reward?
Gu Zhengchen didn't dare to open his mouth like a lion. Lao Zhu's things were easy to take, but he might have to return them in the end, taking his life with him.
"Your Majesty, when I came to Jinling, I met women and children sent by Datong at the city gate. If they are homeless and have nowhere to go, I ask the emperor's permission to send these people to Jurong and let me resettle them. "
Gu Zhengchen said seriously.
Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and waved his hand: "I heard Mu Ying talk about this, and I have already agreed. It's just that those women and children came in the wind and snow, and many suffered frostbite. They will stay in Beijing for a while to recuperate, and wait until spring. It’s not too late to go to Jurong. This matter doesn’t count, let’s talk about it later.”
Gu Zhengchen thought for a moment, glanced at Zhu Biao, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "If possible, I would like to invite the prince and princess to climb Jurong Maoshan to observe the scenery and observe the people's sentiments, and also to open your eyes and ears for your majesty."
When Queen Ma heard this, she looked at the excited Zhu Biao and immediately laughed.
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and asked: "You invited the prince to go out to Jinling to relax. I can understand why you invited the prince. How can you, a foreign minister, be so imprudent?"
Zhu Biao opened his mouth, feeling a little disappointed.
Since marrying the Crown Princess, the Crown Princess has almost never left the East Palace except to visit the harem to pay her respects. The two rarely travel. When they meet every day, they are like people who pay taxes and food. They finish their work in a hurry and then leave in a hurry.
The secrets in the East Palace cannot be told to outsiders. It is impossible to tell Gu Zhengchen that he and the Crown Princess have to sleep separately after exercising, just because his father thinks that he is young and does not know how to restrain himself...
It would be great if he and the Crown Princess could leave the East Palace and leave Jinling for a while, even for two or three days. But hearing what his father meant, he didn't seem to be too happy about it.
When Gu Zhengchen faced Zhu Yuanzhang who wanted to refuse, he said softly: "I heard what the old man in the country said: Go out in spring with beauty, for the sake of your heirs is about to come."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up and he looked at Zhu Biao: "After the spring, you and the Crown Princess go to Jurong for a walk. If you feel that Jurong is not big enough, you can also go to Suzhou and Hangzhou."
Zhu Biao stood up quickly to thank him.
Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood. Since it was for the sake of his heirs, it would be okay to let the prince and princess relax for a while. It was not a big deal if they were looking forward to it and never being able to hold their grandson.
When Queen Ma saw Zhu Biao and Gu Zhengchen flirting with each other, she smiled and said nothing. It could be seen that Gu Zhengchen's request made the prince very happy.
When the wine comes, the chopsticks move.
Laugh and talk and rise.
Gu Zhengchen carefully pulled out the fish bones and interjected words from time to time, which made Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma laugh. Zhu Biao secretly gave a thumbs up.
"Gu boy, how do you like this wine?"
Zhu Yuanzhang drank happily.
Gu Zhengchen toasted with a glass and said, "The wine is good, but the taste is a bit weak."
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment and looked at the wine jar beside him: "This is shochu, but you said it tastes weak?"
Gu Zhengchen took another sip. According to later generations, the alcohol content of this wine should be around 20 degrees, which was not too low.
It’s hard to say the dynasty in which distilled liquor appeared. Some say it started in the Tang Dynasty, while others think it appeared in the Yuan Dynasty. For example, Li Shizhen recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Burning (making) liquor is not an ancient method. It was created in the Yuan Dynasty. The method is to use strong wine and bad rice in a steamer, steam it, and use a vessel to collect the dripping dew."
Regardless of whether it started in the Tang Dynasty or the Yuan Dynasty, it is certain that the alcohol content of distilled wine is generally low. Of course, compared with the traditional fruit wine and fermented glutinous rice wine with a few degrees of alcohol content, the wine in front of you can already be regarded as shochu.
Gu Zhengchen thought of something and said, "Your Majesty, this wine is good. Can you give me fifty jars of it?"
Zhu Biao suddenly coughed, and Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened.
Good boy, even with fifty jars, you can open your mouth. Do you know that I can't drink fifty jars of wine all year round in the palace?
Empress Ma remained dignified and steady: "I see that you are not a lover of wine. If you open your mouth to ask for it, it is still fifty jars of wine. I guess it has another purpose."
Gu Zhengchen was filled with admiration and replied: "What the Queen said is very true. Jia Sixie recorded in "Essentials of Qi Min": Anyone who drinks the water after a dogwood leaf falls into a well will not suffer from febrile disease. Just after drinking, I suddenly remembered that after a trip, Someone once told me that if the wine is refined, it can reduce the redness and swelling of wounds and avoid the damage of suppuration. I thought that if this was true, it would be a blessing for the court, so I boldly asked for fifty jars of shochu as a trial. .”
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and his expression became solemn: "Do you really mean what you said?"
Zhu Biao stared at Gu Zhengchen and asked eagerly: "Can it really heal the injury?"
Queen Ma looked deeply at Gu Zhengchen. This guy brought surprises one after another.
During the war, Empress Ma, who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in east and west expeditions and was wandering around, had seen the brutality of the battlefield and the wounded sergeants lying in the wounded barracks. Some of the sergeants' wounds suppurated and eventually died of fever. The doctor said this But there is nothing we can do! If there really is a way to cure diseases with wine, that would be a great thing.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Gu Zhengchen and felt a little excited.
Think about the horrific deaths in the wounded barracks. Many people did not die on the battlefield, but died in the wounded barracks!
Didn't Zhu Yuanzhang know that as long as these sergeants survived, they would be veterans with powerful combat capabilities, but many people could not survive! Even if we go to the doctor, bandage, and apply medicine, it seems difficult to control the death of the wounded battalion sergeant!
Especially in the battle against Zhang Shicheng, nearly ten months of fighting brought five to six thousand wounded soldiers, and among these people, more than 1,600 did not survive!
Such a result made Zhu Yuanzhang feel heartache.
But there is no other way. There will be a large number of wounded soldiers in every battle, and nearly 30% of them will die.
Life or death, everything depends on fate.
But now Gu Zhengchen suddenly said that there might be a way to solve this problem. Doesn't this mean that many sergeants can die less in the wounded barracks? Doesn't it mean that the Ming Dynasty will have many more veterans who have fought to the death?
One veteran is much better than five new recruits on the battlefield!
Gu Zhengchen drank a glass of wine and said calmly: "Your Majesty, Queen, and Prince, whether it can be done specifically needs to be refined and tested. I have no soju, and no money..."
"I'll give you the shochu, as much as you want. Don't even think about money."
Zhu Yuanzhang said simply.
Gu Zhengchen was a little depressed, Lao Zhu, why are you so stingy?
Zhu Biao tilted his body and whispered to Gu Zhengchen: "I still have some money left. I will pay it to you when the time comes. Whatever you want to buy, the East Palace can also be responsible for purchasing it."
Gu Zhengchen nodded repeatedly.
Seeing this, Empress Ma glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang and told her maid: "Go and get two hundred coins to give to Mr. Gu. Although the money is not much, what you have done is a state matter, and you should be rewarded by this palace."
Zhu Yuanzhang clapped his hands on his thighs, looked at Zhu Biao and Queen Ma, and said in a low voice: "Sister, you and Biao'er are acting like this, it seems that we are stingy. Okay, Zhao Xun, send five hundred coins to the Gu family . Boy, if you can’t do it, you won’t be able to receive a salary in the next ten years..."
