The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

"What are you thinking about!"

Li Xiang rolled his eyes dramatically, his tone full of disdain.

"Didn't you hear what the aunties were saying? Going to make a scene in front of those two old men's houses? How many people could have seen that?"

"To deal with them, we need to go where people gather most—no, not ordinary people, but scholars! Confucian scholars! Officials!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We must tear off that facade they've maintained for most of their lives when a large group of Confucian scholars and officials gather together!"

"I really want to see those two old Dengs who gossip and talk badly about others all day long."

"What kind of face will I have when I've fallen to the point where everyone hates me and I'm a rat crossing the street!"

As Li Xiang spoke, he chuckled wickedly.

That laughter sent a chill down the spine of the sergeant beside him, leaving only one thought in his mind:

This grandson of the emperor has truly gone mad...

But before he could finish speaking, Li Xiang's stomach rumbled loudly.

He then realized that he hadn't eaten anything that morning.

The small amount of side dishes we had earlier were all given to those aunties.

We should get something to eat first.

But now he's short of money, and the little bit of money he managed to "earn" yesterday was almost entirely squandered in the East Market.

Without money, you can't even fill your stomach.

Alright, making money is the priority.

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"Hey, Manager Zhang, we meet again!"

To the sergeant's astonishment, Li Xiang found himself back at that Boshe.

As soon as Li Xiang entered the second gate, he spotted the shopkeeper immediately, put on a familiar smile, and greeted him warmly.

In stark contrast, the moment the shopkeeper saw Li Xiang, his face flushed a deep liver color, his brows furrowed, and he looked constipated.

"Young...young master, why do you...have time to visit my humble abode again...?"

He held his breath for several minutes before managing to force out a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

Although he had taken Zhang Liang as his godfather, he didn't actually have the surname Zhang. But at this moment, he had no mind to correct Li Xiang's ridiculously wrong title.

The moment he saw Li Xiang, he felt a sharp pain in his chest; yesterday's nightmare resurfaced—

Yesterday, this little brat insisted on using the jade pendant as collateral for gambling.

How could he dare accept it? Those were items reserved for royalty and princes; even touching them could bring him trouble.

But he dared not offend this young master of noble status, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and pay out of his own pocket to let this little rascal have his fun.

But who could have predicted that this young man would have such terrible luck! He lost a full three strings of cash before finally managing to earn eight hundred coins!

It's like he lost over two thousand yuan for nothing. Last night, his wife nagged him all night!

I was just thinking today about how to use some tricks on those gamblers to get back the two thousand coins that went down the drain.

Who would have thought that this little devil would actually come back!

"Manager Zhang's Boshe is a wonderful and interesting business. Coming here feels like coming home!"

Li Xiang tiptoed and patted the shopkeeper's shoulder familiarly. He then took out the jade pendant that had given the shopkeeper nightmares all night and slowly waved it in front of him.

"So, I'll be coming often from now on, every day. Manager Zhang, you'd better be prepared!"

Having finally discovered the money-making bug, of course I'll use it like crazy before it gets patched.

If you don't have money, are you supposed to earn it yourself? That's ridiculous.

I wouldn't even be a corporate slave or a dog.

"Prepare?" The shopkeeper's mind raced, and he immediately understood what Li Xiang wanted him to prepare.

This is to allow him to keep a large amount of cash here so he can squander it at any time!

He immediately knelt down before Li Xiang with a mournful face, pleading, "Young master... no, my ancestor, please spare me! I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and a crying baby to feed. I really can't take this kind of torment from you!"

"What? Zhang Liang's wife is already eighty?"

Li Xiang's eyes lit up, as if he had stumbled upon some incredible gossip, his tone full of curiosity.

"No...not the Duke's wife, but my own mother!"

The shopkeeper's face instantly darkened; he was almost choked by the sudden interruption and barely managed to steer the conversation back to the main topic.

"The Duke is currently in Qujiang, attending a banquet hosted by His Highness Prince Wei! From now on, the Duke is Prince Wei's man!"

"Even if you don't care about the monk's reputation, you should at least consider the dignity of our Duke's mansion, right?"

"A banquet?" Li Xiang's ears perked up immediately, keenly catching the key information. "What kind of banquet?"

"You don't know?" The shopkeeper was taken aback and looked at Li Xiang suspiciously.

Isn't this young man from the Prince of Wei's residence? How come he doesn't know about the banquet hosted by the Prince of Wei?

"His Highness Prince Wei held a late spring gathering at Qujiang, inviting many officials and scions of prominent families from Chang'an to participate in the purification ritual and banquet."

"The day is today... What, you didn't know?"

"Oh, a banquet..." Li Xiang's eyes lit up.

It's like offering a warm pillow to someone who's just about to fall asleep... Inviting many officials and prominent families from Chang'an?

Isn't that the perfect stage for trash-talking?

"Did Kong Yingda, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and Yu Zhining, the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, attend the banquet?" Li Xiang asked with great interest.

"Of course!"

The shopkeeper nodded hurriedly, speaking of these high-ranking officials in the imperial court with great familiarity.

"Confucius and Yu are both great Confucian scholars of the time. How could such an elegant gathering for purification and poetry recitation be complete without them? There are also Cen Wenben and Du Chuke, who were specially invited by His Highness Prince Wei. We will be able to appreciate poetry and literature and exchange ideas on scholarship together."

He seems to be quite adept at political commentary, as he speaks of these high-ranking officials in the court with great familiarity.

"In that case, Lao Zhang, I won't ask you for a withdrawal today."

Li Xiang was overjoyed and immediately made a decision to let the shopkeeper off the hook for now.

What's the point of exploiting this small temple?

That kind of big stage with so many people is not to be missed!

"...Young man, my surname is not Zhang." The shopkeeper's lips twitched, full of helplessness, and he barely managed to refute.

Li Xiang completely ignored his correction, his mind filled with thoughts of the elegant gathering in Qujiang.

Banquets and poetry gatherings—aren't these the essential scenes for time travelers?

As a time traveler, if you don't experience this, then your time travel was in vain!

Without thinking twice, Li Xiang turned around and walked out of the hotel, with the soldiers behind him quickly following.

The shopkeeper was left slumped on the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

-----------------

Along the banks of Qujiang Pool, willow branches droop like green smoke, and thousands of peonies are in full bloom.

Pink, white, crimson, and pale purple petals adorn the branches, and when the wind blows, they flutter down onto the bluestone path, creating a fragrant trail.

The pond surface shimmered, and several painted boats swayed gently. On the boats sat elegantly dressed young men from noble families, some sipping tea and chatting, others writing poems. The sounds of string and wind instruments drifted on the wind, mingling with the laughter on the shore, creating a particularly pleasant melody.

Outside the garden, carriages and horses had already blocked the entrance to Qujiang Garden for quite a while.

Seeing this magnificent sight, Li Xiang really wanted to hug Li Tai's pig-like face and give him a big kiss:

So many people are requesting this!

He's such a good uncle, he understands me so well!

He chuckled, his heart leaping with excitement. Finally, he was going to make a fool of himself in this grand spectacle!

Uncle, your good nephew is coming right away!