Chapter 211 The King Who Lost His Country 11

When the golden cake was brought to Liang Guangyu, Liang Guangyu was sure that he had never heard of it, nor had he eaten it.

"This taste..."

"It's not a pastry?"

Nan Liujing smiled. As soon as he entered the room, he asked Guisheng to get the golden cake, naturally wanting to arouse Liang Guangyu's interest again.

With Liang Guangyu's family background and position, no matter how good the things were, they might not move him.

But this golden cake that had never appeared before could.

"It's indeed not a pastry."

Liang Guangyu couldn't help but take another bite.

He has a little hobby that ordinary people don't know about, that is, he loves sweets.

The soft and sticky golden cake is just right for his taste.

"This thing is called golden cake, what is it made of?"

Nan Liujing kept it a secret: "I can't tell you for now. If you like it, I'll let Guisheng pack a bag for you to take back."

Liang Guangyu quickly put away the golden cake in his hand and picked up another one: "I don't know you at all, are you willing to give it to me?"

"Your Excellency is visiting, and as the host, I must treat you well."

This answer can be said to be flawless. Liang Guangyu didn't seem to buy it, and his tone suddenly changed: "Is there no shortage of food in Changxin Palace?"

After he finished speaking, his sharp eyes passed over Guisheng and Nan Liujing's faces, and his meaningful look seemed to say: You don't look like you are hungry or frozen.

Guisheng couldn't help but lift his heart.

Nan Liujing held Guisheng's hand and imitated Liang Guangyu's meaningful look: "My lord, haven't you seen my ability to set traps to catch birds? It's nothing strange if there is no shortage of food."

Liang Guangyu raised his hand and rubbed his nose. When he thought about how he had fallen into a trap today, all the momentum he had pretended to have disappeared.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. According to palace rules, the imperial guards cannot take things from the palace out of the palace when on duty."

Nan Liujing said regretfully, "That's a pity. If you like it, eat more. If it's not enough, I'll ask Guisheng to get more."

Liang Guangyu waved his hands, "This thing is delicious, but it's a bit greasy if you eat too much."

Nan Liujing pushed the bowl away, "Drink some water, your Excellency."

Liang Guangyu didn't mind, and picked up the bowl and drank it all.

"I haven't asked you your name yet, sir."

"My last name is Liang."

"So it's Sir Liang." Nan Liujing climbed up the pole, "Meeting is fate, I want to do business with Sir Liang."

"Business?"

"Yes, I want to sell the method of making golden cakes, I wonder if you are interested. You have tasted it, it has a soft and glutinous texture, sweet but not greasy, suitable for both children and the elderly. If you pass by, you won't be cheated if you buy it."

Liang Guangyu really didn't expect that the third prince had been preparing for so long just to sell a recipe.

But this golden cake tastes really good, he likes it, and his mother must like it too. It's really worth spending a few hundred taels of silver to honor his mother and get to know the third prince.

Liang Guangyu had already decided that as long as the price offered by the Third Prince was not outrageous, he would buy it. However, he only said, "Tell me how to make this golden cake first. How much do you want to bid?"

Nan Liujing held up three fingers and said, "I have three ways to bid."

Liang Guangyu remained calm.

"The first way to bid is to buy it at a fixed price of one thousand taels."

Liang Guangyu hissed.

This golden cake can be made in the cold palace, so the raw materials and methods must be very simple. The name of the golden cake is loud, just to scare people.

The price of one thousand taels is also a price that the Third Prince can call out.

"The second way is free. But I need you to do me a small favor."

"Free things are often more expensive." Liang Guangyu touched his chin, "Tell me about the third way first."

"The third way is more troublesome. You will give me five hundred taels in the first year, and two hundred taels for three consecutive years."

Liang Guangyu understood.

It seems that three ways were given, but in fact, he hoped that he would choose the second one.

Just like making plans, when ancient planners offered plans to the king, they would always present three plans, the best, the middle and the worst. It seems that they were giving the king room to choose, but in fact, only the middle plan was the planner's true idea.

"What if I must choose the first way?"

"Then I will accept the one thousand taels."

Liang Guangyu nodded secretly. So that's how it is. If he didn't choose the second way as the Third Prince wanted, but chose the first or the third way, the Third Prince wouldn't be at a loss.

"What if I don't choose any of the three ways and I don't want to buy this recipe?"

Nan Liujing said calmly: "This is Sir Liang's freedom. We can't trade or not, but we still have a friendship. If Sir wants to eat golden cakes in the future, you can still come to Changxin Palace to find me."

Liang Guangyu said: "Okay, I was just joking with you just now."

Nan Liujing's lips curved slightly, and his tone was helpless and tolerant: "As long as Sir is happy."

The teacher also likes to tease him like this, he is used to it.

Adults may have some naughty hobbies, it doesn't matter, he is willing to cooperate.

Liang Guangyu: "..."

Damn, what should I do if I want to tease a child but it seems that the child is laughing at me.

Liang Guangyu put his right fist against his lips and coughed twice to hide his embarrassment: "Let's go back to the second way now. What do you want me to do for you?"

When he asked this question, Liang Guangyu felt that the Third Prince wanted him to help him with something like improving his situation and living standards.

Then, he got a completely unexpected answer from the Third Prince -

"I would like to ask you to help me promote the recipe of golden cakes to the people around the capital for free."

***

The Imperial Guard is responsible for defending Kyoto and protecting the safety of Kyoto.

As the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, Liang Guangyu's words were still very useful in the vicinity of Kyoto, and this favor was indeed not difficult for him.

After a moment of silence, Liang Guangyu said, "I can help with this. But I want to know why?"

Nan Liujing showed a relaxed smile. He was really worried that Liang Guangyu would refuse: "At this point, there is no need to hide it from Lord Liang. This golden cake is actually made of persimmons. So I also call it persimmon cake."

"A few days ago, when Guisheng and I were making persimmon cakes, he talked about what happened before he entered the palace."

These days, as long as there is space in the homes of ordinary people, they will choose to plant some fruit trees.

Persimmon trees are one of the most common fruit trees in the northern region.

When persimmons are ripe, the villagers in Guisheng Village pick them in a few days and carry them to the town to sell.

"But when there are too many persimmons on the market, the price will go down."

"But what can we do if we don't sell them? Persimmons have such a short shelf life. If we don't sell them, we can only watch them go bad."

Liang Guangyu asked, "What good will this do for you?"

Nan Liujing said, "This production method is useless to me. It won't hurt me to make it public." "

Since it doesn't hurt me, why not benefit others?"

In addition to the above reasons, Nan Liujing didn't say two more reasons -

he promised his teacher that when he was capable, he would share this production method to solve more people's troubles.

But he didn't know how many years it would take for him to be capable.

Some things can wait.

But some things, the sooner they are done, the more people will benefit.

If Liang Guangyu is willing to help, it will save him a lot of trouble.

And...

doesn't this Lord Liang want to find out his bottom line and test his situation?

Since Lord Liang wants to test, he will go with the flow.

His performance will definitely surprise Lord Liang.

***

Liang Guangyu was more than surprised.

Since he met Nan Liujing, Liang Guangyu was shocked to death.

Calm, rational, calm, smart... the qualities shown by Nan Liujing far exceeded Liang Guangyu's imagination.

Is this really the performance of a prince who grew up in the cold palace?

If he can grow up to be like this in the cold palace... then how brilliant will he be when he receives the top education?

Thinking of this, Liang Guangyu suddenly took a deep breath.

Being in Liang Guangyu's position, he knew everything that happened in the harem.

Knowing that it was the Imperial Concubine who killed the Fifth Prince and Concubine Li, Emperor Yongqing was afraid of the power of the Ji family and did not dare to touch the Imperial Concubine. He just took back the Phoenix Seal from the Imperial Concubine.

What's the use of this?

The Imperial Concubine's power is already established. Whether the Phoenix Seal is in the hands of the Imperial Concubine or not, it does not affect the Imperial Concubine's status in the harem.

Liang Guangyu was very disappointed with the way Emperor Yongqing handled it.

But what disappointed Liang Guangyu even more was Emperor Yongqing's next move.

Why did the Fourth Prince's mother, who was still a seventh-rank noblewoman more than ten years after the birth of the Fourth Prince, jump several levels at this critical juncture and become a fourth-rank imperial concubine?

Why did the important officials in the court suddenly become the Fourth Prince's teacher?

Why did they suddenly send someone to contact the Third Prince in the cold palace?

——Of course, it was because the target that Emperor Yongqing had set up fell, and he had to set up a new target in the harem as soon as possible, using the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince and Imperial Concubine Zhang to attract the hatred of the Imperial Concubine and the Ji family, and suppress the Imperial Concubine's arrogance in the harem.

If Emperor Yongqing still had some genuine love for the Fifth Prince, then he had basically no fatherly heart for the Third and Fourth Princes.

Therefore, Emperor Yongqing did not feel any psychological pressure in doing this matter, and he could even do it easily.

Anyway, he was in his prime, and as long as he was not infertile, he would always have another son - this was exactly why Emperor Yongqing was in a hurry to start the selection to fill the harem.

As a minister, who has not had the ideal of self-cultivation, family harmony, governance of the country and peace in the world? Now, Liang Guangyu seemed to see new hope in the third prince.

Although this hope is still very weak, but...

the third prince is still very young.

At this moment, Nan Liujing's words interrupted Liang Guangyu's thoughts.

Nan Liujing explained the method of making golden cakes, also known as persimmon cakes.

It was simple, with only a few sentences.

Buy one get one free, Nan Liujing also talked about the method of ripening persimmons.

Liang Guangyu stared at him: "Is that all?"

Nan Liujing nodded and said affirmatively: "I'm done."

Liang Guangyu was speechless: "... With just a few words, you dare to offer one thousand taels?"

"You ask for a high price and pay a low price. Didn't you pay nothing in the end?"

Liang Guangyu: "..."

Yes, he didn't pay a penny.

But the price for his help was much more expensive than one thousand taels.

As expected of a young man who could say "It's in my trap", he deserved it today.

Liang Guangyu complained in his heart but showed a more satisfied smile on his face: "It's almost time for the change of guard, I have to go."

Nan Liujing stood up and said: "I'll see you off, sir."

He asked again: "I wonder when can you help me with this matter? You also know that if we delay for a few more days, persimmons will be out of season."

Since he had already agreed, Liang Guangyu was not a person who procrastinated: "I will give the instructions today, and it should be done in a day or two."

"Thank you, sir, and take care." Nan Liujing stopped at the gate of Changxin Palace and said naturally, "Today's time is a bit rushed. I wonder if you can teach me some swordsmanship when we meet next time."

Liang Guangyu laughed: "Tomorrow morning, you go to the lake to practice swordsmanship."

After Liang Guangyu strode away, Nan Liujing's eyes narrowed.

He raised his hand and caught the falling snow with his palm. He immediately confirmed with Yao Rong: "Teacher, did I perform well today?"

Yao Rong smiled and said: [I performed very well.]

"If it were you, would you be moved by my performance in the past few days and accept me as your apprentice?"

[Well, this...]

Yao Rong dragged out his voice, kept the suspense, and then said: [Not only will I accept you as my apprentice, I will also accept you as my last disciple.]

[After all, after having such an outstanding disciple like you, my standards for accepting disciples have been raised, and no one else can meet my eyes.]

Nan Liujing sighed.

The teacher was teasing him again.

But Lord Liang should really come to listen to what his teacher said.

Nan Liujing thought happily: They were all teasing him, and the teacher's words made people feel happy and irresistible.

If Liang Guangyu knew what Nan Liujing was thinking, and happened to have heard the word "double standard", he would definitely shout "double standard".

[Why did you suddenly give the persimmon cake the name of Golden Cake?] Yao Rong asked curiously.

"If it was called Persimmon Cake, wouldn't it be exposed from the beginning?"

And the name of Golden Cake sounds so grand and rich, it will definitely intimidate Lord Liang. "

Look at Lord Liang's reaction. Wasn't he intimidated by him?

Nan Liujing didn't just give the name randomly.

Persimmon cake is orange in color, and its shape is quite similar to gold cake.

Yao Rong smiled. Nan Liujing had never studied marketing, but he already knew how to read the customers' psychology: [I'll teach you a method that can not only intimidate Lord Liang, but also everyone.]

"What method? "

This method, of course, is to give the ancients a little modern marketing shock.

After listening to what Yao Rong said, Nan Liujing could only sigh in his heart that the old ones are still the best, and there are still many things he can learn from his teacher!

***

The next day, Liang Guangyu showed up at the lake on time.

Nan Liujing had arrived early and was making moves.

Liang Guangyu first told Nan Liujing about the persimmon cakes: "I have already given orders for the things you asked me to do, and the village will be notified in the next two days."

"This method is novel, and the people may not believe it immediately. It happens that my family has opened several snack shops. If the people make the persimmon cakes, my shopkeeper can be responsible for purchasing them, or selling them in the capital, or transporting them to the south by water in the spring of next year. "

This year, the main purpose is to promote the methods of ripening persimmons and making persimmon cakes.

When the people know that making golden cakes can make them more profitable, they will actively do it next year without Liang Guangyu's urging and reminder.

Liang Guangyu was still very satisfied with his arrangements and felt that there was not much room for improvement.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Nan Liujing first thanked him, and then changed the subject: "Lord Liang, I have a small suggestion."

"It's worth mentioning. "

Nan Liujing's proposal is simply to hype the concept.

The name of persimmon cake is too plain and simple, so it should be called golden cake in the future.

Nowadays, only a very special family can afford golden cakes. Ordinary people certainly can't afford them.

But the vast majority of ordinary people can still afford golden cakes.

Ordinary people would not be willing to buy them on ordinary days, but when it comes to the New Year's ancestor worship, they put golden cakes in front of the ancestral tablets, how magnificent and auspicious!

When visiting relatives during the New Year, if you can't afford to buy anything expensive, you can bring two golden cakes, how festive and auspicious! Lively!

I heard that the rich people don't like to eat any pastries now, and the popular ones are golden cakes with tea.

What?

Golden cakes are cheap, but you can't bear to buy them?

It is the season when persimmons are ripe, and there are many wild persimmon trees on the mountain. Anyway, the method of making golden cakes is not difficult. As long as you can find persimmons, you can make them yourself!

Nan Liujing finally concluded: "Merchants are the most sensitive group. As long as they find that there is profit in it, they will definitely find a way to purchase persimmon cakes, and even help to promote this concept to everyone."

"With the efforts of several parties, the method of making persimmon cakes will surely be promoted as quickly as possible. "

Liang Guangyu: "..."

Liang Guangyu had only one thought in his mind: Can we still play like this?

If there are no conditions, we must create them; if there are no customs, we must create customs.

He originally thought that the people around the capital would accept persimmon cakes only next year, but now it seems that he thought too simply.

This year, persimmon cakes cannot be spread throughout the capital. If there are no golden cakes in the New Year's goods for the people this year, it can be considered that his shopkeeper is incompetent!