Chapter 7067 Know it well

Chapter 7067 Know it well
Seeing Si Niang's behavior, Lord Wu'an didn't bother to pay attention. After all these years, he had seen the style of this imperial concubine. It was just a matter of snatching food; he could just eat something else. In any case, every single thing on the table was extremely precious in Lord Wu'an's eyes.

To put it simply, if Lord Wu'an hadn't been given a second chance at life, he would never have been able to eat such an outrageous thing in his entire life. Let alone alive, even if it were dead and dried, Lord Wu'an would have had a hard time getting to eat it.

After all, in ancient times, the shortage of resources was only one aspect; the lack of channels to obtain resources was another.

The amount of plants and animals that the Earth produces each year is more than enough to feed ancient people. However, on the one hand, there was a lack of ability to acquire resources, and on the other hand, even if a certain region could acquire a large amount of resources, it did not have the ability to transport them to other places that needed them.

This is why roads, logistics, and transportation are so important. It's also what Guan Hai and Li Tiao were complaining about back then: the price of large yellow croaker has increased several times over for such a short distance as from Donglai to Mount Tai. To be fair, the fact that it can be transported there is thanks to Chen Xi's hard work in building roads and the control over market prices. Otherwise, thousands of miles from the sea, the price of this stuff could be so high that it would drive people crazy in ancient times.

There is no shortage of fish by the sea. Even though fishing is quite dangerous, the cost of making a living from the sea is actually not high. However, the cost of transporting fish from the sea to the inland is extremely high, especially in ancient times when there were no reliable roads or cold chain transportation. The cost of logistics far exceeded the cost of the fish themselves.

In fact, this problem has not been completely solved even in the 21st century. To put it bluntly, even with China's logistics industry being among the best in the world, 99% of northerners have never tasted lychees from Shuise. To be honest, this is a problem with the logistics industry and transportation.

This problem would have been even more severe in the third century. During the Qin Dynasty, the fish that Bai Qi could eat were mostly river fish. Seafood was out of the question. Even salted fish from the sea would fetch a hundred times more price if sent to Xianyang, let alone fresh sea fish.

Let alone in this day and age, even in later generations, most people would have to go to the coast to eat this kind of thing. Inland, it would either be expensive or only a few rare and hardy animals would be available. So, being able to eat it was quite difficult for the people of Chang'an.

"Come on, eat this. This giant conch is so plump and delicious." Han Xin picked up his halberd and pried the conch out of its shell. Then, in a few quick movements, he sliced ​​it up on the spot. In the past, Han Xin wouldn't even know how to handle this thing, but now, he was a pro!
“There are so many delicious foods in the sea, but unfortunately, the difficulty of catching them is one thing, and the difficulty of transporting them is another.” Liu Tong tasted a few slices of sashimi and found it very delicious, even with a sweet taste. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Back then, there was no large-scale fisheries bureau like we have now. To be honest, I doubt that the wealth my father spent over the years he was on the throne could have reached the annual output of the East China Sea Distant Water Fisheries Bureau.”

"Don't even think about it, it's definitely not going to work." Han Xin picked up a slice of conch, dipped it in some sauce, and breathed on it as he spoke to Liu Tong. He was somewhat dismissive of the dozens of small dishes Liu Tong had laid out. He just used a basin of water with fresh seafood in it. What was the point of having small dishes and fancy decorations? It was meaningless. The point of eating was to eat seafood that was directly scooped out of the water.

"The annual output of the East China Sea Distant Water Fisheries Bureau... If I remember correctly, the salted fish and fish cakes sold in various places seem to be specialties of the East China Sea Distant Water Fisheries Bureau. They must sell hundreds of millions of kilograms of these things every year," Bai Qi said after thinking for a moment. He occasionally looked through Chen Xi's public information with Han Xin.

"If your father had had this ability back then, ensuring that the people could eat this kind of thing every year, I think at least the major provinces west of Yanzhou definitely wouldn't have rebelled." Han Xin said with a hint of mockery, showing absolutely no respect. "To be honest, those fish cakes that were given to families registering their households every year during the New Year, I could taste their freshness and aroma. If your father had had that ability, tsk tsk!"

Han Xin was consistently sarcastic towards the emperors of the Han Dynasty, mocking everyone from Liu San to Liu Hong. Anyway, he had comparative materials. In short, he only said that he thought Chen Zichuan was awesome, and the others were indeed no good.

"Eat your meat and stop talking nonsense." Liu Tong glanced at Han Xin speechlessly. She habitually started the conversation, and these two not only didn't say a few words to help her or agree with her, but they actually undermined her. It was too much, really too much.

"Consort Xian, pass me that bright red sashimi you don't eat over there so I can try it." Bai Qi chuckled when he heard Liu Tong's annoyed words, as if to say "Shut up and eat" like a local, and then turned to call out to Si Niang.

Bai Qi usually prefers cooked food, but Liu Tong said that this bright red fish with white patterns looked very plump and sweet. Bai Qi felt that he should also try it. After all, everyone should try all kinds of delicious food at least once in their lives.

"Here, and these are all for you." Si Niang glanced down at the fish sashimi she had laid out, and just by looking at it, the positions of the plates on the table changed. Several kinds of fish sashimi and fresh seafood were moved to Bai Qi's side, and then a pile of high-calorie fried and grilled fish from Bai Qi's side was placed in front of Si Niang. It can only be said that this person's skill development is really mysterious.

"Let me try it." Bai Qi was used to Si Niang's amazing eating skills. Seeing the plate appear in front of him in an instant, he picked up two pieces, dipped them in some sauce, and put them in his mouth. His eyes lit up immediately. Damn, this fish didn't have any fishy smell at all. It only had a fresh taste, and even a little bit of sweetness. Is this fish?

"There's no need to doubt the chef's skill, nor is there any need to doubt how much Chen Zichuan can eat. Anything that can be brought here must have been evaluated; it's all top-quality stuff." Han Xin casually picked up the remaining sashimi from the plate with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Then his eyes lit up. "Indeed, it's far superior to what I ate hundreds of years ago, and there's not a trace of fishiness."

"Don't underestimate our Han Dynasty's imperial chefs. This is the second chef in the Han Dynasty with a kind of spiritual talent that I've trained with a lot of money and time. His skill level is terrifyingly high." Liu Tong hummed a couple of times, feeling quite accomplished after all these years of investment. At least the two people next to him acknowledged his efforts.

"Chop this up, this piece of meat is the best part of this fish." Han Xin picked up Bai Qi's Youxi Sword and gestured at a red fish with patterns. Having eaten this fish many times, Han Xin had become an expert and knew exactly which part of the fish was the best.

"Knock this out, so we won't eat fish." Si Niang reached out and took out a nearly three-foot-long shrimp that Han Xin had been keeping in the tank, then gestured to Han Xin, as she had wanted to eat it before.

"You can eat this, but don't damage the shell. I need it to make a display." Liu Tong said to Si Niang, looking at the lobster that Si Niang was holding in the air with her inner energy, its belly naturally curled up. She didn't really like eating this thing because Chen Xi had told Liu Tong several times that it looked like a cockroach in the sea, just bigger.

After hearing it so many times, Liu Tong developed a bit of a phobia about it. Of course, the main reason was that there are so many delicious foods, so it wouldn't matter if one was missing.

“No problem at all!” Si Niang said confidently. Then, to Liu Tong’s astonishment, due to the spatial flip, Si Niang turned the entire lobster’s flesh out of the shell, and the shell was not damaged in the slightest.

The moment the lobster's shell is removed, its intestinal tract and internal organs are thrown out, and then the lobster meat is quickly thrown into a pre-prepared steamer before it can react. To be honest, it's a bit cruel.

"Speaking of which, what's the situation at Zhaoyang Palace..." Seeing such a brutal scene, Bai Qi felt the lobsters tasted even better. He naturally picked up the various sauces he had prepared and mixed them together. Then, looking at the situation at Zhaoyang Palace in the round mirror, he asked with some concern.

After all, they were dining buddies who had been eating together for so many years. Bai Qi felt that with Liu Tong gone, he would have fewer people to eat with in the future, so he paid some attention to the matter. Especially after Sun Ce and Zhou Yu came up with their petition urging him to take the throne, Bai Qi became a little worried.

It's not that I think Liu Bei can't be a good emperor, but if Liu Bei becomes emperor, Bai Qi will be embarrassed to go and freeload. Does he have to pretend like he did when he first arrived, eating whatever is available? That would be a bit difficult. As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!

Back then, Bai Qi was still living a pretty good life, eating unleavened steamed buns soaked in mutton soup, which was quite a lifestyle. Of course, he deeply agreed with Liu Tong and Si Niang's life of alternating between prison days, and the emperor's eight delicacies, so he naturally wouldn't offer any suggestions.

After his eastern tour and becoming acquainted with Liu Tong and Si Niang, Bai Qi discovered that ordering food allowed him to indulge in even more decadent eating habits. So, while proclaiming himself an upright feudalist fighter, he quickly moved towards a more refined approach to food.

As I said before, humans have an innate desire for good food. Even the most determined person will naturally choose to eat well when given the opportunity.

Having become familiar with Liu Tong over the years, Bai Qi reflected on the past and present and clearly realized his own decline. If he were to return to those days, although it wouldn't be unbearable, it would be somewhat uncomfortable. People should live well if they can.

Therefore, Bai Qi was quite concerned about Liu Bei stepping onto the jade steps after receiving Liu Tong's notification. After all, it was a matter of real interest. Compared to other forces, which were about being hit by an iron fist, Bai Qi's situation was simpler; it was directly related to his livelihood.

Since ancient times, being struck by an iron fist has never been a major issue compared to the problem of eating, so Bai Qi naturally had to have his own attitude on this matter.

"It's alright. The situation hasn't reached that point yet. Although if the Grand Commandant really wants it, he can just hand it over to the other party, in my opinion, the Grand Commandant has no desire for it whatsoever." Liu Tong said calmly. "This action is less about targeting me and more about letting those guys who are jumping around so excitedly see who the boss is."

“But I see that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu have already submitted their petitions urging them to ascend the throne. Even if I don’t understand politics very well, once someone starts singing praises, it’s impossible for others not to follow suit,” Han Xin said, glancing at the embarrassed-looking Sun Ce and Zhou Yu in the picture.

It's true that Han Xin didn't understand politics, but he had actually experienced the process of founding a country and ascending the throne. So he knew very well that when a powerful figure made a gesture and prepared to offer his position three times, others had already started, and you had better follow suit obediently, otherwise, something terrible would definitely happen.

As for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, their actual strength was just so-so, but their achievements were very substantial, and they provided a great deal of support to the Han Dynasty. In addition, given their status, they were the first to take the lead, so how could others not follow suit?

So, from Han Xin's perspective, this matter was somewhat interesting, at least in Han Xin's understanding, it was not much different from the situation when Liu Bang ascended the throne.

“It’s true that others will follow, but the Grand Commandant might not be willing. After all, there are three requests and three refusals, right? This kind of thing only really begins when I get wind of it and Chen Zichuan prepares a petition to persuade him to take the throne. If I don’t get wind of it, then there’s definitely no hope.” Liu Tong said calmly.

If Liu Bei were to ascend the throne, even if it were an abdication, it would certainly be an internal abdication, so it couldn't be too ugly. It's impossible for things like Cao Pi's abdication in official history, where he pulled at the imperial concubine and fought for the imperial seal, to happen. Of course, if Liu Tong really didn't know the bigger picture, and Liu Bei insisted on doing it, such a thing could happen. But clearly, Liu Tong knew the bigger picture, and Liu Bei had a reputation for benevolence.

In this situation, if Liu Bei really had ideas, he would definitely have informed Liu Tong in advance, and then the two sides would have discussed it before proceeding, so that the handover could be smooth.

Instead of the current situation, where it appears as if a foreign minister has forcibly ascended the throne and is forcing others to take sides.

"Oh, is that so!" Han Xin was taken aback upon hearing this, looking at Liu Tong with disbelief.

“I have no obsession with the throne. To be honest, the position of Grand Princess Regent is somewhat illegitimate, which makes many rituals very troublesome. My appointment is more of a compromise made by the Prince of Jin and the Marquis of Chen in earlier years to ensure a stable transition of power. So from the beginning, I never had the throne; I was just acting as regent.” Liu Tong picked up a piece of fish. The fish was cooked perfectly, and Liu Tong could even feel its chewy texture. His eyes lit up.

“So if the Prince of Jin really needs the throne, he only needs to discuss the time with me. There’s no need for this. This behavior is actually for the benefit of the foreign officials, to let them understand that they are completely different from the Prince of Jin’s faction.” Liu Tong swallowed the delicious fish and said with a smile, “After all, I am a princess, not the emperor. As for losing the country, as long as I can let it go, the blame will not weigh on my shoulders.”

Liu Tong possesses exceptional spiritual talent, and those who awaken spiritual talent are all intelligent individuals; the difference lies only in how they utilize this wisdom. Therefore, Liu Tong clearly understood her path early on and has been focusing on making money. As for abdication, based on Liu Tong's current assessment, she is unlikely to abdicate in the 20th year of Yuanfeng.

"Hiss!" Bai Qi, who was eating the plump, still slightly hot, fried ribbonfish that had just been served, gasped as he watched the scene on the screen.

"This situation isn't right." Han Xin looked up at the screen when he saw Bai Qi's expression, and was also stunned for a moment. They both saw Xun Chen and Chunyu Qiong kneeling down without any regard for their dignity.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. If I can see it clearly, how could they not see it? Among all the forces, the only one who could possibly be obscured is Zhou Gongjin, but Zhou Gongjin can’t see it because Chen Zichuan deliberately used tricks.” Liu Tong turned his head to look at the screen and casually explained to Bai Qi and Han Xin.

Perhaps others see Zhou Yu's arrogance as purely his own problem, but from Liu Tong's perspective, half of the problems Zhou Yu is currently exhibiting should be attributed to Chen Xi, as it is the result of Chen Xi's deliberate indulgence.

"Chen Zichuan needs to resort to tricks when facing Zhou Gongjin?" Han Xin scoffed. "If he really needed to deal with him, he would have just crushed him with one blow. Why bother with tricks?"

"It wasn't about using tricks, but rather Chen Zichuan's deliberate leniency towards certain matters, and the fact that others could only circumvent certain issues with Chen Zichuan. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu's probing always yielded the desired results. Over time, Zhou Gongjin developed a certain path dependency," Liu Tong said, shaking his head.

“It seems that’s true.” Si Niang looked up with a hint of reminiscence, and after a while gave her answer, “It seems that apart from Zhou Gongjin, everyone else only has the right to answer when facing Marquis Chen, and rarely asks for anything. Only Zhou Gongjin, every time he comes, is negotiating with Marquis Chen.”

"It's surprising that you actually know this." Liu Tong looked at Si Niang with some surprise. She had always thought Si Niang was a fool, but she didn't expect that Si Niang actually remembered quite a lot of things.

“Because Chen Zichuan and Zhou Gongjin always have very interesting conversations, I always use the round mirror to observe them when they meet,” Si Niang said, tilting her head and thinking for a moment.

"You!" Liu Tong was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. You even dared to spy on Chen Xi and Zhou Yu's conversation. Are you really not afraid of getting beaten up? "Hmm, take me with you next time."

“I think Governor Zhou will be making some private deals with Marquis Chen again in the next couple of days. It seems like many of their transactions are negotiated behind closed doors. Governor Zhou always feels he’s getting a slight disadvantage with the prices offered on the surface, and every time Governor Zhou goes to negotiate, Marquis Chen always gives him a discount,” Si Niang said after thinking for a while.

"We still have more to discuss." Liu Tong seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, after all, there were quite a few things to discuss at the court assembly in the eleventh year of Yuanfeng.

It's been sent; the author seems to have completely given up.