In the literary circle today, even an ordinary orchid starts at a hundred taels of silver. Not to mention these rare and precious species.
Ever since the absurd incident in Southern Liang of exchanging a spring orchid for an official position, orchids have become extremely valuable in many countries.
Orchids are delicate and mostly grow in deep mountains and forests. They are notoriously difficult to grow!
He actually has so many cows to feed at home. If word of this gets out, people who don't know him would think that his family lives a very extravagant life. Does his mother really not know how precious orchids are, or does she not care at all?
I'm afraid I need to inform His Majesty about this matter in advance!
"Okay, go ahead and ask. Just don't accuse us of being flatterers. Apart from the dozen or so I promised the Wang family, you can do whatever you want with the others!"
In an age of hunger, only people with too much money and nowhere to put it would treasure a piece of grass like this!
Don’t say Qiao Xin has no taste. Life is not easy. When she looks at something now, the first thing that comes to her mind is, is this thing edible? How to make it delicious?
......
The main hall.
After the morning court session, officials went home one after another, but their attention was attracted by Qiao Yunqing, who was the most active in running away from court in the past few days.
"Master Qiao, His Majesty has given everyone a long holiday today, why don't you go home?"
Qiao Yunqing smiled and handed over a memorial, "My mother wrote a memorial to His Majesty, and I hope you can pass it on for me."
When Eunuch Cao heard this, he dared not delay any longer.
After being together for such a long time, he had some understanding of the Qiao family's style. The private matters that require a private audience with Your Majesty are often not that small!
The old lady is not someone who likes to cause trouble for others. During this period, every time Qiao Xin took the initiative to ask to see His Majesty, it was because he had something important to say.
It can’t be wrong!
Besides, His Majesty has personally instructed that any letter from the Qiao family must be reported to him as soon as possible.
At this time, Emperor Wu was in the Imperial Garden drinking tea and playing chess with Prince Qi and the newly appointed Supervisor of the Imperial Household Pei Xinshu. After receiving the letter, I stopped playing chess.
In light of the last experience, Emperor Wu took a few deep breaths and prepared himself mentally so as not to be disgusted by Qiao Xin's handwriting, which was worse than a dog's crawl.
Unexpectedly, this time Qiao Xin's handwriting was angular and pleasing to the eye.
It seems that this old lady is really doing what she said, she keeps learning as she grows older.
At a glance, Emperor Wu recognized what kind of charcoal pencil it was that could write such small words. He was used to seeing large characters, so it took him a while to get used to it.
It’s just the things above, the requirements above…
When the King of Qi saw that His Majesty was looking at two pages of paper without saying anything for a long time, he became very curious.
Qiao Xin is the kind of person who always makes some new and surprising discovery. But he still has to abide by the rules: His Majesty does not speak, and the ministers cannot peek.
Emperor Wu had a headache and handed the letter to the two people beside him.
"You guys take a look too!"
The King of Qi's hand passed over Pei Xinshu in the middle and took it over in a flash. After a long pause, he said:
"In ancient times, cows chewed peonies, and now cows chew orchids. If the merchants in Nanliang knew that the Qiao family not only produced dozens of orchids at once, but also planned to feed them to cows, would they faint on the spot?"
He just said that if it happens to the Qiao family, there will be a lot of fun to watch!
Emperor Wu knew a little about Qiao Xin's style and chuckled.
"One man's honey is another man's poison. Perhaps these flowers and plants are not as real as a few cabbages in the eyes of Mr. Qiao. Mr. Qiao, what do you think?"
Qiao Yunqing, who was called to be questioned, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is as good as a god. My mother did tell me so."
Qiao Xin's original words were that if she could exchange these orchids for a few more acres of land, she could plant one and a third acres of land every year.
Pei Xinshu was no stranger to Qiao Xin's name. He was now in charge of the Shaojian Mansion. As soon as he took office, he was instructed by the emperor to produce a large number of new tools, and all of this originated from the book on agriculture and industry presented by Qiao Xin.
He was even more familiar with Qiao Xin herself, but seeing is believing. Qiao Xin's people are not often in the capital, and the other members of the Qiao family are even more low-key. They don't interact too much with other people unless there is something important. They are basically not seen at the banquets in various mansions.
Lord Qiao lives a life like a monk, dull and boring.
Go to court, leave court, and go home.
There are very few exceptions, and the two points follow a straight line, which is even more accurate than when Your Majesty goes to court. Not to mention drinking wine or visiting brothels!
When you invite me, I refuse. When you ask me, I am busy!
He clearly refused to integrate into the small circle of officials. Don't say that you are isolating others, they are the ones who are isolating themselves.
But His Majesty just likes him and will ask about him if he doesn't come to the morning court for a day.
Most people are really envious and jealous of this holy reputation.
Pei Xinshu thought that the fact that Old Lady Jian from the Qiao Mansion was in the emperor's favor should be a big help here.
Just like this incident, Qiao Xin showed extraordinary political acumen. He also boldly told His Majesty his thoughts without reservation. It’s your own thing that you give away without any reluctance!
There are not many people in Beijing who are so honest!
He wanted to take this opportunity to see the unique Old Lady Qiao in person.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be explained clearly in just a few words. You might as well ask the parties involved." Pei Xinshu heard himself make the suggestion.
......
When Qiao Xin was summoned to the palace, she couldn't help but mutter, she had clearly explained it very clearly in the letter, why did she need to explain it again in person, are these people so poor at understanding?
She had just fermented the flour. It would take at least two hours to get it back. The flour would definitely be over-fermented, which would delay the process.
The first time I made steamed buns with old dough, it ended in failure.
Thinking of making those hard unleavened pancakes in the kitchen again, her teeth began to ache.
When can I really eat a big, white and soft steamed bun? There are also various meat buns with thin skin and rich fillings. This is what she cares most about right now!
Don’t accuse Qiao Xin of being ungrateful after getting the advantage. It is such an honor to be summoned by His Majesty, but in Qiao Xin's eyes, it is not as fulfilling as making a few pots of steamed buns.
Nowadays, what everyone eats is unleavened flatbread. Rich families occasionally make steamed buns, which are just slightly fermented and do not require a dough starter.
In summer, sprinkle dry flour on the kneaded dough and let it ferment naturally. The fermented cakes made in this way are usually sour, and are tempered with some wood ash water or other alkaline water. This is the practice of rich people. Ordinary people have rarely seen fine white flour in their lives.
Qiao Xin is now considered a person with some assets. Now that he is full, he naturally wants to eat better. It is time for him to experience the delicious noodles from his hometown.
After finally figuring out a suitable fermentation method using rice wine, he was just about to try it out when he was called into the palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
