On the afternoon when Chi Xi escorted the grain back to Anguo Temple, the weather was still extremely hot.
The sky was clear, there was no wind, and there was no sign of rain.
It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's still the same as midsummer. This natural disaster is really fatal.
Xueqing and Liusu came back from Bao's mother-in-law's small village in Jiang'an, and brought back some snacks and fruits from the southeast given by the palace to the young prince.
Following Wanyan Kang's hint, Xue Qing also casually inquired about some news from the palace from people in the palace.
There is a major event. It is said that because of the continuous rain, the Emperor of Jin is preparing to issue an imperial edict to punish himself. The prime ministers and deputy ministers of Shangshu Sheng and Shenzhi Zhengshi Hall are discussing and deciding...
Wanyan Kang couldn't help but curl his lips.
Issuing an edict to sin against oneself seems to have been the fashion among ancient emperors to show their wisdom.
He once read a book in the library of the National University of Defense Science and Technology called "Sketch of Emperors' Edicts of Sin", which also contained a record of Emperor Liu Heng's Edict of Sin. It can be said that he was very self-blame and very emotional.
That means I would rather let God strike me to death with thunder than to embarrass the people of the world.
Who believes it?
There is no doubt that the role of the Sinji Edict is to win over people's hearts, stabilize social order, and avoid unrest.
But the problem is that those who can understand and see the issued edict on sin are basically innocuous. But those who really need to be comforted are the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside Zhongdu City. They care more about a bowl of gruel than anything else. The emperor's review.
Therefore, it was still the emperor and the officials and dignitaries who entertained themselves.
Of course, Wanyan Kang only made a few slanderous remarks and would not publicly make political remarks. He did not think that his soft neck could withstand the emperor's butcher knife.
What he was most concerned about was the information about the imperial court's allocation of grain from Shandong and Hebei to Beijing for disaster relief... But these were absolutely impossible to obtain while sitting in Prince Zhao's palace.
Wanyan Kang wondered whether he should take the initiative, make a list, and visit his predecessor's friends one by one to get the news.
While he was thinking about it, He San put the collected yellow-brown powder into another colorful glazed pottery jar and presented it with both hands.
Homemade Chicken Essence!
Wanyan Kang happily went over to stare at it, and then smelled it. It didn't matter that it was crude in appearance, but the key was that it had a bit of a sour smell.
He frowned immediately, had it gone bad?
But it shouldn't be.
Cooked at high temperatures, stewed repeatedly, exposed to the scorching sun, and salted.
"Qing'er, get a bowl. Liusu, get some boiling water!"
Wan Yankang was very unwilling to accept it. After working hard for so long, the local chicken essence with high hopes should have been successfully launched like snowflake salt, but would it still fall short?
Making homemade chicken essence was a key part of the survival training class at the military academy that year. The instructor taught it seriously, but at that time he didn't pay attention to the class and always dozed off, so he couldn't remember it all.
But the principle is no problem. Later, he often found short videos with similar methods on a certain video.
Wanyan Kang pinched a small handful of "chicken essence" and put it into the bowl, indicating to Liusu to brew it with a little boiling water.
Then he used chopsticks to stir continuously in the bowl until all the particles melted.
Then he hesitated, picked up the bowl and took a bite.
puff……!
Come on, what does this smell like? It’s like ammonia, and it’s rancid!
Wan Yankan spurted out in one gulp, right on the chest of Liusu who came over curiously.
Liusu was startled, screamed and jumped away, stroking her green breasts with her hands, and said with a bitter face: "Little prince, you have stained my skirt..."
Wan Yankang was very disappointed.
However, after repeated consideration, he felt that the idea of making chicken essence was correct.
Maybe it’s the process? the steps? the ingredients that are wrong?
Maybe a bit of both.
He sighed softly. He was too anxious. It seemed that he had to continue to explore and experiment.
This immediately poured cold water on his feverish excitement and kept his mind clear.
Think about it, after all, everything is never that simple.
If you do whatever you want, you will come up with chicken essence, refined salt and sugar, and if you do whatever you want, you will come up with glass cement and even firearms and cannons.
If you divide three by five and divide by two, you should establish an invincible harem and then dominate the world.
…
Liusu went to change into a dress and came over.
It is still a green long skirt with a beige silk short jacket, tied at the slender waist, really like a refreshing hibiscus.
One of these two girls prefers green and the other prefers red. Wanyan Kang has never seen them wearing dresses of other colors in these days.
It's actually too monotonous.
The fringed Xiao Qiong's nose was still wrinkled, and she deliberately hid behind Xue Qing, as if she was afraid of being sprayed by Wanyan again.
Wanyan Kang couldn't even laugh or cry, thinking that this little girl really holds a grudge.
With this naughty little chicken belly, no wonder it never grows big.
It's better to have a big girl like Xue Qing, who has a broad mind and never cares about anyone.
Hey, as expected, the size of the belly is directly proportional to the size of the mind.
He couldn't help but take another secret glance.
Xue Qing blushed slightly but lowered her head, but she still couldn't see her exquisite little embroidered shoes.
Jian Yong is here again. He has been summoned by the young prince more times in the past two days than in the past year.
"I've met the young prince."
"Mr. Jian, there is no need to be polite. There is what I want."
Jian Yong presented a booklet with both hands.
This is what Wan Yankang ordered him to do in the morning, to compile and record the relevant information of several major salt accounts in the city. The more detailed the information, the better.
As the chief steward of the palace, Jian Yong had many contacts with merchants from all walks of life in the city.
Given his status, he was naturally very familiar with the backgrounds of various salt merchants. Although he could not figure out what the young prince's intention was, he still obeyed the order.
Wanyan Kang took it and read it carefully, reading from beginning to end, with disappointment on his face.
He really didn't expect that there was no grain account under the name of Prince Zhao's estate, and there was no salt account either!
The records in Jian Yong's book were not much different from what he had guessed.
At least half of the real operators of the major salt merchants in Zhongdu are powerful people, such as the Pusan family behind the prosperity of the largest salt brand.
The Duke of Ji Guo summoned his servants to Liang's house on Henan Road.
Pusan Liang's son Pusan Jiujin was one of his predecessor's close friends. Wanyan Kang had found out about it in the past two days.
The old lady of the Pusan family mentioned in the letter by cheap dad Zhao Wang is none other than Pusan Liang’s mother.
According to Xueqing, Mrs. Pusan still liked Wanyan Kang quite a lot, and she had intended to marry Pusan Yan'er, Pusan Liang's youngest daughter, to Prince Zhao's palace.
But later the matter was shelved for the time being.
One can imagine the great interests of salt merchants.
Since the Pusan family and other families can make a lot of money in this business, Zhao Wang Wanyanhong has no reason to let the money go...
Wan Yankang raised his head and said thoughtfully: "Mr. Jian, the official salt trade is making money every day. I think all the houses benefit from it, so why does the palace instead..."
"In his early years, the prince also served as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and was in charge of the salt and iron wealth. In order to avoid suspicion, the grain and salt trade were not involved. Most of the royal family's properties came from the food towns of Hebei!"
"Oh, my father is really noble and upright..."
Oh, it turns out that my cheap dad is a selfless and honest official.
Although his image was even more glorious in Wanyan Kang's heart, the young prince was really a little depressed at the moment.
Hey, it really doesn’t taste good when you eat it, and it doesn’t go well when you do anything.
He sighed and instantly lost the desire to continue talking to Jian Yong, so he stood up and served tea to see the guests off.