coobybook Chapter 195: Drinking in the Pavilion
Chapter 195: Drinking in the Pavilion
No one in the village knew about this, it was only because the He family was kind enough to take Ning'er home, otherwise...
Zheng Lizheng looked at the emperor and guessed that they would not stay for more than two days. After finishing the last thing, he would set off for the capital in the next two days.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. This is Miss Xia's hometown." We are all her relatives in this village. If anyone in the capital bullies her, I will lead the whole village to the capital to seek justice for her."
Hearing this, the emperor raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at him, and asked with some amusement: "Aren't you afraid of losing your life? In the capital, you can meet officials every three steps. Some people will take people's lives lightly after sitting in their positions for too long."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Scared! It's not okay for them to bully the children in the village. We, as elders, must seek justice for them."
"That's right. We have to move forward even if we are afraid. The emperor will make the decision for us then."
Listening to their simple words, the emperor smiled. What he ultimately wanted in his life was the scene before him. The people of Nanxu Kingdom must not be afraid.
Thinking that there were many people living in and outside the village, he wanted to remember what Xiaotian Village looked like. He walked out of the village step by step, looking at the dilapidated houses in the village, and then thought of the wealthy officials in the capital.
He looked up at the sky and murmured, "I'll clean up all the troubles when I'm old. It's time for a change."
The people outside the village were looking forward to it, turning their heads to look at the village from time to time, but this glance would make them freeze in their places and rub their eyes hard.
"Look, is that the emperor? Am I seeing things?"
When everyone heard the sound, they stretched their necks to look, looking like a group of penguins, so cute.
"It seems so. The emperor is still wearing his imperial robes and looks very energetic. Please tidy up your clothes and don't pollute the emperor's eyes."
"I pay my respects to His Majesty. Long live the emperor."
In fact, the emperor felt it was very troublesome to keep asking them to stand up, but thinking that they had come a long way, he asked them to stand up in a gentle tone.
"I am very touched that you all took the time out of your busy schedule to come here. I wonder if the food you have eaten these days is good?"
These people did not expect that the emperor would take them into consideration. As early as the first day, a big pot of cooking was set up outside the village. It was full of meat, and everyone enjoyed the delicious food.
"Yes! There are pieces of meat every day. The children at home are very happy to eat them. Thank you, Your Majesty."
"..."
Seeing that their bodies were covered with patches and their faces were tanned, and thinking of the grain seeds guarded by the royal guards, it was immediately decided that each household would take away two kilograms of grain. When everyone heard this, they cheered.
"Is it true? Did the goddess really let us take the seeds back with us?"
The emperor nodded and said patiently, "Of course, I keep my word. But after you get the grain, you can start your journey home. I will be leaving soon."
"We must preserve the grain seeds and plant them next year. Within two years, every household will have surplus grain."
When they heard that they could have enough food, everyone agreed. They all followed the instructions and lined up to get the grain seeds. Someone would register the names of the villages they were from, and all the information was clear.
When the emperor sat on the pavilion, he saw that the roast duck had been sliced long ago. He couldn't help laughing and said, "There is not a single stupid person in the He family. They know that I like this dish, and this dish is always on the table."
The eunuch bent over and smiled as he agreed, "Yes, the He family is very concerned about the emperor's food. I heard that the left prime minister will bring the He family back to the capital, and he said that he would take good care of the He family for Miss Xia Shi."
He said this to remind the emperor that there would be more people on the way back to Beijing.
The emperor took a bite of the roast duck and nodded, saying, "Then take them along. It's much safer than for them to go to the capital by themselves. With Boss He's cooking skills, he can open a restaurant there."
"When I want to eat it, I can send someone to buy it, or I can sneak out to eat it."
Hearing this, the eunuch thought for a moment and said with a smile: "It is just as the emperor said, being a cook is quite good. The relationships in the capital are complicated, I am afraid..."
Just as he was listening to him muttering about drinking, the man stopped talking. The emperor was so angry that he looked at him and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. If you have something to say, just fart. Have you learned to play tricks, old man?"
The eunuch begged for mercy quickly, "I dare not. The emperor has wronged me. I just thought that the He family has no backing and if we really open the restaurant, it will be closed in less than three days."
There were too many such incidents in the capital. Many foreign merchants wanted to make further progress and invested a lot of money under the best conditions, but they were all shut down by the court officials. Now only two major restaurants are still standing.
The emperor was in a very good mood while eating roast duck and taking a sip of wine, he was simply better than a little god.
"Isn't this easy? I will write a plaque myself and hang it at the entrance of the restaurant, and see who will be so blind as to seek death."
"If anyone touches my cook, you take the guards to kill him and throw him in front of the ministers to scare them to death."
The eunuch lowered his head and listened carefully, the corners of his mouth kept curling up. Seeing his expression, the emperor said, "Okay, don't stand behind me and serve me anymore. Sit down and have some roast duck and have a drink with me."
Looking at the endless procession at the foot of the mountain, like a giant dragon, he sighed deeply: "After returning to Beijing, it will never be so relaxing again, so cherish this moment."
The eldest eunuch grew up beside the emperor since he was a child. Watching him ascend the throne step by step and work diligently every day, he naturally felt distressed.
He smiled and said, "I will stand and drink with the emperor, so that some people with long eyes will not blame me for causing trouble for the emperor."
"This old slave still wants to live and serve the emperor."
The master and the servant held wine glasses and looked at the foot of the mountain. They sat there until night fell. Torches were lit around the pavilion. The emperor was not drunk, just slightly tipsy.
After years of experiencing assassinations, he has developed the habit of staying awake at all times and is very alert even in his sleep.
"It's a different atmosphere after dark. Old man, do you think many people will come here after today? This Xiaotian Village will become prosperous."
The eldest eunuch was even less tolerant of alcohol, so he bit his tongue to sober himself up and whispered, "Everyone knows that when the emperor drinks in the pavilion, many people will come over, even if they just touch the pillars outside the pavilion."
"Good, good, very good." The emperor sat in the pavilion for a while and stood up reluctantly.
"I will set off for the capital early tomorrow morning. The border is in chaos right now, and I must go back to take charge, lest some people have any inappropriate thoughts."