The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

I went through two more tough exams in the examination room. When I handed in my papers and left, the whole room was filled with a sour smell. There was nothing I could do. It was the hottest time of the year in Yingtian Prefecture. The temperature was almost as high as in summer. Tens of thousands of people didn't take a shower or wash their hair for ten days. They ate, drank, defecated and urinated in the same place. It would be strange if the smell was good.

When Min Xi carried his luggage and dragged his tired legs out of the examination room, he felt like he was about to die.

Tao Xing squeezed in the crowd to look for Min Xi, but there were too many people and too much noise, so they never met. Finally, Min Xi met Tao Yuan and his servant, but still didn't see Tao Xing. After getting on the car, he waited for a long time before Tao Xing came back.

There were so many people and the traffic was stuck, and it was already midnight when we got back.

The first thing Min Xi did when he got home was to take a shower. He changed three buckets of water before he felt he was clean.

The first thing Tao Yuan did when he came back was to go to the toilet. He had only been to the toilet after taking an exam in the past few days. In addition, he did not eat enough vegetables, so he got constipated. He was squatting in the toilet and screaming in pain. He felt bloated, but he could not defecate.

Min Xi didn't care about all that. He just wanted to give it a try, so he ate when he was supposed to and pooped when he was supposed to. He didn't care about the shit.

In the end, Tao Yuan took some croton seeds to solve his constipation problem.

After the exam, all candidates were exhausted. No one went out for the first two days, and they all stayed in bed to catch up on sleep. After three or four days, scholars began to appear in teahouses, taverns, brothels, and brothels.

Tao Yuan was particularly miserable. Constipation caused severe hemorrhoids. He stayed in bed for several days before going out. He was always optimistic, but now he couldn't help but complain in front of Min Xi: "If I fail the exam this time, the price will be too high. I don't want to suffer this again."

Min Xi prepared delicious food for him in various ways to comfort his injured body and mind: "Don't worry, you will definitely pass the exam this time."

Tao Yuan looked at the dishes that Min Xi prepared for him and said, "Why are they mainly vegetables and no meat?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Your hemorrhoids haven't healed yet. Eating too much meat won't make it easy for you to go to the bathroom. You need to eat more vegetables."

Tao Yuan thought that he had indeed been able to go to the toilet much more smoothly in the past two days. Was this the reason? "Thank you, Brother Jiu, you are really good at taking care of people."

"It's okay." Min Xi was not polite.

"Let's go out and play together tomorrow. I want to go to Qunfang Tower to see the world. I heard that there is a courtesan there who is the most beautiful among all the girls. I want to see how beautiful she is." When Tao Yuan was sitting, only half of his buttocks were touching the chair, and he didn't dare to sit down firmly.

Min Xi glanced at him and said, "How much money do you have? Can you see the Oiran whenever you want?"

Tao Yuan reached into his sleeve pocket, looked at the silver inside, and said, "I still have twenty taels. Is that enough for a meeting?"

Min Xi asked: "Do you have to see him?"

Tao Yuan tilted his head and looked at him: "Ninth brother, aren't you curious about how beautiful that courtesan is?"

Min Xi shook his head: "Not very interested." It's not like he hasn't seen beauties before. In movies and TV shows, there are all kinds of beauties, both fat and thin. Unlike the ancients like them, except for their sisters and maids at home, they really don't have many opportunities to see unmarried women. No wonder they are interested in women in brothels and brothels.

Tao Yuan suddenly said: "Actually, I understand. There are few people in this world who are more handsome than Brother Ji. It's normal that you are not interested."

"How did he get involved for no reason?" Min Xi looked at him and couldn't help but reflect on himself. Has their relationship been discovered by someone?

Tao Yuan chuckled: "It's nothing, just curiosity about beautiful women. Brother Ji is so handsome. After you spend a long time with him, you won't be so curious about other good-looking people."

Min Xi ignored him and said, "You know I used to run a small restaurant in Fulangji, and I earned money one silver coin at a time. Before I went to Fulangji, I worked odd jobs everywhere to earn money, and I couldn't save two taels of silver in a year. You asked me to take twenty taels to meet a woman I don't know. I'm sorry, I feel bad and don't want to spend that money."

"So that's how it is. I thought you were not interested in beautiful women." Tao Yuan said.

Min Xi said: "Everyone loves beauty. Of course I like to see it, but I don't want to go to a brothel to see it."

"Because it costs money?" Tao Yuan asked.

Min Xi shook his head: "Because the women in the brothel are treated as commodities with a clear price tag, I think this is an insult to them. I can't change their fate, but I can't be the one who helps the evildoer."

"Why are you an accomplice to the evil again?" Tao Yuan felt that the words were a bit harsh.

"How many of those brothel women do you think sell themselves voluntarily?" Min Xi asked.

Tao Yuan was stunned for a moment: "Probably not many of them are willing." Many women in brothels are born as slaves and have no choice at all. The world is already very demanding on girls from decent families, let alone these slave girls. They are not treated as human beings at all.

"The more people go to brothels, the more women will enter them through various channels. I can't control other people's visit to brothels, I can only restrain myself, so as not to be accomplices to the evil," said Min Xi.

Tao Yuan looked at Min Xi in surprise: "Brother Jiu, I find your ideas are so special!"

"It's not bad. When I was young, I lived in the streets and saw a gambler selling his wife and children to a brothel. I will never forget the tragic scene of the mother and daughter being taken to the brothel."

Tao Yuan said, "You are right. I won't go to see her. The courtesan lady must not need a customer from me."

The results of the provincial examination in Jiangsu Province will be announced on September 12. After the examination, they will have to wait for nearly a month in Yingtian Prefecture. If Min Xi were alone, he would have returned long ago and would have been able to catch up with the announcement of the results in Shuntian Prefecture. If Yun Ji passed, they could celebrate together.

This time Tao Yuan was there, so he had to stay here and wait for the results to be announced before leaving. Tao Yuan's chances of passing the exam were much higher.

While waiting for the results to be announced, Min Xi went to Yangzhou and Suzhou to learn about the business conditions of the Yunxiang branches in these two places and checked the accounts.

The manager of the Yangzhou branch who gave them gifts that year has long been replaced. The new manager is obviously more sensible. The turnover and profits of the Yangzhou branch have increased significantly, which shows how much Manager Huang embezzled.

Naturally, Tao Yuan didn't want to stay alone in Yingtian Prefecture waiting for the announcement of the results, so he went with him. Min Xi paid for all the food, drinks and entertainment along the way. To be precise, it was Yun Ji who paid for it. He had a great time and when they arrived in Suzhou, he even acted as Min Xi's guide.

When Min Xi returned to Yingtian Prefecture, there were still two days before the results were announced.

Tao Yuan, who had been having so much fun, finally became depressed: "Will I end up having too much fun?" He couldn't help but reflect on whether he had been having too much fun recently.

Min Xi comforted him: "Don't worry, you will definitely pass the exam."

"God bless me and let me pass the imperial examination!" Tao Yuan clapped his hands, put his palms together, and began to pray to God.

Min Xi found it funny.

Two days later, the results of the provincial examination were finally announced. In front of the Yingtian Prefecture Office, the scholars waiting for the list to be posted crowded outside the office gate. The government officials separated the list into a safe space, and the clerks took out the list that had been written long ago and began to post it.

Someone in the crowd began to read out the names one by one.

Min Xi and Tao Yuan stood outside the crowd waiting for news. Tao Xing and Tao Yuan's servant Tao Jing squeezed in the crowd to look at the list. After an unknown amount of time, Tao Jing, who was in a mess, squeezed out of the crowd and said, "Brother Yuan, great news! You won! You won! No. 108!"

Tao Yuan was ecstatic: "Really? That's great! That's great! I finally won! By the way, where's Brother Nine?"

Tao Jing said: "I don't know. I saw your name and hurried out. Tao Xing was still watching inside."