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

After talking about the reform, Li Che ended his first court meeting after returning.

Although Li Che already had an idea of ​​the candidates for cabinet ministers, he was not in a hurry to announce it.

Not only will it not be announced today, but Li Che will not announce it for a long time to come. He will keep them in suspense for a while.

In this way, everyone will keep their eyes on these seven positions and will not be too resistant to the reform.

Not only will they not resist, they will also compete to show off and actively participate in the reform in order to seek that faint hope of entering the cabinet and becoming a prime minister.

Li Che also felt a little emotional. To be honest, he learned this method of making empty promises from his adoptive father.

If I were not a time traveler but an ordinary prince, I would have gone crazy and been unable to extricate myself from the sentence "The prince is often ill, you should encourage him."

Unexpectedly, today it is my turn to paint a rosy picture for the people below me.

Li Che laughed at himself and said to his left and right: "I wonder how Xue Ning is doing. Let's go and take a look."

Standing up, Hu Qiang, Huai En and others hurriedly followed.

Li Che stopped and looked at Qu Jinshan, who was obviously confused: "Jinshan, please stay here."

"Ah? Your Highness..."

Li Che said softly, "Don't worry. You are now the commander of my personal guards and will be on duty in this palace for a long time to come. Take a good rest first and familiarize yourself with the surrounding environment."

Seeing that His Highness was so considerate of his subordinates, Qu Jinshan felt touched.

"Uncle Yang."

The old butler immediately stepped forward: "Your Highness."

"Jinshan is someone I'm optimistic about. Please take him under your wing."

"clear."

The two men stood still and saluted respectfully until Li Che disappeared out the door.

Qu Jinshan then stood up and did not dare to be too arrogant in front of Uncle Yang, the steward of the palace: "Please give me some advice, steward."

"You are too polite, Commander. I don't deserve your advice." Uncle Yang smiled gently. "The Prince Feng's Mansion is different from other places. There are not so many old rules and taboos."

"When you're on duty here, just remember that unless it's important, there are a few places you shouldn't enter without permission."

Qu Jinshan knew that the old housekeeper was about to start giving him some advice, so he quickly said seriously, "May I ask which places?"

"One is His Highness's study, which contains many confidential documents. Even I cannot enter without permission."

"The second is the back garden. That's the territory of the two mountain kings, Big Pine and Little Pine. Although they are quite intelligent and have never hurt anyone, they are still ferocious beasts. In the entire palace, only Your Highness is allowed to get close to them."

"If anyone else were to trespass into their territory, they wouldn't be killed, but if the two tigers are in a bad mood, they might get blown away."

Qu Jinshan immediately had a picture in his mind: the huge tiger rushed in front of him, opened its bloody mouth and breathed a bloody breath from its superior position...

Suddenly, I felt my legs getting stiff, and I made up my mind that I would never step into the back garden unless it was necessary.

"Then there are the side rooms in the west wing, where the maids and other women live. Commander, please remember not to go near them."

"The east wing is where the servants live, so that's fine. But it's best not to go to the innermost row of rooms at night."

Qu Jinshan asked in confusion, "Why is that? Could it be that His Highness also keeps ferocious beasts there?"

"There are no ferocious beasts, but your Highness's Kunlun slaves live there."

"Those guys have dark skin. It's okay during the day, but at night you can only see a row of teeth floating around. Many people have been scared."

Qu Jinshan:. . .

. . . . . .

The spring rain has stopped. Perhaps it is because Chaoyang City is located in the south of the northeast and is much warmer than the north, so it feels less desolate and more vibrant.

After the refugees and wounded soldiers brought from Shanhaiguan were settled, the Chaoyang Army removed the road blockade and the people appeared on the streets.

Li Che did not carry out the ceremonial guard of a vassal king, but just strolled along the street with a few personal guards, heading towards the wounded camp in the south of the city.

Listening to the hawking of the vendors around him, Li Che felt a sense of peace in his heart for some reason.

He reached out to push away the hot mist rising from the steamer, and his eyes fell on the trembling tofu pudding in the wooden barrel of an old woman by the roadside.

The curd, like mutton-fat jade, was glistening with water, and the topping was finely chopped day lily and wood ear mushrooms, mixed with the amber sauce that shone slightly in the morning light.

Li Che suddenly extended his index finger and walked over with Huai En and Hu Qiang.

"Three bowls of tofu pudding, please."

Li Che lifted the hem of his dark blue robe and sat upright on the bench. The corner of the elm table was still stained with tofu stains that had not been wiped clean, reflecting the silver light of the armor of the Chaoyang Army patrolling the city in the distance.

Hu Qiang looked at him weakly, and Li Che couldn't help but twitch his mouth: "Uh, let's have ten... twenty bowls."

Since Hu Qiang has invited them, the guards can't be left out either, so just give each of them a bowl.

Hearing that Li Che wanted so many bowls, the old woman squinted her eyes.

Although this guest was dressed in plain clothes, the jade crown he wore to tie his hair was clearly made in China. He looked familiar, like the one from the Prince Feng's Palace.

Looking closely, who else could it be but that person?

"Your Highness?" The old woman paused while scooping tofu pudding.

"Shh, mother-in-law, don't make a sound." Li Che smiled softly, "I came out secretly."

The old woman understood and immediately suppressed her excitement: "Your Excellency... would you like sweet or salty?"

The clay spoon made a crisp sound when it hit the wooden barrel, and the old woman deliberately placed the coarse porcelain bowl a little heavier.

Li Che was also stunned. He didn't expect that after traveling through time, he still had to face the century-old question of whether to eat tofu pudding salty or sweet.

Li Che didn't bother to ask everyone about their preferences: "I want them all, I want them all."

The old woman nodded, added marinade to half of the ten bowls of tofu pudding, and mixed sugar on the other half.

Li Che stared at the swaying reflection in the bowl and said softly, "Choose whether to eat salty or sweet."

The guards didn't move.

Li Che said helplessly, "We've arrived in Chaoyang City. There's no need to be so nervous. I'll let you eat. Just eat with confidence."

The guards then stepped forward in an orderly manner. Only half of them picked up their bowls and started eating the tofu pudding, while the other half remained standing there vigilantly.

The companion who was eating tofu pudding finished it in a few bites, and then the companion who was on guard took over to eat.

Li Che shook his head helplessly and picked up the bowl in front of him.

He was a northerner in his previous life and is the King of Northeast China in this life, so naturally he has to eat salty food.

It is smooth, tender, fresh and has an excellent taste.

It's just a little salty because the old woman added a lot of brine.

While drinking tofu pudding, Li Che secretly glanced at the many guards and silently remembered those who chose sweet tofu.

heresy!

Hu Qiang on the side had already slurped up his fifth bowl. This guy didn't care about salty or sweet food, he just put it in his mouth without even looking.

Huai En held his own bowl and scooped it into his mouth in small sips. If you ignore his smooth chin, he does have a bit of the temperament of a civil servant.

Li Che suddenly thought of something and asked, "How have your studies been these past few months?"

Huai En quickly put down the bowl and swallowed the tofu pudding in his mouth. Then he replied respectfully, "I read it every day, but I am dull and still have many questions."

"Oh?"

Li Che was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this little eunuch was so studious.

He suddenly became interested and asked a few questions.

But I didn't expect that this little eunuch was really talented. Although he was a little weak in classics, history, and literature, he could answer questions fluently about theoretical knowledge such as physics and chemistry.

Especially in geography, his level is almost the same as those of civil servants.

Li Che suddenly smiled and asked, "Wai En, do you want to go for a walk outside?"

Huai En's face changed drastically: "Where does Your Highness want me to go?"

"Like...the sea?"