The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Actually.

As long as the Queen is willing to share her special snow lotus wine.

The newly acquired concubines in the harem still have a good chance of getting pregnant.

However, the Empress was already considered an elderly mother when she was pregnant with the legitimate son, and she almost suffered a plot against her, so naturally she was unwilling to take any more risks.

She's already a very qualified empress by not causing trouble for the women in the palace.

You want her to deliver ammunition to the other side?
She's not crazy!

She doesn't have a brain disorder!
She kept enough for herself, and the few remaining bottles of the special snow lotus wine were given to very special people.

In any case, many of the noblewomen from the households of powerful officials in Shangdu had very special relationships with the Empress!
"Cough cough."

Emperor Qianwu turned and instructed his chief eunuch.

"Put away the Yili Wuliangye and the tonic wine separately for me. Send the rest of the beauty wine and fruit wine to the Empress's palace and let her decide what to do with them."

The Empress is not virtuous; I must strengthen myself!
"As you command."

"Come, Old Bear, tell me more about your Kansai specialties."

Xiong Zhen: You have quite the eye for quality.

There was this enthusiastic supporter who put in even more effort when introducing the product:

"This cart is loaded with local specialties made by the Ganluchuan Workshop. Your Majesty, can you guess what they are?"

"Stacks of paper, slightly yellowed and wrinkled, isn't this just paper? It's not as smooth and silky as Xuan paper, but it's much softer. But how do you apply ink to this soft paper?"

"Hehehe, Your Majesty, this isn't paper for scholars to write on. It's toilet paper made from wheat straw and a type of grass!"

Emperor Qianwu's expression cracked instantly:

"Using toilet paper? Isn't that too extravagant?!"

"Not extravagant at all. This toilet paper is made from wheat straw and wild grass. The cost price is definitely no more than eight wen per roll, and the selling price is not expensive either. Anyway, nowadays, every military household in Kansai can afford it!"

"Your Majesty, you'll know once you try it. This toilet paper is far superior to those used silk cloths and toilet sticks that need washing, drying, and reuse. You can just throw it directly into the latrine after wiping."

Emperor Qianwu: "."

This topic has a certain intrigue.

But toilet paper is indeed a good thing.

Emperor Qianwu was quite discerning!
He loaded a large cart with 10,000 knives, sent a few to each of the palaces, and still kept more than half for himself.

Xiong Zhen then took the "country bumpkin" emperor to broaden his horizons.

"Your Majesty, this is scented soap! It cleans much better than soap beans or pig pancreas. Smell it; this one is a custom-made mulberry scent for you, the one for the Empress is snow lotus, and there are also orange, floral, tree, and milk scents."

Emperor Qianwu: "."

There are so many creative ways to use a bar of soap!

This family made a fortune in their workshop in Kansai.

The blind boxes are still being opened:

"Your Majesty, look at this clay stove. It was made specifically for burning these honeycomb briquettes. Honeycomb briquettes are made by mixing mud and coal in a certain proportion and pressing them into a ball shape with a hole in the middle. Two pieces stacked together can burn for a whole night."

Emperor Qianwu: "."

Good, good, good! How much firewood can be saved with this thing?
These are all good things, please send some more.

Ideally, the sample should be sent along with the formula.

Actually.

These are everyday items that have already begun mass production in the Kansai region.

Gan Minglan planned to send the wool yarn to her younger brother and sister-in-law Zhao Ran at the same time.

Kansai specialties make excellent gifts for family and friends.

As a result, Xiong Zhen, being shameless, found out and managed to stop him.

That's all for this moment of glory.

Based on his understanding of Emperor Qianwu, this flattery would definitely hit him where it hurt. Speaking of Kansai specialties, the most famous are naturally its fruits.

They went to great lengths to ensure that Emperor Qianwu could enjoy fruits from Guanzhong during the winter.

Apples and pomegranates are easy to store, and each type of fruit filled half a truck.

The melons produced in Hami are considered quite precious when eaten during this season.

But none of these are considered rare or unusual items.

When Xiong Zhen opened a carriage door, Emperor Qianwu was somewhat puzzled to see several round, bowl-shaped clay boxes inside, their gaps stuffed with cotton and remarkably secure.
"Old Xiong, you didn't pick up the wrong truck, did you? Did you bring back a truckload of your homeland?"

"Your Majesty, there is a special sweetness hidden in this clay box."

A dried-up mud box.

What makes it so delicious?
Where's the sweetness?

Xiong Zhen took a stone out of the carriage and gently tapped the middle edge of a clay box.

Emperor Qianwu's eyes lit up: "This is... mare's milk grapes!"

Mare's Milk Grapes are named for their fruit's resemblance to a horse's nipple, and they are available from August to September of the lunar calendar each year.

It can be eaten fresh or used to make wine.

In the dead of winter, can you find fresh mare's milk grapes?
Don't be too fascinated by it.

Xiong Zhen liked it; the emperor, a man of such high status, acted like he'd never seen the world before.

But he said:

"Your Majesty, you have a good eye indeed! This is a mare's milk grape! It is produced locally in Huozhou. The yield is huge every autumn. You can buy a whole bunch for ten copper coins! Look, just put it in the mud like this and bring it to Shangdu in winter. Its value will increase a hundredfold."

Emperor Qianwu: "This, with such a simple method, has it been preserved until now?"

Unbelievable!

Shocked.

How difficult is it to keep grapes fresh?
Xiong Zhen explained:
"It's a method that General Gan heard about from foreign merchants. He said it's a very common preservation method west of the Western Regions. The raw materials are clay and straw. The clay acts as insulation, and the straw absorbs excess moisture from the grapes. As long as it's sealed well, the grapes can be preserved in this clay box for six months."

Emperor Qianwu's face was once again filled with shock: "Six months! Six months!"

Then what about the ice cellars they painstakingly built?
Moreover, grapes in an ice cellar can't last even a month, let alone six months.

learnt!
The Silk Road truly cannot be blocked.

And here I am, having learned another amazing skill.

The emperor and his minister picked up the mare's milk grapes from the mud bowl and ate them with great relish.

I won't wash it.

I love eating this kind of original flavor.

Don't tell me yet.

Eating fresh fruit in winter makes it even sweeter than when it's in season.

Emperor Qianwu kept taking bites, exclaiming, "Sweet, it's really sweet!"

Xiong Zhen grabbed a handful: "It really is sweet, even sweeter than when the vines were first picked."

Emperor Qianwu valued more the following:

"I ate more than a dozen of them and they didn't taste bad, which means this preservation method works. Can other fruits be stored using this method?"

Xiong Zhen nodded vigorously:
"Inside this mud box, besides seven or eight kinds of grapes, there are also apricots and fresh dates. We'll have to crack it open to find out what treasures are hidden inside."

Emperor Qianwu, right now I want a small hammer!

I was just complaining about this cart full of mud bowls.

Well now.

Really fragrant!

Really delicious!
so fun!
He continued, instructing the Grand Eunuch, "Keep this carriage for me as well." (End of Chapter)