Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

"Miss Xiaoyu's cooking skills are still as superb as ever."

When the last stack of dishes was put down, Xiao Yun looked at the delicate dishes in front of her and said sincerely:

"As far as this skill is concerned, if Miss Xiaoyu goes out to open a restaurant, all the restaurants in Luojing may have to go out of business, not to mention the excellent chefs in restaurants owned by aristocratic families, even the royal chefs in the palace are not as good as Xiaoyu. The girl is about [-]% level."

Luo Xiaoyu, who was about to leave, blushed when she heard Xiao Yun, the husband-in-law, praise her so much.

"Xiao... Master Xiao is ridiculous... ridiculously praised, I... little girl is not so powerful."

The Empress took a piece of diced chicken and put it in her small mouth to taste, chewed a few times, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

I don’t know how this chicken is processed, it’s not firewood at all, but it’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. After one bite, there’s even a burst of fresh and tender gravy inside. The scent makes people can't help but pick up the second piece, the third piece...

The last time I came to Lu Chen's house was when Lu Chen moved into a new house, and it was too late, the banquet was over, and the table was full of leftovers. She wanted to take a bite to show her respect, but Lu Chen thought that the king should not eat leftovers Soup was blocked.

That's right, that day she went from Ziji City to Lu Mansion to support Lu Chen, but she didn't even eat any hot food before returning to the palace.

This was the first time she had eaten Luo Xiaoyu's food, which really surprised her.

"Xiao Aiqing is right."

After the empress swallowed the food in her mouth, she said softly to Luo Xiaoyu: "Miss Xiaoyu's craftsmanship is indeed several times better than that of the royal chef in the palace. I grew up in Ziji City, and I have tasted countless delicacies from all over the world." Not much, but it has never been like this time when the index finger is twitched and the appetite is greatly stimulated."

Speaking of this, she glanced at Lu Chen inexplicably, and then continued: "To be honest, if it weren't for Miss Xiaoyu being Lu Qing's cousin, I would have summoned you to the palace master to take charge of the imperial dining room."

Hearing this, Luo Xiaoyu's little face immediately turned redder.

"As long as you like it, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen ate in silence, not listening to what was going on in front of him, and only being a cook.

Fu Hua looked at Lu Chen who was concentrating on cooking, and then asked what kind of delicacies these dishes were made of, as if he was very interested in the way of food.

When she learned that these outrageously delicious dishes were only made of very ordinary poultry and livestock instead of precious ingredients such as spirit beasts, she couldn't help being a little surprised, and subconsciously wanted to ask how it was done.

But as soon as she twitched the corner of her mouth, she suppressed the curiosity in her heart.

Although this kind of thing can't be regarded as turning decay into magic, it is still a skill, and it is a bit impolite to ask rashly, maybe someone will be unhappy.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Simiao also repeatedly praised Luo Xiaoyu for her good craftsmanship, which made Luo Xiaoyu feel that her hard work this morning was fully worth it.

For Luo Xiaoyu, the people present are all important figures whom she has to be careful with!

Cousin is so hot-tempered, it's easy to get into trouble. If something happens, I have to count on these big shots to lend a helping hand. As long as they can win their favor, they may be able to pull her overly upright girl at the critical moment. Cousin one.

So she had to find a way to help her silly cousin win their favor.

However, she should be in the position of a pleaser, but she is constantly praised by the four daughters including the empress, not saying that she is beautiful, or that she is good at craftsmanship, and she will not know which stinky man to take advantage of in the future.

Then, without paying attention, he agreed to their invitation to make an appointment to go out and play in their spare time.

Fu Ye even asked her if she had any thoughts of seeking Taoism.

Luo Xiaoyu quickly became a little confused after this round of sugar-coating, and couldn't figure out whether he was trying to curry favor with them.

Until she left the dining room, her little head was still a little dizzy.

After Luo Xiaoyu left, the dining hall was finally much quieter.

And Lu Chen was almost full.

"His Majesty."

He put down the bowls and chopsticks slowly, and looked at the empress beside him with an inexplicably serious expression.

"There is one thing, I wanted to write a letter tomorrow morning, since His Majesty is visiting today, I will directly say it here."

When it came to business, the empress quickly restrained herself.

"Please tell me, Lu Qing."

Lu Chen cupped his hands towards the empress, and continued: "Your Majesty, it has been nearly a thousand years since Emperor Taizu Hongwu expelled the Tartars and established our country in the Great Xia Dynasty. Now there are many evils, and so many evils are constantly eroding our greatness. Xia Guoyun, if it is not completely cured, Daxia will be like a seriously ill person, hard to return, and completely overturned."

Hearing this, the expressions of the other three women froze at the same time.

As a courtier, you must distinguish between serious and serious at all times. When you should relax, you should relax. When you should be serious, you must be meticulous, concentrate, and focus on the immediate matter.

Lu Chen's opening remarks are so solemn, which means that what he wants to elicit is definitely not a trivial matter. As a giant representing the king of literature, martial arts, and sage, they naturally have to concentrate on listening to every word Lu Chen says next.

...............

No one knew what the empress, the great general of Shenwu, the scholar of Lingyun Pavilion, the commander of Xuanjiwei and the head of Tiance Mansion, these four women with extremely special identities did in Lu Mansion on the day of Xiumu.

Those who pay close attention to the movements of the Lu Mansion only know that the Empress and the others went to the Lu Mansion in the morning, but they didn't leave the Lu Mansion until late at night, and then went back to their respective homes.

No one knew what Lu Chen said to them, and no one dared to send someone to follow their whereabouts.

After all, none of these four women is easy to mess with.

Two strong men in one realm, the empress who understood the way of the emperor, and the mysterious old Xiao Ge, with such a luxurious lineup, who would dare to think about them?At most, just take a look at them from a distance to understand their general destination.

But just that, after learning that they had stayed in the Lu Mansion for a whole day, some interested people still instinctively smelled an unusual aura, and then speculated one after another, guessing whether Lu Chen was going to do something big again .

However, to their surprise, the next morning at court, Lu Chen didn't speak at all, and stood in front of the civil servants like a wooden stake, while the Empress, Gu Simiao, Xiao Yun and Fu Yan were also as usual, no matter in their demeanor. Still acting, nothing unusual.

There were no signs of it at all.

It's as if they went to Lu Chen's house yesterday to drink tea and chat, and didn't talk about state affairs at all.

Until the next morning, Lu Chen didn't even say a word except for the necessary pilgrimage, and was eerily quiet.

This is also the most peaceful early morning.

For this rare peace, some courtiers were a little puzzled.

Naturally, Lu Chen didn't care what these people thought, or he didn't care about them at all.

After coming down to court, he did the same as before. After finishing all the official affairs that had accumulated in the public house for a day, he got up and left the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry, and walked towards the Wuji Palace with Wang Qi and Zhang Xuan.

The Promise Palace in this matter is still the same as before.

Because Lu Chen said before that before the new regulations are issued, no one is allowed to start work except for the cooks, so that the laborers and the small officials in charge of supervising them are very idle at this time, although none of them are bad at the construction site , but no one is working.

If the censor or the engineering department can see this, I'm afraid they won't have to read a book.

It is not a trivial matter to delay the renovation of the Promise Palace and the layout of the New Yuan Grand Ceremony.

Those officials who belong to the Ministry of Industry are very anxious. If the project progresses unfavorably, no matter what the superiors say, they will be 100% unlucky.

But Lu Chen, the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, didn't speak up, so they didn't dare to make their own claims.

Didn't see that the previous three officials and their confidantes are nowhere to be found now. If they disobey Lu Chen, who knows if they will have to follow Xu Sanping to their misfortune.

Fortunately, Lu Chen didn't intend to deliberately embarrass them.

Just as they waited eagerly until noon, when it was almost time for lunch, Lu Chen's figure finally slowly appeared at the gate of the Promise Palace.

As soon as they saw Lu Chen, everyone rushed to meet him.

"Meet Master Lu, little one!"

"Good day, Master Lu!"

"..."

Looking at the bowing and respectful officials of the Ministry of Industry in front of him, Lu Chen just nodded indifferently.

Although this feeling of being in control of the superior is quite good, it is not very attractive to him, at least it will not make him intoxicated and unable to extricate himself from it.

"Come with me."

Concise and concise as always.

Then Lu Chen stepped forward and walked towards the tent not far away, and the others hurriedly followed.

When they came to the camp, Lu Chen sat on the main seat without hesitation.

"Sit down, don't stand."

"Thank you sir."

Seeing that Lu Chen's face was indifferent, not as indifferent as before, everyone was slightly relieved, and after thanking them, they hurriedly found seats in other places in the tent.

Wang Qi and Zhang Xuan sat beside Lu Chen.

"The officer said a few things about the next project arrangement of the Wuji Palace. You should listen carefully. If there is anything you don't understand later, you can ask questions on the spot."

After a pause, he continued: "You can ask me any questions you have, and I will explain them to you patiently. If you have any opinions, you can also ask me. As long as it is a reasonable and beneficial suggestion, I will give you a clear explanation. Not only will it be adopted, but the proposer will also be rewarded, but there is one thing that you must remember, that is, never do things with doubts."

Hearing this, everyone's expression froze.

"Thank you for your teaching, my lord. I will definitely keep it in mind."

A group of officials patted their chests and promised.

Lu Chen nodded slightly, and then flirted with Zhang Xuan who was beside him.

Zhang Xuan understood, and directly took out some black-covered documents, then got up and walked to a group of officials, and handed the documents in his hands to the front officials.

"This is the charter that I made at home yesterday."

Lu Chen's voice sounded again.

"The first thing I want to say is the new regulations. While you read it, I will say it."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help becoming nervous, and opened the cover with trembling hands.

And when some officials saw the content on the first page of the document, their pupils suddenly shrank for some reason, and their eyes were full of disbelief.

"Sir...is there something wrong with this...this charter...?"

Chapter 189

Including Lu Chen's adjutants Wang Qi and Zhang Xuan, almost all the officials of the Ministry of Industry were shocked after reading the content of the document, and they couldn't recover for a long time.

Don't blame them for making a fuss, it's really that the so-called new regulations are too appalling.

The content of the document is not complicated, there are only a few aspects, and three of them are the most important. Every new regulation related to it almost challenges everyone's cognitive limit——

The first aspect is to adjust the proportion of project expenditure.

Originally, most of the project funds for each project of the Ministry of Industry were used to purchase the materials needed for the project, such as spirit stones, wood, and talismans. Basically, whichever was the most expensive and famous was bought.

Just like the Longquan Lingshi and Longquan Mithril of the Duke of Yan’s Mansion, and the Tianqing spells of the Duke of Zhao’s Mansion, it doesn’t matter whether their effects are twice as effective as ordinary spirit stones, mithril, or spells, or whether the extra effects can be used. , Or whether there is a replacement, let alone buy it with your eyes closed, no matter what the cost, cost performance or the like.

The remaining small part consists of other expenses such as labor meals, building camps, etc., and this small part of the expenses has to be adjusted by the officials of the Ministry of Industry, such as the chief officer, the assistant official and the accountant.