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

Chapter 100 The Shocking Selection Plan (Part 1)

Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao was also a little confused. His father had always been a light eater and had never been so possessive of his food.

Think about it again, no, it must taste delicious!

Although only seven years old, Zhu Houzhao was quick-witted and immediately grasped the key point, taking the braised beef noodles from Wei Bin's hands...

Song Xiaoyi and Wei Bin looked at each other. Song Xiaoyi sighed inwardly that it would be better to prepare an extra copy, while Wei Bin was surprised and wondered what kind of magic he had used.

"Hmm~, Xiao Yi, what's in there...?"

'

"It's a steamed bun..."

'

"Steamed buns?! With meat?"

"There's lamb, beef, and vegetables."

"Give me a vegetable dish!"

"Wei Bin, get me a mutton one!"

Although Zhu Houzhao was only seven years old, he had an amazing appetite. No wonder historical records state that he "liked to practice horseback riding and archery, and even personally drilled the army."

What else did Zhu Houzhao like?

It seems his primary motivation was games and entertainment? He was enthusiastic about various court games, including wrestling.

Acrobatics, drama, etc.;

Secondly, he was also full of curiosity about folk arts and folk culture;

Thirdly, he was close to eunuchs and attendants. Compared to his serious civil officials and tutors, Zhu Houzhao preferred to play with the eunuchs and attendants around him.

Most importantly, Zhu Houzhao detested lectures and lecturing at imperial court sessions!

Although as the crown prince and future emperor, he was required to receive a classical Confucian education, he was extremely averse to it and often skipped or did things half-heartedly, preferring to spend his time on entertainment.

Ultimately, the teacher Zhu Youcheng found for him couldn't control him.

A seven-year-old child, the same age as Qiu Ying, why don't I try to guide him?

The father and son buried their heads in their noodles, not even lifting their eyelids, only the sound of slurping noodles could be heard. After Zhu Youcheng finished his portion of spicy noodles, he gestured for Wei Bin to bring over the tomato and beef brisket noodles, then ate half of it himself, without asking for an egg or ham, and pushed the rest to Zhu Houzhao.

"Zhao'er, is it to your liking?"

"Mmm~, delicious..." she replied while swallowing noodles with her mouth full, almost choking.

"My little darling, please eat slowly, don't choke. Oh, and have some soup."

Zhu Houzhao nearly choked, and Wei Bin turned pale with fright.

"Wei Bin, is this the instant noodle dish that Gu Dayong and the others were talking about, the one that appeared at Taoye Ferry in Yingtian Prefecture?"

"Eh! Your Highness, you actually know about my Peach Leaf Ferry Restaurant?"

"Of course! The world is full of wonders, and I, the Crown Prince, know everything!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince is truly remarkable!"

"belch""

"Hiccup~~"

Zhu Youmo and Zhu Houzhao each let out a burp almost one after the other.

"Zhao'er, it's time to go back to your studies after breakfast." Zhu Youcheng slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over Song Xiaoyi, and he gave a very slight nod, his eyes revealing a deep meaning. "I need to digest my food. Xiaoyi, come with me for a walk."

Song Xiaoyi grabbed two steamed buns from the steamer and followed behind Zhu Youcheng, eating as they walked. The leftover bowls, chopsticks, and steamer were taken back to the imperial kitchen by the eunuch Wei Bin.

"It's extremely impolite of you to walk behind the Emperor and eat steamed buns like that, do you understand?"

"Xiao Yi really doesn't understand."

"The rules in the palace are indeed troublesome. That was Wei Bin. If it were Li Guang or Liu Jin, they would have reprimanded you."

"The eunuch Li Guang? Didn't Li Guang commit suicide out of fear of punishment?"

"He committed suicide. I was just saying that Li Guang was too particular about rules. And Liu Jin too. I didn't let Liu Jin come yesterday because I was afraid he would get in the way."

"Liu Jin, one of the Eight Tigers."

"In this palace, eunuchs who aren't cunning won't survive long. I know what you're trying to say: knowing they're the Eight Tigers, why use them?"

"No, Xiao Yi knows that even without Liu Jin, there would eventually be Chen Jin or Zhang Jin; even without Gu Dayong, there would still be Li Dayong or Wang Dayong."

"You're so young, yet you see things so clearly."

"I summoned Zhao'er here today because I wanted to introduce you to someone. Last night I was thinking about how to give you a position. What do you think of the position of Crown Prince's Tutor?"

"Brother Zhu, 'washing the horse' sounds awful. It sounds like 'washing the horse for the Crown Prince!'"

"Look at you, so ignorant and incompetent. Even the Crown Prince's tutor is a fifth-rank official. This time, the chief examiner for the Nanjing autumn imperial examination, Liang Chu, is the Crown Prince's tutor."

"Being the Crown Prince's tutor is better than being his personal groom."

'

"You're thinking too simply. The position of one of the three tutors to the Crown Prince is reserved for those of high moral character and prestige. Why don't you take on the position of Junior Chamberlain of the Crown Prince's Palace?"

"The Crown Prince's Junior Chamberlain? A deputy position? Who is the current Crown Prince's Junior Chamberlain?"

"The current Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince is Wang Shu, a veteran official who has served three reigns, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince."

"The Wang Shu of the two capitals and twelve ministries, who is the only one with the title Wang Shu?"

"That's right."

"This old man is not someone to mess with."

"Haha, he is mature and prudent, and it would be best for him to be in charge of the Crown Prince's residence."

"So who is the current Junior Chamberlain of the Crown Prince's Palace?"

Upon hearing Song Xiaoyi ask about the Junior Chamberlain, Zhu Youcheng revealed a rare sly smile, "I won't tell you yet, you guess."

"Let me guess? How would I know which officials the Ming Dynasty has..." Halfway through his sentence, Song Xiaoyi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and looked sharply at Zhu Youcheng, "Could it be Cheng Minzheng?!"

"Not bad, not bad, you're quite quick-witted. It's Cheng Minzheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, haha."

"Really? You knew he would cause problems, yet you still appointed him as the chief examiner for next year's imperial examination?"

"Then the chief examiner for the Nanjing provincial examination was Liang Chu, the tutor of the crown prince."

This was the second time Zhu Youcheng had mentioned "the Crown Prince's tutor and Liang Chu" in a short period of time. Song Xiaoyi immediately realized that his appointment of the Crown Prince's tutor and the Junior Chamberlain of the Crown Prince's Palace to be in charge of the imperial examinations was a well-thought-out plan to cultivate a loyal following for Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao!

"Brother Zhu, you wouldn't be thinking about cultivating a faction for the Crown Prince so early, would you?"

"It's getting late. If they're selected next year, they can be trained for a few years and then Zhao'er will be ready to use. The next batch won't be for another four years, so there won't be enough time to train them."

Zhu Youcheng's tone was a mix of excitement and melancholy.

"It seems Brother Zhu had this planned in advance."

"That's true. Tang Bohu was talented, but his character and lifestyle ultimately did not meet the basic requirements for assisting the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoyi suddenly realized that Tang Bohu's success in the provincial examination might not have been entirely due to his ability. "Was Liang Chu's nomination of Tang Bohu as the top scholar in the Nanjing provincial examination arranged by you, Brother Zhu?"

"You're not stupid."

"Brother Zhu, are you planning to bring Tang Bohu to the capital and recruit him into the Jiying Hall or Wuying Hall? Or... did you orchestrate the imperial examination cheating scandal?!"

"Keep your voice down, indeed." Zhu Youcheng nodded. "Because I know that Tang Bohu is too arrogant and conceited, so I want to temper him for a while first."

"Xiao Yi disagrees with this," Song Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "Tang Bohu is different from ordinary people. He has sharp edges and corners, and his talent often stems from his dissolute and drunken life. If we smooth out all his edges and confine him to the palace as a court painter, the spirit of his works will disappear."

"That makes sense, but if we leave him outside the palace, given his personality, it's not so bad if something happens to him, but it would be a real pity if his works were lost."