Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Entering Beijing (2)
On her first day, Li Xiaoxiao stayed in a small town called Yongxing, which was only a little over 100 li away from Biyang County.
This is her fourth year here, but it's the first time she's left Biyang County alone.
I originally planned to settle down and then take the time to see the world properly, but I ended up staying in Biyang County for more than three years.
Apart from Lin'an and Luzhou, she had never been anywhere else.
She was carrying a huge secret on her trip to the capital, but she did not mention it to Magistrate Meng.
If she tells him, Magistrate Meng probably won't let her leave the house.
But if that were the case, the person behind the scenes would be far too smug and killing with far too much impunity.
It's one thing to lay a hand on the crown prince, but to lay a hand on a child who's only a few years old is simply intolerable.
Even in the apocalypse, minors are unconditionally protected.
So she decided to tell the Crown Prince what she knew, to stop him from being beaten all the time. As for what he would do next, that was his problem.
Her attitude was the same as the Meng family's; she didn't want to get too involved in this turmoil.
Hopefully she didn't arrive too late; the Crown Prince still has the strength to struggle.
As you travel north, the scenery becomes increasingly different from that of Biyang County, especially as you approach the Central Plains. Biyang County is characterized by rolling hills and beautiful scenery, with stunning mountains and rivers. This kind of terrain is suitable for tourism and living, but not so suitable for farming or making a living.
However, the Central Plains are a flat expanse, without any undulations, with houses scattered throughout, crisscrossed by paths, arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner. No wonder there has been a saying since ancient times that the Central Plains is a strategic location that military strategists must contend for. Such land could easily support 100,000 soldiers.
It's a pity she was in a hurry and didn't have time to travel around. Otherwise, seeing such beautiful scenery, she would have stopped to explore before continuing her journey.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but curse the person behind it all again. If it weren't for his meddling, she and Meng Guanqi would be on their study tour right now, able to go wherever they wanted. Because of his messy actions, their plans were all disrupted, the study tour was canceled, and she didn't get the chance for a publicly funded trip!
Li Xiaoxiao rode on her horse, complaining as she traveled.
Ten days later, she finally arrived at the gates of the capital.
Looking at the towering city gate, a sense of ancient simplicity and profound history washes over you. The three large characters "Ding'an Gate" with gold accents on a black background evoke feelings of excitement and awe.
This is the capital city, the capital of the Great Wu Dynasty, the center of power and wealth.
Li Xiaoxiao dismounted and lined up to enter the city. The city gate guards checked her household registration and travel permit and let her through directly.
After all, this is the capital city; they wouldn't arbitrarily charge an entrance fee.
Or perhaps they simply didn't care about the few coins they paid to enter the city.
Upon entering the city, the hustle and bustle hit us directly. The main road was wide and spacious enough for four carriages to travel side by side. The restaurants, inns and other shops on both sides were ornately decorated, and the crowds were bustling.
Li Xiaoxiao was hungry, so she bought five meat buns from a roadside stall. They cost two coins each in Biyang County and five coins each in the capital. They were about the same size, but the price difference was more than double.
As expected of the capital, even the food is several times more expensive than in other places.
The palace was located in the west of the city, quite a distance from the city gate. Li Xiaoxiao didn't want the Meng family in the capital to know that she had come to the capital, so she didn't stay at the house in the east of the city, but instead found a moderately priced inn near the west of the city to stay in.
The price was said to be moderate, but a second-class room with a window cost 300 coins a day. Fortunately, they could feed the horses for free.
Li Xiaoxiao settled down and rested well for the night. She slept until lunchtime the next day, and after getting plenty of rest, she changed into clean clothes and swaggered out the door.
Now that she had arrived in the capital, she certainly wouldn't go to the Eastern Palace to find Pang Shi immediately. She needed to find out what the situation was like in the capital and how the Crown Prince's reputation had changed over the past few days.
Such information naturally comes from teahouses or restaurants with storytellers; when it comes to being well-informed, no one can compare to a storyteller.
After all, that's how they make a living.
Li Xiaoxiao asked the innkeeper and learned that the most famous storytelling building in the west of the city was called Zhiyu Building. In addition to drinking and eating, you could also watch plays and listen to stories. You could also occasionally meet talented people competing in poetry and painting. The literary atmosphere was very strong. However, it was quite expensive. A table in the main hall started at five taels of silver, and a private room started at ten taels of silver. If you wanted to reserve a good spot, you had to pay extra.
After finding out the location of Zhiyu Tower, Li Xiaoxiao set off at the appointed time.
As expected, Zhiyu Restaurant was packed with people. Li Xiaoxiao paid the bill and rented a table near the front of the hall. She then called over the waiter and asked, "What are your signature dishes?"
The waiter briskly announced the menu: "Eight Treasure Duck, Auspicious Three Treasures, Four Happiness Meatballs, and Double Blessings of Fortune and Prosperity—"
The menu items were all stream-of-consciousness names, and after talking for a long time, she still didn't know what she had ordered. Li Xiaoxiao simply waved her hand and said, "Give me a roast duck, a roast chicken, a pig's trotter, and um, another serving of the Four Happiness Meatballs and the Auspicious Three Treasures that you just mentioned, and then five bowls of rice."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Xiaoxiao felt everyone around her turn to look at her. She looked back, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen someone order food before?"
The waiter hurriedly smiled and said, "Sir, are you having friends coming? Would you like me to add another tea table for you?"
Li smiled and said, "No need, it's just me. Just serve the dishes as I just told you."
The waiter's lips twitched, but the dishes at Zhiyulou were expensive, and she would have to pay for all the food she ordered, even if she couldn't finish it all; it would also count as part of the restaurant's sales.
The waiter didn't say anything in the end and immediately went back to the kitchen to place the order.
Soon the table was full of food. Li Xiaoxiao glanced at the Four Happiness Meatballs. It turned out to be four small and exquisite meatballs in a white jade plate, two white and two red. The Auspicious Three Treasures were actually stir-fried beans with Chinese yam and wood ear fungus. It was a vegetarian dish, and the portion was particularly small!
Luckily, she ordered a chicken, a duck, and a pig's trotter; otherwise, these two dishes of mediocre food wouldn't have been enough to fill her stomach.
Ignoring the slightly disdainful looks from others, she buried her head in her food.
She ate bowl after bowl of rice, finished the duck, ate all the chicken, and even spat out the bones from the pig's trotters. She skewered four small, delicate meatballs with her chopsticks and ate them in one go. Finally, she scraped the plate of "Auspicious Three Treasures" clean with just a few spoonfuls.
No one was watching the singing and dancing in the hall anymore; everyone stared in disbelief as she ate, and a few mocking whispers could be heard.
"Where did this glutton come from? Has it never eaten in its past lives?"
"Looking so poor, are you here to beg for food? Do you even know how much the dishes cost at Zhiyu Restaurant?"
"Absurd! This is utterly disgraceful!"
"Why does Zhiyulou accept just anyone? I've been in the capital for so long and I've never seen anyone eat like this at Zhiyulou."
...
There were so many onlookers that even the shopkeeper inside the building was alerted. He squeezed through the crowd and saw that all the dishes on the table had been eaten clean, and Li Xiaoxiao was leisurely drinking tea and rinsing her mouth.
Such a messy state of affairs was really out of character for Zhiyulou Restaurant. Even the manager couldn't help but frown and immediately signaled the waiter to come and clear away all the dishes.
After the waiter took the items away, the innkeeper said with a smile, "Have you had your meal, sir? We haven't neglected you, have we?"
Li smiled and said, "No, the food is delicious. What's wrong?"
The innkeeper continued with a forced smile, "Sir, all the seats in our restaurant are booked. Since you're already full, could you please give up your seat to the next customer who is waiting?"
Li Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean? Are you kicking me out? Are you afraid I can't afford to pay?"
She took out a ten-tael gold ingot and slammed it heavily on the table, sneering, "I heard the dishes at Zhiyu Restaurant are very expensive. I wonder if this ingot of gold is enough to pay for the meal I just had?"
They actually paid the bill with ten taels of gold!
Zhiyu Tower has seen its share of nouveau riche, but even a millionaire who enters Zhiyu Tower has to act like a cultured person, more polite and refined than a scholar. They are nothing like Li Xiaoxiao, who eats meat and rice in large mouthfuls and throws gold around.
The innkeeper was already convinced that this person was a nouveau riche from out of town who knew nothing about the rules of Zhiyulou. But since she had already paid, he couldn't kick her out. So he could only smile and say, "Sir, you are too kind. Your money is more than enough to cover this meal. Is there anything else you would like? I'll have the waiter bring it to you."
Li Xiaoxiao said lazily, "I don't need anything. I just heard that Zhiyu Tower is one of the best storytelling towers in the capital. I came here to check it out because I've heard so much about it. I wonder when your tower starts telling stories?"
The innkeeper hurriedly said, "Is this your first time here, sir? Our storytellers have scheduled performances, but if you would like to hear them earlier, it's very simple. Just pay ten taels of silver, and the storyteller will give you a special performance. The inn only takes half as commission, and the other half goes to the storyteller for tea."
Only ten taels of silver?! Holy crap, this is robbery! Is storytelling really that lucrative?
But Li Xiaoxiao came here to gather information, so she naturally wouldn't care about the money. She waved her hand and said, "Then please have your storyteller give me a special lecture."
The shopkeeper smiled and withdrew. A moment later, a thin old man with gray hair and a beard walked over leisurely, looking quite like a hermit.
The old man walked to Li Xiaoxiao's table and gave a scholar's bow: "Sir, you've requested my storytelling. What would you like to hear?"
Li Xiaoxiao gestured to the person opposite her: "Please sit down, sir."
The storyteller returned the gift and sat down properly opposite her.
Li smiled and said, "I'm new to the capital and I've heard that the storytelling at Zhiyulou is very famous, so I'd like to hear you tell me about the hottest and most popular things in the capital right now."
The storyteller chuckled smugly: "Of course! Right now, there are three hottest news stories in the capital. First, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei was caught having an affair by his wife, who then chopped off two of his fingers with a knife. Second, the second son of the Duke of Qi lost all the shops on Yongle Lane in a bet. Third, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was found to have accepted bribes of up to 50,000 taels of silver by abusing his position. His Majesty is currently ordering the Court of Judicial Review to conduct a thorough investigation and track down the whereabouts of the embezzled funds. I wonder which story you would like to hear, sir?"
The storyteller's rule is that he only tells one story per audience session. If you want to hear a second story, you have to pay again. Now, the old man has listed three incredibly exciting news stories, and before he has even gone into details, he has already attracted everyone around him.
Everyone gathered around Li Xiaoxiao's table, their eyes fixed on the two of them, all hoping to get a free peek at the gossip.
Many people were whispering suggestions there:
"The wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei is so fierce? Listen to this, it's explosive!"
"The Duke of Qi's son lost all the shops on Yonglefang Street? Could it be a setup? Who won? Tell us quickly!"
"The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the national treasury's finances, yet it embezzled and accepted bribes? How many local officials did he help balance their accounts with all that money he took? Has the matter been investigated?"
...
All three things were incredibly popular, and everyone wanted to hear about them, but since it was Li Xiaoxiao who was paying for them, they only dared to offer suggestions quietly from the sidelines, hoping that she would choose topics that interested her.
But Li Xiaoxiao shook her head and smiled, "I don't think any of these are exciting enough."
The storyteller was taken aback, then his expression changed: "I dare say, in the five wards of the west of the city, there is no other storyteller as well-informed as me. You think these stories aren't exciting enough? Then what would you like to hear?"
Li Xiaoxiao smiled mysteriously: "Now that we're in the capital, shouldn't the most exciting news be over there?" She pointed to the east.
The storyteller's expression immediately changed, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "Please, sir, have a seat in the private room."
The onlookers sighed. They wanted to know royal secrets. Who in Zhiyu Tower wouldn't want to hear about the royal family?
However, the news was too explosive. The storyteller was full of enthusiasm, and the audience was captivated. But recently, the situation has become tense, and they no longer dare to talk about it in public. Even if the owner of Zhiyulou has a good relationship with the government, he can't just stand by and watch his superiors disobey orders and fail to enforce the law, can he?
But not being able to say it in public doesn't mean you can't say it at all. Otherwise, what's the point of having the Censorate? You've already done the work, so why don't you want people to speak? That's ridiculous.
So if you want to hear secrets, you'll have to upgrade to a private room. It costs ten taels of silver, and thirty taels for royal secrets, especially about the Crown Prince's Palace, which has been in the spotlight recently.
The story is told in a private box, so only the storyteller and the customer who booked the box know what it's about. It's not being spread in public, so what good would it do even if the authorities came? As long as the two of them deny what they said, the authorities have no evidence.
The stricter the government investigation, the better. The income of fifty guests in the main hall cannot compare to that of a single guest in a private room. Zhiyulou has already made a fortune from this matter and is eager to have more people come to hear the secrets of the Eastern Palace.
The smiling shopkeeper ushered Li Xiaoxiao out of the ten-tael gold ingot, while she and the storyteller were led to a quiet private room.
A screen was placed at the entrance of the private room, which not only blocked the noise from outside but also blocked the peeping eyes of others.
The tea was of the finest quality, and the snacks were complimentary. Li Xiaoxiao and the storyteller sat at opposite ends of the long table.
Li Xiaoxiao poured a cup of hot tea for the storyteller and gently pushed it towards him, saying, "Please have some tea, sir."
The storyteller was also a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations but failed repeatedly before turning to storytelling to make a living. Although he had become a performer, he still retained the pride of a scholar. Therefore, Li Xiaoxiao treated him with courtesy, and he accepted it without hesitation.
However, the guest was polite, and the storyteller was prepared to return the favor: "Would you like to begin, sir?"
Li smiled and said, "Naturally, it's the origin of the Crown Prince's 'inauspicious' reputation."
The storyteller immediately said, "I am a storyteller. Storytellers only tell stories and do not name names. I will pretend I did not hear your question, and I will only refer to you as 'Second Master' in the story you want to hear."
That old man!
He just mentioned the Duke of Qi, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, all of whom were mentioned by name. But when it came to the Crown Prince, he used a substitute title.
Li Xiaoxiao inwardly scoffed, but outwardly maintained a compliant demeanor: "In that case, please tell me the legends about this 'Second Master' in the capital."
Upon hearing this, the storyteller couldn't help but sigh: "To my shame, although I am a storyteller at Zhiyu Tower and consider myself well-informed, I really have no way of knowing the origin of the second master's 'ominous' statement. It seems that overnight, three people made a crowd, and many people's words melted metal, and it became an indisputable fact."
"The rumors about this matter reached their peak four months ago when the Second Master's second son passed away on the ninth day of that month. People quickly connected this to the fact that the Second Master's daughter had also died of illness three months earlier, and then his young son had died three years ago. In just three years, the Second Master had lost three children. Because the children were all very young, the oldest was no more than six years old and the youngest no more than three years old, which is the most vulnerable age to death. However, the doctors in the Second Master's family were highly skilled, and the young masters and ladies had no shortage of food and drink. How could they still pass away one after another? And in these three years, the Second Master has not had any children... This is the origin of the ominous rumors."
Li Xiaoxiao frowned: "Have any children died young in other mansions?"
The storyteller said, "The strange thing is that none of the other princes' children who were born were lost, but the second prince lost three sons in a row. Otherwise, this ominous rumor would not have spread so quickly, and the whole capital would have been in an uproar in less than two or three days."
Li Xiaoxiao said, "When such rumors spread about Second Master, didn't Master and Madam stop it?"
The storyteller said, "How could we not stop it? The master and madam sent many people to investigate the source of the rumors, and also arrested some storytellers and scholars who had spoken vehemently, imprisoning them for a period of time. But it was ultimately difficult to silence the public. The Censorate stood up against the master's further arrests, listing the laws of the dynasty, which state that the court cannot interfere with public opinion, and demanding the release of those arrested for discussing this matter. The master had no choice but to release them after a few days of imprisonment. So, this matter not only failed to be suppressed, but instead escalated..."
Li Xiaoxiao frowned. So it wasn't that the royal family hadn't tried, but the public opinion was simply uncontrollable. And the crown prince couldn't stand up and say that he wasn't an unlucky person, after all, he had really lost three children.
The storyteller said, "Second Master didn't do nothing. The best way to suppress this matter was to divert the people's attention to other things. So, for a while, all sorts of rumors were circulating in the capital, and the whole environment was chaotic. But it did cool down the bad news about Second Master a little."
His expression suddenly changed, and he said in a low voice, "Last month, there was another rumor that the young master, who was being raised in the manor, had suddenly disappeared! He was the second master's only son, and there was no sign of him, neither alive nor dead. Moreover, a fire broke out in the largest imperial estate on the outskirts of the capital one night, burning down a large area of houses. The number of dead and injured was kept secret by the government... However, the second master's manor immediately refuted this claim and launched a large-scale arrest of the person who spread the rumor. This time, the people arrested were not released. After all, if the child were still alive, the person who spread such a rumor would have ulterior motives and would obviously want to frame the second master. So what we heard in private was just a rumor, which we could not verify and dared not spread.
That's why Zhiyulou doesn't dare to openly discuss the Crown Prince's secrets. If you want to hear them, you can come to a private room, but you'll need to pay an additional forty taels of silver to hedge against the risk.
Hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao roughly understood that the Crown Prince's crisis was far from over. Although Aze's disappearance hadn't been widely publicized, how long could it be kept secret? Normally, no one dared to ask if he didn't come out, but what about when he needed to make a public appearance? Could he still hide and not show his face?
Li Xiaoxiao sighed, "It seems this Second Master really has a troubled life."
The storyteller sighed, "Who can argue with that? Anyone with eyes can see that the masters in the house are getting restless and are putting pressure on the master to choose a new head of the household."
They're already discussing deposing the heir apparent? Li Xiaoxiao was secretly alarmed and frowned, asking, "What was the Second Master's reputation in the capital before his incident?"
The storyteller said, "Second Master is wise and has always had a good reputation. But now he is locked up at home by the master and madam and has suffered such a great blow. No one knows if he can get through it."
Li Xiaoxiao frowned: "He's been locked up?"
The storyteller said, "I heard he's ill. The master ordered him to stay in the palace to recuperate. What's the difference between that and being locked up? Some people are even saying that he's gone mad."
Li Xiaoxiao gasped. For so many years, the Crown Prince had not found a way to break the deadlock, and now he was gradually declining. If Aze had not met her by accident this time... it wouldn't be long before he was abandoned.
Li Xiaoxiao was torn between two conflicting thoughts. She had thought that she held crucial evidence to overturn his case, and that once he got his hands on it, he could open a breach and uproot the mastermind behind it all. But he had already lost his good reputation among the people, and now he was imprisoned by the emperor at this crucial moment. Even if he got the evidence, would he still have the strength to fight back?
What will the emperor do to him now? Will he depose him?
At this point, the storyteller had finished his tale and politely withdrew.
Once the door closed, no one cared what the two said inside; the matter was over.
After finishing the snacks and tea served on the table, Li Xiaoxiao patted her stomach and walked out, thinking to herself, "This capital city is really a place where money flows like water. Just one trip out cost me ten taels of gold."
She needs to go back and think about whether or not to give away this hot potato she's holding.
Upon opening the door, the Zhiyu Tower was still bustling with activity. On the stage in the hall, a singer was playing the pipa. Almost all the tables in the hall were occupied, and people in the private rooms had opened their windows to enjoy the singer's performance. It was truly a lively scene.
As Li Xiaoxiao finished paying the bill and walked out, she was greeted by a group of young students wearing light blue academic gowns and student caps. The words "Wanshan" seemed to be embroidered in vermilion thread on the hem of their gowns.
There were about a dozen students in the group. Li Xiaoxiao stepped aside to let them pass, but she inadvertently saw one of them and froze on the spot.
Was she seeing things? Why did one of them look so much like her little cabbage?
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