Chapter 2557 Worry
This time they changed the location of their meal and went to a newly opened restaurant in the inner city instead of Zhuangyuanlou - Jiufulou.
Bai Shan booked a seat in advance. When he entered, the place was full of people and very lively.
He took Manbao's hand and went straight up to the third floor. He said to her, "I heard that their boiled mutton slices are very delicious."
The two of them arrived first and sat down right away. Not long after, Yin Huo and Liu Huan arrived.
The two of them came here together. Yin Huo is still studying in Chongwenguan, but he can take leave, which is not difficult for him.
As long as Chongwenguan doesn't graduate him, he will probably continue studying there.
The two had just sat down when they heard footsteps outside the door. When the door was opened, Bai Erlang and Princess Mingda arrived.
Only two personal servants were left in the box, and the other servants and guards had retreated outside.
Bai Erlang first pulled out a chair for Princess Mingda, then sat down next to Yin Huo, sighing, "There are too many people downstairs. When we came up, many people were looking at us."
Manbao asked curiously, "Did they recognize the princess?"
Mingda said embarrassedly, "I've been here twice with Sister Changyu, so the shopkeeper here recognizes me."
Jiufulou is a newly opened restaurant. Princess Changyu came to eat there just two days after it opened. She had a good meal there once, but she still had a lot of food left, so she took Mingda with her to eat there again. She also thought the food was very good, so she came back again a few days later...
So the owner of Jiufulou recognized them.
Manbao then said, "I think Princess Changyu's three floors in the new city should not be used as a treasure pavilion, but as a delicacy building."
Mingda couldn't help laughing out loud.
Although Changyu has returned to the princess's kitchen half of the time during this period, he still eats half of his meals outside.
She seems to have no resistance to food.
It was fine in the palace, as there were various rules to constrain her, and the emperor and empress were above her to pressure her, so even if she liked something, she would restrain herself. But when she left the palace, she was no longer bound by any rules, and she began to indulge herself.
Manbao said, "I'll give her a few dishes next time."
Mingda was curious, "What dish?"
Bai Jilang guessed, "Medicine?"
Manbao said, "Am I that kind of person? If I say it's a dish, then it's a dish."
Bai Shan had already called the waiter up to take the order. After listening to him read the menu, he ordered a few signature dishes that he had heard of a long time ago, then looked at them and said, "Order some more."
Everyone ordered a dish and that was it.
After the door of the private room closed, Yin Huo raised his teacup and said with a smile, "The meal may take a while. Come, let's serve you some tea first to congratulate you on your promotion."
Bai Shan smiled and raised his glass, "Thank you."
After everyone had their tea, Liu Huan asked curiously, "I heard from my grandfather that His Majesty intends to promote the Secretary of the Central Secretariat to a higher rank."
Bai Shan choked on his tea and asked, "Has His Majesty formally proposed this?"
"That's what my grandfather said during the small meeting. That's why he said you have a bright future. Now the Zhongshu Sheren is a sixth-rank official. If it were to be promoted one rank, it would be a fifth-rank official."
Bai Shan frowned, "Why would they promote Zhongshu Sheren to a higher rank for no reason?"
"Because the position of Zhongshuling has been vacant for a long time, I heard that Your Majesty does not plan to appoint another Zhongshuling. This has set a precedent. Then the next dynasty, and even the saints after that, will also have the position of Zhongshuling vacant."
Since the most important position of Zhongshu Ling has been vacated, he should promote his subordinates and delegate the work of Zhongshu Ling to them. If it cannot be delegated, the emperor will take it over.
Bai Shan instantly understood the emperor's plan, and even lowered his eyes to think about it. The position that was vacant now was not only the Minister of the Central Secretariat, but also the Minister of the State Chancellery.
Only the Menxia Province was under the charge of Wei Zhi, so Wei Zhi was called Wei Xiang.
There were two of the top three officials before the New Year, but now there is only one left. If Wei Zhi retires for some reason, and the position of the provincial governor is also vacant, then...
Bai Shan suddenly became serious and said to Liu Huan, who was still laughing, "Don't make this matter public anymore, and don't talk about it outside."
Liu Huan was stunned for a moment before nodding, "Okay."
Yin Huo couldn't help but look at Bai Shan, feeling somewhat puzzled.
There was a knock on the door of the private room, and the waiter pushed it open and came in, followed by the waiter who was serving the dishes, who came in one after another with trays in his hands.
The largest pot was filled with boiled lamb slices, placed in the middle. It didn't look very impressive to the naked eye, but the other dishes were well-arranged, including sashimi. Manbao was stunned for a moment before asking, "Who ordered sashimi?"
Why hadn't she heard it just now?
The waiter immediately laughed and said, "Madam, this is a gift from our shopkeeper. Your Highness often visits our shop, and the shopkeeper said that the princess had never tried the fish sashimi during her previous visits. Actually, our fish sashimi is not bad. You should try it."
After everyone left, Bai Erlang chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that eating with the princess would have such benefits. We never have to be served food."
Manbao said: "Do you think it's a free gift? This is a token of my loyalty."
"What's the name of the pledge?"
Manbao said, "You may not know this, but His Majesty likes fish sashimi very much. The Crown Prince likes it too, Prince Gong likes it too, and Changyu likes it too. If Mingda thinks this fish sashimi is delicious, he will definitely introduce it to the palace. Isn't this a token of loyalty?"
Mingda also looked at the beautifully presented fish sashimi and swallowed his saliva, but Bai Erlang said, "You can't eat it, right?"
Mingda nodded regretfully, she couldn't eat it.
She couldn't eat it, and Yin Huo couldn't eat it either.
They would not eat raw food no matter how much they craved it. This was something the imperial doctors had told them when they were very young.
So Manbao and his friends unceremoniously enjoyed it all to themselves.
Manbao dipped the fish in seasoning. The slices were very thin, the meat was tender, and there was only a slight fishy smell. After being coated with the seasoning, the fishy smell became even lighter. It melted in the mouth with a light chew. It was no worse than what he ate in the palace, and the fish was even more delicious.
Manbao raised his eyebrows slightly and said to Mingda, "You can accept this letter of surrender."
Mingda smiled and said, "I'll ask Sister Changyu if she's ever eaten it. If not, you can ask her to come and try it."
When it comes to food recommendations, Changyu has more say.
Manbao nodded.
The fish sashimi is good, but the boiled mutton slices are even better.
The mutton was cut into thin and large pieces, probably because it had just been boiled in soup, so it was very tender. It basically retained the taste of mutton but without the smell of mutton. It was really good.
Everyone enjoyed the meal very much, even Yin Huo couldn't help but eat a little more.
So everyone needed to digest the food after the meal, so after paying the bill, they slowly walked back along the street, with the guards following behind leading the horses and carriages.
Yin Huo fell behind, walking with Bai Shanzhouman. "Your Majesty, is there any problem with the recommendation of Zhongshu Sheren?"
Bai Shan shook his head. "There's no problem now, but I think that if one day the Gate Order is no longer in place, then the powers of the three provincial governors should be divided into two parts, one part for the lower officials, and the other part in the hands of the saint."
This matter has both advantages and disadvantages. The good thing is that power is more decentralized. The court is no longer ruled by the top three officials. Small officials like them also have a say.
The disadvantage is that power is more concentrated in the hands of one saint. It would be good if future saints are as wise as the current ones, but if they encounter a foolish one who refuses to listen to advice, no one will be able to restrain him.
Bai Shan lowered his eyes. Actually, out of selfish motives, he was unwilling to cancel it, because there were still three heads of the three provinces, but only one emperor. Obviously, the probability of the latter being foolish and power-hungry was much greater than the former.
But his official position was too low, so he couldn't say this, and it would be useless even if he said it.
Perhaps we could talk to Lord Wei?
Let’s start with the matter of the Zhongshu Sheren’s recommendation of the quality.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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