Three hundred and thirtieth eight chapters unwilling to eat
"Exposure to rice can replace glutinous rice. If you try your best to catch it, it will eliminate harm and provide food. Why not do it?" Fan Zhongyanshu
Ma Rixi knew that the emperor's series of actions were all for him to see. Otherwise, why would he single out the memorial of his relative, Ming Jing Ke Xue Ma Bi, among so many memorials with similar content? This incident
It seems that the emperor did it at once, but if you think about it deeply, there is no guarantee that Ma Rixi, who has a guilty conscience, will not think of the incident last month when he privately sent Ma Bi to his hometown in Youfufeng to warn the clansmen that Ma visited and stopped. Mobile version
Could it be that the emperor already knew this? Otherwise, why would he just use Mabi to beat him?
The emperor didn't seem to know what Ma Rixi was thinking. He didn't let Mu Shun do the cooking for him. Instead, he took the chopsticks and picked up a locust that had been fried into golden yellow and put it into his mouth without hesitation. Between his lips and tongue, there was a sudden spread.
Here comes a long-lost crispy fragrance. This is a pure, non-polluting, high-protein food. The emperor also ate it with others in his previous life, but how could the locusts that cost dozens or hundreds of dollars a pound in his previous life be as fresh as this?
Even the emperor ate happily, and everyone below did not dare to move their chopsticks. A group of people led by Dong Cheng and Zhao Wen ate the locusts with complicated expressions. Although they had been carefully processed and seasoned by the eunuchs, the taste was acceptable.
, but there was still a hurdle in the hearts of these scholar-bureaucrats. The emperor couldn't help but find it funny when he saw this. The ancients could eat bee pupae and grubs, but they could only eat locusts. It can be seen that there was still a fear of locusts in their hearts.
The more convinced people are that the locust plague is caused by God, the more scruples they will have when eating locusts.
At this time, the people feasting in the Qingliang Hall looked calm and composed, but as the meal took too long, the emperor soon saw the clues.
Only then did he put down the chopsticks in his hand. Ma Rixi, who had been watching the emperor from the corner of his eye, immediately put down his chopsticks impatiently, feeling relieved. The emperor looked at the seat and counted the food in front of Ma Rixi, as if it had not been touched.
He smiled and said, "Mr. Ma doesn't like eating this kind of food?"
"It's true." The emperor didn't wait for Ma Rixi to speak, and continued, "The Ma family in Fufeng has been in the family for hundreds of years. Naturally, the family is rich in fine clothes and fine food. How can we eat such insects?" As he said, he
Then he said to Mu Shun, "Go and take down Magong's food and bring up another one."
In the eyes of outsiders, this was entirely the emperor's affection for his ministers, but Ma Rixi had a guilty conscience and did not dare to eat the 'disaster bug'. He was also thinking about the emperor's true intention of deposing Ma Bi.
It tasted like chewing wax and felt like sitting on pins and needles. When asked by the emperor at this time, he did not dare to admit it, otherwise the outside world would not know what to say about him. "I don't dare." He hurriedly left the table and prostrated, saying, "It's just my lifetime."
, I only know that locusts are pests, and killing them to death is shocking, let alone eating them? So even though I understand His Majesty’s deep intention, I still don’t feel relieved.”
"Some people say that locusts are celestial insects and are caused by natural disasters. Everyone should pray devoutly and practice self-education. As for expelling and culling them, it is not a long-term strategy." The emperor shook his sleeves, leaned back and gave a smile.
He said, "I think these remarks are really absurd. Locusts are born as thieves, and thieves are no less troublesome than locusts. And there are no officials in the world who don't try their best to punish them. Why are they so timid when they come to locusts?"
Floods and droughts are also natural disasters. Locusts dare not hunt them, but they dare to divert floods and droughts? At that time, people were obsessed with the theory of disasters, and all kinds of visions were attached to the sky. It was inevitable that going too far would not be enough."
This seems to be an attempt to redefine the theory of disasters and disasters that has been passed down to this day, and to change the passive attitude towards disasters and disasters to a proactive attitude. Ma Rixi also secretly cursed himself for being confused. After so long, he still acted on the premise of knowing the emperor's attitude.
It was really inappropriate to respond to these words. Thinking of this, Ma Rixi couldn't help but raise his heart and become more cautious.
"Those are vulgar words. Ma Gong is an enlightened man. Naturally, he does not mean this." The emperor leaned on the table and looked at the other party, but in his words he said to everyone, "You have high esteem, even if you have eaten sparingly."
When it comes to drinking water, I have never really lived through the poor life of an ordinary Li Shu family. Let’s not talk about others, just me. Although the locusts taste delicious after being fried, how can they compare with the elk, fish, wild geese, wild rice and wild rice in the palace? There is such a thing
Why would you eat a mere insect if you have such delicious food? But the common people are different. As long as they can survive in this world, why can’t they eat a few locusts?”
Ma Rixi's face turned red, and it was as hot as if there was a stove around him. Everything the emperor said was that he was picky and unwilling to share the suffering of the people. Not only that, Dong Cheng on the side also said
Seemingly enjoying the excitement, he stood up and bowed down and said, "Your Majesty is kind and loving to the people, and I am respectful to you."
"I had a dream recently." The emperor looked at everyone's compliments, smiled disapprovingly, and said to himself, "I dreamed that the country was in chaos and the people were starving to death. The king was different and said, 'Why don't you eat minced meat?'
"
As long as the emperor's dream is announced to his ministers, it will definitely have a deep meaning. After listening to this absurd story, Yang Qi frowned and said loudly, "This master does not know the suffering, and is very deceived by the villains around him."
! As a king, you should get close to the virtuous and understand the people. Shun had the mission to accept his words, Zhou had officials who collected poems, and now there is the system of Yuefu. These are the eyes and ears of the emperor, so there are no mistakes in governance."
"Mr. Yang is right." The emperor nodded. He originally wanted to use this to ridicule the many Confucian scholars in the dynasty who only talked about big principles. At this time, he turned his attention to Ma Rixi and said, "For the king
This should be the case. The importance of serving the country is to ensure that every order and government are related to each other. There are countless connections that cannot be ignored. Although what I just said was a dream, the words "why not eat minced meat" should be used as a warning. From now on, don't do it.
It’s better to learn this foolish saying.”
At this point, the emperor seemed to have noticed Ma Rixi's anxious and worried look, and immediately ordered, "Ma Gong, get up quickly. I see that you haven't eaten much. If you walk out of the palace hungry, it will be my fault for hosting the banquet."
"I'm scared." Ma Rixi breathed a sigh of relief without realizing it. Instead, he felt the emperor's serious gaze and the strong fear in his heart. When he returned to the table, he felt as if he had picked up an iron rod.
He slowly picked up the chopsticks, and then, under the emperor's expectant gaze, he stretched the chopsticks toward the plate.
The lacquer plate with black background and red stripes contained more than a dozen fried golden and crispy locusts. Although these insects had all their heads, legs, wings and other limbs removed, leaving only a torso, they were as plump as a snake's belly.
The insect's belly at the tail and the incompletely removed limbs near the breastplate were almost the same as before he was alive. Ma Rixi endured the disgust and discomfort in his heart, and picked up a locust under the huge pressure, trembling slightly.
Take it into your mouth.
As luck would have it, the locust was just a fertile female, and there were many eggs inside that were fried and left in the belly. Ma Rixi just bit the belly of the locust, and inside
The eggs were exposed. The thought of these eggs rolling on his tongue, so strange and disgusting, made Ma Rixi frown and almost spit them out.
Yang Qi couldn't help but stand up on his knees at the table and said anxiously, "Your Majesty!"
Even if Ma Rixi was wrong, he was humiliated in court, but it was a bit too much.
This was not stated in his mouth, but the emperor obviously understood the meaning of Yang Qi's intercession, and just asked him to stop in moderation and save some dignity. Then why didn't Ma Rixi know the principle of stopping in moderation?
A hint of coldness flashed across the emperor's eyes. After some thought, he quickly nodded and said, "Nowadays, the imperial court wants to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of people in Guanzhong, and the warehouses and warehouses will inevitably be insufficient to support them. Encouraging the people to eat locusts can alleviate the urgent need."
Now that the public knows that locusts are edible and their taste is not bad, he should urge the various prefectures to implement it seriously while catching locusts. This will also give the common people a way to survive in the disaster years."
At this time, Ma Rixi's face was very ugly, and there was a burst of sweat on his head. He had swallowed the locusts, and when the emperor issued the order and everyone agreed, he also left the table and made his promise. However, at this time, he was completely convinced and would not do anything else.