The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

After getting on the carriage and leaving the palace, Zhang Juzheng bowed to the two of them and said, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear nephews. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you!"

Min Xi and Yun Ji quickly returned the gift: "I don't deserve it, this is what we should do."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said, "I have read all the letters you have written back. You have taken very good care of His Majesty. I have also seen that His Majesty has grown a lot during this trip."

At each post station, Yun Ji would write back to report the details of his journey. The letter was sent to Tao Lizhi of the Ministry of Revenue, who then delivered it to Zhang Juzheng. This was done to avoid being seen and to protect the emperor's whereabouts. After all, it was normal for Yun Ji to write to his uncle to report his safety when traveling. If he wrote directly to Zhang Juzheng, it would be very abrupt.

Min Xi said: "Your Majesty is an enterprising emperor. During this trip, he saw the suffering of the people and realized the difficulty of governing the country. I believe he will understand the Prime Minister better in the future."

Zhang Juzheng nodded: "Very good!" Then he asked some more questions about the things described in the letter and also asked about the details of the last leg of the journey.

Min Xi told him everything he wanted to know, but did not tell him about the changes in the emperor's thinking. Zhang Juzheng needed to feel these for himself.

"Sir, this place is close to the Tao Mansion. Why don't you take us there so we can go see our grandfather?" Yun Ji noticed the scene outside the window and suddenly spoke out.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Sure. Tell the driver."

The carriage soon stopped outside the Tao Mansion. The servants of the Tao Mansion were sweeping the snow at the door. When they saw a gorgeous carriage coming, they knew that a distinguished guest had arrived, so they hurried over to greet him.

Zhang Juzheng said to them, "I will not go to Mr. Tao's house to bother him today. I will come to visit him another day. You can go by yourselves."

"Thank you, sir! I'll take my leave now!" After paying their respects, Min Xi and Yun Ji got out of the car.

The servant was stunned when he saw Min Xi and Yun Ji, and then he was overjoyed: "You two are back?! That's great! The old master and the old lady are still talking about it. Brother Lin just came to the door to see the snow. In fact, he was looking to see if you two are back. He runs to the door to check twice a day."

"Really? Is Lin'er in class now, or is he at his grandmother's house?" Min Xi walked into the yard, and Yun Ji followed closely in his footsteps.

"The old master has been feeling unwell these past two days, so he has given the students a holiday. There will be no classes these two days," said the servant.

Yun Ji paused: "My grandfather is sick? Is it serious?"

"Is grandpa okay? Has he seen a doctor?" Min Xi was also concerned about Tao Hong's health, as he was his teacher.

The servant said, "The doctor has been here, but I don't know what the specific situation is."

Min Xi and Yun Ji no longer paid attention to him, and without time to go to the corridor to avoid the snow, they went straight through the patio and ran towards their grandparents' courtyard.

It was very cold at the moment, and most people were warming themselves by the fire in their houses. Only a few servants who were sweeping snow were in the yard. When they saw them, they were all surprised and happy. However, before they could go and report to their master, the two men had already passed through the courtyard like a gust of wind.

When they arrived at the main courtyard where my grandfather lived, they were finally spotted by a maid who was out carrying charcoal. She was so happy that she almost knocked over the tools in her hands and shouted, "Madam, the young master and Master Min are back!"

As soon as these words came out, the door of the wing room was opened at once. "Big brother, second brother!" Yun Lin's voice was heard before anyone saw him.

"Lin'er!" Min Xi and Yun Ji said in unison.

Yun Lin rushed over like a little ball and was hugged by Yun Ji.

Yunlin hugged Yunji's neck and said aggrievedly: "You are finally back!"

Min Xi reached out and pinched his little face: "Yes, that's why I came to pick you up as soon as I got back. Are you good at home?"

Yunlin pouted: "Of course I am very good. But my grandfather is sick, he coughs badly, and my grandmother won't let me into the house."

"You are still young and in poor health, so it is right not to let you into the house. Go back and pack your things first, we will go in to visit your grandfather and take you home later." Min Xi said.

Yunlin was a little reluctant, but he agreed when he thought about going home. He could finally go back to his own home. Although his grandmother and uncles were very kind to him, this was not his home after all. At such a young age, he felt embarrassed living under someone else's roof, so he preferred to stay at his own home.

After Min Xi and Yun Ji finished explaining Yun Lin, they went to their grandfather's main house together. Before entering the inner room, they could smell a strong smell of medicine. Old Madam Tao was wrapped in a fox fur coat and sitting next to the brazier. A long-haired cat lay between her and the brazier, trying to keep warm.

Min Xi and Yun Ji quickly greeted her: "Grandma, we are back."

When Mrs. Tao saw them, she was relieved and said, "You are finally back. Did you have a smooth journey?"

"It went smoothly. Are you and grandpa in good health? I heard that grandpa was sick, but I don't know how serious it is." Yun Ji asked.

Old Madam Tao sighed and said, "It's all his fault. The temperature suddenly dropped a few days ago, so I quickly asked someone to send him clothes, but he had class and he refused to pay attention to the people who sent him clothes. As a result, he caught himself sick from the cold in just one class. Does he think he is still a young man? He is still showing off at his age. I really think he is capable!" The old lady became more and more angry as she spoke.

Min Xi said, "Grandma, let's go in and see Grandpa."

"Go ahead." said Mrs. Tao.

Min Xi and Yun Ji entered the inner room. Before they saw anyone, they heard coughing. Although it was daytime, the light in the room was very dim, so they turned on the lights.

Because the old man was sick, they didn't dare to ventilate the room, so the air in the room was not very good. No wonder Yunlin was not allowed to come in. It was indeed easy to spread diseases.

Tao Hong had already learned that they were back, and before they could say anything, he spoke first: "You're back?"

"Grandfather, we're back!" Min Xi and Yun Ji hurried forward and walked to the bedside.

Tao Hong half leaned against the head of the bed and waved at them: "Don't get too close, or I might pass on the disease to you."

Min Xi and Yun Ji had no choice but to stand three feet away from the bed to greet the old man.

"Did you have a smooth journey?" Tao Hong asked.

"Fortunately, it went smoothly!"

"Is everything all right, Your Majesty?"

"It's very good. We have sent him back to the palace safely. Lord Zhang sent someone to pick him up at the dock. We also went to the palace to see the Queen Mother, and then Lord Zhang sent us to the door." Yun Ji said.

Tao Hong nodded: "It's good that you are safe! Now that you two are back, you should study hard in the remaining time and strive to get good grades in the examination. Then His Majesty will use you."

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at each other. They had been busy for more than a month, traveling and serving the emperor, and they really hadn't learned much. For more than a month, Wanli let himself go, and the two of them almost followed suit.

Min Xi said hurriedly, "Teacher, I will keep it in mind! I will go back and study hard as soon as possible."

Originally, Min Xi did not take the imperial examination seriously. After all, it was an examination attended by top experts from all over the country. His level was nowhere near enough to take the examination, and he was just going through the motions. Now, he had gone on an incognito tour with the emperor, and the emperor and Zhang Juzheng must have placed high hopes on him. If he failed the exam, it would be difficult for him to step down.

Tao Hong waved his hand and said, "You guys go back and study hard. I just caught a cold. I'm old and weak, so I'll recover slowly. It won't be a big problem. It's snowing these days and it's cold, so I've given the children in the school a holiday and arranged for them to go back and study on their own. You take Lin Ge'er back and supervise him."

"Yes, Grandfather, please take care of yourself. We will go back first."

Min Xi and Yun Ji said goodbye to the two old people and said hello to their two aunts before taking Yun Lin home.

They went back in the Tao Mansion's carriage. Their luggage was actually still on the boat, so they didn't bring any gifts to the Tao Mansion, and they would have to make up for them one by one when they went back.