Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 287: Harem Food Dispute
The next morning, before the hour of Mao, the imperial chefs, eunuchs and female officials of the Imperial Food Bureau got up early and began to prepare meals for the nobles in the palace.

Song Shangshi was the chief female official of the Shangshi Bureau. She had been working in the Shangshi Bureau since she entered the palace at the age of twelve.

She is now in her forties. Not only does she manage all the affairs of the Shangshi Bureau in an orderly manner, but she also has superb cooking skills that are no less than those of the imperial chef.

To work in the harem, one must not only be capable but also have good vision.

Song Shangshi got up half an hour later than ordinary female officials every day. The first thing she did after getting up every day was to ask the emperor where he stayed last night.

Whichever palace the emperor stays in, breakfast for that palace must be prepared with top priority.

Putting aside the emperor's words, according to past practice, the priority from high to low is: Lizheng Hall, Xunfeng Hall, Penglai Hall and Chengxiang Hall.

Recently, three more talented people have appeared, causing some trouble in the Shangshi Bureau.

For example, one day, Zheng Cairen wanted to eat candied crabs.

Because the third wife of the Wu family, who came to the palace for prenatal education, loves to eat crabs, Lizheng Palace has often served candied crabs and pickled crabs in recent times, resulting in a shortage of crabs.

A eunuch told Zheng Cairen's maid that there were no crabs left.

Zheng Cairen's maid was also a tough character. She made a big fuss in the Shangshi Bureau and found several baskets of crabs.

Later, the matter became a big deal and was discovered by the Queen. She called Song Shangshi and Zheng Cairen over and scolded them.

Because of this incident, the Shangshi Bureau also knew that Zheng Cairen was not someone to be trifled with, so they did not dare to make things difficult for her by asking her what she wanted to eat.

Another talented lady, Zhu, was often favored by the emperor, and her rank in the Shangshi Bureau was ahead of Liu Chong'er.

There was only one Concubine Yang left. She was of a rather weak character and had never been favored by the emperor, so the Imperial Food Bureau was rather perfunctory towards her.

Not only was Yang Cairen's dining priority lower than that of the Princess' Courtyard and Daji Palace, she was even ranked behind Qin Shaojian.

That morning, when Song Shangshi arrived at the Shangshi Bureau, palace maids from various palaces came to the Bureau to serve dishes.

When Song Shangshi entered the room, he heard Zhu Zhenlian's maid Cui Ying calling out, "Ms. Zhu, please serve a golden milk pastry and a jade tip noodle."

"Okay!" a eunuch shouted.

Song Shangshi knew that Zhu Cairen was the new favorite and would likely be promoted in the future, so he greeted Cui Ying with a smile to get closer to her.

After Cui Ying left, Shangshi Song asked a female official, "Where did the sage stay last night?"

The female official said, "I heard that he was in Penglai Palace, and Xu Chongrong was sleeping with him."

Cui Ying ordered, "Today's meal at Penglai Palace requires special attention. We must go through five inspection steps, and not a single one of them can be neglected!"

The emperor had a headache and needed to eat medicated food, but he also needed to pay attention to ingredients that were harmful to the headache, so the Shangshi Bureau paid special attention to it.

Once, there was a royal chef who was careless and almost served the wrong ingredients. Empress Wu punished him with fifty strokes of the stick and expelled him from the palace.

The female official smiled and said, "I remember them all."

At this time, Yang Cairen's eunuch ran in breathlessly and shouted, "Yang Cairen, please teach me a black-bone chicken soup!"

Black-bone chicken is a very precious food ingredient and is a top-grade medicinal ingredient in various medicinal recipes.

In the harem, not only many concubines like black chicken soup, but Qin Shaojian and Zhang Shaojian also like to drink black chicken soup, so black chicken is a popular ingredient.

A female official immediately said, "We don't have any black-bone chickens anymore. Can we get snow chickens from the Western Regions?"

The eunuch screamed, "I don't believe it doesn't exist. Madam Yang wants to drink black-bone chicken soup today. Just wait and see." He turned around and strode away.

No one took it seriously.

Only Song Shangshi was secretly puzzled. She felt that the eunuch's attitude was different from usual and he was arrogant, so she sent someone to Penglai Palace to investigate.

After some inquiries, it turned out that there was indeed a problem. It turned out that the emperor was in the west courtyard of Penglai Palace, which was Yang Cairen's house.

Song Shangshi hurriedly ordered people to prepare the black chicken stew first. After checking it five times, it was sent to Penglai Palace.

Li Zhi didn't know what he ate every day. No matter how strictly he checked it, he didn't feel that today's breakfast was any different from usual.

After he and Yang Cairen had a black chicken stew together, they walked towards Ganlu Palace.

When he arrived at the outer hall, the military memorial was already placed separately on the table. Li Zhi picked it up and looked through it.

Part of it is related to Khitan, and the other part is related to Goguryeo and Baekje.

Although the Khitan is weak now, it may be a hidden danger in the future, which is why Li Zhi pays special attention to it.

Yesterday, the ministers' opinions were too mild. They copied the post-war disposal methods of the Uighurs and Tubo, which did not suit his wishes, so he did not express his opinion.

The ministers' memorials submitted today all had a tougher tone.

But still no one shared his thoughts.

The land occupied by the Khitans, unlike the Mobei steppe, has more abundant water resources and can be directly converted into an agricultural area.

The future Liao Dynasty developed these areas, using hundreds of thousands of Song and Bohai slaves to open up wasteland on the Khorchin grassland, build cities, and divide it into prefectures and counties.

Reclaiming wasteland, building cities and constructing roads is the long-term strategy, and Li Zhi also plans to follow suit.

But there is no need to rush this matter.

The Khitan captives have not yet arrived in Chang'an. It will not be too late to consider the development of Khitan land after dealing with the Khitans first.

In fact, the most suitable place for farming in the Northeast is not the Khitan area, but the Northeast Plain northeast of Yingzhou.

The land there is fertile and is a piece of black soil that is most suitable for farming. It can be developed into a grain base in the future.

During the Han Dynasty, this area was still controlled by the Central Plains dynasty. Emperor Wu of Han destroyed Wei Man Joseon and established the Four Han Commanderies in its area.

Later, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was gradually invaded by foreign races.

Emperor Taizong of Tang was determined to conquer Goguryeo and wanted to recover this homeland.

This fertile land was temporarily occupied by Goguryeo and Mohe respectively.

Soon after the Tang Dynasty destroyed Goguryeo, the Mohe people would establish the Bohai Kingdom here.

The later Liao Kingdom obtained this fertile land after destroying the Bohai Kingdom and quickly grew and developed.

Apart from Khitan, Goguryeo was the most frequently mentioned country in the memorials.

It can be seen that after destroying the Khitan, the generals were very excited. From the lines, they all hoped to attack Goguryeo.

Even Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong submitted a petition, hoping for a military attack on Goguryeo.

This time, Goguryeo followed Khitan to attack Tang, which gave the Tang Dynasty a reason to send troops.

The Tang Dynasty attacked Goguryeo many times but failed.

The civil and military officials who had followed Emperor Taizong on his campaigns all regarded this as a regret, and they all hoped to destroy Goguryeo, fulfill the late emperor's wish, and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty.

However, Li Zhi had already had a plan for the Goguryeo issue.

In a few years, after Quan Gaisuwen's death, Goguryeo will split on its own, and then it will be easy to send troops.

Unfortunately, these words could not be spoken openly to the ministers. With Tibet now pacified, while there was an enemy, the Arabs, in the Western Regions, the battlefield was on the territory of a small Western country. The Anxi Protectorate could monitor it, and the court did not need to worry too much.

The Khitan traitor had just been killed, and the ministers thought it was an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the momentum of the army and attack Goguryeo.

Moreover, based on Li Zhi's previous style, they all thought that the emperor would agree to attack Goguryeo, so they submitted memorials without even testing the waters.

Li Zhi looked through the memorials from his ministers and sighed deeply. He didn't know what reason he could use to reject the ministers' opinions.

He put the memorial down and planned to take a walk in the harem to clear his mind.

Just as he left Ganlu Palace, Wang Jishan suddenly approached from a distance and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Li Zhi kept walking and waved his hand, saying, "Speak."

Wang Jishan quickly followed him and asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that Baekje spy?"

Li Zhi tilted his head and asked, "Is that the woman who faked her death?"

"Exactly. She has been persuaded to join us. Moreover, this woman has a special identity. Her mother is the half-sister of the King of Baekje."

Li Zhi's mind moved, and he said, "Then she is considered the Princess of Baekje. How could she be sent here as a spy?"

Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, you may not know that this woman and her mother both have Mahan ancestry..."

It turns out that the previous king of Baekje, King Mu, was from a declining branch of the royal family. He was collecting ginseng in Iksan and married a concubine's daughter of Mahan.

Later, because the Baekje aristocratic group controlled the government, several Baekje kings wanted to regain the royal power, but they all fell ill and died inexplicably.

The nobles of Baekje brought King Wu, who was picking ginseng, to the palace and made him the king.

This ginseng-picking king was extremely resourceful. After he came of age, he quickly broke away from the control of the nobles and regained part of the royal power.

Jin Yan's mother was the daughter of King Wu of Baekje and the concubine of Mahan.

However, the Baekje king of this generation was born to Baekje King Mu and Jin, one of the eight nobles. His name was Buyeo Uija and he despised the Mahan bloodline.

Moreover, Princess Yuya, who was of Mahan descent, was very prestigious among the people and posed a threat to the royal power, so she was placed under house arrest by King Uija.

Jin Yan was also transferred into the Baekje secret guard and was sent to Chang'an a few years ago.

After listening to this, Li Zhi nodded and said, "Since this girl has such experience, let her stay in the inner guard. I will meet her again when I have time."

Wang Jishan accepted the order and withdrew.

Li Zhi took a walk around the harem and rode his horse in the Forbidden Garden for a while. His mind was relaxed, but he still found it difficult to make a decision about the Goguryeo issue.

That night, Li Zhi returned to Ganlu Palace to sleep.

The next day was the regular court session held every five days. Li Zhi got up early, went for a morning run near Ganlu Palace, had breakfast, and asked Sun Simiao to take his pulse before attending court.

At the court meeting, the issue of Khitan was first discussed.

On the first and fifteenth day of the previous month, because Li Zhi did not express his opinion, all the ministers knew that he was dissatisfied with his previous opinions, so they reconsidered and put forward new suggestions.

Li Yifu was the first to step forward. He proposed dividing Khitan into prefectures and counties and collecting taxes in equal amounts.

This is a good point, but it is not practical.

For nomadic people like the Khitan, it was difficult for the people to support themselves and they could not afford such high taxes.

Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue came forward to reject this proposal.

Then, Xu Jingzong also put forward his opinions.

He suggested relocating some of the people in Hebei and exempting them from ten years of taxes, allowing them to open up wasteland and cultivate land in the rich water and grass areas of Khitan.

This method is somewhat feasible, and many officials expressed their agreement, even Lu Chengqing and Yan Liben came out to echo it.

Even Li Zhi was quite tempted, as this coincided with his idea of ​​developing Khitan.

Zhang Sunquan suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I think that Minister Xu's method is good, but it can be slightly improved."

Li Zhi asked: "How can we improve it?"

Chang Sunquan said, "Ordinary people don't know the situation in Khitan. Forced migration may cause public resentment. Why not station the Yingzhou army in Khitan? On the one hand, this will suppress the Khitan tribes and prevent rebellion, and on the other hand, the army can cultivate and open up farmland.

"Once the fields have been cultivated to a certain extent, we can formulate various policies to benefit the people and encourage people from Hebei to move here and live and reproduce. Then there will be no hidden dangers."

Li Zhi praised: "This is indeed a good improvement. What do you think?"

The officials exchanged glances for a while, and no one objected.

Li Zhi said, "Xu Qing, what do you think?"

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "Your Majesty's method is indeed more thoughtful than what I have considered. I have no objection."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Then do as you say."

After the discussion of the Khitan issue was over, the ministers' topic shifted to the war against Goguryeo.

Li Ji stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the time is ripe to attack Goguryeo. The court can make preparations for war."

An official retorted, "Your Majesty, the court has been using military force year after year in recent years to suppress the Helu, conquer the Tiele, attack the Tubo, and fight the Khitan. I'm afraid the people can't bear it. Please stop the military campaign and appease the people!"

This person was Zhang Wenguan, the doctor in charge of restoring the Qinling Mountains.

Yu Zhining said slowly, "If we can destroy Goguryeo, Liaodong will no longer have hidden dangers. Only then will the people of Hebei be able to truly rest and recuperate."

Cheng Zhijie continued, "Although the Tang Dynasty has deployed its troops in many places in recent years, we have always won every battle and every attack. The supplies captured are enough to offset the losses, and it has not been too much of a burden on the people."

Du Zhenglun said, "General Cheng is right. We captured a lot of supplies from the attacks on Tiele and Khitan, which is enough to make up for the losses."

In an instant, a group of old ministers from the Taizong period came forward to express their support for the attack on Goguryeo.

Seeing this, Li Zhi had no choice but to ask, "Lord Li, do you have any good strategy for attacking Goguryeo?"

Li Ji immediately said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, our army can first take the sea route, destroy Baekje, and then attack Goguryeo from both the north and the south. Victory is certain!"

Li Zhi sighed secretly, it turned out to be the same strategy as the attack on Goguryeo in history.

However, fighting like this would only benefit Silla.

Baekje was eventually annexed by Silla, and even half of Goguryeo's territory was captured by Silla.

Besides, Quan Gaisuwen was not dead yet. Attacking Goguryeo at this time would likely result in a situation similar to that during the reign of Emperor Taizong. Even if the capital was captured, Goguryeo would not be completely destroyed.

Xiao Siye had been observing the emperor's expression. Seeing that Li Zhi was silent, he hurried out.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Khitan issue should be resolved first. The Goguryeo issue can be discussed later."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Xiao Qing's words make sense. Let's wait for the Khitan captives to arrive in Chang'an before discussing other matters. I will adjourn the court."

He waved his hand, stood up and left the hall.

(End of this chapter)