[Read the full text of the first novel with no mistakes, 69 Book Bar-www., your best choice!]
"You don't have to worry about it. Anyway, we are lucky this time! Go and buy some good wine and food. I want to have a good birthday today!" Pan Yulang became more and more proud as he spoke. He squinted his eyes and threw the money away in an imposing manner.
In Pan's hands.
Mrs. Pan was so happy when she saw the money that she didn't care about anything anymore and hurriedly went to buy good wine and food.
The first persimmon forest produced about a thousand kilograms of persimmons, which were piled like a hill and placed in the backyard.
There was originally a workshop built in the backyard, and Shan Qin and the women from Shanjiacun worked there every day to pickle pickles and the like. But now because they need to pickle persimmons, the workshop has stopped.
"Miss Chu, we will do whatever you say, we will listen to you!" Mrs. Shan Qin and a dozen women hurriedly stepped forward wearing aprons.
Chu Yiqing looked them over, then smiled lightly and said: "Push all the persimmons into the jar first. After you finish loading, you can go out and come back when I let you in!"
The ingredients and production methods in the workshop are kept confidential, and Lady Ling Dang doesn’t leave anyone in the backyard when she is marinating, so those women are already used to it, and they don’t ask too many questions. After putting all the persimmons in the jar,
So everyone was invited to rest in Erjin's courtyard, drink some water and chat.
Four stoves have been built in the backyard, and there is a large pot on each stove. Mrs. Hua had already boiled the water with her maid and laid it out to dry.
"Miss, the quilts are also sewn!" Lady Lingdang came over with more than a dozen improved quilts, the size and length of which were just enough to cover those persimmon jars.
"Tie it up!" Chu Yiqing ordered Lady Lingdang to tie up the quilt, and at the same time personally tested the water temperature in four large pots, and then ordered Mrs. Hua to pour the water into the persimmon jar, "To cover the persimmons,
Immediately after pouring the water, seal it with an oilcloth and cover it with a quilt!”
"Yes, miss!" The maid and mother-in-law quickly got busy. More than a thousand kilograms of persimmons were packed into eighteen jars and placed in a row.
"Miss, what else do you need to do?" After tying the quilt with thin hemp rope outside the persimmon jar, Lady Bell couldn't help but ask.
"Okay, it's okay, just leave it like this. I will tell you what you need to do. Hua**, let people come in and start work. Although the weather is cooler now, it is still hot. Don't do too much in various foods.
Don't let it get stale!" Chu Yiqing ordered calmly, then turned and left.
Lady Lingdang was a little confused, that’s it? Just soaking it in water can make this persimmon less astringent?
Hua ** and the others naturally couldn't figure it out. Chu Yiqing was now harvesting persimmons on a large scale, and the price of a basket had increased to twenty-five cents. If the persimmons were still astringent and inedible in the end, wouldn't they just be smashed in their hands?
"Ms. Zhu, do you think Miss Chu is reliable in doing this?" Hua couldn't help but say, "Although Miss Chu knows everything, you are the only one who has this persimmon in Lucheng, and Chu Han doesn't."
Persimmon?"
Lady Lingdang went to Chu Han, thought hard and shook her head.
"No, I think Miss Chu is taking too many risks this time. Sooner or later, so many astringent persimmons will be smashed into her hands!" Hua ** sighed and shook her head.
Lady Lingdang was also a little worried, but after thinking that they were just worthless persimmons, she didn't have much money even if she smashed them, so she immediately said: "It's okay if Miss says it's okay, we are servants, just do our best."
It’s done!”
Hua ** had no choice but to respond. In fact, she was actually hoping that Chu Yiqing could get rid of the astringency of the persimmons. After all, if persimmons could be turned into treasures, the people would be able to live a better life. This persimmon tree is full of energy.
All over the land!
In the middle of the night, Chu Yiqing took Yingqian and Lingdang Niang to the backyard and changed the water again.
A black shadow crawled down on the roof.
Chu Yiqing winked at Yingqian. Yingqian deliberately made the water splash, but her eyes were patrolling the roof and the wall vigilantly.
"Miss, there is someone!" Yingqian whispered, pointing secretly at the roof not far from the outer wall.
Chu Yiqing smiled faintly, "Just do what you want, don't alert others!"
Yingqian also understood and deliberately talked to Lady Lingdang and changed the water in the persimmon tank.
The black shadow rose and fell on the roof several times before falling into a courtyard in the south of the city.
"Meow!" After the black shadow squatted on the wall vigilantly and imitated a cat's meow, a light came on in a room in the yard. The black shadow immediately turned over and fell into the yard, then pushed open the lighted room and faced
The people in the room knelt down on one leg and said, "Please see Manager Ouyang."
"How? What did you see?" Ouyang Mingxuan, who was dressed in green clothes, turned around calmly, his eyes cold.
"Chu Yiqing poured some water into the persimmon jar. According to his subordinates' guess, there might be something interesting in the water, but it was too far away to see clearly!" the man in black reported immediately.
"You don't have to look carefully, just monitor the flow of those persimmons!" Ouyang Mingxuan smiled coldly.
"Don't worry, Manager Ouyang. I've found my subordinates and everything is absolutely safe!" The man in black clasped his fists again.
Ouyang Mingxuan nodded. After the man in black retreated, his eyes couldn't help but become cold. It was rare that his master had made up his mind. He would never be willing to let Chu Yi get rid of him this time!
When the persimmons were ready, Chu Yiqing found an opportunity to invite several familiar officials' wives, including the wife of Magistrate Cheng, to taste them.
Because it was a lunch banquet, Madam Ling Dang ordered the girls to arrange the tables, chairs and benches early in the morning. After carefully checking the menu, she handed it over to Chu Yiqing to make a decision.
Chu Yiqing placed a deck chair in the corridor not far away, lying on it comfortably, watching the people in the house busy coming and going, and had a rest for half a day.
"Miss, would you like to take a look at the menu?" Yingqian handed the menu to Chu Yiqing with both hands, "According to the instruction of the lady, two of the dishes are made with persimmons, and the desserts after the meal are persimmon pancakes and persimmon fire dragon autumn."
!”
Chu Yiqing nodded, "Okay, just follow this menu!"
Yingqian quickly went to make arrangements.
The time was approaching, and Mrs. Bai came first with her maid. After talking to Chu Yiqing for a while, Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhang also arrived. The last person to appear was Mrs. Cheng, the wife of the prefect.
When Mrs. Bai and the two ladies saw Mrs. Cheng coming, they were naturally very happy. Normally, they could not even try to curry favor with them, but this time they finally had the chance to get to know each other, so they sat together and chatted happily.
.
"Why is Miss Chu so excited to invite us here today? You are always too busy to see anyone on weekdays!" Mrs. Cheng said with a smile.
Chu Yiqing smiled faintly: "I was busy picking persimmons a few days ago, so I haven't visited the ladies since I came back. Now that the persimmons are ready to be eaten, I thought of inviting all the ladies to come and taste them!"
"So that's it!" The ladies nodded. Although they thought it was strange, the persimmon was not a rare thing after all, so they were not very interested.
Chu Yiqing didn't care. He saw that it was about time and ordered the food to be served. After the meal was finished, the peeled and cut persimmons were brought to the table, with thin bamboo skewers prepared beside them.
"It looks bright in color, and it seems really good!" Mrs. Cheng smiled, picking up a bamboo stick and inserting it, "It seems to be very hard, can I eat it like this?"
Mrs. Bai and others were also suspicious. Previously, they thought that Chu Yiqing had some way to soften the persimmons so that they could remove the astringency. However, seeing that the persimmons on the plate were still hard, everyone thought of the astringency of the raw persimmons before.
The astringent feeling made me afraid to swallow it.
Chu Yiqing smiled and said: "I invite all the ladies to taste it, so naturally I can't serve you the astringent persimmons. In fact, I also know that this persimmon is not a rare thing in Lucheng. It can be found all over the streets and even falls on the ground."
If no one picks it up, that’s because the persimmon itself has an astringent taste. Now that I have removed this astringent taste, I don’t have to wait for the persimmons to soften. The entrance is crispy and sweet. You can try it!” Chu Yiqing said!
Then, first insert a piece of it with a bamboo stick and put it in your mouth.
Due to the drought, the persimmons in Luo country are rich in sugar, and coupled with the crispy texture, they taste particularly good in the mouth.
The ladies saw that there seemed to be nothing wrong with Chu Yiqing after eating a piece. They all looked at each other and took a bite each. As soon as they took a bite, they were full of praise for the crispy and sweet persimmon.
"It's really delicious. Eating it raw and crispy like this is completely different from the soft persimmon!" Mrs. Cheng said happily, eating two pieces in succession and putting them in her mouth, her eyes lit up.
Although there is no shortage of fruits in this season, this is the first time I have eaten such crisp and sweet persimmons, so I am very excited.
"Yes, it's really delicious. Miss Chu, if you hadn't said it was a persimmon, I wouldn't have dared to recognize it!" Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li also said at the same time.
The words of Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li reminded Chu Yiqing that everything must be packaged. Since persimmon is a poor and humble thing, she gave it another name, Zhu Guo. In modern times, the alias of persimmon is also called Zhu Guo!
Chu Yiqing smiled faintly: "Actually, this crispy and sweet persimmon has another name, that is Zhuguo, which is still different from persimmon!"
When everyone heard this, they immediately felt that the word "zhuguo" was very good and couldn't help but praise it.
After a while, Yingqian and Lingdang Niang brought out snacks made with persimmons, and everyone tasted them one by one and praised them.
"If you ladies like it, you can take some with you before you leave. But don't eat too much of these persimmons. Madams, you must be careful!" Seeing their interest in eating, Chu Yiqing couldn't help but kindly reminded them, "Also,
You can’t eat the skin of this red fruit either!”
Mrs. Cheng smiled and said, "Look at us, have we made Miss Chu laugh?"
Everyone also burst into laughter.
Chu Yiqing added: "Zhu Guo will be on the market in Luocheng from tomorrow. I have set up a counter outside Chuji Restaurant to sell Zhu Guo and snacks made from Zhu Guo. I would like to ask all the ladies to take care of me when the time comes.
!”
Mrs. Cheng smiled and said: "This is natural. Speaking of which, we in Lucheng only have such delicious red fruits because of Miss Chu!"
Chu Yiqing smiled politely.
After the officials and wives left, Chu Yiqing breathed a sigh of relief, held A Bao in his arms, leaned lazily on the soft couch, and ate persimmon flour cake.
"Miss, you are really good at this. From persimmon to Zhuguo, you just changed the name, but the feeling is different!" Yingqian couldn't help but laugh, admiring Chu Yiqing's business experience from the bottom of her heart.
"Mother, you are so awesome. Not only can you make such delicious persimmon pancakes, but you can also do business. A Bao should learn more from mother in the future!" A Bao lay in Chu Yiqing's arms,
While biting the persimmon pancake, some dregs fell on Chu Yiqing's body, but Chu Yiqing didn't care at all.
"Just study well, others are just kiddies!" A few days ago, A Bao returned to Chu Han and Mrs. Yun was on vacation. Now that Mrs. Yun is back, Chu Yiqing just wants A Bao to study hard and not be too young.
Only seeing money is not good for his future growth.
"Mom, does A Bao want to help you too? I don't want you to work so hard!" A Bao refused.
Chu Yiqing touched the teapot lid on the top of A Bao's head lovingly, blaming her for being bad. Running around all these years made A Bao feel that she cared more about money than A Bao, waiting for things to happen in Lucheng.
After that, she took A Bao back to Chu Han and concentrated on managing her small family. It was enough to be a rich man, but she could no longer deal with these officials and wives. She was too tired!
However, Chu Yiqing's tiredness was rewarded. Those officials and their wives used to have a lot of friends. After returning home, they talked about it with everyone they knew, and Zhu Guo's reputation quickly spread. Although everyone knew that Zhu Guo was a persimmon.
, there is it on the tree at home, but it is astringent and cannot be eaten. In addition, it is only two cents a piece, so I bought a few to try it out and satisfy the children's cravings. However, wealthy families do not need this money.
, so the purchase was considered good. Half of the more than 1,000 kilograms of persimmons were sold in three days, and it even attracted several merchants from out of town.
Seeing that the first batch of persimmons had received good results, Chu Yiqing became more confident and immediately prepared to harvest the second batch of persimmons. At this time, a big event happened in the capital, and Chu Yiqing was implicated.
.
On the streets of the capital city, gongs and drums were blaring, soldiers and guards were clearing the way, and all the people lined the streets to watch, just to see the true face of Prince Rao.
"I heard that there was a conflict between soldiers at the border. At this time, Crown Prince Rao is visiting. My dear friend, do you think this is a peace treaty?" Some literati stood on the second floor along the street, looking at Rao's envoys.
comment of.
"In my humble opinion, Emperor Rao's threat this time is more threatening!" Suddenly, a clear voice sounded from the crowd, causing a purple man who had been sitting in the corner to turn his eyes.
"It turns out to be Brother Gao, why do you think so?" It seemed that the young master named Gao had quite a bit of prestige among the people. Everyone stopped talking and looked at Brother Gao who had just spoken.
"Look at this envoy team, which is a thousand meters long and consists of thousands of people. The formation is neat and orderly. Each soldier has his weapon close to his body and his eyes are sharp. You can tell at a glance that he is a person with strong martial arts skills. If I were
The current emperor, so many people have entered the border, I should have been unable to sleep all night!" Brother Gao pointed at the long team of envoys and said quietly.
Everyone looked down, and anyone who had read a book could see that the soldiers of Rao State who were sent to Li State this time were indeed good soldiers and generals, and their steps were neat and rigorous. They should have come well prepared.
While everyone was discussing, a man in black came up quietly, walked up to the man in purple and whispered something. The man in purple nodded and pointed at Brother Gao who just spoke,
Then he walked straight down to the second floor.
"Master Shangguan, are you leaving so soon? Are you going to sit down for a while?" The teahouse owner greeted the man attentively and sent the man out again.
Shangguan Yunyi waved his hand coldly, and the shopkeeper quickly stayed and watched Shanggu Yunyi leave.
Soon, the man in black left with Brother Gao who had been talking loudly just now.
On the second floor of the restaurant opposite the teahouse, Li Huang looked at the three of them coldly, his eyes darkening.
"Sir, it seems that the recent rumors are true. Shangguan Yunyi is indeed searching for talents in the country!" Lei Lei reported in a low voice.
"Let people continue to monitor the five major families, especially during the period when Prince Rao is in the capital, and there must be no mistakes!" Li Huang said coldly. Now that Li is worried about foreign affairs and internal troubles, there must be no mistakes at this time!
"Yes!" Lei Lei quickly responded, and then thinking of Princess Jiangyun who was still imprisoned in the palace, he couldn't help but ask for instructions: "Master, that Princess Jiangyun..."
"Let's talk after Prince Rao has left. Be careful not to leak any news!" Li Huang said in a low voice.
Lei Lei responded quickly. Indeed, now is not the time to alarm Luo Guo!
At the same time, a batch of vegetables shipped from Lucheng had just been delivered to the palace.
In the Shangshan Prison, several young eunuchs were carrying vegetables down from the cart.
"Go back and tell you, Mr. Bai, that there are so many vegetables of this kind in the capital now. From now on, Mr. Bai will not have to work hard to transport the vegetables!" The leader of the Shangshan Supervisor said displeasedly as he sent the money to the agricultural officer Zhang Yong.
"No more? Those dishes from Lucheng..." Zhang Yong asked anxiously, is the rumor he heard before true? Will the emperor really give up the food market in Lucheng?
"I don't know about that. I only know that the weather is hot now. Even if you work hard, it will take two days and two nights to get to the capital. By the time you get to the capital, these dishes will be stale. How can they be as fresh as the local dishes in the capital?
"?" the head of the Shangshan Supervisor said in a sharp voice, looking through the vegetables in the basket unhappily, "Look, the cucumbers are soft, the celery leaves are yellow, and the mushrooms have white hairs. This... this is
What?"
When Zhang Yong saw the yellow and orange thing in the hand of the supervisor, he said quickly: "Return to Eunuch Dun, this is called Zhuguo, it is a newly discovered fruit variety..."
"Yellow-orange-orange, why don't we call it orange fruit instead of red fruit?" the head of Shangshan Supervisor said irritably, raising his lotus fingers, "Okay, okay, I'll keep all the things this time, but I won't take them next time.
!”
Zhang Yong nodded quickly and led the people out of the palace. He couldn't help but sigh, "This Liu Dadun used to flatter me when he met me, but now he has such an attitude!"
The people accompanying him quickly advised: "Forget it, Mr. Zhang, people are like this, they are very powerful. Before, let alone this capital, the emperor and the queen mother also wanted to eat the food of our Lucheng. But now, look, that
What kind of food is not available on the street? Our food has to be transported hundreds of miles. In such hot weather, it will be stale by the time it arrives. Besides, this is a business trip and there is no oil or water to fry, so naturally they don't care!
My subordinates heard that Prince Rao is visiting, and the emperor is busy receiving Prince Rao, so how can he take care of such small things?"
Zhang Yong couldn't help but frown, thinking about how much the emperor valued them when the five major families besieged the country of Li, and what a breeze they were. Now that times have changed, and there is no shortage of everything everywhere, the emperor may have forgotten it long ago! Looking at this time, take advantage of
Before entering the capital, he had to take care of things first. He was determined to take office in the capital!
Zhang Yong made up his mind, so he was not in a hurry to go back. He was going to visit his uncle who was an official in the capital first, but he didn't notice the conversation between his two men.
"Who put that basket of red fruits in? Why isn't it on this receipt?"
"How do I know! It's either Mr. Bai or Mr. Zhang!"
"Master Zhang..." The subordinate wanted to ask more questions, but Zhang Yong disappeared.
In the magnificent hall, Li Li was still looking pale and unable to cheer up. Prince Rao immediately clasped his hands in front of his chest and saluted: "The emperor is unwell. My father had already heard about this in Rao.
Ci Chahao came here and specially brought three treasures, the special products of Rao State: the nose, the bear's paw, and the deer's tail, to present to the emperor!"
Li Li nodded slowly, looked at the three brocade boxes opened in the envoy hall, and said with a soft smile: "Let Emperor Rao worry about it!"
Prince Chahao waved his hand and smiled lightly: "Just a little bit of nose, bear paw, and deer tail are nothing. Our country is vast and rich in resources, and there are many such things!"
Li Huang smiled slowly and stepped forward: "Really? Since Rao country lacks everything, how do you explain the invasion of our border by your soldiers this time?"
Prince Chahao's eyes dimmed. He didn't seem to expect that Li Huang would bring up this matter so quickly. He immediately suppressed his smile and said, "Bingwan was originally the territory of Rao State a hundred years ago, but it was just invaded by Li State. Besides, this time it's just
Our soldiers chased the fugitives and crossed the border slightly, but your soldiers killed our soldiers. I don’t know how to settle the debt!"
Li Huang's eyes darkened: "A hundred years ago? At this time, what did Prince Chahao mean by bringing up this matter?"
Cha Hao smiled faintly: "It's very simple. The previous dynasty was incompetent, which caused the loss of our country's territory. Now our country is vast and rich, so naturally we want to take back the territory!"
"Take back the territory?" Not only did Li Huang's expression change drastically this time, but Li Li's eyes also darkened, "Last time Princess Meishi came here, our two countries had already signed a good contract. Does Emperor Rao want to break the contract now?"
Cha Hao immediately became displeased: "Emperor Li, last time the imperial sister was bullied because she was stupid. It's just that she has always been a weak personality and didn't pursue it further. In this case, Emperor Li, you should do something about what happened last time."
Pay compensation!"
Li Li snorted coldly: "Prince Chahao's request is really too much. Princess Meishi also came on behalf of Emperor Rao that day. What does Emperor Rao mean by going back on her word now? It is simply wishful thinking for me to cede Bingwan!"
Cha Hao smiled coldly: "If that's the case, does that mean we can't reach an agreement? Then I won't stay for a long time, and I will leave tomorrow!"
Prince Chahao snorted coldly, turned around and left.
"Ahem!" Li He coughed twice violently, and the ministers immediately knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body!"
Li Li waved his hand, signaling to retreat.
In the emperor's palace, the imperial doctor checked Li Xi's pulse and left. Li Huang stepped forward.
"Father, how do you feel?" Li Huang asked with concern.
Li Li closed his eyes tightly and shook his head slowly.
"Fifth Prince, you'd better go out first and let the Emperor take a rest!" Eunuch Su said quickly.
Li Huang nodded and exited the room.
In the Changchun Palace, Shame Flower sat in front of the window and was lost in thought.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are here!" Newly arrived Aunt Zhang hurriedly came to report.
"No!" Shanhua said coldly.
Grandma Zhang was stunned and had no choice but to reply.
In front of the palace gate, Li Yu and Liang Jingle, who was already slightly pregnant, were waiting quietly.
"Prince, Crown Princess, your Majesty said you won't see anyone, so you should go back!" Nanny Zhang said awkwardly.
Liang Jingle turned her eyes and glanced at Li Yu, only to see Li Yu looking at the Changchun Palace with melancholy on his face.
"Prince..." Liang Jingle said in a low voice, "I think my mother hasn't figured it out yet, otherwise we'll come back another day!"
Li Yu's eyes darkened, and he suddenly knelt down in front of the Changchun Palace and said loudly: "Mother, I have let my mother down, I am sorry for my mother!"
Liang Jingle also quickly knelt down.
"Prince, Crown Princess, you can't help me!" Aunt Zhang hurriedly stepped forward to help her, "My wife, you are still pregnant, you cannot withstand such a torment!"
Liang Jingle shook her head and determined to stay by Li Yu's side.
Chongwen strode over, and Nanny Zhang responded quickly when she saw him, "Master Chong, please advise the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess!"
Chongwen frowned, stepped forward to salute and knelt down: "Prince, the reason why the empress did not see you raping her is that now that the Crown Prince Rao has entered the palace, the Crown Prince should not waste time here!"
Li Yu was startled, then turned to look at Chongwen, "What do you want me to do?"
Chongwen frowned. Although he didn't like Li Yu's tone, he still said: "The prince should seize this opportunity!"
Li Yu lowered his head and said nothing. He knew that Chongwen could always guess the queen's thoughts. Since this was the queen's intention, then...
"Nanny Zhang, have someone send the Crown Princess back to the palace!" Li Yu stood up and followed Chongwen.
Nanny Zhang stepped forward to help Liang Jingle up and whispered: "Crown Princess, please pay attention to your health!"
Liang Jingle, however, just stared at Li Yu's back in a daze, and instinctively touched her belly again.
In the residence specially arranged for Rao Guochen outside the palace, Prince Chahao looked at the city defense map on the table with sharp eyes.
"Prince, is it a bit risky to do this?" Shijie Bibulie said with some worry, "After all, this is the capital of Li State, and there are many capable people..."
"Bi Bulie, you should know that my father has ambitions like an eagle, and what he wants is not as simple as a small ice bend town!" Chahao said coldly.
"Wei Chen naturally knows the emperor's ambitions, but doing so is really risky, not to mention the King of Han's opposition..."
"Don't mention that boy again. Just because he likes him and has made some achievements, he dares not to take this prince seriously!" Chahao slapped the table with a slap, "This time, this prince just gave me a hard time.
The emperor just taught you a lesson!"
Seeing that he could not persuade him, Bibulie could only stand aside silently.
"Prince, the palace sent someone to bring food!" A maid came in carrying food.
"What is this?" Chahao asked, looking at the brightly colored persimmon, "I've never seen it before!"
"It's called Zhu Guo, a fruit unique to the Li Kingdom. Prince, would you like to try it?" the maid said respectfully.
"Prince, it's better not to eat such weird things, beware of the poison!" Bibulie hurriedly stepped forward and said.
"Poisonous? Do you think the current Emperor Li dares to poison this prince?" Chahao sneered, stepped forward, picked up the persimmon and took a hard bite.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
In the last few days, do you guys still have monthly passes?