Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world!"

Zhang Jiao stood on a high platform and threw the talisman covered in cinnabar into the air.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees, their heads wrapped in yellow turbans, roared furiously as they surged toward the fortified village like a flood bursting its banks.

From the fields and villages of the Ming, Tang, Qing, Song, Yuan, and even the Han Dynasty.

Although the common people had not yet raised their flags, the way they looked at the landlords and gentry was filled with a chillingly fierce light.

Taiji Hall during the Zhenguan era.

"Your Majesty, reports from various regions indicate that the people have expressed some dissatisfaction, but fortunately, it has not yet escalated into a major upheaval," Fang Xuanling reported, bowing.

Li Shimin let out a long breath, his tense body relaxing slightly.

Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty had just been established and the people's hearts were still stable, so it hadn't come to that point yet.

But a single spark can start a prairie fire, and this resentment must not be allowed to fester.

"By imperial decree, all government granaries in the regions shall immediately open and distribute grain to relieve the disaster victims!"

"in addition,"

Li Shimin's tone became meaningful as he said, "He issued a proclamation to all the noble families in the land, urging them to set aside a portion of their land and rent it to landless refugees."

"This is an act of sharing the nation's burdens and assisting the ruler; I hope you gentlemen will understand."

The hall was completely silent.

The officials from those powerful families lowered their heads, and none of them dared to voice their opposition.

They knew very well that the emperor was using this as an excuse to make trouble.

If we don't proactively cut off some meat today, and wait for those peasants to come and snatch it away tomorrow, we might not even have bones left.

-

The Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty.

At this moment, Qianlong felt a deep-seated fear, and an overwhelming rage ignited by that fear.

Emperor Qianlong's sharp gaze swept over the trembling Grand Councilors and eunuchs around him.

He saw Heshen's fawning smile as a sign of malicious intent.

To him, Liu Yong's submissive demeanor was merely a pretentious act.

Even the old eunuch who had served him for decades seemed ready to shout "Overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!" at any moment!

"Guards!" Qianlong's voice was hoarse and shrill.

"By imperial decree, the Commander of the Nine Gates is ordered to strengthen the defenses of the capital!"

"If any displaced people rebel, there is no need for trial; they will be executed without pardon!"

After issuing several orders, Qianlong looked up at the sky above him, his teeth itching with hatred.

Since this monstrous thing appeared, the Qing Dynasty has not only shown no signs of improvement, but has also been marked by signs of collapse everywhere!

The Han people's long-suppressed anger is about to erupt!

-

On this side of the sky, Lu Li was unaware that in various timelines, towering waves had already been stirred up.

After finishing his braised pork, he casually typed a few words in the comments section.

"Actually, not many people used to like eating fish."

"When I was a kid, I used to catch fish in the river and boil them in plain water when I got home. The taste... tsk, it was really sour and refreshing."

"It wasn't until the 1980s, with the availability of various seasonings, that more people started eating fish."

Since that incident, Lu Li has lost interest in things like steamed fish for many years.

He let out a satisfied burp, and a new headline popped up.

Did food taste better in ancient times without food additives?

Under the sky, everyone was stunned.

food additives?

What is this thing?

In recent years, people have paid increasing attention to food safety issues.

Many unscrupulous businesses illegally use various food additives in pursuit of profits, leading to numerous serious incidents.

Therefore, many people have begun to resist food additives and advocate a complete return to "pure natural" and "original ecology".

So here's the question: without these things, were the foods in ancient times healthier and tastier?

The explanation of the sky curtain left people from various dynasties even more confused.

"What do you mean? Do restaurants and eateries in later generations still dare to poison the food?"

"It can't be, can it? Would someone who's poisoned someone speak in this tone? I'm guessing it's probably something like spices."

"So...they're envious of us?"

"They're unhappy about having too many spices, and they're mocking us for not being able to afford spices?"

After figuring out the whole story, countless people rolled their eyes.

You guys catch fish and eat it every day, and you still complain that there are too many spices? Are you crazy?

Let's switch places, and I'll let you eat boiled wild vegetables for months. Let's see if you're still envious then.

In fact, ancient technology and skills were far more advanced than those of modern times.

Take baijiu for example. Many people think that baijiu is just water diluted with water, but you are underestimating the ancients.

You know what arsenic trioxide is, right?

If you don't know, try replacing it with arsenic, and you'll understand, right?

The ancients discovered long ago that adding a very small amount of arsenic to baijiu (Chinese liquor) could produce a slight burning sensation.

This burning sensation is exactly the same as the rush of a fine wine when it goes down your throat.

A fiery sensation flowed down his throat, and a surge of heat rose in his chest and abdomen—this was the perfect kick that drinkers craved.

As early as the Ming Dynasty, the government uncovered a case of counterfeiting arsenic.

After drinking it, the guest's hands and feet went numb. Because the reaction was consistent with that of strong liquor, even seasoned drinkers couldn't tell the difference.

This counterfeit liquor was sold for many years until someone drank too much and got poisoned, at which point the scandal was exposed.

Boss Li looked at the sky, his lips twitching a few times.

Without making a sound, he called the waiter over and ordered in a low voice, "Move all those jars of Drunken Flower Wine from the backyard to the estate outside the city."

"Why? That's our shop's signature dish, five taels of silver for a jar."

"The boss tells you to do the work, why are you asking questions! Just go when he tells you to!"

Seeing that the waiter wanted to ask more questions, the accountant immediately put on a stern face and scolded him.

The waiter was scolded and didn't dare to say another word. He picked up the wine jar and headed for the back door.

Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, the accountant approached and asked, "Brother-in-law, are we really not selling our money-making machine anymore?"

Boss Li glanced at him and said, "Sell? Of course I'll sell."

"Things are tense right now. In a year or two, who will even remember this?"

"We'll change the name to 'Immortal's Intoxication' and raise the price to ten taels of silver per jar, and people will still scramble to buy it."

After listening, the accountant suddenly realized, "My brother-in-law is truly brilliant!"

The two exchanged a glance and both let out a knowing laugh.

"Hehehehe!!"

Besides alcohol, honey is also a major source of contamination.

During the Song Dynasty, some merchants would melt white sugar and mix it with a small amount of real honey for flavoring, creating a high-quality honey that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

If you encounter an even more unscrupulous vendor, they won't even bother to add white sugar, and will simply boil it with alum water.

The color and consistency are so realistic that without real skill, you simply can't tell the difference between real and fake.

Even now, honey adulteration remains a persistent problem, making it difficult to prevent.

"That's right, I can testify that nine out of ten honeys sold in the market are fake!"

Upon seeing Tianmu talking about fake honey, Su Shi, a renowned gourmand of the Song Dynasty, stepped forward.

He utterly detests the issue of fake honey.

Because he just bought counterfeit goods again!

Su Shi turned his head, picked up his brush, and angrily wrote a line of large characters on the paper:

"There's no real honey in the marketplace; it's all boiled down to alum water!"

Let's talk about meat adulteration in ancient times, especially venison, which was a favorite of high-ranking officials and nobles.

Many unscrupulous merchants collect animal carcasses, repeatedly salt them or use saltpeter, and then smoke and roast them to disguise them as dried venison.

This dried meat has a reddish color and a chewy texture, making it indistinguishable from real venison.

Even if you eat venison your whole life, you might not be able to taste the difference.

In addition, there are fake ginseng, donkey-hide gelatin made from donkey skin, rice water paste cloth, and so on.

So, what do you think? The brutality of ancient times wasn't any less than that of modern times, was it?

Seeing so many methods of forgery, Li Shimin's mind was buzzing.

Looking at the venison soup that had just been served on the table, something just didn't seem right.

Is this really venison?

Could it be that unscrupulous merchants in the city are using meat from diseased or dead horses or mules to make fake meat?

Li Shimin picked up his chopsticks, but hesitated to take a bite.

"Where did this venison come from?"

The eunuch was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, it was sent from the hunting grounds under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department. It was definitely a fresh deer hunted that day."

Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that it wasn't counterfeit venison, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Cheng Yaojin, standing nearby, reluctantly put down the bone he was gnawing on.

Changsun Wuji swallowed the piece of meat in his mouth with a complicated expression.

Fang Xuanling was even more decisive; he put down his chopsticks and didn't touch them again.

Li Shimin grew angrier and angrier the more he thought about it, and immediately issued an imperial edict.

"Issue an order to the Hundred Cavalry Division to thoroughly investigate the shops in the market and find out whether any are selling counterfeit goods!"

"Yes, sir!"