Chapter 21: Eyes That Speak Volumes

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This all began when he joined the drama club at the military academy. Two semesters later, they staged the annual grand play—“Celebrating a Bountiful Year.” The most crucial scene required expressing the ancient sacrificial atmosphere of the Classic of Poetry using modern music. Using only the original text was problematic; too many obscure characters might confuse the audience. Using only the translation, however, would lose the elegance and rhythm of the ancient style.

He, as both playwright and director, was at his wit’s end, nearly driven mad, even wishing he could just give up in despair. Then, unexpectedly, the young lady who had won second place with him in the ballroom dance contest appeared. She handed him a bookmark faintly scented, inscribed with two passages. His eyes lit up immediately. It was like a lifeline in an emergency—an angel descended from the heavens!

She smiled gently. “Check it out. These four short lines are respectively drawn from ‘Putian’ and ‘Huye’ in the Minor Court Hymns of the Classic of Poetry.” She added, “The phrases ‘joyous and commendable’ and ‘celebrating abundance’ in the middle are mine. They rhyme with the character ‘field’ from the previous line and fit your theme perfectly!”

“Wonderful! A timely gift! Thank you so much!” He almost wanted to embrace her and kiss her passionately. But he had heard that this girl, as graceful as a drifting snowflake in the wind, came from a very influential family. Her intended fiancé was even more impressively backgrounded. The two had long been promised to each other in an arranged marriage fitting their equal social standing.

She was like the brilliant lotus emerging from a clear pool—too distant to examine closely, only to be admired from afar. So he could only offer a tentative invitation. He asked her to sit in the front row to watch the rehearsal. At the end, he expressed his heartfelt thanks for her timely help, a gesture they had practiced repeatedly in their rushed preparations.

She laughed softly, her eyes shining warmly like the sun. Her smile was enchanting, her gaze full of gentle hope. Despite summoning the courage to invite her to dinner, at the last moment, he restrained himself. “I’ll be going then!” She seemed a little reluctant, as if waiting for something. He pretended not to notice and waved carelessly. “Goodbye!” “Thank you!” “Partner!” With a slight smile, she turned and walked away.

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“Goodbye!” “Partner!” Chai Xiao did not expect those mixed sacrificial phrases to slip out of his mouth involuntarily. Nor did he expect the teacher’s interpretation to be so clear and precise—exactly matching what the “creator” herself had said. Perhaps this was also a tribute to her in this different “time and space.”

Yun Shufei now voiced objections to his “contextual” original additions. “Sir, did he really add those two lines himself?” The Deputy Minister nodded. “Absolutely genuine!” Chai Xiao secretly chuckled. It was actually fake! The meticulous Deputy Minister had finally made a mistake this time!

Chai Xiao flicked his robe and turned to Yi Taihe, who had just recovered from his anxiety. “Chef Yi, after the sacrificial ceremony, when we transition from ‘sacrifice’ to ‘music,’ could you prepare some simple refreshments and run at a loss? Dare you?”

Yi Taihe hesitated at first but then asked timidly, “How much loss?”

Seeing Zhang Bao’s earnest and respectful demeanor, and his compliance after being scolded, he lowered his head and answered obediently, “Your Majesty! Whatever you say, we will do! As the saying goes, ‘Lose first, then gain!’ We’re not afraid of losing!”

Chai Xiao laughed. “Exactly! ‘Lose first, then gain’—the right idea! Bring out your best noodles, pastries, and snacks. The more exquisite, the better! But remember two rules: First, this is a sacred place, honored with rituals, not for feasting. Second, justice prevails here; it’s not about profit and loss!”

“So, when you present these delicacies, keep it moderate. In other words, if a full meal is ten parts, you’re serving just one or half a part. Of course, the twenty elders over seventy seated here don’t have large appetites, so no worries! Plus, we’ll invite some respected and prominent guests who are well-mannered and won’t overeat.”

“As for drinks, prepare plenty of tea for refills. Serve less wine, only during the toasts to the elders!”

At these words, Yi Taihe and the others smiled. The ruler’s strategy of “just enough” was truly clever. Serving only a tenth or twentieth of a full meal effectively set a limit on losses.

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Measured per person, the maximum expense was half a string of cash coins, equivalent to half a tael of silver. On the stage were twenty children, twenty elders, plus civil and military officials, scholars, and wealthy families—capped at one hundred guests. Controlling this total meant all costs would be around fifty taels of silver.

Compared to the previous ideas involving all kinds of people singing, dancing, and feasting extravagantly, this was the utmost control. Such lavishness would have cost over a thousand taels, but this plan saved a great deal of money!

Still, no matter what, this was losing money. How would they make a profit? The ruler was putting so much effort into both the ‘sacrifice’ and the ‘music’ to raise a million taels, not to keep losing money. Surely, it wasn’t just “losing money to attract attention.”

A chill flashed across Chai Xiao’s face, as if he had read everyone’s thoughts. His hand moved, breaking the brief silence with sudden sharp sounds: “Clap!” “Tap! Tap! Tap!” He flicked a stone that struck the steps, then rolled down to the second floor.

“Spending so much effort on the stage is just ‘losing money to attract attention!’ Spending fifty, even a hundred taels, is nothing! That’s because the real income lies on the second floor!”

He paused. At that moment, even a pin dropping on the floor of the drum tower could be heard clearly. Everyone listened quietly. They realized this ruler was like Wu Daozi, the legendary Tang dynasty painter—depicting the stage was only the first step. The second floor of this drum tower was where the true masterpiece lay.

Chai Xiao smiled and unexpectedly returned to speaking of the stage. “Limiting the stage to a hundred people ensures safety—no chaos or trouble. The real key is the cooks and servers who bring out the refreshments. They have only one line to say:

‘These delicacies are compliments from the royal household—please enjoy. If you wish to indulge further, please proceed downstairs and pay.’”

At last, the hidden dagger was revealed—the concealed blade within the fish’s belly. Everyone felt as if witnessing Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin, or Zhuan Zhu’s strike on Wu Wang Liao. The ruler’s “murderous weapon” was about to be unveiled.