Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 71.3 A Lady’s Opinion on Politics

On the final day of sānfú, a light drizzle began outside, accompanied by a gentle breeze, creating a comfortable and cool atmosphere.

Yu San, known for his usually stoic expression, glanced at the sky and unexpectedly remarked, "The temperature drops with every autumn rain."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. Autumn rain? Guaranteed it will still be extremely hot even if the weather is clear.

Yu San cast a glance at her, and Shen Shaoguang quickly restrained herself. Recalling her comment from two days prior about ‘fleshing out in autumn,’ Yu San remarked, "Fleshing out seems feasible today."

It was evident that Princess Yu San welcomed today's cool rain. To delight her highness, Shen Shaoguang smiled and suggested, "Since the butcher is around, let's check if he has any pork knuckles. I'll prepare Braised Pork Hock for you."

Shen Shaoguang's curious words indeed came true; the butcher had indeed brought pork knuckles today, fat, sizable, and fresh. Shen Shaoguang acquired both knuckles.

As the pork knuckles were being cleaned, the Lane Guards outside began beating gongs. They were posting imperial notices at Lane Gate and the intersections of major streets within the Lane. After soaking the knuckles in lukewarm water, Shen Shaoguang washed her hands, grabbed an umbrella, and ventured out to read the one nearest posted.

Oh! They had actually apprehended the rumor maker!

The instigators turned out to be ‘Taoist priests from Xuanzhen Monastery’. The mastermind, Qing Xu, drove the scheme—a ‘high priest’ from Zhongnan Mountain. He concocted the prophecy and tasked his disciples with spreading it. Moreover, he dispatched individuals to poison the toads, aiming to sow discord among the populace. According to his disciples, the next phase involved contaminating well water with drugs and fabricating a false epidemic to incite panic. Qing Xu planned to emerge as a savior, purportedly ‘dispelling the disasters and banishing evil spirits,’ all to garner fame and wealth.

"It was actually him!" The crowd erupted into chatter.

Shen Shaoguang couldn't push her way to the front, so she gathered insights from those around her.

"He appeared like an immortal, through and through. Who would have thought he was capable of such deceit! Vice Minister Lu from the Ministry of Ceremonies even honored him as a distinguished guest at a banquet. This Taoist priest had acquaintances among many high-ranking court officials."

"You might not know, but his monastery was built upon the old residence donated to him. It was once the property of Administrative Division Governor Han."

In addition to information, there were also condemnations.

"This deceitful Taoist priest is truly shameless! He attempted to fabricate a disaster for his own selfish gain!"

"It wouldn't be unjust to arrest and execute them all! We were all in a state of panic these days, and it turns out it was all their schemes?!"

"How wretched! Everything’s been held up too! Truthfully speaking, I haven't bought any new products and was thinking about taking my family back to Shannan Circuit to take refuge."

Some people expressed their gratitude to the emperor. "It’s all thanks to His Majesty, our enlightened sage, for lighting the right path. Our Tang Dynasty has the blessing of heaven, and these little evil schemes will never prevail."

Naturally, there are also those who are more astute. "The seal at the end is from the capital city. The local government repository did a great job this time!"

"The Deputy Magistrate of our district resides here in our Lane. Despite his refined appearance, who would have thought he would be so resolute and daring..."

Shen Shaoguang listened to various comments before returning to continue cleaning the pork knuckles.

From Shen Shaoguang's perspective, the neighbor who praised Deputy Magistrate Lin was probably correct. Because Deputy Magistrate Lin's superior, City Magistrate Bai, was a well-known old sleeker. Not long ago, when Uncle Chu visited and got drunk, he spoke about this ‘old friend’s’ past. He mentioned that Magistrate Bai had been actively seeking postings in foreign regions in recent years, attempting to distance himself from the conflicts of the imperial court. However, none had expected for him to be eventually dropped back and become the overseer of the constantly troubled capital city.

There was initially little movement in the falsified-prophecy case, but then, like a hurricane, came the swift arrest and punishment of a ‘high priest’ who was quite famous among the gentry. Such resolute and daring iron-fisted work didn't seem characteristic of the old sleeker. 

At this thought, Shen Shaoguang couldn’t help but pondered how long Deputy Magistrate Lin would need to explain his actions to Magistrate Bai. 

And this ‘indoctrinate them’-style announcement... Shen Shaoguang recalled Deputy Magistrate Lin's words that day.

—"He has a rather elegant appearance, who would have thought that he would be so resolute and daring..." Indeed. And he was the type to always keep his words.

The contents of the notice seemed somewhat implausible. Could a group of Taoist priests really incite unrest throughout the entire capital? Was it worth the risk of being beheaded just to earn fame and money by selling some charms? This didn't quite align with the economics of crime.

Shen Shaoguang shook her head and immersed the pig knuckles in a fresh basin of water.

Since the dish wasn't intended for a banquet but for home consumption, she chopped the two pieces of pork knuckles into smaller pieces. This saved time and effort while allowing the flavors and colors to penetrate more easily.

Once the knuckles were thoroughly cleaned, they were blanched in a pot with warm water to remove impurities and blood. After boiling them for a while, they were taken out and dried.

Next, the wok was heated and oil was added along with a generous amount of sugar. When the sugar bubbled, the blanched pork knuckles were added and stir-fried. Then some soy essence and yellow wine were added, along with onion and ginger. Finally, a cheesecloth bag containing various spices like cassia bark and orange peel was added, and the mixture was stewed slowly.

Amidst the rich aroma of meat filling the kitchen, Shen Shaoguang glanced out from the open window. The rain seemed to be intensifying. Under the eaves, A’Yuan was feeding the stray cats. The little ones didn't seem to be very hungry as they took small bites. Their table manners could almost be considered graceful. Observing this, Shen Shaoguang couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. Nothing could beat living in a stable society. Better to live as a cat in an era of peace than a human in times of trouble[1].

Shen Shaoguang mulled over the rice grains in her warehouse once more. It appeared she had overstocked. Had she anticipated Deputy Magistrate Lin's prompt actions, she would have procured a smaller quantity. With the current weather conditions, grains were susceptible to mold...

Lin Yan arrived at the end of lunchtime again, but he was really lucky. Because of Miss Shen’s restrictions on A’Yuan and A’Chang, there was also a bowl of pork knuckles in the earthenware pot, so Deputy Magistrate Lin was able to enjoy a proper meal crafted personally by Miss Shen.

Lin Yan savored a bowl of fragrant rice alongside glistening red, tender pork knuckles. The meal was complemented by several light dishes, including stir-fried celery and lily, crystal shrimp cakes, and stir-fried celtuce.

Shen Shaoguang approached as she inquired, "For your soup, Sir, would you prefer meatball and wax gourd soup, or tofu and vegetable soup?"

Lin Yan smiled and replied, "Tofu and vegetable soup, please."

Shen Shaoguang nodded. "I’ll also add some minced cured meat; it will enhance the flavor." Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard Deputy Magistrate Lin say, "Today's pork dish seems to taste slightly different from usual."

Shen Shaoguang turned around again. "Really?"

Observing her expression, he discerned that his observation was accurate. Lin Yan raised the corners of his lips and added, "It's delicious."

These were ordinary words, yet Shen Shaoguang seemed to detect a hint of flirtation. She couldn’t help but cough lightly to ease her expression and replied,  "Then feel free to indulge. Fleshing out in autumn, right? Haha."

"Indeed," Lin Yan smiled.

Shen Shaoguang turned back to the kitchen to prepare his soup. She noted that her willpower bar dropped particularly quickly when facing Deputy Magistrate Lin...

Hearing Deputy Magistrate Lin say "it’s delicious," A’Yuan, who was sitting behind the counter peeling beans, inwardly retorted, ‘Well duh!’ Miss cooked it herself, how could it be the same? Yu San was only adept at fish and mutton dishes. 

A’Yuan then felt a pang of annoyance. Miss had clearly stated that this pot of pork knuckles was not for the guests, and she had even mentioned it was reserved for me for dinner... What a lie!

By the time Shen Shaoguang came out with tofu soup, Lin Yan was almost full.

Shen Shaoguang served him a small bowl of soup and mentioned what happened in the morning. "There was a notice posted in the Lane this morning saying that the person who spread the rumors was caught. It's great news."

"The Taoist priests were apprehended, and some information has been found during the investigation, but—" Because of their previous lengthy conversation, Lin Yan did not hide it from her, "this case is not that simple." The notice was posted mainly to ‘pacify the people.’

Shen Shaoguang understood what his underlying meaning was. Stability was the priority for the capital city and its surrounding area. Don’t we, ordinary people, just want stability?

So she smiled and said, "I was not being perfunctory when I had previously mentioned ‘the current state, where the earth is clean and the waters are clear, Chang'an City is populous, affluent, and tranquil’. It is really a blessing to be under the jurisdiction of officials like you, Sir."

Meeting her sincere gaze, Lin Yan paused for a long moment before expressing, "Thank you."

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T/N: This is why ML is so smitten with you (づ>/////<)づ♡ Also, I want to mentioned that part where our MC mentioned ‘Taoist priests from Xuanzhen Monastery’--- it might be another Dream of the Red Chamber reference. Usually the author would use real locations, and I had trouble finding this monastery until I stumbled on a wiki mentioning this location was also a fictitious location from the Dream of the Red Chamber. It wasn’t something major so I didn’t bother to make a footnote (also spares myself of further research haha), but if anyone has more information, please feel free to comment about it below!

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Footnote:

[1] Better to live as a cat in an era of peace than a human in times of trouble - comes from the proverb ‘宁为太平犬，莫作乱离人,’ which translates to  'It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.'

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Foods:

Braised Pork Hock (冰糖肘子) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldmY0_mYklI