Yan Chu did not immediately take him back to the city as Zongzheng Qingqi wished. Instead, he wandered around the outskirts of the city for a long time, and found a few local old farmers to ask in detail about the crops this year's grain production, and The price they sell their grain to the rice store.
In front of Zongzheng Qingqi, Yan Chu also focused on asking about the impact of the news of the drought in the Eastern Province on the local food prices and the lives of ordinary people after it spread to the capital. Angry, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully, and even put aside the things he was struggling with just now.
After leaving the palace, Zongzheng Qingqi knew what kind of life the ordinary people lived outside the palace. He also ate a meal at a nearby farmhouse, which was mixed with wild vegetable foam, which is a must for every household during the winter. A pot of soup boiled with pickled vegetables, and a chicken soup made from an old hen that the old farmer only slaughtered because he saw that they had given enough money.
The pot of chicken soup was almost boiled in its original flavor without skimming off the slick oil. The heat was not seasoned enough, and there were not enough ingredients added. Zongzheng Qingqi felt tired after just one sip. He might not be able to drink down the bowl of chicken soup that the old farmer gave him. As for the overcooked hen chicken, he naturally didn't touch a mouthful. He barely ate one and a half corn buns, and he felt full.
"Do not waste."
Yan Chu picked up the half of the cornbread he had left, and ate it without changing his expression. Every mouthful of rice, every mouthful of soup, was eaten very devoutly.
Under his comparison, and seeing the half-grown children of the old farmer sitting aside obediently, eating their nests and staring greedily at the pot of fragrant chicken soup on the table, drooling but not daring to touch it, Zong Zheng Qingqi felt that she really seemed a little too spoiled.
"Thank you, old man, today's lunch is delicious."
For Yan Chu, today's lunch tasted really good, pure and fresh wild vegetables, and chewy corn nests, except that the corn was not finely ground when it was ground, and the graininess was a bit heavy, and some corn corn noodles were mixed in the nests. In addition to the rougher taste, in modern times, it is completely a healthy and natural delicacy.
The old hen did not handle it properly when making the soup, but the old stove stewed with firewood, although it is a bit greasy, but the taste is strong enough, and there are still merits when you taste it carefully.
Having experienced so many worlds, Yan Chu has long known how to calmly accept everything you face, and discover the beauty of food from the subtleties. In the eyes of Zongzheng Qingqi, Yan Chu can enjoy a meal that is unbearable. , also for this reason.
"Hey hey."
Hearing Yan Chu's sincere praise, the old farmer couldn't help laughing, showing his yellow teeth with scum still sticking to them: "To be honest, a few years ago, I never thought I could live such a good life. "
The old farmer is not stupid. Judging from the performance of the young master Zongzheng Qingqi, he knew that the food of this family must be much better than theirs on weekdays. I don't like it, I think every meal at home is delicacies from mountains and seas. In this case, that handsome master can eat the leftovers of his son and express his gratitude after eating. In the old farmer's opinion , this is no ordinary person.
He felt that the master in front of him was more kind and approachable than all the masters he had seen before, and it really made sense for God to let such a person enjoy great blessings.
It's just that the loving father is a loser. This little son seems to be pampered at home, and his heart is not bad, but there are some principles of life that his father can't understand. Moreover, this young man is very courageous, he dared to inquire about the emperor and Jin Yiwei. I only hope that this old man can be ruthless and take good care of his son when he goes back, so that he will not cause a catastrophe when the time comes.
These thoughts are just a blink of an eye in the old farmer's mind. Looking at the nest with a lot of corn noodles in his hand and a little wild vegetables and corn stick noodles, the old farmer sighed with happiness from the bottom of his heart.
"In the early years, as the main labor force in my family, I only dared to eat two nests for a meal, and then drank a large pot of water. I never dared to eat with my stomach open. , It’s different now. I can eat four nests for one meal, and I can also drink a bowl of porridge with wild vegetables. During the holidays, my family is willing to go to the pork shop in the town to buy some pork offal. The pork belly has improved the food, like this Days, I really dare not even think about it.”
The old farmer laughed, this year the new emperor ascended the throne, and he also reduced or exempted taxes. In addition, the imperial guards in the capital are the most concerned, who dares to commit crimes and treat ordinary people like them harshly. In this way, the money they can save this year is What's more, next year when my daughter leaves the cabinet, I can buy some decent dowry for her.
For the future life, the old farmer is yearning, and the days are really getting more and more exciting.
"That's right, I can also eat two steamed buns."
The seven-year-old grandson of the old farmer held up three fingers and said with a smile, showing a mouthful of gaping teeth, a dark and thin face, and looked full of energy.
Two buns, each about the size of a child's fist, are already the supreme happiness and the greatest satisfaction for the children of the peasant family.
If only grandpa could let him take a sip of the leftover chicken soup that the nobleman drank, it would be great. The little boy wiped the saliva that flowed from the gap between his teeth, lowered his head and obediently gnawed on the grains.
Zongzheng Qingqi listened, and his mood sank a lot. When he was still picking and choosing for food and appetite, those of his people were so satisfied because they had enough food and clothing. It is conceivable that they had how bad life is.
"Now we grow rice and wheat, and we also plant corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes imported by the imperial court from the other side of the sea. These things have high yields and do not require so much climate. Now even the original wasteland on the hillside has been planted with these new crops. , we don’t have to go hungry anymore, and with those high-yielding grains, the famine in the eastern province can be alleviated soon.”
The old farmer noticed that many of the questions Yan Chu asked before were about grain production and grain prices. He thought that the other party was concerned about the drought in Eastern Province, so he couldn't help comforting him. Now the court's words are so wise, and Eastern Province The drought will not last long, I believe the court will be able to come up with a solution.
After hearing what the old farmer said, Zongzheng Qingqi felt even more ashamed.
The introduction of corn, potatoes, and sweet potato seeds can be attributed to Xiao Chu. At that time, he organized a sea caravan to go to the country on the other side of the sea for business. At that time, no one was optimistic about Xiao Chu’s decision. On the contrary, because he Building a large merchant ship cost people money and emptied half of the national treasury. At that time, the court and harem criticized his decision, and those who hated him even called him a treacherous sycophant in private.
At that time Zongzheng Qingqi was younger, and under the influence of people around him, he was also one of the people who scolded Xiao Chu.
Facts have proved that his approach is correct, and the changes brought about by the opening of sea routes are worthy of being recorded in the historical records.
Zongzheng Qingqi couldn't help being silent. When he stubbornly believed that Xiao Chu was a traitor, to the people of Da Shang, this traitor might be more worthy of their trust than Da Shang's former emperor, his father.
Such Xiao Chu, is he really qualified to slander him and despise him
*****
"Do you still want to go shopping?"
After finishing lunch at the old farmer, Yan Chu took Zongzheng Qingqi into the carriage and returned to the city.
He walked behind and let Zongzheng Qingqi go to the taverns, bookstores, and street vendors. For a long time after that, he accompanied him to listen to the sour scholars in the tavern criticize the current status of eunuchs in power with cryptic words , and also accompanied him to listen to the street vendors' satisfaction with their current life and their expectations for the future.
He looked at his eyes from doubt, to deep thought, and now to the contradiction and complexity intertwined with multiple emotions.
Yan Chu knew that the little boy had been sneaking glances at him, but he didn't agree with him. Even though he was listening to those sour scholars criticizing him, his expression remained calm.
Zongzheng Qingqi knew what was in her mind, and the other party must have seen through it long ago. In this way, the little emperor was not to mention how frustrated. Compared with that man, he seemed to be separated by countless mountains. The day I climbed to the same height as him.
"You, hum."
Zongzheng Qingqi wanted to ask the other party, why the people who talked about the Emperor Jinyiwei in private wanted to arrest him, and he, the governor of the Eastern Factory, the actual master of the Jinyiwei was evaluated by those sour scholars, but he didn't see the people from the Eastern Factory What's the reaction.
In a place as big as a tavern, Zongzheng Qingqi couldn't believe that Dongchang's eyes and ears didn't notice this scene, as if to the man in front of him, his external reputation, good or bad, was never in his focus.
It's just that before the question was asked, Zongzheng Qingqi regretted it a little. The relationship between him and Xiao Chu was not friendly enough to ask such a question, so he retracted the words that came to his lips, and hummed softly Ended the topic that hadn't started yet.
"Old man, give me two bunches of candied haws."
Yan Chu took out four Wen coins from his purse and handed it to a peddler. From the target he was carrying, he chose two bunches of big and red candied haws.
Such a big person still eats such a thing
Zongzheng Qingqi didn't have enough to eat when she was at the old farmer's house. Now that she has been shopping for a long time, her stomach has already started to make empty plans. It's just because of face that she can't open her mouth.
Candied haws is a novel food that he has been eyeing since he left the palace, but he just noticed that the candied haws vendors are surrounded by a group of four or five-year-old childish milk dolls, Zongzheng Qingqi thinks he is already an adult, How dare you open your mouth to buy these children's food.
Seeing that Xiao Chu bought two bunches of candied haws in disregard of his image now, his eyes widened.
Two strings, one string is for him, right
Zongzheng Qingqi swallowed, she kept glancing at the candied haws in Yan Chu's hand from the corner of her eyes, thinking in her heart, if Xiao Chu insisted on giving it to him, then he would take it, it wasn't because he was greedy Want to buy, his emperor's majesty is still preserved.
Contrary to Zongzheng Qingqi's expectations, Yan Chu gave him both strings of candied haws.
"After all, the things outside the palace are not as fine as the ones made in the palace. Your Majesty just taste the taste. If you like it, you can let the imperial chef in the palace learn how to make it."
His eyes were indifferent, as if those two bunches of candied haws were just bought by him.
Zongzheng Qingqi didn't care about so much, facing the pleasing candied haws, she couldn't help grinning, and it took a long time to realize that this would affect his emperor's image even more, so she quickly covered her mouth and looked left and right, as if she wanted to see Look at how many people saw that scene just now.
Two bunches of candied haws, one for him to eat, and one for his mother. Speaking of which, the mother has not left the palace for more than ten years since entering the palace. She should also be concerned about these little things outside the palace. The string of candied haws might make her happier.
Although the queen mother never said it, Zongzheng Qingqi could feel that the queen mother was not happy in that deep palace.
Yan Chu glanced at the little emperor who changed his mood as soon as he said it, and was very happy when he got two bunches of candied haws. He was completely unable to compare him with the one in the memory of the original body, who had grown up after countless times of tempering, was decisive, resolute and resolute. Emperor linked to a piece.
In his previous life, Yuanshen or him, it was hard to tell which was more wrong. From Yuanshen's standpoint, he only wanted to kill all members of Zongzheng's royal family, including Zongzheng Qingqi, the son of his beloved woman.
Out of Zongzheng Qingqi's standpoint, he has been the puppet emperor for several years. Seeing that the great merchants and Jiangshan are in dire straits because of the original body's deliberate revenge, and the border towns are full of flames. Everyone wants to get a share of the vast territory of the Central Plains. In this situation, natural disasters were rampant, and the people revolted. Under such circumstances, he made a quick decision and feigned death to escape.
The original body planted a new puppet, and under his control, the Zongzheng royal family gradually and completely went to extinction. Similarly, the great merchants were torn apart, the heroes were separated, wars raged on the originally peaceful land, and the people were displaced.
Ten years later, when Zongzheng Qingqi appeared in front of the original body who was about to complete his revenge at that time, he was no longer what he used to be.
It was also at that time that Yuanshen discovered that Zongzheng Qingqi was not dead, and that the northwest king who took over the Wanqi clan and suddenly rose up five or six years ago and conquered several small countries one after another was him.
In the harem, there is only one person who can help him escape by feigning death, but he will not guard against it, and that is the woman he loves deeply but dare not meet.
Between him and Zongzheng Qingqi, that woman finally chose her son.
At that time, the original body, due to old illnesses, was no longer the same as before. The confrontation between the two did not last long. On one side was the decayed old court, and on the other was the Northwest King whose morale was high and the hearts of the people returned. It was logical for the original body to lose to Zongzheng Qinghui.
After he came to power, he reorganized the court, quelled the rebellion, and regained the country. He spent another ten years to deal with the mess left by his original body, and another twenty years to bring the great merchants to peace and peace in all directions.
The history books call that turmoil the Qingning Change, taking the words Cheng Qingdi and Jingning Empire. Xiao Chu, the culprit who caused the war, also became the traitor who was condemned by historians in the historical records.
After his death, there was a statue of a kneeling eunuch standing in front of many mass burials in Dashang. Everyone who went to the grave would spit and throw mud at the statue, and the prototype of this statue was the treacherous official Xiao Chu , Even if the country changes, the story about Xiao Chu is still passed down in the dictation of the ancestors for generations, and it will never get rid of it forever.
The culprit who caused everything was Emperor Chengqing, but it was the people of Li who endured all the sufferings on his behalf.
In this mistake, the original body is innocent, and Zongzheng Qingqi is also innocent. One of them has endured the infamy for thousands of years, and the other has become an emperor through the ages, but no one knows that during the years when he became a puppet, , During those years when he pretended to die, how much pressure he was under, just because he was born with half of the blood of Emperor Cheng Qing.
Zongzheng Qingqi was eating candied haws when she felt Yan Chu's complicated gaze. This seemed to be the first time that the other party showed such an uncontrollable expression today.
what is he looking at
Zongzheng Qingqi looked down at the candied haws that she had only eaten one, which was so sweet and sour, and she brought the candied haws in front of Yan Chu with some reluctance.
"This is what you gave me."
Zongzheng Qingqi muttered in a low voice, what a cheapskate, if you want to eat, just buy another bunch yourself, he won't laugh at him.
"Just one." Seeing that Xiao Chu didn't move his mouth, Zongzheng Qingqi put the candied haws in front of him again, and then emphasized.
"Crack."
After biting through the outer layer of sugar coating, the hawthorn inside is slightly pantothenic. This acidity is just in balance with the sweetness of the outer layer of sugar coating. The sweet and sour taste stimulates the taste buds and whets the appetite.
Under the pained eyes of the little emperor, Yan Chu bit off the top candied haws as he wished, as if he was afraid that he would eat too much. After he bit off the candied haws, the little emperor quickly took the candied haws back.
Having gone shopping together and sharing the same bunch of candied haws together, Zongzheng Qingqi felt that he seemed to have a different view of Xiao Chu, the eunuch whom he hated deeply in the past, during this day's getting along.
Such a change does not seem to be bad.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."
The grievance drum outside the palace was sounded ten times, and Lilai would only be sounded when there was a serious grievance that required him to face the holy abyss.
You must know that since the founding of Dashang, the Drum of Crying Wrongs has only sounded twice. It is not the only two cases of grievances in the world, but the price of the Drum Crying Wrongs being played is very high.
Today is not so easy to see, since you have grievances to complain, you must prove your determination to redress the grievances.
Sounding the grievance drum is only the first step in redressing grievances. After the grievance drum is sounded, the person adjudicating grievances has to go through the "mountain of knives" and "sea of fire" before they can see the emperor and express their grievances.
The "Mountain of Knives" is a nail board made of a thousand sharp iron nails, each nail is an inch long. Those who seek justice need to wear a thin spring shirt and roll over the nail board about three feet long.
The "sea of fire" is a long road paved by a pile of burning charcoal fires, and the person who has been wronged has to walk barefoot through the "sea of fire". Holy chance for vengeance.
It is also because such a challenge is almost impossible to complete. Unless there is a major grievance, most people will never think about it and don't have the courage to sound the drum of grievance.
At this time, Zongzheng Qingqi was following Xiao Chu back to the palace, when he heard the sound of the grievance drum, he immediately opened the curtain of the carriage, and then jumped off the carriage.
For every emperor, the sound of the grievance drum outside the palace gate meant that something important had happened, how could Zongzheng Qingqi not care about it.
At this time, a group of common people had gathered outside the palace gate, hearing the sound of the grievance drum, and came to see the commotion. Zongzheng Qingqi still had to use all her strength to pass through the crowded crowd and walk to the innermost part.
"Do you have any grievances?"
The chief guard of the palace gate came out, looked at the young man kneeling outside the palace gate holding a drumstick and asked.
"Caomin is Yan Chu, the son of Yan Zhaonan, the former general of the town. I sue the current Supreme Emperor for sending people to pretend to be rogues and massacre all of my Yan family, accusing my father of treason and treason for several counts. I also ask the new emperor to return one of my Yan family members who died in vain. Fairness, give justice to the loyal ancestors of my Yan family."
All the chattering voices around suddenly stopped.