Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 35 Teppanyaki for Laba Festival

Li Xian's words only earned him a glare from Liu Jianjun.

And the line, "Do you think everyone is as obsessed with romance as you are?"

……

A day passed, and Shangguan Wan'er still hadn't come looking for her.

The next day, the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Jianjun accompanied Li Xian to the post station to wait for Shangguan Wan'er all day, but it was already dark outside and Shangguan Wan'er still hadn't come.

The two had finished washing up and were lying on the tatami mat.

At this time, the closing drum of Chengtian Gate had already sounded, meaning that Chang'an City had entered a curfew, and Shangguan Wan'er could no longer come looking for her.

The Golden Guards patrolling outside were making a lot of noise, and Li Xian couldn't sleep while lying on the couch.

He turned over, looked at Liu Jianjun sleeping on the next bed, and softly called out, "Liu Jianjun, are you asleep?"

A clear reply came from the other end: "Mm."

Li Xian said, "Miss Wan'er didn't come today."

"It's better if she doesn't come. The sooner she comes, the less I trust her. I would be most at ease if she came after your father issued the decree to restore your status as a prince."

Li Xian was puzzled.

Liu Jianjun seemed to guess that Li Xian didn't understand, and then explained: "You are a dog in the water now. I would be suspicious of anyone who dares to come and help you in your time of need. But if your father's decree to restore your identity is issued, then the nature of the people who come will be different. They will all be adding flowers to brocade."

It's difficult to offer help in times of need, but it's easy to add flowers to brocade, because 'brocade' itself represents profit.

“If Shangguan Wan’er really came to you when you were penniless, then I would either have to suspect that she was arranged by your mother, or I would have to suspect that she had feelings for you.”

Li Xian felt that Liu Jianjun's words were too mercenary. Not everyone is driven by self-interest and avoids harm. He retorted, "And what about you? Didn't you come to me when I was down on my luck?"

In addition, he also felt that describing Liu Jianjun as a "fallen dog" was too much.

“I’m different… No! I’m not any different. Isn’t it because you brought me to Chang’an that I’m here?”

Li Xian remained silent for a while.

Because he felt that what Liu Jianjun said was too realistic.

By this time, the sounds of the Imperial Guard patrol had faded into the distance, and only Liu Jianjun's breathing could be heard in the quiet.

"But why do you value Shangguan Wan'er so much? If you really suspect her, why don't we just stay away from her?"

"Leaving aside the question of how to avoid it, there's something wrong with your thinking."

"Don't underestimate that woman. Think about it, she was born a servant, spending her days washing her master's underwear and emptying his chamber pot. Yet she still managed to find time to become self-taught and even speak eloquently, surprising your mother. That's much better than most men."

"If we can win her over, it will benefit both of us."

Li Xian thought about it and felt that Liu Jianjun made sense, but he still retorted, "So what? She is just a woman. No matter how talented she is, she can only be a female official in the palace at most."

"Stubborn to the end," Liu Jianjun said casually.

Li Xian was annoyed and decided to ignore Liu Jianjun, but after a while, he spoke again: "Liu Jianjun, tomorrow is Laba Festival, do you know how to cook Laba porridge?"

Liu Jianjun didn't speak, and his breathing became much calmer.

He must be asleep.

Li Xian tossed and turned on the couch for a while, then drifted off to sleep. ...

The next morning, Li Xian was awakened by a commotion.

I glanced at Liu Jianjun's bed, but he was gone. So I sat up and looked outside. I found the post station staff running back and forth, but they didn't seem to be in a hurry or panic. They seemed to be just busy.

Li Xian went outside out of curiosity and found Liu Jianjun sitting in the courtyard, directing the couriers to run back and forth.

Liu Jianjun himself was sitting on a stone stool. In front of him were two long, narrow stones placed side by side, with six or seven broad-bladed long knives placed on the two stones, as if building a bridge. The long knives were all standard, seemingly belonging to the post station workers.

Li Xian was stunned. What was Liu Jianjun doing?
When the couriers saw Li Xian, they were initially flustered, but after realizing that Li Xian didn't say anything, they continued with their work.

At that moment, Liu Jianjun also noticed Li Xian and beckoned, "Come on, Xianzi, sit down!"

Li Xian walked over and found there was nowhere to sit. But then, a courier moved a stone stool and placed it behind him. Li Xian thanked him and sat down, asking, "What are you doing? And why can you order these couriers around?"

"Shh, don't make a sound, just pretend you were still the crown prince."

Li Xian wasn't stupid; he instantly realized that Liu Jianjun was using his status. He frowned and said, "I'm still just a commoner, you..."

"I didn't say anything. I just said that our mission of delivering auspicious omens is complete. But why did your father make us stay behind to let them savor the omens? Who knows what they'll discover!"

Li Xian was speechless for a moment. Liu Jianjun was indeed a little devil.

Liu Jianjun patted Li Xian on the shoulder casually and said, "Alright, stop being so old-fashioned. I've stopped going to brothels for your sake, so you have to make sure I have a good time at the post station, right?"

"By the way, the Laba porridge that someone was talking about last night is gone, but we have teppanyaki."

Li Xian asked in confusion: "Teppanyaki?"

At the same time, I thought to myself, "So Liu Jianjun didn't sleep yesterday."

"We haven't had time yet... What a coincidence, they're here!" Liu Jianjun suddenly looked up, and Li Xian turned his head in the direction of his gaze. He saw a courier carrying a pile of charcoal, while on the other side, another courier was carrying a long strip of pork and hurrying over.

Just as Li Xian was wondering what Liu Jianjun was going to do, he saw Liu Jianjun take the charcoal and place it under the broad-bladed long knives placed side by side, starting a fire.

Then, he took the long strip of pork and, with swift strokes, sliced ​​it into pieces, carefully placing each slice onto the wide-bladed long knives.

As the charcoal fire heated the long knife, the pork sizzled.

"This is teppanyaki!" Liu Jianjun said proudly, but then sighed, "It's a pity that the ingredients are limited, so we can only use pork to grill."

Li Xian chuckled and said, "What's the difference between this and roasted meat? Don't burn these courier's knives!"

"The difference is huge! You don't understand, but you'll see once it's done and you'll taste it!"

As he spoke, Liu Jianjun gestured to the busy postmen: "Alright, alright, everyone stop busying yourselves, find a place to sit, we'll divide them up one by one once they're done roasting!"

The couriers were initially a bit reserved, but after seeing that Li Xian didn't react, they squatted down one by one, staring intently at the meat on the long knife.

Li Xian suddenly felt something was wrong. Even if the charcoal was kept by the post station, this long strip of meat must weigh more than ten kilograms. Meat was not cheap in Chang'an. Where did Liu Jianjun get the money?
It's one thing for him to use his poems to visit brothels, but surely those illiterate butchers can't also use their meat to exchange for poems, can they?
"I've already used your name, so why not just lend it all the way? I told these couriers that this money won't be lent for nothing, and you'll remember their kindness!"

Liu Jianjun leaned closer and whispered.

Li Xian suddenly realized.

Liu Jianjun is despicable.

……

(End of this chapter)