Zhu Houzhao pursed his lips and asked tentatively, "I will eat one, will I succeed in one?" ”

His Majesty the Emperor means that there is so much corn, and eating one will not affect the promotion of planting, right?

Xie Shenzhi was a little crying and laughing, the dignified son of heaven had never eaten any delicacies from the mountains and seas, and he was so eager for a corn. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info But this is not difficult to understand, after all, Zhu Houzhao has never eaten corn, and the potatoes that Xie Shen recommended to him before are extremely delicious. In other words, it was Xie Shen who brought Zhu Houzhao's expectations for corn were too high.

"Ahem, if Your Majesty only eats one, it's fine, it's just ......"

Before Xie Shen finished speaking, Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed and said, "Mr. agreed." ”

Xie Shen said helplessly: "The minister will make a dish of boiled corn for His Majesty." ”

"Is it really boiled? Sir didn't lie to me? ”

Zhu Houzhao will be suspicious.

"It's really just boiled."

Xie Shen couldn't cry or laugh, and spread his hands and said.

"What are you waiting for, sir, go quickly."

Xie Shen nodded and arched his hand: "The minister obeys the order." ”

But it was said that Xie Shen left the Wenhua Hall and went straight to the imperial dining room.

If the Son of Heaven wants to eat corn, it must be sloppy, and the corn prepared in the imperial dining room is supervised by a special person to ensure that there will be no problems.

When Xie Shen saw the most ordinary food in the later life, he was so moved that he almost burst into tears.

The imperial chefs were surprised to see Xiao Ge Lao's appearance, and they all looked at Xie Shen.

Xie Shen saw a group of people staring at him, and then realized that he had lost his temper, and hurriedly said, "Ahem, ahem, cough......"

"Your Majesty wants to eat boiled corn, and you won't take one."

A little eunuch said with a smile: "Do what the elder Xiaoge says." ”

It was naturally impossible for Xie Shen to cook by himself, but he had no problem directing the imperial chefs to cook corn.

Although the imperial chefs were very disdainful of this, they thought that boiling in white water was too untechnical, right?

But they didn't dare to question Xie Shen's words, so they obediently took a piece of corn and did so.

Although it is easy to cook corn, the heat time must be carefully controlled. If the corn is cooked for too long, it is easy to get old, and if the cooking time is too short, the corn will have a sandwiched taste.

Therefore, there is a lot of experience and knowledge in this, and without Xie Shen's guidance, these imperial chefs may not be able to cook the corn perfectly.

Xie Shen was very satisfied with the boiled corn, the golden color, just looking at it from a distance, it was very appetizing.

How can a super foodie like Zhu Houzhao not be captured by such a delicious taste?

The corn is eaten hot, and Zhu Houzhao is not a temperament that can wait.

Xie Shen hurriedly asked someone to put the boiled corn in the food box to keep it warm, and then asked the little eunuch to trot and send it to the Wenhua Palace.

Rao is like this, and when the corn is delivered to Zhu Houzhao's mouth, it is still a little cold.

There is no way, the Forbidden City is too big, and the distance from the imperial dining room to the Wenhua Hall is too far, so it takes a stick of incense.

There will be no such problem in the leopard room, Zhu Houzhao is unwilling to stay in the Forbidden City, and there are more or less considerations in this regard.

"Your Majesty, look, this is boiled corn."

Xie Shen pointed to a golden corn presented and said respectfully.

Of course, there are many ways to make corn, which can be fried or roasted, but Xie Shen thinks that the most delicious is boiled corn.

Only by boiling it in water can the original mellow aroma of corn be released, so that the taste buds can be enjoyed.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't wait for a long time, so he took care of his demeanor and feasted in front of Xie Shen.

At this moment, Li Dongyang and Tang Yin have already retired, and there is no one else in the hall except Zhang Yong and Xie Shen, so they don't have to worry about being seen and eating too ugly.

Zhu Houzhao held a piece of corn and gnawed it like this, from the beginning to the end, there was not a single corn left, and there were still a few half-crushed corn kernels stuck to the corners of his mouth......

Xie Shen turned his head in recognition of each other, and Zhu Houzhao touched the corner of his mouth when he saw that Mr. had a strange expression, and snorted the foreign object.

"Sir, this corn doesn't taste much better than potatoes."

Zhu Houzhao still tasted the mellow fragrance of corn as he spoke, and his eyes shone with scorching brilliance.

"I still want to eat a ......"

"Your Majesty!" Xie Shen admonished: "These are all seeds, and they are the rations of my Ming people." How can Your Majesty be like this? ”

Zhu Houzhao scratched his head guiltily and said, "Mr. said no, then I won't eat it." ”

Xie Shen said in a deep voice: "This corn is easier to grow than rice and flour, and it is suitable for poor families to fill their stomachs. ”

Corn may not be able to completely replace rice flour, but to some extent it can be used as a means to curb the price of rice and flour.

After all, the people of the Ming Dynasty have adapted to rice noodles, and it is impossible for them to immediately change their habits for many years and replace them with corn.

"Well, I'll pass on the decree and plant it in Beijing first." Zhu Houzhao finally recovered the majestic posture of His Majesty the Ming Emperor at this moment, and waved his big hand and said: "Gu Dayong, the intention is to be used." ”

For Zhu Houzhao's vigorous and resolute behavior, Xie Shen appreciates it very much. This kind of thing should be done sooner rather than later, and the people will be able to eat corn a year earlier if they are promoted a year earlier.

It's only a few decades ahead, but it's a precious amount of time.

Now that the issue of land annexation can be dealt with and the food problem is resolved, the crisis at the end of the Ming Dynasty may not exist at all.

Zhu Houzhao dictated, and Zhang Yongfen wrote the book.

After Zhang Yong wrote the drafted holy decree, Zhu Houzhao asked him to read it again, and after making sure that it was what he wanted to express, he nodded with satisfaction and said: "Take it to the cabinet and show it to Li Gelao, and if there is no problem, copy it to the Di Bao." ”

"The slave obeys."

Zhang Yong hadn't seen Zhu Houzhao so happy for a long time, so he hurriedly copied the holy decree in his arms and trotted out of the Wenhua Palace.

At present, there are only Zhu Houzhao and Xie Shen Junchen in the Wenhua Palace, and some words can be said without scruples.

"How long do you think it will take for this corn to be fully planted?"

As a king, Zhu Houzhao has a keen insight. He learned from Xie Shen's attitude that corn is definitely no less than corn grain, and it is definitely a great joy for the people of Daming to be able to promote planting.

"Your Majesty, it will take at least three years to fully promote it."

This is still a conservative estimate. It is important to know that the inertia of human thinking is difficult to correct. The first person to eat crabs tends to be considered monsters, and the first to eat corn is about the same.

If three years can make the people of Daming accept corn, it will already be a success.

"Oh, that's okay, it's not too long." Zhu Houzhao paused and said, "So, corn seems to be more suitable as a staple food than potatoes?" ”

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Xie Shen arched his hand and said, "It's better to put potatoes in the dish, but it's a little reluctant to make the staple food." ”

Although potatoes are the staple food for Europeans, this is not the eating habit of Oriental people, and Xie Shen can't accept eating only potatoes for one meal.

......

......

But corn is different, and Orientals are obviously more suitable for choosing corn as a staple food than potatoes. Whether boiled or roasted, the mellow aroma of corn is extremely attractive.

Zhu Houzhao pondered for a moment, as if thinking about Xie Shen's words.

He's active by nature and loves to have fun. No matter how you say it, he is also the emperor of the Ming Empire, rich all over the world.

He was concerned about the entire people of the empire, and he must not allow starvation to happen under his rule.

Zhu Houzhao is not stupid, he knows that the crux of Daming's problem lies in food. Dig further into the land.

This problem is being resolved with the introduction of uniform land and the substitution of money taxes for grain taxes. However, it is not possible to make a trip immediately, so it is necessary to do both, and it would be best if there was something to replace the rice grain.

Corn, potatoes, it's a gift from heaven.

With these two things, the people of poor families can eat and never go hungry.

Even if the feeling of satiety is not as strong as that compared to rice, at least it fills the stomach, right?

Zhu Houzhao wants to be a Ming Jun, but he is not a Ming Jun in the mouth of a corrupt Confucian civil official. He doesn't need to sing praises of virtue, in his opinion, the only criterion for judging whether a Ming Jun is good or not is whether he can let the people under his rule live a good life. Eating a full stomach is naturally the most important thing, if you can't even eat enough, what can you talk about living a good life?

After pondering for a long time, Zhu Houzhao said solemnly: "What Mr. said is very heartfelt. I thank Mr. for all the people of the world. ”

Xie Shen smiled bitterly in his heart. He believed that Zhu Houzhao was not pretending, but really wanted to thank him. But the leader thanks you, can you accept it?

"Your Majesty tortures the ministers, and the ministers do all the things they do. If the ministers can't share your majesty's worries, what's the use of your majesty's ministers? ”

Xie Shen's words moved Zhu Houzhao.

Look at Mr. Xie, this is the minister of the imperial court.

Let's take a look at the so-called important ministers who are living in the middle of the court, all of them are making their own little calculations.

If it weren't for the fact that there was really no one available in the DPRK and China, Zhu Houzhao really wanted to send away all these inactive old guys.

What the DPRK needs is a high-spirited young man like Mr., not these old-fashioned and selfish ghosts.

But the reality is that Zhu Houzhao can't do whatever he wants. He has tried his best to fight, but the result is embarrassing.

"As for this sweet potato..."Xie Shenxin said that His Majesty the Emperor was happy to eat corn, and he forgot to mention such an important thing as sweet potatoes.

"Although it is not as good as corn and potatoes, there is no problem with emergency hunger."

Xie Shen has no prejudice against sweet potatoes, that is, sweet potatoes, but this thing is really not very suitable for staple food. It's okay to eat once in a while, but if you eat one meal every day, the gas alone will make people collapse.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have become just a stuff for the poor. Compared with potatoes and corn, the status of sweet potatoes is indeed much worse.

"Well, I almost forgot, and sweet potatoes. How do you make this sweet potato delicious? ”

Xie Shen: "......"

What else could he say? His Majesty the Emperor really eats and drinks every word.

That's right, the people take food as the sky, His Majesty the Emperor is thinking about the people, it is worth affirming.

"Back to Your Majesty, there are many ways to make this sweet potato, but the most delicious is to roast and eat."

"Roasted and eaten?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes almost flashed.

"Well, roasted sweet potatoes taste even better than roasted corn."

Xie Shen said with a smile.

"What are you waiting for, sir, give me a quick roast. Well, it's the chef who instructed me to bake one. ”

Zhu Houzhao suddenly remembered that his husband didn't want to cook, so he changed his words.

"Minister... Compliance. ”

With such a leader, Xie Shen is also very helpless.

......

......

Xie Shen instructed the imperial chef to cook roasted sweet potatoes for Zhu Houzhao and left the Forbidden City.

He didn't rush home, but went to the guild hall.

In the Han Dynasty, Honglu Temple was set up to receive foreign guests. Since then, all dynasties have basically been in charge of foreign affairs by Honglu Temple.

The Ming Dynasty also had the Honglu Temple, but the Honglu Temple in the Ming Dynasty was basically only responsible for the court, not specifically responsible for the reception of foreign affairs. This work is carried out by a specialized agency in conjunction with the Library. Of course, the Huitong Pavilion is only responsible for reception, and there is also a Siyi Pavilion that is responsible for translation. It can be said that a functional department is divided into two, and the division of rights and responsibilities is clearer.

He came this time specifically to meet his old friend Rodriguez.

The last time the Francophile crossed the ocean to Daming, he brought potatoes, and this time he brought corn and sweet potatoes, which contributed a lot.

Before the Zhengde Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty practiced the exploration trade, and merchants from various countries could only bring goods to the Ming Dynasty through tribute, and then accept the reward of the Ming Emperor, and bring porcelain and silk back to various countries in this name.

After Xie Shen changed the law, the Wukou Trade City Department also changed its functions. The emergence of the Maritime Economic Bureau greatly stimulated private commerce, which was completely broken by the pattern of exploration trade strictly controlled by the imperial court.

It was in this context that Rodriguez came to Daming and unexpectedly brought crops from the Americas.

Otherwise, it would take decades at night for the people of the Ming Dynasty to see these treasures worth thousands of gold.

This time, Rodriguez went directly to Jingshi, just to personally present corn and sweet potatoes to His Majesty the Ming Emperor.

Xie Shen was naturally kind to him, but it was his greatest wish to see the Ming Emperor with his own eyes.

The person in charge of the hall is not awarded alone, but is served by Honglu Shaoqing.

Zhao Ji and Zhao Shaoqing were drinking tea in the office at the moment, and when they saw Xie Shen coming, they hurriedly got up and greeted him: "Xiaguan meets the little pavilion elder." I don't know that the old man of the small pavilion is coming, and the lower officials have lost their welcome, which is really damned. ”

Xie Shen smiled and waved his hand: "Don't move, it's dead or alive." How can this official be so hypocritical. ”

Zhao Jilian claimed to be.

Xie Shen came to the top and sat down, and said while tapping his fingers: "This official is here to meet a person named Rodriguez. ”

Zhao Ji said with a smile: "This person just presented two things to His Majesty some time ago, Your Majesty has a great face, and asked the lower officials to entertain him." ”

In his heart, he wondered what the origin of this business was, and why Xiao Ge Lao and His Majesty valued him so much.

"Well, where is this man now?"

"It's in the same hall, and the next official will go and invite it."

After saying that, he summoned a scribe and told him to summon someone.

Rodriguez was resting in the house at the moment, and when he heard the sound of broken footsteps, he opened his eyes and said, "What's the matter?" ”

"My lord is invited, please go to the office."

The scribe said respectfully.

"Oh? Okay, I'll do it now. ”

Rodriguez was slightly unhappy in his heart. Daming is good everywhere, but the efficiency of officials is too low, and they always look for him over and over again, but there is only one thing to really do.

......

......