Steam trains in ancient times (6): The Unlucky Daugther of the World

While Si Qi was discussing many matters with the Crown Prince and others, the daughter of the World, who had left the poetry meeting before him, was also not idle.

She quickly returned to the palace in a carriage under the protection of the guards. She cried to her lover with a pale face about her grievances, and took the fourth prince’s hand and said, “Prince, let’s go see His Majesty!”

The Fourth Prince’s eyes fell on the tight-fitting clothes that the Daughter of the World was wearing, which almost perfectly outlined her figure, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his eyes.

Just now, his princess was walking outside in this dress, drinking and having fun with a group of foreign men. Many of them were admirers of the princess! She clearly knew it!

He had always heard of various stories about the men in the family going in and out of brothels and hanging out with famous prostitutes, but he had never heard of anything like the prince staying at home and living a peaceful life, while the princess was out all day, making friends and various stories about her were heard every now and then, causing constant discussion among people around her.

Even if she could write many famous poems that would be passed down through the ages, and was praised by the public as a talented woman rarely seen in a thousand years. Even if she could plan and plot to seize the throne for himself, and was favored by his father again and again.

At least in terms of emotions, the Fourth Prince had no sympathy or true love for his concubine. At most, there was only an initial sense of mutual admiration for each other in terms of sharing the same interests in poetry and songwriting.

Just seeing the warm and intimate attitude between this woman and the man, she can hold another man’s hand casually. He was annoyed by the fact that she could ask him again and again to be with her for the rest of his life. This woman was not only immoral but also extremely jealous.

If she wasn’t so useful…why would a prince like him have to be so humiliated?

Holding Zhao Er’s soft and boneless hand, the Fourth Prince asked with a smile: “Looking at you like this, I feel so distressed… Tell me, what kind of injustice have you encountered?”

Zhao Er subconsciously wanted to turn the tables and scold that damn Si Qi. But she thought that if she told the truth, she would be the only one who would be embarrassed, so she said vaguely: “Some misunderstandings have occurred… I am afraid that you will be implicated, so I want you to say a few good words to the emperor so that he will not be angry with you.”

The Fourth Prince thought silently that perhaps this woman had caused some trouble outside again, so she was trying to make up for her mistakes now.

Then he smiled and said, “I see, the princess is really considerate. Then prepare a carriage! But you have to change your clothes.”

She couldn’t go into the palace to see the emperor wearing those immoral and vulgar clothes. Zhao Er struggled for a long time with the help of the maids and servants, and found something that might be a gift. After more than half an hour, she finally arrived at the emperor’s study.

It was unknown what the emperor was reading, and he looked unhappy.

This unhappy expression became even gloomier the moment he saw Zhao’er. Zhao’er’s heart tightened, thinking that the news would not spread so quickly, could the emperor know about it immediately?

She immediately put on her signature generous smile and bowed. Her posture was dignified, as if she had a sense of pride.

The fourth prince also greeted his father. The emperor thought about how these two had helped him with many political affairs, which made him quite satisfied. He put aside the stigma of Zhao Er plagiarizing the article and said in a deep voice, “You two came here hand in hand. What’s the matter?”

“I have just prepared a few things and came here specially to present them to my father.” Zhao Er smiled and asked the eunuch to present two plates of delicacies pickled with soy sauce, salt, sugar and vinegar to the emperor for him to taste.

The emperor had long been accustomed to the novelties that his son and daughter-in-law had repeatedly brought him over the past few days. He raised his eyebrows at the two bowls of unremarkable and even a bit ugly food, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. One bowl was fresh, salty, rich and refreshing; the other bowl was sour, sweet and crispy, very appetizing, making people unable to help but eat one bite after another and couldn’t stop.

The emperor slowly put down his chopsticks and nodded with satisfaction: “Not bad.”

The fourth prince smiled and said, “After the princess researched this thing, the first thing she thought of was father. She has always been filial.”

Unlike the gentle and kind male second in the TV series, the real Fourth Prince was a man who was very scheming and good at pretending. It was only because he was moderate and good at managing his reputation that he was recorded in history as a gentle and generous person.

The daughter of the world also realized this shortly after she met the fourth prince. She did not feel disappointed at the time. Instead, she thought that since her lover was a prince, how could he not have some tricks to protect himself? Therefore, she turned a blind eye to this and even felt that such a slightly bad man made her heart beat even more.

The emperor glanced at the fourth prince after hearing this. He recalled that among the new dishes that Zhao Er had introduced in her restaurant not long ago, there were these pickled vegetables. When he was in the palace, he had no idea what was going on outside, so what was “presented at the first time”.

Moreover, not long ago, the son of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue raped a woman in the street and abused private punishment, which eventually led to a confrontation between the other party and the crown prince. It was most likely instigated by this woman.

It was no good to simply treat her as a woman who could recite poems, compose music and play drums. She was much more scheming than that.

Zhao Er brought a piece of soap that was as white as jade and had a fragrant aroma to the emperor, and said with a smile: “I know that father loves orchids. I have studied it for a long time and finally made this thing. I hope you like it.”

“Oh?” The emperor picked up the delicate soap and held it in front of his nose to sniff. The faint floral fragrance was refreshing and made people relax their brows and eyes. He smiled and said, “It is as fragrant as orchids. You are thoughtful.”

Zhao Er chuckled a few times and said modestly, “It’s my father’s teaching that’s good.”

It was also at this time that an eunuch came to report that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to see him.

The emperor thought about the many good strategies for governing the country that the crown prince had proposed some time ago. They really solved many of his worries and were far beyond what the four princes’ crude suggestions could compare to.

At that moment, he forgot about soap and pickles, and said with a smile: “The prince is here, please invite him in!”

——Why did the emperor suddenly become so nice to the crown prince? The Fourth Prince and Zhao Er’s expressions changed at the same time, and they looked towards the door of the study.

Who knew that the next second, Zhao Er saw the guy who made her want to chop him into pieces!

The emperor glanced at the unfamiliar young man with a little surprise, and suddenly remembered what the prince had told him a few days ago.

It was said that a young and famous Juren missed the imperial examination because he fell into the water, and was forced into prison by the Minister of Revenue. After the prince learned about the situation, he came forward to rescue him. The Juren then presented a policy on current affairs that was far better than that of the top scholar, and also wrote dozens of amazing memorials in one breath…

If the Juren had not been seriously ill at the time, the emperor would have wanted the prince to invite him directly to the palace to discuss the matter in detail.

Unexpectedly, the other party not only exposed Zhao Er’s true identity today, but also followed the prince into the palace shortly afterwards.

Come to think of it… Zhao Er colluded with the Minister of Revenue to criticize Si Qi that day. Could it be that it was because Si Qi’s talent aroused their jealousy?

This would explain why she, a princess, would insult the innocence of a woman and try to kill a civilian in a cell.

This woman was indeed very scheming.

Si Qi probably also realized the mastermind behind this, which was why he and Zhao Er were at odds with each other and embarrassed Zhao Er at the poetry meeting today.

In just two days, he was able to humiliate the princess. This Si Qi was indeed a powerful figure.

The emperor had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but his face showed nothing. He said with a cheerful face, “You are Si Qi, right?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Er’s face became even uglier.

Could it be that Si Qi not only had a relationship with the prince that day, but also left an impression in front of the emperor?

Was it because of him that the emperor was so kind to the crown prince whom he was gradually becoming disgusted with?

But what did he rely on for such a short period of time?

Si Qi bowed and said, “I am honored to meet your Majesty.”

“No need to be polite.” The emperor said amiably, “I have wanted to meet you for a long time.”

Seeing that the emperor had a good impression of Si Qi, the crown prince handed the many manuscripts he had just compiled to the emperor and said, “I heard that the fourth prince has developed a fertilizer that can benefit farmland. Si Qi also happens to know a little about this matter, so he compiled it into a manuscript. Please have a look at it, father.”

Know a little about it?

The emperor looked at the heavy stacks of papers covered with words and pictures in his hand, and flipped through them with some interest.

At first he was just browsing calmly, but then his expression changed gradually. He frowned seriously and read carefully sentence by sentence. From time to time he would nod and sigh with realization. He looked completely immersed in the book, as if he had found a treasure.

While the emperor was reading, Si Qi turned his head to look at the daughter of the world with flaming eyes, smiled contemptuously, and wrote disdain on his face, and said silently with his lips: “Deceiving the world and stealing reputation, shameless!”

Zhao Er was so angry that his breathing became heavy, her teeth were chattering, and her fists were clenched, as if she wanted to tear the person in front of her apart and swallow him.

The crown prince noticed Zhao Er’s expression and said unhappily, “Princess! Watch your demeanor! This is not a place for you to act wild!”

The emperor looked up in confusion after hearing this, and was caught off guard by Zhao Er’s hateful and vicious expression, and he couldn’t help but frown.

Yes, this woman had long seen through Si Qi’s talent and guessed that he might be loyal to the prince, so she used that method to kill him in the cell without him knowing.

At that time, Si Qi was seriously ill and was unable to write the policy on current affairs in the palace examination, but the emperor had already read it, and found that it was truly a brilliant and brilliant work with every word being a gem.

If Si Qi successfully became the top scholar and became a retainer of the crown prince, he would be extremely famous for a while, and it would be very difficult for the Fourth Princess to kill him, as it would cause too much commotion.

That was why she planned the accidental fall into the water, causing Si Qi to miss the imperial examination and continue to be an unknown person.

Then he ordered the son of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to kill the man in prison under the pretext of molesting a woman. The man would die quietly and without any trace.

Not only could it make the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Crown Prince hostile to each other, but it could also eliminate a capable assistant to the Crown Prince… But in the eyes of outsiders, this matter had nothing to do with her, and it was just a small trouble caused by a powerful man who was tempted by beauty. No one would care who the dead guy was.

Such a plot was linked one to another. If Si Qi had not been lucky enough to escape, the emperor would probably have no chance to see those amazing memorials. What a pity that would be!

The emperor’s thoughts changed, but he suppressed them for the time being. He carefully held the manuscripts in his hands as if they were treasures, and asked Si Qi earnestly, “Did you write all of this?”

Si Qi cupped his hands: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The emperor was extremely pleased and delighted, “Okay, okay!”

Now the state of Chu was suffering from a severe drought, and countless people had died of hunger due to consecutive years of famine. With these good prescriptions, how many people could be saved!

“It is an honor for subordinates to serve Your Majesty.” Si Qi said humbly.

However, just now, Si Qi noticed two slightly strange things placed on the emperor’s desk.

Pickled cucumbers. And soap.

He asked deliberately: “Your Majesty, these are…”

The emperor said nonchalantly, “This is a new thing that the Fourth Princess presented to me.”

It should be said that the princess was a person who would not do anything without benefits, and wanted to win the emperor’s favor and achieve various goals by offering treasures.

In the past few years, the prince had often been disliked by the emperor for not being considerate enough because of these trivial matters.

Si Qi took a few steps closer, observed for a moment, frowned and said: “Your Majesty, eating too much of this is not good for your health.”

The emperor’s face turned pale when he heard this, and he looked at Zhao Er in disbelief. The first thing that came to his mind was poison.

The Fourth Prince was also stunned and turned his head to look at his wife in disbelief.

Zhao Er’s heart tensed up, and he quickly explained: “Father, please don’t listen to his nonsense. If this thing is not edible, how dare I offer it to you?”

The Fourth Prince also said quickly: “Yes, Father, the princess would never dare to do such an immoral thing, please understand!”

Si Qi said in a cold tone: “I heard that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess are in love and harmony, like a couple from heaven. Could it be that in the palace, the Fourth Princess often makes pickles like this for the fourth Prince to eat?”

The prince was stunned. He had never eaten anything like this before, and the princess certainly had never brought this kind of dish to the table for him to eat.

But if he admitted it now, wouldn’t that be a slap in the face to the princess, indirectly admitting that what Si Qi said was true? he could only grit his teeth and say, “Of course I have eaten it!”

“Oh, then I wonder what this dish tastes like?” Si Qi insisted, “Bitter? Sweet? Or salty?”

“…………”Cold sweat broke out on the prince’s forehead, and he didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

The atmosphere in the study was terribly depressing. The emperor looked unhappy, holding his forehead and said unhappily, “That’s enough.”

This voice almost fully contained the words “annoying” and “irritable”. The Fourth Prince and Zhao Er were so frightened that they were silent and did not dare to say anything for a while.

Si Qi added: “And this soap…”

and?

The Fourth Prince was simply afraid of Si Qi, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve in agony.

Si Qi: “Looking at its appearance, it should be made of animal fat, right? Hmm… Let me see, first tear the flowers into pieces and mix them, then drop some essential oil and some strong tea to stir, and finally put them into the mold to shape… Both the thought and the materials are top-notch. However, many people nowadays can’t even afford to eat, let alone put a little more oil in their food. The princess is quite bold, using such a valuable item as a fragrance enhancer for washing and brushing. It is said that it is selling well and making a lot of money? I wonder how many animals were slaughtered to get this huge amount of treasure?”

The emperor looked at the flawless white soap in disbelief, grabbed it and threw it at Zhao Er, angrily saying: “In recent years, there have been famines in the country, and I have been worrying about how to increase grain production and feed more people. You actually slaughtered livestock and collected fat just to make such a wasteful thing?!”

Zhao Er was so frightened by the roar that she trembled all over. She shrank and lowered her head, not daring to look at the emperor.

She secretly groaned in her heart, how come Si Qi knew everything? Was he a time traveler?

There were too many smart monsters!!

“Father, please calm down and don’t hurt your body. The Juren has already come up with a way to deal with the famine, and it will be effective within a year.” The crown prince advised hurriedly.

The emperor took a few deep breaths in anger, and then, recalling what he had just seen, he became a little worried and ordered, “From now on, you are not allowed to sell that kind of crap anymore!”

When Zhao Er heard this, her face turned green with heartache.

That was a way of making money that she had spent a lot of time and effort to research. Could it just disappear like that?

The emperor saw her expression and knew what she was thinking. He snorted coldly, “Why, do you think you haven’t earned enough? The rich are feasting and drinking, but the poor are dying on the streets!”

These words were so heartbreaking that Zhao Er no longer dared to harbor any complacency. She quickly apologized and said that she would never sell that soap again.

Si Qi then said, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince knows that you have allocated a large amount of money to solve the famine, which has caused the treasury to be empty and very short of money. He heard that this subordinate has developed a good way to make money, so he immediately brought me here to present this recipe to you, hoping to contribute a little to your majesty.”

These words were like a slap in the face to the daughter of the world who was constantly grubbing for money. She and the fourth prince lowered their heads, wishing they could disappear from the emperor’s sight so as not to annoy him.

“A good way to make money?” The emperor picked up the teacup and put it down before he could even drink it. He asked carefully, “What is the recipe?”

In recent years, the Fourth Prince and his wife had been doing a thriving business, making a fortune every day. However, they kept the soap and glass recipes hidden from everyone, and even though he was greedy, he was too embarrassed to ask for them.

He didn’t expect that the prince, who usually didn’t have much income, would immediately come to him as soon as he found a way to make money. It turned out that he was a filial person at heart, unlike the selfish child like the Fourth Prince who only did superficial work.

Si Qi smiled slightly: “It’s a recipe for making large quantities of sugar and honey.”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, you could hear a pin drop in the study. All you could hear was the heavy breathing of the Fourth Prince and his wife and the Emperor, echoing in this space.

It was well known in modern society that sugar could bring people happiness.

However, in ancient times, sugar not only brought people happiness, but also brought a steady supply of large amounts of money.

Handing over the technology for making white sugar was equivalent to giving away countless mountains of gold and silver, and everyone present knew this.

However, Si Qi still handed this important thing to the emperor easily without any reluctance on his face.

This made the emperor, who already had a very good impression of Si Qi, want to hold him in his palm and protect him carefully. He said kindly, “Okay, okay, you two are thoughtful! Let’s have lunch in the palace at noon.”

After saying this, the emperor looked at the fourth prince and his wife. Although he was impatient, he also remembered their hard work and contributions in the past period of time. In the end, he said, “You stay too.”

Si Qi stood aside and watched this scene. He thought that the emperor in front of him was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as the public imagined. He was even a little doting on his children.

The food in the canteen must be very good. Si Qi, who had only been able to eat bland soup since coming to this world, was looking forward to lunch.

However, when it was noon and Si Qi actually sat down to eat, he discovered that the ancient times were indeed the ancient times. No matter how skilled the chef was, how delicate his knife skills were, or how complicated the steps were, the taste of the dishes was still a little too bland and not rich.

Otherwise, the emperor would not have praised the two plates of delicious pickled vegetables so much.

First of all, the variety of dishes was not as many as in later generations. Tomatoes, dried peppers and the like were nowhere to be seen.

The most fatal problem was indeed the seasoning.

Those things that every household in later generations would have and could be bought in a supermarket for a few dollars, in that era, even the emperor could not enjoy them.

The kitchen palace usually stewed chicken or other animals into soup, and then used the delicious soup to cook dishes, making the dishes taste richer.

But the taste was always the same, and you would get sick of it if you ate too much.

Si Qi thought for a moment and said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, I have thought of something that is like sugar, a very good seasoning. If you add a little bit of it when cooking, even green vegetables can become as delicious as chicken soup.”

The emperor was very curious and asked, “What is that?”

Si Qi: “MSG”

“Pfft…cough cough cough!”

Zhao Er swallowed a mouthful of rice into his throat, her face flushed and she patted her chest desperately.

Upon seeing this, the servant beside her hurried forward to pour her some water, brought it to her hand, and asked her to drink it. Only then did the exaggerated coughing finally stop slowly.

Zhao Er hastily wiped the water stains from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and stared at Si Qi opposite him in amazement, her eyes seemed to be able to speak.

——You are actually a time traveler? ! !

——You actually lied to me? ! !

Si Qi didn’t understand Zhao Er’s eyes. If he had understood, he might have asked him back, “When did I lie to you?”

He never considered hiding his specialness in front of Zhao Er.

Si Qi: “If Your Majesty has tasted MSG, I’m afraid you will never look down upon these foods again.”

The so-called MSG is actually monosodium glutamate, which can be obtained by fermenting and sublimating protein-rich grains such as wheat, corn, and soybeans.

It can alleviate the alkaline, sour and bitter tastes in dishes and increase the umami flavor of meat and vegetables. When used with salt, it can achieve twice the result with half the effort, making it a kitchen magic weapon.

Because the raw materials are extracted from grains without any chemical refining process, even if you eat them, they will not be harmful to the human body. On the contrary, they will make the body healthier by stimulating appetite.

It’s a very nice baby.

The emperor had never tasted MSG, but when Si Qi described it as precious and delicious like sugar, he immediately became interested: “I know you are capable. If you need anything, just tell the prince directly, and I will grant it to you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Si Qi raised the corners of his lips slightly, feeling happy when he thought that he would no longer have to eat these bland meals.

“The ironworks that the prince asked me for last time was for you to use, right?” The emperor looked at Si Qi with a look that showed the warmth of an elder towards a younger person. “What are you planning to make?”

Speaking of iron smelting and forging objects, the emperor thought of the improved plowshares and hoes that Si Qi had drawn on the drawings. Those exquisite tools could not have been made without long-term thinking.

Think about those officials who were scheming, fighting for power, and squandering money, and then look at this talented and wise young man in front of you. This was a scholar who truly cared about the people of Chu.

How could the emperor not like such a person?

Si Qi thought for a moment and replied, “I want to create a magical weapon that has infinite power, can replace human power, and never gets tired.”

After hearing this, the emperor laughed out loud, as if he had heard some innocent and wonderful idea from a child, and said encouragingly, “Then I will see if you can do it.”

The prince sat aside, raising his chin with pride, as if he believed whatever outrageous words Si Qi said.

The Fourth Prince curled his lips and laughed at Si Qi’s nonsense and unrealistic words.

Only Zhao Er frowned silently, feeling inexplicably uneasy.