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

Chapter 883 Just tell me, isn't she unlucky?

Outside Chunming Gate in the west of Chang'an, the official road was lined with newly green willows, and carriages and horses were bustling about. Zhang Jianzhi, dressed in a blue cloth scholar's robe and carrying a simple bag, rode a thin horse slowly along with the flow of people entering the city.

Cambodia was only sixteen years old, his face still showing some of the immaturity of a young man, but his brows already showed a similar openness and broadness to his teacher, only his eyes were clearer and revealed a bit of the stubbornness of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers.

He came from Fuliang on his teacher's orders to enter the Eastern Palace as the Crown Prince's tutor and concurrently serve as an intern official. Upon arriving in Chang'an for the first time, he felt that the imperial capital was incredibly prosperous, but he always sensed that something was different. After thinking for a long time, he realized that it was the feeling of political harmony and social stability.

The people here do not have the same calm and composed demeanor as those in Fuliang. Instead, they are filled with fear and apprehension, and they unconsciously lower their heads and walk around people dressed in fine clothes.

Just as they were pondering this, a commotion and shouting suddenly erupted from the entrance to the West Market ahead, mixed with sharp rebukes and the restless thumping of horses' hooves, and the crowd instantly became congested.

"You blind fool! You startled my young lady's carriage! You can't pay for this with ten lives!"

A haughty voice pierced through the noisy crowd.

A beautifully decorated two-horse carriage stopped in front of the West Market archway. An old man selling pottery sat slumped on the ground, pottery shards scattered everywhere. A bamboo basket was overturned, and several half-grown chicks scattered in fright. The old man had a cut on his forehead, blood streaming down his face, and he kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. The coachman held a whip, his face fierce, while several servants surrounded him, glaring menacingly.

The woman inside the carriage, her curtains drawn high and her pretty face frosty, was none other than Cui Lin. Her maid pointed at the old man and cursed, "When has this West Market ever tolerated such filth blocking our way? Get these disgusting things and this old bastard out of here!"

Zhang Jianzhi's brows furrowed instantly.

He was in Fuliang and had seen his master's ways many times. He had never seen such a scene of bullying others with his power. A surge of anger rushed to his head, but he immediately remembered his master's teachings: "Don't rush into things. Observe the situation first, go with the flow, and you can achieve great results with minimal effort."

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to confront them directly. His eyes swept around, and a plan came to him.

He straightened his robes, wiped his nose, tossed his backpack behind him, and put on a perfectly measured expression of surprise and concern. He stepped forward from the crowd and called out loudly, "What's all the commotion up ahead? Is there some auspicious omen that has attracted a crowd?"

When the maid saw the young scholar who had just arrived, dressed in plain clothes, she assumed he was a meddlesome, stinking scholar and sneered, "Where did this poor wretch come from, spouting such nonsense?"

Zhang Jianzhi approached and first examined the chicks running around on the ground. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Wonderful! During my travels, I once read in an ancient book that it described chicks as having 'yellow feathers and golden beaks, with voices like young phoenixes; their appearance is auspicious.' Look, everyone, these chicks have golden feathers and beaks with a reddish-gold tinge—they are indeed the 'auspicious pheasants' described in the book!!!"

He spoke with such conviction that the surrounding people curiously examined the chicks, and even Cui Lin in the car glanced at him with a hint of doubt.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Jianzhi turned to the old man and bowed, saying, "Old man, congratulations! Your 'auspicious pheasant' is a rare and auspicious sign. However..."

He changed the subject, his face showing worry, "Ancient books say that if a pheasant sees blood, its spiritual energy will dissipate, bringing misfortune instead."

He turned to Cui Lin, his expression solemn, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Miss, I just observed your face; you are a person of great fortune. However, you have offended this blood-stained 'auspicious pheasant' today. At best, you will suffer financial loss; at worst, you may lose your life!"

After speaking, he took a step back and looked at the nameplate on the carriage, feigning sudden realization: "So it's Miss Cui. I think that to resolve this, we should compensate this old man for his losses and give him some extra money to help him rebuild his business. This would be a good deed to resolve the resentment. Otherwise... otherwise..."

After he finished speaking, he deliberately whispered to the person next to him, "Hey, is this Miss Cui the Crown Princess?"

"Not yet," a busybody quickly interjected.

"Not yet..." Zhang Jianzhi suddenly realized, raised his head, and cupped his hands, saying, "Otherwise, it would be troublesome, Miss Cui!"

His words, spoken slowly and deliberately, drew laughter from those around him.

Cui Lin's face turned pale and then red, and the people were whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with contempt as they looked at her.

The old man was quick-witted and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, young lady! Thank you, young gentleman!"

Cui Lin was caught in a dilemma. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she could only grit her teeth and say to the maid beside her, "Give it to him!" She then glared fiercely at Zhang Jianzhi, before abruptly pulling down the carriage curtain and shrilly shouting, "Go!"

The maid took out a silver ingot and threw it out. Zhang Jianzhi smiled and bowed to pick it up, then cupped his hands in thanks to Cui Lin.

After the Cui family's carriage had left in a sorry state, Zhang Jianzhi stuffed the silver into the old man's hand and said gently, "Old man, hurry up and pack your things, go to the clinic to have your injuries checked."

He was about to leave with his skinny horse when he saw a young man in ordinary clothes standing smiling outside the crowd. Who else could it be but Li Zhi?

"Brother Jian, how have you been?" Li Zhi's eyes were filled with the joy of reunion: "That 'Auspicious Pheasant Appears in the World' performance just now was truly spectacular!"

"Your Highness!" Zhang Jianzhi was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects, but Li Zhi stopped him.

“There is no Your Highness here, only your old friend Li Zhi.” Li Zhi smiled broadly and patted Zhang Jianzhi’s shoulder forcefully: “It has been a long time since we last met, and Brother Jianzhi’s demeanor is even more impressive than before. The wisdom you just displayed was quite reminiscent of your uncle’s style back then.”

Zhang Jianzhi scratched his head sheepishly, "It was just some clever trick, Your Highness, please forgive my blunder." "Just call me by my name," Li Zhi said, feigning displeasure. Then he smiled and said, "You've just arrived in Chang'an, and I should have greeted you at the Eastern Palace. I happened to be out observing the people's conditions and unexpectedly stumbled upon such a wonderful scene. Come, let me show you around Chang'an and tell you about the interesting things that have happened these past few days."

The two walked side by side, as carefree as they had been in Fuliang in their childhood. Li Zhi pointed out the street scenes, introducing them to Zhang Jianzhi as if reciting a familiar story, from the foreign merchants' taverns in the West Market to the silk shops in the East Market. From the spring scenery of Qujiang Pool to the sound of the bells at Ci'en Temple. Zhang Jianzhi listened with great interest, occasionally asking questions.

"Do you remember that year when we flew kites by the Fuliang River?" Li Zhi suddenly laughed. "Your kites always flew the highest, which made my senior sister stomp her feet in frustration."

Zhang Jianzhi laughed too: "How could I not remember? Later, my senior sister secretly cut my kite string, causing it to land on the other side of the river at a farmer's house. Master punished the three of us by making us copy the Book of Rites together, until our wrists ached."

“Yes, those were such happy times.” Li Zhi sighed softly, then perked up again: “Come on, I’ll take you to try the most authentic roasted mutton in Chang’an, just like the one we had to give you back then. Let me tell you, that place is usually a very popular spot, and if you go late, there won’t be a seat.”

The two walked into the famous tavern, chatting and laughing, and chose a private seat by the window on the second floor. Just as they ordered their food and drinks, they heard a familiar shout coming from downstairs.

"I reserved this seat long ago. Who do you think you are to sit here?"

Zhang Jianzhi and Li Zhi exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. It was still the voice of Cui Lin's maid from earlier.

Peeking out, one could see Cui Lin standing in the lobby on the first floor with several maids, confronting a group of men dressed as merchants. These merchants were not wealthy businessmen; faced with Cui Lin's aggressive demeanor, they simply lowered their heads and remained silent.

“Miss, we were here first…” one of the businessmen explained in a low voice.

"Who came first?" the maid sneered. "Manager, you tell me."

The shopkeeper wrung his hands, his face full of embarrassment: "This... Miss Cui... is it..."

"No buts!" The maid said arrogantly, chin held high. "Either they get out, or you can forget about keeping this shop open!"

Zhang Jianzhi frowned slightly and was about to get up when Li Zhi pressed him down.

"Let's take another look," Li Zhi said in a low voice, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Zhang Jianzhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly beckoned to the waiter and whispered a few instructions. The waiter was taken aback at first, then nodded in understanding.

A moment later, the waiter brought a plate of delicate pastries to Cui Lin and said respectfully, "Miss Cui, these are a gift from the guests in the private room across the way."

Cui Lin was startled and looked in the direction the waiter pointed, meeting Zhang Jianzhi's smiling gaze. Her face immediately turned ugly, and she was about to lash out when she heard the waiter continue, "That customer also said that he had heard Miss Cui was always kind and benevolent, and would certainly not stoop to the level of ordinary merchants. These pastries were specially ordered for the children at the table, to honor Miss Cui's reputation for benevolence."

This was a clever way of putting Cui Lin, giving her a way out while simultaneously placing her on a high pedestal. If she insisted on driving those people away, she would be contradicting herself; if she went along with it, she could earn a reputation for being kind and benevolent.

Cui Lin bit her lip, her expression shifting rapidly. Finally, she glared at Zhang Jianzhi and said to the shopkeeper, "Fine, I'm in a good mood today, I won't argue with them!" Then she left dejectedly with her maid.

Those people felt as if they had been granted a pardon and repeatedly thanked the people on the second floor. Zhang Jianzhi simply smiled and raised his glass in acknowledgment.

Li Zhi, who had witnessed everything clearly, couldn't help but clap his hands and chuckle: "Well done, Jianzhi! This handling of the situation not only saved face for the Cui family but also helped those people without revealing his true colors. It shows even more skill than what happened in the West Market earlier."

Zhang Jianzhi finished his drink and laughed, "It's just going with the flow. As for you, as the Crown Prince, are you just going to watch your daughter bully the people? If we weren't here today, even if those people had given up their seats, they would probably have been given a hard time."

Li Zhi's smile faded slightly, and he sighed softly, "Precisely because he is the Crown Prince, he cannot easily show his face. However..." A sly glint flashed in his eyes, "This Cui Lin, this is truly the first time I've seen her like this, she's quite interesting."

Zhang Jianzhi's eyes darted around: "Aren't all nobles this rotten? Do you want to see it with your own eyes?"

"Hahaha, absolutely right." Li Zhi laughed heartily, then looked back out the window with murderous intent in his eyes: "We're brothers, let's find a way to deal with them."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then continued drinking and reminiscing.

A spring breeze blew past the window, bringing with it the fragrance of flowers. At this moment, they seemed to have returned to that carefree summer in Fuliang. However, they both knew in their hearts that spring in Chang'an was far more complicated than the backyard of Fuliang.

When the wine was half-finished, Li Zhi suddenly said seriously, "Jianzhi, I am really happy that you could come."

Zhang Jianzhi raised his glass: "Years have passed, and I am fortunate to meet you again. From now on, through thick and thin, we will weather any storm together."

Two wine glasses gently clinked together in the air, producing a crisp sound, just like the clear echo of a promise made in youth.

(End of this chapter)