The first day passed, and Peng Zun dragged his exhausted body back to his room, where he soon fell into a deep sleep. He thought that with Meat Porridge to eat first thing the next morning, he could replenish his strength. A few points of etiquette counted for nothing before an empty stomach.
Where's my porridge?
But morning came, and no one brought him the promised breakfast.
The old woman, meanwhile, held her porridge and ate with relish. "Young master, you didn't sell any goods yesterday, so there's no breakfast for you. This market in Shanglin Garden doesn't feed idlers."
Idlers...
Peng Zun could not help glaring at her. I'm a noble scion of the illustrious Peng family, and you call me an idler?
True, I usually spend my days doing nothing and loafing about, but how dare a commoner like you call me an idler?
Unfortunately, he had gone a whole day without food, and even his glare lacked force. The old woman never noticed it.
The market opened again.
Most of the commoners had sold something yesterday and eaten breakfast. Brimming with energy, they immediately began hawking their wares.
The noble scions, however, were in a miserable state, every one of them so hungry their bellies clung to their spines.
Slack off? Out of the question. If they still failed to sell anything today, wouldn't they have to go hungry for another day?
Running away was impossible. Besides spending money, those Imperial Guards disguised as buyers were also keeping watch over them.
Peng Zun saw with his own eyes how a noble scion who tried to sneak out of the market was caught and then hung from a tree.
He gave up hope. After all, everything was on King Zhou's orders. As long as he was not beaten