the scene before them as soon as they went downstairs.

The huge lobby of the inn was now packed with people, not a single seat available!

In the very center of the hall, a small stage had been temporarily erected. On the stage was an eight-immortal table, and behind the table sat a sprightly storyteller, holding a gavel and speaking with great enthusiasm.

Below the stage, not only the hotel guests but also many townspeople came after hearing the news, surrounding the entire lobby in layers. They listened with rapt attention, occasionally letting out cheers and applause.

"...Speaking of our current emperor, he is capable of governing the country with both civil and military prowess! Back then, when the regent held absolute power and the court was in turmoil, it was His Majesty who swiftly restored order and brought us to this peaceful and prosperous era!"

The storyteller was recounting the "rise to power" of the current emperor, Xiao Che.

Of course, through the artistic embellishment of folk artists, Xiao Che in the story has been deified into a legendary figure who is eight feet tall, has double pupils, and can destroy enemy ships with a wave of his hand.

Hearing his story being distorted in such an absurd way, Xiao Che's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Lin Wanwan, suppressing her laughter, finally managed to find two empty seats in a corner and sat down with him.

The people were clearly extremely interested in the story of this legendary emperor.

The storyteller then recounted the latest plot from a folk tale.

"Our Emperor, who cares deeply for the people, felt that simply reading memorials was meaningless! So, not long ago, he secretly changed into plain clothes and slipped out of the palace with our virtuous and kind Empress for a private visit!"

"Smack!"

With a clapper, the storyteller left the audience in suspense.

The crowd below the stage immediately erupted in uproar.

"Oh my! His Majesty has really gone on an incognito trip? This is an incredibly important matter!"

"That's right! I knew His Majesty was a good emperor; he would definitely come down to see how we common people are living!"

"I wonder where His Majesty and His Majesty are now? Could they... be coming to Suzhou?"

The people were talking about it, their faces filled with a sense of pride, excitement, and admiration.

Listening to the enthusiastic discussion among everyone about his "fantasy" itinerary, Xiao Che, the person in question, held his teacup with a somewhat subtle expression.

For the first time, as an "observer," he so vividly felt his image in the hearts of ordinary people.

It was a kind of worship that bordered on faith, filled with beautiful fantasies.

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, the storyteller continued to tell the story of how the "Emperor" punished evil and promoted good among the people and outwitted corrupt officials. The audience applauded and exclaimed that they were thoroughly enjoying the story.

Before I knew it, an hour had passed.

The storyteller's throat was dry from telling his tale, and it was finally time for a break.

He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to take a break first. In a short while, we'll continue with the story of 'The Emperor's Wrathful Execution of the Tyrant of Jiangnan'!"

The crowd cheered and took out their coins, throwing them into the donation tray on the stage.

During halftime, the tense atmosphere relaxed.

The people gathered in small groups and began chatting about everyday life.

Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che sat in a corner, quietly drinking tea and listening to the noisy discussions around them, which they found quite interesting.

However, at that moment, the conversation of a few people at the next table who looked like local vendors caught Lin Wanwan's attention.

"Sigh, life is getting harder and harder," a cloth merchant sighed and complained in a low voice.

“Who says otherwise?” A rice vendor nearby chimed in, “Why has the price of salt gone up again? If it keeps rising like this, our small business really won’t be able to survive!”

"Salt price"?

Lin Wanwan's ears twitched sharply.

Salt is essential to people's livelihood and is a monopoly commodity strictly controlled by the imperial court. Its price is stable and does not fluctuate easily. How could it suddenly increase in price?

The cloth merchant said indignantly, "What else could it be? Haven't you heard? It's because that young master of the Gao family held some kind of bullshit 'Jiangnan Literary Gathering' on Golden Wind Lake last night!"

"The Gao family?" The rice seller was startled. "You mean... the Gao family of Salt Commissioner Gao?"

"Besides his family, which other Gao family is there?" The cloth merchant curled his lip, lowering his voice so that almost only his table could hear him. "Isn't that right! Every time they hold one of these poetry gatherings, they raise the price of salt! They call it raising 'writing fees' for those pretentious scholars! Bah! I think it's just 'heartfelt fees' going into their own pockets!"

"My goodness! Holding a poetry gathering and they're raising the price of salt? This...this is too domineering!"

"Overbearing? His father is the Salt Commissioner, and the entire salt permits for Suzhou are controlled by his family! If he wants to raise prices, who dares to say 'no'?"

Shh! Keep your voice down!

Just as the cloth merchant was about to continue complaining, another person at the table nervously nudged his arm and looked around in fear.

"Are you out of your mind?! How can you say something like that so casually?" he warned in a low voice. "Have you forgotten how that peddler who said a few bad things about the Gao family in the tavern got his legs broken and was thrown into the river?"

"Besides, the host of last night's poetry gathering, that 'handsome young master' from the Gao family, is the Salt Commissioner's darling! You're here to say that his literary gathering is 'bullshit,' do you have a death wish?"

Upon hearing this, the table that had been filled with righteous indignation instantly fell silent.

The businessmen all wore expressions of fear and resentment, a mixture of anger and resentment that they dared not express.

They picked up their teacups and drank silently, no longer daring to mention the "Gao family" or "salt prices." They changed the subject and began talking about the weather and this year's harvest.

It was as if that conversation, filled with public resentment, had never happened.

However, not a single word of this was missed, and it all fell into the ears of Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan, who were sitting not far away.

Lin Wanwan paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

She turned her head to look at Xiao Che.

His face, which had previously held a hint of interest in listening to the story, was now clouded with gloom and icy coldness.

He held his teacup, silent, but his deep eyes were already filled with a chilling coldness.

What he thought was a "grand event in the literary world" turned out to be built on the exploitation of the people.

The famous line he wrote himself has become the "writing fee" that the so-called "Young Master Gao" used to exploit the people.

What an irony!

Just now, he was still immersed in the people's worship and fantasies about him as their "emperor".

But in the blink of an eye, reality gave him a resounding slap in the face!

In his fantasy, he punishes evil and promotes good among the people, and angrily beheads corrupt officials.

In reality, however, he is being used as a tool for making money by the local bullies under his control!

A huge surge of anger, a feeling of being fooled, welled up inside him instantly!

Lin Wanwan noticed that the smug emoji that had occasionally popped up above his head while listening to the audiobook, with the caption "Is I really that amazing? .jpg", had completely disappeared.

Instead, a chilling, icy blue emoji appeared, bearing only a single, concise yet deadly word—

[Check! .gif]