Chapter 252 Dark Seven
When honey-glazed pork jerky and meat floss were becoming as popular as bread and cakes in the upper circles of Shezhou City, the emperor had just finished his morning court and returned to the imperial study when he heard Eunuch Cen whispering that An Qi had returned. He dismissed his attendants and was now reading the Daxingzhuang Chronicles presented by An Qi.
When the emperor saw Sang Luo castrating boars for experiments and inviting officials and surrounding villagers to see the experimental results, he was drinking tea to moisten his throat after speaking at the morning court. He almost spit out a mouthful of tea, but where was his precious record? He held it back, and ended up choking himself and coughing violently. Cen, the eunuch guarding the door outside, became a little uneasy and asked outside the door in confusion, "Your Majesty?"
I was eager to go into the imperial study to see what was going on.
"Nothing."
After his coughing subsided, the emperor responded from inside, then picked up the record and continued reading, unable to hide his strange expression.
"Are you sure you really gained 80 or 90 kilograms?"
An Qi nodded: "Because this is a rare thing, people in the village often go to see it. An Jiu, An Shi and Eleven have heard the whole story. They stayed for a few more months and watched it grow."
Emperor: "...So what is the principle? And why did she think of doing this experiment?"
No normal person would think of castrating a healthy pig and then raising it.
An Qi: "...maybe it's because he's very observant. An Jiu said it wasn't cut...when they grow up, they think a lot, become more noisy, don't like to eat or sleep, and naturally they won't grow strong."
Emperor: “…” That makes sense.
Not wanting the topic to continue going in a strange direction, he continued to look at what the secret guards had written down, and then he saw the record of Sang Luo opening a shop.
Fresh food, specialties?
"What do these two shops sell?"
What a good question! An Qi knows it very well because he eats the most.
However, it was one thing for his eyes to light up for a moment, but when he answered the questions he kept his eyes downcast, looking no different from usual, very serious.
When talking about what the fresh food shop mainly sells, we can't help but talk about tofu, and when talking about tofu, we naturally talk about Zheng's connection with this matter.
The Zheng family of Shezhou. If the emperor had not conquered Shezhou himself, he might not have had any impression of this family. It can be called a noble family, but a lower-ranking one. But he conquered it himself. The previous king of Chu used Shezhou as his base, and the Zheng family paid a lot of money and food for their safety. When the Great Qi conquered Shezhou, they were afraid of being held accountable later, so they naturally paid a lot of tribute.
The tribute he demanded was far more painful than that of the previous King of Chu, which made the Zheng family feel painful. They had to provide money and food, as well as land. Therefore, more than half of the Zheng family's land has now become the property of the common people. This was considered as digging up more than half of the Zheng family's roots.
He still remembered that old Master Zheng tried to hide his heartache but couldn't stop his twitching cheeks. He raised his eyes and asked An Qi: "Is there any movement from the Zheng family?"
“Madam Zheng wanted to move, but was suppressed by Old Master Zheng.”
Tsk, the emperor was a little disappointed. But thinking about it, it would be inconvenient for Sang Luo to attract too many people's attention now, so it would be better to be honest.
"What about the other shop? What does it sell?"
He was very curious about what the specialty of Daxingzhuang was.
When it came to the specialty shop, An Qi's mouth watered reflexively, but this was in front of the emperor, so he tried to restrain himself and report in a proper manner.
The emperor heard several names he had never heard of. In his life of more than 30 years, this was the first time he doubted the strength of the Xiao family. How could such an old family have so many things he didn't know? Could it be the difference between the north and the south? When he raised his eyes, he saw An Qi's throat rolling.
This was the secret guard he had trained himself when he was young. He had taken them into the Xiao family since they were six or seven years old and trained them personally. The emperor was very familiar with the semi-hidden attributes of Anqi.
"You bought it?"
An Qi: “…” The only remaining jar of honey-glazed meat jerky is about to be lost.
The villain in my heart was about to roll around in tears, but I was still honest and said, "I'll buy it."
The emperor raised his chin and said, "Bring it here for me to see."
An Qi felt that once this thing was taken out, it would be more than just a look.
Of course, he didn't dare say that. He bowed and replied before leaving. He didn't even go through the main door. He disappeared behind the screen and came back after a while with two small jars in his hands.
The meat floss was okay, he didn't like it that much, but he felt so bad to give away the jar of honey-glazed pork jerky. He had been relying on this to chew all day on the boat, and he was so slow in putting it on the imperial table.
The emperor looked up at him. An Qi struggled a bit, "Your Majesty, the meat floss can be kept longer. The lady in the shop said that the honey-glazed meat jerky can't be kept for more than 20 days because it's too hot."
"How many days will it take you to return by water?"
"Fifteen days."
"That's it, isn't it? There are still five days left."
"It's not fresh anymore." A dying struggle!
The emperor raised his eyes and said, "I am trapped on the battlefield. I can eat the hairy cakes just by cleaning them up. I am not that delicate."
Without mercy, he took the jar of honey-juiced meat jerky that had landed on the imperial table very slowly. After taking a look at the jar, he found it to be very ordinary. An Qi explained, "I have replaced the pottery jar."
Things with the words "Daxingzhuang" on them are not suitable to appear in the palace now, especially in front of a secret guard like him or the emperor.
"You are always careful in your work." The emperor was in a good mood and opened it quickly. An Qi hurriedly asked for a while and took out a silver needle to try it. After waiting for a while, the silver needle did not change color, so he signaled to the emperor that it could be used.
The color alone made him hungry. The emperor picked up a piece and chewed it for a few times.
Okay, now I know why An Qi insisted on holding on.
He laughed, in a particularly good mood, chewing mouthful after mouthful with particular relish, and pushed the can towards An Qi: "Would you like some?"
Dark Seven: ...
He knew it wasn't his.
"I dare not."
The emperor was in a better mood and asked An Qi, "Then why didn't you bring back some bread and cake?"
"That thing can't be kept. It will go bad in two or three days. It's also hard to get. Maybe there's not enough raw materials. They only sell a little bit every five days. When the shop door is not open on the day, the servants of the rich families in the city will guard it. This thing is new, and no one knows about it before they buy it."
That's true. Food is in short supply everywhere now, but things are getting better. Even Daxing Village has food to sell, which shows that people are living a better life. The emperor didn't look worried. Instead, he looked at An Qi and joked, "Are you guarding it too?"
An Qi moved his fingertips and tried to defend himself: "An Ba is guarding outside the village."
At this point, An Qi suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, there is one thing. Chen Lie seems to doubt the identities of An Jiu and the other two."
It had been nearly four months since Zeng Ziqian mentioned the name Chen Lie. The emperor didn't realize who Chen Lie was for a moment. After a few breaths, he remembered that he was Sang Luo's husband. He was a little surprised: "What? Where did you give yourself away?"
An Qi shook his head, "Probably not. He seemed to have tried to probe An Jiu and the others seven or eight days before my wife opened the shop. The traces of the test were not obvious, and An Jiu was not so sure at the time. But after that, my subordinates and An Ba were secretly guarding my wife when she went out a few times, and he almost noticed something was wrong when he was supposed to be in the state school. It was also that time that my subordinates went into the shop to buy things to avoid suspicion."
Then he stepped into a pit, went into the store three times, and spent half a month's salary.
"By the way, he went to the 'home' of An Jiu and the other two, and after that he also went to the governor's residence." An Qi couldn't tell for a moment whether he had revealed anything or not.
"Looking for Zeng Ziqian?" The emperor narrowed his narrow eyes slightly, with a hint of interest in them.
As for Chen Lie, he originally thought that he was just a stepping stone and bond to facilitate Sang Luo's entry into the capital and close contact with the court. Now it seems that he is not that simple. His sharpness alone is rare. He is clearly the material of a military general. It would be a pity if he did not achieve anything in these troubled times.
However, if his heart had not been with his family, it would be unknown whether Sang Luo would still exist in this world. Thinking about it this way, it seemed as if everything was destined. Whether it was Chen Lie or Sang Luo, they were here to help him and Da Qi in the end.
Thinking of the batches of paper that had been sent to the county offices of Da Qi and the subsequent benefits that would be generated, the emperor was in a good mood and said, "If he doesn't point it out, just pretend you don't know about it and do your part."
"yes."
When An Qi was about to leave, the emperor stopped him and said, "Go to Cen Xi to get 20 taels of silver. Bring me two more jars next time you come back."
An Qi's eyes lit up, his mouth almost stretched to his ears, and he said modestly, "Your Majesty, a can only cost one ounce."
"Then you take two taels?"
The smile on An Qi's face froze, and the emperor was happy: "Let's go, the rest is a reward for you, don't spend all the salary, and don't leave the Anbu in a few years without saving enough money to marry and have children, otherwise people will think that I treat my subordinates unfairly."
An Qi became happy, patted the dragon's fart a few times to express his gratitude, and walked away happily.
When Cen Xi came in to serve the emperor, he was just taking a wet towel to wipe his hands. Cen Xi went over to serve him. When he turned back to the imperial desk, he saw at a glance that there was a new thing on the desk, an inconspicuous jar. Combined with the few words he heard outside the door before, he guessed something.
Deep and fierce.
It turned out that An Qi and his companions went to Daxingzhuang.
Qu Yuanli would not let the emperor send secret guards to Daxing Manor. Cen Xi was the emperor's confidant and the person closest to the emperor. He guessed something after thinking about it, and his pupils widened slightly.
The emperor casually picked up the memorial on the desk and reviewed it. He asked casually, "Have you sent people to visit Luo and Dou?"
Cen Xi bowed quickly and said, "Lord Li sent someone over in mid-June, so I'm sure the message has been delivered by now."
Once the recipe is lost, it will be lost forever. From now on, anyone in the Great Qi Dynasty can make paper, except the Luo and Dou families.
The emperor was satisfied and a smile appeared on his lips.
…
In Daxing Manor, Chen Lie didn't know that his little action was reported to the emperor by the secret guards. He secretly asked for leave and kept an eye on the situation for a few days. Finally, he got an answer from Zeng Ziqian that was not stated explicitly but made him feel at ease. Then he felt relieved about Sang Luo's safety.
It is the end of the dog days, and Sang Luo's belly is getting bigger. She is afraid of the heat and craves a little mountain breeze. Recently, she often likes to sit in the imperial edict inscription pavilion built by the government to rest.
After being busy with land reclamation, house building and shop running for the past six months, Sang Luo finally had some free time. While sitting in the pavilion to rest, she finally had the energy to think about the schooling of a group of children in the village.
Chen Lie's five students who were studying at the provincial school were actually the best teachers for the children in the village. She thought about it and asked Chen Lie to make some desks and chairs during the ten-day break using the remaining wood from building the house at home.
"You don't have to put it anywhere else, just in this pavilion. It's big enough and has good light. When it gets cold, you can move it to the south room at the entrance of our house. Aning and the others can study together. You can ask Yunzheng and Qinghe. It would be better if you can take turns teaching the children in the village during your ten-day break."
It only takes six days off, so needless to say, everyone is happy to do it. Chen Lie is only worried about one thing: "Will it cause trouble for you?"
"Why are you afraid of the noise? It's better to listen to the sound of reading." She touched her round belly. When the baby in her belly felt her hand on her abdomen, she didn't know whether it was a hand or a foot, but it swam in a circle, causing Sang Luo to laugh softly: "See, this one loves to make noise."
Chen Lie's eyes lit up, and he leaned over to tease the child by touching her belly with his hands: "Baby, I'm your daddy, touch my hand."
The one in her belly was very familiar with his voice, and was also very familiar with the word "baby". Sang Luo couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw a series of movements rolling over her belly.
Seeing Chen Lie's face full of excitement as he called out "Bao" left and right and started chatting with the baby in his belly, she smiled and asked, "You haven't thought of a name yet?"
They flipped through the book every day and had already filled a page with name writing, a boy's name, a girl's name, but they were not satisfied with any one. Ever since Sang Luo became pregnant, the couple had been calling her "baby" left and right.
Chen Lie was half squatting beside Sang Luo. When he heard Sang Luo's question, he looked up at her and said, "None of them seem good enough. I picked a few more. Let's pick together tonight?"
Sang Luo laughed. She had already picked seven or eight times, but she was afraid that she still couldn't pick one that suited Chen Lie's taste tonight.
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