As soon as the voice of the chef who won the championship fell, everyone who could hear his words widened their eyes. They didn't expect that even though Wu Huifei had suppressed Between the Clouds and the Water so much, Between the Clouds and the Water still won the championship. How could Between the Clouds and the Water come up with such a plan?
Wu Huifei suddenly felt an indescribable feeling. She asked the chef in a trembling voice, "You're also Between the Clouds and the Water?"
"Yes, Your Highness. However, I'm not representing Between the Clouds and the Water in the competition. I'm representing Thousand Cuisine Restaurant. Therefore, the champion this time isn't Between the Clouds and the Water, but Thousand Cuisine Restaurant. This place will soon become a branch of Between the Clouds and the Water. As long as the chef is trained, he can open a branch Between the Clouds and the Water. Otherwise, it will weaken the reputation of Between the Clouds and the Water."
The chef who won the championship said respectfully to Wu Huifei.
Wu Huifei wanted to say that she tasted the wrong dish just now and wanted to taste it again. However, she considered that even if she ate it again and got rid of this person, the champion would still be Between the Clouds and the Water. Moreover, if she really did that, her reputation would be ruined. Although what she did now made others feel bad, it was all within the rules. No one objected to her rules.
Wu Huifei felt like she was a person who had grown wings and flew up to the clouds. However, when she was happy, she suddenly fell down from the clouds. What a terrible fall!
After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "Not bad. I've seen the ability of Between the Clouds and the Water today. Good. When I return to the capital, I'll have someone call you. Also, I'll eat the Ruyi House and Savant's Restaurant that also belong to the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. I'll not only eat there often, but I'll also recommend them to His Majesty."
Wu Huifei had no choice but to say some polite words. She greeted Empress Wang with a smile and went back with her people. At the same time, she decided not to stay here any longer. The Emperor was going to leave soon, and Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were going to follow him. She just wanted to have a look and find an opportunity to make trouble for them.
He was so angry that he was about to die of anger. After scheming and scheming, he was still tricked by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Revenge, he must take revenge.
Wu Huifei had a smile on her face and left with a stomach full of food. Empress Wang, on the other hand, smiled in relief. She said to Xiao Zhu, who was beside her and had her mouth slightly agape because of the ownership of the championship, "How was it? Now you know how powerful Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are, right? "
"That's amazing. How did they think of that? They got the reputation, the first and second place. They made use of Wu Huifei and made a lot of money. This chef's competition collects tickets. Those with good seats will pay three copper coins, and those with bad seats will pay one copper coin. Those with good seats will have a chance to taste the dishes made by the chefs. As for those that don't cost money, they can only watch from a farther place.
Although the money collected is not much, according to my estimation, the money for the materials provided to the chefs has come out. The most important thing is the advertisements of the merchants here. I think we can earn back the money that we and Wu Huifei spent on coming here. In other words, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo got a reputation without a single copper coin. There are also many dishes that are named after Wu Huifei and the Empress. "
Xiao Zhu nodded her little head vigorously and deduced in shock.
The smile on Empress Wang's face became wider. She said, "This is the ability of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. If it wasn't for the fact that I haven't learned enough and need to wait for another two months, I really want to go back now. The Emperor is going to Jinyang, and Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are accompanying him. Let me take a good look at Cuckoo."
"Empress, you can't go back. We have to learn well. Otherwise, Wu Huifei is very powerful. This time, she will probably go back and deal with Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. I guess she will be unlucky."
Xiao Zhu was afraid that the Empress would go back, so she advised her. Empress Wang was not the only one who received training here. Even palace maids like them were the same. In the past, there were people who specially trained them in the palace. Moreover, when they stayed in the palace, they learned a lot from the other palace maids.
However, compared to what they learned here, it was far worse. There was a short-term training class here, which taught planning and psychology. Until now, they felt that they were much better than before. However, it was more tiring. After all, the time was short.
"I'm not going back. I'll wait until the Emperor comes back. I don't think anyone else can participate in the Canonization Ceremony. It would be good if I could come. Get up, let's go back to Yaowang Mountain."
Empress Wang felt a little regretful that she couldn't participate in the Canonization Ceremony. However, she knew that this was to prevent something like the Empress from happening again. Seeing that it was over and she had to continue training, she gave the order and went back to her residence.
The rest of the people were still immersed in excitement. No one expected the final result. Just when they were feeling regretful about Between the Clouds and the Water, the champion turned out to be Between the Clouds and the Water. This was called ability.
When the four judges on Wu Huifei's side saw the result, they heaved a sigh of relief. If it wasn't for this, it would be difficult in the future.
The group of people chatted and laughed as they left. What they talked about the most was Wu Huifei's incident this time. For a moment, they treated Wu Huifei as a joke. After all, this was Huayuan County, where Zhang Zhong used to be the county magistrate. The people were all on the side of Zhang Zhong and Wang Family.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also received the news of Huayuan County very quickly. It wasn't far to begin with. Moreover, there were carrier pigeons.
"Xiao Bao, good plan. This time, won't Wu Huifei be angry to death? However, she is coming back. I think she will participate in Li Longji's trip. I think she will make trouble for us. We have to prepare first. We can't fight a battle that we don't have confidence in. "
After receiving the news, Wang Juan laughed for a while. Then, she told Zhang Xiaobao that Wu Huifei was coming back.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't care about what Wu Huifei would do to him. He didn't have any weakness in other people's hands. At most, they would pick on him. If that was really the case, Li Longji would be annoyed. Therefore, he didn't have to worry. The only thing he was worried about was that Wu Huifei wouldn't make trouble for them. Instead, she would get close to them.
"I'm most afraid that Wu Huifei will want to help us. For example, if we spend a lot of money, she will help us earn it back. She also has some private money. If she invests it in the bridge or the market, she will blindly give orders and increase the bridge toll by ten times. She will collect management fees from the market and send people to monitor the tax collection. That will be troublesome. "
"That's right, it's really possible. That market is originally an agricultural market, so it doesn't collect taxes. It provides a channel for ordinary people to sell their products so that the products won't rot. If it were to collect high taxes like normal businesses, then the products sold would probably be the same as the taxes.
Then, who will sell their products? We have to think about it. It's best if we don't let Wu Huifei know how we are going to make money. We have to find something for her to do. Let's think about what we can do to distract Wu Huifei from our business. "
Wang Juan also thought about this. If it was another concubine, perhaps after losing in Huayuan County, they would immediately come back to take revenge. However, Wu Huifei definitely couldn't be taken lightly. She was a really powerful person. She believed that after losing in Huayuan County for a while, she would definitely change her methods. Most of the time, it wasn't necessary to stab someone in the back.
"Okay, let's think about what can divert Wu Huifei's attention. Instead of waiting for her to take action, why don't we give her a reason to do it? We can protect the good business. Let me think about what business we should give her. It can't be a profitable one, but it can't be a loss-making one."
Zhang Xiaobao started to think. Wang Juan also thought about it. She understood what Zhang Xiaobao meant. If they really gave her a profitable business, it would be helping the enemy. However, if they lost money, what would Li Longji think? Who would believe that Zhang Xiaobao's idea would lose money? Wouldn't it be a trap specially set for Wu Huifei?
Now, Li Longji had been thinking of ways to get rid of the Empress. Wu Huifei was about to succeed, but she was ruined by herself. This left Li Longji without an excuse. It was a pity that Wu Huifei was destined to not be the Empress. She was powerful because her surname was Wu. However, it was also because of her surname that people were afraid of another Wu Zetian.
"Sigh! Wu Zetian, if she was born in our time, she would have gone further than now. Actually, she did a good job, but the men couldn't tolerate her. At that time, we had many foreign women as leaders. In terms of scheming, I don't think they could compare to Wu Meiniang. "
Wang Juan sighed. Even if she was prepared to stand on Empress Wang's side, she did not deliberately belittle Wu Huifei. A person was a person. Whether it was recognized or not, this kind of person could not be treated lightly. Li Linfu was like this. He had not even ascended to a high position, but he had already shown his ability.
Zhang Xiaobao disagreed with Wang Juan's words. "You mean to say that all the women in our time couldn't compare to Wu Zetian? The more information flowed in an era, the less chance Wu Zetian had. That was because many men still couldn't bear to let a woman be the Empress. "
"What about foreign countries?" Wang Juan asked.
"How would I know about foreign countries? Forget it, let's not talk about such impossible things. I thought of a business that could be given to Wu Huifei and let her invest her money. However, the annual income would not be much. It would take at least ten years for her to earn back her investment. Help me think about it."
Seeing that they were talking about other things, Zhang Xiaobao immediately stopped and changed the topic. He pulled Wang Juan to a nearby table and began to discuss there.
*****
Before the autumn harvest, in Boxin County, the commoners were busy digging trenches. This time, they were not digging small trenches. They needed to be able to pass through the middle. Even if large ships could not pass through, small cargo ships had to be able to pass through.
Holding the tools given by the yamen and eating the food provided by the yamen, the commoners were topless as they worked hard in the trenches. At this time, many sections of the trenches had been dug to the depth of two people. However, it was still not enough. They continued to dig. The deeper they went, the harder it was to dig.
This was because the trenches were already wide enough. If they continued to dig, they would need people to use baskets to lift the soil. The amount of soil produced was not small. At this time, they were only digging. Once they were done, they would need to strengthen the trenches before they could bring the water over. They would also need to leave an outlet that could lead the water to the side. This way, they would not need to spend so much effort to water the land next year.
At the same time, they could also continue to plant rice. It was estimated that they would be able to plant rice early next year. It would be like wheat, sorghum, and highland barley, which could be harvested twice a year. In the past, because of the lack of water, there were not many people who planted rice.
He Yiwei was still doing his job. Every day, he would tell the commoners about the county's financial situation. Then, he would wander around the model tourist area, selling information that others needed. He would guide the people who came to cooperate with him to advertise and so on. He had also opened his own shop.
Of the 500 strings of string of coins that he had invested, he had already earned back 300 strings of coins. After a while, he would be able to earn back his investment. When it became more prosperous in the future, he would be able to earn at least 3,000 to 4,000 strings of coins a year. This was much more than corruption and bribery. He did not need to take any risks. In addition, he would be able to get a piece of land in the next place he was going to. His family would not have to worry about their lives anymore.
The place where the tortoises were raised was still raising them. The tortoises that were poisoned had been frozen and sent to Feng Zhou. It was estimated that before winter this year, there would be a lot of livestock shipped back. Even if he was no longer the county magistrate in the future, the commoners would still remember him.
Looking at the development of the county, He Yiwei felt so comfortable for the first time. He rode on the horse and began to walk along the excavation area. From time to time, he stopped to ask the commoners who were working and resting if they had any ideas. If someone was willing to run a boat, he could help to get a loan to build a boat.
The commoners had been used to the situation where the county magistrate did not stay in the yamen and ran around everywhere. Usually, they met He Yiwei so often that they did not feel that the county magistrate had any official prestige. When they talked to him, they were not restrained and said whatever they wanted to say.
At this time, He Yiwei was asking two brothers. The two were biological brothers. They were one year apart in age and had married and had children. Their surnames were Gao. In Baoxin County, there were not many people with such surnames. There were more people with surnames Luo and Fu.
The elder brother looked older. He was in his early thirties this year. Maybe because he always took care of his younger brother, he looked like a man in his forties. The younger brother was much younger and liked to talk to others very much.
The elder brother was called Gao Fei and the younger one was called Gao Teng. When he heard the names, he knew that he wanted his two sons to be outstanding one day.
At this time, the two had just come up from the bottom of the pit. They sat by the side and drank mung bean water. They were resting and talking at the same time.
When He Yiwei came over, the two of them just nodded and didn't get up.
He Yiwei was wearing a patched official's uniform. It was not that the patching was worn out. It was because he was always wandering around, so he added a layer of cloth where it was easy to be worn out. In this way, he was not afraid of wearing out the clothes. He sat beside the two brothers and looked at the people digging below. He asked the elder brother,
"Gao Fei, do we have enough people at home? If we have more people, why don't we buy a boat? In the future, you two brothers can make a living on the river. During the busy farming season, you can stop and make more money. "
"Sir, my younger brother and I have the same idea. But we don't know how much a boat will cost. If it is expensive, we can't afford it. Can we get this from the employment fund? "
The elder brother handed a bowl of mung bean water to He Yiwei and said the same idea as He Yiwei.
He Yiwei thought for a while and nodded: "The employment fund naturally includes this part. I have written a letter to the capital to ask Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. I expect to get a reply in a few days. I heard from Erniu that if the people who buy the boat need goods, the county will find a way to supply them in the future, but they must pay a part of the money.
I think it's not bad. Although you will earn more if you pay a part of the money, in fact, I think this employment fund should be given to the people in the family who don't have enough manpower to make money. In the end, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo didn't agree. They said that they don't have enough manpower, and they have to farm and do other things.
So in the end, this employment fund will be used on the people in the family who don't have enough manpower. After the tax is collected, a part of it will be used to subsidize the people in the county who don't have enough money. The imperial court doesn't have this rule. It is set by the county.
This time, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will talk to the emperor about this matter. It's called welfare. I don't know if it will pass. If it passes, I have to tell the people who paid the tax. Otherwise, many people will feel that they should give their tax money to others for free. "
"Yes, why should they give it to others? Shouldn't the county's income be spent on everyone in the county? "Gao Fei's younger brother, Gao Teng, followed He Yiwei's words. He didn't understand.
As the elder brother, he knew more. He thought for a while and said: "What do you know? The county's income is used on the people in the county. But Lord He, Registrar Zhang and Deputy Wang are willing to disclose the income and expenditure. Even if they don't disclose it, what can you do? How many places do you see doing this?
It's okay to give it to others. Who can guarantee that nothing will happen to them in their life? There is no disease or disaster. Today, we pay the tax to help others. Maybe one day we will need other people's help. Besides, why didn't we give it to you? Soon, the county will treat the people in the county for free.
This part of the money can be given to people who are sick, but not to people who are not sick. Just because you are not sick, shouldn't we let the government spend this money? When you are sick and the money can't be treated, won't you regret it? "
Seeing that Gao Fei was so understanding, He Yiwei was happy and said, "That's right. No one dares to say that he doesn't need other people's help in his life. The money in the government office can't be equally spent on everyone. Whoever needs it should be used first. People in a county should be united. Those who can pay more taxes are capable people."
Gao Teng was speechless because he was sick a few days ago. He was treated in the clinic next to the government. The doctor didn't ask for money and the medicine was very cheap. This was before the universal free medical treatment was implemented. Once it was implemented, there was no need to spend money anymore.
Hearing what He Yiwei said, Gao Fei looked forward to it, but suddenly he asked worriedly: "Lord He, when you, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are all gone, will the new official listen to you? What if he is greedy for money? "
"Will he listen? That depends on who set the rules. You know Sanshui County, right? Do you think the officials there will listen? Unfortunately, it's not possible here. We can't let the people choose, but the people can supervise and ask the officials to disclose the financial affairs. If the officials don't listen, someone will punish them.
Even if Xiao Bao and Cuckoo want to protect their own face and business here, they will never allow Baoxin County to be out of their control. If they don't, they will replace them. When all the officials get used to it, it will be fine. "
He Yiwei didn't think that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't care about the big business here.
The three of them chatted happily until the two brothers felt that they had recovered their strength and went back to work. He Yiwei then stood up with a smile, casually patted the dirt off his body, and prepared to go to the next place to have a look.
At this time, the sound of a horse's hooves came. He Yiwei looked in the direction of the sound and sighed helplessly. It's here again. I've already refused once. Why did it come here again?
The person who came was Lieutenant Yan of Xincai County. The last time he came, he wanted the rich in the county to pay for the road repair. He said that after the road was repaired, the rich would have a special road when they walked, and the others would take the other road and send people to maintain it. The money didn't need to be used up, and they could keep it for themselves.
This was the so-called big business. If anyone wanted to take the road in the future, they would also have to pay, saying that it was a symbol of status.
The idea was good, but He Yiwei didn't agree no matter what. He didn't lack money. He could open a small shop and earn three to four thousand strings of coins a year. When he took office in Yaozhou, there would be a lot of breeding businesses to develop. There was no need to do such a thing that would be criticized behind his back. Moreover, he had to share some of the money with Lieutenant Yan. He wasn't stupid.
He didn't know why he was here today. It probably wasn't anything good.
While he was thinking, Lieutenant Yan's horse came near. He got off and said to He Yiwei with a smile, "Lord He, I'm here again. This time is different from the last time. I went back and thought about the last time. Fortunately, Lord He didn't agree. Otherwise, it would have been easy to get into trouble.
The last time was like this. If someone didn't pay and still wanted to walk on the road, too many people were needed to watch over them. Even if another person saw them, they couldn't catch them. They could only chase them. It was useless. Therefore, I don't think it's possible. "
He Yiwei thought to himself, Aren't you talking nonsense? Who doesn't know that? You're making it sound like you're very powerful.
He Yiwei didn't give Lieutenant Yan a good look and said to him, "I wonder why Lieutenant Yan is free today? Do you have five things to do in the county? "
"Nothing, nothing at all. With Lord Li and Lord Cui, I have nothing to do. Look, I thought of another way to make a lot of money last night. It's better than the last one. Oh, it's feasible, not like the last one."
Lieutenant Yan didn't seem to notice He Yiwei's attitude and continued to talk about the purpose of his visit with a smile.
He Yiwei was really annoyed. He frowned and asked, "Since Lieutenant Yan has so many good ideas, why don't you do them in Xin Cai County? Why do you have to come to my Baoxin County?"
"Ah! Lord He, you've asked what's on my mind. I really want to do it in Xin Cai County, but Registrar Li and County Magistrate Cui don't listen to me. Also, they're both third or fourth rank officials. I can't afford to offend them. Oh, it's not that I can offend Lord He. They're just officials in the capital. How would they know about local matters? "
Lieutenant Yan's smile immediately disappeared and he complained to He Yiwei with a face full of grievance.
He Yiwei didn't answer this time. He looked into the distance and stood there without moving. He didn't think Lieutenant Yan could come up with any good ideas. If he did, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo would have come up with them a long time ago.
Seeing that He Yiwei didn't say anything, Lieutenant Yan didn't care. He moved closer to He Yiwei and also looked into the distance. After a while, he finally spoke.
"Lord He, I really do have a good idea this time. It's the matter of the river. After the river is repaired, we'll collect a sum of money from anyone who walks on it every time they come. It can't be too much. If it's too much, they won't come anymore. Think about it, this river needs to be cleaned up every year, right?
For example, strengthening the embankment, or cleaning up the silt, these all need people. It's perfectly justifiable to collect a portion of the money, but how much money can actually be used on the river? According to my estimates, there must be a lot of boats coming and going.
This money can't be collected in the name of the yamen. We can set up a chamber of commerce. The county will hand over the work of cleaning and maintaining the river to the chamber of commerce. The chamber of commerce will collect tolls from people. It can be calculated based on the amount of goods or the number of times. Either way, when the time comes, we can do whatever we see fit.
Lord He, this idea isn't bad, right? If you want to make a name for yourself, take out more of the money you earn. Who knows how much money you collect and how much you take out? "
He Yiwei really didn't know what to say. This Lieutenant Yan's brain was really good, but why did he have to use it on this? Who didn't know that there would be a lot of boats coming and going in the future? But the money needed to maintain the river, as long as there was business, they would have to pay taxes. A portion of this tax would have to be taken out.
In addition, the county's commoners still had 20 days of work every year, which was just enough. Why take more money? It was crazy poor.
Suddenly thinking of the chamber of commerce that Lieutenant Yan mentioned, He Yiwei finally understood what was going on. He asked, "How will the chamber of commerce be formed?"
"Lord He, have you thought it through? The chamber of commerce is simple. We can't really use other people's chamber of commerce. You and I will each provide a few people. This is a real business without any capital. We don't need to invest money first. As long as Lord He agrees, we'll split the profits fifty-fifty.
Not only that, the chamber of commerce can also find craftsmen to help unload the goods and repair the boats. Lord He just needs to give an order, and everything at the docks will be handed over to the chamber of commerce. No one is allowed to interfere. In the future, we'll have the final say here. "
Lieutenant Yan thought that He Yiwei was tempted, so he quickly continued.
He Yiwei looked at Lieutenant Yan as if he was looking at an idiot. After Lieutenant Yan didn't know what to do, he said, "I can do it myself. Why do I have to bring you along?"
"Uh ~! Lord He, it's not like that. Look, after you take all the benefits, there will naturally be people who aren't satisfied. If the people in Xin Cai County aren't satisfied, you can just seal the mouth and take a portion of the money first. Do you think the boats that come and go can still pay here?
I'll help you solve the problem over there. I can also deal with the local hooligans and country gentry. I have a way to make them not interfere. When the time comes, you just need to give them some benefits. I'll be in charge of everything you discuss with them. "
Lieutenant Yan didn't expect He Yiwei to say something like that, so he quickly continued.
Hearing Lieutenant Yan's words, He Yiwei really admired him. He was a capable person, but unfortunately, he made the wrong decision. If he really agreed, he would offend the people in the county, and the reputation he worked so hard to build would be gone. As for the money, he would have to give out a portion of it.
Lieutenant Yan could use the money to make friends with the country gentry or officials. When the time came, he would continue to be promoted. He was smart and wouldn't be worse than his previous self. It was really hard for him.
Thinking about this, He Yiwei said to Lieutenant Yan, "Lieutenant Yan, how about this? You can try the Ru River in Xin Cai County first. There are always boats coming and going there, and there will be more coming here in the future. I'll cooperate with you. When the time comes, you don't need to give me half of the money, just 20% will do.
I'll be in charge of persuading the people who are against it. After all, there are four workshops there. I think the people in Xin Cai County will give this little face. I don't know when the water will be connected here, so I'm anxious. "
"It's not like that. Didn't I say before that Registrar Li and Master Cui might not agree? I'm just a lieutenant, and I can't do anything."
Lieutenant Yan didn't expect that after going around in circles, he would be involved. How could that be?
"Lieutenant Yan, you worry too much. How about this? I'll go with you to talk to Registrar Li and County Magistrate Cui. You can talk to them, and I'll agree to cooperate. It'll be easier for two people to talk to each other."
As He Yiwei spoke, he helped to pull up the people who were tired from working below with ropes.
Lieutenant Yan finally changed his smiling face and said to He Yiwei, "County Magistrate He, it's fine if you don't agree. Why do you have to push me into the fire pit? I already said that they wouldn't agree, but they still insisted. Since that's the case, County Magistrate He, take care. Goodbye. "
After he finished speaking, Lieutenant Yan pulled the reins of the horse and jumped up.
"I won't see you out." He Yiwei didn't give him any face. He even dared to threaten him.
After Lieutenant Yan disappeared from view, He Yiwei was worried that he would cause trouble, so he also rode his horse and rushed to the yamen. He felt that Lieutenant Yan was a petty person who always had his thoughts on his side in mind. He didn't have any good ideas, so he could only write a letter to Erniu to send it to the capital via pigeon.
Without waiting for the letter to be sent over, a dispatch letter was sent from Luoyang to the county.
When he opened the letter, he saw that it was written by Zhang Xiaobao. It said that he wanted the people who stayed here to cooperate with the county to set up an insurance chamber of commerce and see if it would work.
Although it was called an accident insurance, it wasn't an accident that happened to the people, but rather the crops in the fields. For example, if there was a drought or a flood, they would ask the people if they were willing to be insured. If they were willing, they would do their best to get more people to invest. If they weren't, they would wait until they returned.
This was the first time He Yiwei had heard of such a thing. After thinking about it, he felt that it was better to give it a try. He didn't know what benefits there would be.
*****
As the day of Li Longji's departure approached, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also became busier. The emperor's departure was not a small matter. The work of the guards didn't need to be managed by the two of them, but whether the roads were smooth and whether the food, drinks, and accommodation were comfortable or not was something that the two of them had to consider.
There was also the standard of reception for the officials they met along the way, as well as etiquette. Since they had accepted the job, they had to complete it.
At this time, He Yiwei's letter arrived. After reading the contents of the letter, Zhang Xiaobao helplessly said to Wang Juan, "Little Li is really something. He arranged for someone to go over for us to clean up, and he even transferred us to the capital. How are we going to clean up? Are we going to the Imperial Palace to eat hot pot this afternoon? "
"En, we're going to eat. Should we bring this letter and show it to Little Li? I don't know what Little Li is thinking. Recently, he likes hot pot. There's no chili, so why eat hot pot on such a hot day? It's better to eat some barbecue. The cooking skills of the chefs in the Imperial Palace are pretty good.
We can roast a camel or even a cow. Xiaobei already said that if we eat hot pot again, we'll become the food in the pot. Little Li doesn't take care of the children, and always insists that Xiaobei and the others follow. "
Wang Juan was also tired of eating hot pot. During this period of time, she had already eaten it four times, and each time she ate it, it would take four hours. Xiaobei and the others ate very little, and after they finished eating, they couldn't casually run around, so they stayed by the hot pot like obedient children. There was an ice basin in the room, and there was a charcoal fire in front of them. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't feel comfortable.
Zhang Xiaobao laughed twice, "Easy, today's hot pot won't be so grilling. Last time, when the food was prepared, we brought it to the Imperial Palace. Isn't it just a hot pot? No one said that we had to use the most classic Beijing pot. This time, we'll use a small lattice pot to cook the skewers. The stove is long, and there's an ice basin under it. Then we'll use a curtain to block the heat, so it won't be so hot.
Let's do this and bring He Yiwei's letter. I'm really worried that He Yiwei will be tortured to the point of insanity. Of course, I'm even more worried that the person surnamed Yan will deliberately cause trouble. At that time, even if we catch him and deal with him, the gains won't make up for the losses. Our matter is the most important. "
As soon as he said it, Zhang Xiaobao promised his younger siblings that they would eat well today. Moreover, they wouldn't eat in the room, but under the shade outside. They could even eat while playing elsewhere. Only then did Xiaobei and the others reluctantly agree. Otherwise, they would rather give up their official position than suffer.
Bringing along their tools, the little fellows wore the seventh-ranked official's uniform and majestically entered the Imperial Palace once again. The people on the streets of Chang 'an were already used to a group of small officials strolling around when they had nothing to do.
The Imperial Palace guards guarding the door were also used to it. They didn't check and directly let them in. The little fellows didn't have any weapons on them. The first two checks were only made, and they were even reprimanded once.
Li Longji had been waiting for a long time. Wu Huifei had returned the day before yesterday, which made him very happy. Originally, Wu Huifei wanted to join them today, but considering that this was a meal with the officials, it wouldn't be good to have another concubine. Thus, she was rejected. In any case, they would have a lot of time to eat together after this trip.
A long row of food was brought over, causing Li Longji to be stunned. After hearing Zhang Xiaobao's introduction, he felt that it was new and fresh. He ordered people to set up a shed outside so that everyone could eat together.
It wasn't that the outside was good, but that Zhang Xiaobao was worried that too much carbon monoxide would come out from the charcoal under the long row of stoves, which would cause poisoning. There was no need to worry about eating outside, even if there was no wind.
After setting up the shed, the other food to be boiled were also prepared. Whoever wanted to eat could put the food into a small compartment and eat it when it was ready.
Xiaobei and the others didn't care about this kind of thing. They ran around the large courtyard, waiting for their brothers and sisters to help them cook. Then, they would come over and eat two skewers before continuing to run.
Li Longji watched Xiaobei and the others laughing in the courtyard and was in a very good mood. After eating a few skewers, he was about to ask Gao Lishi to cook two more when Zhang Xiaobao took out the letter written by He Yiwei.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a letter from Baoxin County. The County Magistrate Yan that you sent to Xin Cai County hasn't been very obedient recently."
After saying this, Zhang Xiaobao handed the letter to Li Longji and began to cook the skewers for his younger siblings.
Li Longji took the letter in puzzlement and read it from beginning to end. After that, he didn't know what to do. That's right, he was the one who sent him. He was going to ask Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to help him manage him like they did He Yiwei. But now that the two of them were in the capital, he couldn't manage him.
"Lishi, what do you think?" Li Longji handed the letter back to Gao Lishi.
Gao Lishi glanced at it and was also worried. After thinking for a while, he said, "Your Majesty, why don't we transfer him to another place first? We don't want him to do anything when Xiao Bao and Cuckoo aren't around. Even if we kill him after something happens, it's useless."
Li Longji thought about Gao Lishi's words and looked at Zhang Xiaobao. "Xiao Bao, what do you think?"
"I think? I think there's no need to transfer him. Just find something for him to do. For example, let him calculate how much profit the four workshops can generate in the shortest amount of time, how many jobs can be provided for the local people, and how much benefits can the local people get from it.
Just order him to do this. Don't think that it's just a simple task. It's not easy to figure it out, especially when there's a lot of data that he doesn't know. One is to ask the people in the workshops, and the other is to calculate it himself. Don't let him be idle, or he won't be able to find the time. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't want Li Longji to transfer him away because he was going to go back after he was done with this trip. He wanted to see what the Yan guy was up to.
"Then we'll do as Xiao Bao says." Li Longji didn't have any main purpose in this matter.
He just ordered Gao Lishi to write a decree and that was it.
He turned back and continued to eat. As he ate, he asked, "Xiao Bao, do you know what's going on in Tubo?"
"I haven't received any news for ten days. My people have all left. Now, they're probably waiting in Yizhou for Tubo to run out of food so that they can continue to trade with them. Does Your Majesty have any new news?"
Zhang Xiaobao swallowed a prawn ball, looked at Wang Juan, and said to Li Longji.
Li Longji shook his head. "I don't have any news. I'm afraid that if Tubo really suffers a great disaster this year, not only will they not trade with us, but they will also send troops to fight to the death. Then, can Cuckoo still defeat them?"
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan suddenly understood. So, Li Longji was worried about this matter. The two of them looked at each other, and Zhang Xiaobao said, "It's unlikely.
Because even if they run out of food, they still have a lot of poultry. As long as they haven't eaten all the poultry, they won't be willing to touch them. We can immediately go over to help when the locust plague is serious. First, we can transport food to them and trade with them for poultry and good local products.
Second, the locust plague is very frightening. Moreover, after this year, there might be more next year. Many of the eggs of the locusts have already entered the soil. If there are too many locusts and they fly to our Great Tang, it won't be good. We can send people over to help and reduce a large portion of the locusts. We can wait until next year when the plague starts. "
Li Longji nodded. He felt cold towards Zhang Xiaobao's plan. It was too terrifying. He actually wanted Tubo to have a locust plague. How ruthless.
"If that's the case, then make arrangements in advance. Have someone send a letter quickly. Where's Xiao Bei? There's a prawn here."
After saying that, Li Longji took out a prawn and shouted to Xiao Bei, who was running around like crazy.
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