We arrived at the 27 Kitchen Club again, and the sun was shining brightly.
After leaving the court, Yuan Ke had a sudden idea and said that he wanted to understand the sentiments of the people.
It was impossible for him to leave the city. Not that there would be risks, but it was extremely troublesome for the emperor to travel. It would take most of the day just to prepare the ceremony.
As for incognito...what good thing does the emperor want to do?
Yuan Ke only wore ordinary clothes and lay on the top of the city to take a look. He didn't bring many people with him. He didn't even summon Liu Fang and Cui Guang, the attendants on the left and right. He only brought Liu Teng and Yu Zhong, who were accompanying him, and then
Yin Lixian of Henan and Yang Jun of Luoyang were summoned to the palace. They were ready to ask about the people's livelihood and conditions in the city.
Under the wall is Yuan Yue's Wuji Temple. The last time Li Chengzhi sold ice cream, he organized people to call for long live the mountain here.
If it were a kitchen party day in the past, this place would be the most deserted. Not to mention the Taoist believers, there would probably be only a few spectators. But today it is very lively, with people crowding under the long platform that is tens of feet long. There is still a queue behind it.
There are long dragons, stretching for nearly a hundred feet. People are coming one after another, as if they are afraid of missing something.
Although there are many people, it is not chaotic. Compared with the temple gates in the West Market, it is much neater.
After taking a closer look, I saw that there were many Taoist priestess crowns maintaining order.
"What is Xuanyi doing?"
Yuan Ke frowned and asked, "His temple is almost closed, so why is it so busy?"
Liu Teng and Yu Zhong served the emperor every day. They didn't know this, so they couldn't answer it. However, they were followed by Henan Yin Li Xian and Luoyang Ling Yang Jun, so they knew a thing or two.
Yang Jun arched his head slightly: "Your Majesty, today Wuji Temple is not recruiting believers, but selling things, so it is full of people!"
Selling something?
The emperor asked suspiciously: "Could it be smoothie?"
Apart from rare items like smoothies, Yuan Ke can't think of anything else that is worthy of being snatched up like this?
Not to mention the ice, but when it came to the ice, anyone standing next to the emperor would have anger in their eyes.
Even grandpas don’t have enough, how can they be sold in the market?
Li Chengzhi, have you thought about it?
The ice in the palace has been sold for a fortune, and even the emperor has to save it. The officials can only find other ways.
There are some for sale outside the palace, and they are made by Li Chengzhi. But they are not ordinary expensive. A square ice cube is worth ten gold, which is twice as expensive as what is sold to monks in the palace.
Why?
Just because Li Chengzhi’s ice is made of pure water. It’s so bright that it can clearly illuminate eyebrows and beards, and it’s so clean that there’s no trace of mud or fishy smell.
This kind of ice can at most be used to mix some wine, freeze some cold soup, or even be directly made into smoothies and delivered to the house for consumption. Most courtiers are reluctant to use it as air conditioner.
Even if I'm willing to give up, it's not that much.
Because even if he works at full capacity, Li Chengzhi can only make two to three hundred cubic meters a day. However, the number of courtiers who are eligible to enjoy ice has more than doubled in the past. This means that at least half of the courtiers have no ice to use. It would be strange if they don't curse.
?
Fortunately, Li Chengzhi didn't get jealous of the money. He said he would sell it for ten gold, but he only sold it for ten gold. Furthermore, it was distributed through the Zhangbing Division, which was the official channel, and the purchase was restricted according to grade. Therefore, court officials above the fourth grade were roughly
All have ice.
Otherwise, this ice would have been sold at a sky-high price.
Therefore, there are quite a few people who praise Li Chengzhi...
Yuan Ke couldn't help but laugh when he thought about it. He thought that if the officials knew that this was all Li Chengzhi's trouble to make money, they would probably beat Li Chengzhi to a semi-crimp... p>
After thinking about the words for a moment, Li Xian said respectfully: "Your Majesty, what is being sold in the city at this time is not ice, but tofu. Because during the kitchen fair, tofu is only sold at half price, and only one pound per person, so there are many people rushing to buy it.
Everyone..."
At the mention of tofu, the emperor's face darkened again.
He tasted it when it was first made and found it quite delicious. However, Li Chengzhi said that it was very harmful to the liver and kidneys. The emperor had a bad liver, so he was not allowed to eat more (tofu can cause hyperuricemia, liver disease, etc.)
People with renal insufficiency will suffer from gout.).
Yuan Ke was half-convinced and asked Wang Xian and Xu Jian, both of whom said they had never heard of such medical theory. So he scolded Li Chengzhi...
Only four or five days later, when Yuan Ke's feet suddenly hurt so much that he couldn't even walk, did he believe Li Chengzhi's words...
I saw the emperor mumbling, as if he was cursing, but I didn't know who he was scolding. After waiting for three to five seconds, I saw Yuan Ke pointing to the city: "I remember that Li Chengzhi gave this tofu to Xuanyi for sale. But
Why is it only sold at half price and the purchase is limited to one pound?"
"This is an act to benefit the people!"
Li Xian also said, "As soon as tofu came out, it became very popular and the supply exceeded the demand. But just like smoothies, not much was made every day, so the price was extremely high. It was the same price as sheep and pigs. The common people in Guizhou could only wait.
Beans salivate.
Therefore, the King of Ruyang ordered his servants to sell the tofu at half price at every kitchen fair, and limit the purchase to one pound per person. In this way, rich households and officials could not bear to wait for a long time just for a pound of tofu, and this would benefit ordinary people...
”
Is that so?
The emperor was very surprised: Yuan Yue was also successful. When did he have such a broad mind for the people?
In surprise, Yuan Ke accidentally caught a glimpse of Yang Jun staring at the back of Li Xian's head, with a look of disdain on his face, and he suddenly realized.
Even if he beat Yuan Yue to death, he wouldn't be able to do such a thing, either he couldn't think of it, or even if he thought of it, he wouldn't dare to do it.
This is clearly like the price of limited-purchase ice, which is 99% Li Chengzhi's handiwork...
Yuan Ke doesn’t even know how to evaluate Li Chengzhi.
Let's say he doesn't love money. In order to sell ice, even I, the emperor, dare to use it. Let's say he is jealous of money, but he doesn't make money with the money he gets and comes up with weird ways to benefit the people? p>
I really can’t figure it out...
Shaking his head, the emperor asked some more about people's sentiments, food prices, public security, etc., while silently calculating.
Without it, Yuan Ke has already started planning how to celebrate Hu Chonghua after he is born.
When the time comes, it will naturally make the world famous and reward officials and people.
Calculating the time, it’s only seven or eight months...
Yuan Ke waved his hand confidently: "Go back to the palace!"
Everyone responded and gathered around Yuan Ke going down to the city.
Just as he arrived at Wengcheng, he suddenly saw two Huangmen rushing towards him. Yuan Ke's eyesight was not very good and he couldn't see very clearly. But Liu Teng could see clearly: these two were the ones he had just sent to Qingquan not long ago.
Palace, dedicated to Hu Chonghua’s dispatches.
Seeing the two eunuchs' faces full of panic and turning pale with fear, Liu Teng suddenly thought: Something big has obviously happened!
Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s Hu Yunhua, otherwise these two wouldn’t look like this?
Could it be that it is the fetus in Hu Chonghua's belly?
Liu Teng rushed forward quickly and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"
"Is it Hu Guiren? He just finished his lunch and suddenly coughed up blood?"
Coughing up blood...Hu Chonghua was also poisoned?
Liu Teng's calves felt weak and he almost fell to his knees.