Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 429: Long time no see?
What does it mean to divert attention? When all kinds of things happened in the capital recently, one after another attracted countless surprises and attention, Zhang Shou's idea was to use a more sensational event to divert the attention of the people of the capital from the previous series of events to another thing that is easier for people to participate in.
Therefore, he had this idea after inviting Ge Yong and the other two to lunch the night before, and immediately sent someone to deliver the letter to Zhu Ying, who had entered the palace early in the morning. As for her persuading the emperor, she didn't even spend a cup of tea...
At this time, seeing that Grand Secretary Kong and the other three cabinet ministers had left, Zhu Ying slipped out from behind the screen and said with a smile: "Looking at their faces, they looked like they wanted to have a big quarrel with Your Majesty on the spot to show off their uprightness, but in the end they had to swallow their anger. It was really refreshing! Especially when Grand Secretary Kong just said that the censors' recommendation was rejected by the emperor..."
"Hey, his unexpected look is really interesting!" She sighed, and couldn't help reaching out to grab the wooden man in the emperor's hand. Then she stroked the fine and vivid patterns on the folds of the clothes, and said without raising her head, "But, Your Majesty, you agreed so quickly. When Ah Shou sent me the letter, I felt that it would take a lot of effort to convince you!"
"The idea of the imperial chef selection contest is quite interesting. Firstly, Zhang Shou cited in his letter the example of how he, his teacher, and the two old gentlemen were all difficult to please, so he thought that one person's recommendation was too arbitrary, which I think makes sense. Secondly, there have been too many things going on in the capital recently, and a festive program to make ordinary people happy and forget about the chaos is exactly what I want."
The emperor paused, then propped his chin with one hand and smiled with interest, "Third, I like excitement, and Zhang Shou's performance is a rare excitement in the capital in recent years! What's wrong with being able to have fun with the people? Ordinary people don't have much entertainment throughout the year. Now there must be a chef who wants to become famous and lure more people to try his dishes. Isn't that great?"
"The atmosphere of a prosperous era is not just about everyone being literate and knowing etiquette. Only when people have enough food and clothing can they have the spare time and money to hold grand events, where officials and citizens can enjoy themselves together. This is also the atmosphere of a prosperous era! Since Zhang Shou said he would make the plan, let him do it!"
Zhu Ying raised her eyebrows, and with both hands returned the wooden figure that she had been playing with so much that she couldn't let it go. Then she said with a smile: "Your Majesty forgot to say one thing... My and Ah Shou's birthdays are coming soon. It's also Mingyue's birthday. Did the emperor say anything? The last time Ah Shou and I celebrated our birthdays, we had a lively buffet. This time, we're in the capital!"
The emperor burst into laughter, then stared at Zhu Ying meaningfully and said, "Well, the first day of the imperial chef selection competition will be on August 15th, just as a celebration of your three birthdays! On this day, you three will host the event on my behalf! With so many people celebrating for you, what could be more lively than this?"
Zhu Ying came and left in a hurry. After receiving the emperor's promise, she left immediately in high spirits, but she did not mention the incredible frame-up case at all.
However, she didn't ask, which didn't mean the emperor would pretend to be confused. He looked at the wooden figure that he loved most when he was young, thinking that after so many years, it was more like a habit than saying that he still loved it. Moreover, seeing himself who was unable to control himself when drawing the sword, he, who had been holding back for too long, seemed to vent some of his anger.
After a while, he heard a deep voice coming from outside the door: "Your Majesty, I am here to see you by your order."
Recognizing this familiar voice, the emperor couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and called him in. When he saw Hua Qi, who had dressed neatly but changed into a guard's uniform, coming in, he couldn't help but look him up and down for a long time, and then he smiled and said, "Is there a result so soon this time?"
"Since someone deliberately sent a fool and the emperor's things to Ah Liu, it is natural for me to find the clues in just one day."
Hua Qi bowed and said, "I have already found out that it was Xu Shangyi from Kunning Palace who pretended to be Zhou Zhangyu from the Imperial Kitchen and imitated his handwriting to send a letter to Guo Shanggong, who then believed it and stole the forbidden items. When Xu Shangyi confessed the matter, she angrily said that she was avenging the Queen and the eldest prince."
The emperor suddenly laughed angrily: "Are you sure she really said that? She thinks this is revenge, not causing huge trouble for the queen and her son?"
"I am sure that she said that, and I was not the only one who heard it. Eunuch Chu also heard it. The most important thing is," Hua Qi paused, then raised his head and said helplessly, "I was already interrogating her in another room, but the Queen suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She also recognized that I was from the Duke of Zhao's mansion, so she got furious. And then..."
He paused again, as if hesitating about how to organize his sentences. After all, the queen's words were really unpleasant to hear.
However, the emperor stopped him with a dull look: "If she is spreading rumors and saying dirty words, then there is no need to tell me. I am too lazy to listen to it, so as to avoid getting angry again. You just need to tell me what the queen's response is to Xu Shangyi 's confession? Is she saying that she can find a pretext to accuse someone of a crime, or is she just going to throw the pot and admit it?"
Even though Hua Qiyi was fearless, he still felt a little reluctant to repeat the dirty words the empress used to scold the emperor and the Zhu family. However, he was still able to answer the emperor's last question, and he answered it very straightforwardly.
"The queen admitted it right away, claiming that Xu Shangyi was just following her orders. Of course, Xu Shangyi kept denying it, saying that she was just acting on her own, but the queen sneered and said that the eldest prince had been abused by the emperor anyway, and if the emperor wanted to give justice to an outsider, he should just send her to the Zongzheng Temple as well."
The emperor was not surprised by the queen's outrageous remarks. Perhaps because he had no expectations of her since a long time ago, he still thought that she was just resentful because the matter had come to an end, so she took on the responsibility without hesitation.
Even if a person is really stupid, he would not think that framing Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou in this way would really succeed - and even if it succeeded, what would happen? Even if Zhu Ying really stole his things, wouldn't he just call that girl over and give her a good scolding and that would be it?
"Okay, I know everything. There's no need to investigate this matter any further. When you return to Duke Zhao's mansion, tell him the whole story and tell him that things have almost come to that point so that he can be mentally prepared . After this matter is over, Yingying will be getting married soon, so you don't have to stay in the Zhu family anymore. Just go to Zhang Garden and help her and Zhang Shou train more people."
Seeing Hua Qi readily agree and then immediately take his leave, the emperor couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Thinking back to the time when Hua Qi heard that he could go to the Duke of Zhao's Mansion to protect Zhu Ying, he immediately agreed. Now, when he heard that he could go to Zhang Garden, he was also happy to accept it. But if he was asked to return to the palace... he would definitely not be so happy!
Living in a place like the palace for a long time really makes you bored and irritable...
When Hua Qi hurriedly slipped out of the palace and brought the extraordinary message to Zhao Guogong Zhu Jing, Zhang Shou was accompanying Lu Sanlang to move out of the Imperial College. Even though the two of them originally thought it would be more convenient to keep a room in the Imperial College, they were no longer willing to take the easy way out.
It's not only trouble for others, but also for yourself. Why bother? If you vacate a dormitory, at least two more students can stay there.
As for helping Lu Sanlang move things, it was not because Zhang Shou was such a humble teacher, but because a small part of the things were his manuscripts. Xiao Cheng also came to help. When he learned that Zhang Shou would also borrow his house for a temporary lunch break at noon, Xiao Cheng was overjoyed.
After all, as a child, although he is determined to be independent and strong, he is still weak and hopes to have someone to accompany him. Otherwise, he will really feel like he has become a ghost after playing the role of a ghost for several months.
Peanut, who had just been brought over by Zhang Shou and had just been assigned a job as a handyman in the Imperial College, was dazed as he helped move books, manuscripts, and exercise books... Although the Imperial College was quite close to the Xiao family, he was not very proficient in horse riding, and after walking back and forth for a while, he was already sweating.
What he found most incredible was that the seemingly honest fat man was actually a sinister math genius in Ah Liu's mouth!
And the reason why he made so many trips was because the fat guy had so many things - besides math books, exercise books, manuscript paper... there were also a lot of serialized legendary stories that were often sold in bookstores, and a carriage couldn't even fit them all at once! He really didn't understand how someone who could read things that even his uncle called a mess could be a genius!
He hadn't realized that he was about to enter a more dire situation, and had been quietly and curiously observing Lu Sanlang. Because of this peeping, he was distracted until he followed Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang in front of him to the door of Xiao's house again, and suddenly he heard a familiar shout: "Little Peanut, what a coincidence? Hey, isn't this Dr. Zhang?"
Zhang Shou was slightly stunned. When he looked up, he saw the man who was overjoyed and ran over. He immediately pulled Little Peanut off the horse and started rubbing the little guy's head in public. Who else could it be but Lao Xianyu?
However, in addition to Lao Xianyu, he also saw a vigorous old man and several servants standing next to the carriage on the other side, but the most eye-catching was a woman in her twenties in front of the carriage. She was wearing an emerald green bodice and a willow green skirt. At first glance, she looked youthful and energetic. Although she was not very beautiful, her smile was quite dignified.
He was just wondering who these people were and why they were with Old Salty Fish, when he suddenly heard Xiao Cheng shouting, "Sister Zhou, Master Liu, you're back!"
Zhang Shou suddenly realized. Zhu Tingfang's teacher Liu Zhiyuan happened to return to Beijing today, but he actually came with Lao Xianyu? Rather than believing that it was just a coincidence, he would rather believe that Lao Xianyu, the sociable guy, took the initiative to chat with others, asked some clues, and then insisted on going with him!
Seeing Xiao Cheng jump off the carriage, run up, hug the dignified girl and burst into tears, he also jumped off the horse, and then dragged the old salted fish who was still pretending to be concerned about Xiao Huasheng: "Didn't you say you wanted to get familiar with the feeling of going out to sea again? How do you have time to come to the capital?"
"Well, a few old friends are in the capital, so I came over to see them..." Lao Xianyu laughed, and seeing Zhang Shou looking at him with a smile, he quickly patted his head and ran to Liu Zhiyuan and his group. After nodding and bowing and saying a few words, he took out a big bag from the back of the carriage, put it on his back, and ran over again.
"This is the seed that another old friend of mine just sent to Cangzhou. He just went to the west. The various small countries there are no longer fighting each other like they did in the past. It is much more peaceful than before. Silk, tea, porcelain and other things are all selling well. But there is nothing particularly valuable there, unlike Southeast Asia and East Asia. Moreover, there are too many goods, but they can't afford them. They are a bunch of poor people!"
"My old friend knew that Zang Hai and I had worked hard on the land in Zang Hai Lower Courtyard, so he got some seeds from there. He categorized them and wrote down their general names, tastes, and months for sowing and harvesting. I wonder how they compare to the crops in Haidong Continent. If they can fill our stomachs and taste good, that would be great."
Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh when he heard Lao Xianyu say that those small countries in western Europe were poor. Although the Louvre, Versailles and other cathedrals are portrayed as magnificent in TV dramas, in fact, in this era when Western countries have not yet had time to plunder gold from America, most of the Western countries are really poor!
And those serfs who were completely bound to the land, and the completely hereditary feudal system, were many years behind the Chinese system! That was a country where the upward path was completely cut off and ordinary people could never see hope!
However, now was not the time to discuss this. He smiled and let Ah Liu take the heavy bag of seeds. He then nodded and said, "I left the young monk Guan Tao at home to guide the people below in farming. I will have someone send these seeds back to him in a while."
"There have been a lot of things going on in the capital recently. I just suggested that the emperor hold a competition to select the imperial chef and let the people join in the tasting and voting, so that the emperor and the people can have fun together. It's a pity that these seeds can't grow anything in a short time. Otherwise, it would be much easier to promote them if they were used in dishes together with the ingredients grown in Haidong Continent!"
Liu Zhiyuan was originally looking down at the tearful Xiao Cheng, but when he saw Lao Xianyu carrying the bag of overseas seeds over and then chatting happily with Zhang Shou, he immediately listened attentively. When he heard Zhang Shou mention the selection of imperial chefs and then the promotion of overseas fine varieties, his eyes lit up and he strode forward.
At this time, Lu Sanlang was afraid that Liu Zhiyuan would say something to spoil the mood, so the chubby Lu Sanlang rushed forward and greeted him enthusiastically, "Old Master Liu, you have come to the capital. Brother Zhu has already cleaned up your old house for you, but the furnishings inside were restored based on Xiao Cheng's memory. I don't know if they are the same. Why don't you go in and take a look first?"
Liu Zhiyuan stopped and looked at Lu Sanlang thoughtfully, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his face. This unexpected move made Lu Sanlang gasp, and then he heard a laugh: "Little Fatty, long time no see."
