System, help me become the empress

Chapter 164 The Mid-Autumn Festival
God bless two years.

August th, Mid-Autumn Festival.

The income of the imperial court in the first half of the year was very good. In addition to the unprecedented bumper harvest of grain, the profit of the strange goods shop was also close to one million taels. With the rise of the banking industry, commercial trade in various places was booming unprecedentedly.

Some time ago, in order to fight Vibrio cholerae, all officials worked extremely hard.

So taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xu Youxi simply held a feast in the palace to reward all officials.

"Bao Changnian, I've got your Mid-Autumn Festival gift bag for you."

Yao Dacheng came here early, and quickly figured out the eating mode of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The Empress advocated thrift and every inch of food and gold, so she set up a "self-serve meal" mode.

There are a lot of dishes at the banquet, and the officials can take them according to their own preferences, but everyone must finish the food they choose, and there are no leftovers.

"Thanks."

Bao Changnian took the gift box calmly, with a worried expression on his face.

"You don't care, what's in the gift box?"

"Oh, what's in that gift box?"

Bao Changnian found a random seat and sat down, as if he was waiting for someone to bring the food.

"In the gift box, each person has a box of mooncakes and a pick-up card for the Qihuo shop. Making mooncakes is a unique skill of the master of Yushanfang. In addition to the traditional five kernels and red bean paste fillings, there are also fresh meat mooncakes made by pastry chefs in Suzhou. , and a newly researched Liuxin mooncake."

Yao Dacheng talked eloquently, wishing to describe the delicacy of several kinds of mooncakes in detail.

"You are so old, why are you still obsessing over your appetite like a child." Bao Changnian was helpless.

"Open your mouth." Yao Dacheng picked up the fresh meat mooncake from the dinner plate and stuffed it into Bao Changnian's mouth, "Try carefully, isn't it delicious?"

Bao Changnian never thought that this fresh meat mooncake tasted completely different from what he had imagined, it was so fresh and fragrant that eating a small one would not be satisfying at all.

"Really good."

"That's right." Yao Dacheng sat next to Bao Changnian, stuffed a piece of mooncake into his mouth, and tasted it with great enjoyment, "I heard from the imperial dining room that when His Majesty was in Jiangnan, he would always eat mooncakes from Suzhou every Mid-Autumn Festival." Fresh meat mooncakes, so this year Eunuch Zhou specially invited that master to come to Shangjing."

"Wait a minute, why is there crab on your plate, and why no one brought it to me?" Bao Changnian's eyes fell on Yao Dacheng's plate, and he couldn't move away immediately.

Yao Dacheng pointed not far away: "there is the dish area in front, you can pick whatever dish you want, but there are not many crabs, and it takes half a day to steam a small part, I have to wait in line for a long time. There are tea and drinks on the left , there are high-purity white wine, refreshing and delicious rice wine, and mellow grape wine, you can drink whatever you want."

Bao Changnian saw that there were quite a lot of people in front of him, and he planned to go again later: "How is your Pei Yao? Are you still in Guangdong?"

"Yeah, she started this time in the past half a year. I heard from her that although there are many fashion merchants in Guangdong, they are not as cohesive as the Red Scarf Chamber of Commerce. She used this time to find out the real sales of Qihuo shop products overseas. Condition."

"Pei Yao is really up to the task. He manages the odd goods store in an orderly manner. It is said that the net profit in the first half of the year is almost more than one-third of the national treasury tax revenue." Bao Changnian looked envious, "They are all about the same age, Today, I can't compare to her."

Bao Changnian sighed, and continued: "Ever since I stopped him from reporting the matter to the department, he has never returned home. He used to live in the strange goods shop and then went to the Xiangxiang County plan, and the Ministry of Etiquette uniformly arranges the residence, he is more and more at ease."

"Who can guarantee what will happen after this, His Majesty and the three of them have a good time, and will definitely find a way to reuse it in the future, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Yao Dacheng, since you already knew that Li Si is His Majesty's alias, why didn't you tell me earlier."

"Ah, is that so? There is such a thing?" Yao Dacheng pretended to be stupid and ate crab meat, his eyes fell on Ruan Yuzuo who had just entered the door, and changed the subject, "The doctors from the Xinyi Pavilion who went to Beiyuan City are all back. I have to go to toast. If it weren't for them this time, how could cholera be brought under control so quickly."

"I'll go with you."

Bao Changnian was helpless, picked up his teacup and followed.

Yao Dacheng and Bao Changnian came to toast with Ruan Yuzuo, and Ruan Tongzuo followed suit with a few words of politeness. Soon, other officials also came to toast with each other. It was very lively.

Ruan Yuzuo let the other people in Xinyi Pavilion ignore him and take the food by themselves.

Not long after, Wen Deyi, director of the Shengong Bureau, also brought dozens of people from the Shengong Bureau, and even more people came to toast this time.

Meng Zhiqian, Minister of the Ministry of War, arrived with Teng Xuesheng, commander of the Shenji Battalion, and the two of them were discussing the issue of foreign ships from Guangdong while walking.

When it was almost time for the court officials to arrive, Xu Youxi finally dressed up to attend, came over and said, "We don't talk about government affairs today, all my lovers eat and drink well", then turned and left.

Emperor Chongjiu and Empress Dowager Xie Xixi rarely came out to join in the fun, watching performances in the palace with the ministers, and eating their own meals.

In the past few months, Du Zhiyi also visited several places, and just returned to Beijing yesterday.

"Your Majesty, according to my on-the-spot investigation, a whip method is feasible. The tax pressure on the common people is reduced, and at the same time, hard labor is exempted. It is indeed a good thing for the common people."

"Okay, then in the second half of the year, we will implement a few more places." Xu Youxi nodded, "What about the land reform?"

"This...although the results of the trial in the Lianghu area are good, it may be difficult to get the support of landlords in other places."

Even Du Zhiyi doesn't have much confidence in the 'land reform', which shows how difficult this matter is.

"I know." Xu Youxi sighed softly, "But I want to try again... Do you think Mo Shiqi can do this?"

Du Zhiyi was inexplicably a little emotional: "Minister Mo Bu is indeed a hero born out of a boy."

"It's not easy to get such an evaluation from Mr. Du."

"Your Majesty has to have a unique vision."

"Okay, Mr. Du has worked hard these past few months, go out and eat more good food at the banquet." Xu Youxi did not delay Mr. Du's meal, "Everyone has a Mid-Autumn Festival gift box, Mr. Du, don't forget to take it."

"Yes, I thank Your Majesty."

After Du Zhiyi left, Xu Youxi began to think about other things. Starting tomorrow, those affiliated countries will send people to Daqian one after another. The student dormitory of Shangjing University is almost built, and now they are waiting for people to come.

She now has to prepare two batches of teachers, one for Shangjing University and one for students from Xiaxiang County. The content of the two sides must be very different.

Xu Youxi felt that nothing was wrong, so she took Xu Ling out of the palace to have a look.

……

There is a banquet in the palace, and there is also drumming and music outside the palace. Various vendors selling moon cakes and handicrafts on the street are hawking non-stop. The only pity is that the total amount is not much.

"Beautiful sister, that grandpa's candy painting is beautiful and delicious, you can buy one and try it." A six or seven-year-old girl with big eyes appeared beside Xu Youxi at some point, with a soft and waxy voice, watching Very cute.

Xu Youxi looked in the direction the little girl pointed, and saw that the sugar painting maker was a white-haired old man in his 70s. His small eyes were particularly bright, and he didn't shake his hands when he was making the sugar painting. A group of drooling people surrounded him child.

Seeing that there were not many customers, the old man simply gave the over-made sugar paintings to the children who watched the fun. These children spontaneously helped him attract customers in order to thank the old man.

"What animal does the girl want?"

"It's all right."

"Then make a rabbit for the girl, it's cute."

Xu Youxi didn't care about the money to buy a sugar painting, he just regarded it as supporting the old artist's craftsmanship: "Where is the old man from?"

"It's from Sichuan." The old man's expression was extremely proud, "The sugarcane growers in my hometown, this is all sugar produced by myself, it's a good thing!"

The old man moved very quickly, and a vivid rabbit appeared on the stick. Xu Youxi took it and looked at it. He thought it was very interesting, and handed the sugar painting to Xu Ling who was following him: "Eat it."

Xu Ling was full of doubts, he didn't understand why His Majesty bought the sugar painting, but handed it to him.

Xu Youxi raised her eyebrows: "I look like I'm still eating candy?"

"..."

Do I look like it!
Xu Ling bit off Tang Hua's rabbit head expressionlessly.

Xu Youxi is still very interested in the streets of Shangjing during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He feels that everything is very novel, and he can't wait to try something delicious when he sees it.

Lanterns;

acrobatics;

poems and songs

……

The characteristics that the Mid-Autumn Festival should have are vividly displayed on the small streets of Shangjing.

"There is actually a throwing arrow!" Xu Youxi was a little surprised, "Boss, is there any prize?"

"Ten rounds, ten rounds, a box of Qihuo shop mooncakes; ten rounds, nine rounds, a Mid-Autumn ink painting; ten rounds, six rounds, a rabbit... first come, first served."

Xu Youxi fell in love with the hanging ink painting. She somehow felt that Chang'e in the painting looked a bit like Xie Xixi. It would be great if she could take this painting home and give it to her mother.

"Boss, ten rounds."

Xu Youxi threw ten rounds by himself and hit three, without any rewards.

Immediately afterwards, he bought ten more arrows, but this time Xu Youxi only shot one, and handed all the remaining arrows to Xu Ling, suppressing his voice so that only the two of them could hear: "Behave well, have you seen that painting yet?" , I like it very much."

"..."

Your Majesty, if you like it, you can buy it from a store, and make things difficult for him as a guard! ! !
Xu Ling was full of helplessness, and began to try to throw the pot. However, out of the remaining nine shots, he only hit three shots, which was comparable to Xu Youxi's strength.

Xu Youxi fell into deep thought: "Xu Ling, did you join Jinyiwei to seek connections?"

"This subordinate is just throwing pots for the first time, and has no experience!"

Xu Ling couldn't stand this kind of insult, so he took the initiative to buy ten more from the peddler.

Xu Youxi sighed, took the arrows and started to shoot, the two of them just scored six in this round, at least they won a rabbit.

Xu Youxi was not interested in raising rabbits. She had already exhausted enough to raise a bunch of ministers in the court. She couldn't afford to raise rabbits, so she simply handed the rabbits she won to Xu Ling.

Xu Ling was also confused: "How do you eat this live rabbit?"

"..." I know how to eat.

At the same time that Xu Youxi won the rabbit, the frail scholar standing next to him had already won the ink painting. Xu Youxi felt a bit regretful looking at this picture.

"Go down and buy the painting back."

"never mind."

Xu Youxi gave up the painting and continued to go shopping. She couldn't help but think of her brother, who is probably still drifting in the sea, or sitting on a boat watching the moon.

The mooncakes she sent should be here soon, she sent more to Xu Shengshi, enough for him to share with everyone around him.

Pei Yao must spend the festival alone in Guangdong, and He Muqing is studying for the exam; Bao Youjin goes out early and returns late every day for the past two days, and follows the workers to build roads with cement.

The steamship has not been made yet, and the internal combustion engine is almost the same as it has been tampered with. Maybe the steamship will be eliminated before it is built.

The seagoing ships that have been drifting in the waters of Guangdong recently docked the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival to replenish the supplies on board.

"God, Shengshi, all these things are sent to you by your family?"

'Xu Shengshi' is aliased as 'Shengshi'.

"It was sent by my sister, and I don't know what it is pretending to be."

Xu Shengshi looked at the big wooden box that was half the height of a person, and was a little worried about how to open it.

"Quickly open it and have a look." The comrade next to him said enviously and curiously.

"Okay." Borrowing tools, Xu Shengshi managed to open the first layer of the wooden box, "It's mooncakes, there are a lot of them, let's try them together."

"This is the mooncake sold exclusively in Shangjing from Qihuopu!" Someone suddenly shouted, "There is also a red seal from Qihuopu! It turns out that this is the newly researched Liuxin mooncake. I saw it in Qianbao , said that even people from Shangjing would find it hard to get them. God, how did your sister get so many, she must be an ordinary person."

Xu Shengshi was not used to being suddenly looked at by so many people with envious eyes: "Yeah."

It seems that the strange goods shop is the property of the imperial court;
Rounding up, that is his sister's shop.

Xu Shengshi opened each layer, and found that they were all Liuxin mooncakes, and a letter to him from home was not placed until the bottom.Xu Shengshi distributed the mooncakes to the comrades around him, found a stool and sat down to read the letter.

Youxi said in the letter that the harvest in the first half of the year was particularly good, so there is no need to worry about the people starving; the firearms of the Shenjiying are getting more and more powerful, so you are not afraid that the enemy will miss Dagan's country; A very severe plague will develop...

In addition to Xu Youxi's family letter, his father and mother finally remembered that there was this son, and they wrote letters to care about him, asking if he was short of food and clothing, and if he was not doing well, just tell your sister, Youxi must will help you solve your problem.

Xu Shengshi wanted to cry and laugh while reading these letters, he suddenly felt a little homesick.

There is a moon in the sky, and a moon in the sea.

They complement each other, which is very spectacular.

He Jiangyi, who was also admiring the moon, sighed softly. He originally thought that Xu Shengshi would have no mooncakes to eat this year, so he planned to share a piece or two of the mooncakes specially sent to him by his daughter from Shangjing.

In the end, he still ignored His Majesty's wealth and wealth, and even delivered a few large boxes of mooncakes in bulk one day in advance!
Ugh.

There are still more than half a month, and the imperial examination is about to take place. At this time, Mu Qing should be working hard to study.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, who does not miss relatives.

(End of this chapter)