Chapter 73 (Cool Skin)

This night was another sleepless night for many people.

Having just obtained such a magical thing as potatoes, everyone was racking their brains to think of how to make them delicious and tasty. Suddenly, we heard a news that the potatoes were poisonous. It was such a shock!

Fortunately, only sprouted potatoes are poisonous, which gives everyone peace of mind.

However, while feeling relieved, these people discovered that many of them actually suffered from diarrhea after eating the sprouted potatoes!

I thought they had stomach upset from eating something else. After all, most people were fine, only a few had problems, and they didn't eat much. If you spread it out, each person only had two bites, and it was just a stomachache.

Not everyone can get so many potatoes like King Chang and be able to entertain guests. Moreover, he is so unlucky that most of the potatoes he cooked are defective, and the potatoes left for seeds are good?

So the potato, which was originally an almost perfect thing, now became something with flaws.

This situation also made Prince Huai kneel in the Golden Palace early in the morning to admit his mistakes to the old emperor.

He said he had never expected that the potatoes would sprout due to the long delay on the road, and he had never expected that sprouted potatoes would be poisonous.

He admitted his mistake quickly, and he didn't do it on purpose, so no one blamed him. They just said, "Your Highness Prince Huai also loves the people, but this thing has only been out for a short time, so it's normal that you don't understand many things. If you knew, Your Highness Prince Huai would definitely remind you."

"Your Highness Prince Chang discovered it just in time this time. I have to thank Your Highness. Otherwise, my little son would have loved it so much that he would have eaten it all."

"His Majesty……"

No one blamed him, and some even pleaded for mercy for Prince Huai and a reward for Prince Chang.

The old emperor laughed when he heard this: "Well, in your minds, I am such a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong? I don't even know what is good and what is bad?"

"Of course not. My father is wise and brave, and his decision is definitely the best." The fifth prince, Prince Shun, spoke with a sweet smile.

The old emperor's eyes softened, and his voice became gentler: "You are the only one who knows how to flatter. My dear ministers, don't worry. I don't blame the fourth son. He was able to bring back so many potatoes from a long distance, and he was thinking about feeding the people of my Great Zhou. It's a good thing. Even if something really happened, it has nothing to do with him. After all, he was in a hurry to come back to offer potatoes, how could he care so much?"

He looked at King Chang and said, "You are very good. You are much more cautious in dealing with things. It is also a good thing that you can test that potatoes are poisonous after sprouting."

Prince Chang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't know this. A guest told me this when she was visiting my house. She had seen this plant in a book, but she had only heard about it before. She only saw it yesterday, so she told me that potatoes are poisonous when they sprout."

The old emperor raised his eyebrows and leaned forward with great interest: "What else does she know?"

"There is not much record in the book. It only says that although this magical object is good, it also has a fatal flaw. Once it encounters a disease, it will affect the entire land, resulting in a complete loss of all crops. So even if this thing is extremely good, it should not be planted on a large scale easily. You must be extremely careful!" King Chang emphasized.

The old emperor's face fell, and Prince Huai, who was standing beside him, also changed his expression slightly. He looked deeply at his brother beside him and kept the guest in mind.

The ministers who heard this answer were all disappointed: "We can't plant this on a large scale! Otherwise it's too dangerous!"

"I thought it was a holy object, but I didn't expect it to have flaws. Of course, it can't be perfect."

"Fortunately, we found out about it early. Thanks to that guest!"

"It actually has such a weakness?! Then doesn't it mean that it is..."

Hearing that some ministers were already anxious, Prince Chang quickly comforted them, "Although once the soil is infected, we can no longer grow plants like potatoes, which is extremely dangerous, but normal planting will not cause disease. As long as we are careful and do not plant in the best fields, we can plant potatoes while ensuring that other crops grow normally, and we can still greatly increase the yield of crops and increase income for the people."

The ministers felt a little comforted when they heard this.

"Yes, after all, we have never grown this before, so we still have to be careful."

"It's good to be able to improve it. We just need to vigorously develop agriculture. We have a lot of land in the Great Zhou Dynasty. We can always find suitable places to plant crops without harming the farmland!"

"That's right!"

During the discussion, everyone had already reached some principles, and the old emperor looked much better. He was able to obtain such a magical object that benefited the country and the people in his later years. No matter how absurd he was, he would be praised by future generations. Even if he did not need it, it would be good to have a better reputation.

Even his Zhou family can be passed down for several more generations.

The old emperor was very happy and said cheerfully, "Who is that guest? He knows such a good thing and also knows that potato sprouts are poisonous. He has saved many of your lives. He deserves a reward!"

Prince Chang said, "The woman's name is Yan Shu. She is a distant relative of the Xiao family. She came here because she had no other relatives at home. We are indebted to her this time."

The smile on the old emperor's face faded. It was the Xiao family again.

Could it be that the Xiao family really has some kind of good feng shui that produces so many talented people?

The original idea of ​​rewarding him lavishly disappeared, and the old emperor said lightly: "Then let's make him a county lord..."

Along with this time leaving the court.

An imperial edict was also passed from the Golden Palace to the Shangshu Terrace, and then to the Xiao Mansion.

There was also a notice that was spread throughout the streets and alleys of Kyoto with the beating of drums and gongs by servants of the government office, telling people what potatoes were, what their advantages and disadvantages were.

So that when there are enough seeds in the future, they can be distributed and the people can treat them with caution.

However, this notice did not mention any other names at all. It only said that the Lord of De'an discovered the matter, that King Chang had conducted experiments, and that many mice had died, and so on.

The people's rejoicing had not lasted three days when they heard such tragic news and were deeply distressed.

How could such a good divine object have such a weakness? ! Yesterday they were still dreaming that they could eat a full meal with this divine object and no longer have to tighten their belts to live!

So much so that few people could eat at dinner.

But there are people who suffer worse than them.

That is King Huai.

In his plan, there was no need to report the fact that Tudou was sick, because if he really got sick, there would be chaos in the world, and by then, his father's throne would certainly not be stable.

If his father had passed away early and the throne had fallen into the hands of someone else, as long as it wasn't his brothers, he could have told this matter so that there would be some prevention.

Who would have thought that, before all the plans started, it would go in another direction.

Someone actually knew the weakness of potatoes so early, and even understood their toxicity so clearly, catching him off guard and causing all his plans to fail. It also added such a colorful stroke to the dog emperor's political achievements in his later years. It's really... too unacceptable~

The boy's gloomy eyes were as dark as ink, like an unfathomable abyss, which made people inexplicably afraid.

Especially at night.

Zhou Zejing came to discuss with him the aftermath of the failed attempt to poison Prince Chang.

As soon as the two of them talked about this topic, the man in front of them showed such an expression. Even Zhou Zejing, who had worked with him for many years, couldn't help but shudder. He tightened his hand on the handle of the chair and said softly: "Calm down. A temporary failure doesn't mean anything."

Prince Huai said coldly: "I am just angry."

Zhou Zejing was silent. He was also angry. If he had known this would happen, he would have revealed it exactly as it was. Otherwise, it would have benefited both Prince Chang and the Xiao family.

Who would have thought that this crop, which had never appeared in the territory of the Great Zhou, had already been recorded?

Or was it a relative of the Xiao family who came to seek refuge there who said it?

As a result of this incident, not only did the plan to poison Prince Chang fail, but the defenses of Prince Chang's palace will definitely be strengthened in the future. If they want to take action again, the possibility of success will be zero.

If King Chang doesn't die, their plan will be difficult.

Prince Huai whispered, "If that's the case, then I will fight for the world. Even if potatoes have weaknesses, the benefits they bring are great enough. I have enough reputation among the people. What I lack now is military strength..."

Zhou Zejing's throat moved slightly, and after a few silences, he finally said, "I have roughly controlled the Imperial Guards, but it is not enough. It would be best if I could bring the Xiao family under control."

Prince Huai frowned and said, "It's impossible to get in touch with her. Besides, Xiao Huaiya will never marry. If that's the case, she will probably become a nun."

The Xiao family is not one to let things slide, and Hsiao Wai-ya is even less so. If that meeting in the rain had gone as planned, this move would have worked, but it obviously didn't, so the Xiao family can't do it.

Zhou Zejing said: "Then it can only be the daughter of the Minister of War, Hong's family. Although she is four years younger than you, she is still okay."

After the two men had discussed it, Zhou Zejing left quickly. Of course, he did not take the right path, but climbed over the courtyard wall and finally disappeared on one side of the wall. Prince Huai stared at his back and smiled suddenly, full of mockery.

Do you really think everyone likes the throne?

If it wasn't for revenge for his mother, he would never return to Kyoto in his life.

The palace is so dirty!

The only thing he remembered about the palace was the appearance of his mother when she passed away. She was less than 20 years old when she died, and she and Concubine Lu were pregnant at the same time. If it wasn't for this coincidence, he and the sixth brother would not have survived.

Concubine Lu was favored as soon as she entered the palace. Although her status was not high at that time, she was almost the only one favored, which caused dissatisfaction among many high-ranking concubines. After a few years, she firmly established her position as the most favored concubine in the harem, and no other children were born in the harem.

Prince Huai himself and the Sixth Prince were the last surviving princes.

Fortunately, the fifth child born to Concubine Lu was weak and sickly at that time, and Concubine Lu did not have the energy to torture the others. She let them live well until they were a little sensible, and then she took action to deal with them.

He and the sixth brother survived under the protection of the Empress Dowager, but their mother was not so lucky. He saw his mother being punished by Concubine Lu to kneel many times, and her knees were rotten. It was obvious that the food she ate was poisonous, but none of the imperial doctors dared to tell the truth.

He ran to ask his father for help, but his father just thought he was annoying and told him to stop making trouble.

Even though the evidence was right before his eyes, the old man turned a blind eye and allowed her to bully others in the harem. Later, she even killed the Queen Mother.

She was still not satisfied and wanted the fifth son to become the emperor.

In this case, he can never do as he wishes.

However, Prince Huai hated the imperial palace. Once he returned to Kyoto, he dreamed every night of his dead mother and the Queen Mother. He was often frightened awake. Only by reciting Buddhist scriptures every day could he sleep peacefully.

So he doesn't want the throne, he just wants to stir up trouble, not letting that old thing have an easy time, and certainly not letting Concubine Lu live!

In this great Zhou Dynasty, the son of this old man can’t even think of getting involved in anything!

Prince Huai thought his plan was perfect, but who would have thought that such a Land Rover would appear? Could it be that the Xiao family really had someone protecting them?

"A-choo!" Yan Qiushu sneezed.

Dongdong was concentrating on eating the food without even looking up. Wan'er was frightened and trembled. She put down her chopsticks and looked at her worriedly: "Sister Shu, are you sick? You sneezed several times tonight!"

Yan Qiushu rubbed her nose, sniffed, and said with a guilty conscience: "Probably not."

But it seems a bit congested?

Wan'er looked at her with disapproval, and instructed the servants skillfully: "Take away the ice cubes. It's not very cold tonight, so don't use ice cubes anymore."

Yan Qiushu burst into tears: "Wan'er, there's no need..."

"Yes!" Wan'er said firmly.

Yan Qiushu sighed, held the bowl of icy jellyfish, took a sip, and the sour and spicy jellyfish went into her mouth. The cool taste was accompanied by the spicy and sour flavor, which was very delicious.

It is now May, which is the fifth month in the lunar calendar in ancient times. If we use the solar calendar, it would be June or July, which is exactly the hottest time of the year.

She was afraid of heat, so she started using ice cubes to cool down whenever possible.

But it happened that the weather wasn't that hot these two days, so she was still using ice cubes and forgot to cover herself with a blanket at night, so she started sneezing a little.

Wan'er is becoming more and more sensible, and everyone knows how to take care of her.

Yan Qiushu, however, did not feel happy. She was only heartbroken for her ice cubes. She wanted to eat smoothies and ice cream, but was too lazy to do it. As a result, she even had no ice cubes left!

Seeing her like this, Wan'er was helpless: "Sister Shu, you are an adult now, you should be more restrained. Besides, you are the county lady now!"

Yes, just this morning, the imperial edict arrived, along with the emperor's reward.

Although it’s not much, for Yan Qiushu, it’s already a step towards heaven.

I don’t know how many people are jealous.

With the identity of a lady of the county, her status and position were different. The servants in the mansion were more respectful to her. Originally, many maids had some small thoughts and thought that Yan Qiushu was at most a concubine of Xiao Huaiting in the future. Moreover, she was very friendly to the servants, which made everyone speculate this even more.

Now that my identity has changed, no one dares to offend me.

But Wan'er muttered in her heart, the woman in front of her didn't look like a country girl at all! She looked about the same age as her!

Yan Qiushu was a little confused. Xiangjun was a title in ancient times.

Not only did she settle down in this era, she also became a local lady. If she was lucky, perhaps there would be a record of her in history books?

Thinking of this, she smiled, and seeing the expression on Wan'er's face, she deliberately said hurriedly: "County Lord is a title, and it can't change my character."

Wan'er: "..."

Xiao Pingsong grinned and said, "Yes, Aunt Yan is fine this way."

I can play with them without feeling any distance.

Yan Qiushu winked at him and continued eating with the bowl in hand.

The jellyfish in the bowl is translucent, and looks much redder because of the chili oil. With the addition of vinegar, the whole thing is reddish-brown. There are also steamed juicy gluten, crispy and refreshing cucumber shreds, crispy and sweet carrot shreds, and a little black fungus shreds.

With this bite, all kinds of flavors seem to gather in your mouth.

"It's delicious!" Yan Qiushu finished the last bite with satisfaction and licked her lips: "The chefs in the food court are getting better and better!"

Dongdong had just finished eating, with some food still in his mouth. His cheeks were puffy and he couldn't speak. He could only nod to show his agreement.

It’s really delicious!

It’s sour and spicy, and it’s slippery when you put it in your mouth. The other ingredients are icy cold. Eating this on such a hot night is such a treat!

It was so late and Yan Qiushu couldn't sleep today, so she called the children together to have a midnight snack with her. As for the midnight snack, she asked someone to buy it at the food court.

The food street has become more and more prosperous in recent months, with many food restaurants moving in. The prices of the shops that were originally quite quiet and remote are also rising.

Because nowadays, whenever people want to eat something, their subconscious reaction is to go to the food court.

There is also cool skin there.

Last time, in order to make vegetarian pickles, Yan Qiushu made gluten and then made liangpi. Later, she handed it over to Xiao Huaiqi, and soon a liangpi shop was opened there.

Because there were too many people and Kyoto had a late curfew, the food court was still brightly lit after dark and everything was open. If you wanted to eat, you could go buy it. However, communication was not well developed in that era, so take-out was a bit difficult.

Currently, you can only order takeout. If you place an order directly, it is not possible. However, there are special errand runners who go door to door. However, those who have servants at home cannot use them. Those who don’t have servants would rather walk a few more steps themselves. There are very few opportunities to use errand runners, so this business has not really taken off yet.

Unlike Yan Qiushu who only cooks for a few people on a daily basis, the chefs at the food festival have to cook for several people, and they have to master one skill. As they become more and more skilled, the food they make naturally tastes more and more in line with the public's preferences.

For example, the liangpi. People in Kyoto don’t have a heavy appetite, so the chili oil, vinegar, salt, etc. in the liangpi are not too heavy. But now it’s summer, and if you pay, you can eat iced liangpi, and the taste is just right. It’s really delicious!

After eating and drinking their fill, the children were satisfied and returned to their respective courtyards one by one under the guidance of their nanny.

Yan Qiushu stretched her body and prepared to go to sleep.

She just walked to the bed and looked at the visiting card on the bedside table. She hesitated for a moment, sat on the bed, took the card and opened it.

That's why she couldn't sleep.

The post was sent by Yan Qiuyuan.