The prince is more stable

Chapter 257 Having trouble sleeping and eating
Sending tea into the palace was Zhao Xiaoqian's marketing strategy.

If you want to popularize something, the best way is to start marketing from the top.

Imagine if Zhao Xu held a two-liter thermos cup every day, attended court meetings with a smile on his face, took a sip from time to time in front of the ministers, and looked like he was enjoying it. What would the ministers below think?
What is good above will be replicated below.

There is no need to advertise at the top of one's lungs, nor to distribute flyers on the streets or hold events. Zhao Xu's tea drinking gesture can make the tea sell like hot cakes.

If Zhao Xu could take a sip of tea in the Golden Palace and say to his ministers with a smile, "Chuwangfu brand tea is really delicious. I drink it all the time."

That’s even better, sales are rising rapidly.

But Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it and felt that Zhao Xu would not do such a shameless thing.

This idea is not very realistic.

The palace maid brought boiling water, and Zhao Xiaoqian put in a little tea leaves. After the boiling water was brewed, the whole hall was filled with pleasant fragrance as usual.

Zhao Xu's nostrils kept twitching, and his expression became more and more expectant.

Taking a sip of hot tea, Zhao Xu's reaction was exactly the same as Zhao Hao's.

"This thing... is tea? It is completely different from the tea we make in the Song Dynasty." Zhao Xu leaned over to observe the color of the tea soup.

"What does the emperor think?" asked Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xu nodded vigorously. "Great! The fragrance is light and elegant, with a long aftertaste. It has a hint of the everyday, yet also a sense of transcendence. Especially, after just one sip, my spirits are lifted. Excellent stuff! Zi'an really didn't disappoint me."

After saying that, Zhao Xu took another sip, closed his eyes and savored the taste carefully, looking very enjoyable.

Zhao Xiaoqian said, "This tea can be strong or weak, depending on personal taste. I see that your Excellency often works day and night, toiling over government affairs. If you really can't stand it, you can brew a pot of strong tea to clear your mind and stimulate your thoughts."

Zhao Xu exclaimed in surprise, "This thing actually has such wonderful uses? Great, great! I'll drink it every day from now on!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "I pay tribute of ten kilograms of tea to the palace every month. It is more than enough for your Majesty to drink. Please also bring some for the Empress Dowager and the concubines in the harem. This is also a small token of my filial piety."

Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly: "Good, good! Zi'an is capable and sensible. To have Zi'an is like having half of my kingdom."

"Your Majesty, half of the country is in the hands of the Liao Kingdom..."

Zhao Xu twitched his lips and said, "So, go get it back for me."

"As long as I live, as long as I live..."

Zhao Xu laughed heartily. "No hurry, there's still a long way to go. I'm still young, and Zi'an, you're even younger. You and I, a pair of young rulers and ministers, let's see if we can accomplish something earth-shattering."

Taking another sip of tea, Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly, "Great stuff! Zi'an, sometimes I wish I could just tear your brain open and see how many new and interesting things are hidden inside."

"You've been an introvert since childhood, and you haven't left the house much. Perhaps those years spent alone in a quiet room have nurtured a peerless talent."

"The Buddha sat alone under the Bodhi tree, suddenly realized the Dharma, and achieved a golden body. Zi'an, I think you have this in you too."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "Your Majesty is exaggerating. I don't have that much ability. All these years of solitude in my quiet room, I've only come up with random thoughts. Some of them might be useful, but some are pure nonsense."

"Bring out everything you can. The Song Dynasty desperately needs change. Zi'an, I have high expectations of you. You are my brother, so don't worry about me becoming suspicious. Throughout history, countless dynasties have fallen due to suspicion between rulers and ministers. I won't do such a foolish thing."

Zhao Xu's tone was very sincere. Zhao Xiaoqian pursed his lips and nodded in response.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian mentioned the result of the canyon ambush case.

The results weren't good, but they weren't bad either. Zhao Xu's brow furrowed, his mood suddenly sour. "This force is greater than I imagined, and the harm is even greater. Before the Imperial City Division arrested Liu Yao, they had already heard about it and rushed to Yingtian Prefecture to eliminate Liu Yao's family. This shows that they have allies in important positions at court."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "The reason they silenced him wasn't probably the arrest of Liu Yao, but rather the fact that the Imperial City Department sent personnel to the Military Equipment Bureau to review the records of the Divine Arm Bow's arrival and departure over the past ten years, which aroused their vigilance."

"So they found Liu Yao, the one who had escaped the net back then, and wiped out his entire family. After the Imperial City Bureau dug deeper, I increasingly felt that this force was perhaps even more massive than we initially imagined."

"They have a strict organization and plan, with a clear division of labor. They act extremely cautiously and will not easily reveal their whereabouts. Moreover, if nothing unexpected happens, they have already infiltrated certain important positions in the court. However, there is currently no evidence to verify this."

Zhao Xu's expression grew increasingly serious upon hearing this. "Such a force is quietly lurking within the imperial court. I truly... can't sleep or eat in peace!"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Sir, it's probably not going to be easy to catch them in the short term. They're too cautious. After striking once, they'll definitely lie dormant. If they don't move, we won't be able to investigate."

Zhao Xu knew full well that what he said was correct, and said helplessly, "The Imperial City Division must continue their investigation and try to find a breakthrough point so that we can wipe them out in one fell swoop! This is the Imperial City Division's top priority and must never be forgotten."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded in response, a gleam in his eyes.

It was obvious that this force was deeply hostile to him personally, and both assassination attempts were directed at him. Not to mention that Zhao Xu was unable to sleep or eat, as the person involved, he was even more uneasy.

The king and his ministers chatted for a while, and the tea on the table had already cooled down.

After Zhao Xu finished drinking, he saw the brewed tea leaves in the cup. His eyes flashed, and he picked up the tea leaves with two fingers and put them into his mouth with lightning speed, then began to chew them with a crunching sound.

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked and just as he stretched out his hand to stop him, Zhao Xu had already started chewing.

"It's okay, a little bitter, but... soft and crispy, and worth eating." Zhao Xu said as he chewed.

Zhao Xiaoqian slowly withdrew his hand and remained silent for a while. He couldn't help but ask, "Has the emperor ever taken medicine before?"

"I have been weak since childhood and often sick. No one knows how to take medicine better than me."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked tentatively, "After the emperor drank the medicine, what did he do with the residue?"

"Of course I'd throw it away. What else could I do? Would I eat it?" Zhao Xu smiled, his smile full of wisdom.

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed speechlessly at the tea leaves he was chewing and said, "The properties of soaked tea leaves and medicinal residue are exactly the same... Your Majesty, after brewing this, you don't need to eat the remaining tea leaves."

Zhao Xu suddenly stopped chewing tea leaves, and the emperor and his minister looked at each other, their eyes full of innocence.

There was a hint of awkwardness in the air...

Zhao Xu slowly stretched his neck, looked up to the sky and let out a long roar, then swallowed the tea leaves in his mouth.

"Well, cough! Of course I know that tea leaves cannot be eaten. They are used to make tea. How could I not know such simple common sense? Haha!" Zhao Xu tried to resolve the embarrassment with a hearty laugh.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled in agreement, okay, it was even more embarrassing.

"I'm just curious about this thing. Just like studying, it's important to know not only the fact but also the reason. So I want to try to see what the tea that can make such a magical taste is like. Everyone has to be the first to try it. Maybe it really is edible."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and nodded, expressing his approval of Zhao Xu's thirst for knowledge.

I just like the way you look like you're naive and stubborn.

This was done by European aristocrats in later generations. They soaked tea leaves from the mysterious East in water, then poured out the tea and ate only the soaked tea leaves. This was considered a fashion in aristocratic circles for a time.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty advanced European fashion by hundreds of years.

(End of this chapter)