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

Chapter 115 Old Wu and Old Dan Enter the Ming Dynasty

"Old Dan, you've been hiding your true strength all along!"

"Shall we walk then?"

"Your clothes are a bit too eye-catching!"

"It's okay, since you've opened the door, we can rush in quickly, no one will care."

"Okay, let me get the key."

When the four of them came out of the dean's lounge, there was already some snow outside.

Visiting the Forbidden City in the snow has a unique charm.

Dressed in bright red Ming Dynasty court attire, the group of four attracted even more attention in the snow-covered Forbidden City. From the director's office to the Donghua Gate exit, a mere few hundred meters, they were photographed dozens of times by tourists.

"Old Dan, if this gets posted online, you'll have to come up with a reason to explain it."

"It's not a big problem. We'll be going into my niece's courtyard house in a bit. My niece is an actress, so I'll just say that these two people in Ming costumes are filming a movie."

I hope you can hold on.

You'd better hold on.

Song Xiaoyi successfully brought Zhu You back to Fuming, and Shan Xiangji and Wu Lao also passed through the passage smoothly.

"Zhu Shou, Lao Wu, is this really the Ming Dynasty? Or is it some kind of illusion you've created?"

"Teacher, this is my Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Yes, the genuine Ming Dynasty. The current time is the twelfth month of the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign."

"In the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign, it was still during the Little Ice Age, right? No wonder there's so much snow."

"Your understanding is correct."

"This is our house now. You two come with me to change your clothes. My grandfather is about your size, and his traditional Chinese clothing will fit you perfectly. It's daytime now, and they all have to go to work; no one's home."

Song Xiaoyi retrieved two sets of outerwear from his grandfather's bedroom. He opened one to show the two of them, and Old Man Shan stared at the subtle pattern on the cuff. "This pattern... is it from the Imperial Household Department's workshop?"

"Yes, my grandfather was the chief steward of the imperial kitchen, so it must have been bestowed by Brother Zhu."

"The Grand Steward of the Imperial Kitchen? Isn't that... the...?"

"I understand what you mean. My grandfather also came from the modern era. Brother Zhu discovered his identity and recruited him into the imperial kitchen because of his family's excellent culinary skills." Song Xiaoyi added after finishing, "But he wasn't a eunuch."

Zhu Youcheng couldn't stand it any longer and chimed in, "Teacher, our dynasty has long since abandoned the practice of castration. The eunuchs in the palace castrate themselves at home and voluntarily request to enter the palace, or they are castrated by people found outside by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and then brought into the palace."

"Let's not talk about this. Please change your clothes first."

After changing into their Ming Dynasty attire, the two elderly people returned to the main hall.

Looking at their attire, Song Xiaoyi smiled and said, "You two, dressed like that, truly possess the air of high-ranking officials in their finery."

Snow was still falling heavily outside. Although it was only a few hundred meters from the Song residence to the Donghua Gate of the palace, the road was covered with snow, making it difficult to pass through Donghua Gate smoothly.

So we first settled Dean Shan in to rest and adapt to the climate and environment here.

"Mr. Wu, Mr. Shan, please put on your gloves first."

As soon as Song Xiaoyi finished speaking, the two cultural relics experts took the gloves and looked at each other: We're about to see the real thing!

After the two suppressed their excitement and put gloves on their trembling hands, Song Xiaoyi took out two volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia from his personal space and gently placed them on the table.

"An exciting moment! Please take a look, this is the original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia!"

"Is this really the original?" Dean Shan's voice tightened as he turned to look at Zhu Youcheng.

Zhu Youcheng did not reply, but simply nodded.

This can indeed be considered an exciting historical moment, as modern people have opened the original copy of the national treasure-level cultural relic "Yongle Encyclopedia" for the first time in an epoch-making era!

The two elderly people carefully flipped through a few pages, admiring the book, but they still restrained their desire. "Let's just look at it and put it away quickly, so it doesn't get damaged in our hands."

"Xiao Yi, this—do you have all the original copies?"

"Yes, there are 60 volumes of catalog and 22877 volumes of text, totaling 11095 books. They are all piled up to more than 100 cubic meters. They are all here with me. They are very safe. As long as I don't die, I am the safest place for them."

"This needs to be handed over to the state, so please don't sell it!"

"Old Shan, do you think I dare to sell it? I might sell the books in the morning and be in jail in the afternoon." Song Xiaoyi glanced at the two old men. "I know I have to hand them over to the state, but can't I come up with a reasonable excuse?"

What reason is needed to hand it over to the state?

"Where did you get such a large, neatly arranged collection of over a hundred cubic meters?"

"First, I need to consider how I'm going to hand it over. I can't exactly say I found it in a parallel universe, can I? Besides, who would I donate it to? Some museums can even let bronze artifacts evaporate naturally; if I lose any of these books, I'll have nowhere to turn."

"Furthermore, the profits are tempting, but what if someone embezzles and sells it, or even smuggles it abroad? Who will recover it?"

"Therefore, I still need to think of a foolproof plan."

Zhu Youcheng had been standing quietly by the window, listening to the silent falling snow, his expression calm. At this moment, he turned around and said gently, "I deeply agree with what Xiao Yi has to say."

"However, the most important thing right now is how to get back to the palace." Zhu Youcheng paused, looking towards the palace wall, "Xiao Yi, I see the snow outside has lessened a bit, let's go out."

"Oh? The snow has lessened? How about this, the journey isn't long, I'll sprinkle some salt along the way, find Mu Bin, and have the Imperial Guards come to pick you up."

"However, Brother Zhu, what are the identities of Elder Shan and Elder Wu—"

"I have made my decision," Zhu Youcheng said solemnly. "These two are specially appointed scholars of astronomy and mathematics, as well as medical and natural sciences, and will also serve as tutors to the Crown Prince. One will teach astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and natural sciences, while the other will teach practical application of knowledge and interpersonal skills. This will perfectly complement the Hanlin Academy's overemphasis on the eight-legged essay."

"Two imperial tutors, Elder Wu and Elder Shan, your status is even more prestigious than Zhang Juzheng's! Haha!"

"Have some tea first, and wait for me to come back." After saying that, Song Xiaoyi took out packets of salt from his spatial storage and sprinkled them all the way to the entrance of Donghua University.

A man peered out from the arrow slits in the snow-covered city wall. It was Mu Bin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Upon recognizing who was below, Mu Bin exclaimed with delight, "Brother Xiao Yi! Is His Majesty well?"

"He is perfectly fine and in good spirits." Song Xiaoyi pointed to the road behind him. "Quickly prepare a carriage to bring His Majesty and the two Grand Secretaries to the palace."

"Alright, coming right now! I was wondering why you were the only one who came back..."

"

When the palace gates opened, Mu Bin led the Imperial Guards out in a carriage, looking thoughtfully at the road that had been salted.

"Brother Mou, what do you think of my method? Just a little bit of salt is enough to melt the thick snow, and the road won't be slippery."

"Brother Xiao Yi, this method has already been used by someone."

"Someone's using it?! Who? Where?!"

"Let me think..." Mu Bin's memory has always been good. "I remember now. It's the Nanhe Marquis's Mansion near Chaoyang Gate. The streets in front of the mansion were also salted, so there was no snow on the road."

The Marquis of Nanhe's residence! Does someone in this family know how to remove snow in later generations? The key is that in the Ming Dynasty, salt was almost a luxury item. Using salt to melt snow... Song Xiaoyi made a note of this and decided to find time to investigate.