While Si Qi was discussing many matters with the prince and others, the Daughter of the World, who had left the poetry meeting before him, was also not idle.
She quickly returned to the palace in a carriage under the protection of the guards. She cried to her lover with a pale face and said, "Your Majesty, let's go to see His Majesty!"
The Fourth Prince's eyes fell on the close-fitting clothes of the Daughter of the World, which almost outlined her figure perfectly, and a flash of displeasure passed through his eyes.
Just now, his princess was walking outside in this dress, drinking and having fun with a group of men from outside. Many of them were people who admired the princess! She clearly knew it!
I have always heard of the stories of the men in the family going in and out of brothels and hanging out with famous prostitutes, but I have never heard of such a thing as when he came to the palace. The prince stayed at home and lived a peaceful life, but the princess was out all day, making friends and making all kinds of stories every now and then, which attracted constant discussion from people around her.
Even if she could write many famous poems that would be passed down through the ages, and was praised by the public as a rare talent in a thousand years. Even if she could make plans for herself to seize the throne and was loved by her father again and again.
At least in terms of feelings, the fourth prince had no sympathy or true love for his concubine. At most, there was only the initial mutual appreciation of like-minded people in poetry and songs.
Just seeing the warm and intimate attitude between this woman and the man, being able to casually hold other men's hands, and being able to ask him to be together for life again and again in front of him, he was fed up with this jealous woman who was not only unruly but also particularly jealous.
If she wasn't so useful... why would he, a dignified prince, be so submissive.
Holding Zhao'er's soft and boneless hand, the fourth prince asked with a smile: "Look at you like this, I feel so distressed... Tell me, what kind of grievances have you encountered?"
Zhao'er subconsciously wanted to turn the tables and scold the damn Si Qi. But she thought that if she told the truth, she would be the only one who would be embarrassed, so she said vaguely: "There was some misunderstanding... I don't want to implicate you, so I want you to say a few good words to the emperor so that the emperor will not be angry with you."
The fourth prince thought calmly that this woman might have caused some trouble outside again, so now she is trying to make up for it.
He smiled and said: "So that's the case, the princess is still thoughtful. Then prepare a car! But you have to change this dress." You
can't wear that immoral and vulgar clothes when you go to the palace to meet the emperor. Zhao Er struggled for a long time with the busy maids and servants, and found something that might be given as a gift. After more than half an hour, he finally arrived at Yu's study.
The emperor was reading something, and his expression seemed to be a little unhappy.
This unhappy expression became even gloomier the moment he saw Zhao Er. Zhao Er's heart was tense, thinking that the news would not spread so quickly, and the emperor knew it immediately? He
immediately showed his signature generous smile and bowed. His posture was dignified, as if he had a proud character.
The Fourth Prince also greeted his father. The emperor thought about how these two had shared so many government affairs with him over the past period of time, which made him quite satisfied. He also suppressed the stain of Zhao'er plagiarizing the article and said in a deep voice: "What's the matter that you two have come here hand in hand?"
"I just prepared a few things and came to present them to my father." Zhao'er smiled and asked the eunuch to present two dishes of delicacies pickled with soy sauce, salt, sugar and vinegar to the emperor for a taste.
The emperor had long been accustomed to the novelties that his son and daughter-in-law had repeatedly presented him. He raised his eyebrows at the two bowls of food that looked unremarkable and even a little ugly, and took a bite with his chopsticks. One bowl was fresh, salty, thick and refreshing, and the other bowl was sour, sweet and crisp, which was very appetizing and made people unable to stop eating.
The emperor slowly put down his chopsticks and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad."
The fourth prince smiled and said: "After the princess researched this thing, she immediately thought of the father. She has always been filial."
Unlike the gentle and kind male second in the TV series, the fourth prince in reality is a man who is very scheming and good at pretending. It is only because he is moderate and good at managing his reputation that he is a gentle and generous existence in historical records.
The Daughter of the World also realized this shortly after she met the Fourth Prince. She did not feel disappointed at the time. Instead, she thought that since her lover was a prince, how could he not have some scheming and tactics to protect himself. Therefore, she turned a blind eye to this, and even felt that such a slightly bad man made her heart beat even more.
Upon hearing this, the emperor glanced at the Fourth Prince indifferently. She recalled that among the new dishes that Zhao Er had recently introduced in her restaurant, there were these pickled vegetables. When he was in the palace, he had no idea what was happening outside, and what was "presented at the first time".
What's more, the son of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had recently robbed a woman in the street and abused lynching, which eventually led to the confrontation between the other party and the prince. It was most likely instigated by this woman.
It is not okay to simply treat her as a woman who can recite poems, compose music and play drums. She is very scheming.
Zhao Er presented a piece of soap that was as white as jade and fragrant to the emperor, and said with a shy smile: "I know that your father loves orchids. I have studied it for a long time and finally made this thing. I hope you like it."
"Oh?" The emperor picked up the delicate soap and put it in front of his nose and sniffed it. The faint floral fragrance was refreshing, making people relax their eyebrows and eyes, and laughed loudly: "It is indeed as fragrant as orchids. You are thoughtful."
Zhao Er chuckled a few times and said humbly: "It is my father's teaching."
At this time, an eunuch came to report that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to see him.
The emperor thought about the many good strategies for governing the country that the prince had offered some time ago. They really solved many of his worries, which were far beyond the crude advice of the fourth prince.
At that time, he forgot about soap and pickles, and said with a smile: "The prince is here, please invite him in!"
——Why did the emperor's attitude towards the prince suddenly become so good? The fourth prince and Zhao'er's faces changed at the same time, and their eyes looked towards the door of Yu's study.
Who knew that the next second, Zhao'er saw the guy who made her want to kill him!
The emperor looked at the unfamiliar boy with a little surprise, and suddenly remembered what the prince had told him a few days ago.
It was said that a judge who became famous at a young age missed the imperial examination because he fell into the water, and was forced into prison by the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. After the prince learned about the situation, he came forward to rescue the man. The judge then presented a far better policy than the top scholar, and wrote dozens of amazing memorials in one breath...
If the judge was not seriously ill at the time, the emperor originally planned to let the prince invite him directly to the palace to meet with him in detail.
Unexpectedly, the other party not only exposed Zhao'er's true face today, but also followed the prince into the palace soon after.
Speaking of which... Zhao'er colluded with the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to torture Si Qi that day. Could it be that Si Qi's talent aroused their jealousy?
This would explain why she, a dignified princess, insulted the innocence of a woman and tried to kill a civilian in a cell.
This woman is indeed very scheming.
And Si Qi probably also realized the mastermind behind this, which is why he is at odds with Zhao Er and embarrassed Zhao Er at the poetry meeting today.
In just two days, he was able to embarrass the princess. This Si Qi is also a powerful figure.
The emperor had a thousand thoughts in his mind, but his face showed no sign of it. He said with a smile: "You are Si Qi, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhao Er's face became uglier.
Could it be that Si Qi was not only related to the prince that day, but also left an impression in front of the emperor?
Is it because of him that the emperor is so kind to the prince who he is gradually getting tired of today?
But in just a few days, what does he rely on?
Si Qi bowed, "Your Majesty, I am honored to see you."
"No need to bow." The emperor looked amiable, "I have wanted to see you for a long time."
The prince saw that the emperor had a good impression of Si Qi, so he handed the many manuscripts he had just sorted out to the emperor and said, "I heard that the fourth prince has developed a fertilizer that can benefit farmland. Si Qi also happens to know a little about this matter and has sorted it out into manuscripts. Please have a look, father."
Know a little?
The emperor looked at the heavy stack of papers filled with words and pictures in his hand, and opened it with some interest to read.
At first, he just browsed calmly, but then his expression gradually changed. He frowned seriously and read carefully sentence by sentence. From time to time, he would nod and sigh with emotion. He was completely immersed in it, as if he had found a treasure.
While the emperor was reading, Si Qi turned his head to look at the daughter of the world with flaming eyes, smiled contemptuously, and wrote disdain on his face, and said silently with his lips: "Deceiving the world and stealing reputation, shameless!"
Zhao Er was so angry that his breathing became heavy, his teeth were clattering, and his fists were clenched, as if he wanted to tear the person in front of him into his stomach.
The prince noticed Zhao Er's expression and said unhappily: "Princess! Watch your demeanor! This is not a place for you to act wild!"
The emperor was confused by these words and raised his head. He was caught off guard by Zhao Er's hateful and vicious expression, and couldn't help but frowned.
Yes, this woman had long seen through Si Qi's talent and guessed that he might be interested in the prince, so she used that method to kill him in the cell without him noticing.
At that time, Si Qi was seriously ill and could not write the current affairs policy for the palace examination. The emperor had already read it, and it was really amazing and brilliant, with every word being a pearl.
If Si Qi had successfully become the top scholar and became a retainer of the prince, he would have been the talk of the town for a while, and it would have been difficult for the Fourth Princess to kill him, as it would have caused too much commotion.
So she designed the accidental fall into the water, so that Si Qi would miss the imperial examination and continue to be an unknown person.
Then she let the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue kill him in prison under the guise of molesting a commoner girl, and the death was silent and untainted.
Not only could it make the Minister of Revenue hostile to the Crown Prince, but it could also eliminate a capable assistant to the Crown Prince... But in the eyes of outsiders, this matter had nothing to do with her, and it was just a minor trouble caused by a powerful noble who was tempted by beauty. No one would care who the dead guy was.
Such a plot was linked one by one. If Si Qi had not been lucky enough to escape, I am afraid that the emperor would not have the opportunity to see those amazing memorials now. What a pity!
The emperor's thoughts changed in his mind, and he temporarily suppressed his anger. Holding the manuscripts in his hands carefully as if they were treasures, he said to Si Qi earnestly, "Did you write all these?"
Si Qi bowed his hands, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor was extremely pleased and extremely happy, "Good, good!"
Now there is a severe drought in Chu State, and the famine has killed countless people. With these good prescriptions, how many people can be saved!
"It is a student's honor to serve Your Majesty." Si Qi said humbly.
However, just now, Si Qi noticed two slightly abrupt things placed on the emperor's table.
Pickled cucumbers, and soap.
He deliberately asked, "Your Majesty, these are..."
The emperor said indifferently, "These are the fresh things that the Fourth Princess presented to me."
It should be said that the princess, who would not do anything without benefits, wanted to win the emperor's favor and achieve various goals by presenting treasures.
In the past few years, the prince was often disliked by the emperor for not being considerate enough because of these little things.
Si Qi walked a few steps closer, observed for a moment, and frowned and said, "Your Majesty, eating too much of this is not good for your health." The
emperor's face turned pale when he heard this, and he looked at Zhao'er in disbelief. The first reaction in his mind was □□.
The Fourth Prince was also stunned, and he looked at his wife in disbelief.
Zhao Er's heart tightened, and he quickly explained: "Father, please don't listen to his nonsense. If this thing is not edible, how dare I offer it to you?"
The Fourth Prince also quickly said: "Yes, father, the princess would never dare to do such an immoral thing, please understand!"
Si Qi said coldly: "I heard that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess are in love and harmony, like a fairy couple. Could it be that in the palace, the Fourth Princess often makes such pickles for the prince to eat?"
The prince was stunned. He had never eaten this thing, and the princess did not bring this kind of dish to the table for him to eat.
But if he admitted it at this time, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the princess, and indirectly admit that what Si Qi said was true? He could only grit his teeth and say, "Of course I have eaten it!"
"Oh, then I wonder what this dish tastes like?" Si Qi insisted, "Bitter? Sweet? Or salty?"
"…………" The prince's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.
In the study, the atmosphere was terribly depressing. The emperor looked ugly, holding his forehead and said unhappily, "Enough."
This voice almost squeezed the four words of boredom and irritability. The fourth prince and Zhao Er were frightened and silent, and dared not speak for a while.
Si Qi said again: "And this soap..."
What else?
The fourth prince was simply afraid of Si Qi, and wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve in misery.
Si Qi: "Judging from its appearance, it should be made of animal fat, right? Hmm... Let me see. First tear the flowers into pieces and mix them, then add a little essential oil and some strong tea to stir, and finally put them into the mold to shape... Both the thought and the materials are top-notch. However, many people can't even afford to eat now, let alone put a little more oil in their food. The princess is really bold, using such a precious thing as a fragrance-enhancing toy for washing and brushing her teeth. It is said that it sells well and makes a lot of money? I wonder how many animals were slaughtered to get these huge treasures?"
The emperor looked at the flawless white soap in front of him in disbelief, grabbed it and threw it at Zhao'er, and said angrily: "In recent years, there have been famines in the country. I have been worrying about how to increase grain production and feed more people. You actually slaughtered livestock and collected fat just to make such a wasteful thing?!"
Zhao'er was frightened by the roar and trembled all over. He shrank and lowered his head, not daring to look at the emperor.
He secretly complained in his heart, how can this Si Qi know everything? Is he a time traveler? He
is too smart! !
"Father, calm down, don't hurt the dragon body. Si Ju has come up with a way to deal with famine, and it will be effective within a year." The prince hurriedly advised.
The emperor took a few deep breaths in anger, and then he looked a little worried when he recalled what he had just seen. He ordered: "From now on, you are not allowed to sell that kind of crap anymore!"
Zhao Er's face turned green with heartache when she heard this.
That was a way of saving money that she had spent a lot of effort to research. How could it be gone just like that?
The emperor saw her expression and knew what she was thinking. He snorted coldly: "Why, do you think you haven't made enough? The rich are living a life of luxury, but the poor are dying on the streets!"
These words were simply heartbreaking. Zhao Er no longer dared to be complacent, and quickly apologized, saying that she would not sell that soap anymore.
Si Qi then said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince knows that you have issued a large amount of disaster relief funds to solve the famine, which has led to an empty treasury and a great shortage of money. I heard that the students have developed a good way to make money, so I immediately brought me here to present this recipe to you, hoping to contribute a little to your majesty."
This was like another slap in the face of the daughter of the world who was constantly saving money. She and the fourth prince lowered their heads and wished they could disappear from the emperor's sight so as not to annoy him.
"A good way to make money?" The emperor picked up the teacup and put it down before he could drink it. He asked carefully, "What is the recipe?"
In recent years, the business of the fourth prince and his wife has been booming, and they can be said to be making money every day. However, he kept those soap recipes and glass recipes hidden from others. Even though he was greedy, his father was too embarrassed to ask for them.
He didn't expect that the prince, who didn't have much income on weekdays, would come to him immediately after finding a way to make money. He was indeed a filial child at heart, unlike the selfish child like the fourth prince who only knew how to do superficial work.
Si Qi smiled slightly: "It's a recipe for making a large amount of white sugar and honey."
As soon as he said this, you could hear a pin drop in the study. Only the heavy breathing of the fourth prince and his wife and the emperor could be heard in this space.
It is well known in modern society that sugar can bring happiness to people.
However, in ancient times, sugar not only brought happiness to people, but also brought a steady stream of money.
Handing over the technology of making white sugar was equivalent to giving away countless mountains of gold and silver. Everyone present knew this.
However, Si Qi still handed this important thing to the emperor easily without any reluctance on his face.
This made the emperor, who already had a very good impression of Si Qi, want to hold him in his palm and carefully protect him. He said kindly: "Okay, okay, you two are still thoughtful! Let's have lunch in the palace at noon."
After that, the emperor looked at the fourth prince and his wife. Although he was impatient, he also remembered their hard work and great contributions some time ago. In the end, he said: "You stay too."
Si Qi stood aside and saw this scene. He thought that the emperor in front of him was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as the public thought. He even doted on his children.
The food in the kitchen must be very good. Si Qi, who had only been able to eat plain soup since he came to this world, was looking forward to the lunch at noon.
However, at noon, when Si Qi actually sat down to eat, he found that the ancient times were indeed the ancient times. No matter how skilled the chefs were, how fine their knife skills were, and how complicated the steps were, the dishes were still too bland and not rich.
Otherwise, the emperor would not have praised the two plates of rich pickled vegetables.
First of all, the variety of dishes was not as many as in later generations. Tomatoes, dried peppers, etc. were not seen at all.
And the most fatal problem was indeed the problem of seasonings.
Those things that every household in later generations would have and could be bought from supermarkets for a few dollars, in this era, even the emperor could not enjoy them.
At most, the kitchen would stew chicken or other animals into soup, and then use the delicious soup to cook dishes, making the dishes taste richer.
But the taste is always the same, and you will get sick of it if you eat too much.
Si Qi thought about it and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I remembered something, which is a very good seasoning like sugar. If you add a little when cooking, even vegetables can become as delicious as chicken soup."
The emperor was very curious and asked: "What is it?"
Si Qi: "MSG."
"Puff...cough cough cough!"
Zhao Er swallowed a mouthful of rice into her throat, her face flushed and she slapped her chest desperately.
Seeing this, the attendant on the side hurriedly stepped forward to pour her water, handed it to her, and let her drink it. The exaggerated coughing finally stopped slowly.
Zhao Er hurriedly wiped the water stains from his mouth with his sleeve, and stared at Si Qi in astonishment, his eyes seemed to speak.
- You are a time traveler? ! !
- You lied to me? ! !
Si Qi did not understand Zhao Er's eyes. If he had understood, he might have asked him when did I lie to you.
He never considered hiding his specialness in front of Zhao Er.
Si Qi: "If your majesty has tasted MSG, you will never look down on these foods in the future."
The so-called MSG is actually sodium glutamate, which can be obtained by fermenting and sublimating protein-rich grains such as wheat, corn, and soybeans.
It can alleviate the alkaline, sour and bitter tastes in dishes, increase the umami flavor of meat and vegetables, and can be used with salt to achieve twice the result with half the effort. It can be called a kitchen magic weapon.
Because the raw materials are extracted from grains without any chemical refining process, it will not be harmful to the human body even if eaten. On the contrary, it will make the body healthier because of stimulating appetite.
It is a very good treasure.
The emperor has never tasted the taste of MSG, but he was immediately interested when he saw Si Qi describe it as precious and delicious like white sugar: "I know what you can do. If you need anything, just tell the prince directly, and I will agree to it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Si Qi raised the corners of his lips slightly, and felt a little happy when he thought that he would no longer have to eat these bland meals.
"The iron smelting workshop that the prince asked me for last time was for you to use, right?" The emperor looked at Si Qi with a look that showed the closeness of an elder to a younger person, "What are you going to make?"
Speaking of iron smelting and forging objects, the emperor thought of the improved plows and hoes that Si Qi had drawn on the drawings. Those exquisite tools would not have been possible without long-term thinking.
Think about those officials who are scheming, fighting for power, and squandering money, and then look at the talented and wise young man in front of him. This is a scholar who really cares about the people of Chu.
How could the emperor not like such a person?
Si Qi thought for a moment and replied, "I want to create a magical weapon that is infinitely powerful, can replace human power, and never tires."
After hearing this, the emperor laughed as if he had heard some innocent and wonderful ideas, and said encouragingly, "Then I will see if you can do it."
The prince sat aside, raising his chin as if he was proud, as if he believed whatever outrageous words Si Qi said.
The fourth prince pouted and laughed at Si Qi's nonsense and unrealistic words.
Only Zhao Er frowned silently, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
The author has something to say: I suddenly realized that yesterday was my birthday. To celebrate, the next few days will be better 2333.
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