lovenovelstory Chapter 11: What does a cup of hot wine taste like in a peaceful year?
Chapter 11: What does a cup of hot wine taste like in a peaceful year?
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was in shock, the eunuch beside him whispered.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yan has arrived. Would you like to have his riding whip brought to you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and looked at Zhu Di with a cold smile.
"Oh my, isn't this the Yongle Emperor?"
"Would you like to sit on our dragon throne?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's face showed a hint of helplessness, and all the court officials looked puzzled. Only Xu Da and Zhu Biao, who knew the inside story, smiled knowingly.
"Get out of my way, we'll settle the score with you after we've seen the sky!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di quickly stepped aside, fearing he would be beaten again.
At this moment, the subway has arrived at the station.
Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun out of the carriage, talking as they walked.
"As the ancient capital of six dynasties, Nanjing still has many interesting places to visit."
"For example, the Purple Mountain Observatory."
"That was China's first modern observatory, which contained many ancient astronomical instruments, such as the simplified armillary sphere and the armillary sphere made by Guo Shoujing, all of which are genuine."
"And by the way, let me show you how people in later generations look at the stars."
Xu Miaoyun's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"Okay, okay."
During the Hongwu reign, when Zhu Yuanzhang heard the name Guo Shoujing, he raised an eyebrow slightly. This was a man from the former Yuan dynasty. He never expected that the instruments he created would still be in use six hundred years later.
"Later Han people were unconventional, even keeping things from the Yuan dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded thoughtfully.
The people in the hall were also whispering among themselves, discussing the subway and high-speed rail they had just seen.
Only Hu Weiyong remained unconscious in the Imperial Hospital, where the imperial physicians were frantically trying to give him acupuncture.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly in the sky.
Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun out of Muxuyuan subway station, walked a short distance along Lingyuan Road, and turned into a bustling alley.
The alley is not wide, but it is lined with shops on both sides and has a lively atmosphere.
A mixture of various fragrances wafted through the air, causing Xu Miaoyun to sniff incessantly.
"It smells so good."
Following the map navigation, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun into a small shop with a small storefront. The seven or eight tables were already full of diners.
The menu was posted on the wall, simple with white background and red lettering.
"Boss, two bowls of duck blood and vermicelli soup."
Liu Yan found a seat by the window, picked up the menu on the table, flipped through it, and then looked up and called out to the counter.
"Another stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, and two sesame seed cakes."
"Okay!"
The shopkeeper behind the counter responded, and the sounds of the stove and the clanging of spatulas immediately filled the kitchen.
Liu Yan set up the stand for the live stream on the table and adjusted the angle to ensure the camera could capture the two of them eating.
Xu Miaoyun sat obediently opposite him, resting her chin on her hands, looking at him with bright eyes.
"Husband, you ordered the stir-fried beef with yellow peppers? Is it from draft cattle?"
She asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with uncertainty.
"What, you don't like beef?"
Liu Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.
No, no.
Xu Miaoyun quickly waved her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her voice to speak.
"In our Great Ming Dynasty, beef is not something you can just eat casually."
"Slaughtering a cow can lead to legal trouble."
In the fifth year of the Hongwu reign, in front of the Fengtian Hall.
These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.
"Listen! Listen!"
Xu Da was the first to jump out, pointing at the sky, his voice booming.
"My daughter is absolutely right! Beef isn't something you can just eat anytime!"
Geng Bingwen also spoke up.
"What Duke Xu said is absolutely right. The Ming Dynasty law clearly states that anyone who privately slaughters a draft ox shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane and one year of penal servitude. If the ox is slaughtered by another person, the punishment shall be doubled."
"This young man is quite something, ordering a simple stir-fried beef dish right off the bat! He's incredibly audacious! If I were to see him, I would be the first to take him to the authorities!"
Minister of Personnel Zhan Tong stroked his beard, his face serious.
"Oxen are the foundation of a nation. Without oxen, there is no plowing; without plowing, there is no grain; without grain, the world is in chaos."
"Throughout history, wise rulers have valued the protection of oxen for plowing. Although this young man was born in a later era, he should not so disrespect the laws of his ancestors."
The courtiers in the hall immediately echoed each other, criticizing Liu Yan for not knowing the proper etiquette.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not express his opinion, but instead gazed thoughtfully at the sky.
"Don't be in a hurry, let's hear what Liu Yan has to say first."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent and turned their gazes toward the sky.
Above the sky, Liu Yan laughed after hearing Xu Miaoyun's words.
That smile wasn't mocking, but a gentle smile tinged with a touch of melancholy.
"Miaoyun, you're right."
"In ancient times, oxen were indeed a fundamental and important tool for plowing. Slaughtering oxen without authorization would result in legal trouble, and this was true in every dynasty."
Liu Yan paused slightly, as if organizing her thoughts, before continuing to speak.
"But nowadays beef is no longer a rare commodity."
Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun blinked, her expression incredibly cute.
"Thanks to the development of productivity, in today's China, everyone can afford to eat meat and everyone can have enough to eat."
"Ancient times were an agrarian society, with agriculture as its foundation."
"Oxen are the core labor force for cultivating fields, helping to reclaim wasteland, plow the land, and ensure grain harvests."
"Moreover, cattle reproduce slowly and are not easy to raise. It takes at least three or four years to raise a calf to the point where it can plow the fields."
"Therefore, all dynasties strictly enforced laws and regulations to prohibit the private slaughter of oxen for farming."
"This wasn't a rule set by some emperor on a whim, but rather a survival rule of that era."
"Without cattle, farming efficiency will be greatly reduced, and if farming cannot be done, people will starve to death."
"The life of an ox is connected to the life of a human, and the life of a human is connected to the world."
Xu Miaoyun listened attentively and couldn't help but nod.
But we are different now.
Liu Yan changed the subject, a hint of pride appearing in her eyes.
"With the development of the transportation and animal husbandry industries, beef has become a common food in ordinary households."
"We not only have dedicated beef cattle farms, but also cold chain transportation, and we can even transport beef from other countries via international shipping."
"From slaughter to our dinner table, it takes no more than a day."
"All of this is something we never dared to imagine before, and it is all thanks to the development of the country."
"From the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, China has developed for thousands of years, but in fact, it has only been in the last twenty years that everyone has been able to have enough to eat."
"A country's strength is never just talk; it is ultimately reflected in ordinary people like us. A true prosperous age is one where everyone can eat meat, have enough to eat, and eat well."
Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun's eyes reddened slightly. Even in Yingtian Prefecture, the most prosperous city in the Ming Dynasty, tens of thousands of people starved to death every year. In years of famine, when the land was barren and people even resorted to cannibalism, it was not an exaggeration.
Having witnessed firsthand the starvation of countless people, Xu Miaoyun now understood the weight of Liu Yan's words even more.
Inside the Hongwu Hall, the assembled officials were completely silent.
The officials who had just been indignant and repeatedly invoked the "Great Ming Code" were now all silent.
Xu Da opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
He turned to look at Zhu Yuanzhang and found that the emperor's expression was somewhat complicated, with emotion, longing, and a trace of indescribable sadness.
If he had had a full meal back then, his parents and brothers would not have starved to death, and he would not have had to raise an army to overthrow the tyrannical Yuan dynasty.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang saw a true golden age on this small square table.
Inside the imperial palace in Bianjing (Kaifeng) in 953 AD.
Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, and Prince of Jin, Chai Rong, stood side by side amidst the chaos of the world. Behind them stood Feng Dao, a veteran who had served ten emperors across four dynasties. He gazed at the sky, his cloudy eyes unable to discern the scene above.
However, the discourse on a prosperous era was clearly and unmistakably conveyed to his ears.
The smoke of war from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period still lingered, and the iron cavalry of the Liao Dynasty were still sharpening their swords. Chai Rong gazed at the sky and asked softly.
What does a cup of warm wine taste like in a peaceful year?