Zhenjin returned to the Wensi Hall after facing down, although he was only a few dozen steps away, he was already sweating profusely. In fact, it belongs to the same Daming Palace, which is one of the three largest groups of palaces in Dadu Palace, and the palace structure of the Central Plains Dynasty is similar, but it is different. Daming Hall belongs to the front palace of the Great Inner Palace, it is not only the place of the last dynasty, but also the emperor's dormitory, the two side halls of Wensi and the red sandalwood are the sleeping palace, the wood of the decoration is the red sandalwood and fragrant wood, which is also inlaid with the ambergris and jade ornaments of the carved hollow hollow, the hall is always fragrant.

The construction of the capital city began after Kublai Khan succeeded to the throne of Khan, and it was only roughly completed last year, and it is only now that officials and wealthy families have begun to move into the city from the capital of Jinzhong, and the population has reached 300,000 or 400,000. However, Zhenjin is troubled by this, and there are still many follow-up projects in the capital that have not been completed, but due to financial difficulties in the past two years, it has been unable to support it anymore, and can only be slowly improved in the future. However, immigration is also a costly thing, but it also makes the tight finances even more embarrassing.

Thinking of money, Zhenjin was even more worried, and felt more and more irritable in his heart, although he felt a little cool after changing into court clothes under the service of the inner servant, he still felt stuffy and unbearable. At this time in previous years, the tent had already moved to Shangdu to escape the summer, but this year he did not go north on the grounds of physical discomfort, and his poor health was also one of the reasons, but it was not that he could not travel far, and the real reason was really difficult for him to speak.

Since Zhenjin was frightened because of the Zen position in the year before last, he was seriously ill, and then tried his best to plan this matter in order to compete for the throne. After successfully seizing the throne, he hurriedly returned to Dadu to take over the power and reorganize the government, but he has not been able to recuperate, and thus fell into the root of his illness. This year, I heard that Boyan failed to attack the Song Dynasty and fell ill again, and his health deteriorated, and he really couldn't afford to go to Helin.

Another reason is that after the loss of Jiangnan, the finance and taxation have been reduced by half, and money and food have become increasingly tight. Originally, it was hoped that the attack on the Song Dynasty would be able to capture some property, but the army did not even have the land in the south of the Yangtze River, not only the Huihui water army and the Goryeo water army were all annihilated, but even the two Huai also delayed the agricultural time because of the war, the harvest was reduced by more than forty percent, and the summer tax was also reduced. Thinking that he couldn't even get the money to reward the kings of the northwest with Lin Lian, he simply didn't go.

And the troubles of staying in Dadu are also constant, in fact, this is all because of the lack of money, which not only makes the government and the opposition turbulent, but also makes the disputes between the Hanfa faction and the conservative faction that have just been calmed down again, and the two sides attack each other in the court, with open guns and hidden arrows. Zhenjin is sandwiched in the middle every day, appeasing this, and suppressing that, but pressing the gourd to float the scoop, and today Boyan made the two sides point the finger at him, which made him annoyed.

"Sweat profusely, drink some milk tea to cool off!" At this time, someone came in with a tray in his hand.

"Yuechi Cha'er is here, don't drink these, let's serve wine and barbecue some meat!" Zhenjin looked at the person who came and squeezed out a smile.

"Okay, there is a freshly brewed purple jade syrup in the palace, and there is a swan that Xue has just caught, so I'll bring it to Da Khan!" Yuechi Cha'er immediately agreed.

"Let them go, you talk to me!" Real gold waved his hand.

"Okay, I'll let them take care of it and roast the sweat with my own hands!" Yue Chi Cha'er replied with a smile, and then turned around and ordered the chamberlain to say a few words before sitting down next to Zhenjin.

"When Father Khan was around, he often praised your cooking skills, saying that you chose the right person to take charge of Bao'er Chi, and today is just the two of us having a drink!" Real gold is very satisfied.

"If you sweat a lot, you should drink some alcohol, don't listen to those Chinese doctors, saying that sweating is depressed and becomes a disease, and drinking alcohol will lead to liver qi stagnation. How did they know that we Mongolians should not go without wine for a day, and that we would only get sick without wine? Yue Chi Cha'er said.

"Yes, I'll have enough of it with you today!" Real gold touched his beard and thought it was authentic.

"That's it, the wine is in the mouth, the meat is in the stomach, there are no diseases, and the body of the sweaty will get better!" Yue Chi Cha'er said, took the wine jug presented, and poured a bowl for Da Khan.

"Good wine!" Zhenjin picked up the bowl and drank it all and praised it, and his spirit seemed to be much better after drinking.

"Khan drink another bowl, and those troubles will be forgotten!" Yuechi Cha'er poured the road for real gold again.

"Come, drink together!" Real gold picked up the bowl and gestured.

"Good!" Yuechi Cha'er also picked up a bowl and drank a bowl with the Great Khan. Then the two drank two or three bowls of wine, Zhenjin's face also turned red, his body was hot, he took off one of the sleeves of his robe, half of his arms were naked, and his spirit that had just languished was also lifted.

"Great Khan, if there are any troubles today, don't take it to heart, there is a way to solve it after all!" At this time, an attendant brought a brazier and slaughtered swans, and Yuechi Cha'er put the meat on the fire and roasted it.

"There are too many troublesome things these days, the Northwest Sea is in turmoil again, the garrison begs for food, and this year it is the immigrant capital, Yunnan is also in turmoil, and the conquest of Jiangnan has consumed a lot of food, and Boyan has asked the court to allocate funds to build the river defense. But when the ministers heard about it, they played impeachment one after another, demanding that they be held accountable for the crime of defeat, which made me very embarrassed, and he had already embezzled half of the tax of the two Huai, and then asked for it and caused anger up and down, so that I don't know how to deal with it, and I also want to discuss with you! Zhenjin smacked his wine and sighed.

"Great Khan, these things are very difficult to do, but there is no way!" Yuechi Cha'er cut off the meat of the swan with a knife, dipped it in spices and roasted it on the fire.

Things have developed to this point, everyone may have understood that this month Chi Cha'er is the deacon in charge of Bao'er Chi Ti Xue, and his duty is to be mainly in charge of the inner court to drink and eat, and to enjoy the banquet in the court, which is equivalent to the head of the imperial dining room of the Great Song Dynasty and the modern head chef. But it's very confusing, how can a chef drink with the Great Khan and participate in the discussion of national affairs, isn't this a mess!

It would be unimaginable for this to happen in the Great Song Dynasty, but it is really not a problem to put it in Meng Yuan, but it is normal. The reason for this has to start with Meng Yuan's cowardly Xue system......

Genghis Khan's earliest purpose in establishing the Cowardly Xue Army was to have a standing army in his hands, with which he could deal with the enemy's surprise attacks, suppress opponents, and sleep peacefully. Long before the unification of the Mongolian steppe, Genghis Khan formed his companions into a personal guard. In the steppe nomadic culture, the companion is the personal belonging of the nomadic owner, but the relationship between the two is not simply materialized.

The lord will give the companion protection and means of subsistence, and the companion will act as the guardian of the lord, take care of the household chores, or command the troops. Trust and loyalty are important foundations of the relationship between the two, which are both master and servant, and humane. After Genghis Khan became Khan, he expanded this convoy into a 10,000-strong team. The Ti Xue organization continued the basic duties of the companions, and also served as the emperor's bodyguard, the royal family's domestic cadres, the proton battalion, the training school for the children of the nobles, and the administrative dispatch. In the work, according to the distance from the emperor, it is divided into two categories: "close attendant" and "guard".

Genghis Khan stipulated that the Mongol nobles had to let their children serve in the army, and whoever did not pay was a potential traitor. The second generation of these Mongolian nobles also had their own companions around them when they served, and each of them had several partners who went to the battlefield with them, so that 10,000 cowardly Xue troops were equivalent to several times cheaper "cannon fodder". If the children of the common people among the Mongols are good at kung fu, they can also pass the "self-examination" to participate in the cowardice. If any nobleman throws tricks, he will be punished as well.

After joining the Cowardly Xue Army, these people were subject to strict discipline, and their first task was to ensure the rest of the Great Khan. Among them, the guards were in charge of the night duty in the camp of the Great Khan, and the quivers and scattered guards were in charge of the daytime guards. Before sunset, the quiver and the loose shift are handed over, and they go out to sleep, and then they are on duty after breakfast the next day. Before the guard, the guards would leave a sigil for the Khan to meet during the day, and they could execute anyone who broke into the account without the Khan's permission.

When on duty at night, the soldiers of the Cowardly Xue Army must strictly follow the prescribed route. Any suspicious person you encounter on the road can be taken down on the spot, and then questioned the next day, and if you resist, you can kill them. If the minister of Meng Yuan wants to discuss matters with the Great Khan, he must be informed by the cowardly Xue on duty before entering, and when the Great Khan and his courtiers are deliberating, the cowardly Xue must not leave the left and right.

The 10,000 people were divided into four teams, called the Four Cowardly Xue, who took turns to work for three days and nights. The four cowardly Xue were captained by Genghis Khan's most trusted "founding partner" - Borhu, Borshu, Mu Huali, and Chilaowen, constituting the four major families of the Cowardly Xue Army. Genghis Khan has a problem sleeping, he must be guarded by trusted people to fall asleep, Borshu, Muhuali, Borhu, and Chilaowen are all partners that Genghis Khan must summon before sleeping.

When he fights the world, it is Borshu that often makes him sleep peacefully. The two often stayed up all night discussing strategy and tactics, and after the discussion, Borshu had to guard him.

Of course, in addition to protecting the Great Khan himself, the cowardly Xue Jun also had to protect the Great Khan's woman. The Mongol Great Khans trusted these people similarly to the eunuchs, and the cowardly Xue army "mingled with the concubines and fell asleep". The cowardly Xue Jun was also worthy of this trust, and from the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty to the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, none of them had any scandals with the women of the Great Khan, at least much better than the conduct of their British counterparts in the twentieth century.

In addition to serving as a guard and protecting the Great Khan and his family, another of the duties of the Cowardly Xue Army was the close attendants, who served in the inner court and were mainly responsible for household affairs. There are more than a dozen kinds of Sugur Chi who manages the crown clothes, Huo Erchi who wears a bow and arrow, Huo Youchi, who is responsible for shepherding sheep, Timai Chi who is a camel herder, Xi Baochi who domesticates falcons, Jing Rachi who is responsible for wine, and Huer Chi who is responsible for playing music, etc., involving all aspects of royal life. It is precisely because of the cowardly Xue who is responsible for handling the royal housework that there are not a large number of eunuchs in the Yuan court, and Bao Erchi - the cook is one of them.

All kinds of cowardly service personnel perform their duties, and Bao Erchi is mainly responsible for "cooking to serve food", carefully and meticulously preparing various dishes. Before the emperor officially eats, Bao Erchi has to try the food first, to see if the taste is delicious, and to see if the food is safe and non-toxic. In addition, in the sacrificial ceremonies and palace food, Bao Erchi's work is also an important part.

The national customs of the Yuan Dynasty stipulated that when the temple was sacrificed, the Mongolian Bao'er Chi should first cook the animals, and then kneel down to cut the cattle, and the meat of wild pigs, deer, sheep and other wild animals and beasts was placed on the vermilion lacquer offering plate served by the Taifuqing, and then carried out other follow-up links. This is especially true when the emperor gives food, the gift of imperial food and fragrant soup reflects the emperor's compassion and care for his subordinates, which is a great honor for the courtiers, and the food has become a good way to maintain and strengthen the relationship between the monarch and the minister.

In view of the special skills mastered by the imperial chef and the nature of the work, the selection of Bao Erchi has always been highly valued. First of all, under the high level of professionalism in domestic work, people such as imperial chefs and geldings are often family hereditary, because the family heirloom skills are the most reliable and intimate, and excellent cooking skills are the guarantee of the emperor's food comfort.

Of course, the selection of Bao Erchi also attaches great importance to the loyalty, quality and prudent attitude of the personnel. One of the state systems of the Yuan Dynasty was that "the internal meal is a close minister, and those who are not respectful of the author are not allowed to do it", so the people who served as Bao'er Chi were often the descendants of the emperor's most trusted important ministers, and they had a very close relationship with the emperor. As a result, Bao Erchi often formed a deep personal relationship with the emperor he served.

Because of the special unit to which they belong and because of the particularity of their profession, these close attendants of the cowardly Xue on duty also enjoy a high status, for example, they are often allowed to accompany the ministers of the province, the Yuan, and the Ministry of Taiwan when they are in charge of the prelude.

When accompaniing, the actual role of the cowardly deacon is not limited to the original ministry, but focuses on listening to the government in the court. Assist the emperor in obtaining more information and help the monarch to adjudicate confidential government affairs, including military, political, financial, and criminal law. Moreover, they appeared on the occasion of listening to the music as a close attendant, and in the hearts of the Great Khan and others, they were also different from the ministers of the provincial court who were generally born, and the situation of the cowardly Xue represented by Bao Er Chi and others to accompany the emperor ran through the Yuan Dynasty and became a common practice in the Yuan system.

Therefore, in terms of entry requirements, Bao Erchi must not only have excellent cooking skills, but also meet the conditions of being a loyal and cowardly member. In their daily work, they not only have to provide exquisite meals and ensure food safety for emperors, clan relatives, banquets and sacrificial ceremonies, but also participate in political decision-making, serve as high-ranking officials, and participate in the country's military and political affairs.

In addition to directly participating in the government and political decision-making as internal servants, it is also a common phenomenon for Bao'er Chi to be transferred to officials of central agencies. And when they were transferred abroad, Bao'er Chi was much higher than other cowardly grades from ordinary officials' families, and their first official ranks were mostly concentrated between the fourth rank and the fifth rank, and when they finally retired, they could mostly rank among the ranks of the first rank to the third grade, which is indeed beyond the imagination of modern people......