The knocking on the door woke Xia Jin up. Xia Jin opened the quilt, put on her shoes and socks, walked to the door, opened the door, and saw Si Ji excitedly saying: "Someone is coming from the palace!"
Xia Jin was mostly awake.
Siji then said excitedly: "My boss will be awarded the title of the best chef of the year, and will be able to enter the palace to meet the saint and ask for a lucky draw!"
"Where are they now?" Xia Jin asked.
"I'll arrange for people to wait in the lobby!"
Xia Jin thought thoughtfully. After the food festival every year, the chef who won the first place would receive a prize and be awarded the title of No. 1 Chef.
But every year the emperor personally presides over it, but this time it is the queen mother...
The Queen Mother had a prejudice against Xia Jin. When she first came to the capital, the Queen Mother was instigated by Sun to kill her, but Princess Eleven saved her from the siege.
Although Mrs. Sun left the General's Mansion for a while on the pretext of going out to pray for the old lady, who knows if there might be something bad going on behind the scenes!
Xia Jin felt that there must be something good in the relationship between the Queen Mother and the Sun family.
Now, what worries Xia Jin the most is whether Mrs. Sun has told the Queen Mother that she is the owner of the Food God Hall.
No matter what, I have to go on this trip if I don’t want to!
Xia Jin changed her clothes, put her hair into a man bun, and applied dark rouge to make her skin darker and look more like a man.
After dressing up, Xia Jin and Si Ji went to the hall together. The two eunuchs were chamberlains in the Queen Mother's palace. The eunuch with a thin face was called Xiao Zhuozi, and the eunuch with a fat face was called Xiao Shizi.
"In previous years, I was the emperor. How come I am the queen mother this year?" Su asked.
Xiao Zhuozi said: "The emperor is ill, so the money will be distributed by the queen mother. Mr. Xia doesn't need to worry too much. What the queen mother said also works. Now, you just need to think clearly about what kind of lottery you want!"
"In previous years, what kind of luck did they want?" Xia Jin looked at Xiao Zhuozi.
"The Dongmen family is the richest. They lack nothing. All they want is rights, such as the right to trade in the Jiangnan area or the right to be the designated manufacturer of palace weapons. In the past years, it was the Dongmen family that got the lottery. This is the first time for Mr. Xia.
The person who can beat the Dongmen family and win the lottery!" Xiao Zhuozi said with emotion.
"So, the Dongmen family's business is very extensive?" Xia Jin raised her eyebrows.
"Mr. Xia, don't you really believe the rumors outside that the Dongmen family relies on delicious food to make a fortune! Food is important, and their cooking skills are unique and highly sought after, but relying on these cannot make the Dongmen family successful.
The current status!" Xiao Zhuozi became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.
"The reason why the people of the Dongmen family are able to achieve what they are today is actually mainly because they relied on the winnings from the food festival to get more rights from the emperor!"
"That's not entirely true!"
"The people at the top of the Dongmen family are very powerful, so all countries give face to them and take the initiative to open up business paths and provide channels. It's hard for them to get rich even if they don't want to!" Xiao Shizi retorted.
"Anyway, the annual lottery is also very important!" Xiao Zhuozi said.
“Mr.
Xia Jin thought about it. When she first came to the capital, she was worried about the spices, the traffic jam and the inconvenience of shopping.
A small spice, due to inconvenient transportation and layers of monopoly by profiteers, the price is outrageous, and ordinary people cannot buy it at all!
Therefore, Xia Jin's first goal when she came to the capital was to run Zhuifeng Express.
For various reasons, I have never found an opportunity.
Now, just take advantage of this opportunity to obtain the trade certificate for free entry and exit of checkpoints. With him, you will not be subject to geographical restrictions and blocked by checkpoints when taking express delivery, which is equivalent to an efficient city entry pass.
Suddenly, Xia Jin remembered something!
"Motuo!"
Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Shizi looked at Xia Jin at the same time, "What did Mr. Xia say?"
"Nothing..." Xia Jin held her forehead.
In order to go to Xuerong City, Xia Jin asked the prince for the opportunity to cooperate with the imperial merchants, and asked Motuo to escort him to Xuerong City.
Xia Jin went ahead of time. She originally wanted to meet him outside the city, but she unexpectedly ended up in the mining village and successfully entered the city through Liniang.
A lot of things happened after that. Counting the time, it has been two months...
Entering the palace, Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Zhuo led Xia Jin to Anqing Palace. After entering the main hall, Xia Jin looked at the Queen Mother and bowed to salute. After saying goodbye, the Queen Mother looked at Xia Jin.
"Are you the winner of this food festival?"
"Back to the Queen Mother, it's me!" Xia Jin replied in a neither humble nor overbearing tone.
The Queen Mother nodded, looking appreciative. "You are quite capable of winning over the Dongmen family. Tell me, what kind of prize do you want?"
Looking at the Queen Mother's appearance, she probably didn't recognize herself, so Xia Jin said:
"The ultimatum for free entry and exit of the city and official roads at each checkpoint."
"The ultimatum is used to escort goods. What do you want this for?" asked the Queen Mother.
"Back to the Queen Mother, I have an escort agency that has cooperated with imperial merchants, called Zhui Feng Express. The purpose of asking for this bonus is to transport goods smoothly and reduce delays on the road." Xia Jin explained.
After hearing Xia Jin's explanation, it makes sense to use it in the escort agency. Since she won the competition and asked for the lottery, she would naturally not be stingy with what she could give.
"Come here, go get the ultimatum that Mr. Xia wants!" the Queen Mother ordered.
"Yes, Queen Mother!"
Xiao Zhuozi bowed and left. When it was time for him to get the ultimatum, the Queen Mother looked at Xia Jin, and the more she looked at her, the more familiar she looked.
"Aijia, have I seen you somewhere?"
Xia Jin looked at her nose and heart, and said calmly: "I have been to the imperial kitchen before. Maybe the Queen Mother saw me at that time."
The Queen Mother thought for a moment and didn't think much about it, but she had a look of appreciation on her face.
"In these cases, the Dongmen family has always been the winner. This time someone can beat the Dongmen family, which is quite interesting. I hope you will continue to work hard next year."
Xia Jin raised her eyebrows secretly. It seemed that the Queen Mother did not want the Dongmen family to become a dominant family.
Recalling carefully, even the emperor wanted to sell the Dongmen family's face. It seems that the power behind it is not ordinary!
Xia Jin guessed that the Queen Mother hated the Dongmen family because she was unwilling to be frightened by the Emperor!
Not long after, Xiao Zhuozi took the ultimatum book and handed it to Xia Jin with both hands.
At this moment, a sharp voice came from outside.
"Can't give it to her!"
A woman in gorgeous clothes walked in. She looked to be about forty years old. She was wearing a double-breasted skirt and a tree crown on her head. The tree crown trembled menacingly as she walked.
"Madame Prime Minister, the Queen Mother didn't invite you here!" Xiao Zhuozi blocked Dongmen's way.
Dongmenshi pushed Xiao Zhuozi away, walked quickly into the hall, and said: "The Food God Hall is so powerful that it killed someone and framed it for my son! We shouldn't have given her a bonus, we should have arrested her!" Her voice was sharp,
Gritting his teeth.
Xia Jin's brows twitched. This woman must be Qu Rongjie's mother.
Are you coming here to trouble me?
ridiculous!
Xia Jin twitched the corner of her mouth and said: "The emperor has concluded the case, and the young master of the East Gate has also confirmed that the murderer is Qu Rongjie. The prime minister's wife threw dirty water on me in front of the Queen Mother. Do you think the Queen Mother is easy to deceive, or are you here?
Do you question the emperor’s decision?”
"Believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart!" Dongmenshi glared at Xia Jin, looking like he wanted to threaten him.
Xia Jin spread her hands and said coldly:
"The case has been settled, and I have justly won my name, but you have framed me again and again, and now you are still trying to do violence to me in front of the Queen Mother. Are you really the Prime Minister's wife? You are not a street shrew from somewhere.