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

Chapter 876 is also pitiful.

Xia Lin's order that "each table at the banquet shall not exceed one tael of silver" was really amusing.

The message was relayed orally to the Council of State by the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace, without even a formal document. After repeating Xia Lin's words in the same tone, the eunuch stood with his hands at his sides, eyes downcast, watching the faces of the prime ministers in the hall go from astonishment to ashen, and finally to a deep liver color.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!" A prime minister, who prided himself on his integrity, trembled with anger, pointing at the eunuch, his fingertips shaking. "The regulations for state banquets are set by the Ministry of Rites and concern the dignity of the nation! How can they be calculated in terms of silver coins like a commoner's banquet? One tael of silver? What can one tael of silver buy in Chang'an? Not even a decent pot of wine!"

Another mature and prudent prime minister looked at Changsun Wuji, who remained silent, and said, "Prime Minister Changsun, this matter... this matter is absolutely unacceptable! If it were to happen, how would the face of our Great Tang Dynasty be preserved? If the envoys from the surrounding vassal states were present, wouldn't they laugh at our Heavenly Dynasty for being so poor?"

Changsun Wuji felt a throbbing pain in his temples, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to go to the Western Regions to perform belly dancing; it was too embarrassing...

"Oh, right, Commander Xia also said," the eunuch added slowly, as if just remembering something, "The Emperor Emeritus is of advanced age and high moral character, and has granted permission for the banquet to be doubled, amounting to two taels of silver. Commander Xia said that this is an example of filial piety in the imperial family, and hopes that all of you gentlemen will understand it for yourselves."

"Two ounces..." Someone almost fainted. This was not an honor, but a way of putting the retired emperor on the fire!
The news spread like wildfire, even faster than the imperial court's urgent dispatches, reaching all of Chang'an in an instant.

Pei Situ was in his study instructing Pei Wan on palace banquet etiquette when he heard the commotion. He slammed the *Book of Rites* he was holding onto the table, scattering pages everywhere. "This is outrageous! Xia Lin, you scoundrel!" His chest heaved as he looked at his daughter, whose face was deathly pale. "Wan'er, listen to this! A palace banquet costing only one tael of silver per table! Is this how you treat beggars? My daughter, Pei, will never suffer such humiliation!"

Pei Wan stared blankly at her enraged father, her heart turning cold. She suddenly recalled that night in the Eastern Palace, the warmth of the Crown Prince's fingertips and his last, enigmatic laugh. It turned out that in the face of absolute power, these self-proclaimed noble families were no different from ordinary people, perhaps even more pathetic.

Inside the Cui residence, Cui Lin was gesturing to a newly crafted set of headdress and jewelry when she heard about this. Her hand trembled, and a kingfisher feather hairpin fell to the ground with a "thud," shattering several pieces of its feathers.

Ignoring her heartache, she grabbed the maid's arm, her voice shrill: "What did you say? One tael of silver? Then... what about the spring banquet that day? My newly tailored clothes, my newly made jewelry..."

She could almost see herself being secretly mocked by those ladies from out of town at that shabby banquet, and her vision blurred.

However, General Wei slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his voice still booming: "Fine! One tael of silver it is! Back in my day in the army, I won battles even while eating hard bread! This is how we should act! Let's see how those pretentious guys get out of this mess!" He turned to Wei Tong, who also looked indifferent, and said: "Daughter, let's wear this riding and archery uniform! Let's see who can say a bad word about us!"

Wei Tong was wiping her Persian dagger when she heard this. She looked up and grinned, "Father is right! Anyway, His Highness... His Highness won't care about these trivial matters. The other day, His Highness and I went to the training ground to practice archery. We ate with the soldiers. A soldier's meal cost twenty coins, which was already the best food. Why can't we eat for one tael of silver?"

However, those who shared the sentiments of the Wei father and daughter were extremely rare. The vast majority of aristocratic families felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation and crisis. Xia Lin's actions were not merely an insult, but a challenge to the hierarchical order and extravagant traditions upon which they depended for survival. If even the rules of palace banquets could be so wantonly trampled upon, what did their generations of accumulated wealth and their proud family status mean in the eyes of this father and son?
A silent fury spread through the mansions of the wealthy and powerful.

The following morning, more than ten censors knelt together outside the Taiji Palace, tears streaming down their faces, banging their heads on the ground and declaring, "Traitors have abused their power and disgraced the country, corrupting the laws and regulations. We beg Your Majesty to return quickly and restore order to the court!"

They dared not impeach Xia Lin directly, so they could only point the finger at his abuse of power, trying to create public pressure.

But the onlookers didn't see it that way. They laughed loudly from a distance, and after hearing Xia Shuai's order, countless people clapped and cheered. For so many years, they had only heard the stench of wine and meat behind the rich gates, but had no idea that there were frozen corpses on the road. These people from the Heavenly Palace should know what punishment meant.

Suddenly, the voices of the common people and those of the government were severely divided, polarized, and somewhat frightening.

Almost simultaneously, several merchants closely associated with the Guanlong aristocratic families began to secretly collude, causing a slight, unusual fluctuation in the prices of rice, oil, and even cloth in the east and west markets of Chang'an within a single day. This was a silent protest, intended to tell the arrogant General Xia that the economic lifeline of Chang'an was not entirely in the hands of the imperial court.

Even more concerning, some aristocratic families from Shandong and Jiangnan who had initially been actively preparing to compete for the position of Crown Princess quietly slowed down, and their letters to Chang'an were filled with more observation and doubt. They were not afraid of competition, but they were afraid of getting involved in a storm that was completely unpredictable and could even bring shame upon their families.

The news of the incident naturally reached the ears of Li Zhi, who was still ill. He looked with some concern at Xia Lin, who was sunbathing in the courtyard and looking at the blueprints sent from the Western Regions.

"Father, is this move... too drastic? There is a great deal of discussion outside, and I fear that something may go wrong."

Xia Lin put down the blueprints and yawned lazily: "Intense? This is nothing. Don't they pride themselves on being high and mighty and concerned with propriety? I'll show them what their so-called propriety is worth to me."

He sat up, his gaze sweeping over his son's young yet worried face: "Son, dealing with these deeply entrenched forces won't work by slowly boiling a frog in water; we have to use drastic measures. The more they cause trouble now, the more legitimate it will be for your mother to deal with them when she gets back. Your mother may seem tough, but sometimes she's too concerned with reason."

Li Zhi seemed to understand but not quite, but seeing his father's confident demeanor, his anxiety subsided slightly.

Xia Lin added, "As for those idiots who raise prices... hey, Jiu Zhen."

Sun Jiuzhen appeared silently from the shadows.

"Go, sell our stockpiled grain and cloth at 30% below market price. Tell the caravans from Fuliang and Jinling to bring over as much as they have. Then secretly find out who is driving up prices, and kill them in seven days."

"Yes." Sun Jiuzhen accepted the order and disappeared instantly.

Li Zhi watched as his father effortlessly laid out his countermeasures, and a complex mix of emotions welled up within him. His father's power and methods were truly unfathomable, and he wondered when he could ever be like his father...

"Oh, right." Xia Lin picked up the blueprints again, as if he had just dealt with a trivial matter: "Your little sister Wu is arriving tomorrow. Go pick her up, but don't make a big fuss, keep a low profile."

At the mention of Xiao Wu, Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "Yes, Father!"

Just as this storm of "one or two taels of silver" swept through Chang'an, Xiao Wu changed his carriage outside and drove into the city of Chang'an, where spring was just beginning to emerge, on horseback and in a carriage.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, and Xiao Wu looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar street scene outside the window. Listening to the faint discussions about the standards of the palace banquet and the fluctuations in prices, a hint of understanding flashed in her calm eyes.

Xiao Wu's return to the capital went unnoticed, and she entered the East Palace directly through a side gate. Li Zhi was already waiting in the courtyard. When he saw that familiar figure in blue gracefully alight from the carriage, he rushed forward to greet her, disregarding the guards and eunuchs around him, and grabbed her hand.

"Senior Sister!" The boy's voice was filled with barely suppressed joy: "You're finally back." Xiao Wu's hand was held in his palm. She looked up and examined him closely. After so long, the childishness in his brows had faded somewhat, and his jawline was more defined, though his eyes held a hint of weariness. Her heart softened, and she gently squeezed his hand back, her voice still calm: "The snow on the road melted slowly, which delayed us for a while. Your Highness has lost weight."

"I'm fine." Li Zhi pulled her into the palace, dismissed the servants, and then said in a low voice, "It's just that these days, my uncle passed away, my father came... there's been a lot of commotion outside, and even though I'm in the palace, I don't feel at ease."

Xiao Wu followed him inside, his gaze sweeping over the familiar furnishings in the hall, and said slowly, "I've also heard some rumors in Bingzhou. Your Highness need not worry too much, Master is here."

The certainty in her tone calmed Li Zhi's restless mind considerably. He led her to sit down in the warm pavilion, personally poured her a cup of hot tea, and then told her in detail about everything that had happened in Chang'an over the past month: the selection of concubines, her father's return, the Zhongnan Mountain incident, Pei Wan's night visit, and even the recent uproar caused by "one tael of silver".

Xiao Wu listened quietly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the warm teacup. When he heard something important, a thoughtful glint would occasionally flash in his eyes, but he was not interrupted.

Only after Li Zhi finished speaking, looking at her somewhat apprehensively, especially when he mentioned Cui Lin and Zhongnan Mountain, did Xiao Wu raise her eyes. Her gaze was clear and sharp, without the anger or sadness he had expected, but rather with an almost calm scrutiny.

“Your Highness did the right thing,” she said softly. “The plans of Prime Minister Zhang and my master are both wise and experienced in governing the country. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Your Highness’s ability to remain calm and adapt to the situation is already a great achievement.”

She paused, her tone slightly somber: "As for Miss Cui's matter... Your Highness is young, and it's understandable that you might fall in love. But you must remember that fleeting romances are easy to end, but true love is hard to come by. Don't let momentary pleasure cloud your judgment, and don't give others a handle to use against you."

Her words were subtle, yet every word struck a chord with Li Zhi. His face flushed with a mixture of shame and gratitude, and he whispered, "Senior Sister is right, I...I understand."

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Wu softened his tone and asked, "So, how does Your Highness plan to handle the Spring Festival banquet?"

Li Zhi frowned: "Father has set the tone, and it can only be done according to the standard of one tael of silver. However... the scene will definitely be awkward, and I don't know how to handle it."

Xiao Wu pondered for a moment, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Standards are rigid, but people are flexible. Master only set the expenses, but not the dishes or their presentation. One tael of silver is meager if used for ordinary food and drink. But if used for ingenuity and originality, it might just be able to create something unique."

"What does Senior Sister mean?"

"Now that spring has returned to the earth and all things are reviving, why not take this opportunity to hold a spring feast?" Xiao Wu explained in detail: "We will not pursue extravagance, but only the season. Shepherd's purse, bamboo shoots, pufferfish, and knife fish are all spring delicacies. They may not be expensive, but they are fresh and in season. We can also choose light spring wine or fruit syrup for the drinks. The tableware does not need to be gold or jade. Plain porcelain and bamboo utensils can be used, which will be more elegant. During the feast, we can compose poems about spring and taste new tea. Wouldn't this be more in line with the true meaning of a spring feast than simply piling up delicacies and beautiful tableware? It will also better reflect His Highness's joy with the people and his concern for farmers?"

Li Zhi's eyes gradually lit up as he listened. Xiao Wu's suggestion not only cleverly defused the accusation of being stingy, but also transformed it into a more refined and elegant one, which not only catered to his father's frugality requirements, but also subtly aligned with his mother's pragmatic approach.

"Brilliant! Senior Sister's plan is brilliant!" Li Zhi clapped his hands: "I will immediately instruct the Imperial Kitchen to carry it out!"

Xiao Wu smiled slightly and added, "We can also ask the Prefect of the Capital to cooperate by setting up a banquet costing one tael of silver at Qujiang Pool, coinciding with the palace banquet, to signify 'the royal family and the people sharing the taste of spring.' In this way, the people will only praise Your Highness's benevolence, and who will criticize the banquet expenses? Besides, Master only limited the expenses for one banquet, but not the number of banquets. It all depends on how Your Highness manages it."

Li Zhi looked at Xiao Wu, his admiration for her boundless. She always managed to find the brightest and safest path for him in difficult situations.

“However…” Xiao Wu’s gaze narrowed slightly: “While this move may extricate Your Highness from the current predicament, it will also push you into the eye of the storm. Seeing that Your Highness can handle this situation with such ease, the various factions in Guanzhong will likely become even more wary, and their subsequent actions will only be more intense. Your Highness must be prepared.”

Li Zhi nodded, his eyes hardening: "I understand. With my father and senior sister here, I'm not afraid."

The two chatted for a while longer. Seeing that Xiao Wu looked tired, Li Zhi knew that she had traveled a long way and had a hard time, so he personally escorted her back to her accommodation that had been prepared for her to rest.

Xiao Wu returned to his familiar room, dismissed the maids, and stood alone by the window.

She recalled the discussions she heard when she entered the city, Li Zhi's description of the court turmoil, and Xia Lin's seemingly absurd but actually relentlessly aggressive methods.

"Master..."

She murmured to herself, understanding that Xia Lin was paving the way for Li Zhi in his own way, and also testing whether she could help Li Zhi gain a foothold in this complex situation.

She would never let Li Zhi down, much less the person who pulled her out of the mud and gave her a new life and hope.

The following day, news spread from the Eastern Palace that His Highness the Crown Prince, moved by the bright spring weather and compassion for the hardships of farming, decided to change the originally planned "Spring Appreciation Banquet" into a "Spring Tasting Banquet." All expenses would adhere to the standards set by Commander Xia, featuring seasonal fresh vegetables and river delicacies, served in simple tableware, with the intention of sharing the taste of spring with his officials and understanding the people's sentiments. Simultaneously, a flowing banquet would be set up along the Qujiang Pool, concurrent with the Spring Banquet, and all attendees would have a share.

This proposal caused another uproar in Chang'an.

Some cursed the crown prince for his cunning, managing to turn such harsh conditions into a publicity stunt; others were secretly amazed, realizing that the young prince wasn't entirely helpless. But most cheered as if the whole world was celebrating. The common people were overjoyed; they usually just watched others eat, when had it ever been their turn to sit at the table?

Upon hearing this in his residence, Changsun Wuji remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh. He realized that he was facing not only the unshakeable mountain of Xia Lin, but also the shrewd and calculating Crown Prince.

In this round, the chances seem slim.

At this moment, Xia Lin listened to Li Zhi excitedly reporting on the arrangements for the "Spring Feast," merely lifting his eyelids, chuckling, and then pinching Li Zhi's nose: "Kid, save your energy these days, you know? If your mother comes back and finds out you've been working so hard day and night, she'll break my legs."

It took Li Zhi a while to realize what "working day and night" meant, and his face flushed red: "No... Father, I didn't. I told my senior sister to rest when she came back yesterday. I really didn't..."

"Alright, go prepare the spring feast. I'm quite looking forward to seeing how delicious it will be."

(End of this chapter)