King Dai is sick! King Dai is poisoned! King Dai is blind!
All kinds of rumors, whether correct or not, are spreading happily in Chang'an City. Since it is poisoning, the most talked about is who will poison King Dai. Some say it is the powerful people who King Dai looks down on, and some say it is the powerful people who King Dai looks down on.
It is said that he was a spy sent to Chang'an by other princes and kings, and some even speculated that he was the emperor.
The people of Chang'an are good at doing good things, and they are in the capital. From the officials to the common people, no matter what happens, they will express their opinions, whether they are right or wrong, just to show that they are from Chang'an and to show how much they have a grasp of the imperial government.
Accurate. Now that such a big thing has happened, naturally all kinds of speculations are flying all over the sky, and all kinds of discussions are endless.
Ma Sanpao was a cook, his sister's husband's second uncle's sister-in-law's nephew's brother, and he worked in the post house. Although he was just a handyman sweeping the floor and carrying water, he was still in the post house, so it did not hinder Ma Sanpao's work.
The credibility of the message.
Lowering his voice, Ma Sanpao cautiously asked the bald man opposite to bring his head closer: "I tell you that my eldest nephew said that someone poisoned him. Fortunately, he was not in the courtyard where the king lived at the time, otherwise he would also be poisoned this time.
Caught."
Zheng Tu, who was opposite, became more energetic: "Who did this?"
Ma Sanpao looked around and came closer again: "The four kings gave gifts to many families a few days ago. The only one who has the governor is the eldest princess..."
"Oh...!" Zheng Tu suddenly realized it and slapped himself on the forehead: "Now it's a match, I think so!"
Ma Sanpao chuckled twice, with a complacent air: "You know this and I know it, it's better than telling it to anyone!"
"I saved it!"
In the blink of an eye, Zheng Tu was talking to Feng Laizi, who was selling chickens on his arm: "Do you know who poisoned King Dai?"
Feng Laizi shook his head. Zheng Tu chuckled and said: "A few days ago, the four kings sent things to Chang'an City, but they didn't send anyone to Princess Guantao's palace. How could such a thing happen before? That prince came to the capital without first paying a visit to the chief minister.
Princess, you broke the rules this time, Mrs. Dou is not someone who can swallow humiliation?"
Feng Laizi frowned: "No way? The eldest princess's palace has been very quiet during this period. I could tolerate the incident of leading people to smash the merit monument of Taixue a few years ago. What kind of thing is this?"
"You know what the heck, whether you can do it or not depends on the person. Su Yilang is also easy to provoke?"
Feng Laizi still shook his head: "I heard that he was an assassin sent by someone else. He said he has a Huainan accent and has been arrested!"
"Oh? King Huainan?" Zheng Tu rubbed his big head and thought for a long time: "No way? King Huainan has always been loyal to the court, how could he do this?"
A meat buyer in front of me suddenly interrupted: "There is nothing the King of Huainan can do? How can he not do it if His Majesty asks him to do it?"
"Why is Your Majesty involved again?" Zheng Tu was even more confused.
The meat buyer smiled: "Don't you know? The four kings came to Beijing to complain. Don't forget whose son the king is? Back then, the late emperor personally promised the Empress Dowager that he would pass the throne to Liang after his death.
King, if King Liang hadn’t died early, who would have lived in Jianzhang Palace?”
The two people suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly. The meat buyer looked at the two of them and shook his head: "Let me tell you one more thing. You said that the acting king is nothing, have you heard? The Yue people in the south are making trouble, and the court is going to take action.
Got it!"
"Really?" Ma Sanpao and Feng Laizi's eyes widened again. Feng Laizi quickly picked up a few eggs and said, "Here, I'll give you these eggs. Please tell me, brother."
Such conversations continued in the streets and alleys of Chang'an. All kinds of rumors were like the spring breeze, starting from around the post house and spreading to the entire city of Chang'an in an instant. The dignitaries could not sit still, and neither could the people sent by the princes and kings to Chang'an.
Only the emperor Liu Che was lying comfortably on the low couch, eating the food brought by Su Ren and chatting with Su Ren.
What Su Ren brought today are steamed buns stuffed with pork and wild vegetables. The skin is thin and the fillings are big. One bite will make your mouth full of oil, and it will taste particularly sweet when you eat it. Speaking of steamed buns, there is a legend. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu, led his troops to attack
The Southern Barbarians captured and surrendered the barbarian general Meng Huo seven times, making Meng Huo finally surrender. Zhuge Liang's troops were returning to the court. On the way, they passed through the Lu River. Suddenly, a strong wind blew up, the waves hit thousands of feet, ghosts cried and wolves howled, and the army was unable to cross the river.
Zhuge Liang summoned Meng Huo to ask the reason. Meng Huo said that it was because the fallen soldiers could not return to their hometowns to reunite with their families, so they created trouble on the river to prevent the soldiers from returning. If the army wanted to cross the river, it would have to use 49 barbarian heads.
Only by offering sacrifices to the river can the wind and waves be calm.
Zhuge Liang thought of a plan and ordered his cooks to use rice flour as a skin, stuff it with black cattle and white sheep meat, and shape forty-nine "human heads". He set up an incense table by the river, sprinkled wine to offer sacrifices to the river, and was able to cross the river. From then on,
The term "steamed buns" has emerged among the people, and Zhuge Liang is also revered as the founder of the dough-making industry.
Lang Ying of the Ming Dynasty recorded in his notes "Seven Revised Drafts": The original name of steamed buns is Mantou. In barbarian lands, human heads were used as sacrifices to gods. During Zhuge's campaign against Meng Huo, he ordered bread and meat to be used as human heads as sacrifices. It was called "Mantou", which is now erroneous.
And for steamed buns.
Later, because the steamed bun process was complicated and expensive, lazy people omitted the filling process, and white steamed buns appeared. The original steamed buns contained all kinds of strange things, so they simply changed their name to steamed buns.
After taking a big bite, there were noodles, vegetables and meat. After listening to Su Ren's story, Liu Che Longyan was delighted: "This has a good meaning. I was just about to let you go to the south, so you brought this steamed bun, steamed bun, quite
Head, it seems that things in the south will be completely resolved!"
Su Ren smiled and said, "You have to risk your life. Speaking of which, I really don't want to go. The Yue people have lived in the mountains and forests for a long time and are good at hunting. The soldiers of my Han Dynasty are not as good as others in the mountains and forests. If something goes wrong, they will die.
Xiao, if you delay your important event, you will become a sinner through the ages."
"Didn't you fight bandits before? Those Yue people are not much stronger than bandits. Our Han Heavenly Army is not what it used to be. I have been preparing the army for these years. Just waiting for your victory, we will have a good fight with those wild beasts in the north.
!”
Su Ren shook his head: "I'm not being hypocritical. I'm not going to lead troops this time."
"Oh? Why?"
"First, the people are unfamiliar. Kuaiji is thousands of miles away from Chang'an. The soldiers there have been dealing with the Yue people all the year round. I know better than me what the situation of the Yue people is. What should we do? How to do it? It's hard for me to say as a layman; second,
What is war? It’s not soldiers, but logistics. Logistics includes soldiers, food and grass, military tents, medical care, etc. If these are done well, any kind of war will have a greater chance of winning; and most importantly, those who surpass people
How to deal with it? Killing them after they have been defeated is inappropriate! Putting them back is the same as not fighting them. Only by completely getting those Yue people out of the mountains can the problem be solved once and for all!"
Liu Che nodded and sat up from the low couch: "You are right, tell me what you think?"
Su Ren took out the cold steamed buns and placed them next to the stove to bake. Soon the aroma of the noodles spread throughout the room, making the palace maids and palace maids on both sides swallow their saliva.
"I want to bring merchants from Shu County with me!"
"Merchant?"
"That's the merchant!" He picked up a browned bun from the stove and gently tore open the outer skin to reveal the stuffing inside: "War is like this bun, the outer dough is the soldiers and the stuffing inside is the merchant.
What’s really delicious is the filling, which holds up the crust and uses its juice to moisten the crust, so it’s delicious.”
"Although merchants cannot fight, they can provide the soldiers with all kinds of help that I mentioned in the logistics, such as armor, food and grass, military tents, medical care, and even get more things back from the Vietnamese.
Your Majesty even has less money to send troops."
Liu Che's eyes widened as he looked at the half-eaten bun in his hand: "You mean this time, I can kill Yue Ren without spending any money?"
"Pfft!" Su Ren almost choked on the bun and stared at Liu Che with his eyes rolled: "Are you so reluctant to spend money?"
"Don't spend it if you can't. Although I am the emperor, I don't have much money. Five baht and three baht are a mess. If I can make it, so can the princes. If this continues, the money from the Salt and Iron Division will be lost."
It will turn into scrap metal."
"Hey!" Su Ren sighed: "Forget it, this matter won't be solved for a while, it's better to deal with the Yue people first. It doesn't cost money. Give me your order to do things cheaply!"
"Okay, okay, I'll write it now!" Liu Che quickly put the bun down. The old chamberlain Liu Jiqing brought the silk and pen and ink, placed them in front of Liu Che, and began to sharpen the ink. After a few strokes, an imperial edict was written.
Without even looking at the seal, he grabbed it and threw it to Su Ren.
Su Ren looked at it and put it in his arms: "Okay, if you don't want to spend money, don't spend it. Who made you the emperor?"
"Hehe..." Liu Che showed a sly smile like a child and picked up the buns again to eat: "These buns are good, they use less food, and they are delicious. I will send some to all the ministers in a few days. It won't take long for the world to be conquered."
Everyone will like it, and how much food will be saved by then."
Su Ren looked at Liu Che: "Instead of doing that, wouldn't it be better to open dozens of bun shops, which can not only make money but also promote it?"
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that!" Liu Che said excitedly: "We have agreed to open a bun shop and I will become a shareholder!"
"How much?"
"Twenty thousand dollars?" Liu Che asked Su Ren tentatively, and Su Ren looked disdainful: "Then thirty thousand dollars?"
"The price is one hundred thousand, it's up to you whether you can afford it or not!"
"One hundred thousand dollars? When can you sell this bun for one hundred thousand dollars?" Liu Che rolled his eyes: "How much do you want to pay?"
Su Ren shook his head: "I don't contribute money. I am a technical investor. In addition to steamed buns, I have other things. When the time comes, we can buy them together and earn back the cost in less than a year. All the money earned in the future will be profits. It's agreed.
Give us fifty-fifty."
"Why?" Liu Che said anxiously: "At most four or six, you four and I six!"
"make a deal!"
Liu Che was stunned for a moment. He looked at the bun in his hand and then at Su Ren. He felt that he had been tricked by Su Ren this time. (To be continued)
