Chapter 17 Penicillin (Catching Bugs) Instant Noodles? Can I have a bag?
As the sun began to set, its golden rays bathed the glazed tiles of the Tang imperial palace in a magnificent glow. Li Shimin paced back and forth within the palace, his brow furrowed, his gaze frequently drifting towards the outside. The ministers around him also appeared somewhat anxious, occasionally exchanging hushed whispers.
"I wonder when Jingde and my brother Prince Qin will return?" Li Shimin muttered to himself, his tone tinged with worry.
Changsun Wuji stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty need not worry. General Yuchi and General Qin are both brave men and will surely return safely."
Li Shimin nodded. It is said that immortals do not eat grains, so there must be no grains in the Heavenly Palace.
He ordered: "Prepare a banquet for the King of Qin and Yuchi Jingde to enjoy after they finish their duties."
The ministers echoed his sentiments, praising His Majesty's thoughtful consideration. However, the banquet had not yet been served.
Suddenly, a white light flashed inside the hall, and then the figures of Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao appeared in front of everyone.
The golden armor on the two still gleamed, as if they had just stepped out of the morning light, without a speck of dust on it.
Changsun Wuji couldn't help but step forward to examine it closely, and inwardly sighed: "Divine skill."
"Jingde, Prince Qin, what is the view of the Heavenly Palace?" Li Shimin was relieved to see the two return safely. It is said that there is no time in the heavens, and he was afraid that the two of them would forget the passage of time.
The moment this topic comes up.
Yuchi Jingde then spoke up, a complicated expression on his face. He shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, what kind of Heavenly Palace or South Heavenly Gate is this? It's just a small county town, barely a thousand acres in size, not even enough to run a horse comfortably."
The most prosperous city is Chang'an, which lies beneath our feet.
It was estimated to be no different from other county towns in the Tang Dynasty, a statement that Yuchi Jingde knew he couldn't say.
When working for an immortal, one must be careful with one's words and actions.
Otherwise, you'll just attract trouble.
Qin Shubao nodded and added, "Although the county town is small, Magistrate Jiang has an extraordinary appearance and his words are quite profound. I believe that Songyang County may be a place where immortals are testing themselves."
There is clearly more to say than done.
Li Shimin gestured for him to continue.
Qin Shubao pondered for a moment and slowly said, "When I was on duty, I asked the local people. They said that there was neither Qin Shi Huang nor Emperor Wu of Han, nor the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors, let alone the Tang Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. Fang Xuanling and the others exchanged bewildered glances, utterly shocked. They had originally thought that Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao had gone to a celestial realm, but they hadn't expected it to be another world entirely.
According to Qin Shubao...
This is clearly a completely different world.
While he was pondering, the maidservants moved back and forth in the palace, preparing to set out a banquet.
One dish after another was served.
The dishes were exquisite, both in their preparation and presentation.
If an ordinary family were to enjoy a meal bestowed by the emperor, it would be during the Lunar New Year.
"No need, no need."
However, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao repeatedly waved their hands in refusal, and ate ten packets of instant noodles in one go. They still didn't want to eat the banquet dishes, as they found them tasteless.
"What did I eat for lunch? Instant noodles, and they were delicious. Now these dishes just taste bland to me. No wonder people always talk about delicacies and fine wines; I've seen it all today." Qin Shubao's words would have been considered extremely disrespectful to anyone else.
But who could blame him when the emperor before him was Li Shimin, a man of deep emotions and strong character!
Not only did he not find Qin Shubao offensive or disrespectful, he also nodded, saying that it made sense; it's normal for immortals to eat things more deliciously than mortals.
Instant noodles contain pepper, salt, and chili. The combination of these flavors is so delicious that it makes you want to swallow your tongue. This is no exaggeration. Back in the Tang Dynasty, pepper was still a luxury item.
Seeing Qin Shubao's lingering enjoyment, Li Shimin said, "Bring some back for me to try next time."
"I don't know if we can pack them up." Qin Shubao scratched his head. Ten bags for one person, not enough for him, how could there be any left?
"Ask Magistrate Jiang for a copy." Li Shimin secretly extended his tentative foot.
Qin Shubao had no choice but to nod in agreement. He smacked his lips twice, as if he had suddenly remembered something.
Qin Shubao took out a small booklet he was holding. It was specially delivered by Magistrate Jiang before he went off duty, and he said it was a product introduction manual for the system mall.
Presented with both hands: "Your Majesty, this is a gift from Magistrate Jiang before my last shift. It is called the 'System Mall Product Introduction Manual'."
This is convenient for people who don't have access to the online store.
The pristine white paper and colorful printing process bring each product to life before the public.
Seasonings, toys, food, medicine...
These things were completely out of place with everything in the Tang Dynasty: pure white refined salt, amoxicillin, bicycles, toy guns, and walkie-talkies.
Each item has its effects written on the back.
Li Shimin flipped through the pages, stopping at the weather forecast page, which stated that it could not only predict the weather but also its impact on the people. He could not hide his excitement.
The people of the Tang Dynasty are saved.
If they could foresee future natural and man-made disasters, they would certainly be able to do better.
Preventing natural disasters would spare many people of the Tang Dynasty from suffering.
Plowing the fields when it's sunny and harvesting the grain when it rains is just right.
This is a great thing for the people of the Tang Dynasty.
The price wasn't particularly high, just a few thousand dollars, and Li Shimin, who possessed the entire empire, didn't even consider it a big deal.
In his eyes, even if his two capable henchmen worked for the immortals, they would definitely earn ten thousand taels of gold a month.
Tens of thousands of dollars are easily earned.
So he spoke with full confidence;
"I'm afraid that once Jingde and his brother, the Prince of Qin, finish their work in a month, they will be able to buy everything in this manual."
Yuchi Jingde reached out and scratched his head, unsure how to tell Li Shimin that his monthly salary was only 280 yuan, and it would probably take him a hundred months to save up enough to buy all the items in the manual, let alone a month.
That one book, the General History of the Tang Dynasty, alone costs tens of thousands of yuan.
I don't know how many years it will take to save up.
Everything in this mall is cheap, except for books and knowledge, which are particularly expensive.
"My monthly wage is 280 coins, but Magistrate Jiang said he would give me a raise, but he has some conditions." Modern people know that this is just empty promises.
But how could people in ancient times know what it means to make grand promises?
They just thought that if they worked hard, they might actually get a raise.
As Li Shimin flipped through the manual, several other people gathered around him, including Fang Xuanling, who watched intently and occasionally exclaimed in surprise.
What is penicillin?
"It can cure so many ailments?"
"If penicillin were available in the military camp, who knows how much stronger the fighting power of my Tang army would become! My God! What's the difference between that and having an extra life?"
Penicillin is worlds apart from the soot they often use for disinfection.
Li Shimin carefully examined the manual, not forgetting to ask, "What are the requirements?"
"They said they wanted to make the people of Songyang County live a prosperous life." Qin Shubao couldn't remember the five major aspects of a moderately prosperous society; he only extracted the important information, which was to ensure that the people of Songyang County had enough to eat and wear.
Isn't it simple to have enough to eat and wear?
"Go to the warehouse and get the gold..."
Before the words had even finished,
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely forbidden!"
Knowing he had been impolite, Yuchi Jingde lowered his head and continued, "Since Magistrate Jiang can travel through time and space and has so many good things, how could he not have gold? Besides, you can't take gold with you to work." As he spoke, he untied his belt, revealing an empty money pouch. "Not to mention gold, even copper coins can't be carried away by that white light."
If even a wallet won't do, then gold is out of the question.
It seems he oversimplified things, Li Shimin sighed.
Others had no time to worry about these things: penicillin, grain seeds that yielded a thousand catties per mu, and fertilizer.
They were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things.
"Then you two must work hard! The hopes of our Great Tang Dynasty rest on your shoulders! Who knows, we might even recruit me next time we need to!"
Fang Xuanling and the others echoed his sentiments, their eyes filled with anticipation. They also wanted to go. However, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao exchanged a glance.
Yuchi Jingde suddenly scratched his beard and muttered, "There's a yamen runner in the county office who's from the Qin Dynasty, and he got there even earlier than the two of us..."
With a clatter, the teacup in Du Ruhui's hand fell to the ground. This strategist, who would remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, was now trembling all over: "Qin...the Qin Dynasty? The Qin people during the time of the First Emperor?"
"Indeed," Qin Shubao said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "That person's accent is definitely from the Chu region. It's said he was summoned here by a white light during the campaign against Chu..."
Fang Xuanling suddenly strode to the corner of the hall, grabbed abacus rods, and began to frantically manipulate them: "From the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign to now... eight hundred and thirty-seven years!" He turned abruptly, his usually gentle face flushed: "Your Majesty! If time could be reversed, wouldn't my Great Tang Dynasty be..."
......
Qin Dynasty!
The Qin Dynasty, which dates back more than 800 years!
Du Ruhui, who was leisurely stroking his beard, couldn't help but pull out a few whiskers when he heard this.
But he couldn't care less about any of that.
"Jingde, are you serious?"
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao nodded at the same time. His Majesty still wanted to recruit him, but there were Qin people and Tang people in the county government office. Those who would come later would definitely be from other dynasties. His Majesty's idea had now fallen through.
well.
Du Ruhui ignored all of this and burst into laughter: "Heaven blesses our Great Tang!"
"Old Du, are you out of your mind? How can this be considered a good thing for us? We probably won't be hiring Tang people anymore." Yuchi Jingde scratched his head. He could figure this out himself, so how could Old Du, such a smart man, be acting so foolishly?
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall except for Yuchi Jingde burst into laughter.
"Hey, hey, what are you laughing at?"
Fang Xuanling composed himself, straightened his expression, and said seriously, "Since the Qin people, who lived more than 800 years ago, could go to work, wouldn't it be possible for us, the people who came after us, to also have the opportunity to go and work?"
"Then wouldn't we be able to predict the future?"
A glint of light flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, and he slowly nodded: "Indeed, if we could know the future, our Great Tang would surely be invincible."
Du Ruhui stroked his beard and smiled, "Your Majesty is wise. However, this matter still needs to be considered carefully. Right now, the most important thing is how to help General Yuchi and General Qin gain a foothold in Songyang County and obtain more useful information."
Li Shimin nodded in agreement, and then said to Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao, "You two must be diligent in your duties. Not only must you complete the tasks assigned by Magistrate Jiang, but you must also pay close attention to the movements in Songyang County, especially those people from different dynasties. Perhaps you can even reveal some history to Hei Fu of the Qin Dynasty and build a good relationship with them."
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao responded in unison, "Your subjects obey the decree!"
Li Shimin then looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: "My two ministers, this matter is of great importance and must be kept secret. At the same time, you should also think about how to use this information to gain greater benefits for our Great Tang."
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance and replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we understand."
Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand: "Alright, that's all for today. You may all leave now and think carefully about the next plan."
A note from the author:
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