The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Not long after entering the Qianqing Palace, Wanli asked the Jinyiwei to leave first, leaving only Min Xi and Yun Ji.

"In my spare time, I have read some travelogues and local records, which are quite interesting. I have many questions, but there is no one around me who can answer them for me, which is really a pity. The Prime Minister and the Hanlin Academicians also know very little. It is true that they have read thousands of books, but no one can travel thousands of miles like you two. So I invited you here today because I have many questions and I want to see if you can help me answer them." Wanli said.

Min Xi and Yun Ji said respectfully: "Students will do their best to help Your Majesty solve his doubts."

Wanli said: "Min Qing is from Yingtian Prefecture, right? Taizu started his army in Haozhou and later made Yingtian Prefecture his capital. These two places are the ancestral land and the old capital of our dynasty respectively. I have never been to either place. What kind of place is that?"

Min Xi then told Wanli about his impressions of Nanjing and Anhui, especially the sea of ​​clouds and strange rocks in Huangshan.

Wanli was fascinated after hearing this: "Is there really such a magical place? I have never read about it in travel notes, but there are quite a few travel notes about the Five Mountains."

"I have never been to the Five Great Mountains, I have only been to Mount Huangshan, so I have no basis for comparison. The capital is not far from Mount Tai. After the provincial examination, I would like to go to Mount Tai. Do you want to go with me, brother Qi?" Min Xi asked Yun Ji.

Yun Ji naturally supported it unconditionally: "Let's go together."

When Wanli heard their plan, he was extremely envious: "Sometimes I really envy you guys, you can go wherever you want. Although I am the ruler of a country, I cannot leave the capital, let alone the Forbidden City, whenever I want."

Mount Tai has a fatal attraction for every Chinese emperor. The Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai is the most grand ceremony for emperors of all dynasties. From ancient times to the present, the number of emperors who have gone to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth does not exceed ten fingers.

Min Xi suddenly said, "I have a bold suggestion. Your Majesty has not yet taken power, so you can take advantage of this period to go out of the palace for a walk."

Wanli shook his head without thinking and said, "No, it would be too costly for the emperor to go on tour."

"In fact, it doesn't require much time and effort. You can just go on a private visit in disguise. When the emperor goes on a tour, what he sees is only what the local government wants Your Majesty to see. By going on a private visit in disguise, you can deeply understand the people's sentiments and know what the real Ming Dynasty is like. In the future, Your Majesty will be able to govern the Ming Dynasty better." Min Xi said.

Hearing this, Yun Ji looked at Min Xi in shock. Every time Min Xi said something shocking, did he know how risky it was for the emperor to travel?

Min Xi thought that if Wanli could go on a secret tour, understand the lives of the lower classes, and understand the real Ming Dynasty, perhaps it would change his perception of the world. He might not be so lazy in governing, and he would not hold a grudge against Zhang Juzheng.

When Wanli heard this, he was extremely excited. Going on a secret tour could be a big deal or a small one, but he didn't know whether his mother and the Prime Minister would agree to let him go.

That day, Min Xi and Yun Ji accompanied the emperor to have imperial meals in the palace. In the afternoon, they chatted with Wanli about many things they had seen and heard. Wanli was fascinated by the outside world and really wanted to go on a secret tour. However, it was quite difficult to convince the empress dowager and Zhang Juzheng to agree.

After returning from the palace, Min Xi and Yun Ji went back to study one after another.

Since Tao Shu and Tao Yu were preparing to go on a study tour, they naturally could no longer teach Min Xi. Yun Ji would organize his homework from the academy and ask someone to pick it up every few days, and bring it back for Min Xi to study and refer to. So in addition to taking Mr. Tao's lessons, Min Xi was also taking the lessons of the master in the academy, but he had more homework to do.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Min Xi and Yun Ji had planned to take Yun Lin to see the lantern festival, but they were picked up by a carriage from the palace.

The two accompanied Wanli to visit the lanterns all night. The teenage Wanli was as happy as a child. After all, he seldom left the palace. The crowds outside made him feel the real life.

In the spring of this year, Zhang Juzheng's father passed away. For an old man over 70, it was a happy death. Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a long time between mourning and taking away his love. Finally, at the request of Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Juzheng chose to take away his love. The emperor was young and the empress dowager had no other capable assistants. If Zhang Juzheng went back to mourn, the empress dowager would be isolated and helpless, and there would be doubts about whether the emperor could sit on the throne.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng remembered the dream that Min Xi had told him, and this step was completely right.

When he announced his seizure of the throne, the whole court was in uproar. They did not understand his actions and thought that he was greedy for the feeling of being in power and was unwilling to be filial to his own father. Especially his competitors, who could have taken this opportunity to regain their position, but he did not give in, leaving them with no chance to regain their position. Naturally, they would criticize him.

Amid opposition from the entire court, Zhang Juzheng remembered Min Xi's suggestion to make more friends and fewer enemies.

So from then on, he began to use his position to communicate more with the ministers in the court and strive for all the power he could. He also began to teach the emperor how to handle some government affairs. After all, in two years at most, the emperor would be in charge of the government.

The feeling of holding great power is indeed very tempting, but no matter how great the power is, it is only borrowed from the emperor. He can't hold it for many years. There is no need to ruin the fate of the whole family and the future of all the people he promoted just to satisfy his momentary desire for power. As long as the emperor and the empress dowager are of the same mind, then the reform can be implemented. As long as the reform can be implemented, why bother about whether the power is in his hands.

It took Zhang Juzheng a short time to understand this truth, but he really started to do it after his father died and he took away his love. From the moment he chose to take away his love, it coincided with the direction in Min Xi's dream, so he forced himself to reverse his own destiny.

When Zhang Juzheng chose to seize the love, Tao Shu and Tao Yu had already embarked on the journey south to their hometown of Suzhou to study. The two brothers each drove a donkey and carried a book box on their backs, which contained their daily necessities.

They were accompanied by a young and strong servant who was responsible for cooking for the two brothers. However, there was no one to help wash their clothes. So for the first time, they learned to wash their own clothes.

Min Xi said that studying abroad can train people. Before the two brothers even left the capital, they had already felt the difficulty of studying abroad.

Min Xi and Yun Ji were preparing for the provincial examination in Beijing. During the process, Wanli summoned them to the palace once, as he was tired of studying and wanted to find someone to come to the palace to talk and relieve his boredom.

Min Xi and Yun Ji showed Wanli the letters written by Tao Shu and Tao Yu about their experiences during their study tour. Wanli was so envious that he made up his mind to muster up the courage to tell his mother and the prime minister about the incognito visit.

His best idea was to wait until the provincial examination was over, and then follow Min Xi and Yun Ji to visit Mount Tai. Yun Ji was skilled in martial arts and could protect his safety. Then he could find two skilled guards from the palace to follow him, and disguise himself as a traveling merchant, without revealing his shoes. It shouldn't be difficult. Of course, this was just his wishful thinking for now.

When summer came, Min Xi went to the farm and found that the lavender he had people plant last year had bloomed. Although the lavender on the farm was not as lush as that in the house, the fact that it could survive with this extensive planting method showed that lavender was becoming more and more adaptable to the environment.

In July, Min Xi took Tao Xing on a boat south to Yingtian Prefecture to take part in the provincial examination.

This time, Diego did not go with them because Gao'er was pregnant and had severe morning sickness. She could not even go to work in the pastry shop and had to stay at home. Diego was busy running the shop and taking care of Gao'er at the same time. Min Xi and Yun Ji did not have the heart to arrange for him to go on a long trip. Although Diego himself had said long ago that when Min Xi went to Yingtian Prefecture, he must take him with him.

In order to let Min Xi prepare for the exam with peace of mind, Yun Ji sent all the cooks in the family to go south with Min Xi. As for the three meals of the other family members, they were left to solve it themselves. Anyway, when Min Xi was not in Beijing, Yun Lin always lived in Tao Mansion.