Chapter 5, The Three Meals of the Prince (Part 2)

Zhao Yan was taken aback to hear that Cao Ying was actually planning to sell her dowry to pay off debts, which made him feel a twinge of guilt. Although these debts were incurred by the previous Zhao Yan, he now occupied the body of another and inherited the identity of that person. According to the principle of equivalent exchange, he could not simply enjoy rights without bearing responsibilities; these debts were one of his obligations.

Hearing Zhao Yan's words, Cao Ying, who was eating, raised her head to glance at him, and then unexpectedly nodded, saying: "As a prince, it is indeed beneath his status to have only one dish at each meal. Little Douya, have someone add an extra dish for the prince tomorrow"

"Well, I do not oppose lighter meals, but after all, I am a prince, and I receive a considerable salary every month. Is it possible to allocate a portion of my salary to improve my meals? Eating only vegetables and tofu every day is making me feel like a monk!" Zhao Yan stood firm in his position, not feeling that he was in the wrong. Moreover, he was aware that the salaries during the Song Dynasty were notoriously generous. Taking himself as an example, as a prince, he could receive 300 guan in cash each month, in addition to a substantial amount of cloth, grain, and so on, which together were worth several hundred guan. Relying solely on this salary was sufficient to cover the expenses of the entire royal residence.

I... I am at least a prince of the Song Dynasty, and I am also a patient. How can I eat these things every day? As the saying goes, unreasonable demands can be made, and Zhao Yan is currently in such a situation. In any case, he absolutely cannot eat these vegetables and tofu.

Well, these IOUs do not specify when they should be repaid, and the creditors have not come to demand payment. I think it would be better to hold off for a while. After some time, I will find a way to settle these debts. We cannot let the entire Wang residence suffer just because of repaying debts, and we should not be too frugal with our daily expenses and books either. Zhao Yan said somewhat awkwardly, after all, Cao Ying is his wife, and he does not want her to suffer alongside him right after their marriage. Moreover, he does not take these debts too seriously, as he is a time traveler with over a thousand years of knowledge compared to people from the Song Dynasty. He does not believe he will be unable to find a way to make money.

On the 3rd day of the 6th month in the 6th year of the Jiayou era, Zhao Yan owes Gao Liang a total of 1,000 guan, and this is hereby documented; on the 16th day of the 8th month in the 6th year of the Jiayou era, Zhao Yan owes Cao Song a total of 1,300 guan, and this is also documented; on the 23rd day of the 2nd month in the 7th year of the Jiayou era, Zhao Yan owes Hu Yanping a total of 2,100 guan

Your Highness the Prince, have you finished reading? This is merely a portion of the debts you owe externally. I have already sent someone to deliver the money and retrieve the promissory notes. There remains a sum of sixty-three thousand seven hundred and ten guan that has yet to be repaid. In a few days, I will have someone sell off part of the royal treasury, along with some of my dowry. Although it may still not be enough, the remaining debts will not be too substantial. If the royal household economizes for a few years, it should be able to repay them!" Cao Ying spoke coldly, her face expressionless. She had completely lost hope in her marriage. While other women enjoy a life of comfort after marriage, she not only married a debauched man but also had to bear a massive debt. She had completely lost hope in her marriage. While other women enjoy a life of comfort after marriage, she not only married a debauched man but also had to bear a massive debt, even having to sacrifice her own dowry to repay the debts. Is there any woman in this world more unfortunate than herself?

With a snap, as Zhao Yan's words fell, Cao Ying across the table slammed a stack of papers from a small box onto the table, her delicate face filled with anger as she said, "Your Highness, the Prince, truly has a forgetful nature; you should take a look at these first before speaking!"

Your Highness, the Duke, please be cautious with your words. Do you mean to say that the food you do not like is merely pig feed? What surprised Zhao Yan was that upon hearing his words, Cao Ying actually stood up in anger and shouted loudly, even without wiping her mouth. Zhao Yan could see a grain of millet still hanging at the corner of her mouth

Zhao Yan did not expect that his kind intentions would be met with a sharp retort from the other party, which left him feeling somewhat embarrassed. In a fit of anger, he chose not to explain and turned to leave.

Zhao Yan's confusion was soon resolved the next day; at breakfast, he no longer faced a solitary plate of vegetables and tofu, but rather two plates, one containing vegetables and the other tofu

Thinking of that emotionally distant mother, combined with the memories left by Zhao Yan, Zhao Yan felt quite apprehensive towards the Empress Gao. There was no need to disturb her over trivial matters, so after Cao Ying brought up the Empress Gao, he could only obediently finish his meal. In fact, he had his own tricks for dealing with unpalatable food. Back in school, the cafeteria served similar boiled dishes, where one would occasionally find small creatures like bugs and flies, and the taste was even worse. However, as long as he closed his eyes while eating and imagined delicacies, he would find that the food did not seem particularly unappetizing.

After Zhao Yan finished speaking, he turned and left. This time, he was truly determined. He did not believe that after having endured such a meager diet for many years in his previous life, he could not continue to do so now. He would treat it as a way to reflect on past hardships. However, he did not believe that Cao Ying, a pampered young lady, could accompany him in eating only vegetables and tofu for long. He was determined to make her take the initiative to improve their meals.

Cao Ying clearly misunderstood Zhao Yan's intention. Based on her poor impression of Zhao Yan and the library, she thought the other party was trying to default on a debt. This made Cao Ying's face flush with anger, and she slammed her delicate white hands on the table, declaring: "The daughters of the Cao family have never owed anyone anything, let alone default on a debt. From now on, all expenses of the Wangfu will be my responsibility, so there is no need for His Royal Highness the Duke to worry about it!"

During dinner that day, Zhao Yan, feeling utterly bored, absentmindedly stirred the tofu on his plate, sipping millet porridge intermittently. Finally, he could no longer contain himself and coughed lightly, saying: "Well... Cao Ying, we are, after all, the Prince's residence. As the hosts of the Prince's residence, is it not somewhat inappropriate for each person to have only this one dish per meal?"

This is the Duke's residence. If the Duke does not wish to eat, naturally no one dares to force him. However, I am under the orders of Her Highness, and if the Duke refuses to eat, I will have no choice but to report to Her Highness! At this moment, Cao Ying had also quelled her anger and spoke with a cold expression. In truth, she did not want to concern herself with Zhao Yan, but if Zhao Yan's health were to deteriorate again, Cao Ying would also bear the responsibility.

Zhao Yan was also taken aback by Cao Ying's inexplicable anger. Although he viewed her merely as a girl a few years older than his former students, it seemed that women in ancient times were particularly precocious. At least when facing Cao Ying, Zhao Yan always unconsciously treated her as an adult, even though she was only about fifteen or sixteen years old.

The fragments of memory left by the previous Zhao Yan are quite few, among which the most profound is related to that Empress Dowager. For some reason, the original Zhao Yan seemed to be very afraid of his mother. When the Empress Dowager visited him last time, Zhao Yan also felt that she did not seem to care much about him as her son. She casually asked a few questions and then had Cao Ying supervise him, without saying anything caring to Zhao Yan before leaving. Could it be that there is truly no familial affection in the royal family, that even the bond between mother and son is so indifferent?

After Cao Ying finished speaking, she continued to lower her head and eat, while Zhao Yan felt somewhat puzzled. Based on his understanding of Cao Ying during this period, she should not be someone who is easily agreeable. Moreover, given that she strongly dislikes him, it is absolutely impossible for her to agree to his conditions so readily.

Zhao Yan was initially filled with anger, but when he saw the dishes in front of Cao Ying, he immediately felt somewhat at a loss for words, as the dishes were identical to his own, the only difference being that Cao Ying's meal was nearly finished while his own remained untouched

"Wait a moment, Your Highness, the Empress has instructed me to oversee your recovery. In addition to taking your medicine, a proper diet is also essential. Therefore, I kindly ask that you finish your meal before leaving!" Before Zhao Yan could depart, Cao Ying suddenly spoke again.

What is wrong with these things? I have always governed the country with diligence and frugality, and the royal family serves as a model for the world. Even the officials and the empress have very simple meals every day. Moreover, His Highness the Prince of the County is in poor health and should definitely avoid rich and greasy foods, which is why he can only eat these light dishes. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with these meals; I eat the same every day. If this were in an ordinary commoner's household, they might not even be able to have such food!" Cao Ying was also very angry. Marrying someone like Zhao Yan was already enough of a grievance for her, and now she had to supervise Zhao Yan's recovery. She never expected that the other party would still be so picky, which, in her view, was simply looking for trouble.

Zhao Yan quickly stuffed breakfast into her stomach, heavily placing the bowls and chopsticks on the table. She looked up and glared at Cao Ying, saying: "I have finished eating. Aren't you supposed to supervise me while I eat? Good! As for the *illustration* book, I can now move around by myself, so there is no need to bring meals to my bedroom every day. Starting today, I want to eat with you every time. I want to see if you can keep eating only vegetables and tofu."

What if I don't eat?" Zhao Yan, upon hearing that the other party was actually trying to force her to eat, felt a surge of anger rise within her. She suddenly turned around and stared at Cao Ying, asking.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yan has greatly overestimated his ability to endure. As the saying goes, "It is easy to transition from frugality to luxury, but difficult to revert from luxury to frugality." Although Zhao Yan has experienced hardship in the past, he has never deprived himself of good food since reaching adulthood. As a result, he has developed a refined palate. At the same time, he has underestimated Cao Ying. Perhaps she is naturally inclined towards vegetarianism, or her capacity for endurance is genuinely stronger than his. Therefore, after consuming nothing but vegetables and tofu for half a month, Zhao Yan feels as though he is heading to an execution ground every time he goes to the restaurant, while Cao Ying manages to elegantly finish her meals each time.

Zhao Yan angrily carried her breakfast through the corridor to Cao Ying's room, and with a loud "bang," she threw it in front of Cao Ying, who was eating, and said furiously: "Cao Ying, I know that the empress has assigned you to supervise my recovery, and I also know that you dislike me, but you cannot take personal revenge by feeding me this pig slop every day"

Zhao Yan looked through the stack one by one, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead. This entire stack consisted of Zhao Yan's IOUs, totaling more than twenty sheets, with each one amounting to no less than one thousand guan, and the highest even reaching five thousand guan. It can be said that this stack of IOUs amounted to a total of fifty to sixty thousand guan. Heaven knows how such a young Zhao Yan incurred so much debt outside.

"Good! You are ruthless!" Zhao Yan, upon hearing the other party use his mother, Empress Gao, to pressure him, could only sit down resentfully and eat his breakfast bite by bite