After Li Congyi came to this world, he always felt a bitter taste on his tongue when eating. At first, I thought it was the sequelae of my "seizure", but then I reacted, it should be that the sea salt at this time was not purified, because the coarse salt has a bitter taste, resulting in bitterness in everything you eat.

With time and space, Li Congyi said that he would do the main work, and pulled Luo Zhengwen, Zhou Yuanying, and Zhou Yuanqing to purify coarse salt. Zhou Yuanxiong was still studying in Mongolia because of his young age, so the three brothers of the Zhou family were only brought out by Li Congyi.

Fortunately, Li Congyi is a science and engineering man, and he still has an impression of the purification of crude salt into refined salt, and the core is to remove magnesium and calcium, which are two bitter impurities, and use soda ash (sodium carbonate) solution to remove calcium, and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) solution to remove magnesium. Soda ash has been available for a long time, and there are ready-made soda ash mines, which are edible, which is not rare. Caustic soda is something that only exists in modern times, but there are also ancient methods of preparation, there are two methods, one is to use plant ash solution (hydrogen plus potassium oxide) to add soda ash, but this is time-consuming and labor-intensive; The second is to add soda ash with hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide). Li Congyi, of course, chose the latter. With caustic soda and soda ash solutions, the next step is simple.

With theoretical guidance, the experiment is not difficult to operate. When the fine salt was scraped out of the bottom of the pot, Li Congyi reached out and picked up a few grains, and sure enough, the familiar taste of salt returned.

Zhou Yuanying and Zhou Yuanqing also tasted it, and then they were shocked: it turns out that salt can be so delicious! Even Luo Zhengwen also believes that the refined salt after such treatment is purer than the salt (salt produced in Shanxi Jiechi).

Zhou Yuanqing gave Zhou Yuanying a look, but Zhou Yuanying did pretend not to see it. Li Congyi saw it, and thought, the young man is a monkey anxious, do you think I deliberately pulled you two to have fun.

"The cost of refined salt made in this way is too high, and the Xu family and the Zhou family can do it, but it is not easy to sell. This refined salt has to be regarded as a luxury, the price is set high, and then sold to those rich and noble. Li Congyi said to the two brothers of the Zhou family. The truth in this is not complicated, but I will not be able to explain it to you for a while, so you can know these materials and methods. You have to find a few people to do it, but you need to sign a non-disclosure agreement with them, and preferably the whole family can be closely protected. When it comes to protection, Li Congyi deliberately dragged out his tone, looking at Yuan Qing's narrow expression, everyone must understand that this protection means close surveillance.

"Then at the time of production, the process is separated, and each process is strictly separated, so that the people who master this method are only those few people."

Zhou Yuanqing heard Li Congyi say that the Zhou family couldn't sell this refined salt, and after thinking about it carefully, it was really the case, and a restless heart calmed down. Ordinary people can't even afford to eat coarse salt, so how can they afford to buy such refined salt. was a little wilted, but Li Congyi named him: "All the money to buy salt from the government is too high, and it is categorically impossible." Yuan Qing, presumably your father can get cheap private salt. Right? ”

Zhou Yuanqing looked at Li Congyi suspiciously, opened his mouth, and didn't know what to say. But it was Zhou Yuanying who replied, "Grandpa Guo is discerning. This private salt channel is the line of the Xu family's shop, but my Zhou family does participate. The production of refined salt can be handed over to the Zhou family. ”

However, Luo Zhengwen sighed on the side, seeing that Li Congyi did not say anything, and smiled wryly.

Li Congyi continued, "Yuan Qing, you can do this refined salt purification process a few more times tonight, and then record it with paper and pen. Tomorrow bring some refined salt, and then go back to the gate pit to find your father. Tell him that this matter must be kept strictly confidential. After the matter is completed, my father-in-law can share the profit with the Zhou family. ”

"Text, you recently went to Hou Zhixian and said that my father wanted to buy a manor outside the city, not a good field, but the kind with mountains and rivers. It's not too far from the city. It's going to be done quickly. ”

"Yuan Ying, you help Bengong recruit some homeless people, preferably with a family and honest duty. When the text finishes the manor, move them to the manor, and find something to do first. ”

The three of them didn't understand why Li Congyi suddenly said that he wanted to buy a manor and hire homeless people, Li Congyi added: "If my father wants to sell refined salt, he also has to make a show, and pretend to have a place to produce this thing." ”

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Early in the morning, Xuanzhou Governor Shi Tang Puze took a carriage to Jiang Guogong's courtyard.

Although the Southern Tang Dynasty adhered to the Tang system, like the Song Dynasty, the state government assassin history (or the prefect) after five dynasties generally only recorded the military as an adjutant, and then used a general judgment as a supervisor.

The Xuanzhou Thorn Mansion is different. Jiang Guogong was appointed as the assassin from the rank of first-rank official, so he appointed Tang Puze, who was from the fourth-rank, as the governor of Xuanzhou. The long history is the Tang system, and it is almost invisible by the time of the Southern Tang Dynasty; From the four ranks, officials can already write directly to the emperor. But Tang Puze is full of food and has nothing to do to supervise Jiang Guogong? It's just that the minister of the DPRK and the central government sent an idler to prevent Jiang Guogong from doing something too angry and resentful.

After Tang Puze and Li Congyi came to Xuanzhou, Li Congyi almost ignored political affairs, and Tang Puze also regarded himself as a derogatory official, and he also drank and feasted with the celebrities and scholars of Xuanzhou Mansion every day, and entrusted the affairs of the state government to Gao Jingtong.

However, just after the happy New Year, Jiang Guogong came back from hunting, but somehow began to care about political affairs. Not only that, Li Congyi also loves to read and comment on it. It was Gao Jingtong who "shamelessly asked" Jiang Guogong to understand what was going on. There is a history of thorns and approvals, but there is no trace of a long history, which is obviously inconsistent with the system (supervision and balance); In this way, Tang Puze will either re-sign or have to deal with it before Li Congyi approves it. And the matter of resigning is obviously unreliable, and it is easy to be stabbed into the ditch - for example, a few days ago, Jiang Guogong stopped the lime kiln of Zhang Xun's relatives. Although when I first came to Xuanzhou, there was a reason why I didn't deal with Zhang Xun very well, but such a naked hatred, a wise man is not right.

Tang Puze got out of the carriage, and the porter of the Guogong Mansion had already come up to greet him, and after a while, he saw Gu Dazhuang, the leader of the guards, coming quickly. In the past, Luo Zhengwu came to greet him, after all, Luo Zhengwu was also a housekeeper of half of the Guogong Mansion, Tang Puze was curious, and it was inconvenient to ask, so he couldn't help but look left and right, and after entering the second courtyard, he found that the abnormality was.

I saw a column of three guards, with their chests held high, walking in a neat step, along the corridor on the periphery of the courtyard, disappearing at the entrance to the third courtyard. Looking at the entrance of the main hall again, there were two guards like javelins, not squinting. It gives people a sense of solemnity.

Tang Puze didn't know exactly what it was like, but if he was a soldier who knew it, he would probably immediately realize that this was the oppressive force brought about by the discipline of an army.

However, Tang Puze has never paid attention to this aspect, and he doesn't know how powerful it is, but he just thinks it's strange.

Walking to the door, Li Congyi had already lowered his steps to greet him, "It's a coincidence that Lord Tang came, my father just got a little good thing today, and he is lacking a knowledgeable person to share." ”

When the guests and hosts are seated, a guard will bring tea. The lid of the cup is slanted, there is hot air, and the fragrance of tea comes to the nose. Tang Puze hurriedly removed the lid of the cup, only to see that it was not tea foam, but a whole tea leaf. It turned out that Li Congyi was not used to drinking boiled tea foam in this era, so he told Xu Heguang about the method of concocting green tea, and asked Xu Heguang to try out a batch first. But at this time, there are only old tea leaves on the tree, and Xu Heguang tried to pick some tender ones, but the tea leaves are still old. But it was finally concocted. Someone sent it and asked Li Congyi to taste it.

The tea leaves seem to have been kneaded, soaked in boiling water, and gradually dispersed, and the aroma of tea also spread, refreshing people's hearts.

Tang Puze picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and felt the unique bitterness of tea gradually turn into a faint sweetness in his throat, "Good tea!" ”

Li Congyi smiled, "I call this tea green tea." You can see that after the tea leaves are processed, they still retain their green color, and after the boiling water is boiled, the tea is also green at first. ”

Tang Puze frowned slightly, "The bitterness and astringency of this tea are a little heavier, but could it be the reason why the tea making season is not suitable?" Seeing that Li Congyi nodded in agreement, Tang Puze immediately said: "If green tea only needs to be soaked in boiling water, and it retains such a fragrance, it will definitely be popular in the world in the future." ”

This old man's vision is not bad. Li Congyi said in his heart, and continued to show off, so he explained the difference between green tea's pre-rain tea (before the rain) and pre-Ming tea (before the Qingming Dynasty).

Tang Puze praised: "I can't imagine that Lord Guogong and the tea ceremony also have such attainments. Then the tone of the conversation changed, "The subordinates are here, but it is worth the trip, or it may have the effect of killing two birds with one stone." ”

The so-called officials crushed people to death at the first level. Tang Puze naturally couldn't tell Thorn Shi, or let's stop going to work and let's mess up together. Therefore, Tang Puze's method is to take Jiang Guogong to travel in the mountains and rivers, so that Jiang Guogong can rekindle his yearning for life, such as being obsessed with hunting or something, how good.

Tang Puze came here mainly to invite Jiang Guogong to participate in the Jingting Mountain Poetry Conference organized by Xue Xiuyuan, a great Confucian in the city, on February 16.

"If the Lord Guogong still has a stock of green tea, it can be tasted by the scholars at the conference, and the green tea will definitely be an instant hit." Tang Puze asked again, "I don't know what kind of elegant name this tea has?" ”

Li Congyi was about to speak, but then he realized, "My father has ideas, but he is not yet mature. I don't know if Master Tang can teach me? ”

Tang Puze hurriedly said: "Don't dare, don't dare." It's just that if you have something to gain just now, you will say that Yu Guogong will listen to it. This tea is green tea, and the name should have words suitable for the green word; I look at this tea as if it has been kneaded, and the tea shape is like a snail. This tea is produced, picked, and made in the spring, and the tea is bitter and sweet, like a spring breeze. Therefore, I would like to take the three-character name of Biluochun as the best. What does Kokuko-sama think? ”

Li Congyi was stunned, and then applauded: "Good name!" Lord Tang is really talented! The name of Biluochun is consistent with the name of its tea. This tea is popular in the world, and Lord Tang should remember a great achievement. ”

The two chatted happily for a while, and Tang Puze wanted to leave.

"Lord Tang is leaving?" Li Congyi pretended to be surprised and asked. Li Congyi thought that Tang Puze was here for the matter of Zhang Xun's relatives yesterday.

Tang Puze understood and smiled, "It's just that I offended a little Xiaoxiao, and I will do it." If the Lord dares to do it, why don't his subordinates dare to do it? ”

Li Congyi gave a thumbs up, "It's my father-in-law Meng Lang." Accompany Lord Tang. ”

He pulled Tang Puze for lunch. In fact, it is still early before lunch, but it is better to choose a day than to hit the day, just last night Zhou Yuanqing and others repeatedly tested the process of purifying refined salt, and left a lot of it, which is just used today.

Not only refined salt, Li Congyi has guided the kitchen for every meal in the past few days, firstly, he has worked seasonings, and now he is still studying the best ratio of five-spice powder; The second is to work the recipes, such as roast duck, Li Congyi only knows the approximate, but the specific cooking details have to be tried and tested in the kitchen.

Two cold dishes: sweet and sour peanuts and braised pork trotters; Four hot dishes, half a salt-baked chicken, roasted tofu with pork belly, fried egg with leeks, and half a roast duck for the main course, plus a pork rib and winter melon soup. I only swallowed the tongue that Tang Puze ate in my stomach.

"Lord Guogong, the level of your back kitchen, even the imperial chef can't compare!" Tang Puze was overwhelmed, touched his belly, drank Biluochun, and his IQ gradually occupied the high ground, so he asked tentatively, "It's better for Lord Guogong to open a restaurant, and he will build Xuancheng." ”

"What does Xuancheng mean. If you want to dry a restaurant, you have to go to Jinling. Li Congyi said leisurely.

"Kokuko-sama Takami." Tang Puze patted his head, how big is the market in Xuancheng, and there are only a few wealthy businessmen, just like Guogong wants to sell green tea, how much can it be sold in Xuancheng? You still have to work in Jinling to be interesting. Tang Puze's heart moved, could it be that Jiang Guogong wanted to return to Jinling? Looking at Li Congyi looking at himself with a smile, he suddenly felt a blessing in his heart: the assassin must not be summoned and must not leave the state border, Jiang Guogong wants to go to Jinling to make money in business according to these things that have been made in Xuanzhou in the past six months, and he is lacking a henchman who understands Jinling and has a relationship with Xuanzhou and has a certain status to secretly preside, and he is undoubtedly the best candidate. At a deeper level, Jiang Guogong will return to Jinling in the future, and he can also operate it and retain his influence on Xuanzhou by himself.

The water in the middle of the court is deep, and he has no strong backstage, so he was thrown in such a place, and he is afraid that he will be even more idle when he returns to Jinling. In the future, if you follow Jiang Guogong to make a fortune and devote yourself to becoming a rich man, it will also be a surprisingly good way.

After weighing it for a moment, Tang Puze felt that this matter had been done, and immediately left the table to bow and bow: "The layout of the Guogong in Jinling must be secretly presided over by someone; The subordinates are not talented, and they are willing to share the worries of the prince. ”

Li Congyi also had a temporary idea today, originally wanting to cooperate with Tang Puze, but he didn't think that Tang Puze understood that he was taking refuge. If you think about it carefully, you will understand that you are still thinking with the thinking of a modern person, so there is a deviation; From Tang Puze's point of view, as long as he does things for Jiang Guogong, in the eyes of other political opponents, he is Jiang Guogong's person, and he actually has no choice.