Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

When Xia Yu returned to the palace, she had an extra nanny by her side. She had someone take Nanny Lian to Zhaohua Palace, where she was temporarily staying, and then she went to find Zhou Luo.

"Sister, you're back?" When Xia Yu entered, Zhou Luo's small figure was engrossed in reading a book.

"Hmm, has His Majesty had lunch yet?" Xia Yu asked, glancing at the book in his hand.

"Not yet, I want to wait for my sister to come back so we can eat together." Zhou Luo put down the book in her hand and looked at Xia Yu with a pitiful expression.

Hearing that he hadn't eaten yet, Xia Yu quickly instructed the palace servants beside him.

"Pass the meal around."

"What are you looking at? Why are you so focused?" Xia Yu picked up the book Zhou Luo had placed on the table and glanced at it. The words "Strategies for Governing the Country" caught her eye.

"Has the court reached a conclusion today? Has anyone been chosen to quell the rebellion?" Xia Yu asked again.

“My uncle has repeatedly volunteered to quell the rebellion, but the Empress Dowager has refused.” Zhou Luo rubbed his sore eyes with some distress.

"What did Lord Shen say?"

"Father... Grand Tutor Shen said this matter is somewhat difficult. The army in the capital cannot be used to quell the rebellion. Prince Ding'an claims to have an army of 200,000, but currently only 100,000 are on the surface. The Grand Tutor suspects that Prince Ding'an is hiding a large army that has not yet shown itself. He is worried that Prince Ding'an is using a feint attack, and once the capital's defenses are weakened, he will launch a surprise attack on the capital." Zhou Luo told Xia Yu about the speculation that Shen Jingheng had told him in private.

Hearing his words, Xia Yu nodded and continued.

"Lord Shen is right. Jialing Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there are 50,000 troops stationed inside the city. As long as the food problem is solved, we can keep the city gates closed and not fight, and drag it out until Prince Ding'an has no chance. Besides, Prince Ding'an's army also needs to eat and drink. The reason he had the idea of ​​seizing the imperial army's food was probably because they didn't have enough food themselves."

“Grand Tutor Shen also meant the same thing, but the problem now is that the only way to transport grain has been cut off by the Prince of Ding’an’s men. He wants to besiege the 50,000 troops in the city and kill them.” Zhou Luo frowned like an old man.

Xia Yu looked at her and felt a little helpless. Actually, the simplest solution was to send her inside Jialing Pass, and the problem would be solved. However, at that point, his secret would be exposed to the world, and it was impossible not to feel fear.

As they were talking, the palace servants brought in the food and arranged it neatly. Looking at the dazzling array of dishes, Xia Yu felt her stomach rumble again, so she said to Zhou Luo, who was still frowning and looking worried...

"Let's eat first. We need to be full to have the energy to think things through."

The Emperor's meals were always served in fixed quantities; take lunch as an example. The usual serving consisted of eight cold dishes, eight hot dishes, four staple foods, four desserts, two types of porridge, and two types of soup. After Zhou Luo ascended the throne, he felt this was wasteful and ordered the Imperial Kitchen to halve his own portion size. He would issue separate orders for any other requests. The meals in other palaces continued as usual; he did not require everyone to follow his example.

As a princess, Xia Yu's lunch consisted of six dishes, one hot and one cold, three main courses, three desserts, and the same porridge and soup as the emperor's. However, since the two had been eating together frequently, they couldn't possibly use that many dishes. Therefore, one dish of each item was added to the emperor's meal. But since it was currently a period of national mourning, alcohol and meat were forbidden. So, although the dishes on the table looked varied, they were all vegetarian.

After the imperial chefs had tasted all the food, another quarter of an hour passed. Xia Yu and Zhou Luo picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

"Sister, try this vegetarian chicken, it tastes good." Zhou Luo picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in Xia Yu's bowl.

"Yes, you eat too. It takes so long to eat every day. When the weather gets cold, the food will be all cold." Xia Yu felt sorry for Emperor Zhou Luo as she ate the food, which was already a little warm.

At this moment, only the siblings were in the main hall. They weren't used to being served meals by palace servants, so they would dismiss everyone in the hall each time they started eating. At these times, Xia Yu could finally relax a little, no longer needing to maintain her princess-like demeanor.

"I've already thought it through. When the weather gets cold, I'll eat hot pot every day. Then I won't feel cold anymore," Zhou Luo said to Xia Yu while eating heartily.

"Hmm, what you said is one way. Or we could make some dry pot dishes, the kind that can be heated up while you eat," Xia Yu suggested to Zhou Luo after taking a big bite of rice and eating a piece of braised eggplant.

"It sounds similar to hot pot."

"Yes, the principle is the same, except that the dry pot is cooked first and then served, and if it gets cold, it is reheated on the spot. It is very suitable for the emperor's job."

Zhou Luo smiled at his humor and chimed in.

"Then teach me too, sister, so I can tell the people in the Imperial Kitchen how to do it."

"Okay, I'll talk to them then."

"..."

The siblings seemed to have returned to their old days in Zhangjia Village, leisurely eating and chatting, temporarily forgetting their respective troubles.

This heartwarming scene continued until the palace servants outside reported...

"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Shen is requesting an audience outside."

"Quickly invite the Grand Tutor in." Zhou Luo put down his bowl and chopsticks and subconsciously stood up to greet him.

Shen Jingheng strode in quickly, paused for a moment when he saw the food on the table, then quickly recovered and respectfully bowed to Zhou Luo and Xia Yu.

"Grand Tutor, have you eaten yet? Let's have some together," Zhou Luo warmly invited Shen Jingheng.

Just when Xia Yu thought Shen Jingheng would refuse, she heard his clear voice say...

"Very well, then we will trouble Your Majesty and the Princess."

Hearing their conversation, the palace servants immediately set out a new set of bowls and chopsticks.

The three of them ate and chatted as before, and Shen Jingheng did not adhere to the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping. However, their conversation revolved around trivial matters from Zhou Luo's childhood, and did not touch upon politics.

After the meal, they talked about trivial matters. Xia Yu assumed that Shen Jingheng had something he couldn't say in front of her, so she took her leave right after finishing her meal.