Great Master of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 48 Shipbuilding Right and Copper Mining Right
At first hearing Zuo Ming's request, Zhao Si's heart collapsed.But His Majesty's will is that all the ingredients must satisfy Zuo Ming, he has no choice, no matter how much he resists, he can only bite the bullet.

And Zuo Ming, who has been in the Tang Dynasty for so long, naturally knows that the royal family forbids eating carp, because the word "carp" has the same pronunciation as "Li".

But it is one thing to know, but it is extremely difficult to make him follow the fast.

In his previous life, his favorite dish was braised carp, but now that there is no pepper and bean paste in the palace, he can only make a bowl of lighter carp soup.

It takes time to make soup, and there is no MSG, so he can only use salt and sugar to match the seasoning.

When the whole bowl of fish soup came out, Li Shimin was already waiting impatiently.

"This guy is really ink, he can cook a few dishes for more than half an hour!"

"Maybe there is some big move! I just hope that we will not disappoint our expectations!"

Empress Changsun smiled softly.

Just as he was talking, he saw Zuo Ming and a group of servants and chefs approaching from a distance.

There were four dishes in total, and the royal chefs did a great job of keeping them warm. When they were served, all four dishes were still steaming.Especially the pot of fish soup, which was brought out together with the casserole, and it is still boiling.With the parsley sprinkled specially by Zuo Ming, the entire Lizheng Hall suddenly sounded like swallowing saliva.

Looking at the dishes again, both Li Shimin and Empress Changsun were surprised.

In the current Tang Dynasty, even in the imperial palace, cooking methods are nothing more than steaming, frying, and boiling; but this is the first time they have seen soup in a casserole.And the casserole in front of them is clearly the one that Empress Changsun used to decoct medicine.
Look at the pepper chicken again, although there is no pepper, so it is a bit less red, but overall it is golden and pleasant, and the aroma is overflowing.This kind of fragrance is different from that of shallots and coriander. Li Shimin couldn't explain the fragrance clearly, but he couldn't help but twitch his index finger!
There are also egg cakes and egg custard, the same dish, but there are such big differences in different ways!
The staple food of Datang is pasta. Li Shimin is no stranger to cakes, but can eggs be made into cakes?When they were born, were they not the same liquid as water?Even if it is cooked, it is still tender and smooth with a rough surface?Can this kind of thing be fried and eaten like pancakes?
What is that egg custard?The difference between steaming and boiling is not very big, so there should not be such a big difference in shape.

"These dishes are also made in a fancy way, but how they taste, I have to taste them with the empress to know!"

Refusing to admit that he was shocked by Zuo Ming's methods, he said stiffly, as a gourmet who knows how to eat, Li Shimin naturally opened the casserole first as a matter of course.

Seeing this, Li Shimin was stunned.

carp?

Li Shimin's eyes were a little strange, he glanced at Zuo Ming and Zhao Si who wanted to lower his head into his crotch.

Zhao Si definitely didn't dare to do this, probably ordered by Zuo Ming.

He was a little surprised at Zuo Ming's boldness, but he didn't want to blame them either.He himself is an enlightened emperor, and he actually has some complaints about the practice of banning "carp" because of the homonym.

There are hundreds of millions of carp in this world, maybe no one eats them in Chang'an, but what about other places?If eating carp can kill my Li family, then my Li family is too fragile.

Thinking of this, he slowly picked up the spoon in silence and reached into the pot.

However, at this moment, Mr. Qian at the side stopped Li Shimin, and then took out a silver needle and stretched it towards the casserole.

This time, not only Zuo Ming, Li Shimin was a little tired.

There are so many people staring at these dishes throughout the process, how can there be problems?

However, Mr. Qian certainly would not consider their feelings. After the silver needle, he even took a silver spoon from the waiter at the side, and then filled a small bowl with some fish soup and began to taste it.

Eunuch Qian obviously had never tasted such a delicious soup. After finishing one bowl, he went to serve a second bowl playfully.Then, he ate several mouthfuls of pepper chicken, egg pancakes and egg custard.

Li Shimin asked him what he was doing, but he only said that he was afraid that if he ate less, he would not be able to compensate for the toxicity.

But here are all good people, who can't see that the old man is just greedy?

It's just that Li Shimin is conniving there, who would dare to offend this hard-working old man at this time?
"Okay! Alright! Don't pay any more. Your Majesty and Bengong won't be able to finish all the dishes. You can fill some up and take them away later."

In the end, it was Empress Changsun who spoke, which made Eunuch Qian stop the "drug test" with a sneer.

Regarding Eunuch Qian's practice of not throwing hawks when he sees rabbits, Li Shimin just shook his head and smiled, then turned his attention to the carp soup again.

He really wanted to see what was so delicious about this carp, but Zuo Ming had to take such a big risk to cook it for him.

Soon, he got the answer.

After entering the fish soup and tasting the fresh and tender fish meat, Li Shimin finally understood why Zuo Ming always disliked Empress Changsun's craftsmanship.

The soup in the palace is mostly sweet, and this kind of delicious and salty soup really stimulates his taste buds.

Not only him, but even Empress Changsun was blushing a little now.

Originally, she was going to mock Zuo Ming, but she didn't want to be Zuo Ming, but she was really proficient in cooking, and the food she made was so unique and delicious.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This carp is not just a delicacy. In addition to its delicious meat, it can also treat symptoms such as coughing, asthma, chest tightness and abdominal distension, and restless fetal gas! Its nourishing effect! It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a medicinal diet!"

At this time, Zuo Ming spoke just right.

Li Shimin had already seen through Zuo Ming's careful thinking. While he was amused in his heart, his face remained calm, and he still stretched out his chopsticks to the plate of pepper chicken without saying a word.

This Zanthoxylum chicken zuoming has been fried, it tastes smooth and soft. Although it lacks a spicy taste, the feeling of moss still makes Li Shimin very enjoyable.

"Hey! Originally, this dish is more than that, but it's a pity that a key seasoning is missing, otherwise, the taste will be even more delicious!"

At this time, Zuo Ming, who was full of ghosts and spirits, spoke embarrassingly again.

Knowing what Zuo Ming was up to, seeing that Li Shimin didn't want to talk to him, Empress Changsun smiled lightly, but helped him out, "Tell me, what kind of seasoning is it that can be difficult for a rich man like you?" A millionaire with a hundred thousand dollars?"

Seeing that Empress Changsun really felt sorry for herself, Zuo Ming felt warm, and quickly seized the opportunity to say, "This thing is called pepper! It is a spicy seasoning among the five flavors of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, but this spiciness is different from the spiciness of spirits! Cao Min immediately I can’t tell your majesty about it, but if you have it, Caomin can guarantee that the food for your majesty and all the people in the world can definitely be improved many times! However, this product is native to South America, so it’s not so far away from us.”

"I've also seen the appearance of peppers in your booklet. It's the kind of red, green and green fruits that are as magical as you said?"

At this time, Li Shimin finally spoke curiously after taking a bite of egg custard.

Zuo Ming seldom boasted, and they all understood this after such a long time of contact.

Seeing that Li Shimin finally became interested, Zuo Ming was also excited, "Of course! This kind of thing is really important! With it, Caomin can make you something called bean paste and chili oil! There is hot pot! At that time, you will find that all dishes in the world will be inseparable from it!"

Zuo Ming really didn't exaggerate at all this time, he has seen the importance of pepper in later generations with his own eyes.As far as he is concerned, there was never a day in his previous life that he did not touch spicy food.

It's not that he likes spicy food, it's just that chili has penetrated into all dishes, and it's hard for him not to eat it.

"Speaking so exaggeratedly, tell me, what are you going to do?"

Listening to Zuo Ming's exaggeration, Li Shimin said amusedly.

Zuo Ming's dishes are really delicious, so he is in a good mood now, and he doesn't mind satisfying Zuo Ming's small wishes.

"Caomin wants two things! One is the license to build sea ships! The other is the license to mine and use copper mines!"

Knowing that he couldn't be polite at this time, Zuo Ming decisively stated his ultimate purpose for doing all this.

"After such a big detour, what do you want? Hai Chuanzhen can understand that you and Qingque have been thinking about that unowned continent for more than a day or two. But what do you want copper mines for? This thing is The foundation of my Tang Dynasty! If you only need a small amount of copper ore, I can give you some, but judging by your appearance, it is useless if you have less. Tell me, what do you want copper ore for?"

When it came to business, Li Shimin put down his chopsticks and asked seriously.

"Caomin wants to make a killer! With this kind of weapon, Caomin can sink other countries' fleets and those annoying pirates within a mile away with a wave of his hand! This will ensure the safety of Caomin's fleet and crew. "

Zuo Ming said with a bright eye.

There is no doubt that this kind of killing weapon can only be the legendary black powder.

However, what Zuo Ming said was simple, but Li Shimin and Empress Changsun were stunned.

A mile away, but also "sink" the fleet of other countries?Are you telling a fairy tale?Even the most powerful octagonal crossbow in the Tang Dynasty today is probably not half as powerful!
Seeing that Li Shimin and Empress Changsun were full of disbelief, Zuo Ming had no choice but to raise the banner of the Sanxing Cave of the Oblique Moon, "Caomin knows that His Majesty and Empress would find it unbelievable to say this! But the Taoist Leifa, Your Majesty and Your Majesty should have heard of it! Caomin’s killer weapon was born out of the five thunders! It is the inexhaustible knowledge of the first book of the oblique moon and three stars cave! Caomin can guarantee that once this thing is made, Your Majesty's attacking cities and territories in the future will be like a joke! It's just that this thing is too lethal and needs to be strictly controlled, otherwise it will be a perfect match!"

In fact, the so-called Leifa in later generations, that is, the legendary low-grade gunpowder, originated in the Song Dynasty at the earliest.Taoist priests before the Song Dynasty were all famous for alchemy.Therefore, if Leifa was mentioned in the Tang Dynasty, it could only be the real Leifa, not the small tricks of low-grade gunpowder used in later generations to deceive people.

(End of this chapter)