The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

When Doctor Chen came over, he was already sweating profusely, not only because of the hot weather, but also because he heard that Zhang Juzheng was going to have a hemorrhoidectomy.

He had only performed this type of operation twice, and only succeeded once. This 50% mortality rate was not a big deal if it was performed on a young eunuch in the palace, but if it was performed on Zhang Juzheng, who was second only to the emperor, he would have to take the risk of losing his head.

He had been responsible for the treatment of Zhang Juzheng's hemorrhoids. He knew Zhang Juzheng's physical condition very well. The risks of this operation were like dancing on a steel knife, and he could lose his life at any time.

As soon as Doctor Chen entered the inner room, he knelt respectfully and said, "Your humble servant Chen Mei greets Lord Zhang."

Zhang Juzheng had already reached an agreement with Min Xi, who went to the kitchen to instruct the cooks on how to cook. Only Yun Ji accompanied Zhang Juzheng to talk about the tax payment of the Ministry of Revenue. Zhang Juzheng stopped and said, "Get up."

Doctor Chen found that Zhang Juzheng's temper was not as bad as usual, so he approached cautiously and said, "I will take your pulse, sir."

Zhang Juzheng raised his hand and placed it on the pulse pillow, asking him to take his pulse.

After taking Zhang Juzheng's pulse, Doctor Chen checked Zhang Juzheng's tongue coating and said, "Your Majesty's Qi is blocked, dampness and heat are flowing downward, and both Qi and Yin are deficient. I will prescribe some internal medicine and some external medicine for you."

Doctor Chen was nervous, fearing that Zhang Juzheng would ask for surgery.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Please prescribe me some medicine that will help me feel better."

"Yes!" Doctor Chen put his mind at ease, and finally did not hear him say that he wanted to perform surgery to remove the hemorrhoids.

After Doctor Chen finished prescribing the medicine, he personally checked Zhang Juzheng's condition and gave him external medicine to stop the bleeding. Min Xi and a group of maids brought in the prepared meals.

All the dishes are vegetarian, including stir-fried bean sprouts, cold beans, tofu with green onions, and tomato and egg soup. They are colorful and nutritionally balanced.

Zhang Juzheng looked at those dishes and the corners of his mouth twitched. He seldom ate this kind of home-cooked food since he passed the imperial examination. He didn't expect that after this illness, he would return to his original simplicity.

Min Xi said: "Your Excellency should eat more vegetables in the future."

Zhang Juzheng sat up, looked at the dishes in front of him, and sighed, "It seems that I will never be able to satisfy my appetite again."

"It's not that you can't eat those dishes, just eat less, and cook one or two dishes for each meal. Mainly vegetables, because according to Western research, these vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, improve intestinal function, and facilitate defecation." Although Min Xi's words were not made up, they had nothing to do with the West of their time.

But Zhang Juzheng didn't know, he nodded and said: "Then I will confirm it."

Min Xi said: "As long as you insist on eating more vegetables and fresh fruits and drinking more water, your intestines will definitely improve and you will never suffer from constipation again."

Zhang Juzheng did not speak, but began to taste the dishes. As soon as he took a bite, he could taste a different taste. Although it was simple, the taste was very special. It was obviously a vegetarian dish, but he could taste the taste of meat.

Zhang Juzheng's brows relaxed unexpectedly: "Today's dishes were all made by Lord Min? They taste good."

"No, I gave some instructions to the chef in your house, and the chef made it himself, following the instructions I gave him." Min Xi said.

Zhang Juzheng raised his head and laughed: "It seems that even if I eat vegetarian food, I don't have to worry about my appetite. Thank you for your advice, Lord Min."

"As long as you are satisfied with the meal, that's enough. Please take care of your health, the Ming Dynasty still needs you. I will take my leave now!" Seeing that Zhang Juzheng had given up the idea of ​​having surgery, Min Xi and Yun Ji said goodbye and left.

Within two days, Zhang Juzheng sent someone to bring a reward to Min Xi, saying that after following Min Xi's advice, his bowel movements had indeed become much smoother.

Yun Ji also said that Zhang Juzheng had returned to the government office. Min Xi breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that what he had done this time was effective and could change Zhang Juzheng's fate so that he could live a few more years.

After the Baron moved, he tried hard to adapt to the new life. The first thing he had to do was to learn Chinese, not only to speak it, but also to read and write it. The Baron found Min Xi and hoped that he could find a female tutor for Alice and Bella. Min Xi was stunned for a while after hearing the news. He thought for a long time before saying, "I will try my best to help find one."

The Baron saw his expression and asked, "Is it difficult to find a governess?"

Min Xi told him the truth: "The status of women in the Ming Dynasty is very special. Women who can read and write are usually from wealthy families, and these women usually don't go out to work. You want to find a tutor in this form of home, but only a very small number of people can do it, so it takes some time to find a tutor."

"Don't worry, as long as we can find one, please help us look for a reliable tutor." said the baron.

Min Xi himself didn't know where to find a female teacher, because apart from the women of the Tao family, he didn't know any well-educated women, so there were only two ways to find a female tutor: one is to ask the women of the Tao family for help, and the other is to advertise it widely. However, the second method would not work, after all, in such a society, it was too shocking to advertise the recruitment of female teachers.

Min Xi had no choice but to go to Mrs. Tao and his two aunts, hoping to find a suitable female teacher willing to live in their home through their extensive network of contacts.

At the same time, Min Xi also suggested that the baron adopt two girls about the same age as Bella as his adopted daughters, who would actually be servants. After all, the baron was not an official in the Ming Dynasty and could not buy slaves.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The baron could only follow the laws and customs of the Ming Dynasty. With the help of Min Xi and Yun Ji, he adopted two little girls aged seven or eight through a middleman. With the company of people of the same age, Bella should be able to learn to speak Chinese quickly. After all, children learn languages ​​very quickly.

In order to help Alice integrate into the new environment as soon as possible, Min Xi also actively introduced her to the women of the Tao family. Mrs. Tao learned that Yun Ji was well taken care of by Baron Fernando in Fulangji, so she was naturally willing to take care of the Baron's family. After all, they were now far away from home in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from home, and unfamiliar with the place. It was her duty to take care of them. This was called returning a favor.

The only regret is the language barrier, and communication between the two sides is not smooth. Min Xi cannot help with translation, so the top priority is to let Alice and Bella learn to speak Chinese as soon as possible.

Unlike Alice and Bella, the Baron was having a great time. He had a great talent for languages ​​and learned a lot of Chinese when he went to Macau with Min Xi. After coming back, he actively participated in various gatherings and made friends, so he spoke Chinese more and more fluently and could even teach his wife and daughter to speak Chinese.

The baron also hired a teacher to teach him how to read and write. He wanted to bring his wife and daughter to learn with him, but the teacher turned out to be an old scholar. He reluctantly agreed to teach Bella, but refused to teach Alice, saying it was against the rules. If the baron insisted on letting Alice learn, he would have to resign. The baron had no choice but to learn on his own.

Fortunately, soon after, Mrs. Tao found a suitable female teacher for Alice and Bella. She was a female official released from the palace. She was very old and had never been married. Although she was not short of money, she was inevitably lonely. She had always been a teacher for some officials' wives. It happened that she had some free time recently, so she was invited to teach the two foreign women.

The teacher's level was more than enough to teach Alice and Bella, but she was also curious about foreigners, so she agreed to teach Alice and Bella.

Min Xi had finally reported his mission to the Baron. He hoped that his family could integrate into the life of the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible.