We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Logically speaking, in order to show his appreciation for talents, the monarch would put on the most solemn ceremony and be meticulous.

But Li Che didn't stick to this.

Who says that if someone goes out to greet someone in tattered clothes and barefoot, it means he or she does not value talent?

A generation of vassal king was so excited about Tao Qian's arrival. Isn't this sincere enough?

Boss Cao's tactics really worked. When Tao Qian saw Li Che so excited, he suddenly felt valued.

"I am Tao Qian, and I pay my respects to His Highness."

Tao Qian bowed his head, but Li Che was faster and reached out to support Tao Qian.

"Master Tao is a great scholar. How dare I accept your gift?" Li Che said with a smile, "On the contrary, Master Tao has gone through so much trouble to come here from afar, so he should accept my gift."

After saying that, Li Che actually took a small step back and bowed respectfully.

If you're going to put on a show, do it in full force. Boss Cao's skill in winning people's hearts is a combination of techniques. If he misses one step, Li Che will feel like something is missing.

As expected, Tao Qian had never been taken so seriously before, and he was so shocked that he was speechless.

Before Tao Qian could react, Li Che stepped forward, squeezed Wang Xizheng away from Tao Qian, and personally helped the old man up:

"Master Tao, please come into the mansion quickly. You are tired from the journey. Take a good rest."

Although Wang Xizheng was squeezed out by Li Che, he had no complaints. He just watched with a smile as Li Che helped his teacher into the gate.

One is his mentor, and the other is his lord to whom he is prepared to serve all his life.

The two men felt a sense of mutual admiration when they met, and Wang Xizheng was also happy about this.

"Master Tao, you're in for a treat! A batch of seafood just arrived from Huludao, and it's fresh."

"I will cook for Master Tao myself and show him my cooking skills. Let him taste the specialties of our Feng Kingdom and also experience my cooking skills."

Tao Qian just came to his senses and looked up at the sky, but saw that the sun had already set.

Come to think of it, apart from some dry food in the morning, I haven't eaten anything.

Hearing what Li Che said, he suddenly felt his stomach empty and hungry.

"This... is entirely up to your Highness's orders."

When Tao Qian entered the palace, he saw that there was no luxury around and the furnishings were simple and plain. It was impossible to tell that this was a palace.

Suddenly, there was a cry of surprise from the side: "Big insect!"

It turned out that Xiaosong heard the noise and came over curiously.

Xiaosong is now half a year old. The Siberian tiger is large in size, and a six-month-old Siberian tiger is almost the same size as an ordinary adult tiger.

As it walks, it already has the demeanor of the king of beasts, and people who are not familiar with it will naturally be scared.

However, before Tao Qian could react, he saw the young prince next to him kick the big tiger that was pouncing on him and roll it away.

"Go away! Go play somewhere else and don't scare the guests!"

The big tiger was not angry after being kicked. It just shook its tail, looked at everyone, and went to the back hall.

Li Che smiled and said to Tao Qian, "Master, don't be afraid. I accidentally rescued this tiger and raised it in my house since it was young. It will never attack or hurt anyone."

"Your Highness is extraordinary and brave, and a mountain king has come down from the mountain to help you. This is the sign of a wise ruler." Tao Qian said in praise while stroking his beard with a calm expression.

The hand hidden behind his back was trembling.

That's a tiger! How can human power tame such a ferocious beast?

But not only was this tiger obedient to His Highness, but His Highness's kick was also unexpected.

His Highness must be quite strong to be able to kick a tiger away with one kick.

As expected, wise monarchs all possess visions.

"Hahaha, Master Tao, you're joking. It's just a big raccoon." Li Che helped Tao Qian to his seat. "Master, wait a moment. I'll go ask the kitchen to prepare the meal."

After saying that, he actually went to the back hall and started cooking himself.

When had Tao Qian ever seen such a person, not to mention that Li Che was a vassal king.

He asked Wang Xizheng, "Is His Highness always like this?"

Wang Xizheng smiled and replied, "Your Highness is not particular about trivial matters and treats people sincerely. He treats all talented and virtuous people with sincerity."

No one thought there was anything wrong with Li Che's move. After all, sincerity is a sure-win skill that works in any era.

As for the theory of "a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen", it does not mean that a gentleman should not cook.

This quote comes from "Mencius: King Hui of Liang, Part 1." The original text reads: "As for a gentleman, seeing animals alive, he cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. Therefore, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen."

In other words, a gentleman cannot bear to hear the sound of animals being slaughtered, so the kitchen should be placed farther away.

On the contrary, ever since the Shang Dynasty Prime Minister Yi Yin was good at cooking, a gentleman's good cooking skills have always been a plus point of elegance.

After a while, servants from the palace brought in various foods and placed them in front of everyone's tables.

Seafood includes dry-fried sea cucumber, steamed fish, boiled shrimp, grilled oysters...

Dishes include stewed mushrooms with flying dragon, braised pork ribs, boiled pork belly, salted duck...

They didn't stop serving the dishes until Li Che came from the kitchen, smelling of delicious food.

Li Che said cheerfully, "Come, come, come, eat everything. Let's try and see how the food of Fengguo compares to that of the Central Plains."

Everyone took their seats, Tao Qian sat at the head of the main seat, and the others could only sit at the back of the hall.

Li Che sat down at the main table, picked up his bowl and chopsticks and started eating first. Seeing this, everyone else also started eating.

Everyone was already extremely hungry, and everything seemed to taste delicious to them.

The cuisine of Northeast China outside the Great Wall is characterized by thick oil and red sauce. One bite of it can instantly replenish a huge amount of energy and make you feel extremely happy.

Everyone from the Taoyuan Sect was enjoying their meal so much that the only sound in the hall was the clatter of dishes and chopsticks.

Only Tao Qian was sitting in his seat, looking at the table full of chicken, duck, fish and meat, his brows slightly furrowed.

Li Che observed his expression and asked, "Master Tao, why don't you eat it? Is it because it doesn't suit your taste?"

Tao Qian came to his senses and shook his head.

He asked in return, "Your Highness, I have a question. Is it appropriate?"

"Master, please feel free to speak."

Tao Qian nodded and said seriously, "Chaoyang City is quite far from the seaside. Your Highness, isn't it a bit too wasteful to deliver seafood from the seaside to the table?"

Li Che looked at Tao Qian suddenly, knowing that the old man was starting to test him.

After thinking for a while, he said:

"Putting aside the question of whether it's wasteful, Master Tao, do you think that a monarch shouldn't be extravagant and should be frugal?"

Tao Qian said seriously: "That's right. What's wrong with being frugal? The money saved can also benefit the people."

Li Che smiled and shook his head: "I have a different opinion on this. Frugality may not necessarily benefit the people, and luxury may not necessarily harm the people."

"Oh?" Tao Qian suddenly became interested. "I'd like to hear the details."

"Let's talk about these seafood," Li Che pointed at the oysters on the table. "These are indeed shipped from the coast hundreds of miles away. The fishermen have to fish them out of the sea and use seawater to preserve them. They have to travel all the way by boat and by car to get them to our table."

"The palace will buy some of it, and most of the rest will be sent to the market to be sold for consumption by the people."

"Master Tao, think about it: this king and the people of Chaoyang City get to enjoy the seafood, and the fisherman gets paid for his labor. Whose interests are being harmed?"

Tao Qian looked thoughtful: "This..."

"This move not only did not harm the interests of the people, but instead promoted the circulation of money and added a new food source for the people of Chaoyang City."

"Given time, as my reputation for loving seafood spreads, and the people of Feng follow suit, more people will surely choose to go fishing."

"Wouldn't this provide the people with an additional way to make money and solve their employment problem?"

Tao Qian sat in his seat, lost in thought. He seemed to understand something, but it was a little vague.

Li Che continued: "This is the relationship between supply and demand, which is the way of economics."

"The so-called increasing revenue and reducing expenditure will never solve the people's poverty problem. Only by continuously increasing revenue and getting the economy flowing can we keep wealth for the people."

"And actually, transporting seafood isn't that difficult. Nowadays, all cities in Feng State have cement roads, and carriages can travel on them as if they were walking on flat ground. Huludao to Chaoyang City can be reached in one day."

Tao Qian was somewhat bewildered: "So, is being frugal actually wrong?"

It’s not that Tao Qian is pedantic, but the concept of frugality is deeply rooted in the Chinese people’s hearts, and can even be traced back to ancient times, to the Shang Dynasty.

Looking back at the virtuous countries and families in the past, success was due to diligence and frugality, and failure was due to extravagance.

Now Li Che put forward an idea that was completely contrary to mainstream thinking, and Tao Qian naturally could not accept it for a while.

Li Che shook his head: "There's nothing wrong with being frugal, but being frugal for the sake of being frugal is a big mistake."

"As a ruler, if you are too frugal, your officials will naturally not dare to spend money. Money is just a tool for exchanging value; only what is spent is considered money."

"If the rich don't spend their money, but instead hide it in a treasury and take it to the grave after death, then the gold, silver and copper in Daqing will become increasingly scarce, and the people will become increasingly poor."

Tao Qian looked at Li Che deeply and felt that he seemed to be implying something about the current emperor.

But if you think about it carefully, the trend of frugality has become more intense since Your Majesty ascended the throne.

Logically speaking, there should be fewer and fewer corrupt officials, and people's lives should be getting better and better.

But after traveling around Daqing today, Tao Qian really couldn't see that the people had any wealth and were just barely getting by.

According to your highness's theory, in addition to natural disasters, the source of all this may also be the responsibility of the current emperor.

In order to set an example, the current emperor has stopped many tributes from various places that were used in the previous dynasty, such as tea, Shu brocade, and tribute rice.

There are many people who make a living by relying on these tributes. When the imperial court no longer needs these things, won’t all these people be unemployed?

After realizing this, Tao Qian was suddenly filled with fear.

Li Che picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth. The fresh and fragrant taste melted on his tongue.

He nodded slightly and added, "Master Tao, frugality does not necessarily lead to integrity, and excessive frugality is pedantic."

"I personally believe that only by feeding the officials of the world first can they feed the people of the world."

Tao Qian's face turned serious, and he asked a question that concerned him deeply:

"So, Your Highness, do you think that the noble families and officials in this world are more important than the common people?"