Chapter 63: Intensive Preparations

Just as Consort Yun stepped forward and nodded in approval to prompt him, Chai Xiao uttered a remark that left her profoundly stunned.

"Many thanks, Mother, for sparing me from becoming a workaholic Zhuge Liang who drives himself to an early grave!"

One must realize that Zhuge Liang, revered as the "Sage of Wisdom," devised strategies to secure the realm without ever stepping outside his thatched cottage, rarely facing criticism.

As *Records of the Three Kingdoms* notes: "Leading a force of tens of thousands, Liang achieved feats seemingly accomplished by hundreds of thousands. Truly, he is a wondrous talent of the ages."

To command merely a few tens of thousands of troops yet project the might of hundreds of thousands—this was indeed a talent witnessed once in a millennium.

However, those with a deep understanding of history or extensive reading hold a different perspective on this "Crouching Dragon," who perished prematurely at the age of fifty-three.

What enabled him to achieve the "feats of hundreds of thousands" was meticulousness.

"From the encampments, wells, stoves, latrines, and fences, down to the ramparts and barriers, everything conformed strictly to the ink-line."

Setting up camp, building stoves, and even constructing latrines all followed rigorous regulations; these were the fundamentals of large-scale military operations.

Yet precisely because this meticulousness was carried to an extreme, it severely compromised the health of both Zhuge Liang himself and the entire state of Shu.

As *Records of the Three Kingdoms* further records: "No matter how trivial the affairs of state, all were decided by Liang."

During the Northern Expeditions, even military punishments involving twenty strokes of the cane or more required his personal judgment.

Whether building latrines or constructing stoves, he insisted on inspecting the sites personally to ensure they met specifications.

Such hands-on management consumed immense amounts of energy and time, gravely impairing his health.

Furthermore, because he controlled every single matter personally, the late Shu-Han era suffered from an irreparable talent gap.

"With no great generals left in Shu, Liao Hua must serve as the vanguard."

Consequently, after his death, the state of Shu never recovered and ultimately collapsed.

In contrast, his rival Sima Yi of the state of Wei, deeply versed in the arts of handling weighty matters with effortless ease and balancing centralization with delegation, lived to the venerable age of seventy-three.

He outlived Zhuge Liang by a full twenty years, outliving not only his rival—who was two years his junior—but also his rival's successor and successor's successor.

Coupled with his practice of biding his time and exercising extreme forbearance, he eventually replaced Wei to establish the Jin dynasty, unifying the Three Kingdoms and claiming the realm.

Comparing the two, Sima Yi clearly emerged the victor.

Consort Yun perceived it instantly: this rascal intended to emulate Sima Yi rather than Zhuge Liang and unify the realm!

Very well, she would shoulder the burden of "delegation" for him so that he could better concentrate on "centralization."

Consort Yun stepped forward gracefully and called out:

"Yi Taihe!"

Hearing this, Yi Taihe hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Consort Yun!"

Consort Yun exuded an unforced majesty.

"Your name implies you wish to become a Grand Chancellor who happens to be a master chef—do you intend to stop cooking and become Chancellor straight away?"

Startled, Yi Taihe lowered his head immediately.

"This humble servant wouldn't dare!"

Consort Yun offered a cold chuckle.

"It seems to me there is nothing you wouldn't dare do! The three money-making ventures regarding the expenses for the martial arts tournament to win a bride were personally decreed by the Sovereign!"

"Jianyu already conveyed the decree earlier. Do you imagine your own judgment surpasses that of the Sovereign?"

Yi Taihe waved his hands frantically.

"No, no! My Lady, we will execute the Sovereign's decrees without fail!"

"It's just that while 'discounting by voucher' applies to those dining at the Heaven, Earth, and Man venues and is easy to manage, 'simplified meals served at tables' and 'delivery to individuals' are rather difficult to implement!"

Consort Yun tilted her head slightly.

"What is so difficult about implementation? Didn't the Sovereign state that these are to be accounted for separately? You are merely worried that the expenses for these two items won't be recouped!"

Yi Taihe grew flustered, constantly rubbing the hem of his robe.

"How could that be? This humble servant wouldn't dare..."

Consort Yun extended her hand toward Chai Xiao behind her.

***

Chai Xiao naturally knew what his mother was asking for and reluctantly produced twelve hundred taels worth of "equity" silver notes.

Among these were also one hundred and twenty taels of "IOUs" signed by the Twelve Golden Hairpins, valued based on their persons—though Chai Xiao had simply advanced the silver notes on their behalf.

Chai Xiao's eyes remained fixed on that very first silver note of two taels, which he had originally swindled from "Chai Huo" using a maiden body pillow.

He had repeatedly used it as a stake in gambles, never once letting it truly leave his possession.

Once it left his hands this time, it might never return.

Still, it mattered not; when he won it back, it would amount to at least two thousand or even twenty thousand taels in silver notes.

Consort Yun, well aware of her son's thoughts, snatched the notes away with a soft, scolding huff.

"Hand them over, you little Pixiu!"

With that, she thrust the thick stack of silver notes before Yi Taihe, shaking them continuously.

"Look closely, these are silver pieces personally forked out by your Sovereign!"

"Combined with mine, as well as those from Zhuque and Jianyu, we've pooled twelve hundred taels to cover the costs of setting up the venues, printing the vouchers, and preparing ingredients."

"Not a single copper cash came from the state treasury or your own imperial kitchens!"

"When the time comes, if the dining and drinking revenues turn a profit, you will even receive a ten percent share!"

"Where on earth could you find such a benevolent Sovereign?"

"If you are still ungrateful, do you believe I won't take you—this unappreciative soup-boiler who only knows how to calculate getting his capital back—and boil you into soup first?"

At these words, everyone present was startled.

Su Zhongjing, Zhang Bao, and the Twelve Golden Hairpins were already aware that the Sovereign had raised funds for "equity" to provide a financial floor, though the kitchen staff had known nothing of it.

Yet none of them had anticipated that the typically gentle "Mother of the Nation" of Great Xu would actually threaten to boil Master Chef Yi!

They say benevolence does not command armies; truer words were never spoken!

Overcome with panic, Yi Taihe burst into tears and wailed to the heavens.

"My Lady, I was merely worried about the increased capital needed for today's tournament ingredients—especially for the simplified meals and deliveries—wondering what we would do if there were no funds!"

"I truly didn't mean anything else!"

"Now that the Sovereign has gathered the capital, there is not the slightest problem anymore!"

"As for receiving a ten percent share of the profits later, since we didn't invest a single coin, we would never dare harbor such greedy thoughts!"

Consort Yun commanded coldly:

"Stop crying! A grown man, shedding tears at the drop of a hat?"

"Earlier you were being coy and argumentative with the Sovereign, and just now you were raising your voice against Jianyu and the others, who have just been enfeoffed as Princess Chilian!"

"In my opinion, that precious tongue of yours has no need to remain for tasting food; having it cut out and boiled into soup would suit you best!"

Shivering like chaff in the wind, Yi Taihe kowtowed incessantly.

"My Lady, Sovereign, Your Royal Highnesses the Princesses, I shall say no more! I will only work and utter not another word!"

Consort Yun turned back to look at her son, only to find him giving her a thumbs-up and grinning broadly.

This rascal truly had no qualms about pushing his mother to the forefront to play the villain who took the abuse!

Yet, truth be told, after venting like that, it felt rather exhilarating!

Her son had ambitions to raise funds, stockpile weapons, and recruit followers; as his mother, shouldn't she guard his backyard properly?

People used to call the Ninth Prince a good-for-nothing, but the blame for failing to shed that "good-for-nothing" label could not rest solely on him—everyone shared a part of it!

Rather than criticizing others, one should start with oneself; she would begin the rectification right here within the Prince's estate!

And step by step, she would cast off that "good-for-nothing" label for good!

At that moment, Consort Yun saw her son make a very gentle sweeping gesture with his arm.

It somewhat resembled the "opening move" he used to make when performing that "square dance" earlier.

What was the meaning of this?

Having reprimanded Yi Taihe, was it now time for song and dance?

Looking again, he made an "air-grabbing" motion with his hand and then shoved it toward his mouth.

It looked like he was yawning, yet also like he was eating.

At this, Consort Yun understood completely.

Her son's gentle arm sweep meant she should adopt a "conciliatory" approach.

The air-grab and shove toward the mouth meant that having just delivered a heavy blow with the palm, she ought to offer a sweet date in return.

You rascal, he was coaching her in the imperial arts of "striking while simultaneously coaxing"!

He really was something else!

Consort Yun smiled faintly, reached out with both hands, and helped Yi Taihe to his feet.

"Very well! Get up! A resounding drum requires a heavy mallet! Scolding you today was for your own good!"

"The Sovereign holds high hopes for you and will eventually entrust the entire culinary enterprise to your care!"

"When that day comes, don't go ruining a major undertaking like that hopeless A Dou!"

"By the way, of this twelve hundred taels, ingredient preparation for dining constitutes the lion's share. How much would be appropriate to reserve—would half, six hundred taels, be enough?"

Overwhelmed with apprehension, Yi Taihe longed to express more gratitude, yet did not dare. After weighing his words in his mind for a long while, he replied concisely:

"Many thanks, Consort Yun! This humble servant will remember this always! Six hundred taels is more than enough!"

Consort Yun smiled, handed the silver notes over to Zhang Bao, and instructed him to register and distribute them: six hundred taels for dining ingredients, and three hundred taels each for venue setup and voucher printing.

She then called over Jianji, bidding her stay behind to oversee the major category of dining expenses, while Jianyu and Jiansan were to accompany the rest.

The three maidens acknowledged the command.

Zhuque had by then changed into her princess ceremonial robes and joined the procession.

The group continued walking forward until they reached the first courtyard.

This was the living quarters of the Twelve Golden Hairpins and other guards, and at the moment, it was bustling with lively noise.

However, unlike the previous two courtyards they had passed through, Jianlei, Jianni, and Jianhong had been stationed in separate areas.

Jianlei, whose raven-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, was deep in discussion with three or four scholars wearing white headscarves.

Without needing to ask, these must be the shorthand scribes "recruited" from the Imperial Academy.

The earliest text reporters, frontline describers!

Jianni, whose slender yet curvaceous figure was striking, was intently watching four or five individuals of diverse attire swiftly wield their sketching brushes; at a glance, these were quick-sketch artists.

Equally needless to ask, these must be quick-sketch artists "found" from various art galleries or street corners.

The earliest "photographic" reporters, frontline portraitists!

Jianhong, whose short hair gave her an exceptionally capable appearance, was spreading out large sheets of paper on a table with two or three scholars wearing blue headscarves, drawing grid lines with rulers.

Even less needing to ask, these must be the collation officers "invited" from the Imperial Academy.

The earliest editors, masters of the mouthpiece!

There was also a female guard whose name escaped notice, currently registering and briefing a separate queue of white-scarfed and blue-scarfed scholars and artists on the other side.

It seemed that due to the rush of time, they had temporarily tested and trained whichever candidates they found first.

They would continue searching successively until a sufficient number of personnel was gathered.

Even Su Zhongjing nodded repeatedly at this sight.

Consort Yun glanced at her son and spread her hands.

Chai Xiao smiled, gave a light cough, and walked forward.

Hearing the commotion, Jianlei and the other two looked up. Recognizing the group, they hastily dropped their work, came forward to greet them, and bowed with cupped hands.

"Young Master! My Lady! Junior Tutor!"

Chai Xiao pointed toward Jianlei, who had hair like a cascading waterfall.

"My Lady believes that your execution of the centralization and delegation tasks has been methodical and your performance outstanding. She wishes to reward you—tell me, what is it you desire?"