Chapter 4 Frost Descent (Fourth Down)

  "Ah?" Jia Chang's mouth opened wide in an instant, almost dropping the grapes inside. "That murderer must be careful, Lei Dashuai is known for his 'thousand-mile pursuit of life'. His friends are not easy to mess with! Don't worry, since I misled Lei Dashuai, I won't stand by and do nothing. As soon as I find out who shot that poisonous arrow, I'll definitely let you know!"

  Seeing the expression on Jia Chang's face, he quickly recovered his composure. Wang Xuan couldn't help but secretly admire him in his heart. However, at this critical moment, he didn't dare to make enemies everywhere, so he cupped his hands and smiled, saying: "Then I'll thank Brother Jia first. With Brother Jia's abilities, finding someone in Chang'an City should be no difficult task!"

  "Wrapped around me, wrapped around me!" Jia Chang didn't respond, "Right, I just need to go somewhere today for Zida's sake. Ming Yun, if you're free, can you accompany me?"

  "No problem. I'm also worried about Zida's situation. I heard from Lei Dage that as long as he lets Xue Rongguang get sick for a few days, you can bail Zida out of the Wan Nian County prison!" Wang Xun smiled and stared at Jia Chang's words.

  Jia Chang gazed at him with a smile, his two childlike bright and clear big eyes twinkling, "Follow me, that place is very close. You'll know when we get there!"

  The destination was indeed very close, and as they spoke, the carriage had already come to a stop. The coachman opened the door of the carriage, pulled down the step, and Wang Xun and Jia Chang got out one after the other. This alley should be outside Anfeng Gate, in the auxiliary prosperous lane next to the imperial palace, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. But with Wang Xun's mouth that had eaten all over the famous restaurants in Beijing, he surprisingly didn't know that there was a wine tower hidden here. Looking at the scale of the store, it was only about a dozen rooms or so. However, the carriages at the entrance were lined up for a long time, each one with gold and silver inlays, and just by looking, you could tell that the owners of the carriages were not ordinary people.

  "This is a friend's place!" Jia Chang nodded towards the signboard above his head, and explained in a low voice, "Ordinary people rarely come to this place. Ming Yun, just follow me inside, eat as much as you want, don't ask too many questions!"

  Seeing the other person speaking mysteriously, Wang Xuan could only nod lightly. Following Jia Chang's back, he stepped into the store, and several small attendants with extremely delicate faces came to greet them. After asking a few questions from Jia Chang's family servant, they nodded and smiled, leading the guests to the already reserved elegant room.

  The room was very small, with only a square table set up. It could barely accommodate two or three people dining together. Such a layout would be too simple even for entertaining friends, let alone officials. However, the calligraphy and paintings on the wall were the work of famous artists. Wang Xun took a glance and knew that the value of these artworks was such that even the top restaurants in the capital couldn't match them.

  It's hard to imagine that this tavern wouldn't evoke any associations. But Wang Xun racked his brains, and indeed couldn't recall a place like the Golden Cave in the capital. Was it new? Wang Xun widened his eyes to take a closer look, but then discovered that the edges of the tables and chairs were all polished to a shine, clearly not items that had been used for just one or two years.

  He let him be full of curiosity, Jia Chang didn't explain, he just pinched a cup of tea and slowly savored it. After a while, a gentle and quiet shopkeeper walked in, first bowing to the two, then asking in a low voice: "Two guests, have you already ordered your meal or are you eating as you go?"

  "The seats have already been reserved. It was Qiao Daolong who helped me book them. Let's go now, and choose the wine that suits your taste!" Jia Chang said to a shop assistant with great politeness, nodding his head and smiling as he instructed.

  "Alright, sir! Just a moment!" The shop assistant slung the towel over his shoulder and responded loudly before turning around and going out the door.

  "Didn't you invite anyone else?" Wang Xun couldn't help but ask as soon as the door was closed. It was too strange, they had said they would run around for Yuwen's case, but the other party had not shown up, how could they ask him for help?

  "Eat here, no need to invite anyone!" Jia Chang replied with a profound expression. "Have some tea, the taste is quite good!"

  Wang Xun couldn't get an answer, so he picked up his teacup with a belly full of doubts. As soon as the water touched his tongue, his eyebrows jumped again - it was Gong Cha, a special tribute tea for the imperial family! This flavor, he had only tasted once before, several months ago at the Ma residence. Afterwards, in order to secretly show off the imperial tribute tea, Ma Fang even got beaten by his father with a board. He didn't expect that in this small, unassuming shop in Fu Xing Fang, Gong Cha would be casually brought out for sale.

  Very satisfied with the expression on his face, Jia Chang nodded slightly. After a while, the door of the room was opened again from outside, and several waiters placed the dishes ordered by Jia Chang one by one on the table. They were nothing but shark fin, blood swallow, deer lip, bear paw and so on, but they were made very delicate, placed in small white porcelain plates about four inches in size, making people drool.

  After the waiters withdrew, Jia Chang raised his cup in a toast. Wang Xun smiled and accompanied him for a sip, then picked up his chopsticks at the other's hint. As soon as the dishes entered his mouth, he was immediately disappointed again. With a tongue accustomed to mountain delicacies and seafood, he could distinguish that all the ingredients used were top-notch, and just that dish of venison had at least twenty or thirty kinds of precious seasonings. However, this flavor was too mixed! It was like a nouveau riche, stringing together gold, silver, pearls, and precious jade, and wearing them around his neck in one go. Not only did it not show off wealth and nobility, but it also made people feel annoyed.

  Seeing him holding his chopsticks and not wanting to move for a second, Jia Chang smiled complacently again, and after smiling, he pointed to the wine cup and suggested in a low voice, "This wine is not bad, it's specially supplied by Xiangnan Road, it's hard to see outside. Ming Rong, if you have a good capacity, don't hesitate to drink some more!"

  "It's indeed good wine!" Wang Xun smiled, picking up his cup and drinking it all in one gulp. On the table, there was only tea and wine left that were worth tasting. These two things didn't require too complicated a process, so they hadn't been ruined by that stupid cook upstairs.

  It was clear that Jia Chang himself didn't like the taste of the dishes, and after just a few mouthfuls, he began to use wine to fill his stomach. As they drank, both host and guest burst out laughing. After they finished laughing, Jia Chang wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes and said in a low voice: "I'm really sorry, I didn't know that the imperial chefs were so unskilled. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have dragged Ming Yan here with me. Eat a bit more, eat a bit more, just to give them some face..."

  "Imperial Kitchen?" Wang Xuan's hand shook, and the wine in his cup almost spilled on his clothes. "You say, this table of wine and dishes, was it made by the Imperial Kitchen chef? Who is so bold, dare to invite the Imperial Kitchen from the imperial palace!"

  "Shh!" Jia Chang pressed his finger to his lips, making a silencing gesture. "Don't ask. Eat and drink. In two days you'll understand naturally!"

  "It's strange if I can understand!" Wang Xuan thought to himself. He could only pick up his wine cup and continue drinking.

  The meal ended quickly. The host and the guest both had half-empty stomachs, but neither dared to complain. As they were leaving, Wang Xun secretly glanced back. He saw that Jia Chang's servant had respectfully placed a red silk package in the shop owner's hand. The package didn't look big, but it was obviously very heavy. The shop owner seemed to be used to this and didn't even look at it before putting it away in his cabinet.

  "Goodbye, sir! Please come again next time!" The clean-faced shop assistant chased out a few steps and bid farewell to the customer with enthusiasm.

  Jia Chang was just boarding when he suddenly stumbled and staggered, then fell headfirst into the carriage.

  "Two gentlemen, please come in. Is the table already set or will you be ordering now?" The shopkeeper ignored this and turned around to welcome two other esteemed guests with a smile.

  "It's all set, the seats have been arranged. Yes, it was Mr. Zhang who helped me with the arrangements." One of the two new guests, who appeared to be slightly older, stuttered as he spoke. It seemed as if they were not attending a banquet, but rather walking towards an execution ground.

  "Alright, sir, please wait a moment!" The shop assistant flicked his towel and led the customer into the dimly lit tavern.

  Kitchen, the master chef's knife rises and falls. Cold light flashes in the eyes.

  It's no wonder that Jia Chang was willing to take the beating, and on that night, the twenty taels of gold he paid in Fu Xing Fang were transferred to the backroom boss of the wine tower, who was none other than eunuch Feng Cunzhong. Eunuch Feng first put the gold into his account, then tucked away the latest ledger, picked up a basket of Panzhou snacks, and smiled as he headed towards the Taiji Palace.

  Entered the palace, but did not go to the Longevity Temple where the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine lived, instead, he turned around the wall root, turned into the Wude Temple adjacent to the East Palace.

  Inside the Wude Hall, General of the Cavalry, Duke of Bohai Commandery, Gao Lishi knelt beside his desk, holding a brush and ceaselessly writing and calculating. The first snow had already fallen, and the weather in the capital would soon turn cold. The palace needed to prepare for the upcoming winter: buying fragrant charcoal and copper stoves, replacing doors, windows, tables, and chairs, as well as purchasing new silk robes and sable coats for the young princes and princesses. Every year at this time, Gao Lishi wished he had three heads and six arms so that he could finish all his tasks in one stroke.

  Of course, with his current status, he can simply be a boss who delegates tasks to his subordinates. However, those children are not as experienced as him and may not handle things carefully, so he would rather work harder and sleep less to avoid any irreparable mistakes that might distract the Emperor.

  Feng Xiaotai was Gao Lishi's adopted son and was familiar with the gate-keeping guards. From a distance, he saw Gao Lishi's back reflected in the window and gently waved his hand to stop the guards from reporting. Then, like a thief, he tiptoed in, silently and unnoticed.

  Suddenly, a familiar hometown smell wafted into his nostrils, and Gao Lishi's weary spirit was instantly lifted. He turned around, gave Feng Xiaotai a faint smile, "Little rabbit, do you think that by sticking to the wall, our family can't see you? Come here, put away those little tricks of yours!"

  "Indeed, Master, with eyes that see in all directions and ears that hear from all sides!" Feng Xiaotaijian smiled and flattered, picking up the bamboo basket and arranging the food items one by one on the corner of the desk. "It's late at night, Master, have something to eat, just arrived from Guangzhou, I think it should suit your taste, sir!"

  "I've smelled it!" Gao Lishi smiled and nodded, his eyes slowly sweeping over the plates of dishes on the corner of the table, finally landing on a few pieces of brown-colored radish cake.

  "Don't move, Master!" Feng Xiaotai quickly took a silver chopstick and picked up half a piece of radish cake, slowly sending it to the edge of Gao Lishi's mouth.

  "Ah, you silly child! Radish cake is meant to be eaten hot, it's completely different when it's cold. That lotus seed paste pastry box can be served either hot or cold, but you need to pair it with the right tea water. Just slapping things together like this is a waste..."

  "Ah, heh heh, is the kid from the North? Heh, actually can't even call out his name properly, just think that Master will definitely like it......" Feng Xiao Taijian stuck out his tongue and scratched the back of his head with a silly expression.

  "Still so careless!" Gao Lishi snatched up an account book and lightly tapped it on the other person's forehead, "Serving me, you're sloppy, I won't blame you. But if our household transfers you to serve the Noble Consort in a few days, and you serve food that should be eaten hot when it's cold, even considering our household's thin face, you'll still get a good scolding!"

  The Imperial Concubine was born in Ba-Shu, but she also had a special fondness for Cantonese cuisine. Therefore, the major relay stations along the route from Lingnan to the capital were tasked with an important mission: to transport various Cantonese delicacies to Chang'an at the fastest speed possible. The Emperor was willing to spend thousands of gold coins just to see the Imperial Concubine smile, so the eunuchs in the palace also saw serving her Cantonese cuisine as a shortcut to promotion. There was once a minor servant named Li Jingzhong who worked in the imperial kitchen; because he ran fast enough when delivering soup to the Longevity Palace, he received praise from the Imperial Concubine: "You are diligent in your work." Within days, he was promoted by the Emperor himself to become a sixth-rank official in charge of the imperial stables. Less than half a month later, he was again promoted, skipping ranks to become the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace and a fourth-rank general.

  That little eunuch Feng was not too willing to accept Gao Lishi's arrangement, he shrank his neck and muttered in a low voice: "I would rather serve the old master for a lifetime than go to the Longevity Palace to join in the excitement! The rules on the side of the noble concubine are strict, if one day I accidentally see something that shouldn't be seen, I won't mention getting beaten, I'm afraid my life will be forfeit!"

  "Nonsense! The Empress has always been kind and compassionate, how could she casually kill someone?" Gao Lishi immediately glared at him, scolding in a low voice. "You're getting bolder and bolder, slap yourself on the mouth ten times, or you'll forget your place!"

  "Grandfather, calm down, I know I was wrong!" Feng Xiaotai was startled and quickly put down his chopsticks, stretching out his hands to hug Gao Lishi's thighs.

  "Get out! Stop pretending to be pitiful! My family is not pitiful because of you!" Gao Lishi kicked the other person away, but didn't mention the slapping incident again. Looking at Feng Xiaotai struggling to get up from the ground, he sighed and said in a low voice: "You're a clever kid, don't forget yourself just because you're smarter than others. A gentleman eats without seeking satiety, lives without seeking comfort, is diligent in his duties but cautious with his words. If your mouth doesn't know when to shut up, who would dare entrust important matters to you?"

  "Master taught that the child will definitely change!" Feng Xiaotai lowered his head and hung his brain, looking pitiful. "But the child really doesn't want to serve the noble concubine, Master's side originally didn't have many suitable helpers, if the child leaves..."

  "You're here, but you can't help me at all. You're just making things worse!" Gaoli Si scolded again, but a smile involuntarily appeared on his face, "Forget it, you don't know how to improve yourself, I'm too lazy to waste my thoughts on you anymore. Forget it, let you continue to slack off for a few more days!"

  "Child, you know Grandfather is most fond of you!" Feng Xiao Taijian immediately beamed with a smile, kneeling in front of the table and picking up another piece of lotus seed pastry with his chopsticks, "Grandfather, try this one, it looks very delicate!"

  "Get out, I'll eat later!" Gaoli said with a smile. He had been a eunuch since childhood and had always regretted not having children of his own, so he doted on this adopted son and rarely got truly angry with him.

  Feng Xiaotai smiled and quickly stood up, but instead of leaving immediately, he went behind Gao Lishi and gently patted his shoulders. Gao Lishi closed his eyes and enjoyed it for a while, shook his head, and asked with a smile: "Tell me, what have you promised others again?"

  "No, no, don't answer randomly. Recently, the business at Qingyun House has been very good, and the young master brought over the account book, wanting to ask Master Ah to take a look!" Feng Xiaotai's eyes lit up, and he smiled as he took out the account book from his bosom. "Just this month alone, we've earned..."

  "You take care of it yourself, I don't need to look!" Gao Lishi pushed away the account book with annoyance. "If you make money, don't keep it all to yourself. The people in the palace are all childless, give them some and let everyone have something to rely on when they grow old. Money can't be taken with you when you're born or when you die. Just having enough is fine, don't be too greedy!"

  "The child knows. Ah, Master is truly a Bodhisattva! Last time the child followed Master's orders to visit Princess Gong Sun after she left the palace, and she kept praising you!" Feng Xiaotai massaged and pounded, making Gao Lishi extremely comfortable.

  "Hmm", Gao Lishi said in a low voice, "Uncle is getting old and his body isn't as strong as before. With this change in weather, he's aching all over. And you, child, don't even ask for progress. One day when Grandfather can't cover for you anymore, let's see how you'll handle it?"

  "That child will leave the palace to buy a villa, and follow Grandpa to become a local landlord!" As for the future, Feng Xiaotai had his own plans. "The two of us will raise chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, dig two ponds, and grow a pool of lotus roots. In summer, we'll watch the lotus flowers, in autumn, we'll pick the lotus seeds..."

  "That's a wonderful life!" The pastoral scenery depicted by Feng Xiao Taijian made Gao Lishi's heart flutter with excitement. He closed his eyes and fantasized. Is it possible? In his current position, he would either end up old and grey here or be kicked out by someone else. Wanting to return to the countryside was probably just a dream!

  "The child has already set out to handle it. Last time I met Jia Chang, he said that there is a 300-acre estate on the Wei River, which was originally..."

  "It's too big, we can't have it!" Before Feng Xiaotai could finish speaking, Gao Lishi immediately interrupted. "Such a large estate, the original owner was at least a founding duke. They're already down on their luck, we can't take advantage of them in their time of need!"

  "Oh!" Feng Xiaotai was stunned, his response tinged with disappointment. "Let Jia Chang help look again, he has a wide network of friends, maybe he can find something smaller!"

  "How long have you been with him?" Gao Lishi asked with a smile, his mind elsewhere.

  "It's okay!" Feng Xiaotai replied quickly while massaging his adoptive father's shoulders.

  "Did you promise him something?" Gao Lishi's voice suddenly turned heavy, and he asked in a low tone.

  "No, no, it's just that I've been in contact with him more often recently!" Feng Xiaotaibao repeatedly denied, but his tone revealed a hint of nervousness.

  "From now on, try not to provoke him. That man is too clever!" Gaoli Si turned his head and glared at him, instructing in a low voice.

  "Hmm!" Feng Xiaotai's plan fell through once again, he shut his mouth and looked helpless.

  "Did you take his money?" Gaoli Si suddenly realized and asked with raised eyebrows.

  "No, the child really didn't take his money. It's just that he owed him a favor! However, it's not a big deal, Grandpa can just ignore it!"

  "You little rabbit!" Gao Lishi raised his palm, making a gesture as if to hit him. "Tell the truth, what favor do you owe him and what did you promise to do for him?"

  Feng Xiaotai immediately hugged his arms, as pitiful as possible, "Aye, I really didn't owe him any favors! It was he who took the initiative to help. Last time I left the palace, I saw that Li Bai and secretly scolded him a few times. Jia Chang happened to be nearby and heard it, then instructed someone to beat up Li Bai!"

  "You little rabbit!" Gao Lishi slapped him, "We'll use you to vent our anger. That madman relies on his talent and looks down on others, making enemies everywhere in the capital. Your actions have made us look petty and intolerant of talented people! You little rabbit, you're just causing trouble for us!"

  Feng Xiaotai was slapped several times in a row, but he didn't even dare to dodge, hugging his arms and sobbing: "Isn't it just that the child is angry? Even when the Crown Prince saw Grandfather, he respectfully called him General, but Li Bai, a bookworm, can only write a few crappy poems, how can he be worthy of having Grandfather take off his boots for him?"

  When mentioning Li Bai's request to the Emperor, and letting himself take off his boots, Gao Lishi's face suddenly twitched. Due to his physical disability, his self-esteem was much stronger than that of ordinary people. Having been humiliated by Li Bai for no reason, he naturally harbored a deep hatred. However, despite his hatred, Gao Lishi did not want to use private revenge to vent his grievances. As long as Li Bai spent his life being mediocre except for writing poetry, later generations would naturally understand who was the reckless and arrogant one, and who had the tolerance of a prime minister who could forbear for the sake of the country.

  Feng Xiaotai's actions behind the scenes, however, completely ruined his original plan. From now on, no matter how Li Bai made enemies everywhere, outsiders would regard him as the biggest reason for Li Bai's bumpy official career. Although in fact, he didn't say half a word of slander to the emperor.

  It's just that the children are after all filial. Gao Lishi sighed, helplessly putting away his palm. "Then Jia Chang took the opportunity to ask for your help, and you agreed on behalf of our family?"

  "No!" Feng Xiaotai cried like a pear flower in the rain, "Yesterday, when my son went out, he originally wanted to invite the person who beat Li Bai to dinner. As a result, as a result of listening to Jia Chang, he accidentally offended someone and was taken away by the Wan Nian County government!"

  "Ah!" Gao Lishi nodded and let out a long sigh. "What's his name? What crime did Wan Nian County arrest him for?"

  "He's called Yuwen Zhi, and the charges against him are something like letting horses trample people, inciting crowds to fight, and colliding with an official carriage, a whole bunch of them! But they're all trumped up charges!" Feng Xiaotaiyan wiped his eyes and responded in a choked voice.

  "Is he the younger brother of Uwen De, the outer lang of the Ministry of Revenue?" Gao Lishi furrowed his brow and asked in a low voice, "Then shouldn't he be Yang Guozhong's man?! Why didn't his older brother Uwen De lend him a hand?"

  "Besides!" Feng Xiaotai immediately made a resentful face, "On the day he got into trouble, his brother Yuwen De drove him out of the house. He bullied him for being born out of wedlock and took all the property. Zhu Qigui was originally on good terms with him, but seeing that things were not going well, he also retreated!"

  "Scoundrel!" Gao Lishi spat disdainfully. Then he fell into a long silence. Rescuing someone from the Wan Nian County government office was an easy task for him. However, the conflict between Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu made one tremble with fear. To be honest, neither of the parties involved were good people. Li Linfu had a sweet mouth but a poisonous heart, jealous of others' talents. As for Yang Guozhong, he didn't even have the ability to be a prime minister, and if he came into power, it would probably be no better than Li Linfu.

  "Grandfather, has the child caused trouble for you?" Seeing Gao Lishi's hesitation to express his opinion, Feng Xiaotai raised his face and asked cautiously. "If Grandfather feels embarrassed, then there's no need to bother with this matter. Anyway, the child didn't make a final agreement with Jia Chang!"

  "He did give me a favor after all, even if our family didn't instruct him to do so!" Gao Lishi sighed and shook his head lightly. "Just based on this point alone, we can't just watch as he's wrongly accused! Take my letter and go to the Yannian County government office tomorrow morning. Just say that the one surnamed Yuwen is our family's person, and ask the Yannian County Magistrate to show mercy!"

  "Yes!" Feng Xiaotai's heart surged with excitement, but his face still wore a cautious expression. "Will it cause trouble for Master? If it's too much trouble..."

  "Yang Guozhong is a useless person, but we can't do without him." Gaoli Shi smiled and stretched out his hand to gently stroke Feng Xiaotai's head. "Remember, although we are eunuchs, we cannot treat ourselves as inferior!"

  Note 1: Li Jingzhong, later known as the eunuch Li Fuguo.