When Zhu Cixi arrived in the outer city, the situation had been completely controlled by the soldiers and horses sent by Jin Yiwei and Zhou Yuji.
This soup kitchen was a vegetable market, and I saw thousands of people squatting on the ground with bowls in their hands, including men, women, children, old and young.
Among the dozens of large pots standing on the side, some of them had fallen to the ground, and the porridge was spilled everywhere.
"Kowtow to your majesty, long live your majesty!"
Seeing His Majesty arriving, everyone hurriedly knelt down and worshiped.
Zhu Cixiang, on the other hand, came to the big pot with a sullen face. Looking at the food scattered on the ground, he felt angry rising up in his heart.
"Who did it?"
"I'm so disappointed in you. I've racked my brains and tried every means to keep you from going hungry, but what about you? Not only are you ungrateful, but you've also thrown a wrench into me!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
"The emperor's kindness is so great that the common people are so grateful, but Your Majesty, this, this is not porridge, it is clearly pig food..."
"Yes, Your Majesty, the pot is full of rice bran and wheat bran. It's so rough that it's hard to swallow. Someone must have stolen the rice noodles. I hope Your Majesty will notice!"
Several merchants kneeling in front said boldly, and others also complained about their injustice.
For a while, the scene became a little commotion again.
"That's nonsense. How can this be pig food? Those refugees could eat it for more than a month, but if it were you, it would be pig food and it would be hard to swallow?"
"Do you know that there is a famine in the northern provinces now? Countless people starve to death every day. Those victims are not even allowed to eat grass roots and tree bark. This rice bran and wheat bran are also serious coarse grains. You
Even though I am in the midst of blessings, I don’t know how blessed I am.”
Zhu Cixiang scolded with a black face, in order to take care of these people's stomachs, each pot is made with 30% rice bran, 50% wheat bran, and 20% rice. It is much better than a handful of rice for the refugees, salt.
It is also more generous than the refugees.
Facing the emperor's curse, everyone lowered their heads and did not dare to refute.
"Li Ruolian, bring me a bowl. I want to see if this is pig food and if it is really inedible."
"His Majesty…"
Li Ruolian was startled, which showed His Majesty's firm attitude, so he had to pick up the bowl and scoop out half a spoonful, but Zhu Cixiang shouted: "Scoop more and fill it up!"
"It's your Majesty!"
Li Ruolian had no choice but to scoop out a few more spoonfuls until it was full, then she held a bowl full of sticky omnivores in her hands and handed it over.
"Your Majesty, be careful of the burn."
When the kneeling people saw that His Majesty wanted to eat such coarse food in person, they all raised their heads and stared straight at it, with their mouths wide open, showing signs of shock.
Zhu Cixi took a few puffs from the bowl, and a musty smell hit his nostrils.
As for the aroma of rice, there is no smell at all. It really can't even compare to the pig food in the previous life.
But he knew that tens of thousands of people at the bottom of the Ming Dynasty almost all ate this kind of food. If they wanted to be full, they could only do so in the so-called prosperous times. In the years of disaster and chaos, there was no way to eat rice bran and wheat bran.
.
After it cooled down a bit, Zhu Cihong gritted his teeth and took a bite. It was rough and rough in the mouth, with a bitter taste. Fortunately, he swallowed it forcefully.
Although it was unpalatable and his esophagus stung a little every time he swallowed it, Zhu Cihong ate it with relish as if he were eating delicacies from the mountains and seas.
After eating, he took the handkerchief handed over by the eunuch and wiped his mouth, looking like he still had something to say.
Both the common people and the surrounding guards and soldiers were dumbfounded. Is this food really that delicious?
"Well, it's not bad. It's not as unpalatable as you said? It's just that there's a little less salt. But everyone has to understand the difficulties of the court. After this difficulty is overcome, I promise that everyone will live a good life in the future.
In the future, the price of grain and salt in the royal store will never be increased indiscriminately."
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
After hearing this, the people kowtowed again.
Then one of the merchants boldly said again: "Your Majesty, the common people also know the difficulties of the imperial court. Your Majesty's difficulties, as long as they can eat, it doesn't matter what the common people eat, but my wife is already several months pregnant. How can this kind of food replenish the body?"
ah!"
"Your Majesty, my son has just turned three months old. Such rough things are... really hard to swallow!"
Some people also joined in and even shed tears at the end.
Zhu Cihong took a glance and found that there were indeed a large number of women holding small children, some of whom were obviously pregnant, and sighed.
"This is indeed an oversight on my part. Let's do this. From now on, all pregnant and lactating women, as well as children under one year old, will receive two bowls of polished rice porridge a day, which will be boiled separately. Those who are really inconvenient will not be allowed to collect it on their behalf. Jinyiwei can come to the door.
Delivery.”
"Li Ruolian, this matter must be strictly implemented without any mistakes!"
"I honor your decree!"
"Your Majesty the Holy Might..."
"Long live my emperor..."
Families with pregnant women and children cried with joy and knelt down and shouted.
Even those families who do not have these special groups feel that His Majesty is a rare benevolent and good emperor.
The emperor took the lead in eating it and said it tasted good. Special groups were also taken care of. The news soon spread to various soup kitchens in the outer city.
Everyone had nothing to say.
Also knowing that the court was in trouble, they all lined up obediently again, held their noses and began to eat pig food to satisfy their hunger.
Zhu Cixiang then drove back to the palace with satisfaction, but his stomach growled halfway through.
It was obviously the bowl of rice bran and wheat bran that was causing trouble. His precious intestines and stomach were not comparable to those of the refugees. He was so frightened that he urged him to return to the palace quickly.
However, in the end, he couldn't resist anymore. He blushed and hurriedly ordered someone to stop the car. Then, surrounded by a group of imperial guards, he rushed into a nearby house in a hurry.
The owner of this house was obviously a high-ranking official, and the servants and servants guarding the door were frightened by this scene, and they all knelt on the ground and knelt down to worship.
"Uncle Wu, what...what's going on?"
A beautiful woman and her maid came over after hearing the news. Looking at the imperial guards in the yard, she thought something had happened. Her face suddenly turned pale and she asked in a trembling voice to the butler beside her.
"Go back to me, little madam. It's... it's your Majesty. Your Majesty is here suddenly."
The steward knelt on the ground and explained tremblingly.
"What?"
The beautiful woman opened her mouth in surprise when she heard this.
"Then...where are your Majesty's people?"
"Okay, I think I'm going to the latrine." The steward said softly.
"ah!"
The beautiful woman looked stunned and subconsciously looked towards the latrine, just in time to see a young man wearing bright yellow clothes walking over there.
It wasn't until the young man came closer that the beautiful woman recovered from her shock. She quickly knelt down and said, "I am a concubine of the loyal and brave Marquis Wu Chen. I wish you to meet your majesty!"
"Well! Get down, madam, don't be nervous, I'm just...what?"
Zhu Cixiang raised his hand and was about to find a reason to say that he was here to check the implementation of the supply system, but then he was stunned and asked:
"You are Wu Sangui's concubine? This is the Wu Mansion? So, you are that Chen Yuanyuan?"
"Back to your Majesty, my concubine's previous name was indeed Chen Yuanyuan."
Chen Yuanyuan knelt on the ground and was very nervous.
Apparently he didn't believe that His Majesty was really just here to visit the latrine, and thought he was here to investigate the commotion caused by the servants over supply matters.
"Keep your head up."
When Zhu Cihong heard that she was really Chen Yuanyuan, his curiosity aroused.
Wanting to see what the legendary beauty disaster looked like, Wu Sangui became furious and became a beauty.
Chen Yuanyuan had no choice but to raise her head, glanced at Zhu Cixiang, and then lowered her head in fear.
Although it was just a glance, Zhu Cixiang still saw her appearance clearly, and secretly said that the rumors were indeed true.
This woman truly has the appearance of bringing disaster to the country and the people, and the appearance of overwhelming the country and the city.
Among the women he had ever seen, in terms of appearance, only the concubine Zhang Yan could rival her in beauty.
Thinking of this, Zhu Cixi couldn't help but complain about Chongzhen. He was really wasting natural resources. If you don't want such a beauty yourself, don't drive her out of the palace. How much food will be wasted by keeping her there?
It's a good thing now, Wu Sangui got the advantage in vain.
But Zhu Cihong is not like Li Zicheng.
For him, no matter how beautiful a woman is, she is just a substitute for the Internet and mobile phones at night. It is completely different from his great cause, so he just left a few words and left.
"Well, she is indeed a rare beauty. She is also a talented and beautiful woman like Marquis Zhongyong. I have taken the liberty of disturbing you today. I hope Madam will forgive me and take my leave!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
It wasn't until the emperor walked out of the gate that everyone let out a heavy breath, and some even collapsed on the ground.