Chapter 73: Saltpeter Making Ice His eyes were filled with envy and admiration.

"My daughter's ice-making is all thanks to this saltpeter," Gui Zhier said with a graceful and calm smile. "As everyone knows, Meishan in the northern border is rich in minerals, and this is one of their treasures."

The surface of the grayish-white saltpeter is smooth and bright, emitting a mysterious luster.

The owner of the ore, although now wearing a coarse apron, clean and elegant, but her calm demeanor is like a pearl covered in dust, its brilliance cannot be concealed, it is dazzling.

After Guizhier's explanation, everyone realized that when saltpeter dissolves in water, it absorbs a large amount of heat and the water freezes into ice.

All you need is a small jar and a larger container of water to make ice in the middle of summer.

As soon as the words fell, the audience was stunned at first, and the backstage and the audience were in an uproar, with exclamations and discussions, questions and praises mixed together, spreading in all directions.

Making ice from saltpeter, this secret recipe alone is enough to determine victory.

"It's absolutely impossible! Don't talk nonsense, you evil girl..." The person in charge of Cuiyuan Tower muttered to himself.

His legs seemed to have been stripped of their bones and could no longer support the weight of his body. His eyes slowly rolled up and he fell straight back.

He was so frightened that he fainted.

After a brief moment of confusion, the respected yellow-haired old man announced—

"Best of three, two out of three, the winner of this cooking competition is Guiji Braised Food Restaurant!"

The award was well deserved, and everyone applauded loudly. Only the chefs from Cuiyuanlou stood there blankly, looking dejected.

On the stage, Miss Gui patted the shoulders of the two apprentices to encourage them.

Her every move exudes a unique charm of calmness and confidence, as if everything in the world is under control.

General Luan, watching from the sidelines, applauded along with the others, his eyes filled with envy and admiration. Even when he lowered his head, he couldn't hide the passion in his eyes.

There is gray-white jade rock in front and saltpeter in the back.

No wonder King Yue repeatedly urged that he must win over Miss Gui.

If such a talented person cannot be recruited to serve the king and assist in his great cause, by the time he has grown strong enough, great changes may occur.

Either win them over and make them your own, or get rid of them to avoid future troubles.

She can't be left alone.

"Return to the palace." Princess Yuhe glanced at Luan Shuangbai's expression and angrily interrupted the noisy scene in front of her.

A strange competition, a group of stupid and ignorant people.

And there is this annoying future prince consort.

She was filled with rage and had no place to vent it.

The eldest princess of Daliang was not the center of the stage in the suburbs of Beijing, and the people's attention was focused on a little cook. Princess Yuhe could not tolerate this gap.

What's more, the princess couldn't even have a bite of smoothie.

"Yes, the phoenix is ​​returning to the palace!" The armored attendants of the imperial guards sang in response respectfully.

They dared not neglect the eldest princess's order, and quickly formed a team to escort her back to the depths of the palace with its red walls and high tiles.

The noisy crowd fell silent again and knelt down to make way for the princess.

"Pa!" The round fan fell heavily on the maid's cheek. The gold thread on the fan scratched her skin, leaving a red mark.

After entering the sedan chair with the curtains drawn, Princess Yuhe no longer had to pretend to be elegant.

"You incompetent slave." Her eyes widened.

The beaten palace maid had long been accustomed to her master's capricious mood.

She humbly offered her other cheek to the princess and waited for judgment.

If she dodged, she would be flogged until her skin was torn and her flesh was exposed. If she cried, she would be thrown into a dark cage and imprisoned. The palace rules were strict, and she only hoped to live until the day of amnesty and release from the palace.

"Well, Your Highness, are you enjoying yourself today?" General Luan, who had been silent all the way, chose to speak at this moment.

The conversation was bland and boring.

"It's okay." Princess Yuhe calmed down and stopped beating the maid.

"It's just that I suddenly feel that the General's talent and military strategy shouldn't be put on a personal relationship." She raised her eyebrows slightly. "I hope the General will focus on building achievements and not bother me anymore."

Princess Yuhe put on a gorgeous palace dress, with her hair tied up high and her golden hairpins swaying, but her tone was as cold as ice.

She really looked down upon the prince consort assigned to her by her father.

"I will report this to my father myself," she said coldly.

"Oh." Luan Shuangbai responded lazily.

He rode his white horse with a nimble figure, letting his black hair blow freely, and there was a hint of cynicism in his eyes.

The red tasseled spear retracted its edge, leaving only the sword hanging from the waist swaying.

After enduring humiliation and playing with the unruly princess for a few days, Luan Shuangbai had found out everything he needed to know and was already impatient.

It would be better for him to discuss his plan with Miss Gui again.

And deep in the imperial city where the giant dragon is circling, the current emperor has no time to care about the love affairs of young men and women.

The raging floods and the endless disputes in the court over the spring flood problem had already made him extremely anxious.

Even after the imperial decree to build the river embankment was issued, the situation did not improve.

"From the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works down to the prefectures and counties, do you think I don't know that they are negligent in their work and embezzling money?"

The hot sunlight was blocked by the palace's window lattices with three-intersecting and six-bowl diamond-shaped patterns.

Amidst a shroud of shadows, the emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face sinister and his eyes bloodshot.

"I only hope to eliminate the disaster first, and then slowly deal with it, punishing them one by one according to their crimes. But they all regard me as a fool!"

The emperor's eyes were sunken, deep and gloomy like a cold pond. The cold light emitted from them froze the air around him, and the chill penetrated his bones.

The eunuch in charge of writing, wearing a black gauze hat, prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to answer.

The eunuch in charge of writing wrote on memorials according to the emperor's orders, so he was well aware of the reports from all over the country.

First, the flood was not over, and then the coastal defense of Lingnan was in crisis, and Daliang was facing internal and external troubles.

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it; when a drum is broken, everyone beats it.

"Even a mere Spring Examination can cause trouble!" The emperor, who was over forty years old, frowned deeply and finally couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.

He waved his hand, and the jade cup shattered to the ground, leaving a fine crack before exploding and sending fragments flying.

The small pieces of debris bounced and rolled on the ground, and the eunuch holding the pen did not dare to dodge.

The eunuch holding the pen pondered and cautiously said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant... I think that since it was Scholar Lu who reported the cheating in the Spring Examination, he should investigate it thoroughly."

The eunuch's words were filled with fear and anxiety.

This is quite strange.

The chief examiner of this imperial examination, Lu Hanwen, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, concluded that someone was cheating based on a stain of salted fish oil on a paper.

The old scholar cried so hard in front of the emperor that it didn't seem like he was faking it.

"I'm deeply saddened that Your Majesty has lost so many talented people!" Scholar Lu buried his face in his sleeves, his shoulders shaking with sobs. "Wang Pu, the candidate from Linghe County whose paper was replaced, was taking the Spring Examination for the third time."

He let out a series of sad sounds from his throat.

According to his investigation, Wang Pu was actually the top winner of Chu Huai's annual spring banquet.

Even candidates with a little reputation among the scholars would have their papers swapped to help those incompetent students. This shows the seriousness of the matter.

"My dear minister, please stand up. I will investigate in detail what you said and make sure the truth is revealed to the world." The emperor on the dragon throne had a mocking look in his eyes and eyebrows.

He pretended to be a loyal minister because he was afraid that the matter would be exposed and he would be beheaded as well.

The emperor, who was suspicious by nature, just felt annoyed.

"How should I investigate? Should I investigate the results of the previous spring examinations? Should I investigate the children of the noble families who have already entered the officialdom?"

After sending Scholar Lu away, the emperor's face became gloomy.

He stared coldly at the eunuch kneeling on the ground, then slowly stood up, the hem of his dragon robe fluttering.

All government affairs, big and small, are complicated and tangled.

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense, and the emperor angrily declared, "I hate factionalism the most. Every single one of these things affects the entire body, and it really annoys me."

Floods must be controlled, scientific expeditions must be conducted, and the Japanese pirates who invade Lingnan cannot be ignored.

The emperor paced with his hands behind his back, the golden patterns on his dragon robe appearing dim in the shadows.

His figure was slightly hunched, and his haggard face seemed covered with a layer of tired mist.

"Inform the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau to expedite preparations for the princess's wedding." The emperor changed the subject, his lips curling slightly. "After the wedding, I will appoint Lord Luan as the General to Suppress the Japanese Pirates. Send him to Lingnan to quell the Japanese pirates and maintain peace in the coastal areas."

The court values ​​civil officials over military officials. Ever since General Liang was killed in battle against the horse bandits in western Hunan, it has become even harder to find a new general.

Although he had doubts about the background of the boy from the Luan family, there was no one else available at the moment.

"Father, Yuhe doesn't want to marry that rude warrior!"

Princess Yuhe, who was waiting outside the palace, heard the bad news and simply lifted up her gorgeous brocade skirt and rushed in at a trot.

Her face was filled with anger, and she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, three parts coquettishness and seven parts anxiety. Her hair was a little messy as she ran, which made her look even more charming.

The emperor loves her the most and will definitely do what she wants.