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

Chapter 121 I have been waiting for them

The next morning, as agreed with Wu Huai, Song Xiaoyi first went to Songjiatou Village in modern Moling, found his family's old house, and unloaded the original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia, which was more than 100 cubic meters in size, into a secret room in the old house.

The old house is just a vessel. As for the Yongle Encyclopedia, which is easily damaged, why was it preserved so well in such an environment?

How would I know?

Maybe the feng shui of this old house is better?

Anyway, it's perfectly intact, undamaged, and flawless!

Soon, Wu Huai arrived with the National A team from the Eastern District in three vans that had been covered with carpets.

A large-scale alert was issued, and a gag order was put in place for everyone.

Load the "goods" onto the vehicle as quickly as possible.

"Brother Huai, we've finally gotten rid of this hot potato. But don't forget to apply for an exemption for me. Don't worry, I'm in charge, I understand."

Wu Huai gave a "no problem" gesture and led the team to set off. This treasure would be escorted by National A all the way to Beijing, to the most central area.

The people from National A came and went quickly. Song Xiaoyi also chose a very opportune time. Three cars passed by, stopped, and passed by again. The only person they encountered was an old farmer hoeing the field. He didn't even look up. The incident didn't cause any ripples in the village.

After settling things in Jinling, Song Xiaoyi took the opportunity to visit the food factory in Songjiatou Village and replenish the space with a batch of pre-made food.

The high-speed train returned to Beijing.

On the high-speed train, Song Xiaoyi searched on his phone for the top scholar in the imperial examination of the second year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty: Lun Wenxu, who was an honest and upright official with profound knowledge.

Lun Wenxu came from a humble background; his father was a farmer and ran a small business, and the family was poor. However, he was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, able to recite poems at five and write essays at eight, earning him the reputation of a "child prodigy."

Because his family was too poor to afford his education, he once sold vegetables on the street to supplement the family income, but he still insisted on studying on his own and often borrowed books to copy.

Feng Xi, the second-place scholar in the Jiwei imperial examination: He was intelligent from a young age, well-versed in the classics and history, especially the Spring and Autumn Annals, and was personally selected as the second-place scholar by Emperor Xiaozong of Ming in the palace examination.

Feng Xi was a rigorous scholar, especially emphasizing classical studies. He was one of the most important Neo-Confucian scholars in the mid-Ming Dynasty. He advocated "personal practice" and opposed empty talk.

Feng Xi's most celebrated and fate-defining stance was his position during the "Great Rites Controversy" after Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne. Emperor Jiajing, a prince who had ascended the throne, wished to posthumously honor his biological father, Prince Xingxian, as "Imperial Father." However, most court officials (led by Yang Tinghe) believed that Emperor Xiaozong should be honored as Imperial Father, and the biological father should be referred to as "Born Father." Feng Xi firmly stood on the side of the orthodox rites and opposed Emperor Jiajing's posthumous honor.

The History of Ming states that he was "upright and honest, never flattering the powerful and wealthy, and was known for his loyalty and integrity."

Dai Dabing, the third-ranked scholar in the Jiwei imperial examination, was a rare young talent in the history of the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations. He achieved the highest rank of third-ranked scholar at the age of 19, and was exceptionally talented and of upright character.

Unfortunately, he was plagued by misfortune. His parents passed away one after another, and he himself died young, unable to leave a deeper mark on politics or academia.

However, as a symbol of "talented scholars of Fujian", he still occupies a place in the cultural memory of Fujian. Although his life was short, it was like a shooting star that shone brightly for a time.

"I see."

Song Xiaoyi finally understood Zhu You's strategy.

After arriving in the capital, Song Xiaoyi found Old Wu and brought the first batch of one ton of silver back to the Ming Dynasty.

The heavy snow in the capital of the Ming Dynasty has finally stopped.

Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Song Xiaoyi immediately released a ton of silver and piled it up in the main hall.

The scene was magnificent; the visual impact was truly captivating.

"Made in the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty," Zhu Youtang said, after circling the ton of silver three times. He picked up an ingot, looked at the inscription on the bottom, and said, "You're quite thoughtful, aren't you?"

"That's only right. With such excellent service, you won't need to do anything else."

"A ton of silver is actually only 20,000 taels, which wouldn't even cause a ripple if it were released."

"That's true, but 20,000 taels of silver should at least replenish your treasury. Besides, this is only the first batch."

"Twenty thousand taels—by the way, Xiao Yi, do you know who the person in the Nanhe Marquis's mansion is who uses salt to melt snow?" Zhu Youcheng's lips curled into a playful smile.

"He must be a time traveler too. Which path did you send him?"

"That kid's name is Fang Jifan. He's smart enough to kneel down the moment he saw those eight characters and the green line."

"That's awesome!"

"Hahaha----"

"I saw that he didn't have any bad intentions, so I let him go back. You know, he was also a soul transmigrator. After he came here, he sold all the houses that no one lived in, and he also sold his father's collection of calligraphy, paintings and porcelain. He used all the money to hoard ebony."

"Stockpiling ebony? What's the use of that stuff?"

"The price of ebony has increased tenfold—the ebony he hoarded is now worth two hundred thousand taels of silver."

"Holy crap!" Song Xiaoyi was stunned. "So all my fuss was less effective than his simple hoarding and speculation? He's a business genius!"

"Is this person usable?"

"I have already recruited this person."

"Then congratulations, Brother Zhu!"

"Alas, what use is it to subdue a business genius? I only have six years left—it won't change anything for the fate of the Ming Dynasty."

"Oh, right, I have a Life-Extending Pill here, given to me by the system. It says it can extend one's life by twenty years," Song Xiaoyi said, taking out a Life-Extending Pill from his spatial storage and handing it to Zhu Youcheng. "Brother Zhu, why don't you try it and see how it works?"

"Given by the system? Extends life by twenty years? That's amazing?" Zhu Youcheng took the brocade box containing the "Life-Extending Pill," examined it in his palm for a moment, and said, "It's a pity that it's useless to me. I'll leave it for Zhao'er."

"How do you know the food is useless? Anything produced by the system is guaranteed to be top-notch!"

"My system isn't giving any notifications..."

'

"I've given it to you anyway, you can do whatever you want with it. If you really want to consider the Crown Prince, he's still a long way off. With my current god-level medical skills protecting him, no disease can get into him."

"I'll keep it for now and look at it later."

"Now that you have money, and with me, Old Shan, and that so-called vassal as your backers, can't you put up a fight against the civil service clique and the Donglin Party?"

"What's the point of fighting? You guys are too weak."

"Alright. I know you have your own plans, so I won't say more. From now on, I'll continue to take the prince to learn and experience, and incidentally open a shop to make money."

"Please write down my current skills, just in case you need them later: Basic Ingredient Cooking Skills, Intermediate Ingredient Identification Skills,"

"Basic pastry making, intermediate combat skills, divine medical skills, divine medicine making skills," Song Xiaoyi said as he wrote, "and three resurrection techniques and two life-extending pills."

"Your divine medical skills and divine medicine-making skills will really come in handy in the future."

"Even if it brings someone back to life, it can still be used; don't look down on it."

"There is also an intermediate-level ingredient identification technique, which focuses on identifying poisons! From now on, any ingredients that the civil officials or anyone else provides for you and the Crown Prince will have to be screened by our Song family and then personally brought into the Imperial Kitchen by my grandfather or myself."

"I have considered using poison, slow-acting poison... Otherwise, the sudden deaths of Zhu Youtang and Zhu Houzhao in history would be too suspicious."

"You were prepared all along?"

"I have been waiting for them to make their move!"