Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

The antique soup bubbled, its thick, oily broth flowing freely. Tofu skin, cabbage, lettuce, and radish floated on the surface, while chunks of marbled beef tumbled in the copper pot.

The fragrance, carried by the wind, swirled and climbed over the wall into Fahai Temple.

I don't know how many monks were tempted.

Dou Fengjie felt that he had indirectly helped the monks of Fahai Temple to strengthen their Zen resolve, and that his merits were greater than heaven's, so it was not unreasonable to give him the position of an Arhat.

If all else fails, go to Fahai Temple, oust the alms-begging Arhat from his position, and have Dou Fengjie sit on top and beg for food.

"Actually, I wanted to eat donkey meat." Dou Fengjie picked up a piece of beef, glanced at the donkey frolicking in the yard with a wicked smile.

Ah Lu stared wide-eyed at Dou Fengjie in astonishment, managing to force a fawning smile onto his face.

Don't eat donkey!

Donkeys eat little and work a lot; they're uncomfortable if they don't work!

A donkey can borrow money to support itself!

The Wude Code stipulated that cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, and other livestock could not be slaughtered privately, but this law did not apply to imperial relatives.

Moreover, yak and yak are not within the scope of Wu Delu's protection.

The yak is a hybrid of the yaks and cattle. Like the mule, it has almost no reproductive ability and, like the yaks, is not suitable for long-term survival in hot places.

The Tuyuhun and various Qiang tribes coexisted with yellow cattle, tang cattle, and yak.

In particular, in the third year of Zhenguan, Zheng Yuanzhu, the governor of Nanhui Prefecture, pacified the Dangxiang Qiang tribe of Xifeng. The chieftain Xifeng Bulai led his tribe to surrender to Tang, making Nanhui Prefecture one of the eight hundred tributary prefectures. As a result, yak beef and yak beef could be found on the tables of Chang'an people from time to time.

"Haha! Young master is just teasing the donkey!" Dou Xi chewed a bite of beef, his eyes full of laughter. "Firm and tender, mostly lean with little fat, delicious!"

I thought I'd suffer a bit following my husband, but he's been providing me with delicious food every few days.

Dou happy's belt was looser than before.

With good food and drink every day, Dou happy wouldn't do anything immoral.

The braised beef and mutton soup is sweet, fresh, and fragrant, with a generous amount of oil, making the vegetables exceptionally crisp.

The only problem was that the meat chunks were cut too thick, which was very characteristic of the highland region.

"I understand what you want—vegetable seeds and the big white pig—but why that 1,500-pound Shire horse?" Dou Shang asked, taking a sip of hot soup, his eyes filled with confusion. "You said it has a broad back; surely it's not as easy to ride as a donkey?"

The donkey in the yard echoed with "ah, eh."

What, Sharma? Get out of here!

Grandpa Donkey is the best!

"Those are draft horses, not riding horses!" Dou Fengjie laughed. "When the time comes, Ah Lu will guide us, and Xia Er will pull the cart. The three of us will stand on the cart, looking very impressive. How wonderful!"

Dou Fengjie had another intention he didn't mention: he wanted to crossbreed the Shire horses with native Tang horses to see if he could improve the degenerate state of the Tang horse breed.

The reason for enticing Madeleine to bring these things from Frankish was that Dou Fengjie did not trust the smuggling system.

If he sprains his ankle, he'll get a miniature horse instead of a Sharma, a pot-bellied pig instead of a Yorkshire pig, and lavender instead of vegetables. Dou Fengjie will have nowhere to cry.

Dou Fengjie had no idea when the refurbished goods system was functioning normally and when it malfunctioned.

"Wang Fangzhen requests an audience with Dou Zhangke."

Yuan Cong's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Is he here to eat beef?"

Dou happy grumbled and reluctantly opened the door, inviting Yuan Cong into the courtyard.

"I apologize for the intrusion. I am here on His Majesty's orders to express my gratitude to the steward."

"Thanks to the reminder from the steward, His Majesty asked Zhen Liyan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, to carefully investigate. They discovered that the lip rouge supplied to the Empress by the Imperial Pharmacy of the Palace Secretariat contained more chrysanthemum, which led to the Empress's urticaria."

"By His Majesty's benevolent decree, I hereby appoint you as the Director of the Imperial Advisory Office and the Minister of Personnel in charge of official duties."

The information is very dense.

Dou Fengjie's excuse for not wanting to offer perfume as tribute actually came true.

The fact that the Empress could appreciate chrysanthemums on a regular basis without being affected suggests that her allergy symptoms were not too severe, unless there was direct contact.

Aside from being framed, Empress Zhangsun usually took a little care, and the eunuchs and palace maids around her kept her chrysanthemum away, which naturally reduced the frequency of attacks.

As for the sixth-rank official, the position of Shangchaoyilang, it was just a minor official post with a higher salary.

This rank is very precise; the next level up would be the doctor level.

Cough cough, not the doctor you see.

As for the craftsmen involved, death was a luxury for them.

Anyone with a little common sense would know that the only person who hated Empress Zhangsun to the bone and knew her weaknesses was Zhangsun Anye, who was exiled to Xizhou.

"Fine, it's better than nothing."

Dou Fengjie clicked his tongue in regret.

The stingy Li Shimin was unwilling to promise not to arrange any more marriage alliances, and he was even reluctant to give a fifth-rank civil official position.

A hint of difficulty appeared in Wang Fangzhen's eyes: "The Court of Imperial Sacrifices does not have a good prescription for preventing rubella. His Majesty has inquired whether the Imperial Advisors have any good medicine."

"Your Majesty may grant the Imperial Advisor the special permission to take a concubine."

Dou Fengjie gave a forced smile.

Oh, Khan, you're dreaming!

Even if Dou Fengjie went to great lengths to obtain the medicine through multiple rounds of illegal purchases, why would he give it away?

With this mediocre position as a court official, or even a lowly clerk?

Taking concubines was the freedom of every powerful and noble person; did it require Li Shimin's special permission?

Upon closer examination, it became clear that the emperor's desire to turn his cousin into his sister's husband had not been abandoned!

Dou Fengjie spread his hands: "Your Majesty, this is putting me in a difficult position. The Empress's matter is due to her good fortune and blessings, and has nothing to do with Dou Fengjie."

"A little inquiry will tell you that I haven't even studied medicine, and the prescriptions I write could kill myself."

Dou Fengjie acted like a complete idiot, pretending that if he couldn't succeed in literature, he would try martial arts, and if he couldn't succeed in martial arts, he would try medicine, and even prescribe medicine to drink himself to death.

At his level, it would be easy for him to just coast along and wait to die.

If you want a good medicine, you can, but you must put an end to Princess Yongjia's crazy thoughts.

Wang Fangzhen could tell that Dou Fengjie was just going through the motions, but what could he do?

The emperor doesn't starve his soldiers; if he doesn't give Dou Fengjie the conditions he wants, getting the elixir is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree.

Even if Wang Fangzhen kidnapped Dou Fengjie, he wouldn't be able to find the prescription.

The most troublesome thing in the world is encountering a desperado who doesn't even care about his own life.

The people are not afraid of death, so why threaten them with death?

Wang Fangzhen's voice was slightly bitter: "The Empress is the mother of the nation, and she should bestow more favors upon her subjects. You, the Imperial Advisor, should think of a solution."

The Empress's radiance shone throughout the land, but Dou Fengjie was a rat in the gutter, feeling no warmth.

Expecting Dou Fengjie to treat Empress Zhangsun's illness and give her Xisimin, but not satisfying Dou Fengjie's request, isn't that a waste of time?

"It's not that I, Dou Fengjie, am not trying my best, but I am simply lacking in talent and knowledge, and I dare not delay the Empress." Dou Fengjie refused very decisively.

The titles of Duke of Zan, Zhangke, and Chaoyilang were all empty promises. Having experienced execution, Dou Fengjie was already immune to empty promises.

Honey, giving me some real money would be better than just talking nonsense here.

The Emperor's promise?

Sorry, I can't believe a thing of the truth.

The emperor's words are nothing but a deceitful ghost.

"Please inform His Majesty that whether or not I take a concubine is a matter for me, Dou Fengjie, and it is no need for the mighty Khan to concern himself with it," Dou Fengjie said firmly.

Emperor, Supreme Being, are the official titles used by both Chinese and foreign officials and common people to refer to the Son of Heaven.

The term "Your Majesty" appears most often when ministers present their reports to the emperor.

Wang Fangzhen smiled wryly.

He knew it was an impossible task, but he still had to come and try.