I'm watching the gate in the jail

In the early morning of the next day, Wanda came to Beizhen Fusi Yamen to work as before.

"Master, do you think our level of cooking has improved? Now I can't leak any sand."

"Me too, me too, Master, look at me!"

In the garden outside the kitchen on the east side, three or five middle-aged men were facing the wall, and each of them was holding a large black iron pot with one hand. The iron pot was half full of sand and was shaking up and down. with.

These few are all cooks in Jinyiwei's kitchen, the younger ones are in their early twenties, and the older ones are in their fifties.

But now they are all Wanda's apprentices, and they are diligently practicing the skill of turning the pot taught by Wanda before.

"It's okay... Pay attention to your waist strength, otherwise your hands will be useless sooner or later."

Wanda sat on the cool chair in the middle of the yard and replied absent-mindedly.

After leaving the palace yesterday afternoon, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something would happen.

When I was sleeping at night, lying on the bed and looking at the curtains on the canopy bed, Wanda regretted it more and more, why didn't I study hard in my previous life, or at least know the general direction of history...

What is the ending of Empress Wu in history?No spoilers so annoying.

What Wan Zhen'er showed in the palace yesterday really scared him.

Wan Zhen'er, Wan Zhen'er, are you loyal or traitor?

At the behest of the emperor's brother-in-law, he has now been tied to Wan Zhen'er's warship and labeled as a relative of the Wan clan.

If Wan Zhen'er is really a bad woman like in the film and television works, then how should he deal with himself...

"Master Qianhu, pay attention to your body and drink plenty of hot water."

The young man who was standing by the cool chair and pouring tea for Wanda noticed the blue-gray bags under Wanda's eyes, and said very "considerately".

This school lieutenant, named Gao Minghui, was the person assigned to him by Wang Xi, the commander. He used to work under Deng Xiang.People from Shandong can be regarded as half of Wanda's fellow villagers.

After getting along with each other for a few days, Wanda saw that this person was good at martial arts, and he could outnumber ten with one.But the brain doesn't seem to be very good.

According to his current observation results, this person is characterized by honesty and integrity, and his specialty is eating. He can cook at least five bowls of rice for a meal.

Speaking of which, at any rate, I am also a fifth-rank Jinyiwei official with a thousand households, and it is reasonable to be able to command a thousand people.

Of course, he is by name, but no matter what, he must be supported by dozens of people.

Well, in the end, Wang Xi only gave him this thing...

At most, these guys in the back kitchen were added—that was what he had worked hard to buy.

Hearing Gao Hui's words, everyone who was making a fuss put down their hands and surrounded them, booing Wanda and warming up.

"It's okay, I just didn't sleep well at night, don't make a fuss."

Wanda shook her head helplessly. "Don't practice, you're going to prepare lunch later, so go to the kitchen and get busy."

Everyone dispersed, Gao Hui also scratched his head, and walked into the kitchen expectantly, looking for something delicious for lunch.

Driven by Wanda, the food standard of Fusi Dining Room in Beizhen has greatly improved during this period.

In fact, Fusi Yamen in Beizhen is not short of food money at all, chicken, duck and fish are all available, and all kinds of rare spices are also available all year round.

It's just that the chef's level is too low.Every day at noon and at night before dinner, just throw meat and vegetables into the pot and simmer for a while, steam a steamed bun, and cook a pot of rice so casually.

It is conceivable that the taste of making things in this way.

Except for a few Jinyiwei who were so poor that they had to eat in the cafeteria, they ate pig food here every day with tears in their eyes. The rest of them who had a little money went out to start small businesses, completely giving up this rare "unit welfare".

This is true for ordinary wrestlers and school captains, not to mention the hundreds of households, thousands of households, and even the upper echelons of Jinyiwei with a considerable salary.

That is to say, the prisoners in Zhao Prison have nowhere to escape and no choice, and they have become the largest group of customers and victims of the canteen.

After Wanda came, he first taught them their cooking skills, and wrote a few recipes eloquently.

In the primary improvement stage, stews and stir-fries are basically the main ones.He wrote down each operation step in detail, and the amount of seasoning was accurate to "fen" and "percentage".

The dishes he wrote are all famous canteen dishes in various schools and units in China in later generations.

Such as braised pork ribs, braised fermented bean curd meat, Sixi meatballs, ground three delicacies, Mushu pork, mutton and scallion buns, etc.

The ingredients are easy to get, and the operation is simple. After a few times of guidance, those in the back kitchen will get started soon.

Because it was a hot day, Wanda cooked mung bean soup for everyone between lunch and dinner.

Boil mung beans and barley kernels with well water, seal them in jars, and put them in barrels.Then it was hoisted by rope into the well outside the kitchen.

Take out the jar from the bucket in the hottest afternoon. At this time, the mung bean soup is already refreshingly cool, and then poured with sweet osmanthus flower stains, it is really delicious.

The brothers who were patrolling the streets under the sun came back, and when they saw this cold and green sweet soup, they would never leave without drinking two or three bowls.

A few days ago during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wanda brought people to make meringue mooncakes with various fillings, and sent them to the Jinyi guards who were on duty in the yamen that night, which was very popular.

In the past few days, the number of Jinyiwei colleagues who came to the dining hall to eat has skyrocketed.A lot of people come here curiously as soon as they finish their work early in the morning, asking what Wanda's menu is for today and if there are any new dishes.

It seems that Wanda is not Jinyiwei Qianhu, but the chef of the dining hall...

But also because of this, Wanda quickly became familiar with these people.For Wanda, a strange royal relative, everyone was no longer vigilant and repulsed at the beginning.

"Hey, what are you eating today?"

While talking, the first batch of brothers who came back from patrolling the city had already entered the kitchen under the leadership of their general banner.

Deng Xiang, as the first middle-level manager of Jinyiwei in Fusi Yamen in Beizhen, who has tasted Wanda's cooking skills, is now a loyal fan of Wanda.

What I care most about going to work every day is what to eat at noon and what to eat at night.

"Vinegared cabbage, dry-fried yellow croaker, stewed mutton, mixed courgette... dry-stir-fried potatoes, hey, there are no potatoes here. Then dry-stir-fried beans."

Wanda leaned on the chair and casually reported the names of the dishes.

Speaking of which, the Ming Dynasty is quite pitiful. Wanda finally saw some ornamental peppers in the palace yesterday. It is not known whether they can eat them or not.

In this era, even the two basic vegetables, potatoes and corn, are not seen.Maybe it hasn't been introduced to China yet.Wanda vaguely remembered that these two plants spread from America to all over the world.

You must know that potatoes are a powerful tool for canteen dishes. Just such a thing can support more than half of the canteen.

Cut into shreds for vinegar, cut into pieces for stew, and if you are happy, you can put some milk to make mashed potatoes... Without potatoes, at least half of his cooking skills will be affected.

The more Wanda thought about it, the more sad she became.

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

Seeing the thick bruises under Wanda's big eyes, Deng Xiang asked with concern.

"Well……"

"Hey, did you hear that? Something happened at the East Factory."

After waiting for a long time, the boy Gaohui came out to say hello. Knowing the nature of his former subordinate, Deng Xiang had no choice but to pour himself a cup of tea, pull the wicker chair to one side, and sit down next to Wanda.

"East Factory? What's wrong with East Factory?"

"Eunuch Niu is the eunuch Niu Yu, the eunuch of the Supervisor of Rituals, who was sent to prison by their own people. I heard that it was the Dongchang Prison that went down overnight. The whole Dongchang Prison is now in chaos. The eunuch Huai En next to His Majesty is now rushing Go sit down."

The yamen of the East Police Factory is to the north of Dong'an Gate, which happens to be the area that Deng Zongqi is in charge of patrolling. He just came from there and got first-hand information.

It was only these two days that Wanda knew that spy work was only a small part of Jin Yiwei's complex work responsibilities.

On weekdays, there are also accusations of admirals and commanders of the five cities patrolling the city for defense, arresting robbers, and even maintaining the city's appearance and dredging Beijing's sewers...

It is simply a multi-functional department integrating police + urban management + environmental sanitation bureau.

How should I put it... Old Zhu's family is really good at squeezing employees.

And because the capital is an important place and there are many people, it is normal for this group of people to work.

In case of holidays or encountering foreign envoys paying tribute, sometimes it has to be zero and seven, and there is no such thing as overtime pay at all.

There are no five insurances, let alone one gold... Wanda once again realized that he was deceived by the image of the arrogant Jinyiwei in the movie, but they were all "urban workers".

"It is said that Eunuch Niu deceived the current emperor and the Queen Mother Zhou, and used his hands and feet to choose concubines for the emperor who was still the crown prince..."

He got up, leaned close to Wanda's ear, and whispered.

"Originally the empress dowager and the former emperor preferred the candidate for the concubine, not the current Empress Wu, but Empress Wang... Shhh, don't shout..."

Deng Xiang covered Wanda's half-open mouth.

"Empress...how is this possible?"

Reminiscent of what happened in Zhaode Palace yesterday, Wanda felt that something was wrong.

"This morning, Jin Yiwei dispatched a group of brothers to the Zuojun Commander's Mansion next door to pick someone up—the one who mentioned was Empress Wu's father, Wu Jun, who had just been promoted to Commander of the Zuojun."

Deng Xiang pouted angrily to the north, "Now he has been sent to Zhao Prison. It was Master Yuan who personally sent the abbot down, and now he is returning to the palace."

"The head of the country has been..."

isn't it?

Although the Gong Dou yesterday was bloody and lively, Wanda really didn't see any conspiracy!Why did the plot speed up to this point after only one night?

Yesterday Empress Wu beat her sister up for kidnapping, today the dignified father-in-law was sent to Zhao Prison, and even the head of Dongchang, who was in charge of choosing concubines and marriages, was arrested.

What the hell is the emperor's brother-in-law going to do?

----------------

Three days later, an edict tied with a colored thread was held in Jinfeng's mouth and placed on the Dragon Court of the Meridian Gate.

"I complied with the orders of the first emperor and the empress dowager. I begged Shuxian, and appointed the empress. The eunuch Niu Yu, with his own selfishness, gave and received privately. The Wang family who retired from the empress dowager's original preference was recommended by the Wu family. The queen mother of the two palaces today.

Wu's behavior is vulgar, not following etiquette, and morality is not worthy.How can the mother honor the world and inherit the ancestral worship together?Now I have no choice but to ask the queen mothers of the two palaces to accept their treasures, abolish their successors, demote them to common people, and retire to other palaces.

Eunuch Niu Yu, privately changing the order of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager, was punished to guard the grave in Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, and he was never allowed to enter Beijing as a punishment.

This edict! "

The day the edict was issued was August 22, the eighth year of Tianshun.On the third day after Wanda entered the palace last time, exactly one month had passed since the grand wedding ceremony of the emperor and empress.

In just one month, the most honorable woman in the Ming Dynasty was deprived of her post, demoted to a commoner, fell from a high cloud to the ground, was expelled from the Forbidden City, and was imprisoned in the Imperial City West Garden In the cold palace.

Her father and brothers who were engraved by Enyin were all sent to Dengzhou to be exiled into the army, and some of the female family members were sent to the Jiaofang Division as official prostitutes, or into the palace's clothes bureau as slaves.

A month ago, the Wu family's mansion was the powerful and powerful Guozhang's mansion, but now it has been completely confiscated, and even the vegetable sellers are unwilling to go to the door.

"Look... this is the younger brother of that Wan Niangniang. It's still Jin Yiwei..."

"Don't offend him, or you won't know how to die!"

Nanxunfang, where the Wanjia Xinlebo Mansion is located, is surrounded by houses of high officials and dignitaries.Wanda neither rides a horse, nor takes a sedan chair, nor does she bring a servant with her when she goes out. She walks back and forth alone to and from get off work every day. Passing by the backyards of those big families, you can often see gossips gathering at the back door of the house. people.

As soon as the emperor's decree issued yesterday, he felt their strange eyes when he returned home.

It was an unprecedented anecdote that the newly appointed empress was deposed for a month, and it was too shocking.

News soon spread from the inner court that Empress Wu was rejected by the emperor because she flogged Wan Niangniang.

For the fact that the emperor fell in love with this maid who was over 35 years old, in the eyes of these courtiers who were full of Confucianism, it was simply absurd.For such a court lady, to casually depose the mother of a country is to risk the displeasure of the world.

Soon, in the discussions of the inner court and the former court, the incident of abolishing the empress became a disastrous concubine Wan Zhen'er deliberately provoked the young and naive Empress Wu. Empress abandoned.

"My family should be No.1 on the list of evil forces in Beijing..."

Wanda walked into the Jinyiwei Yamen dejectedly, and heaved a long sigh.

Recalling the dangerous and calculating eyes that my sister showed in Zhaode Palace that day.Wanda had to admit in his heart that Wan Zhen'er must have contributed to the abolition of the Wu family.

But in the final analysis, all this is the emperor's intention, isn't it?

No matter how capable my sister is, Zhu Jianshen was the one who wrote the abolishment edict.

According to Deng Xiang, Niu Yu arranged for Wu's succession, and Niu Yu was the eunuch who was the supervisor of ceremonies in the period of the first emperor, and the factory owner of Dongchang, who had received the edict of the first emperor.

He took refuge in the first emperor during the "Change of Seizing the Gate", and since then his official career has been magnanimous, and even Li Xian, the elder of the court, respects him three points.He has a wide network of contacts inside and outside the court, and his power is astonishing.

One of the reasons for the emperor's move is to abolish Empress Wu, who did not please him...

Most importantly, he should want to take back the rights bestowed on Niu Yu by the late emperor, and replace someone he trusts with the position of Lord Dongchang...

After thinking about this, Wanda raised his head, looked at the cloudless sky above Beijing, smelled the faint scent of osmanthus in the air, and shook his head involuntarily.

The water in this capital city is really too deep. It is said that they are relatives of the emperor, but it turned out that they were not plotted against.

Empress Wu's family was plotted, so why was he not included in Zhu Jianshen's plot?

Wanda doesn't mind being the emperor's banner, but she doesn't want to be a murderous knife.

But is it up to him to choose?

Thinking back, it's better to live in Bazhou City...

The only thing I worry about every day is firewood, rice, oil and salt, and what I see is the life of the people full of fireworks.

----------------

After working in the kitchen for a while, Wanda shook off her sore arms from kneading dough, and walked dejectedly through the side hall, only to hear bursts of hearty laughter coming from there.

"Brother, you are back! You must go to the dining room to have a good meal in a while, and now our dining room food is ready!"

Recognizing Gao Hui's voice, Wanda couldn't help but listen more.

Okay, who is he eating in the Amway cafeteria?

"That place in Guangxi is full of miasma, and tigers and leopards are rampant. You have been there for so long, and you don't know how to write a letter back. We are always worried."

This is Deng Xiang talking.

"It's mainly related to military affairs, so it's inconvenient..."

Another strange voice came from inside.

It sounds pretty good.

Wanda's curiosity was completely aroused, and she slowly moved her head towards the door frame.

"Where did the little thief come from?"

The next moment, he felt his back collar being lifted and slipped, and then he was lifted into the air and dragged into the side hall.