at night.
The bright moon in the sky illuminates the Guo family courtyard white.
Guo An and Zhu Di sat on a stone table, which was filled with plates of stir-fried vegetables and two large jars of fine wine.
There were two large lamps on the table, illuminating the entire table.
Next to it, there was a clay stove, with a long trough covered with strings of meat skewers, at least thirty of them. Each skewer of meat is as big as a walnut, and one piece of meat can fill a mouth. The golden oil drips sizzling under the charcoal grill.
Guo An held a plate of seasonings in his hand. After a while, he sprinkled some on the meat skewers and turned them over.
In less than a moment, the alluring aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard, and even the people next door couldn't resist the temptation.
A group of young men couldn't help but move onto a stool, lie on the wall and look here.
However, before they could see clearly, a group of fierce and strong men appeared in front of them, wearing armor and holding halberds, staring at them fiercely.
"Sorry, it's just that the smell of meat in this courtyard is too strong, so I couldn't help but take a look. I'll leave right now!"
"I climbed the wrong wall. I'll leave right away..."
The heads that had just poked their heads out of the wall smiled and quickly retracted.
Under the wall, a group of Yan King's guards were on guard. After glaring at the uninvited guests on the other side of the wall, they looked longingly towards the courtyard where His Highness was.
So delicious!
They have followed His Highness for so long and have seen all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas, but this is the first time they have seen... smelled meat that can make their stomachs so fragrant just by smelling it.
"You really don't look like an official. You are simply an old man, not a magistrate!"
Sitting on the stone bench, Zhu Di couldn't help but sigh with emotion as he watched Guo An fiddle with the clay stove very skillfully.
"Hehe, don't be surprised, Your Highness. I don't have any other hobbies, but I just like to study some objects, especially food!" Guo An said with a smile, regardless of whether Zhu Di was praising him or hurting him.
Seeing that Guo An didn't answer, Zhu Di couldn't help but glare at Guo An, and asked again: "It's been so long, these meat skewers are still not edible?"
"If your Highness is hungry, you can eat vegetables first!"
As he said that, Guo An took the lead in taking a bite of food, and then picked up the wine glass.
"I would like to propose a toast to Your Highness first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he drank a glass of wine.
"Damn it, you young man secretly drinks alcohol in the name of toasting!"
Zhu Di glared at Guo An with disgust on his face, and drank a glass of wine without missing a beat.
"If you are a gentry, you must be an unscrupulous landlord who harms the people!"
Guo An looked at Zhu Di with a face full of surprise, "How did your Highness know?"
"No, no, Xianguan is wrong... Xianguan means that the common people are the greatest wealth. If Xianguan becomes a big landowner, he will definitely encourage those common people to cultivate more fields, have more children, and even help them make more money. !”
Zhu Di couldn't help but look at Guo An in surprise, "You dare to deceive me?"
Guo An said sincerely: "Your Highness, everything I said is true!"
"Um?"
Zhu Di's face was full of sarcasm, "So, you are still a good person?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood. This official is also a common man!"
Guo An chuckled and explained: "Whether it is a gentry, a big landowner, or even an official, only the more people under our rule and the richer they are, the more money we can make and the better our lives will be!"
"Um?"
Zhu Di looked confused, "Don't those gentry and landlords only become rich by exploiting the people?"
Guo An silently took a bite of food and said, "Your Highness, can you forgive me for making a drunken mistake?"
"Um?"
Zhu Di's expression condensed again, "What do you mean by this?"
Guo An smiled again, "When I drink too much wine, I will easily make a mistake, so I need to ask Your Highness first. If I say something inappropriate in any way, please just scold Your Highness. Don't take it personally!"
With that said, Guo An picked up his wine glass and clinked a drink with Zhu Di.
Zhu Di said angrily, "Damn it, are you, a thief official, afraid that I, the king, will settle accounts with his queen? Is it possible that, in the eyes of you, a thief official, I am such a stingy person?"
Guo An quickly said: "Your Highness, I forgive you. I grew up reading books and often have thoughts in my mind that are different from ordinary people, and may even go against the laws of nature.
Xiaguan was really afraid that one day he would offend a large group of powerful people because of a drunken blunder. As a result, a group of men in black would burst into his home in the middle of the night, cut off Xiaguan's head, and sink his body into the lake, where it would never be known to anyone! "
"oh?"
These words aroused Zhu Di's interest, "You said this, and I will agree! But don't worry, if I want to kill you, I will be fair and just, and I will never secretly kill you at night!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Guo An was overjoyed.
Zhu Di just looked at Guo An quietly while eating the dishes.
Guo An was stunned for a moment, then he reacted.
"His Royal Highness just said to his subordinates that the gentry often exploit the common people to make themselves rich."
Zhu Di nodded, "Yes."
"But have you ever thought about it, Your Highness, that the imperial court is actually more like the largest gentry in the world?"
"Um?"
Zhu Di's face darkened, "Damn it, you are such a thief, you are so bold, how dare you talk nonsense..."
Guo An quickly said: "Your Highness, chatting after drinking is not serious. Chatting after drinking!"
Zhu Di said angrily: "Explain clearly to me why the imperial court seems to be the biggest gentry?"
"Your Highness, the biggest characteristic of the gentry is that they control a large area of land and employ many people to cultivate it for them.
As for the imperial court, the entire land of the Ming Dynasty belongs to the imperial court, and all the people must pay land taxes, servants, and even..."
Following Guo An's words, Zhu Di could not help but become silent.
On the side, Zhu Liang's eyes widened with fear.
"Okay, don't mention this again!"
Zhu Di waved his hand and said to Zhu Liang beside him: "Never say a word of what I and Guo An say to outsiders!"
"I will obey your orders!" Zhu Liang quickly promised with a solemn expression.
"The official made a mistake!"
Guo An also noticed something was wrong at this moment, and quickly turned over a circle of meat skewers on the clay stove, picked up two skewers, and faced Zhu Di and Zhu Liang.
"Your Highness, you and Zhu Baihu have a taste. These skewers should be cooked!"
Zhu Di took the skewers and took a bite.
As for Zhu Liang, although he looked at the skewers with eagerness on his face, he did not dare to take them without Zhu Di's words.
"Um?"
Guo An was stunned and looked at Zhu Di.
Zhu Di waved his hand casually, "Outside, there is no need to worry about so many rules, Guo An gives it to you, you can just eat it!
Well...not to mention, once baked like this and sprinkled with these seasonings, it's so damn delicious! "
"Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Magistrate Guo!"
Hearing Zhu Di's words, Zhu Liang's face was overjoyed. He quickly took the skewers and started eating. After standing aside and watching for so long, he was already very greedy!
After taking a bite, Zhu Liang's eyes widened and he said, "Guo Zhixian's cooking skills are truly outstanding!"
Guo An smiled slightly and said: "Zhu Baihu, if it is placed outside, a skewer of barbecue like this costs two cents, are you willing to eat it?"
"Two cents a string?"
Zhu Liang didn't even think about it, and said directly: "Such a delicious barbecue, not to mention two cents, even five cents, the general is willing to have a meal!"
"What if these meat skewers were smaller and still cost two cents each?" Guo An asked again.
Zhu Liang said directly: "As long as it's so delicious, I'm willing to do it!"
Guo An nodded with satisfaction, picked up a skewer of barbecue and looked at Zhu Di.
"Your Highness, I have a good job. I wonder if Your Highness would be willing to participate?"
"Um?"
Before Zhu Di could react, he looked at Guo An in surprise, "As a magistrate, you want to be a merchant?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood. Your Majesty just wants more people in Beiping Mansion, as well as His Highness's soldiers, to have such delicious food!"
Guo An said with a smile.
…
