Chapter 613 East Palace Banquet
"Your Majesty the Emperor, the Queen Mother, has verified that all kinds of food are non-toxic and edible!"
Waiting for a long time is annoying. Fortunately, the incense column used as a sign finally burned to the end. The eunuch in charge of food inspection asked several little eunuchs who tried the dishes in a low voice. Seeing that everyone said that everything was normal, he was relieved. He walked to the front of Gaozong's seat and respectfully He made a statement.
"Hmm."
After waiting for so long, Gao Zong was quite unhappy. He didn't give the eunuch's little leader a good look. He just kept a straight face and said a soft voice, and then sent it away.
"Grandpa, here are the peanuts peeled for you."
Although Li Chongyi was young, his ability to observe his face was not bad. As soon as he saw Gao Zong in a bad mood, he immediately peeled a few peanuts, showed a childlike smile, and obediently handed them to Gao Zong.
"Well, okay, grandpa will come and try it."
As soon as he saw Xiao Chongyi's innocent smile, Gao Zong's unhappiness immediately disappeared. He smiled and reached out to take a few peanuts, stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed them carefully. The more he chewed, the more fragrant he felt, and the surprise on his face became more and more.
"It's delicious, delicious, not bad, not bad, all of you, Aiqing, try it together."
Gao Zong doesn't pay much attention to diet. However, after all, as an emperor, he has tasted a lot of delicacies, but he has never eaten such crispy food. When he eats it, he is very happy.
"Well, it's really good. It's a good thing."
"This food is fragrant and crispy, chewy, good, really good!"
"Delicious, worthy of overseas delicacy, good!"
......
The ministers and workers were originally very curious. When they saw Gao Zong say something, they all started to do it. Whether it was peanuts or baked sweet potatoes, they took it and put it in their mouths. At this time, they tasted, and the voice of praise suddenly increased.
"Grandma, this is the peanut kernels peeled by Yier for you. Please taste it."
There were many chewing sounds in the hall, but Empress Wu sat still. Although her face was calm as usual, there was a haze flashing in her eyes. Li Xian saw this and quietly gave Li Chongyi a look. The clever Li Chongyi immediately walked to Queen Wu with a small plate of peeled peanuts, crisply. He said something.
"Yo, Yi'er is so good. Come on, let grandma come here, and grandma will eat."
Although Empress Wu did not like Li Chongyi, she would never show anything at this point, but showed a kind smile, reached out and touched Li Chongyi's head, and replied with love and pity.
"Yi'er obeys orders."
Li Chongyi was not close to the Empress Wu at all. He would not act coquettishly in front of the Empress Wu. He just respectfully answered the promise and put the small plate in his hand in the position pointed by the Empress Wu. Even if he retreated to the side of Gao Zong, he talked and laughed with Gao Zong and was busy picking up vegetables for Gao Zong. The grandparents and grandchildren were happy for themselves. As soon as this situation came out, although Queen Wu still smiled faintly, the haze in her eyes was a little thicker.
For this feast, Li Xian has made enough preparations for this feast. All kinds of dishes are rare things that are not available now, and the chefs in the East Palace have practiced for several times. The dishes are full of color, fragrance and taste. Although it has been delayed for some time due to food inspection before, but it is good that the weather is hot, but it is not easy to eat. The food was cold, and it was just warm, and the people who ate all the hall were happy.
The happier everyone eats, the deeper the dissatisfaction in Queen Wu's heart is, but it is not easy to attack casually in front of everyone. After all, the image is still necessary, so she quietly gave Jia Chaoyin a look and motioned him to stir up the scene.
"Your Highness, I have heard that Your Highness can understand the disaster in Henan and Hebei, and I don't know how to settle down?"
Jia Chaoyin is the confidant of the Empress Wu. He had already received the advance of the Empress Wu. At this time, as soon as he saw the Empress Wu gave a signal, he did not dare to neglect it. He stopped the chopsticks in his hand, arched to Li Xian, and began to feel uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, Jia Xiang. Since you dare to say this matter, you dare to do it. Let's eat first, and it's not too late to discuss it later."
Li Xian had long expected that the Queen Wu's party would stir up trouble at the banquet, and he would not be angry because of Jia Chaoyin's rampant affairs. He smiled and answered confidently.
"I'm afraid it's inappropriate for Xian'er to say this. Millions of people in the two places are in danger of not eating. As the person in charge of the court, how can we have a feast? This matter will not be decided for a day, and we can't live in peace for a day. Since Xian'er can solve this, she will come up with a safe way."
Although Jia Chaoyin dared to take the lead in making trouble, he asked him to fight against Li Xian in court, but he did not have the courage. He was blocked by Li Xian's words and didn't know how to deal with it. When Queen Wu saw this, she immediately interrupted from the side, leaving Li Xian with any room for manoeuvre.
"The mother's lesson is that the child should obey, but before the child said the method, she also asked the father, the mother and all the ministers to go to the back garden with their ministers."
It's natural to be prepared. Li Xian was not afraid of the incident provoked by the Empress Wu at all, but did not follow the rhythm of the Empress Wu, but made an invitation with a smile.
"Well, okay, Aiqing, let's go with me."
Although Gao Zong ate well, he was really worried about the great drought. At this time, when he heard Li Xian's words, he immediately put down his chopsticks without hesitation and got up first. A will has come out.
"My ministers (such as ministers) obey the order!"
Since Gao Zong has said something, regardless of whether they are willing or not, they can only agree and stand up one after another, led by Li Xian and went straight to the back garden.
The back garden of the East Palace is not small, with a radius of more than 40 mu. It was originally a place where green grass and flowers are intertwined between pavilions and pavilions, but now the back garden that appears in front of everyone is a large vegetable field. The whole half of the back garden has been cultivated by Li Xian, planted a row of strange plants, and a small half The soil on the empty ridges is still newly turned over. Obviously, the plants on those ridges have just been harvested.
"Xian'er, these are all plants. Why don't I know them all?"
Although Gao Zong was an emperor, he still knew about the grain. At this time, when he saw that the plants in the fields were lovely, he immediately became curious. He walked to the edge of the field for a long time, but suddenly found that he could not recognize them, so he had to throw the problem to Li Xian.
"It's good for my father to know that the ingredients used in the previous banquet came from this. They are dishes harvested and made by children. Father, please see that this row is corn. Those raised green bags are fruits. On the side are planted with sweet potatoes. Their leaves are edible, and their tubers are buried in the ground, and these seem to be The inconspicuous grass is peanuts, and the fruit is also in the ground. What is planted in this ridge is potatoes. Those red fruits are peppers, which are excellent condiments. I invited my father, mother and the princes to come, just to invite everyone to witness it.
Li Xian smiled and pointed to the plants in the ridges, and put out the names of various plants one by one like several treasures, but in the end, he turned around and put forward a request.
"Witness? How do you say this?"
As soon as he heard Li Xian's strange words, Gao Zong was a little confused. He looked at Li Xian doubtfully and asked hesitantly.
Li Xianyi bowed and explained with a smile, "In my father's words, I plan to ask the guards in the palace to harvest all kinds of plants immediately, and ask my father and mother to see how the yield of these plants is."
"Oh? Well, let's just start."
Although Gao Zong did not understand Li Xian's intention, he did not refute Li Xian's face and accepted it with a smile.
"Father, mother, please sit in the pavilion, and I will ask the guards in the palace to start immediately."
As soon as he heard that Gao Zong agreed to his request, Li Xian did not dare to let Gao Zong stay in the sun. He respectfully gave Gao Zong and Wu Hou to the pavilion by the ridge and arranged for the eunuchs in the palace to present the newly made fragrant tea. Then he ordered the bodyguards who had been waiting for a long time to go down to the field to harvest.
After Li Xian gave an order, a group of bodyguards were immediately busy. Some went to pick corn, some went to turn over the fields to collect sweet potatoes, and some weighed the harvested results. Even more than 200 bodyguards involved in agricultural work, but it took more than half an hour to complete the matter.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, Tianhou Niangniang, all kinds of crops have been harvested, among which sweet potatoes have been planted for a total of five cents, with a total of 2,700 catties; corn, six cents of land, with a real income of 520 catties; potatoes, five cents, with a real income of 430 catties; peanuts, one mu of land, with a total income of 350 catties; peppers, three cents, with actual income. Fifty-seven catties and eight taels.
Zhang Mingwu personally managed the work of the statistics. After the data was summarized, Zhang Mingwu did not dare to neglect it, but when he saw him walk into the pavilion, he bowed to Gao Zong and Wuhou and reported it loudly.
"Okay, Aiqing, thank you for your hard work."
Although Gao Zong can distinguish five grains, he has no concept of the data of mu output. He has no special reaction to the data reported by Zhang Mingwu, that is, he casually appeased.
"Your Majesty, these are all God-given gods. If it can be spread, there is no need to worry about the people's food and clothing!"
Gao Zong didn't understand, but Pei Yan, the minister of the Ministry of Household, heard the benefits. In a turbulent mood, he didn't care what others thought. He stood up first and shouted excitedly.
"Huh? Why did Aiqing say this?"
Gao Zong really didn't understand. When he saw that Pei Yan was so excited, he immediately became curious and hurried to ask.
"In your Majesty's words, I should be in charge of the household department and have a little understanding of the mu of grain. As far as I know, the yield of rice in the south is less than 500 catties per mu, and the wheat in the north is only about 400 catties. Most of the common people rely on this for a living, and it's just a bumper harvest. Once the production is reduced, the people can't make it enough. If you get this divine object as a use. There is no need to worry about the world!"
Pei Yan took a few breaths and calmed down his excitement a little before he explained.
"Oh? I don't know. It turns out that these things are really a treasure. Let's talk about how these treasures are found?
Gao Zong calculated the mu production of sweet potatoes and other things, and compared with the mu production of grain said by Pei Yan, his interest immediately rose, but he was not in a hurry to make a decision, but asked the bottom with great interest...