Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 273 Governing Jiangnan is like controlling a duck
"Father, would you like one?"

Zhang Yunxiu, his mouth stuffed full and glistening with oil around his lips, held up a chicken leg and waved it at his father.

"This is a roast duck chef I invited from Nanjing, and he is known for his authentic style."

Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched. Only that brat Zhang Yunxiu dared to be so presumptuous in front of him.

The Zhang family was extremely strict in its discipline. In this study, rules were always emphasized. Other children, let alone eating roast duck, might even be reprimanded by Zhang Juzheng for eating ordinary food.

The saying goes, "One should not speak while eating or sleeping."

Even Zhang Juzheng himself rarely broke the rules about what to do in what place.

But Zhang Yunxiu was fearless and had nothing to fear.

Zhang Juzheng's lips moved slightly, trying to suppress his anger, but he still lectured her.

"A study is a place to cultivate one's talents and refine one's character, not a place to indulge one's appetite. Look at your behavior! You have no manners whatsoever of a scholar. It is an insult to literature!"

Zhang Yunxiu did not refute, but quickly wrapped a piece of roast duck in a pancake, raised it slightly and said.

"Father, would you like to give it a try?"

"Gudong~"

Zhang Juzheng swallowed again, turned his head away, and waved his hand dismissively.

"Take it away quickly, or you'll ruin the ink fragrance of this study. I will never touch such vulgar things."

Zhang Yunxiu's way of eating, even putting the food into his mouth with his bare hands, was considered somewhat barbaric by traditional literati.

But Zhang Yunxiu didn't allow any explanation. He stepped forward and stuffed the roast duck directly into his father's mouth, showing speed and ruthlessness.

"Woooooo~"

Zhang Juzheng's face turned red, and he almost fainted. He took the roast duck off with his hands, his eyes wide with anger, just about to explode.

With some crispy roast duck skin and sauce still lingering in his mouth, he could only swallow it slowly. As soon as he tasted it, his expression changed immediately.

Zhang Yunxiu sat back down at his desk, sliced ​​off a piece of crispy duck meat with a knife, slurped it into his mouth, and smiled at his father.

“Father, the Book of Documents says, ‘Be cautious in your frugality and cherish lasting plans.’”

He pointed to the roast duck in Zhang Juzheng's hand.

"Waste is shameful."

"I know." Zhang Juzheng looked quite indignant. He took the chopsticks from Zhang Yunxiu's table, picked up the roast duck wrapped in dough, and carefully put it into his mouth.

His white beard trembled, and his expression was very stern, yet he ate with unusual speed.

Zhang Yunxiu chuckled and pointed to the roast duck on the table.

"Every grain of rice and every bowl of porridge should remind us of the hard work involved in its production. Father, we cannot waste the rest."

Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched slightly, but the roast duck he had just eaten had really whetted his appetite, so he didn't care about anything else and sat down at the table.

He still retained a last bit of the "stubbornness" of a scholar-official, and without using his hands, he followed Zhang Yunxiu's example, cutting off a piece of duck meat, picking it up with chopsticks and putting it into the dough, adding some cucumber and vegetables, and dipping it in the sauce, which was quite delicious.

Zhang Juzheng, with the tea in his study, devoured the remaining half of the roast duck in no time.

The mental exertion required to review memorials is enormous, and given that Zhang Juzheng had not eaten meat for some time, his appetite was understandable.

However, Zhang Yunxiu was still slightly stunned when he looked at the remaining skeleton. Although the duck was not big, it was enough for three or four people to eat. His father had finished it all by himself, which showed how much he liked it.

A smile appeared on his face as he looked at his father and asked.

"Father, what do you think of the roast duck from Nanjing?"

Zhang Juzheng wiped his hands and the grease from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, but his face returned to its usual calm expression. He frowned slightly and commented.

"There are also shops in the capital that are good at making duck. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing, and Nanjing roast duck was introduced there afterward."

Looking back now, I feel that Nanjing's roast duck, compared to that of Beijing, still lacks something.

At this point, he began to lecture him with a stern face.

"Roast duck is ultimately a luxury. As the saying goes, 'The kitchen is full of fat meat, the stable is full of fat horses, the people are hungry, and the fields are full of starving corpses.' Even now, there are still millions of people in the world suffering from hunger. It is better to eat less of such a complicated and wasteful food."

“No,” Zhang Yunxiu replied. “In my opinion, these extravagant things should be promoted on a large scale so that the common people can have a way to survive. If the powerful and wealthy don’t spend money, where will the common people earn money?”

"Nonsense." But Zhang Juzheng did not continue to refute it, because he thought that this kid had previously used the Xishan Glass Workshop to deceive all the gentry and merchants in the capital and even the two most prosperous places in the Ming Dynasty, namely Southern Zhili.

Even now, many officials still occasionally submit memorials to impeach Zhang Yunxiu, accusing him of exploiting the people and causing them unbearable suffering. In reality, they are all trying to seek justice for the gentry and merchants.

But Zhang Juzheng knew perfectly well that Zhang Yunxiu was able to promote the loan law and the textile bureau business in Jiangnan by relying on the money he earned from glassmaking.

Essentially, it was about using the trend of "extravagance" to get the gentry and merchants to part with their money, and then transferring that money to the common people.

Since ancient times, Confucianism has promoted diligence and thrift, and has never advocated extravagance. Yet, this approach has indeed been effective.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Juzheng said with a stern face, "Where did you get your Nanjing roast duck recipe? There are roast duck shops in the capital, why go to such lengths?"

"Father, you are unaware of this."

But then Zhang Yunxiu said, shaking his head, "This roast duck of mine was specially prepared by a master roaster from a century-old restaurant in Nanjing. I specially brought him over to roast it, and he has carefully improved the method."

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but chuckle, and said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Yet you still dare to oppress the common people? This master is doing very well in Nanjing, how could you so easily arrest him and bring him to the capital? This is utterly absurd!"

He was quite angry when he said this.

"If you sever someone's academic lineage, you could die a hundred times and still not atone for it!"

"Father, please calm down."

Zhang Yunxiu chuckled and said.

"Am I the kind of spoiled brat who oppresses the people? The owner of this Nanjing roast duck restaurant, he sticks to his ancestral methods all day long, relying on his family's secret recipe, and it seems like he can live off it for generations."

But times are moving forward, and one day that ancestral secret recipe will no longer be suitable for the current living conditions.

If no changes are made now, if the situation is not assessed and some adjustments are not made, then the century-old shop will truly go bankrupt, and the family tradition will truly be severed.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't Father's implementation of new policies based on this very principle?"

“You’ve always been eloquent,” Zhang Juzheng said, his expression neither warm nor cold, neither pleased nor angry. “But how could you possibly know that this century-old business could be revived by following your methods?”

You must understand, this is a problem that has accumulated over a century and is difficult to reverse. It's like a person nearing the end of their life; if you were to administer drastic measures rashly, it might just be a fatal mistake.

There is no guaranteed way to get things done.

Zhang Yunxiu said this quite frankly.

“But there is one thing that must be followed, and that is to be realistic.” He pointed to the roast duck on the table.

"Does Father really believe that the roast duck technique is the skill of the master chef from that century-old restaurant in Nanjing?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned. He knew this young man was using this as an excuse to discuss state affairs, but when did the court become a duck on this table?

Most importantly, he ate the duck completely, which seemed rather strange.

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng did not answer, Zhang Yunxiu began to answer his own question, and he said with a smile.

"The method of rolling roast duck in this dough looks very simple, just like spring rolls, but no one has ever mentioned it before."

The practice of rolling roast duck in dough, dipping it in sauce, and adding a variety of condiments only became popular during the Qing Dynasty.

According to Zhang Yunxiu's investigation, during the Ming Dynasty, it had not yet appeared and become widespread.

Using the roast duck as an excuse, Zhang Yunxiu began to explain scientific methodology to his father.

There's a trick to eating roast duck.

Seeking truth from facts is not just about paying lip service; it means raising and solving problems, proceeding from reality, and taking the actual situation as a reference.

By 'acting according to reason,' we ultimately achieved our goal.

He picked up a small bone with his chopsticks.

"Just like whether this roast duck is delicious or not, it's not based on your past experience, Father, but on actually eating it and trying it to know whether it's delicious or not."

"This way of eating roast duck doesn't exist in Nanjing, nor in the capital. How can we discover it? Only by constantly experimenting and summarizing with the idea of ​​making roast duck even tastier can we finally arrive at a conclusion."

"And the method for making roast duck is the same, so how can I make an even tastier duck?"

"With several ancient books and ancestral recipes, how can we make roast duck even more delicious? Your father doesn't know the intricacies of roast duck. In order to make roast duck even more delicious, we have conducted many experiments and refined the process. When choosing ducks, it is best to choose those that are no more than three months old. In terms of the method of handling the duck, pay attention to every detail from removing the feathers to applying the sauce."

As he spoke, Zhang Yunxiu gestured to Zhang Juzheng.

"It's like trying things out on a small scale, observing the effects, learning from the experience, and then making improvements step by step. Success can't be achieved overnight. Only by constantly trying and summarizing, and by starting with the facts, can we discover what makes a truly delicious duck. Do you understand, Father?"

Zhang Juzheng was taken aback by what he was being said, and he narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"This is what you call 'new learning' and 'science'."

In recent days, he had also been very curious and tried to learn more about the "science" that Zhang Yunxiu was talking about, but he had only a vague understanding of it.

Today, thanks to the roast duck incident, I've come to understand a few things.

Zhang Yunxiu continued with a smile, "Father feels sorry for that Nanjing roast duck shop, but I feel disappointed in it. It has a good skill, but it doesn't make any progress. It just stays in its small plot of land all day long. It can get a good night's sleep today, but can it do that in the future?"
One day you will fall behind others, and by then it will be too late to turn back.

Zhang Juzheng said with a serious expression, "It is human nature to stick to the old ways and follow the established practices, and you can avoid that."

"Naturally, it is unavoidable."

Zhang Yunxiu appeared quite heroic.

"But I know the principle of seeking truth from facts, I understand that one person's strength is insufficient, and I also respect the laws of development of things."

Compared to past experiences, the changes at present are the most important; compared to individual efforts, the power of the masses is boundless.

Since Nanjing roast duck entered Xishan, I have gathered countless culinary masters from Xishan and organized a special research class on Beijing roast duck to conduct research and improvement on roast duck.

Through collective wisdom and continuous improvement and development, this roast duck naturally becomes so delicious.

He stood with his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

"Next, Xishan has decided to establish a brand called 'Xishan Roast Duck,' which is inherited from Nanjing Roast Duck. In the future, we will open shops all over the country and bring our improved roast duck to thousands of households."

Father, what do you think?

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat helpless. What could he possibly think?

This kid's thoughts are simply wildly imaginative; some of his ideas are things that Zhang Juzheng himself could never have conceived of in his entire life.

He even set up a special research group for roast duck? And then he planned to spread roast duck to every household. How could he even come up with such an idea?

But Zhang Juzheng knew in his heart that Zhang Yunxiu was talking about roast duck, but in reality he was talking about the implementation of the loan law in Jiangnan.

Using roast duck as an example to discuss lending methods, the underlying principles of both seem to converge on the same goal.
Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched, but he still followed up on the topic and reminded her.

"You must not be too hasty; the way of doing business is not so simple."

Zhang Yunxiu looked at his father with a meaningful expression.

"If there is a respected and respected old store manager in charge, there won't be any trouble."

Zhang Juzheng continued to remind him.

"If a rival sees your roast duck business booming and sends some hooligans to cause trouble and extort money, or sends some petty thugs to poison your business and reputation, what would you do then?"

Zhang Yunxiu spoke frankly.

"When soldiers come, we'll meet them head-on; when water comes, we'll dam it. We're fully prepared, even more ruthless and more thorough than them. As long as we maintain the quality of this roast duck, no amount of conspiracy or trickery can compare to the power of quality."

Zhang Juzheng's expression was complicated, but in the end he didn't say anything, just waved his hand and said...

"It's getting late. You should go back to your room and rest. I'm afraid things are getting unsettled in Xishan and at the clinic."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunxiu's face became somewhat unnatural, and he helplessly laid it out.

"I brought this on myself."

He gave up being a proper playboy. At first, it was to protect the Zhang family, but now that the Zhang family is safe, he's been dragged into all sorts of trouble he caused.

The unstoppable tide of this era's development is something that even if Zhang Yunxiu wanted to stop it, he couldn't.

Zhang Juzheng had expected him to say something grand and inspiring, but instead he uttered such unambitious words, leaving him rather helpless as he dismissed him.

"Let's hurry up and go."

Zhang Yunxiu was also a little sleepy, so he bowed and said...

"Then I will go ahead."

Halfway there, he turned around again and stood in front of Zhang Juzheng, looking at him very sincerely.

Zhang Juzheng felt a chill run down his spine and turned his head away, saying...

"And what can we do?"

Zhang Yunxiu reminded him, "Father, you can't delay treating your hemorrhoids any longer. Now, Mr. Dongbi's hemorrhoid removal technique is becoming more and more exquisite. You must not be afraid to seek medical treatment. You should find an auspicious day to go to the clinic to have it removed and be done with it."

Zhang Juzheng's expression froze instantly.

(End of this chapter)