Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 19: Live like a king and die like a hero!
“The people have worked hard.”

Lü Fang's words set the tone for this meal that was hard to tell whether it was breakfast or lunch, "The emperor said that all year long, the people look forward to the New Year, but in the blink of an eye, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed.

Today, there is hardly any oil in many people’s pots.

Thinking of them, I would like to ask you to have a vegetarian meal.

He asked the imperial chef to prepare a pot of eight-treasure porridge. The emperor also knew that today was the day when Lord Yan would send eight-treasure pickles, so he didn't even prepare any vegetables.

The eight-treasure porridge was cooked early in the morning, but the eight-treasure pickles of Lord Yan have not arrived yet. The porridge has been cooked for a long time, so it is rare that it is not smooth. Please don’t blame me, Lords.”

Two young eunuchs were in front, carrying a red charcoal fire pot that had no smoke at all, and the pot of porridge was placed on the fire pot.

It was at this time that Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng noticed the difference from the past.

The small square table in front of him, on which the eight-treasure porridge was placed, was made of fine-leaf red sandalwood, with a red tint showing through from the inside.

There were bowls and chopsticks on the table, which were no ordinary items either. They were the best of the official Ru porcelain kilns, a type of celadon with crackles, as thin as paper. At first glance, they were all green, but upon closer inspection, a hint of pink could be seen through the green.

The ministers of the current cabinet were all connoisseurs of valuables and could tell the origin of this celadon porcelain at a glance.

It is said that since the Song Dynasty, among the countless kilns of Ru Kiln, only one kiln of celadon was produced, and that kiln was produced during the Jiajing period.

It is a divine product sent by God.

It was presented to the emperor, but he never used it.

After that, although Ru Kiln also produced red green and blue green, it never produced pink green again.

I thought the legend was false, but when I see it now, I can't help but sigh, it is so beautiful.

The spoon in the bowl is also a top-quality Ding kiln glaze. The outer glaze is plain white, but a faint yellow hue can be seen from the inside.

When the spoon is placed alone in the bowl, it looks like an elliptical moon floating in the pale green water!

Sure enough, good things are good things, and they make people like them.

The chopsticks placed next to it were ordinary, they were ivory chopsticks inlaid with silver. The silver on the tip of the chopsticks was polished to a shiny white, and the ivory on the chopstick body shone with a shiny yellow from the inside. This was mainly for the purpose of being comfortable to hold and also being able to prevent poison.

Then eight palace maids came in, each holding a tray, and on each tray there was a dish of pickles.

Lu Fang first walked to the pot of porridge, picked up the spoon and stirred it, then scooped up a spoonful, took out a shallow small plate from his arms, poured the porridge into it, and then brought it to his mouth to drink.

After that, he walked to Yan Song's position and reached out to take Yan Song's bowl, but was blocked by Yan Song, "Eunuch Lu, you should serve the emperor porridge first."

"I'm not hungry."

On the futon, Zhu Houcong opened his eyes and spoke, "You are hungry, you eat."

Is this hungry?
What are you hungry for?
Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

Lu Fang continued to reach out to take Yan Song's bowl, but Yan Song still blocked her way, "Eunuch Lu is the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, I dare not take it, let me do it myself."

Great Ming Dynasty.

Divided into outer court and inner court.

The prime minister of the outer court is the chief minister of the cabinet, and the prime minister of the inner court is the eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department.

How can the external minister be served by the internal minister?
"Master, do you think the amount I served is too little and want to get it yourself?" Lu Fang asked with a smile on his face.

Hear the words.

Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng stood up immediately.

If I was not sure about the meaning of this meal just now, now I am absolutely sure.

Using a tripod as a cauldron, red sandalwood as a table, a divine product as a bowl, a kiln-made spoon, ivory as chopsticks, and the eunuch in charge of the seal of the Imperial Household Department to test the poison, how can this be porridge?

The world is prosperous!
If you are not satisfied with what the Emperor has given you and what the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department has given you, do you want to take it yourself?

What to take?
Take over the world!
Everyone's scalp felt like it was about to explode, and they knelt down while standing in place, thinking.

"Everyone, sit down." Zhu Houcong spoke again, "Don't be fooled by so many people calling him the ancestor. Here, he is just a slave, and you are the backbone of our Ming Dynasty. Let him serve."

Yan Song and Xu Jie then sat down gently, but not firmly, with their buttocks only touching the front half of the brocade stool. It was more like squatting than sitting.

Gao Gong, Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng followed suit and "sat down".

Lu Fang served porridge to everyone in turn.

then.

Lu Fang took out another plate, walked to the palace maid, picked up a piece of pickled vegetable from the plate, lowered his head and ate it.

When he went to get Yan Song's plate again, he encountered no obstruction. Lu Fang quickly distributed the pickles and brought them to the small table.

When the pickles were served to Zhang Juzheng, the palace maid's eight plates of pickles were empty, so she bowed and left.

Yan Song, Xu Jie and the other five people who realized the situation later felt a chill down their spines. What was being divided was not just pickles, but the entire Ming Dynasty.

What we take is the world, what we divide is the country.

Yan Song didn't dare to move.

Xu Jie didn't dare to move.

Gao Gong, Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng did not move at all, as if they had stopped breathing.

"My Lord, is there not enough food?" Lu Fang looked at Yan Song and smiled sincerely.

Yan Song's body trembled.

Have you eaten the porridge in your bowl? Are you saying it's not enough?
Lu Fang still felt that it was not enough, and continued: "But there is no bigger bowl like this in the palace. How about using this tripod as a bowl? There are nine tripods like this in the palace."

In ancient times, there was Zhang Yan who said, "The five tripods for food are cattle, sheep, pigs, fish and elk. There are five for princes and three for ministers. Shi Gu said, "Cooking them in the five tripods" means being boiled in a wok.

This is what it means: a real man will not eat from five tripods when he is alive, but will be cooked in five tripods when he dies.

Although the Cabinet holds the central power, it is not even a vassal state and cannot use even the five tripods, let alone the nine tripods.

Yan Song knelt down and said, "I dare not."

Xu, Gao, Yan, and Zhang followed closely behind, "We dare not."

"Lv Fang." Zhu Houcong's tone turned cold.

Lu Fang showed the proper fear and replied in a low voice: "The servant is here."

"You are a slave, and you can't even serve others. What use are you?"

"This slave deserves to die!"

Lu Fang turned to look at Yan Song and the others, and kowtowed, saying, "Please have dinner, elders."

Ever since the emperor moved into the Western Garden, the Silijian has always regarded itself as the emperor's incarnation. Recently, the Silijian has encountered great changes and is no longer as good as before, but there is still some holy light left on it.

Kneel this time.

Everyone's heart trembled.

The word "please" seemed to have supreme power. Yan Song slowly climbed up with the help of the brocade stool, picked up the spoon in the bowl, scooped half a spoonful into his mouth regardless of the heat.

Xu Jie and the other three also got up. Despite the cold weather, they were sweating all over. They picked up spoons and put porridge into their mouths one mouthful after another.

After a while, the bowls of porridge in front of everyone were empty, but the eight-treasure pickles were not touched at all.

There is plenty of porridge in the pot, but only so much eight-treasure pickles.

I can’t move, and I dare not move.

Lu Fang was about to pick up Yan Song's bowl, but Yan Song reached out to cover the bowl and turned to Zhu Houcong, "Your Majesty, that's enough!"

"Your Majesty, I have waited enough!"

(End of this chapter)