A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 896 Pomegranate Red Dress

After learning at night that Prime Minister Wu had asked him to have breakfast tomorrow morning, Chen Dade tossed and turned and couldn't sleep that night. He stared at the moonlight shining through the window with his eyes wide open, and the experiences of these years flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

In the eighth year of Wude, he had already put on the purple robe from the third rank, but after the palace coup, he was demoted again and again.

He opened the quilt and sat up, looking at himself in the bronze mirror with spots on his temples. In fact, he was still very young, less than fifty. The past few years had been wasted, and he had wasted seven or eight years of good time. I recall that in the eighth year of Wude, when he was still wearing purple robes in court, he was so high-spirited, and there was even a day when he entered the political hall and announced himself as Prime Minister with white hemp.

In the past few years, my will has become a little bit depressed.

During this trip to Haidong as an envoy, I didn't expect to meet my wife's brother who had died fighting in Liaodong earlier, and I didn't expect to come into contact with Prime Minister Wu.

Rubbing his face, his heart gradually became hot again, and he was unwilling to let it go like this.

My uncle can stand up again, so why can't he?

What should we say when we meet tomorrow morning?

Maybe we can talk about Lingnan. He served as governor there for four years and he knows Lingnan relatively well. Or talk about Goguryeo or those lost veterans. He is a doctor in charge, and this time he is an envoy, which is also his job. Mr. Wu is very concerned about these.

I really couldn't sleep, so I simply lit an oil lamp, took out a pen and paper, filled the inkstone with water, picked up an ink stick, opened it, dipped it in the ink, spread out the paper and started writing. I wrote until dawn, writing nearly ten thousand words eloquently. Regarding Lingnan, Liaodong, etc.,

Looking at the bright light of day, Chen Dade was still very excited. He stretched and walked around a few times. Then he picked up the article he had written and read it carefully twice before putting it away solemnly. Whether it can be reused depends on whether this article can be used again. I can't impress Mr. Wu anymore.

The entourage brought water, and Chen Dade washed and changed clothes. He was in a good mood and even hummed a ditty.

I even groomed my beard neatly in front of the mirror, checked my whole body again and again, and then went out for my appointment with satisfaction.

Prime Minister Wu invited him to have breakfast at Penglai Pavilion.

The scenery here is very good, you can have a panoramic view of the harbor and pier.

Chen Dade came before Wu Huaiyu. After a while, Wu Huaiyu arrived and brought some seafood.

"Fresh goods at the pier, the first batch of catches brought back by fishermen,"

Huaiyu handed the seafood to the local cook in the governor's mansion.

"Sea sausage rice, mackerel dumplings, fried sea oysters, cold and hot and sour kelp shreds, it's a pity that summer has passed, otherwise jellyfish soup is indispensable," the cook made arrangements immediately after looking at the fresh products brought.

"That's all, thank you."

The cook worked very quickly and quickly cooked it downstairs and brought it up.

The common sea sausage in the Bohai Bay may seem a bit inelegant, but it tastes really delicious. For local fishermen, this thing is too common. Fresh ones cannot be eaten and cannot be stored, so they are dried or ground. It turns into powder and has a good freshness-enhancing effect.

Wu Huaiyu remembered that later this thing was already worth several hundred yuan a pound.

A large plate full of sea sausage with rice. The sea sausage stir-fried with leeks is cooked at just the right temperature, making it chewy but not chewy. The rice is also very good.

The Bayu Dumplings are huge. They use the meat from the Bayu just caught this morning. Then they add pork and mix it one by one, beat it well, add green onion and ginger water, stir, and add soy sauce, salt and other seasonings.

Now knead the dough and roll it out with flour.

Take a generous portion of the mackerel dumpling and take a bite. The skin is very chewy and the meat filling inside is tender and juicy. There is no fishy smell at all.

There is also some chives added to the stuffing, which is really delicious.

Huaiyu was full of praise and asked the cook, "These Bayu dumplings are the most delicious I have ever tasted. There should be some secrets to them, right?"

"You have to buy fresh Spanish mackerel, one that doesn't break the belly and has a smooth and bright skin. The fresher the fish, the better the dumplings will taste. Also, you must clean the fish bones and add pork to make the filling. You have to choose the fattest ones as much as possible, so that the stuffing can be smoother and juicier. Adding some leeks will have a better effect."

Others, such as adding onion, ginger, and pepper water, are the usual way to make dumplings. When cooking dumplings, ordering water twice is the same.

"Well, the key is to have fresh mackerel, and good ingredients are the most important," Huaiyu said with a smile.

Dengzhou does have good seafood resources.

A few years ago, Mr. Du Ruhui was hunting thieves here, but the hamster broke his hamstring and became a lame. After returning to Beijing, the young man offered a large bounty to capture the kelp, and found a barbed hook and other methods. This method has made the needlefish, which has always been delicious but difficult to catch, become a common dish on the tables of Denglai fishermen.

Fried oysters are also very delicious. Fresh and plump oyster meat, add eggs and stir well, add a lot of chopped green onion, fry on the iron plate, add more oil, fry until sizzling, fry on one side, flip over and fry again , fry until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides,

It tastes great when eaten while hot. The outside is crispy and crispy, but the oysters inside are tender and juicy.

The cold kelp shreds are also sour and spicy, very appetizing.

Both Wu Huaiyu and Chen Dade were extremely satisfied with this breakfast, and they were even a little too full. It was so delicious.

Chen Dade is from Hedong. The most famous thing in his hometown is Sangluojiu. It is close to the Yellow River, and Yellow River carp is often eaten. Braised Yellow River carp, baked carp noodles, carp fish dumplings, and even live roasted carp and other famous dishes.

But this seafood does feel fresher, and it is rare to eat it in Chang'an. Although some people will use copper boxes and ice to quickly deliver seafood to Chang'an, but it is not affordable or accessible to ordinary people.

It's really rare to open your belly and eat like this.

Take away the dishes,

Made a pot of tea,

Chen Dade also wiped his mouth clean, and then took out the book of ten thousand words that he had written so hard last night.

Wu Huaiyu took it and looked through it. There was a lot of useful information. Of course, Chen Dade's calligraphy was also very good. The whole text was full of running script, which was quite a bit like Wang Xizhi's style.

He discussed some of the above contents with Chen Dade face to face, and the conversation was very speculative.

Chen Dade did not hide it, and took the opportunity to express his ambition, hoping to follow Wu Huaiyu and do something for the country.

"Mr. Chen is on a mission to Haidong this time. He has a very heavy task. Please handle this matter carefully. If you are willing to come to Lingnan after returning to the court, I would like to recommend Mr. Chen to be the governor of a state under Yong Mansion or Gui Mansion. If you come to me It's okay to be a deputy envoy,"

Wu Huaiyu served as several envoys, including observation envoy, economic envoy, salt and iron envoy, field envoy, Du Tuan Lian envoy, admissible envoy to Bo, etc. It was very easy to arrange a deputy envoy to help take charge of one thing. Chen Dade also had this ability.

After hearing this, Chen Dade's heart surged. He immediately stood up, bowed and bowed to Huaiyu with folded hands, "Thanks to Wu Xiang for not giving up, Dade is willing to listen to the arrangement."

Even if the matter is settled, Chen Dade will be regarded as Wu Huaiyu's person from now on.

"A Lang, Miss A Sang is here."

Huaiyu nodded, and Chen Dade stood up to leave. Huaiyu sent him downstairs and told him a few more points about his mission to Haidong. downstairs,

Asang stood there. Today she had changed into a popular pomegranate red skirt, silk shoes, and a bright yellow shawl. It was windy, and she also added a half arm.

The round-neck top is very short, and the waist of the long skirt is tied directly under the armpits to create plump lines. The multiple pieces of pomegranate red fabric also make her extremely slim and tall.

She also put on makeup.

She has two willow-leaf red eyebrows, a pair of big apricot eyes, her rosy and plump lips are even more gorgeous with lipstick, and she also has a very delicate hairstyle with a hairpin and a comb on it...

She stood there, slim and graceful, like a bride.

Chen Dade was a little surprised when he saw his niece like this. Compared with the previous one, she seemed to be two people. The previous one was just the gentleness of Xiaojiabiyu, but this one was already a bit gorgeous and charming.

He smiled slightly, Wu Xiang couldn't refuse such a girl.

"You are extraordinarily beautiful today." Huaiyu praised her, "You haven't had breakfast yet. I asked the cook to leave it for you, mackerel dumplings, fried oysters, sea sausage with rice, cold kombu..."

He led the excited and nervous girl up to the attic.

Facing the sea, mackerel dumplings.

Asang, who grew up near Qinghaipu, is no stranger to Spanish mackerel, sea sausage, etc., but his eyes lit up when he ate it. “It tastes much better than what I’ve eaten before.”

He is a professional chef after all.

"To be so praised by the locals along the coast, the chef's skills are indeed very good. I plan to open a Fanlou branch in Dengzhou, and then I will hire the chef to be the Fanlou chef, specializing in seafood."

The girl looks very good when eating, and maintains good table manners. Dong Teng has taught her well since she was a child. Even if Old Dong fell down and married a Goguryeo wandering girl, he still retains the etiquette and rules passed down by his ancestors. Pass it on to your children.

Huaiyu looked at this girl. She was young, beautiful, and quite smart. She had a special feeling for him. It could be said to be grateful, admiring the strong, or admiring talent. When these were mixed together, , is undoubtedly fatal to a fifteen-year-old girl,

She fell completely.

What girl is not pregnant?

What's more, Wu Huaiyu's conditions are really the standard of a dream lover. You must know that even in Chang'an, Wu Huaiyu is the dream lover of many noble girls, and many noble ladies are also secretly obsessed with him.

Huaiyu held the tea cup,

"I heard that you used to help my family manage the shop in Qingnipu. What kind of business does that shop do?" he asked with a smile.

"It's just a grocery store,"

"Are you interested in staying in Dengzhou and helping me build Fan Tower? After it opens, you can be a steward and help take care of it?"

The mackerel dumplings suddenly lost their flavor.

Asang put down the dumplings and sat there blankly. Suddenly his eyes turned red and big pearls fell out.

"Don't cry,"

Huaiyu stretched out her hand to wipe away his tears. As their skin touched, her whole body seemed to freeze, and her face quickly turned red.

"You really want to follow me?"

She finally came to her senses and nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice.

"But now I have one wife, nine concubines, and twenty concubines. To be honest, I usually can't take care of so many wives and concubines. Sometimes I can only take care of them once a month." Huaiyu said directly.

Ah Sang understood the meaning and her face became even redder, but her eyes were firm.

After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and grabbed Huaiyu's hand that wiped her tears, pressed it on her face, and looked directly at Huaiyu, "I want to follow my husband in my life, even if I have no name or status, I am willing to be a maid."

Such affection cannot be lived up to.

Wu Huaiyu smiled slightly, "Okay, you and I will go see your Alang later and give you a gift, and then you can follow me to Guangzhou."

Concubines are bought together. The so-called gift is actually the money to buy concubines.

The two parties sign a marriage contract, which is a concubine contract, and the matter is settled.

The status of concubines is still very low. According to the custom of the Tang Dynasty, Dong Teng gave his daughter to Wu Huaiyu as a concubine. The two families were not actually related by marriage, and Dong Teng was not Wu Huaiyu's father-in-law.

Lao Dong wholeheartedly agreed that this was a good thing, and Asang's biological mother, the Han concubine, also agreed.

Huaiyu declined and set off.

A lively banquet was held for Dengzhou officers and generals, and the Sui veterans were also invited to attend.

Chen Dade is the matchmaker, and Chun Yufeng, Fang Dade, Changsun Shuai, and Zhu Zishe are the witnesses.

Qin Qiong and Dong Teng, as the elders of the man and woman, accepted the tea ceremony.

After the ceremony was completed, Huaiyu also asked his eldest son Chengsi to call Aunt Asang, and Asang respectfully returned the courtesy, calling Chengsi Dalang.

"Uncle Dong will take his family back to his hometown in Puzhou to settle down first. If you need any help, just ask,"

"Uncle Dong is still young. If you still want to do something, you can come to Liaodong. If you want to enjoy your old age in peace, if your family members want to do something, just tell me and I will make arrangements."

Wu Huaiyu was also very generous to the old Dong. These words made the old Dong even more happy and said thank you repeatedly.

He still has two sons and two daughters in his hometown, and Liaodong has brought back a bunch of children and grandchildren. He has no intention of pursuing an official career, but he does hope to make arrangements for his sons.

Wu Huaiyu's concubine gift to the Dong family was two horses and two cows, as well as one hundred pieces of money, one hundred pieces of silk, and one hundred pieces of cloth. This concubine gift was quite substantial, even a bit luxurious.

Now that Wu Huaiyu is still willing to help the Dong family arrange for children, old Dong is still dissatisfied.

(End of this chapter)