Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 734 A Commoner's Tour of Jiangnan

Old Zhang definitely had to go back. The affairs in the court were so serious that it made his scalp tingle. Xia Lin and the others had only made a start, and he still needed to deal with the many messes that followed. Although he envied these people for being able to travel around, since he had become the prime minister, he had to do the job of a prime minister. So, after repeatedly warning them not to cause any more trouble, he returned to Jinling.

And so these three gentlemen had arrived in Ningbo Prefecture.

"Ever since we entered Ningbo Prefecture, the scenery has changed completely from the outside."

Li Shimin carried his horse spear and walked back and forth on the streets of Ningbo Prefecture, looking around. The last time he came here was more than ten years ago. At that time, Ningbo Prefecture was still the fiefdom of the Duke. His father, Li Yuan, brought him here to discuss the "grand plan of rebellion".

Well, back then, Ningbo Prefecture was no different from other places. Because of that little bit of trouble that led to the rebellion, the local people had been paying taxes to the people for ninety years. Basically, the local people were in a state of poverty where they were barely able to starve.

More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye, and the feeling of entering Ningbo City is completely different. There are a large number of Persian, Japanese, and even Borneo and India merchants here, bringing their families to do business and act as middlemen. The people seem to be doing alright. Not everyone is cheerful, but their mental state is worlds apart from the lifeless atmosphere of more than a decade ago.

This was Xia Lin's first visit to Ningbo Prefecture since his last visit. He was quite satisfied with the overall development of the city. The only thing that bothered him was that Ningbo Prefecture still had brothels, and quite a few of them. Even in broad daylight, people were coming and going, which was quite conspicuous.

"Drunken Immortal Pavilion..." Emperor Jingtai looked up at the name on the signboard: "Is this...?"

"Yes," Xia Lin nodded, "They're all under the same boss."

"From the bean sprout family." Emperor Jingtai, hands on his hips and head tilted back, said, "Let's go eat ribbonfish."

Ningbo Prefecture is located by the sea, and the best thing to eat this season is fresh ribbonfish. The ribbonfish from the Zhoushan fishing grounds grow at the confluence of warm and cold currents, resulting in firm and tender flesh. The fishermen know the secret well; the ribbonfish, about three fingers wide, are quickly packed into ice trays, and when they are transported from the fishing grounds to the merchants, the scales on their silvery-gray skin still gleam.

Connoisseurs know that the finest ingredients require only the simplest cooking methods. Cut ribbonfish segments into bone-in, phoenix-tail-shaped pieces, top with two slices of ten-year-old ham, sprinkle with a few goji berries soaked in Shaoxing wine and some finely ground salt—that's enough flavor. Steam for half an hour, until the fish meat is just right, like garlic cloves separating from the bone. The moment the lid is lifted, fish oil seeps out from under the skin, blending with the salty savory flavor of the ham and the sweetness of the goji berries in the dish. A gentle stir with chopsticks reveals layers of snow-white fish meat, like a mille-feuille cake.

Delicious food naturally comes at a high price, but its deliciousness is irresistible. Some people even travel long distances to taste this delicacy. Outsiders can hardly imagine its flavor, since it is very difficult to transport fresh ribbonfish out of the city.

"Thirty taels!"

I'll offer fifty!

As soon as they entered, they heard excited shouts from inside. After the three of them sat down, the waiter quickly came in. Li Shimin pointed ahead and asked, "What are they doing there?"

"Gentlemen, are you from out of town? They're filming the King of Fish. Today, a ribbonfish nearly five fingers wide was delivered from the port. We call it the King of Fish here because it eats a lot of meat, so the meat is exceptionally good. It's a rare and precious delicacy. These customers come every day during the spring fishing season, just waiting to eat one. There might only be one a year, or even none at all. Some customers have been waiting for two or three years."

"Good heavens." Li Shimin wasn't usually greedy, but after hearing this, he got a craving. He rolled up his sleeve and said, "I've come across something like this today, one hundred taels!"

Upon hearing the bid, everyone present was astonished. They turned around and saw that three out-of-towners were sitting there bidding. Although these gourmets were indignant, none of them were willing to give up this rare delicacy.

"One hundred and fifty taels!" One of them seemed determined to have this ribbonfish today: "No matter how much you ask for, I'll give you fifty taels more."

"Damn it..." Li Shimin scoffed and raised his hand: "Five thousand taels."

The room fell into a deathly silence. The waiter then quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir... this price is a bit too much. Don't be angry. That three-finger ribbonfish is also excellent. If you bid on it but can't pay, we'll have to report you to the authorities."

Li Shimin touched his pocket, his expression changed, and he turned to look at Emperor Jingtai: "Pay up the money."

"Why should I pay? You set the price yourself."

When bystanders saw that they were indeed there to vent their anger, they immediately began to mock them. These people themselves had no manners, so you can imagine how awful their words were.

"Forget it," Xia Lin waved her hand. "Just get two regular ones and that'll do."

Originally, Li Shimin had no intention of being competitive, and Xia Lin gave him a way out, so he was willing to accept it. But just then, a commotion came from the side: "If you don't have money, don't come here to try to be strong. This world is no longer about who you can talk to with your spear. You have to pay up."

Li Shimin turned his head and then stood up: "Fine, I live for pride. This lance of mine was a treasure given to me by the late emperor. Can I exchange it for a meal?"

The people around burst into laughter, and then one of them stood up and said with a smile, "Young man, this method won't work anymore. Ask the manager of this Drunken Immortal Pavilion how many treasures of the late emperor he has collected. Not to mention the treasures of the late emperor, how many of Zhang Xiang's calligraphy and Xia Shuai's underwear does he have?"

"Huh?" Xia Lin sat up abruptly. "His underwear is that valuable?"

"Haha, that's right, who wouldn't want to benefit from Marshal Xia's talent and magnanimity?"

Emperor Jingtai then asked in a high-pitched voice, "Do you have anything belonging to His Majesty?" The entire room fell silent. A waiter stepped forward and whispered, "Sir... it's hard to say, hard to say. Who would dare to pawn His Majesty's belongings? It would be extremely disrespectful."

"Huh?" Emperor Jingtai was taken aback: "So, Your Majesty is worthless?"

"That's not how it's said... priceless, priceless, it's just that it's priceless."

Just then, the head manager of Zuixianlou heard the commotion and came down. People say that the head manager of the Dugu family is equivalent to a sixth-rank official, and his influence is quite strong. People who were quite arrogant before are now respectful to him. Even the waiter quickly went over to explain the situation.

"Oh, this matter doesn't need to be reported to the authorities. It was indeed an impulsive act to spend five thousand taels. I'll go and talk to the guest about it."

The head steward was all smiles, without a trace of arrogance. He led the waiter to Xia Lin's table and first cupped his hands, saying, "Three guests, there's no need to fight over it. Some items are indeed obtained by chance. It's really just a lucky charm. I've been running this restaurant for over thirty years. There's no difference between three fingers and five fingers. Three fingers are even more tender and sweet."

Zuixianlou, having become the world's number one chain hotel, certainly has excellent management skills. Such snobbish behavior might be normal in other establishments, but it's a different story at Zuixianlou. You see, back in the day, Xia Lin and Lao Zhang mainly scavenged leftovers in Zuixianlou's kitchen. Even though they were in such a sorry state, Zuixianlou didn't kick them out and allowed them to take their leftovers with them—that was quite remarkable. Keep in mind that while they called it scavenging, it was actually clean, edible food; they just cooked it into pig swill after taking it home…

The head manager was still mediating the conflict when suddenly his eyes caught sight of Xia Lin, who was facing him. The more he looked, the more familiar Xia Lin seemed. The head manager's second skill was his ability to recognize people.

His heart rate had already increased, but he wasn't sure yet, so he went around to another direction, facing Li Shimin directly.

He didn't recognize Li Shimin, but Li Shimin had the pure aura of an emperor. Just by sitting there, he could tell at a glance that this man was no ordinary person.

When he turned to face Emperor Jingtai, he almost knelt down on the spot.

Why? If Xia Lin still looked familiar, then he would recognize Emperor Jingtai at a glance, because he used to be the head manager of Zuixianlou Restaurant in Lin'an City, Hangzhou. Zuixianlou Restaurant was just a short walk from the young prince's residence, and the young prince would often host banquets for guests there.

And who is that young prince from back then? He's the Jingtai Emperor!

In addition, having heard long ago that Lord Xia Daosheng and His Majesty would be making an incognito visit to Ningbo Prefecture, the head steward was now certain of their identities. However, if he were to reveal it directly here, he would surely be reprimanded. So he coughed and said with a smile, "However, since you have come from afar, please allow me to discuss this with you all."

The shopkeeper strode over to the gourmands and beckoned them together: "Brothers, how about you make way this time?"

"Why should I, Lao Zhu? I've waited three years! How many three-year periods does a person have in a lifetime?"

The head steward looked troubled and glanced back at Xia Lin's table: "Does anyone here recognize Xia Shuai?"

One of them stepped forward and said, "I recognize him, what's wrong?"

"Why don't you go and take a look?"

The man strode over, then stumbled back, pale-faced and covered in sweat: "Um... everyone, please make way."

If they still don't understand after hearing this, they don't deserve to eat fish worth fifty or a hundred taels. These people are shrewd.

After some discussion, they relinquished the Fish King under the pretext of welcoming a friend from afar, and did not dare to take Li Shimin's spear.

"Do you take the money?" the waiter asked in a low voice. "Manager, our rule is that you pay first before you eat the fish. This fish is very expensive..."

"Take the money! I told you not to take the money!" The head manager slapped the waiter on the head repeatedly: "Get out!"

The usually amiable head manager's sudden outburst caused the waiter to burst into tears of grievance. At that moment, the second manager also rushed over. Seeing the amiable head manager scolding his young nephew, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong, Lao Zhu?"

The head manager coldly recounted the matter to him, and the waiter's maternal uncle immediately slapped him: "Taking money! I told you not to take money!"

Just as he was about to slap the second time, his hand was suddenly grabbed. The man turned around and saw Emperor Jingtai: "He did nothing wrong. He should still be given what he deserves, but that fool really is seriously ill if he says five thousand. Don't make things difficult for the child."

"what?"

The second manager turned to look at the head manager, who was about to kneel down. Emperor Jingtai frowned and said, "Don't kneel! I just came to ask where the outhouse is."
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The reason I'm up so early today is because I'm going to the river with my friends to catch crayfish and eels later.

(End of this chapter)