Despite the Queen's unexpected behavior, Xie Qian still believed that he still had the strength to contain her.

First of all, the secret of Zhang Weizhao's family background is in his hands. Secondly, Zhang Weizhao and Chen Youcong have been married for eight months, and there is still no sign of pregnancy, nor has they chosen concubines for Chen Youcong, and they are childless and jealous, which is a very fatal accusation for a queen.

However, Xie Qian does not plan to use these means to attack Zhang Weizhao at present, or warn Chen Youcong by attacking Zhang Weizhao. He planned to observe for a while to see what kind of consequences the emperor's strange actions would bring, and then make a decision.

This night, Xie Qian stayed up in the study until midnight before returning to the room to rest.

Since Chen Youcong succeeded to the throne and Xie Qian became the second assistant, he often had to work until his son before going to rest. He's always been physically strong, so staying up late isn't a big deal for him.

It's just that since the beginning of winter, because he has been working at the desk for too long, his cervical spine has begun to have problems. At first, it was just a faint soreness, but this month, the pain has become worse and worse. He found a royal doctor to diagnose and treat him, and the combination of decoction, acupuncture and massage finally relieved him. But as long as I didn't pay attention to it, I had another attack.

The royal doctor said he needed more rest. But every day all kinds of things are going on one after another, and the emperor is so uneasy, how can he rest?

On the twentieth day of the first month, Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao invited Taifu Xie Qian to the palace for a banquet, and only invited Xie Qian alone.

According to the customs of Dayan, as long as there is no New Year's Month, it is considered a New Year. During the Chinese New Year, the emperor invited the Taifu to a banquet, which was also a manifestation of respect for teachers.

The day before yesterday, Xie Qian's cervical spine pain recurred, causing him to have a stiff neck and back, restlessness, poor eating, and unstable sleep. But since it was an invitation from the emperor and the empress, there was absolutely no reason to refuse. After Xie Qian received the holy decree, he naturally wanted to thank the emperor and go on time.

On this day, the weather was sunny and cold. Although the sun is dazzling and slightly warm, the ice and snow are still thick and unmelted in places where the sun does not shine.

The venue of this banquet is located in the Xiyuan Ningxiang Hall. The incense pavilion is very close to the Flying Immortal Palace of the Empress, and not far from the courtyard where the emperor gave the craftsmen to live. Therefore, Xie Qian knew that the emperor invited him to come this time was naturally not just as simple as drinking and chatting, he should want to show him the things he had been making up for the past six months.

What could it be? He guessed that most of them were ship models or other things related to navigation. It is very likely that Chen Youcong will use these models to negotiate with him. When the eunuchs of Sanbao went to the West, they spent a total of six million taels of silver. How many peasants and women would have to be taxed to collect these six million taels of silver? Xie Qian would not let the little emperor exhaust the treasury for the sake of his whims. He was ready to argue with his arguments.

Xie moved into the Ning Xiang Pavilion. The incense hall has been renovated in the past six months, I don't know what method was used, but I felt warm like spring, Xie Qian performed the courtesy of the monarch and ministers, took off the big hat, and sat at the table.

Because of the pain in his cervical spine, Xie Qian's movements were a little stiff. Chen Youcong saw it and said with concern: "Has Taifu's shoulder and neck hurt again in the past two days?" ”

Hearing Chen Youcong say this, Zhang Weizhao on the side also looked at Xie Qian's shoulder and neck along Chen Youcong's eyes.

Xie Qian laughed at himself: "Before you grow old, you will be decrepit, but let Your Majesty remember it." ”

Chen Youcong said: "Taifu, this is all for the sake of working for the country. ”

Zhang Weizhao also said: "Today, please ask the Taifu to loosen up." I've got some fresh vegetables here, so I'd like to ask you to try them. ”

Fresh vegetables? If it is freezing today, where are the fresh vegetables? Xie Qian was suspicious in his heart, but he didn't show it on the surface, he only stood up and bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother!" Just this action of bowing his head made him spend a lot of energy. A fine sweat broke out in pain.

Chen Youcong saw it and said to Xie Qian: "Don't bow anymore today!" Where does the master need to be polite with his disciples? ”

Xie Qian said: "Thank you Your Majesty and the Queen Mother for their compassion, then forgive Weichen for being rude." So he no longer stooped down and bowed his head, but bowed his hand.

While talking here, there were palace maids who brought dishes one after another. Xie Qian's eyes suddenly widened when he turned his eyes to look at those plates.

Xie Qian's champion and first background, he has been an official for more than 20 years, what kind of scene have you not seen? However, the luxurious scene he saw on the table of the Ning Xiang Pavilion today was really the only one he had ever seen in his life.

The table is full of bowls and plates, all made of the finest crystal, crystal smooth and exquisitely clear. The tea cup and tea tray in front of him are also made of crystal, and through the wall of the cup, you can see the tea leaves unfolding little by little in the tea cup, up and down.

But that's not all, the contents of those plates shocked him even more. In the cold winter, the most common people in Beijing eat are weads and turnips, because these two things can only be stored in the cellar for a winter without rotting. People who are a little more particular will eat some pickles and bean sprouts.

Even in the palace, there are not many more vegetables, but there are more kinds of pickled dishes, plus dishes like dried fungus and dried mushrooms, which can be soaked in hot water before cooking.

But now, in the crystal plate in front of him, there are bright brassica (rape), just grown cabbage (small cabbage), cucumbers with flowers, tender gourds, thin shallots and green garlic, and next to these vegetables are several small crystal bowls with different sauces, which seem to be eaten with vegetable dipping sauce.

How did the emperor, who had always been diligent and thrifty, suddenly become so extravagant? Although this table is full of vegetarian dishes, I don't know how much more expensive it is than shark fin bird's nest gold! In this midwinter season, I am afraid that only in the extreme south like Qiong Island will these fresh and tender vegetables be found. To keep these vegetables intact and transported to the capital, how many fast horses will be exhausted? How many soldiers will be mobilized to relay at the post station?

As soon as the concubine laughed on the red dust, no one knew that it was a lychee. Is such a ridiculous scene going to be reproduced in this dynasty?

Xie Qian only felt a surge of anger surging upward, his eyes avoided the table, and also avoided the gazes of Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao, otherwise he couldn't help but offend the Holy Driver. He couldn't believe that a student he had been teaching for many years and had high hopes would suddenly do such a thing.

Ignoring the stinging pain in his neck and back, Xie Qian stood up from the table, knelt on the ground with his robe, bowed his head and said:

"Xie Qian came from a poor family, and he has always been rough and used to it, so he can't afford such pomp. Please reward the minister with a bowl of brown rice, so that the minister will have a much more comfortable use. Xie Qian's words were still humble, but anyone could tell that he was now full of resentment.

Chen Youcong didn't mind, and said with a smile: "Taifu, but you think I'm too extravagant? While talking, he personally came to support Xie Qian.

Xie Qian was angry, but the emperor personally came to help, so he had to stand up.

"Actually, these vegetables don't cost a lot of manpower and material resources. It was grown by the queen with her group of students. These cups and plates were also made by the queen with people. ”

Xie Qian's surprise could no longer be concealed, and he couldn't help but raise his head and look at Zhang Weizhao.

It stands to reason that courtiers can't face the queen like this, but Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao have never minded this.

Zhang Weizhao said with a smile: "It didn't cost much silver to make these plates and cups, but it took a lot of thought." ”

"These crystal cups and crystal bowls are made by you?" Xie Qian asked.

"These aren't crystals, they're glass." Zhang Weizhao replied.

"Glass?" Xie Qian picked up the small teacup in front of him, drank all the tea in it, and took the teacup to look at it carefully.

Just now, Xie Qian claimed to be from a humble family, but in fact he was just humble. Xie Qian came from a scholarly family, although he was not wealthy, but he had a long family history and good taste, so he was no stranger to luxury goods such as jewelry and jade.

Glass, although expensive, is not uncommon in today's Dayan, and there are many treasures on Xie Qian's mansion, from vases, bowls, to children's toys.

These glass products come in a variety of colors, such as garnet red, emerald, peacock blue, chanterelle yellow, and grape purple.

However, Xie Qian had never seen glass as transparent as water.

Glass was called glass before the Song Dynasty. The people of Middle Earth have been firing glass since the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, because of the simplicity of the process at that time, the color of the fired glass was turbid and fragile. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, someone introduced a more advanced glaze firing process from Tianfang (an ancient Arabic appellation), which made the glaze stronger, the color more pure, and the transparency improved.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols did not like such splendid and fragile things, and Liuli once withdrew from the luxury market. The term glaze was also transferred to lead-glazed pottery for use in architecture. The so-called glazed tile refers to the lead-glazed terracotta. And the thing that was originally called glass has a new name, which is glass.

After the founding of the country, glass products returned to people's field of vision. Dayan people like bright glass, so the brighter the color of the glass at this time, the higher the quality. But even so, the most expensive glasses are not the most colorful ones, but the transparent and colorless ones. Because firing clear glass requires very high temperature and raw materials, few craftsmen can make clear glassware. Even if it can be made, it is much darker and muddy than the teacup that Xie Qian is holding in his hand now.

"How did the queen make such a clear glass teacup?" Xie Qian asked.

"It was Your Majesty who found the descendants of the glass craftsman who was brought back to Dayan from the West by the Three Treasure Eunuchs, and I discussed the skills with this glassmaker, improved the stove, and finally fired it." Zhang Weizhao replied.

"Does the queen still know the firing process?" Xie Qian said suspiciously.

Zhang Weizhao smiled: "Have you forgotten that the Taoist priest's housekeeping skill is to start the furnace alchemy?" It's my old job to make fires. ”

"What about these vegetables? How did the queen mother grow it? Xie Qian pays more attention to these crops than glass.