With such a beautiful and luxurious experience, Li Longji naturally would not forget to bring Yang Yuhuan along. Otherwise, the journey would be very lonely and boring.
Fortunately, the Daming Palace was only so big, and it was only a few li from where they lived to the Zhongxuan Gate in the north. For this reason, Yang Yuhuan quickly arrived at the Zhongxuan Gate after receiving the news. Under the guidance of a young eunuch, she entered the carriage from the first carriage.
Seeing that Yang Yuhuan was late, Li Longji did not have time to chat with Ang Lee. He nodded and said, "Assistant Minister Li, the group can depart now."
After speaking, he stood up and walked to the first carriage to welcome Yang Yuhuan. Ang Lee immediately retreated to the third carriage and gave the order to depart. Only Gao Lishi and two young eunuchs were left in the second carriage. Not long after, four palace maids walked out of the first carriage and entered the second carriage.
The emperor's journey was a big event, so the number of officials and guards accompanying him was very large. However, only a few of them were able to enter the five carriages. Most of the officials could only follow on horseback, and the guards were all cavalry.
This was to ensure the speed of the journey. If a large group of palace maids, eunuchs, and soldiers followed on foot, the speed of the journey would be greatly reduced. Not to mention two hours, they would not even be able to reach the Hot Spring Palace in four to six hours. After all, there was a distance of seventy to eighty li. The speed of the palace maids and eunuchs walking for seven to eight li in an hour was already considered fast. Such a long distance would take at least ten hours, which was ten hours. On horseback, they could easily reach thirty li in an hour. In two hours, they could cover seventy to eighty li, so there was no doubt that the speed was five times faster. The front and carriage had been improved by Ang Lee, so they could maintain the same speed as a horse.
Under the driving of the thirty strong men, the front of the iron wheel slowly moved forward, and in turn, the five carriages behind it moved forward. Not long after, the speed of the iron wheel reached the speed of a bicycle, which was the same as the speed of a horse.
The 5,000 soldiers of the Dragon Martial Army were split into several groups to guard the road, and a large number of attendants followed closely behind the carriages.
There were not many people in the carriages. In the first carriage, there were only Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan. In the second carriage, there were three eunuchs and four maids, a total of seven people. In the third carriage, including Ang Lee, there were only a dozen or so officials and six bodyguards with excellent martial arts.
These guards were supposed to protect Li Longji closely, but the carriage was very tight and there were so many guards on both sides. Li Longji did not let these guards get too close and only let them stay in the third carriage.
The fourth carriage was empty. There was not a single person in it. The fifth carriage was a dining carriage. There were seven or eight imperial chefs who were busy.
In other words, there were only thirty or so people in the five carriages. The number of people was quite small.
In the third carriage, Ang Lee was chatting with a few important officials of the imperial court. Of course, the topics they talked about the most were the five carriages and the more advanced carriages in the future. There was also the problem with the train that Ang Lee had already revealed.
These questions were very interesting to all the officials. After all, these were questions that they did not dare to think about. However, they believed in Ang Lee and felt that Ang Lee would definitely be able to come up with these strange things. After all, Ang Lee had already come up with many things that shocked them.
Black gunpowder, solar stove, telescope, and so on. Any one of these inventions had shocked them. As such, even if Ang Lee said that he could invent an airplane or a rocket, these officials would most likely believe him.
As they talked about interesting topics and looked at the scenery outside the window and the galloping cavalry, the officials were in a very good mood. This kind of feeling was what the future generations would call cool. It was especially cool.
And in the first carriage, Li Longji was lying on a rocking chair near the window. He looked out the window. Yang Yuhuan was lying beside him, one hand on Li Longji's chest. She looked at Li Longji affectionately, as if the Li Longji in front of her was not an old man, but a handsome young man.
"Ah Man, how does lying here feel? It's much more comfortable than sitting in the carriage! "
Li Longji comfortably closed his eyes and rested for a while.
"Of course it's much more comfortable than sitting in the carriage. Lying here, it's not bumpy at all. You can also enjoy the scenery outside."
Yang Yuhuan smiled, paused, and then said, "Saburo, this Assistant Minister Li is really a talent. The medicine jade mirror that he invented last time made all the women in the palace crazy. They are all trying to get their hands on one. Fortunately, Assistant Minister Li no longer makes large mirrors. No matter how hard they work, they can only get a small mirror. Haha!"
Women were vain. When she thought that she was the only one in the entire harem who had a large medicine jade mirror, Yang Yuhuan felt very happy. It was sweeter than honey.
"It's just a medicinal jade mirror. What's there to talk about? Assistant Minister Li said that he would invent an even better railway carriage, and the Great Tang would spread the railway to even further places. When the time comes, We will be able to bring you on a tour of the world."
Li Longji's way of thinking was certainly different from women's. What he considered was that Ang Lee's next steam engine test was successful, and the railway of the Tang dynasty would be spread further. In this way, he could go to farther places to inspect.
In the words of later generations, the more convenient the transportation, the greater the radius of people's daily activities. When there was no car, people could only stroll around in the nearby park. When there was a bicycle, people could play around the entire city. If they bought a car, they could often go to the suburbs or even to other cities.
In the era of the Tang dynasty, Li Longji, as the emperor of a country, was limited by the transportation conditions. He could only move around in the vicinity of Chang 'an. There was the Imperial Garden in the palace, the Qujiang Pool in the south of the city, and the farthest was the Hot Spring Palace in the northeast.
After all, the emperor was the emperor of a country. If he left the capital for a long time, away from the center of power, it would lead to the instability of the country. Some people with ulterior motives might even take advantage of this to launch a coup.
However, if the transportation conditions were greatly improved and the speed of travel increased, the emperor could return to the capital in a very short time, and such a problem would not exist.
In other words, whether Li Longji could realize his dream of touring the world depended entirely on the development of the railway project. Of course, it also depended on Ang Lee's ability.
"Saburo, is this true? In the future, we can go to different places quickly? There are water villages in Jiangnan, and Shu is my hometown. There are also deserts in Anxi, and ice and snow in the Northern Kingdom. I want to see all of them. "
Yang Yuhuan was like a little girl, looking forward to it.
"Good, good, good. Wherever the railway leads, we will take you there. Is this good enough?"
Li Longji said generously. As the emperor of a country, he had a lot of resources in his hands. If he wanted to build railways to all parts of the country, it would be no problem at all.
In particular, Ang Lee's existence had greatly increased the production of pig iron in the Tang dynasty. There was no longer a shortage of iron, and the two tax laws and the sale of black gunpowder had greatly benefited the imperial court. Thus, as long as the conditions were right, railways could be built in all directions.
"Saburo, I was in a hurry just now and forgot …"
Yang Yuhuan whispered to Li Longji with an awkward expression.
"Haha! What's there to be embarrassed about? Assistant Minister Li has already thought of this. Come, let us take you there. "
Li Longji teased and led Yang Yuhuan to the connection of the second carriage and opened a small door.
Yang Yuhuan was in a hurry to leave after being invited, so she even forgot to pee. Not long after getting on the carriage, she suddenly felt uncomfortable in her lower abdomen. However, she did not know that there was a toilet in the carriage.
"Hehe! Assistant Minister Li is really a talent. He even thought of this. "
Yang Yuhuan smiled shyly and walked in gently, closing the door behind her.
"Shh … Huala …"
After relieving herself, Yang Yuhuan did not forget to rinse herself with water. She was a clean person and had developed this habit. After all, there were flushing toilets in the Daming Palace. Not long after Yang Yuhuan returned from Ang Lee's mansion, there were flushing toilets in the Daming Palace. Moreover, there were more than one.
"Ah Man, you can wash your hands here."
Li Longji opened another small door and let Yang Yuhuan in to wash her hands.
After relieving herself and washing her hands, Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji held hands and returned to the rocking chair.
"Saburo, what is in the next few carriages?"
Yang Yuhuan asked curiously.
Li Longji had already seen it once, so of course he knew everything clearly. Thus, he introduced the second to fifth carriages in detail.
"Saburo, let's go to the second carriage to take a look! It's so boring to stay here all the time. "
Yang Yuhuan was curious about the second carriage and wanted to take a look.
"Alright, since Ah Man wants to take a look, then I will accompany you to take a look."
Li Longji went along with Yang Yuhuan's idea. In fact, he also wanted to go to the second carriage.
"Saburo, this is the dining table and chair. It's very comfortable to sit on."
Yang Yuhuan personally pulled out a chair and sat on it.
When the four palace maids saw this, they hurriedly came forward to help. Gao Lishi and two eunuchs also hurriedly leaned over and pulled out a chair for Li Longji to sit.
"Saburo, I heard that Assistant Minister Li's poached eggs are very delicious. I want to try it."
After enjoying it for a while, Yang Yuhuan smiled and made her request.
"Poached eggs are very simple. The imperial chefs have already learned how to make them. Eh, haven't you already eaten them?"
Li Longji looked puzzled.
"Saburo, Ah Man feels that the imperial chefs' cooking is not good enough. It tastes different from what Saburo said. I think that Assistant Minister Li's poached eggs will be more delicious."
Yang Yuhuan said stubbornly.
"Letting the grand Assistant Minister Li personally cook poached eggs for you isn't very appropriate!"
Li Longji felt that it wasn't appropriate to directly issue an edict. After all, Ang Lee had already taught the imperial chefs how to make poached eggs. He shouldn't let an official of the imperial court cook for no reason.
"Saburo! Mhmm ~ ~ "
Yang Yuhuan acted coquettishly. She often acted coquettishly so that Li Longji would dote on her. After all, only a crying child would get milk, and only a coquettish lolita would be doted on by an uncle. In front of an uncle like Li Longji, Yang Yuhuan was definitely an adorable lolita.
"Go!"
Li Longji looked at a eunuch and indicated for him to issue the edict. In order to make Yang Yuhuan happy, Li Longji didn't care about clichés. Moreover, he felt that Ang Lee seemed to be very interested in cooking, so he probably wouldn't object to having him make poached eggs.
The eunuch accepted the order and quickly entered the third carriage.
"Assistant Minister Li, His Majesty wants to eat the poached eggs that you personally cook. Please make a few more."
The eunuch nodded and bowed. He didn't dare to be rude in front of Ang Lee.
Ang Lee was in the middle of discussing the benefits of building a railroad to Anxi with the other officials when he was asked this question by the eunuch. Only when the eunuch repeated it a second time did he react.
"Congratulations, congratulations! Assistant Minister Li's culinary skills are exquisite, far surpassing that of the imperial chefs. His Majesty can't forget about you, haha!"
Li Linfu grinned sweetly, without the slightest hint of malice.
With Li Linfu's reminder, the other officials all began to laugh.
"Assistant Minister Li should make a few more. Let us have a taste, haha!"
Another official chimed in.
In the Tang dynasty, scholars all believed that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. They never felt that being able to cook was a great skill. On the contrary, they felt that being able to cook was not a proper occupation.
But Ang Lee was from a later era, so his view was naturally different from that of the people of this era. He felt that being able to cook was something to be very proud of.
"Go and report to His Majesty that the poached eggs will be ready very soon. In addition, I will also serve several of my signature dishes."
Ang Lee had the eunuch return to report, then looked at the ten-some officials and smiled. "Everyone, don't worry. I will make a few more. Everyone will have a share, haha!"
After saying that, he walked to the last carriage.
The little eunuch went back to report as if relieved of a heavy burden. More than a dozen ministers frowned. They had deliberately made fun of Li An just now and were just playing around. Unexpectedly, not only did Li An not feel embarrassed, but he had an expression of pride on his cooking skills. This instantly made their teasing heart choke back.
The dining carriage was very well-equipped, and all the utensils were not missing. This was very advantageous for Ang Lee to display his skills. Poached eggs, scrambled eggs with cucumber, sizzling beef, stewed whole goose, and other delicacies were quickly prepared and placed on a small cart.
At the same time, the dishes prepared by several imperial chefs were placed on three other small carts, ready to be served to the officials.
Ang Lee declined the help of the imperial chefs and personally pushed the small dining carriage to the second carriage. He did not feel that this behavior was a disgrace to his status as an assistant minister.
When Ang Lee pushed the small dining carriage to the third carriage, the officials were all stunned. Their eyeballs were about to fall out. In their view, this was something incomprehensible.
Although there were no tables in the third carriage, there was a large open space. There were folding tables and chairs in the corners of the carriage. After opening them, these officials could eat and drink happily.
Ang Lee pushed the small dining carriage to the second carriage and stopped in the middle of the curtain.
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