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

Chapter 914 Xia Lin's Culinary Showdown

Xia Lin inspires fear but not worry because he possesses a unique quality: he knows when to decisively relinquish power and swiftly hand it over to others.

Although he bullied Changsun Wuji, he never interfered with his power as chancellor. Of course, it would be best if he didn't exist, but at least he wouldn't force people to kneel before him like Dong Zhuo did.

Therefore, after the perilous period of struggle had passed and a relatively peaceful period had begun, the only banquet Xia Lin attended was the one hosted by the Changsun family.

This time, he still wanted to see his old friends from Nanjing.

Gao Shilian's granddaughter, Gao Yunjin, who was once arrogant and haughty, is now married. She saw Xia Lin again at her cousin's family banquet, and her eyes were filled with endless sighs.

To be fair, Gao Yunjin is quite beautiful, but unfortunately, she has a disability in both legs, and the years of suffering have left her with a constant sense of sadness in her eyes.

After arriving in Chang'an, she married Fan Wenqing, the Imperial Censor, through the introduction of Changsun Wuji. Now she has a son, which can be considered a happy ending.

However, she is no longer the talented woman who was renowned throughout Nanjing. Now she is just an ordinary woman who stays at home to take care of her husband and children.

When Xia Lin saw her, he noticed that her eyes were very complicated, but they had lost their light, and her former sharpness had been obscured by the vicissitudes of life.

"I was fortunate enough to be rescued by Marshal Xia in my early years, which allowed the Gao family to survive. I left in a hurry at the time and did not have time to thank him. Now that we meet again, please let me pour a cup of wine for Marshal Xia."

Gao Yunjin, leaning on her cane, approached Xia Lin and bowed to pour him a glass of wine. Their eyes met, and Xia Lin was genuinely startled. He carefully recalled whether he had slept with this girl, but even with his exceptional memory, he couldn't recall anything about it, which reassured him…

"Miss Gao seems to be recovering well."

"I have been receiving treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion, and I hope that I will be able to stand up again in my lifetime."

After a brief exchange of two sentences, they didn't speak again. The other members of the Gao family naturally came over to toast Xia Lin. After all, during the Jinling Incident, only the Gao family survived unscathed. Although their foundation was gone, at least the family was intact. After arriving in Chang'an, they might not be comparable to the top-tier clans, but at least they had Changsun Wuji and the Princess Consort of Shu, Guanyinbi, to rely on, so they weren't doing too badly.

They understood all of this in their hearts. If Xia Lin hadn't shown leniency, they would have long since become a pile of bones in the mass grave outside Jinling City.

"Commander Xia, let me offer you a toast. I won't hold back when speaking to you." Finally, Changsun Wuji raised his wine cup: "I have offended you in court before, but in truth, I was only acting for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

Xia Lin raised her glass and clinked it with his: "It's just a difference of ideas, nothing to do with grudges."

Those who overheard their conversation trembled with fear. Changsun Wuji's words clearly carried a hint of defiance, while Xia Lin's "ideological clash" was fraught with tension.

"Alright, alright, we're all gathered here today, let's not talk about business." Someone quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Let's drink! Let's drink!"

After this brief exchange, the atmosphere at the table became harmonious again. At this moment, someone, emboldened by the alcohol, asked, "Commander Xia, what are the next steps? If there's anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."

Xia Lin smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Next, I want to take advantage of Chang'an, this treasure land, to hold a chef competition, and then a large-scale trade fair. It seems that cotton cloth from the Western Regions is about to be released, and many things that people have never seen before will be launched one after another."

When cotton was mentioned, the people around started discussing it. Cotton had existed for a long time, but it was mostly used to fill quilts and clothes because the degreasing process was not up to standard, so the lifespan of that cotton was relatively short, and it could not be woven into cloth like silk.

However, it is said that the degreasing process of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has now reached a state of perfection. After the alkalization process, the cotton becomes more fluffy and can also remove impurities. Now, cotton cloth has gradually replaced hemp, silk and other textiles to become the flagship product of the textile industry in the Western Regions.

Those who have had the privilege of wearing cotton clothing invariably praise its softness, comfort, breathability, and sweat-absorbing properties. Nowadays, some young people have abandoned traditional silk and linen fabrics in the hot season and have switched to wearing cotton clothing or cotton-linen blends.

Upon hearing Xia Lin's words, they immediately had a direction in mind. If they didn't take this opportunity to stock up, they would really be wasting the information Xia Lin had revealed.

"Commander Xia, what is the purpose of this cooking competition?" Xia Lin said with a smile, "The people's livelihood is not about royal power and wealth, but about food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Food is the most important thing for the people, and clothing is even more important. If the fruits, vegetables, meats and spices from the Western Regions, the grains and mountain delicacies from the Northern Border, and the river and seafood from the South can be served on the people's tables in the height of summer, it will boost their livelihoods by more than just a little bit."

He continued, "I originally planned to hold it in Fuliang, but Fuliang's location is indeed not good. It would be better to hold it in Chang'an, which is located in the center of the vast land. Whether it is the grassland, the Western Regions, or Lingnan, it is not far away. I thought I would try holding one here."

As he spoke, the slightly smarter people below had already started taking notes. You see, even information that Xia Lin revealed three days in advance was worth a fortune.

“While there are many products on the market right now, there are too few varieties. You use many of these as aromatherapy products, and there are some that others would never dare to try. I’m going to promote all of these this time.” Xia Lin took a sip of his wine and smiled. “Promoting agricultural products can not only benefit farmers, but also create many jobs and transform agriculture from a single-sector to a diversified one. This not only improves our ability to withstand risks, but more importantly, it greatly enhances our happiness.”

Changsun Wuji was engrossed in his notes. He was dissatisfied with Xia Lin because of their differing ideologies, but he had nothing to say about Xia Lin's governing abilities. Wherever Xia Lin went, industry, agriculture, and commerce flourished. He was a monster in both civil administration and military affairs, and he had no choice but to admit that.

"So, Xia Shuai's move was actually to promote agriculture and sericulture?"

“It’s not just about agriculture.” Xia Lin drew a circle on the table with his finger dipped in wine. “A country as vast as China cannot have just one or a few core areas. My idea is to have four or five national-level city clusters.”

"National... what? Marshal Xia, I don't understand." Changsun Wuji looked puzzled. This was the first time he had heard this term, and he felt it was somewhat treasonous.

"I can explain this to you."

Xia Lin cleared his throat, and Changsun Wuji immediately sat up straight. The people chatting and drinking around him also fell silent. However, some of the drunkards were still laughing loudly. Changsun Wuji's gaze sharpened, and with just a sidelong glare, someone immediately stepped forward and asked the two idiots to leave.

"A so-called national-level city cluster needs four key elements: a strong core city, a complete urban system, a developed transportation infrastructure, and close integration, enabling the unrestricted flow and sharing of resources, population, labor, public infrastructure, goods, capital, and so on. Jinling is a point, representing the line from Xuzhou to Jinling. Guangzhou is a point, covering the area from Guizhou to Leizhou, as well as the Maritime Silk Road of Fuzhou and Quanzhou. Hangzhou is a point, encompassing the entire Jiangnan Circuit. Further upstream are Jiaozhou and Liaodong Prefecture. Here are Chang'an County and Wannian County, which is Chang'an City. With the economic and cultural integration of Chang'an and Luoyang, the new Xianyang will most likely become the core city of the Northwest in the future. Therefore, no one can be lazy in this matter; we must do it perfectly."

This series of descriptions made Changsun Wuji very excited, but everyone overlooked one point: the region Xia Lin mentioned did not have the concept of a country, or rather, his plan did not distinguish between Tang and Wei.

Changsun Wuji also noticed this, but he felt that Xia Lin might only be arranging economic and livelihood matters, without including the political landscape.

"I see." After carefully recording Xia Lin's planned area, Changsun Wuji said, "In that case, if there is anything you need from me, just let me know. As long as it can be of use, I will do my best to help."

Xia Lin smiled but didn't speak. After leaning back in his chair in silence for a while, he stood up and said, "Alright, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. Please enjoy your meal and drinks, and thank you for your hospitality."

Changsun Wuji also got up and saw Xia Lin to the door. The two only glanced at each other and didn't exchange much words. Xia Lin patted him on the shoulder and said, "Opportunity is for those who are prepared."

After saying that, he left, leaving Changsun Wuji standing there for a long time, staring in the direction where Xia Lin had disappeared. It wasn't until the mosquito bites brought him back to his senses that he smiled meaningfully, turned around, and went back inside the house.

The very next day at the court assembly, Changsun Wuji directly suggested to San Niang that he wanted to hold a cooking competition, preferably one that was not bound by formalities but rather turned into a grand event for the people to enjoy together.

This was the result of Changsun Wuji's pondering all night. Instead of taking credit from Xia Lin, he understood Xia Lin's implication. This matter would have been somewhat illegitimate if it came from Xia Lin's mouth, but it made perfect sense when it came from the mouth of a prime minister.

After listening carefully to Changsun Wuji's explanation, San Niang found it increasingly strange, because the words he used were completely unlike his usual style; rather, they sounded like…

But it doesn't matter, this isn't a bad thing, so Third Sister nodded directly: "Granted."

"Thank you Lord for your grace."

"In that case, Prime Minister Changsun, please make your own plans. I know that Prime Minister Changsun will not disappoint me."

"Long live my emperor."

(End of this chapter)