Chapter 7179 The Pot Isn't Important

Chapter 7179 The Pot Isn't Important
When Huangfu Song returned from Eastern Europe, things were alright. Although he saw some extravagant scenes, he figured that with Chen Xi around, this was normal, since he had just returned and it was a celebration.

After things returned to normal for a while, Huangfu Song realized something was wrong. It didn't feel like extravagance at all; it felt like the people of Chang'an and the officials had completely gotten used to this lifestyle.

Who taught Zhu Jun to categorize and taste dozens of types of wine and more than ten kinds of fruit juice? Damn, we agreed to be country bumpkins together, how come you're so outstanding now? That's too much.

In addition to the food, supplies, and other things on display, all of these things stimulated Huangfu Song to some extent. Over time, Huangfu Song became somewhat confused.

It's not that he's against extravagance or anything like that, but rather that he feels like he's really out of touch with the times, and that the ancients were really so useless. Compared to the present, what is Emperor Ling's extravagance? The banquets of the major families, compared to the present, are really insignificant to small families. This kind of shock is too great for Huangfu Song.

"Zichuan, can this kind of extravagance be extended to all people, or can it only be maintained here?" As Chen Xi was about to leave after toasting, the somewhat hunched old man Huangfu couldn't help but ask.

It's not that they have any great love or ambition to bless all people, but rather that they have a more realistic understanding of the difference between heaven and earth. If such extravagance can bring blessings to all people, then what were they doing before?
"It's very difficult." Chen Xi looked at the food on Huangfu Song's table and shook his head. Huangfu Song's expression calmed down a bit upon hearing this. It turned out that we weren't really useless. It was just that Chen Xi was too strong, so strong that it highlighted their own worthlessness.

Being a piece of trash and being highlighted as trash by the strength of others are two different things. Huangfu Song can accept the latter because some people are geniuses, they are the era itself. But Huangfu Song cannot accept the former at all.

If the entire era were to degenerate to the state it was in before, it would be purely because we ourselves were too incompetent, and our Dao hearts would truly collapse. What we are seeing now is merely the descent of a divine being, a forced elevation of status. The situation in Chang'an is nothing more than a gathering of all kinds of beings to serve one place. Huangfu Song can understand such a grand scene.

If these things can be popularized, it means that it is not the result of concentrated efforts, but a universal result.

For Huangfu Song, the general outcome for 80 million people was that there was no other answer except that his group was useless—it turns out they could live so well, while we were complacent because of our small successes, truly useless!

"Although what's on your table is beef and mutton, it's because you like it that we specially selected large-eared sheep from the Yarkand River area in Xinzhou, a special kind of white sheep from northern Xinjiang, and high-quality multi-ribbed yaks from Tibet. These things are actually very difficult to make widely available," Chen Xi explained after thinking for a moment. Some things look ordinary, but are actually quite extraordinary.

Both were beef and mutton, but at the Weiyang Palace banquet, Chen Xi, as the Shaofu (a high-ranking official in charge of the imperial household), directly served tribute-level delicacies. The "big-eared sheep" wasn't just a slang term from later generations; it was a real type of sheep, a branch of which became the Dolan sheep of later generations. As for the multi-ribbed yak, while a normal cow only has 26 ribs, this thing has 30.

These are truly rare and exquisite items, produced only in special geographical locations. Chen Xi couldn't guarantee how many could be produced in a year, but to be fair, the taste was indeed excellent.

Of course, for Chen Xi, few people could tell the difference between the 99-point taste of these things and the 90-point taste of premium cattle and sheep raised on ranches when they were freshly slaughtered. If they were chilled, it would be even more impossible to tell the difference.

However, when it comes to showcasing class, there's still a lot to say. Moreover, not to mention other places, even in this run-down place like Weiyang Palace, there are a few things where you can taste the difference. Precisely because you can really taste the difference, Chen Xi has come to accept that these few things are indeed top-notch.

In other words, there's a reason why merchants in later generations sold Daolang sheep for tens of thousands of dollars. Besides marketing, there's also the real reason for the taste; some people can actually tell the difference.

Of course, an old man like Huangfu Song wouldn't be able to tell the difference; at most, he'd just think, "Wow, this is really delicious."

To be honest, an old hand like Huangfu Song couldn't taste the difference between things that were rated 85 or higher. Even if there were subtle differences, he wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

"What is that?" Huangfu Song was practically asking himself a question.

"If a well-raised premium sheep from the Northern Frontier can be cooked to a score of 90 by the imperial chef, then this kind of sheep, cooked with similar methods, can be cooked to a score of 99. That's the difference." Chen Xi gave a brief description. To be honest, as for things like texture and flavor, Chen Xi couldn't really taste the difference, hahaha!

This has to be done by Si Niang; Si Niang can really taste the so-called flavor and texture layers.

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song roughly understood what it meant. He was already close to becoming a goalkeeper for the God of War, and his understanding of the difference between 90 and 99 points was very accurate.

"So, due to production issues, this kind of thing is difficult to popularize. Unless we completely crack the deeper layers of the reasons for its flavor and texture, we can't replicate it on a large scale in other places. Otherwise, ordinary people can only eat cattle and sheep from the northern frontier and other large ranches," Chen Xi replied very seriously.

That's really impossible. Even in the 21st century, some beef and mutton, aside from brand value, do have differences in flavor and texture. If the differences between different types of beef are not very obvious, then the differences between mutton are actually quite significant, to the point that ordinary people can tell the difference.

However, even with the technology of later generations, this is not easy to solve. Some breeds of sheep really change their flavor when they are moved to a different place. If you want to eat the best, you can only catch them in this place.

What's worse is that, due to local production issues, it's easy for those delicious types of mutton to be consumed internally before even leaving the local area. Then, some sheep are caught from other places, disguised, and sent away.

Anyway, once they leave the local area, most people can't tell the difference, so it's easy to fool them.

This is very helpless.

Chen Xi roughly knew which regions produced the best beef and mutton. After all, in China, famous beef and mutton are all due to geographical reasons, and even pigs have geographical origins.

The encyclopedia does indeed contain a catalog of Chinese agricultural and animal husbandry resources. Chen Xi may not have read all the contents, but he has definitely read the catalog. The rest is just a matter of following the catalog. Even if some things haven't been domesticated to the level of later generations, as long as things from later generations can be included in this catalog, they will definitely have an advantage over other things.

This is why Chen Xi has managed to develop a considerable number of high-quality cattle and sheep breeds over the past few years, and why he has been acquiring land in several locations to build large ranches of different types.

"In other words, the ingredients for this banquet are actually readily available." Huangfu Song asked with a hint of doubt.

“If you can’t eat Daolang mutton, you can eat Xiaowei Han sheep or Tan sheep. If you can’t eat those, you can always eat Qingzhou black goat. There’s always something to eat, right?” Chen Xi said helplessly. “To be honest, I can’t really tell the difference between those top-quality things.”

Although Chen Xi said it tasted good, Chen Xi's tongue could only distinguish between T1 and T2, and could not distinguish the differences above T1. The problem is that the differences above T1 are the real-world differences, okay?

Chen Xi was able to categorize food tributes not only by referring to the catalogues of agricultural and livestock resources and aquatic resources in China from later generations, but also entirely by the vigorous output of Si Niang.

To be fair, with Si Niang's food appraisal skills, she could have a good background even in later generations. Moreover, compared to other food appraisers who can't eat spicy, numbing, or strong-flavored foods, Si Niang can eat anything and isn't worried about strong flavors affecting her judgment of food. It can only be said that immortals do have obvious advantages.

"Similarly, when it comes to sea fish, things like yellow croaker are hard to catch, so you can eat grouper, or if all else fails, you can eat large yellow croaker," Chen Xi said casually, spreading his hands. "Donglai Ocean Fisheries Company supplies large yellow croaker year-round."

To be fair, of the three types of fish mentioned above, the most valuable in later generations should be the large yellow croaker. The yellow croaker is only worth around a million, and if the large yellow croaker grows to a really big size, it can be worth several million. As for the grouper, even the most expensive rat grouper is only worth around a thousand yuan per kilogram.

But who can blame us when, in this era, the delicious yellow croaker is still rampant along the western Pacific coast?

"I think the large yellow croaker tastes better than the grouper," Huangfusong said after thinking for a moment.

Chen Xi paused for a moment, then nodded. "Cheap doesn't mean it's not tasty. If they're all fresh, the large yellow croaker is basically one of the best-tasting fish. The grouper is expensive because it's hard to catch."

"So ordinary people can afford it too. Besides, aquatic products can be optimized, and maybe even tastier and cheaper fish can be bred in the future," Chen Xi said calmly.

For example, the four major freshwater fish of later generations are those that are both delicious and highly productive. Of course, these four major freshwater fish are not as good as those truly precious species, such as knife fish and sturgeon, but the latter cannot be farmed and their production capacity is limited, so their prices will naturally rise day by day.

However, the four major freshwater fish scored around 80 points, while the knife fish and sturgeon scored only around 90 points in terms of actual flavor, which is not a perfect score.

“I increasingly feel that our era was indeed a failure. This cannot be explained by my suppression of the Yellow Turbans, His Majesty’s grasp of power, or the ministers’ barely managing to stabilize the world in the chaos. Failure is failure,” Huangfu Song said with a sigh.

"Actually, I think so too." Chen Xi looked around and spoke her mind.

Huangfu Song was taken aback when he heard this, and then he completely understood why Chen Xi always had an indifferent expression whenever Liu Tong and the other ministers argued about the division of power in the Ling Emperor's court. It turned out that he genuinely thought they were all useless.

“I don’t think they are useless, I just feel there’s no need to dwell on it.” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness, “The whole situation is so bad that there’s really no need to assign blame. I can understand who gets the full share. Anyway, the history books will follow the Yuanfeng Dynasty. No matter how you divide it, future generations will have different opinions. But no matter how you evaluate it, the conclusion will be as I am saying now.”

"Can you read my thoughts?" Huangfu Song asked solemnly.

"Grandpa, your thoughts are written all over your face, why would I need to spy on you?" Chen Xi said helplessly. "The people nowadays can't be so particular about food, but once Gongyou and Xianhe have done what they're supposed to do, food from all over the country, unless it has a very short shelf life, should be able to appear on the tables of every household."

"Go and serve General Huangfu a roasted pineapple." Chen Xi looked at the food on Huangfu's table. Although everyone had the same main course, because of the separate serving system, Huangfu Song liked to eat beef and mutton. So the table in front of Huangfu Song was mainly filled with beef and mutton. No matter how well it was prepared, Chen Xi felt that Huangfu Song would still find it a bit greasy.

"Roasted pineapple?" Huangfu Song looked at Chen Xi with some surprise.

"It's good for cutting through the grease and aiding digestion." Chen Xi waved and left.

"Make Yizhen another juice," Zhu Jun said to the palace maid beside him after Chen Xi left.

“I’ve already told you, just eat your food. Chen Zichuan has plans for all these things. Putting aside everything else, at least the people of the Central Plains can have a bowl of mutton soup with meat during the New Year,” Zhu Jun said, patting Huangfu Song on the shoulder.

"It just feels too extravagant. I don't even know what Chen Zichuan was talking about anymore," Huangfu Song said with a complicated expression. Just then, the freshly baked pineapple rings were brought over. Huangfu Song mechanically picked one up, took a bite, and found it sweet and sour, refreshing and good for digestion. Even his previously mechanical movements seemed much more normal now.

"What is this thing? Is it fruit?" Huangfu Song looked at the thing in shock.

"Yes, these are new kinds of fruits that Rome got from plantations in South America. Besides this, there are some other things too. Chen Zichuan really likes these things and has been collecting them." Zhu Jun took the juice that the palace maid brought him and said with a somewhat complicated expression.

"The problem isn't that we should be particular about the finest food and the most exquisite preparations. The problem is that others can't share this kind of delicious food with all the people of the world, but Chen Zichuan can. Chen Zichuan wishes he could let everyone in the world taste everything he has ever eaten. In his words, if we could do that, even if we can't achieve universal harmony, we could at least be considered prosperous." Zhu Jun sipped the sweet and sour juice with a touch of emotion. To be honest, as he got older, this stuff tasted better than alcohol.

"Should I share the food I've eaten with everyone in the world?" Huangfu Song looked at Chen Xi, who had already run off to Ruan Gong's side, with an incomparably profound and complex expression. This was something he had never thought about in his entire life.

However, after Zhu Jun relayed these words to him, Huangfu Song realized that, let alone a scion of a noble family like Chen Xi who was particular about the finest food, even if the food that Huangfu Song himself ate twenty or thirty years ago could be enjoyed by all the people of the world, the people of the world would never rebel.

“Chen Zichuan calls this empathy,” Zhu Jun said with a helpless smile.

“Confucianism has this concept, but I think ‘Great Harmony’ would be a better name.” Huangfu Song withdrew his gaze, looking very serious.

“If everyone could eat what Chen Zichuan eats, then the world would truly be at peace.” Zhu Jun nodded in agreement. “He is completely different from the guys of our generation. He is very clear about his goals and breaks them down into actionable steps, pushing them forward slowly but steadily.”

"This is the chasm between heaven and man." Huangfu Song picked up the warmed yellow wine on the table, clinked it with Zhu Jun's, not caring that Zhu Jun's wine was juice. "A toast to this prosperous age, and a thank you to God for letting me live to this day!"

On the other side, when Ruan Gong saw Liu Bei coming, he quickly packed up and brought his son with him. Although Ruan Gong always said that his son Ruan Kan was a good-for-nothing, that was in comparison to Ruan Gong and Hui Hui. To be honest, a twenty-year-old young man who knows poetry and songs, knows management, can govern a place, and is even good at medicine is already very strong.

Even if none of them are top-notch, each one is enough to earn a few lines in the history books and leave behind works. To be honest, this thing is only treated like a stray dog ​​on the roadside in this unbelievable environment. Once it leaves Weiyang Palace, humph!
"It's really too much trouble for the Prince of Jin, the Prime Minister, and the Marquis to come here," Ruan Gong said politely as he stood up.

"These past few years have indeed been a lot of trouble for you. You've managed things very well in Chang'an and the palace, without any problems arising," Liu Bei said to Ruan Gong with a smile. Back when Liu Bei took control of Chang'an, he almost dismissed Ruan Gong because Ruan Gong wasn't part of Liu Bei's faction. However, with the persuasion of Chen Xi, Jia Xu, and even Li You, Ruan Gong wasn't demoted. After using him for a few years, Liu Bei found that Ruan Gong was indeed quite capable.

In Chang'an, the political center of the Han Dynasty, nothing was more important than avoiding mistakes.

Ruan Gong has truly never made a mistake since Liu Bei took over, which is quite remarkable.

“Why must the King of Jin do this? It is a subject’s duty to avoid making mistakes,” Ruan Gong said neither humbly nor arrogantly. He then clinked glasses with Liu Bei, drank it all in one gulp, and then poured more wine to clink glasses with Chen Xi and Guan Yu one by one.

"Lord Chen, please allocate some funds to help us out of this emergency," Ruan Gong, who had finished drinking, quickly transmitted his voice to Chen Xi after Liu Bei left.

"No, the Imperial Guard has regulations for allocating funds and salary plans," Chen Xi said, somewhat puzzled.

Ruan Gong has not been corrupt in this regard over the years. Chen Xi's annual allocation has been slightly increased from the previous level, and he also checks the Weiwei's funding needs. This year, Chen Xi allocated funds according to the needs.

“Zongzheng is pretending to be dead and doesn’t want to deal with it, but as a result, there’s an overabundance of talent in the Southern Army,” Nguyen Cong said with a great headache.

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(End of this chapter)