"First, she offered a pharmacy to save the people of my Nanyue Kingdom from fire and water; later, she offered sweet potatoes to ensure their food and clothing. To recognize this woman's merits, she is hereby granted the title of County Princess, a mansion, three hundred acres of fertile land, and one thousand taels of gold. So be it!"
Gu Lili was instantly stunned. She had only offered a few sweet potatoes, yet she was suddenly granted the title of county princess.
He was stunned for a moment. Their sweet potatoes hadn't even been planted yet. Even if they wanted to reward him, they should have done so after the sweet potatoes were grown.
"Princess Yongning, you must be overjoyed! Why are you still stunned? Quickly accept the imperial decree!" Eunuch Zhang smiled and handed the imperial decree to Gu Lili.
Gu Lili then seemed to wake from a dream and quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous gift!"
The guards brought up the land deeds and gold, and Gu Chenxi quickly stepped forward to take them from Gu Lili, then stood behind her.
Eunuch Zhang smiled as he looked at everyone, but when his gaze fell on Wan Quan, his face instantly turned cold.
“I heard everything clearly from behind. This man actually dared to falsely accuse the county magistrate, whom the emperor himself appointed! You should investigate this man immediately!”
Gu Lili is now a highly sought-after county princess. If the emperor weren't so busy, he would love to come and see for himself what this extraordinary woman looks like.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Yang waved his hand and sent men to take Wan Quan away.
Wan Quan was completely dumbfounded and could no longer utter a single word.
Seeing Wan Quan being taken away, Eunuch Zhang nodded in satisfaction.
"Princess Yongning, I heard yesterday that your restaurant is opening today. We've come here specifically to join in the fun. You won't be unwelcome, will you?" Eunuch Zhang joked.
Originally, this imperial edict should have been delivered to Gu Village yesterday.
However, Magistrate Yang stopped them, saying that Gu Lili's restaurant was opening today.
If the imperial decree is announced today, that would be even more joyous.
Fortunately, Eunuch Zhang didn't have anything urgent to attend to, so a delay of a day or two wouldn't be a big deal.
In addition, he is still very willing to do things that help others achieve their goals.
Gu Lili said in a flustered manner, "How could we not welcome you, Father-in-law, Magistrate? Please come in quickly!"
"Speak," Gu Lili said, leading the person into the restaurant.
At this moment, when Gu Lili looked up at the door, she discovered that Chang'an's portrait had been blown away by the wind at some point.
It must be that Gu Yun Chu didn't paste it properly; I'll just have to wait until tonight to draw another one.
As the people outside watched Zhang Gonggong and his entourage go inside, the crowd instantly erupted in a commotion.
"My goodness! What incredible luck did this county princess have? She presented some melon and was immediately made a county princess. That's amazing!"
"Keep your voice down. The Emperor must have his reasons for doing this. We shouldn't gossip about others."
"Wow, I've never eaten at a restaurant owned by the county magistrate before! Let's go in and have a try!"
"......"
There were all sorts of opinions among the crowd.
A few daring men, after talking, headed into the restaurant.
After all, being able to dine at the same restaurant as the emperor's eunuchs would be a topic of conversation that would make people envious.
The restaurant was soon full.
Gu Yun Chu then put up the sign that the restaurant was full and stopped accepting new customers.
Gu Lili led Zhang Gonggong and his group to the pavilion in the backyard for their meal.
"Oh my, Your Highness, this restaurant is truly ingenious! Dining with such a beautiful view, one would surely eat several bowls of rice more!"
As he walked, Eunuch Zhang praised them.
At the same time, he carefully memorized this plan, so that when he returned, he could use this ingenious idea on the emperor.
Perhaps the emperor will be so pleased that he'll reward himself again.
Gu Lili replied modestly, "You flatter me, Eunuch Zhang. I'm glad I'm pleasing to your eye."
As Gu Lili spoke, she led Eunuch Zhang to a seat.
The guards brought by Eunuch Zhang and the yamen runners brought by Magistrate Yang sat in the other two pavilions, which surrounded the middle pavilion.
Gu Lili instructed Gu Chenxi to have Zhang Dahua prepare some of her signature dishes, and then sat down as well.
"Eunuch Zhang, please have some tea!" Gu Lili handed the brewed buckwheat tea to Eunuch Zhang.
The buckwheat is roasted; once steeped in boiling water, its unique aroma is released.
This prompted Eunuch Zhang to pick up the glass and take a sip.
"What kind of tea is this? We've never had it before!" Grandpa Zhang exclaimed.
He served the emperor closely; what fine tea hadn't he been rewarded with?
However, this was the first time he had ever tasted such a uniquely flavored tea.
Gu Lili smiled faintly and said, "This is buckwheat, a kind of grain. After being roasted, it can be used to make tea, which can aid digestion and stimulate the appetite!"
This was specially prepared by Gu Lili. She would have Gu Yun Chu brew a pot of this for everyone who came to the restaurant to eat.
They offer unlimited free refills for diners.
After listening, Eunuch Zhang nodded repeatedly, and Magistrate Yang and Master Li couldn't help but take a sip as well. It was indeed delicious!
"Eunuch Zhang, I'm a little curious. Why was I made a county princess just because of some sweet potatoes?" Gu Lili finally couldn't suppress her question and asked.
If the sweet potatoes had truly worked, then sealing herself off would be understandable. But right now, her sweet potatoes hadn't even been planted yet, so this struck her as very strange.
After listening, Eunuch Zhang first laughed heartily, and then patiently explained to Gu Lili.
It turns out that when Gu Lili presented the sweet potato to the Emperor, the Emperor immediately ordered the official in charge of grains to cultivate the sweet potato.
The Emperor was aware that in recent months, local officials had been submitting memorials daily, warning that this year's wheat harvest had been damaged by freezing rains, and that a famine was likely to occur in the second half of the year.
This really gave the Emperor a huge headache, so when Eunuch Zhang brought the sweet potatoes back, the Emperor immediately ordered the official in charge of grain management to take charge of the matter.
The official in charge of agriculture in the Southern Yue Kingdom naturally had no problem cultivating sweet potatoes.
Moreover, Gu Lili had already informed them of the planting method.
To expedite the planting of sweet potatoes, the official in charge of grain production specifically planted them in a greenhouse.
Charcoal fires were lit every day of the month, which allowed the sweet potatoes to bear fruit early.
After the sweet potatoes were presented to the Emperor, the Emperor ordered the imperial chefs to recreate them using the cooking method taught by Gu Lili.
Sure enough, these sweet potatoes not only filled our stomachs, but were also exceptionally sweet.
If these sweet potatoes were planted on a large scale, the people of Nanyue Kingdom would no longer go hungry.
Therefore, the emperor was overjoyed and wrote this imperial edict to reward Gu Lili.
After listening, Gu Lili couldn't help but sigh, "The ancients were truly wise."
They even know how to build greenhouses to grow sweet potatoes. Although the cost is a bit high, it's still admirable.
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