Taiji Palace.
Li Zexuan and the other officials all looked at Li Zexuan.
Li Zexuan immediately felt the pressure. If he wanted to convince Li Zexuan, he had to think of a proper reason. He could not be as vague as he had been in front of Cheng Chumo.
Li Zexuan quickly searched for all kinds of suitable reasons in his mind. Suddenly, he had an idea. He stepped forward and bowed.
He bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, there are two main reasons why I bought so many chicken seedlings.
First, I saw that my family's farmers were living in poverty. They didn't even have enough meat to eat twice a year. The children in the village might not even have new clothes to wear during the New Year. So, by providing the farmers with chicken seedlings and reducing their annual rent, I asked them to help me raise the chickens. Moreover, the eggs that the chickens lay can be used to supplement their household expenses and improve their lives.
Second, my family opened a restaurant called Drunken Immortal. A month ago, they released a chicken that was very popular with the people of Chang 'an. I presume that all the officials already know about it. Next year, I plan to release a hundred and twenty-eight dishes with chicken as the main ingredient.
These include braised chicken, stewed chicken with mushrooms, beggar's chicken, roasted chicken, sliced hibiscus chicken, multicolored shredded chicken, crispy chicken, spicy chicken, Kung Pao chicken, boiled chicken, roasted chicken wings, fried chicken, salt-baked chicken, fragrant concubine chicken, sweet and sour chicken, three-cup chicken wings, honey ginger chicken, apple pineapple chicken, hundred-flower phoenix wings, white cut chicken, shredded chicken, cold shredded chicken, chicken skewers, iron plate chicken, chicken stir-fried rice, and so on. "
Li Zexuan quickly announced the names of the dishes in a fancy way.
Cheng Yaojin, Niu Jinda, Yuchi Gong, and the other old generals listened with wide eyes. Although they had never eaten before, just hearing the names of these dishes made them salivate. This was especially true for the generals who had not eaten breakfast. It was almost noon and the court had not yet been dismissed. At this moment, they were hungry. When they heard Li Zexuan's fancy list of dishes, they all stood where they were and swallowed hard.
The civil officials were not much better. There were quite a few foodies among them. When they heard the names of these dishes that they had never heard of before, they closed their eyes and imagined how delicious these dishes would be. For a moment, the hall was filled with gulping sounds.
Li Zexuan was also a little hungry after hearing what Li Zexuan said, but his mind was still clear. He frowned and asked, "Li Zexuan, if you want to launch these famous dishes, you can just go to the East Market and buy chicken. Why do you have to go through so much trouble and raise chickens yourself?"
Li Zexuan was already prepared. He replied, "Your Majesty, the dishes I mentioned have high requirements for the quality of the chicken. Previously, I had set up a very large chicken farm on the mountain behind my family's farmstead. The chickens that this humble one bought will all be raised on this mountain, allowing them to feed on the grass, insects, and rice bran on the mountain.
Compared to the chickens raised by the villagers themselves, the free-range chickens on the mountain were more lively and active, and their ability to fly was stronger. This will lead to the compact muscle structure of free-range chickens, less fat, more fragrant taste, better nutrition, and better taste. "
In fact, there was one point that Li Zexuan did not mention in his heart. The free-range chickens could fly better, and their efficiency in catching locusts would naturally be higher.
Li Zexuan had never raised chickens before. He was stunned by Li Zexuan's theory. In the end, he asked suspiciously, "Are free-range chickens really as good as you say?"
Li Zexuan was still confident about this. He nodded and said, "Your Majesty, it's absolutely true."
Cheng Yaojin swallowed his saliva and stepped forward to help. "Your Majesty, I can testify about this. When I was still in Wagang Village, I caught a few chickens that escaped from the villagers in the mountains. Those chicken wings were obviously longer, and the taste of the chicken was better. "
Li Er nodded and said, "Well, Li Zexuan, you have passed the first test. How do you explain Minister Wei's impeachment of you?"
Li Zexuan first heard about Wei Zheng from Han Yuxi. He heard that he liked wine and was a master winemaker. On the other hand, there were many stories about Wei Zheng and Li Er. In the end, Wei Zheng became a famous minister and was ranked in the Lingyan Pavilion.
Li Zexuan did not expect that the first time he met Wei Zheng, he would be scolded by the Tang Dynasty's biggest troll. He turned around gloomily and looked at the civil officials, wanting to ask which one was Wei Zheng.
"No need to ask. I am Wei Zheng. What I said about the impeachment is true. What do you have to say?"
Wei Zheng saw Li Zexuan looking at the civil officials again and knew that he was looking for him. He did not wait for Li Zexuan to ask and directly walked out. As the Tang Dynasty's number one troll, when had he ever been afraid of anyone?
Li Zexuan bowed respectfully. "This junior greets Left Deputy Wei. This junior has a question. I wonder if Left Deputy Wei can answer this junior's question?"
"What question?"
"There's a blacksmith shop, and the kitchen knives they make are especially sharp. The world isn't peaceful, and many outlaws use this shop's kitchen knives to kill people and rob them. May I ask Left Prime Minister Wei, should the authorities punish the criminal or the blacksmith? "
Li Zexuan told Wei Zheng a story about whether it was a crime to kill or sell a knife.
Wei Zheng said, "Of course, the murderer should be punished … Uh."
Before he finished, he realized that something was wrong.
Li Zexuan did not give him a chance to change his words. He smiled and said,
"Minister Wei, you are right. The same logic applies to the scooter. Why would Minister Wei punish me? Children playing with scooters may be dangerous and may disturb the order in the city. But Minister Wei should not set the relevant laws and limit the places where scooters can be used. Why would you find trouble with me? "
Wei Zheng was speechless. He could not think of a good excuse to refute.
This kid is interesting. Zhangsun Wuji had an inexplicable smile. He bowed to Li Zexuan and said, "Your Majesty, I think Li Zexuan's words are reasonable. The Curious Pavilion should not be guilty."
"I agree."
"I agree."
In an instant, the ministers in Zhangsun Wuji's camp all agreed.
The Curious Pavilion had 30% of the Crown Prince's shares. Li Chengqian had mentioned it to Zhangsun Wuji many times. Currently, Zhangsun Wuji was the most resolute supporter of the Crown Prince. Although the Curious Pavilion had nothing to do with the Crown Prince's foundation, if Wei Zheng's intention was to seal the Curious Pavilion, it would more or less damage the Crown Prince's reputation.
Of course, Zhangsun Wuji would definitely not be the vanguard. He only needed to deal the final blow when the situation was clear.
Li Zexuan nodded. He didn't put these small matters to heart. He brought them out to give Wei Zheng some face and prevent himself from being implicated. He didn't expect Li Zexuan to be able to turn the situation around. This kid was rather quick-witted.
Of course, seeing Wei Zheng being defeated, Li Zexuan was secretly happy. He held back his laughter and said, "Since that is the case, Li Zexuan is not guilty!"
Li Zexuan quickly bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
At this moment, Li Zexuan let out a breath of relief. He looked at Zhangsun Wuji and didn't know why this person was helping him. He had to ask Cheng Yaojin later. The imperial court was indeed a little complicated. Li Zexuan felt a little tired. As expected, he wasn't suitable for this scheming and scheming officialdom.
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