In the open space of Taojiazhuang, adults and children are divided into several groups and sit around.

Everyone looked at the cauldron not far from them.

Some women are shoveling snails from the pot and putting them into clay pots.

Liu Wei, Wang Zhen, and Tao Huanniang sat in a circle with the elders of several villages, and the woman who was the first to bring out the snails walked up to them with a large pot of fragrant snails.

"The snail is coming!" When Liu Wei and the others approached, the woman put the basin between them, saluted Liu Wei and Tao Huanniang, and then retreated.

Reaching out to pick up a snail from the basin, Liu Wei turned his head to look at the people.

The women who were carrying the snails placed the basins full of snails among the people sitting in a circle.

People didn't eat it, and they didn't know how to eat it.

The snail shell is very hard, and even if you hit it with a stone, it may not be able to break it lightly.

Being looked at by the people, Liu Wei said to Wang Zhen on the side with an indifferent smile on the corner of his mouth: "Go and ask the women in the village for a few needles." ”

didn't know what Liu Wei wanted to do, but Wang Zhen still stood up in response.

Walking up to a woman, Wang Zhen told her that Liu Wei needed a few needles, and the woman answered and trotted back to her house.

After a while, the woman returned to Wang Zhen with a few needles and handed them to her.

Holding the needle, when Liu Wei approached, Wang Zhen held it in both hands, lowered his head and said to Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, the needle is coming!" ”

took a needle from Wang Zhen's hand, and Liu Wei pierced the tip of the needle towards the mouth of the snail.

With his wrist slightly upward, he picked out a piece of meat from it, put a needle in his mouth, and after eating, he smacked his mouth twice and nodded, the expression on his face not satisfied.

Seeing the appearance of Liu Bianci's snail, people clamored to let their women go back to the house to get needles.

A child about six or seven years old picked out a piece of snail meat, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it twice, and suddenly exclaimed with joy: "It's really delicious!" ”

The sound of children caused many people to put snail meat in their mouths.

Just after eating one, everyone was full of surprise, and one of the men actually shouted: "I guard the river all day long, but I don't know that there is such a delicious food in the river!" ”

Some people ate it, and they were full of praise, and the villagers immediately snatched the snails from the pot.

Liu Wei didn't eat a few.

Due to the incomplete ingredients, the taste of the snails in the pot was simply different from what he had eaten in the past.

Liu Wei knew that the snails in the pot tasted bad, but the villagers and guards didn't know that they were eating one by one, and some people were still smacking their mouths after eating the snails in the basin in front of them, and turned their eyes to those who had not finished eating.

"Majesty!" After eating more than a dozen snails in a row, he found that Liu Wei didn't seem to have any appetite, and an elder on the side asked him suspiciously, "Why don't you eat it?" ”

"I'm a little full!" It is clear that the snails are not delicious, because the condiments are not complete, especially the chili peppers, which were not introduced to the Central Plains until the Ming Dynasty one or two thousand years later.

Liu Wei said that he didn't want to eat, and the old men didn't dare to eat openly like Fang Cai, so that Tao Huanniang and Wang Zhen also stopped what they were doing and refused to eat more.

Realizing that everyone had become a little strange, Liu Wei grinned and asked them, "Why don't you eat it?" ”

"If you don't eat it, I won't dare to eat it!" Tao Huanniang and Wang Zhen didn't dare to say anything, but the elders in the village didn't know the many rules, and one of them answered.

Silence, after the old man answered this, the whole village fell silent.

The people around all looked at them, and the old man who spoke obviously felt that this sentence was inappropriate, and quickly closed his mouth.

"I just feel a little full!" Feeling that the atmosphere in the village suddenly became solemn, Liu Wei grinned, picked up another snail, and said to the people: "Since the villagers think that I should eat, it is difficult to be gracious, I will do it again!" ”

Before picking out the snail meat with a needle, Liu Wei said to the elders sitting around: "The old men also eat it, it won't taste good when it's cold!" ”

Liu Wei picked up a snail again, and the atmosphere eased down, and people ate the snails in the basin one after another.

There are a lot of snails, but there are also a lot of villagers and guards.

The snails in the cooking were constantly brought up, and then they were constantly destroyed, and there were many scary snail shells piled up on the ground.

Although there is a big pot of snails, there is only a little bit of meat.

Many pots of snails were eaten, but people still did not feel the slightest sign of fullness.

When the last pot of snails was eaten, some villagers even discussed whether to go to the river to get some more.

The discussion of the villagers was listened to by Liu Wei, and he faintly felt a little funny in his heart.

People are like this, when they dare not eat many things, they let those things grow, and sometimes they even overflow.

And once people are interested in eating a certain plant or animal, that animal or plant will face extinction.

It is human nature to ask for excessiveness, but Liu Wei does not believe that the snails in the river will be eaten up by people.

After all, although the growth rate of snails is not fast, the reproduction rate is very fast.

As long as there are a few snails left in the river, in a few years, millions will multiply!

They can be used as food, and even if the year is bad, the villagers can find some life-saving ingredients from the river.

Of course, it was impossible for Liu Wei to say these words to the villagers, and when some villagers mentioned that they would go to the river to catch some snails to cook the next day, he only smiled and did not say a word.

The taste of snails may be eaten for many days, and the villagers will try to get them to eat all day long.

Once you get tired of eating, let them eat again, I'm afraid they won't be able to do it.

After eating the snail meat, the villagers, who had not yet eaten enough, began to cook again.

Not long after returning to the residence, Wang Zhen came to the door with a clay bowl containing corn and simple dishes.

As soon as they entered, Tao Huanniang greeted them, took the pottery bowl with both hands, and said softly to Wang Zhen: "There is General Lao Wang, and the palace can serve His Majesty!" ”

Clenched his fists and arched towards Tao Huanniang, and Wang Zhen withdrew from the room.

Carrying the rice bowl into the room, as soon as she entered the house, Tao Huanniang whispered to Liu Wei: "Your Majesty, I haven't eaten too many snails, my stomach should be empty, and eat some food." ”

Liu Wei, who was standing at the window and looking outside, heard Tao Huanniang speak, and turned his head to look at her.

Glancing at the rice bowl she was carrying, Liu Wei smiled and said, "Put down the food, and you can talk to me." ”

"In a few moments, it's going to be cold." Liu Wei didn't plan to eat, Tao Huanniang said with some hesitation: "Your Majesty wants the concubine to accompany you to talk, and the concubine accompanies you, but Your Majesty eats the meal first......

"Let it go, I don't have much appetite!" Shaking his head, Liu Wei said to Tao Huanniang: "What do you think the emperor has done?" ”

"Your Majesty Xià Kuang Fu Dahan, save Dahan from tired eggs, it can be described as Wencheng Wude......" Liu Wei asked him how the emperor did, and as soon as Tao Huanniang opened his mouth, he said a compliment.

Before she could finish speaking, Liu Wei waved his hand and said, "That's it, that's it, you don't have to say it, I know if I want you to say it, I can't say why!" ”

was stopped by Liu Wei, Tao Huanniang hurriedly closed her mouth, lowered her head and didn't dare to say anything more.

"I always thought that if you came from a humble background, you would not have so many worries when you spoke, and your mind would be like that of ordinary people." Smiling slightly, Liu Wei said to Tao Huanniang: "I don't want you to learn the world now!" ”

Although he said this very lightly, in Tao Huanniang's ears, the taste was different.

Taken aback, Tao Huanniang hurriedly put aside the food she was holding, knelt on the ground, looked up at Liu Wei and said: "Your Majesty, the concubine has never forgotten that she was born in a poor family......"

"Get up!" Raising his hand at her, Liu Wei said to her: "You and I close the door and talk to each other, and there are no outsiders here, so there is no need to be so restrained." I just want to ask you, in your opinion, what is the emperor doing as an emperor? ”

"The concubines are not like the queen and the imperial concubines, most of them have read books and know the general situation!" Standing up, Tao Huanniang lowered her head and said with sincere fear: "The concubine can't speak, although what Fang Cai said is mostly learning to look different, but everything is from the bottom of her heart. His Majesty is in charge of the Han Dynasty, and both the government and the people's livelihood are in good order. The concubines heard that the imperial concubines said that the contemporary merits have their own descendants to comment, and the contemporary people comment on His Majesty, but it is just a momentary sight, His Majesty's merits and demerits, and after a hundred years, future generations will give a public opinion! ”

Tao Huanniang said such a reason, but she was stunned by Liu Wei.

Tao Huanniang back then was just a simple woman who was cautious and didn't know too much about the world's major events, and only knew how to take care of him in the trivial matters of life.

Now it seems that over the years, although Tao Huanniang has not had much contact with the imperial concubines, she has also learned a lot of things that she couldn't learn in the past.

At least that's what it sounds like for now.

Looking at Tao Huanniang, Liu Bian's face was full of astonishment, and he said to her after a while: "I haven't talked to Huanniang for a long time, but when I talk about it today, I know that Huanniang has also learned a lot of ways to govern the world in recent years." Fang Cai's words made me wake up. Now that I am the emperor, even if some things are not done properly, how many people dare to speak out? If there is a public opinion, it can only be fair if it is commented on by posterity a hundred years later! It's just that a hundred years later, I can't see it anymore! ”

Tao Huanniang lowered her head and didn't say anything, she really couldn't hear whether she was praising her or what deep meaning she was saying.

Her best bet right now is to remain silent!