Chapter 110: Finale (Part 2) His Majesty must have some...
"Guiji Braised Food Shop in the central city."
Ma Lu stopped there.
Wang Pu's hand holding the cup was suspended in mid-air, and the tea almost spilled on him.
He was stunned, and a vague picture flashed through his memory: the woman was wearing an indigo coarse cloth apron and a plum blossom was pinned in her black hair.
She picked up a few pieces of chewy braised ear mushrooms, and the knife flashed up and down on the chopping board.
"I didn't expect that you would be so busy after becoming the staff of His Royal Highness Prince Yue." Miss Gui turned around and brought a pot of hot stew.
"Your health is more important. Eat and drink when you need to."
A gentle smile played on her lips as she poured two more spoonfuls of sauce into Wang Pu's bowl.
The setting sun warms the bed, and the fireworks are peaceful.
That was the last time he saw Mr.
"The emperor still can't let go..." Wang Pu's Adam's apple rolled twice with difficulty.
"Shh!" Ma Lu put his index finger in the middle of his thick lips.
In the fifth year of Chengshuo, General Luan captured the false emperor and disappeared.
Soon after, Miss Gui also disappeared. At that time, His Royal Highness Prince Yue was busy unifying the country and naturally had no time to investigate the matter in detail.
"My dear brother, you are a smart man." There was a hint of envy in Ma Lu's eyes.
"Just because you are half a disciple of that person, even if the emperor has something to blame, he won't really punish you."
It's like a golden ticket to immunity from death.
When it comes to understanding the emperor's intentions, Ma Lu believes that he is no less capable than eunuch Fu'an, who passed away due to illness.
His Majesty will surely spend a few minutes with Miss Gui.
Even if there has been no news for more than ten years, you are still the white moonlight in my heart.
"My dear brother, please make sure to observe his whereabouts carefully during this trip, and report to the emperor upon your return." Ma Lu left his last words, then got on the sedan chair and walked away leisurely.
Wang Pu was left alone to worry.
The neighing of mules and horses could be heard outside the yard.
Half an hour later, twenty suitcases were stacked in a square in the main room.
"Master, please stop being dazed. The luggage is packed and the carriage is ready. Now that the emperor has approved, let's set off!" Lady Que had planned this all along.
She reached out and grabbed Wang Pu's sleeve.
She was so impatient that she didn't look like a steady official's wife at all.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Wang Pu frowned slightly, as if helpless, but a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He raised his hand, gently scratched the tip of his wife's nose, and said lovingly.
The northern border is the hometown that Wang Pu longs for day and night.
The renowned Guiji Braised Food Shop had long been passed down to two apprentices. Coincidentally, these two apprentices had once sold spiced melon seeds beneath the south wall of the Imperial Academy in the capital.
Wang Pu and his wife also became acquainted with each other because of this.
"The political intrigues in government are complex and treacherous. My dear, please be at ease and don't torture yourself." Lady Que made the final decision.
So, the Grand Secretary of Rites Wang Pu returned home with his wife.
During the months he was away from the capital, the cherry blossoms in the mansion garden bloomed and withered, and the entire mansion was closed to visitors.
Even his old friend Li Mi, who was exiled by imperial decree and came to say goodbye, was not able to see him.
The streets and alleys of Hangzhou and Beijing still maintain the layout of the old years, and everything is normal.
"Making clay figurines—so lifelike!" The lively shouts continued at the Changxingfang market.
Zhang the Clay Man was chatting idly with the young man who made sugar figures.
Recently, Shen Rongshan, a popular imperial merchant in the capital, has vaguely heard that the court wants to emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce. He has become more cautious in his actions and is no longer as flamboyant as before.
His wife, Mrs. Jintang, also donated medicine to the people and established charity schools to promote education.
Even the masters of the Yaoyue Tower in the capital, Lady Qianjin and Lady Yinling, took off their gorgeous clothes woven with gold thread and taught the children of the opera theater to rehearse several plays that encouraged frugality and aid to farmers.
I was afraid of bringing bad luck to His Majesty.
"I'm afraid the situation is going to change again!" For some reason, the common people just chatted about it as a topic of conversation and laughed it off.
Several months have passed.
The autumn breeze quietly passed through the palace gates, the ginkgo leaves were dyed with gold edges, and the dewdrops condensed on the glazed tiles reflected the coldness.
Ambergris floats between the gauze curtains, making the Funing Palace exceptionally quiet.
Liang Yue stood up from the sandalwood couch with coiled dragon pattern.
A few strands of white hair quietly climbed up to his temples, and tiny spots of light fell between his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, which made him look even more sharp and heroic.
The young eunuch standing by the couch immediately knelt down and came forward to serve.
But the emperor raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, and his expression became cold after he saw the person coming.
"Step back. You are not allowed to come in without my summons." His voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
The young eunuch lowered his head and left the palace.
Liang Yue stood up, the collar of his plain white shirt slightly opened, revealing half of his slender neck, which formed a sharp contrast with the bright yellow brocade on the couch.
He walked to the desk with his hands behind his back.
On the Chengxintang paper spread out on the desk, half of the snow scene was painted with ink that had not yet dried, but there was a blank space between the eaves and cliffs.
He picked up the pen, and between the moonlight and the snow, the young lady stood gracefully.
She has a high nose bridge and her eyebrows are a little rough, but she still looks very heroic.
But when he was outlining the corners of the lips, the appearance of the person in his dream became blurry and unclear. He paused with a sense of loss.
Old friends are leaving, going further and further away and leaving fewer and fewer letters.
"Heh." His bony fingers slowly tightened.
A ball of drawing paper was pinched in the palm of his hand and crumpled, and the steps and bridge of the Northern Territory Qixian Villa, along with the full moon in the sky, were thrown to the ground.
"Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Shu and Imperial Concubine Hui sent us some walnut cloud cakes, claiming they were made with a new recipe..." The young eunuch stammered outside the door. The two noble ladies were from the Xie clan of Sishui and the Xijiang tribe, respectively.
He can't afford to offend any of them.
The young eunuch had heard from his godfather that the current emperor was particularly tolerant of people and things related to a certain young lady.
For example, Master Chen from the imperial kitchen was once the head chef of Taiyue Restaurant in Lizhou City, Donglu. Just because he received guidance from that lady, he became one of the royal chefs.
Not only that, even the food prepared by the young lady has always been the favorite of the emperor.
Therefore, in the harem, the concubines who competed for favor could not help but imitate others.
"I'll reward the two imperial concubines with a pound of walnuts and a pound of cakes. They taste almost the same when chewed together." Liang Yue let out a chuckle.
His voice was cold, and his laughter was three parts sarcasm and seven parts nostalgia.
"No need to keep making so much noise."
He was a little impatient.
This little eunuch is stupid and not as easy to use as Eunuch Fu'an.
"Yes, yes, your servant..." The young eunuch outside the door stammered with cold sweat on his forehead.
"What else?" the emperor asked in a cold voice.
"Your Majesty, Lord Wang Pu, the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, has returned to the capital and earnestly requests an audience with Your Majesty." The young eunuch knelt on the ground with his forehead resting on the bluestone brick, his voice trembling.
"Xuan."
After a long while, a breeze blew through the hall, and the copper bells on the eaves rang softly.
Liang Yue's stern face softened a little.
After a moment, the bamboo stick made a dull sound as it hit the blue bricks, and the lame man slowly bent his knees.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
After Wang Pu knelt down, his posture was upright, his eyes were clear and bright, and his spirit was radiant, which showed that he did not suffer any hardship on this trip.
"Your Majesty has granted me permission to return to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors. I will travel day and night and return as soon as I am done. I will not dare to slack off in my duties for even a moment."
Seeing that the emperor was in high spirits, he took a seat and told the emperor everything he had heard and experienced during his trip.
The Northern Border was the place where His Royal Highness Prince Yue started his army. After more than ten years of development, the border is now peaceful and the granaries are full.
According to Ding Yong, the military commander of the central city, the nomadic bandits were frightened by the power of heaven and no longer crossed the border.
After discussing the matter for a while, when His Highness was beginning to feel tired, Wang Pu suddenly changed the subject.
Finally, we mentioned Guiji Braised Food Shop.
"Those two apprentices who were busy running around in aprons back then are now able to run the braised food shop very successfully," he exclaimed with a smile.
The braised chicken feet are soft and tasty, and the duck neck meat is spicy and fragrant.
The shop is always crowded with customers and has a good reputation.
As for Miss Gui, she would occasionally ask traveling merchants to bring some rare condiments into the country.
Like the slightly bitter styrax and the spicy nutmeg...
Each ingredient is marked with usage and contraindications, which opened the eyes and delighted the two apprentices who were obsessed with improving their cooking skills.
From this, we can infer that her footprints were probably all over Funan, Dayuan, and even Goguryeo.
"At the beginning of the year, the young lady sent me a jar of sugar." Wang Pu tactfully presented the ceramic jar. "The letter said it was made from vanilla bought from missionaries in Southeast Asia."
He begged and pleaded until he got half a jar from the apprentice.
To make this, you need to use a knife to split the dark brown vanilla pod.
Carefully split it open, then use a bamboo stick to gently scrape off the delicate vanilla seeds and mix them with crystal clear granulated sugar in a bowl.
"It can be used to make water chestnut cakes or tea cakes." Wang Pu recounted truthfully.
Liang Yue opened the lid of the ceramic jar.
The sweet vanilla scent rises like a cloud, intoxicating.
He scooped up a spoonful, and the sugar wrapped with vanilla seeds sparkled with a delicate luster. He brought his fingertips covered with icing sugar to his lips, and his Adam's apple moved slightly.
It is neither greasy nor bland, and the vanilla flavor blooms slowly.
The sweetness slowly spreads from the tip of the tongue to the heart.
"I see you've had a hard time on horseback." Liang Yue nodded. "If there's nothing else, please return home and rest well."
He accepted the jar of vanilla sugar with a smile.
Wang Pu keenly noticed that the emperor seemed to be in a good mood.
He estimated that even if the honest advice was unpleasant to his ears, there would be no danger of blood splattering on the steps.
Then he straightened his neck and gave a frank advice.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to attend to important matters. I beg to speak to you: the policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is inappropriate."
"Your Majesty must not close the country to the outside world."
…
"Get out!" The veins on Liang Yue's forehead throbbed, and the warmth that had just risen in his heart disappeared. He cursed back without mercy.
As expected of the young lady's student, he is as difficult to deal with as her.
But considering this jar of sugar, although the matter is difficult, there is still room for mediation.
Liang Yue sighed and rubbed his temples slowly with his right hand.
Finally, he resigned himself to his fate and sat back at his desk, spreading out the memorial.
“I have always known that farming is a arduous task, and I have always provided benefits to farmers over the years.
Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce aims to protect the foundation of agriculture and prevent merchants from becoming arrogant and disrupting the national economy and undermining social order."
His handwriting is still thin and straight, and every stroke implies strong bones.
"However, today's merchants facilitate the flow of goods and contribute to the country's financial resources..."
Every sentence is clearly marked in red.
The setting sun shines through the window lattice, dyeing the words written by the imperial pen into a warm soft orange.
At the same time, outside the palace walls, the Yunnan-Guizhou terraces, thousands of kilometers away from Hangzhou and Beijing, are welcoming the most brilliant season of the year.
The layers of golden rice look like sparkling waves.
The terraces wind from the foot of the mountain to the top, staggered and orderly, as if kissed by the setting sun, and also present a rich orange-yellow color.
"For dinner, I'll make Xianghe glutinous rice with rice fish. It will taste amazing!" The woman's expression showed her unconcealed joy.
The sound was so light and lively that even the air around it was filled with ripples of joy.
"Beep, system prompt: Mission progress 100%."
The woman was stunned and froze in place.
The wind blew through her hair, lifting a few strands of hair from her temples, but it couldn't take away her hesitant gaze.
"System, I haven't started cooking yet..." She muttered to herself with her eyes wide open.
"Madam, why don't you leave?" the middle-aged knight turned around and shouted.
The dark tights wrapped around his figure, which was even more muscular than when he was young. He carried an old red-tasseled spear on his back, the tassel of which had long since faded to ochre red.
The hands that had been chopping wood and washing rice all year round were now gently stroking the reins of the white horse.
When the man looked back, the stars in his eyes were brighter than ten years ago.
"Nothing!" The woman smiled. "I'll be the chef tonight and cook something delicious to celebrate!"
The dusk dyed the sky red, and the wind blew through the fields, making a rustling sound.
As smoke from cooking rises from the kitchen, don’t waste the good time.
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