Don't help me, I can sit up by myself

The emperor's authority cannot be questioned, and he showed Cui Zhen's excerpt to Du Jiyan.

Contents of the memorial: Your Majesty, how are you in the capital? I heard that it is snowing in the capital, and the snow is so thick that a foot cannot penetrate it. It is also snowing in the border areas, which is half a person deep. Seven horses froze to death in the military camp. Please be well, Your Majesty.

Well, it seems that the literary talent is a bit lacking.

In my memory, my cousin was very talented in literature. Although he was not as good as Li Bai and Du Fu, his reputation was well-known among the nobles in the capital. Why did you regress so much once you went to the frontier?

"What do you think of your cousin's memorial?" the emperor asked.

Du Jiyan quickly turned his head to the side: "Back to the emperor, women in the harem are not allowed to participate in politics."

"I allow you to participate in politics."

"I dare not go against my ancestors' precepts."

"The King of Yue sent another eight hundred miles to rush, saying that the frontier was hit by a blizzard, and many livestock were killed and injured. In order to expand the armaments, the capital needs to allocate fifty thousand taels of silver. Although there have been small wars in recent years, there has been no major chaos. The people have just rested and recuperated. I also I don’t want to increase taxes, but this money.”

"In my humble opinion, the Emperor must think carefully about these fifty thousand taels of silver."

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, please take a look at my cousin's memorial. There will be an answer there."

The emperor picked up Cui Zhen's memorial and looked at it carefully. It was just a greeting note. What was the answer in it?

Du Jiyan pointed to a few words on the fold: "It also snowed in the border area, which was half a man deep. Seven horses froze to death in the military camp."

"Although I have never been to the frontier, I have heard people say that it is bitterly cold in the frontier. The weather is cold in winter, and the snow falls half a man deep. It is like this every year. It is not surprising. This year's snow is like previous years. Seven horses froze to death. It should be It’s just like old years.”

"But the King of Yue said that in the snowstorm, numerous livestock were killed and injured."

"As far as I know, my cousin is careless on the surface, but he is a careful person in private. He probably counted the so-called countless casualties, seven in total, so he gave the emperor a hint and told him the truth. "

The emperor was taken aback.

Can Cui Zhen’s excerpt be interpreted this way?

I didn't expect it.

He dug out the notes written by Cui Zhen in the past year. Every letter was unremarkable. In addition to greetings, there were also some words that were neither serious nor serious. Like a homely chat.

For example, on July 16th of the previous year, he said, "There was a heavy rain at the border fortress, which caused the breeding of insects and flies, and three people died."

On the eighth day of September in the old year, he said, "Seven or eight soldiers in the military camp had diarrhea, but they recovered after taking medicine for four or five days."

On December 15th of the old year, he said, "It's almost the end of the year, and the soldiers have received their pay, and they are very happy."

Let’s read more about the King of Yue.

On July 11 of the previous year, the King of Yue wrote an urgent note for eight hundred miles: "A plague broke out in some parts of the border area. Three hundred people died, and some families were wiped out. Please ask the emperor to allocate five thousand taels of silver for disaster relief."

On the first day of September in the old year, the King of Yue wrote an urgent note for eight hundred miles: "There are seventy or eighty soldiers in the military camp who are suffering from diarrhea. In order to avoid local spread, the army has allocated more than 10,000 pairs of traditional Chinese medicine, and daily disinfection has been carried out for a month. , it consumes three thousand taels of silver, please make more at your discretion."

On the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month of the old year, the King of Yue wrote an urgent note for eight hundred miles: "It is almost the end of the new year, and the soldiers have received their pay and silver. Since they have been fighting for a year, their pay and silver have not increased. The soldiers are quite complaining. Now I ask for ten thousand taels of silver." As a reward, please let the emperor decide whether it is possible."

In other words, the urgent statement from the King of Yue was written at the front, and Cui Zhen asked An to follow closely.

But the content of the excerpt is quite different.

Cui Zhen downplayed the seriousness of the King of Yue.

In the past, every time the King of Yue came to collect money, the court gave him silver according to his wishes. In total, there were not only 100,000 taels, but also 80,000 taels.

But if Cui Zhen meant it, the money would be unnecessary.

Who is real and who is fake?

The emperor felt like a mirror.

"The emperor should send someone to investigate. If what His Royal Highness the King of Yue says is true, the fifty thousand taels of silver cannot be spared. After all, it is military affairs."

The emperor was silent, then picked up Cui Zhen's book again and studied it carefully.

Could it be that Cui Zhen was reminding him with this kind of trick?

He dispatched Cui Zhen to serve under the King of Yue. With the King of Yue around, Cui Zhen was able to obey the King of Yue in everything he did.

The letter he wrote may have been read by the King of Yue, so it was not a secret.

To be able to find a way to report the truth to the capital under such circumstances is enough to show that Cui Zhen is a wise and strategic person and is not as stupid as he appears.

"You have a good cousin." The emperor put down the note: "Cui Zhen will return to Beijing at the end of the year. I want to see him."

Du Jiyan had no time to think about her cousin's good or bad qualities.

She was still thinking about the business of Yongfu Palace.

The most taboo thing in doing business is three days of fishing and two days of drying nets.

The takeaway business has just started, and it’s too late to start today. If you can’t deliver meals to the palaces on time, wouldn’t it be damaging your own brand and affecting your credibility?

Fortunately, Shi Jing was there, and the stove in the small kitchen started to get busy early in the morning.

Although the little eunuchs were in a hurry, they also delivered several takeaways, but there was no one to coordinate, and two of them were delivered late.

One of them was the Ruyi Crispy that the Empress wanted, and it was half an hour late.

Du Jiyan asked the small kitchen to make another Ruyi Crispy. She personally took it to Jingren Palace to apologize and returned half of the Queen's money.

"This time Yongfu Palace was negligent. After the Ruyi Crispy was cooked and cooled, it became unpalatable. I also asked the Queen to take care of it. I made a new one and it was still hot. Please taste it to the Queen." Du Jiyan said respectfully. He raised the Ruyi Cake above his head respectfully. On the emerald green plate, there were at least ten layers of golden Ruyi Cake. You could hear the rustling sound when you touched it lightly.

The frying temperature is just right and the delivery is quick.

The queen was quite satisfied. Last night Du Jiyan was sleeping in the Taihe Palace, and the situation was quite tragic. I heard that the emperor simply stopped working for the day, and was still in the Taihe Palace after midnight. I think Du Jiyan was very favored, but she did not lose her sense of propriety just because of the emperor's favor.

The Ruyi Crispy that was delivered first was not up to standard. It tasted cold to the teeth and was not soft at all. Wei Guiren took one bite and put it aside, saying that Du Chang was harvesting holy favors, so he forgot his duty and bought the Ruyi Crispy for half a dollar. , but it’s not as good as what’s made in the small kitchen of Jingren Palace. Isn’t that treating the queen too slowly? And reminded the queen that she should give Du Jiyan some advice.

Now Du Jiyan not only brought new Ruyi Crisps, but also returned half of the money. He also said that it was her honor to order food from the Queen's Jingren Palace. From now on, she would not have to give money every time when ordering food in the Queen's Palace. It only needs to be settled once a month, which is convenient for everyone.

The Queen chewed the Ruyi Crispy Cookies and said, "One knot in a month, doesn't it take a long time? If you order the same thing every day, it will be thirty items in a month, which is a lot of money. What if I forget or miss the calculation? Don’t you want to suffer a loss?”

"I trust the Queen and am willing to send food to Jingren Palace."

The queen smiled like a flower.

Guiren Wei was sitting on the side table, seemingly playing the piano, but his hands did not move. He stared at Du Jiyan with his eyes, thinking that this woman was really on the road, how could the majestic queen leak her money, and she spoke so beautifully.

In the northwest corner of Jingren Palace, Meng Yuzhu was holding a book of palace regulations, so anxious that her neck was covered with sweat. The emperor told her to memorize the palace rules and let the queen check them after she has memorized them.

After the greetings and everyone dispersed, she began to recite the palace rules. She memorized them for half an hour before she came up with two or three, still stumbling.

The queen used two Ruyi cakes and leaned on the brocade couch to watch the palace maid Gui Yuan doing needlework.

Guiyuan's needlework was very delicate, and the queen asked Wei Guiren to play an elegant piece of music.

It is also very pleasant to listen to music and eat snacks like this. Even if the imperial concubine is in the corner, she can't recite it, and she can't drive it away. It's quite unnecessary to stick there.

The queen also knew that Meng Yuzhu didn't know a few Chinese characters, and the thick books of palace rules were really difficult for her.

Unable to bear the punishment, he said to her: "My concubine, you can carry it today. You can go back."

"The Queen said this on the surface, but I'm afraid she will complain to the Emperor behind the scenes. If I can't carry it off, it will be difficult for me to see the Emperor again in the future."

The string in Guiren Wei's hand suddenly picked, and one of the strings broke. It was obvious that Guiren Wei was unhappy: "My dear concubine, you have offended the emperor for not following the rules. The emperor punishes you by memorizing the palace rules." , if you can’t memorize it, or want to see the emperor, just go to the Taihe Palace, like Du Changzai did, staying overnight in the Taihe Palace to let the emperor go to court is considered a noble concubine’s ability, why come to the Queen’s place to make trouble and carry half of it on your back? When I can only recite two or three items, isn’t it a joke?”

"You are just a noble person." Meng Yuzhu's face turned pale.

"Guiren Wei is my sister." The queen ate another piece of Ruyi cake and said, "My concubine, do you still want to carry it?"

"Back." Meng Yuzhu gritted his teeth.

Meng Yuzhu insisted on carrying it, but the queen could only reluctantly listen.

The longan embroidered a pink peony flower, Wei Guiren played three pieces of music, Du Jiyan finished a plate of nuts, the queen yawned, the ground dragon was warm, the charcoal fire was strong, and the snow was falling outside, it was a good time to sleep. , Meng Yuzhu stammered non-stop, like a fly that had slipped in, buzzing non-stop.

"Don't make loud noises, don't walk around at will, get up on time, turn off the lights on time, um... Those in lower positions have to see high positions, no matter how close they are, they must salute and say hello. Don't be impatient when the saint is not here yet, and don't be jealous. It’s a quasi-intrigue and cannot harm the Queen’s virtue…”

Carrying it on her back, how could she pull the queen out?

The queen opened her half-sleeping eyes: "You cannot damage the virtuous character of the concubine..., it is not the virtuous character of the queen."

Although the Queen Mother has a bad reputation as the Queen Mother, she still holds a high position and is a noble girl. She has top-notch maternal guidance before and after entering the palace, so in terms of rules, at least in terms of palace rules, she is not bad. of.

Meng Yuzhu clearly recited the wrong words.

After the queen corrected her, Meng Yuzhu picked at the gold and gem-encrusted armor and said: "No jealousy, no intrigue, no harm to the queen's virtue..."

Queen

This cannot be taught.

"Your concubine is despising the queen. The queen has already told you where you made a mistake, but your concubine still doesn't correct it."

Meng Yuzhu had no choice but to kneel down: "The palace rules are difficult to memorize, and I am really hungry again."

After listening to the palace rules for so long, the queen was also hungry, so she asked Guiyuan to bring out the menu sent by Yongfu Palace, and ordered one avocado mixed with salmon and the other steamed cheese.

"My concubine also ordered a portion of beef and fruit mixed with salmon and a portion of steamed cheese with the queen." Meng Yuzhu was a little greedy.

Du Jiyan accepted the queen's order, but rejected Meng Yuzhu's order.

"Are you afraid that I won't give you money? Du Jiyan, why don't you take my order?" Meng Yuzhu frowned.

"My dear concubine, if you think about why you have to recite the palace rules in the queen's palace, you will understand why I don't accept your order."

Meng Yuzhu knew it well, so naturally it was not easy to ask again.

The queen became interested: "Why? Why don't you take the imperial concubine's order?"

Guiren Wei put away his qin and smiled: "I heard that Yongfu Palace blocked the imperial concubine for a month. Within a month, no one in Changle Palace was allowed to order takeout. The reason was probably that the imperial concubine beat the eunuch of Yongfu Palace. Therefore, the emperor punished the concubine to come to Jingren Palace to memorize the palace rules, is that right, concubine?"

Meng Yuzhu's face turned red instantly.

That's the only bad thing about the palace.

Sometimes there is no need to pry for information, just get it into your ears yourself.

Everyone knew that she was punished by the emperor for violating the palace rules.

The next day, Du Jiyan asked the small kitchen to prepare several exquisite side dishes and several hot pots. There are three series: cold dishes, hot dishes and light soups.

We also borrowed a flatbed cart from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Taking these cold dishes, hot dishes, and soups, we first went to the Queen Mother's Cining Palace.

"This is this?" The Queen Mother was puzzled. She hadn't ordered yet, so how could such a large amount of food be brought in?

"Back to the Queen Mother, Du Changzai said that on the tenth day of every month, Yongfu Palace launches a door-to-door service. Whichever dish the Queen Mother likes on the cart can be taken off, and the payment will be settled at the end of the month."

And door-to-door delivery service? Or the monthly balance.

The Queen Mother was so happy that she immediately ordered a wolfberry rice wine soup.

The trolley arrived at the emperor's place again. The emperor thought that he was working hard to serve him. Du Jiyan personally made a trolley of food for him, so he pretended to be polite: "It's not easy for her to earn a small amount of money. This trolley has less food." We talked about a few taels, and I couldn’t use them all if I brought them all to the Taihe Palace, so you say so, Gao Rang.”

Gao Rang whispered a few words to the emperor.

The emperor was embarrassed: "It turns out that the food is delivered to your door for you to choose from. I wonder why the sun comes out from the west. She can take the initiative to deliver food to me."

"Then, is there anyone the Emperor likes?"

"Just choose beef from a cart."

Gao Rang picked up a small cart of beef and brought it down, while Erjo and others pushed the flat cart to Jingren Palace.

The beef on a cart is as thin as cicada wings and the meat is pink. The beef is boiled and cut into slices, mixed with the soup, and then frozen into one piece. When eating, it is cut into pieces with a knife. This is a great test of the chef's knife skills. The finished car of beef is almost translucent, with meat in the soup, and the meat is tender and smooth, like eating jelly.

Chen Guo's harem, this is the first car of beef.

The emperor picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. It was indeed different. The beef cooked in the palace was always hard. If the beef was too hard, it would taste like nothing.

This woman is pretty good at research.

She actually developed new tricks for ordinary beef.

Gao Rang held the silver chopsticks and served the dishes next to him: "Your Majesty, how do you like the food Du Chang is cooking? The minion sees that the beef on this cart is red in color and shiny. It smells fragrant but not greasy. It seems that Du Chang You have put in all your efforts. Does your Majesty like the taste?"

"generally."

"Then it doesn't taste good. I'll leave now, slave."

"Slave dog, you are getting better and better at serving me."

Gao Rang laughed and quickly picked up two more pieces of beef with silver chopsticks and put them on the emperor's plate.