You can't walk more than two hundred miles west of Taiyuan before you reach the ground of the Northern Han Dynasty. It is in such troubled times that the pocket country of the Northern Han Dynasty stubbornly survives. Perhaps its existence is not enough to be proud of, but its tenacious vitality is surprising.
Impressed. Surviving in the cracks between Liao, Xia, and Zhou, who are three superpowers compared with the Northern Han Dynasty, is no longer something that can only be maintained by perseverance.
Especially for a small country like the Northern Han Dynasty, whose land area is less than 10% of the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it can actually defeat the invasion of 100,000 lions on the Great Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop. This is already a feat. And the protagonist who created this miracle, King Zhong Liu Ling, is now
He was having dinner with Liu Zhuo, the current emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty.
The food is very simple. If you just look at the dishes on the table, you would not know that this is a palace meal. Four dishes and one soup, a combination of meat and vegetables. Even the head of an ordinary wealthy family has a much more luxurious meal than the emperor. Taiyuan No. 1
Xie Wancai, a wealthy man, behaves very simply in front of others, but it is said that he spends no less than three taels of silver on each meal.
Maybe some people have said, three taels of silver is not much? It is quite a lot, quite a lot. Not to mention that in troubled times, silver was precious and copper was cheap. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, large amounts of money were always converted into one tael of silver. But now you just take out one tael.
Thousands and three hundred copper coins may not be exchanged for even one tael of silver.
It was even more outrageous in the Northern Han Dynasty. Two copper coins may not necessarily be exchanged for one tael of silver. The culprit for such an outrageous exchange rate was Liu Ye, the founding emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty. When he was in power, he minted a large number of copper coins. And because of the copper output
Therefore, the money made in the Northern Han Dynasty was mixed with a large number of other metals. The copper coins that should be yellow-orange-orange look a sickly light yellow, and a large number of impurities can be seen in them.
The purchasing power of money made in the Northern Han Dynasty was ridiculously low, which is why there was twice the exchange rate of silver and copper. Silver is a hard currency, which is far more popular than the money made during the Qianyou period. According to the living standards of ordinary people in the Northern Han Dynasty,
Three taels of silver is enough to support an ordinary household for half a year. This is still the living conditions in Taiyuan Prefecture. If it is spent locally, three taels of silver can feed and clothe a family for a year.
But now the meal that Emperor Xiao hosted for Liu Ling didn't cost a penny. At least that's what it looked like on the surface. The vegetables and meat were grown by Emperor Xiao on a large piece of idle land in the harem.
, is an animal raised by more than a dozen eunuchs in the imperial kitchen. In the middle of winter, Liu Ling could eat vegetables grown by himself, thanks to Liu Ling's erudition. However, whenever Emperor Xiao praised Liu Ling's erudition in this area, Liu Ling always
He looked like a thief. After all, it was a technology appropriated from later generations, and Liu Ling did not dare to take credit.
It's just a simple meal. If it were placed in a country like Zhou Dynasty or Southern Tang Dynasty, if His Majesty the Emperor's diet was so simple, it would be a fantasy.
Because it was considered a family dinner, Su Jianli, the wife of Emperor Xiao and empress of the Northern Han Dynasty, was also present. It is worth mentioning that Su Jianli was the niece of Su Hubao, the former general of the Shangzhu Kingdom. This is a deep story.
A woman with a sense of justice, she didn't say a word when the emperor ordered her uncle Su Hubao to be executed.
She and Emperor Xiao were a couple in need. She gave birth to a daughter and a son for Emperor Xiao. The eldest daughter Liu Moyu is eight years old, and the prince Liu Li is only three years old this year and has just learned to walk, which is the time when he is cute.
, pink and jade-like. When walking, he looks like a chubby little duck, which always makes everyone burst into laughter.
Only when he looked at his two children, the filial emperor Liu Zhuo's brows relaxed. He took the throne at the critical moment and worked hard. He had great ambitions, but was unable to show his talents.
My daughter Moyu had become sensible and knew that her father and uncle still had something to say, so she hugged her brother and went out to play. There were only four adults left in the room, and the laughter stopped for a while.
Su Jianli stood up and personally filled a glass of wine for Liu Ling. Liu Ling quickly stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Queen."
Su Jianli ignored Liu Ling's obstruction, filled the wine glass for Liu Ling and said: "There is no emperor or queen today, it's just my brother and sister-in-law who invite you to dinner. Isn't it okay for my sister-in-law to pour you a glass of wine? Let me give you those today."
Throw aside the annoying rules, you have never frowned during the life and death battle with thousands of troops, but you are afraid of the wine I pour?"
Liu Ling smiled bitterly and said: "The queen is joking. In the midst of a life-and-death battle with thousands of troops, my brows are even deeper than they are now."
Liu Zhuo smiled and said, "Just listen to your sister-in-law. Today is just a family reunion for a simple meal. If you keep complaining, I will kick you out. Mei'er and the three of us will eat."
Liu Mei'er was pushed into a chair by Queen Su Jianli. Now she was so frightened that she almost wanted to run home in one breath. Although she leaned forward to sit down, no part of her body felt at ease. She only felt that eating was not enough.
Even if I don’t eat, it’s okay, my heart is pounding with anxiety.
After all, she had been a maid in the palace, and she had an almost innate fear and respect for the emperor and empress. She could not overcome this fear, it had gone deep into her bones. But what happened was that Su Jianli's deliberately displayed
Compared with her, she seemed even more aloof and condescending. Emperor Xiao Liu Zhuo really wanted everyone here to feel like they were at home. This family did not include the royal family, but just like an ordinary family.
It cannot be said that things were counterproductive, but in this era, even Liu Ling could not do whatever he wanted, let alone Liu Mei'er, who was born in a humble background. Liu Mei'er worked as a maid in the palace for more than a day or two, and the empress put a mountain of pressure on her, even more than the emperor.
Your Majesty is even heavier.
Su Jianli seemed to ignore Liu Mei'er's embarrassment. He had just poured Liu Ling's wine and wanted to fill it up with Liu Mei'er's wine. Liu Mei'er was so frightened that she quickly left her seat and was at a loss. She wanted to kneel down, but neither the emperor nor the empress did it.
As I said before, no one is allowed to perform courtesies today. But when the queen asked her to fill herself with wine, the fear in her heart was like the Yellow River bursting its banks and getting out of control.
Liu Mei'er's face turned pale in an instant, and then turned frighteningly red. She was scared, shocked and ashamed, and she couldn't muster the courage to refuse the Queen's kindness. She just stood there and waved her hands, as if embarrassed.
A little white rabbit trapped in a den by a wolf.
Emperor Xiao looked at Liu Meier's confused look, and then frowned, but soon relaxed. At this moment, what he was thinking was that such a humble woman was really worthy of his ninth brother? And?
Regardless of whether my Liu surname is a true descendant of the Han Dynasty or a legacy of the Xiongnu, after all, the Liu surname is now the surname of the emperor.
And even if Liu Mei'er was favored by the ninth brother, she would be nothing more than a maidservant who went out of the palace. Even if the ninth brother only gave her the status of a concubine, it would be a pollution to the royal bloodline. But he didn't want to show his true thoughts on this occasion.
, in that case Lao Jiu will not be able to come to the stage.
As the emperor, he didn't want his ninth brother, whom he relied on the most, to marry a woman of such status. But as a generous brother, he really couldn't bear to beat the couple.
"The Queen gives you a full glass of wine, what an honor is this? You still don't want to thank me?"
Liu Ling said with a smile.
The expression on his face was very pleasant, and he seemed to be amused by Liu Mei'er's confusion. It could be seen from the sunny smile on his face that he didn't mind that Su Jianli, as the queen, deliberately embarrassed Liu Mei'er. Perhaps, in order to
With his loyal and upright mind, he couldn't see through the Queen's intentions at all. It was just that no one was destined to see it. There was an indescribable worry and sadness hidden behind Liu Ling's smile.
"Thank you Queen for your grace."
Liu Meier finally knelt down to salute. Su Jianli generously helped her up and said with a smile on his face: "I told you that today there are only family members and no monarchs and ministers. How can you still salute? Is that what your Majesty and I said?
You don’t even care, you only care about what your prince says?”
These words sounded harmless, like a gentle elder sister complaining about her ignorant little sister. However, after she finished saying these words, Liu Meier's body trembled slightly involuntarily. She raised her head and whispered
He said: "As a slave, I really can't sit at the same table with Your Majesty, Your Majesty and Your Majesty. If Your Majesty and Your Majesty don't mind, I'd better stand behind and serve you."
Just when Su Jianli was about to stop Liu Meier from leaving the table, Liu Ling said first, "It's okay, otherwise you won't be able to eat anything in such a cramped situation, and it will also affect the appetite of His Majesty and the Queen, but first drink the wine that the Queen gives you,
After careful calculation, we in the Han Dynasty are lucky enough to be able to drink the wine poured by the queen herself, and it will definitely not exceed the number of five fingers."
Liu Ling smiled broadly, but he used a commanding tone.
Liu Meier breathed a long sigh of relief in her heart, stood up, drank the glass of wine in one gulp, and then knelt down again to thank her. Her movements were meticulous and sincere, as if she was worshiping the gods and Buddhas.
Su Jianli glanced at Liu Ling and put back the words that were on her lips. She said with a smile: "After all, you are still the prince's servant, and your prince's words are more effective than my words as the queen. Since you
The prince has already spoken, so I will not force others to do anything."
Liu Meier felt very sad because she heard that Su Jianli deliberately emphasized his tone when he mentioned the word servant.
Emperor Xiao glanced at Liu Ling's face, then cleared his throat and said: "I thought that the few of us could have a daily meal like ordinary people, but it seems a little difficult. Haha, I became the emperor but no ordinary people
People’s ordinary life pleasures, I don’t know whether they are a gain or a loss.”
Liu Ling's eyes dimmed, but then he smiled and said: "Second brother is too overworked on weekdays. The affairs of the court and the country all fall on the shoulders of second brother. I only hope that second brother can relax more and not be exhausted."
Body."
He picked up the wine glass and solemnly said: "May your Majesty live longer."
Emperor Xiao smiled, picked up the wine glass and said, "For the longevity of all the people."
The two of them drank the wine in one gulp, and Su Jianli smiled and took a sip. After Liu Meier filled up the wine for everyone, she bowed and stood far away. Only when she left the wine table a little, her pressure would be relieved.
Some. Ever since she sat uneasily at the dinner table, the queen began to praise her beauty, but every sentence seemed to indicate Liu Meier's identity intentionally or unintentionally. Liu Meier could understand the underlying meaning of these words, no matter how stupid she was.
Already.
She thought sadly in her heart that it turned out that being happy between two people was also a hard thing. Although she had vaguely guessed the current scene before coming here, but thinking about what even the emperor and queen personally stood up to imply, it seemed that in their eyes
She is really not an ordinary maidservant. When she thinks of the vague contempt shown by the emperor and the rejection in the queen's words, Liu Mei'er doesn't even feel aggrieved, let alone any shame, but only feels deeply.
