In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

Chapter 106 The Emperor's Unattainable Pie

Wang Shu turned to Song Xiaoyi and said meaningfully, "Lord Song, you have opened a new window for the Crown Prince. I am old, and this world ultimately belongs to you young people. I hope that your study of the people's livelihood can truly, as you say, help the Crown Prince become a better ruler."

Song Xiaoyi bowed respectfully and said, "Wang Taibao, rest assured, I will do my utmost to live up to your trust."

The debate in the Wenhua Hall ended in an unexpected yet reasonable way.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, casting long shadows of the four people.

One was Zhu Youcheng, a contemporary monarch with modern thinking and a meticulous mind;

One was Wang Shu, a stubborn but principled and righteous old minister;

One is Song Xiaoyi, the young master of the Imperial Academy, who has traveled from another time and is determined to make a name for himself. He is ambitious, enterprising, and open-minded.

Another was Zhu Houzhao, the future emperor, who was full of curiosity and aspirations.

Although their philosophies may differ, their goals are fundamentally the same:

Everything was for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and its people.

"Liu Jin, return to the palace. Hahaha~~"

"His Majesty returns to the palace~~"

This debate, which originated from Song Xiaoyi's "premeditated" scheme, not only changed the way the officials of the Crown Prince's Palace educated Zhu Houzhao, but also, to some extent, planted a seed full of hope for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

A seed that understands "people's livelihood" and "empathy".

As for whether this seed will grow into a towering tree or sprout wildly, it is too early to say, but at least it has already broken through the soil.

"Alright, Your Highness, it's getting late. It's time to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager," Wang Shu gently reminded him.

"Yes, Grand Protector." Zhu Houzhao replied obediently, then looked at Song Xiaoyi with anticipation in his eyes.

Song Xiaoyi understood and said with a smile, "It's getting late now, the chef will come to find you for breakfast tomorrow."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up, and he tugged at Song Xiaoyi's sleeve with his little hand, replying crisply, "Okay!"

On his way home, Song Xiaoyi heard two unique system notification sounds in his mind: [ding] [ding]

[Ding! Song's Cuisine has been upgraded to Advanced Level. The host is rewarded with permission to grant 5 ancient people access to the kitchen.]

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

[Ding! Two-way ingredient interaction upgraded to advanced level, reward: Intermediate Ingredient Identification Skill]

Upon arriving home, Song Xiaoyi found no one there and called out to Lao Song to check the system first.

[Song Family Heritage System]

[Goal: To become the Great Chef of the Ming Dynasty 849]

[Current Level: Song Family Restaurant]

[Song Family Recipe: 38/100 (Intermediate)]

[Host's Original Dish: 78/100 (Intermediate)]

[Song Family's Recommended Dish: 100/1000 (High-End)]

[Two-way ingredient interaction: 100/1000/103 (Advanced)]

[Two-way food interaction: 799233/100000/68688 (Advanced)]

[Art Appraisal: 6163/10000 (S Grade)]

[Restaurant Auxiliary Space: 648 cubic meters]

[Skills: Basic Ingredient Cooking, Intermediate Ingredient Identification, Basic Pastry Cooking, Intermediate Martial Arts, Advanced Medicine, Basic Pharmacy]

[Reminder: Ancient people have limited access to the kitchen (10 people allowed): Zhang Miaolan, Wu Yunqiu, Song Hao, Song Chen, and Song Xuan have already been assigned access; 5 people remain.]

[Note: No additional two-way channels have been set up]

[Reminder: 3 chances to revive: 0 used]

"Old Song, what's the difference between this [Intermediate Ingredient Identification Technique] and the beginner level?"

[At the intermediate level, the host can distinguish the toxicity and side effects of food simply by consciously directing their will.]

"It seems this skill came at just the right time. Taking the Crown Prince out of the palace for a meal is something I really need to be careful about."

The addition of the "Song Family's Reference Dishes" is understandable; it's likely that the "Fine Clothes Fast Food" kitchen changed the dishes according to their pre-reserved menu. However, the addition of the "Two-Way Ingredient Interaction"—an interaction between the modern era and the Ming Dynasty—is rather inexplicable!

Did they buy new groceries at the modern market? We've repeatedly told them not to leave through the modern market's doors.

Just as Song Xiaoyi was about to close the system, unable to understand what was happening, he suddenly caught a glimpse of [Reminder: Ancient people have limited access to the kitchen to 10 people...]!

"Ancient people's access rights to the kitchen!"

"Old Song, why is it that bringing people from the Ming Dynasty to the modern era only grants them access to the kitchen? Why can't we bring them through a separate, two-way passage?"

[Back to host, this is the literal expression of system settings]

"Oh no, I almost made a blunder!" Song Xiaoyi thought to himself. According to the literal meaning, it could only bring ancient people into the kitchen. The two-way passage he had opened in the bedroom couldn't bring anyone in!

"The kitchen? The kitchen!"

I've got it!

"Old Song, please add the setting for ancient people to enter the kitchen: Zhu Youcheng."

[Ding! Setup failed!]

[Note: Zhu Youcheng is a special character and cannot be customized.]

"Surely not! Old Song, can't we even take him back to the modern world for a visit?"

【…

..

"Old Song, please add the setting for ancient people to enter the kitchen."

[Ding! Setup successful!]

[Reminder: Ancient people have limited access to the kitchen to 10 people: Zhang Miaolan, Wu Yunqiu, Song Hao, Song Chen, Song Xuan, and Zhu Houzhao have already been assigned access, 4 people remain.]

Song Xiaoyi was just tentatively setting up the character "Zhu Houzhao", but unexpectedly it actually succeeded. Why is that?

This shows that Zhu Youtang's "special" status lies not in his identity as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but in his identity as a "time traveler"!

The key question is how to explain this to Zhu Youcheng?

The fervor in Zhu Youcheng's eyes when he talked about modern times is still vivid in my mind. I promised to take him "back to see" but now it has become an empty promise!

"Big head..."

'

modern.

Old Wu found a good excuse: since he had nothing else to do, he went to Jinling to chat with his friend Song. He told Wu Fei not to come along, to call if he needed anything, and not to bother him otherwise.

After much deliberation at home, what should I get for my grandfather? The "Hongshan rapeseed" that an old friend just sent over from the kitchen storeroom looks quite nice!

I heard these purple vegetables cost 1,000 Chinese yuan per pound. I'll bring them to my grandfather to try.

After Wu arrived, he spent his days helping to serve guests at the Song family's traditional restaurant, and he did a pretty good job. In the afternoon, he returned to the Song family residence in Taoye Ferry of the Ming Dynasty to continue learning the "Wu Family Xuanhe Mounting Method".

Time passed quickly, and on the afternoon of the fourth day, the Embroidered Uniform Guard delivered an urgent message from the capital, requiring Wu Yunqiu to open it personally.

"Perfect timing, Lao Wu, this is for you."

"Sent to me by express courier? Delivered by Xiao Yi?!"

So that's how it is! That brat is giving the old man a hard time again! The courtyard houses outside the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City, is it really a matter of money?

Okay, enough with the scolding, it's still necessary to go back. Once we're back, we'll check this sketch to see which household it is before making any further decisions.

When Wu Lao returned to the capital, he took Wu Fei with him and, based on Song Xiaoyi's map, found the old courtyard house on Beichizi Street outside Donghuamen.

After making inquiries from various sources, Mr. Wu received two pieces of information.

The good news is that this courtyard house is privately owned. From the outside, it appears to be unrenovated due to the need for cultural relic preservation, and retains its original character.

The bad news is that, after making inquiries from various sources, it turns out that the property rights of this courtyard house are under the name of a female celebrity who is not short of money and will not sell even if someone offers her 10 billion yuan.

"With 10 billion, we can acquire all three courtyard houses we previously selected..."

""

Old Wu had no choice but to return to Taoye Ferry in Jinling, write down the message, put it in an envelope, and hand it over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for urgent delivery to the capital.

Although the three pieces of yellow-glazed porcelain were not sold, Old Wu remembered what Song Xiaoyi had told him. Through several old comrades who met monthly, he exchanged 1.2 million Chinese yuan for a ton of industrial silver, which is now being used to mint silver ingots.