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Chapter 527 The wine is too bad
"I, Zhang Si, the political envoy to the left of Shaanxi Province, would like to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress!" As soon as he finished speaking, the old man following Li Qiyuan stepped forward and started the ceremony.

"The Left Governor of Shanxi presents a pack of matches..." At the same time, the eunuch in charge of receiving the gifts also started singing in a long voice.

"Good guys, you two are indeed colleagues in the same office. Even the congratulatory gifts for the Queen are put on the assembly line. This is so fooling!"

Seeing Wang Chengen hand over the palm-sized paper box, Hong Tao regretted setting a gift limit. These guys use their knowledge to make a fortune, and use the products made with their knowledge to give gifts, which basically means they have paid nothing.

Are there really matches? That's right, almost as soon as paraffin was extracted, Bi Maokang sent a secret message asking the emperor for advice on what this slippery thing could do.

Hong Tao was not polite. He taught the entire production process of matches and candles from his mind, and then the world's first match factory and artificial candle factory started. It's just that the match at this time is a bit big, slightly thinner than chopsticks and half the length of chopsticks. When lit, it makes a loud noise like a small firework, and the smoke is quite choking.

However, the common people do not think so, especially the residents in the city who have a reasonable family background. They like this kind of fire starter that is inexpensive, simple to operate, and easy to carry. They sell as many as they produce, and even the capital cannot get much of it. supply.

"Yuan Wai Lang once made it clear to me that this thing came from your majesty's whimsical idea. As the chief envoy of the ruling party, I would like to thank your majesty for your grace on behalf of the tens of thousands of workers in Yan'an who are not worried about food and clothing because of oil!"

Zhang Si, the governor of Shaanxi Province, was dark and thin. Standing together with Li Qiyuan, it was as if one had taken steroids and the other was severely malnourished. But the two of them had the same routine, trying to flatter the emperor in different ways.

"Just sitting here and opening my mouth won't do anything. If we want to benefit the people, we need officials at all levels to work together. Hey, Governor Huang, you can't fool me with another can of asphalt."

Regarding this compliment, Hong Tao was just modest and accepted it all. But looking at Zhang Si's old face behind him, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling, he quickly said something ugly before him. This person needs no introduction, Huang Jiashan, the censor of Youqian City, is now the governor of Yansui, Ningxia and Gansu.

In fact, most of the officials Xungui Hongtao didn't know each other. Some had heard their names and some knew their positions, but they had never talked face to face, so they didn't know the number at all. This time can be regarded as a meeting between the emperor and his ministers. Whether he remembers it or not, these thousands of officials have to pass in front of the emperor, and some of them can even chat with each other.

This process alone lasted for two hours. Hong Tao's face stopped smiling, his eyes were blurry, and his buttocks hurt from sitting. He always felt that someone had repeated the process several times and deliberately delayed this link.

The queen didn't show any sign of being tired or irritated at all. More than ten years had passed since she married into the palace and became the princess. Except for the numerous sacrificial activities every year, she had not seen many courtiers. Even the six ministers and nine ministers only heard about them. The name is invisible.

It was a fun day today. The most important thing was that every official had to salute in front of them and congratulate themselves clearly. How should I put it, now I have a real feeling of becoming the most powerful woman in the world, and it feels great.

There is a banquet for all the officials. The important thing is the banquet, not the banquet. Experienced officials will feed themselves well before attending the banquet. Only those who are raw and not very popular will come with the idea of ​​tasting the delicacies and then leave hungry.

There really aren't any delicacies in the Royal Family, but the ingredients are relatively particular. Even if it were available, it wouldn't be used in a banquet with thousands of people. That would exhaust the cooks to death. The dishes at this kind of banquet are mainly stews, supplemented by cold dishes, and the emphasis is on beautiful presentation.

As for the taste...it usually comes down to how it is served. No blind official would take a bite. If you take a few more bites and feel uncomfortable in your stomach, wouldn't it be an embarrassment? However, the wine in the palace is indeed very good, and it is usually not available on the market. But don't be greedy for drinking. When the emperor and empress toast, the officials can take a sip. It's not that the emperor is too stingy and doesn't care enough, but that no one dares to drink more.

There are three instinctive reactions to drinking too much, including losing control of your emotions, talking too much, and vomiting. No matter which one of these three states is placed in front of the emperor, it will be regarded as disrespectful. No matter how delicious the wine is, it is not as valuable as the head.

But today is a bit unusual. First of all, the cup used for drinking is relatively large, almost catching up with the bowl. Under the leadership of officials from the Ministry of Rites, the ministers first congratulated the empress dowager, then the emperor, and then the empress. After three cups, most of them were satisfied.

"My lords, with this cup I wish the Ming Dynasty peace and prosperity and prosperity!"

"My lords, I would like to take this cup to wish that my new policy will be implemented smoothly and achieve remarkable results."

"My lords, I would like to wish my queen to conceive the prince as soon as possible with this drink. Come, come, come, drink it all!" Secondly, the emperor's mood was a bit too high. In addition to the necessary rounds of etiquette, he also drank more often, and The reasons are very good and no one dares not to drink.

Although the alcohol content of rice wine is low, drinking too much can still be intoxicating, not to mention that some people have added highly distilled liquor to the rice wine in advance. After drinking these large glasses and letting the breeze blow in the square, most of the officials' faces turned red, their eyes were blurred, their stomachs were churning, and they were teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Wow... vomit..." At this time, music sounded again in the square. The drum music that usually sounded melodious and solemn turned out to be an emetic and sleeping pill. Soon some people couldn't bear it anymore. Some were still conscious and did not dare to vomit on the ground, so they covered their faces with their robe sleeves. Some were completely numbed by alcohol and had long forgotten where they were.

"Hahahaha... this is called a banquet. Okay, let's disperse! Jinyiwei, send people to take the ministers back to their mansions. If there are not enough carriages and horses, they will be placed in the imperial city first."

Seeing the usually sanctimonious officials staggering around and acting in ugly ways, the emperor not only did not get angry but also laughed, as if he still had some unfinished feelings. He called Wang Zhizhen to him and explained a few words, and then helped the queen, who was looking confused, to leave her seat. go.

"Long live my Lord, I can still walk freely even though I'm drunk. Why are my servants so miserable?"

Although Queen Guo was very happy, she did not forget about it and was very puzzled by this situation. But she kept in mind women's ethics, asked no questions in front of outsiders, and listened to her husband. Only then did she express her inner doubts.

"The wine the queen drank was mixed with water, and the wine they drank was mixed with white wine. Even the tiger-fighting hero Wu Song had to lie down when he came."

Speaking of this matter, Hong Tao must feel proud. Throughout the millennium, emperors have come and gone like a revolving lantern, and all kinds of weird things have emerged in endlessly, but there has never been one who can get nearly a thousand ministers drunk. He must be the well-deserved number one!

(End of this chapter)