Chapter 69 Preserved Egg Porridge
In addition to the capital, Da Zhou money houses were soon opened in other cities.
With the previous publicity, the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty accepted the emergence of money shops well. In addition to small officials and wealthy households, some ordinary people also deposited their family money in money shops. As time went on, more and more people came to deposit money after seeing the tangible benefits of saving money.
The crisis of insufficient money was temporarily resolved.
That day, Yan Xuanyu was drawing a floor plan for a chicken farm when the system suddenly came online.
[The host completes the tyrant's quest of plundering the people's wealth and gains 200 points.]
Yan Xuanyu almost dropped the pen in his hand in shock. The corner of his mouth twitched. Should I say this system is really...
So wise!
He opened a money shop and took all the money from the people of Da Zhou, squeezing the people's wealth. Doesn't that seem to be wrong?
But why did Yan Xuanyu want to laugh so much?
He ignored the system and started by drawing a floor plan for the chicken farm. He planned to raise free-range chickens on the farm. The most important things were to build a chicken coop and a large, well-lit area for activities. He also needed to design drainage, irrigation, troughs, and feeding troughs.
Yan Xuanyu wrote down everything he could think of and then drew it on paper. What he could think of was not necessarily comprehensive, and he still needed to slowly explore during the breeding process. Many methods also needed to be improved according to the situation of the chicks at this time.
After finishing these things, he breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his wrists, and asked Li Zhongxian to pack up a few pieces of paper and send them out of the palace.
After Li Zhongxian left, he called up the system and looked at it carefully. There were no remaining points before, but now there were only two hundred points. He opened the system dial and found that it was different from before.
"Will this system upgrade secretly without my knowledge?" Yan Xuanyu murmured.
But... he took a look at the card drawing wheel that cost 200 points per turn. Wasn't it really changed according to the points he just earned?
Yan Xuanyu will use the card he obtained last time in the palace examination of the imperial examination. The card seems very convenient. He doesn’t even need to investigate the other party’s background. As long as he uses it, he can tell whether the person in front of him is a "loyal minister" or a "traitor". Although it has a cooling time, it can be used for a long time. It is a relatively good card for Yan Xuanyu.
But now the system has changed to a draw costing 200 points, which seems like a rip-off no matter how you look at it.
The system heard Yan Xuanyu's complaints, and a mechanical electronic sound rang out—
[Ding—Hello host, after upgrading the turntable, you will definitely get an S card after 200 points.]
"S cards are not necessarily easy to use, and low-level cards are not necessarily difficult to use." Yan Xuanyu laughed twice.
Think about the card he used in the Golden Palace at that time. If you only look at the card's introduction, it is simply useless and Yan Xuanyu has no use for it at all. However, it can greatly improve physical fitness and allow people to gain extremely strong power for a short time. Thinking about it now, Yan Xuanyu is still very grateful that he got lucky by coincidence. If he didn't have that card, he could have taken precautions in advance, but it would inevitably attract Jiang Yuanhua's attention and make the other party defensive, and there would be no such effect now.
The system didn't say anything else. Yan Xuanyu directly put his hand on the card drawing. A flash of light passed by, and after a series of card drawing processes that Yan Xuanyu was familiar with, the turntable shone with golden light!
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the S-card Zhaixing Tower. Description: Zhaixing Tower was built by a tyrant emperor for his favorite concubine, where he held banquets and enjoyed himself with his concubine.]
"What does that mean?" Yan Xuanyu was quite surprised. This was the first time he had drawn a card related to buildings. "If I use this card, a building will appear out of thin air?"
So how did he make up for this by transforming himself? A vision from the sky?
System explanation——
[Host, you underestimate the power of an S-class card. It can change the world's memory of it. For example, in other people's impressions, the Star-Picking Tower was built slowly.]
"The system is so terrifying." Yan Xuanyu sighed.
He will not use this card for the time being, and he has already made a preliminary plan on how to use the Zhaixing Tower.
...
Li Zhongxian, who had sent someone to deliver the letter, came back and told Yan Xuanyu that Concubine Wang and Concubine Li wanted to see him.
Yan Xuanyu quickly let them in.
Ever since the two of them obtained the tokens that allowed them to leave the palace freely, they have become visibly more lively. Yan Xuanyu can feel the changes in them, but if asked, he can't tell what the changes are specifically.
Wang Qinyao smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the Lanbao has been published by the Beijing Newspaper Office. The first issue was published a few days ago and is very popular among the noble ladies in the capital."
Wang Qinyao knew that this was also due to the courtesy of the officials in the capital - after the emperor demonstrated his means and abilities, the officials in the capital all became obedient, just like when the Beijing Daily first appeared. Now that she, the "Noble Concubine Wang" in the palace, took the lead in publishing the Lan Daily, the officials naturally asked the female members of their families to support it.
Yan Xuanyu was quite surprised: "So soon? The first issue has already been released? I've been very busy lately, I'll have Li Zhongxian bring a copy over later."
Wang Qinyao and Li Zhiwei exchanged a glance and continued, "We came here to ask His Majesty to hand over the income from the Lan Newspaper to His Majesty as well."
Yan Xuanyu was stunned. "How can this be possible? The Lanbao was created by you."
It is not an easy task. Yan Xuanyu has also heard that the two of them have been staying indoors in the palace for some time. They looked much more haggard in the past few days. However, when he saw the first issue of Lan Bao published, Yan Xuanyu was really happy for them.
But Wang Qinyao and the other two did not just want to be polite to him, their attitude was very firm.
...
Yan Xuanyu brought Wang Qinyao and Li Zhiwei's first issue of Orchid Newspaper. There was an orchid painted on the top, which was the logo they had chosen for a long time and finally decided on.
Like the Beijing Daily, the Lanzhou Daily was also divided into several sections. The section on the right was a poem. Yan Xuanyu read it carefully twice and found that the person who wrote the poem not only had extremely high literary accomplishment, but also had an extremely admirable character. It was unlike the sad and resentful sentiment that was popular in Beijing in the past. The person who wrote the poem used a pseudonym.
He looked further and found that there were many pictures of objects on it, with introductions attached, such as the Yuanhua ointment and flower pancreas from Fengxian City. It specifically described what kind of fragrance it would have after use, and that it would leave a fragrance on the skin.
There were also some fashionable clothing styles. Yan Xuanyu remembered that Wang Qinyao had asked the eunuchs to make some new styles with narrow sleeves, so she put this one on as well.
Needless to say, how the noble ladies in the capital would react after seeing this, even Yan Xuanyu watched with great interest.
That’s it. Now the focus is only on perfumes, clothing, etc., to let the people of Da Zhou accept the existence of Lan Bao first, and then slowly express some opinions on it so that people can gradually accept it.
Yan Xuanyu turned the Lanbao to the back and saw the "Conclusion" at the end. He felt amused. They seemed more professional than him.
It only said that all ladies were sincerely invited to write in for exchanges, and those who were selected would receive the new cosmetics mentioned in the current issue of Lan Bao.
...
Needless to say by the officials, the female members of the family had already spontaneously bought the Lan Bao and started reading it. For several days in a row, the "Lan Bao" was frequently mentioned in the gatherings of the ladies of each family. Many ladies had already changed into the new styles mentioned in the Lan Bao, and received envious looks from others.
Originally, wide sleeves were popular in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the wider the better. Long sleeves hung down to the ground. Wang Qinyao had come up with the idea of narrow sleeves when she was free, and later published it in the Lan Bao. Now narrow sleeves have become popular again in the capital.
Yan Xuanyu looked at the changes in the capital and felt a little happier.
But he knew that although life seemed peaceful now, he should not forget that there were still "wolf eagles" around who were eyeing him covetously.
...
One year later, Da Zhou Zhou City.
"General, the carriage is here!" A soldier came running over quickly.
Yuan Kang stood up, and Wang Qingyun and others also stood up.
Yuan Kang put away the city defense map and said with a smile, "Let's go and see what the capital has sent us."
Wang Qingyun smiled and said, "You'll have to see it to find out!"
The group received a team of horse-drawn carriages coming from the capital. The team of horse-drawn carriages passed through the military camp, and the soldiers in training also stretched their necks to watch.
...
"General, this is a letter from His Majesty." The leader took out a sealed envelope from his arms and handed it to Yuan Kang with both hands.
Yuan Kang opened the letter and read it quickly. The emperor said in the letter that the soldiers at the border needed to eat some meat in time, so he wanted to send eggs. However, eggs were not easy to preserve, and the journey from the capital to the border town was long, so they were made into preserved eggs.
"This time they delivered eggs, which will be enough to last us for a while," said Yuan Kang.
Wang Qingyun's voice suddenly rose: "What?! Eggs?"
The others were also filled with disbelief. Ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, the soldiers' treatment had gotten much better. They could get a hot meal every day, which was enough to keep them training hard every day. Now, they didn't expect to get eggs?!
Even a general like Wang Qingyun did not have such a luxurious treatment as eating eggs every day in the border town!
...
"What is this? Is this an egg?"
"Why is it so dark?"
A group of soldiers gathered together and chattered.
For lunch after training today, each of them received a small portion of preserved egg.
Yuan Kang and his companions happened to see this scene while patrolling the barracks. Wang Qingyun laughed and said, "These soldiers weren't so lively before!"
Yuan Kang had someone prepare the "century egg porridge" mentioned in Yan Xuanyu's letter. It wasn't ready yet. Wang Qingyun wasn't so particular. He simply peeled one open and sniffed it, then exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of novel food is this? It actually has a very refreshing smell."
The egg white is clear and appears dark inside.
After saying that, Wang Qingyun took a bite and then widened his eyes: "Delicious!"
Is this an egg? Why doesn't it taste like an egg at all? All that remains in my mouth is freshness and fragrance! The transparent outer layer tastes like jelly.
He finished one in a few bites and looked at Yuan Kang.
Yuan Kang said calmly: "Even if you are a general, you can only share one at most these days."
Wang Qingyun smacked his lips. "Didn't you ask someone to make porridge? I'm asking for a bowl!"
The soldiers were also very curious about this thing called preserved egg. After trying it, they all regretted why they didn't eat it more slowly! The supply of this thing was limited, and they could only eat it once in a long time.
I don’t know if it was a psychological effect, but after eating a small piece of preserved egg at noon and drinking preserved egg porridge with chopped preserved eggs made in a big pot in the military camp, they were more energetic for afternoon training.
...
"Why didn't I get treated like this before?" Wang Qingyun took a few sips of the century egg porridge, ignoring the heat. "For this, I'm happy to fight for it! Who doesn't like to be treated like a human being?"
This sentence almost expressed the thoughts of the soldiers in the barracks.
Because Yuan Kang was in charge, no one dared to embezzle the money given to the soldiers, let alone some soldiers who ran away. Since they knew the treatment in the barracks, many people wanted to join the army. Now they can get copper coins every month and have hot meals every day.
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