After entering the summer season, the weather in Bianjing became hotter and hotter.
The big fireball above the head spread its heat to the world wantonly, as if it could crack the ground, and the sky and the earth were filled with a dizzying white light.
Both humans and animals in Bianjing City were drooping their heads listlessly, and the branches and leaves of the vegetation along the road were wilting. Only the cicadas on the trees were still making noisy chirps, which made people upset.
In the common room in the back hall of the Hanlin Academy, Wei Chen's head was also dripping with sweat. He had just assigned homework for the common people. While the common people were busy writing, he leaned on a wicker chair and took a seat. Get cold.
Wei Chen changed into a gauze robe today, leaning on an old dark brown wicker chair, shaking a palmetto fan in his hand, and occasionally glanced down the hall. The style of teaching students in every family school.
In the hall, the concubines who felt the teacher's gaze were all frightened in their hearts and straightened up unconsciously.
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At this time, a class attendant walked into the hall carrying two food boxes, walked up to Wei Chen, and said respectfully: "Scholar Wei, the weather is hot today, I have prepared some mung bean and lily soup, which can relieve the heat. "
This servant's name was Li Zhong. When Wei Chen was compiling for the Hanlin Academy, he was responsible for serving Wei Chen tea and water, running errands, and Wei Chen was quite handy. This time he returned to the Hanlin Academy, he He recalled him to his side.
Seeing Wei Chen nod, Li Zhong took out a tureen from the food box behind him and handed it to Wei Chen. The sapphire-colored porcelain bowl was cold to the touch, and there were fine and dense water droplets on the outer wall. It had obviously been chilled. .
Wei Chen took it and took a sip. He felt refreshing and the heat in his body disappeared. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It gives ice in summer and charcoal in winter. Being an official in the capital has this benefit.
Wei Chen drank the mung bean and lily soup in the bowl in one gulp. Seeing the concubines below swallowing their saliva, he couldn't help laughing. He immediately ordered Li Zhong beside him: "Everyone in the hall, one bowl per person, use more." All the ice will be on my head."
As a lecturer, Wei Chen was given thirty kilograms of ice every day, and it was all taken from the Jinshui River in winter.
The Jinshui River is the exclusive drinking water source for the palace. When the river flows through the city, the channels are covered with thick stone slabs, and soldiers from the Imperial City Department patrol day and night to prevent anyone from contaminating or stealing the water. The water quality is top-notch.
Wei Chen's daily allowance of 30 kilograms of ice is not too much, not too little, but it is still enough to provide benefits to the sworn soldiers below. This is also a way to enhance feelings and win people's hearts.
As for Wei Chen's own home, there is no need to worry about running out of ice on weekdays. There is an ice cellar under the kitchen of Wei Chen's house. The ice cubes in it are not much, only 20,000 to 30,000 kilograms, a dozen cubic meters.
Wei Chen announced the recess and asked Li Zhong to distribute cold soup to the common people to relieve the heat.
In the scorching hot weather, the soldiers were already sweating profusely from the heat. When they heard Wei Chen's arrangement, they naturally jumped for joy, expressed gratitude and praise to Wei Chen.
Wei Chen lay back on the wicker chair and narrowed his eyes in enjoyment, but in his heart he was missing the iced cheese that his wife had made for him last night.
Use fresh goat's milk, white sugar and fermented glutinous rice as raw materials. After making it, freeze it, and you will have a bowl of iced cheese that is as white as clotted fat. It tastes cold and refreshing. If you add some fresh seasonal fruits, the taste will be even better. alright.
Of course, what worries Wei Chen more than the iced cheese is the person who brought him the iced cheese...
While Wei Chen was wandering around, several concubines in the hall were drinking cold soup and chatting.
"Have you heard? When there was thunder last night, a stone fell from the sky. It landed right in Prince Yong's palace and made a big hole in the backyard of the palace."
"Why haven't I heard of this kind of thing? Someone didn't make it up to scare you, right?"
"Who dares to spread rumors about this kind of thing! Just wait and see, in less than two days, it will spread all over the capital. If you don't believe it, let's make a bet. If the stone falls on Prince Yong's palace so quickly, each of you will lose five taels of silver to me. how?"
"I won't bet with you. The ten taels of silver you lost to me last time are still not recovered..."
The chat among the few started to get louder, which attracted the attention of Wei Chen in the hall.
Wei Chen's heart moved, and he immediately got up from the wicker chair and walked to the people who were talking. When they saw Wei Chen, they quickly bowed and saluted.
Wei Chen waved his hand, smiled and asked about the content of their chat just now.
Several concubines looked at me, and I looked at you. Finally, a young man stood up, and it was Sheng Changfeng, the youngest member of the Sheng family.
He is naturally outgoing and loves making friends the most. He is very comfortable in all circles and is very well-informed. The news just now came from his mouth first.
Sheng Changfeng was only half a student of Wei Chen before, but now when he arrived at the Common Hall, he became a serious disciple of Wei Chen. He was naturally in awe of Wei Chen. Seeing that Wei Chen was interested in this matter, he immediately He recounted the incident to Wei Chen in detail.
Sheng Changfeng himself heard it from elsewhere. According to witnesses at Yongwang Palace, there was a thunderstorm and strong wind last night, and it was hard to see even one's fingers. But suddenly the sky became bright and colorful clouds enveloped Yongwang Palace.
Then suddenly there was a loud bang, and a beam of fire fell from the sky, landing in the backyard of Prince Yong's Mansion.
Everyone thought it was a deity descending to earth, and hid in the house and did not dare to come out. It was not until dawn, when the clouds closed and the rain stopped, that someone boldly came out to check.
A large pit with white smoke from birds suddenly appeared in the courtyard. A large red ball with a diameter of three or four feet was lying quietly at the bottom of the pit.
After Wei Chen heard Sheng Changfeng explain the cause and effect, he pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be... that it's a flying fire meteor?"
Meteors falling to the ground are indeed unusual for ordinary people, but in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, it is not too rare. In fact, the imperial court receives several reports of meteors found in local areas every year.
"Teach Yingming!" Sheng Changfeng gave a thumbs up and said: "It is indeed a flying bolide, but it is not an ordinary flying bolide."
"Say it quickly, stop showing off!" Wei Chen glared at Sheng Changfeng and said angrily.
Wei Chen and Sheng Changfeng have known each other since childhood. Their relationship is different from others, and they talk quite casually.
This scene fell in the eyes of several concubines around, and everyone couldn't help but cast envious glances at Sheng Changfeng.
Sheng Changfeng chuckled and said seriously: "It is said that the people from Prince Yong's Palace found many ancient characters shaped like tadpoles on the flying fire meteor. It doesn't look like someone deliberately carved it, but it is completely natural. Everyone said This is a heavenly book, but no one knows it."
"When the Book of Heaven comes to the world, I don't know whether it is a bad omen or a good omen..."
Sheng Changfeng said he had a nose and eyes. Even those who didn't believe it before now believed it. The concubines who came to watch the excitement couldn't help but started talking about it.
"Okay, let's all disperse." Wei Chen said with a smile: "I have drank the soup and listened to the story. Seeing that you are all so energetic, I guess you have had enough rest, so let's continue the class!"
The sages sighed and sat back in their seats obediently.
Wei Chen walked slowly to the lectern, picked up a memorial from a famous minister of the previous dynasty, and explained it to the concubines.
Halfway through the class, Bianjing City, which had been so hot just now without any wind, suddenly became violently windy, and a dark cloud came into the sky.
The thunder became louder and louder, the lightning flashed brighter and brighter, and the heavy rain poured down like a waterfall, making a crackling sound on the windows outside the house, as if indicating the prelude to a certain movement.
