Great Zhou Empress

The construction of the two capitals is very fast. On the side of Wanguo City, the places other than the imperial palace and administrative units are built by merchants themselves, and they all build their own houses naturally and quickly. On the other side of the capital of Liao Kingdom, they go The simple and atmospheric style, the speed is not slow.

People also slowly gathered, especially businessmen from all over the world gradually gathered, and the whole city began to have a different style. For example, when you turned a street, you found that the architectural form of the houses suddenly changed, full of exotic customs. .

Some ministers really couldn't stand it anymore, and asked Xue Zhijing to let foreigners build houses in the same style as Dazhou, just like they did in Bianjing. To build a house, as long as the style of the house meets the safety regulations, you can build it, and it doesn’t have to be built in the style of Dazhou, there are many kinds, and it’s pretty good, right?”

The life between the two capitals gradually appeared in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Bianjing City is still the economic center of the whole country, relying on sufficient water transportation capacity to siphon the economy and materials of the entire South and Nanyang countries, while Wanguo City is more oriented to the In the north, many countries from the Western Regions who came via Xia Kingdom and Liao Kingdom would go directly to Wanguo City for transactions.

In addition to the two express carriageways between Wanguo City and Bianjing, there is also a traditional carriageway that can accommodate ten carriages in parallel. One takes two to three days, but if you pay a fee and take the fast carriageway, it only takes one day.

Xue Zhijing is even considering whether to build a north-south canal to connect the two capitals, but the south-to-north water transport project will be a big project in later generations, and she doesn't know if her craftsmen in Dazhou can realize it. After all, this kind of canal It’s not just about digging a ditch, but the source and fluidity of the water involved are complicated.

Relying on the traffic, the two sides of the fast horse lane and the galloping lane became a bustling area. The surrounding townships and one or two state capitals expanded rapidly, relying on this passageway to become a large town, and all kinds of people radiated around. Large commercial area.

The branch campus of the Royal Comprehensive University has also been built. The branch campus here is not as big as Bianjing City, because Xue Zhijing didn't want to build it into the main campus at all. Although she hopes to live here for a long time, the geographical conditions of Wanguo City are not as good as Bianjing City. Well, not suitable for long-term capital use.

Therefore, this branch school has only built a school with a maximum capacity of 3 people. The number of people is already quite a lot in this era. In this era, there are many academies with only a few hundred students in school, and they can call themselves big academies. .The Guozijian of the former Dacheng Dynasty could only accommodate [-] students at most. In the Zhou Dynasty, the Guozijian naturally ceased to exist, and they all came to the Royal Comprehensive University.

Xue Zhijing and Xiao Liege took Xiao Derui for a walk in the branch school. Xue Zhijing didn't think of himself as an emperor at all, but just took his wife and nephew to visit his future school, acting as a tour guide.

"This building is the School of Economics and History. The overall structure is based on the main campus of Bianjing City. In the future, many branch schools will be copied according to this specification. When students see such an architectural style in the future, they will definitely think of the school. .”

Probably because of a change of environment, the young Xiao Derui was very excited. Looking at the teaching building, he said with a smile, "It looks very simple."

"It's so exquisite, it's all hidden," Xue Zhijing pointed to the eaves at the corner, "That place looks like a simple eaves, but the inside is complicated, one layer after another, and finally such a place is built. Tight eaves, but I didn't let me decorate them with scarce items, I painted them black, so it doesn't look very conspicuous."

Walking forward, Xue Zhijing said, "I think the emperor of the Liao Kingdom can mainly study in the School of Economics and History, and you can choose some courses that you are interested in in the rest of the School of Engineering, School of Medicine, and School of Music."

Speaking of Xiao Derui's studies, Xiao Liege asked nervously, "What is the study plan you gave him like?"

Xue Zhijing said with a smile, "You will know in a while."

The three of them went to an auditorium with their attendants, and when they walked outside, they heard fierce voices inside, Xiao Liege looked at Xue Zhijing, Xue Zhijing smiled mysteriously.

The three of them did not go in directly, but peeked at the back door. The people inside seemed to be debating. There were two rows on the left and right, and a group of spectators below.

There is a big white hanging cloth hanging on the back, with a line of words written on it, "Is the way of university for profit? Is it for righteousness?"

Seeing that Xiao Liege seemed suspicious, Xue Zhijing approached her ear, and his warm voice reached her ears.

"I changed the form of the previous lecture hall and made it into a debate form. The students are free to combine and form two teams with opposite ideas, and then have a collision of thinking. It must be meaningful. Through this form, Students can collide with the depth of thinking to the greatest extent."

Xiao Liege: ""

"Xiao Derui has a lot of content since elementary school. He needs independent thinking ability and problem-solving ability. From now on, he will have to participate in a debate every month."

Xiao Liege felt belatedly, maybe this is really a way to let Xiao Derui grow up quickly.

"Also, he also wants to join the polo club. I have already found a good player in the army and hired him to be a polo coach. Xiao Derui has to be a young player and participate in training."

Xiao Liege nodded.

"Afterwards, I also arranged some outdoor courses for the students, not just the kind where the nobles go hunting in the mountains and forests collectively, it is probably to circle a place and hide some things in it, and then let the students cooperate collectively, Look for the signs and end up getting those things."

Xiao Liege continued to nod vigorously.

When she was young, she followed her brother to survive in the wild, and she learned all kinds of skills in this way. Because her nephew was young and a little fat when he was a child, he would pant after running for two steps. I wanted to wait for him to grow up. The ones who are physically stronger will take him for a walk, but later Xiao Liege's elder brother passed away, and Xiao Liege was busy with the government affairs of the court, so he didn't have time to take care of Xiao Derui.

Xiao Derui was thus arranged to be an international student of the Royal Comprehensive University. He would have a separate small courtyard and strict security in the school. If he wanted, he could also go to and from the accompanying capital of the Liao Kingdom every day.

Xiao Liege threw him here so happily.

In the evening, Xiao Liege and Xue Zhijing had dinner together in Xue Zhijing's new bedroom and study in the palace.

Interestingly, Xue Zhijing specially arranged a barbecue banquet today.

The place where the two were sitting was an open room, and outside the room was a platform, on which the imperial chef was cooking roast lamb for the two of them.

The method is very simple, even the grill is made of freshly cut twigs, tied up with rattan and standing there in a triangular shape. The firewood is naturally firewood, and the lamb on it is handled very cleanly. The chef kept shaking and wearing it while cooking Pass the lamb sticks so that the lamb is fully grilled.

The smell of mutton mixed with the smell of charcoal roasting wafted in, making Xiao Liege's mouth water.

"Why do you eat so much today?"

"Today is your first day to eat in my new house, and I specially entertain you with roast lamb from your Liao Kingdom." Xue Zhijing smiled and poured her wine, "But this wine is not something you often drink, this It's a wine newly sold from the Western Regions, it's very strong, and it's specially reserved for you."

Xiao Liege stared at Xue Zhijing pouring wine for her, and said with disgust, "Hmph, it's obviously through our Liao Kingdom, but the wine is not sold to the Liao Kingdom, but to you instead."

Xue Zhijing looked at her from the corner of his eyes and smiled, not paying attention to her sourness, "Commodity sales has its own rules, just like water, it always flows down, and commodities are always willing to bid Higher and more demanding places, you Liao people like to drink kumiss on the one hand, and on the other hand, you can pay a slightly lower price, so naturally the traders are willing to sell it to Dazhou."

Xiao Liege looked at the red wine in the bowl and took a deep breath.

Xue Zhijing sat and looked at her, and joked, "My little darling, you look very much like the kind of old god who lives in the deep mountains and is especially good at wine."

Xiao Liege raised his eyes and looked at her strangely, "Old Immortal? Why?"

Xue Zhijing is waiting for her right here, "He is addicted to alcohol, and he is unparalleled in beauty!"

Xiao Liege's face, once again following Xue Zhijing's words, slowly approached red.

Xue Zhijing no longer teased her, knowing that Xiao Liege is still a cute little girl to her after many years, shy at every turn, which is interesting.

She raised her own wine bowl as a signal, and Xiao Liege also raised her own wine bowl, the two bowls touched in the air, and then Xiao Liege happily tasted it.

"how?"

Xiao Liege's face burst into smiles, "Sure enough."

Xue Zhijing said with a smile, "Recently, a team in the medical school is researching distilling wine for disinfection. The wine that comes out is very strong. It is estimated that two or three bowls can make a strong man drunk."

"Get drunk after two or three bowls?" Xiao Liege didn't believe it, she picked up the wine bowl, "Just this? I can drink more than a dozen bowls."

Xue Zhijing said, "I asked students from the engineering school and the medical school to do experiments together. The strength of different wines should be able to distinguish a number. After all, water and wine are always together with water. If we can distinguish between them The ratio of wine to water can measure the strength of the wine. For example, if the wine we drink is 60%, that is, [-]% of it is water and [-]% is wine, maybe the distilled wine It is more than [-] degrees, or even higher, if all the water is evaporated, it will be pure wine."

Xiao Liege was a little excited when he heard it, "That's so exciting."

"If there is a good wine, I will let you taste it as soon as possible." Xue Zhijing said.

"Okay."

The palace maids brought up the freshly stir-fried dishes like a stream of water. They were all seasonal vegetables combined with stir-fried pork or mutton slices. Because Xue Zhijing had a strong preference for refreshing stir-fried dishes, he was not afraid of waiting, so the royal chefs got used to Xue’s cooking every day. I know the spot dishes and how they are fried.

In the old palace, there were many people, and the emperors and concubines could not tell what they wanted to eat at any time, so the imperial chefs kept steamed vegetables in the kitchen all the year round, but many steamed vegetables could not be fried fresh.

While picking up a side dish for Xiao Liege, Xue Zhijing wondered, should the Royal Maritime Caravan try to find a way to America?A few years ago, Zhao Wutong's adventurous pirate went there, but she got a loan, but she didn't know what happened next, whether she went or not.

Xiao Liege was obedient, and she ate when Xue Zhijing brought her vegetables, but she still glanced at the roasted mutton outside from time to time, and she could tell by the smell, "It's almost ready."

Xue Zhijing joked with a smile, "It is said that people's tastes are developed from childhood. What you eat when you are a child will be what you like when you grow up. Sure enough, you grew up eating roasted mutton. You really change everything. Without this love."

"Our grassland children all grew up eating mutton. What about you, what do you like to eat?"

"Me, I love everything, I have no particular preference."

Suddenly, Xue Zhijing thought of something, "Some time ago, a group of foreigners came from a continent farther west of the Great Food Kingdom. They were all black. The leader gave me a basket of their special drink, which is similar to tea. I Name it coffee, and you'll have to try it later."

"Coffee? Okay." How did Xiao Liege hear it? There was only one bag. After Xue Zhijing asked the chef to fry it, he stayed by himself. He didn't dare to drink too much, for fear that he would miss it if he ran out of it. Tian Shouyu was still there. Trying to grow it.

The chef carefully sliced ​​the roasted mutton, put it on a beautiful white porcelain plate and presented it, but Xiao Liege said with disgust, "Jing, you, you are so rough when roasted, but when you serve it up It’s so delicate, it doesn’t taste like that.”

Xue Zhijing said angrily, "Okay, tomorrow you will send me a stack of tableware from your Liao Kingdom, and I will use all your Liao Kingdom tableware when you eat in the future."

Xiao Liege was grinning, but still holding the chopsticks to pick up the mutton, "Tsk tsk, I feel like the cook is getting better and better."

The maid brought roasted coffee beans and some utensils that Xue Zhijing asked to make.

Xue Zhijing brought the beans to Xiao Liege for her to see, Xiao Liege looked even weirder, "Eat?"

Xue Zhi nodded, "It's soaked in water to drink."

"Soaked in water?" Xiao Lie picked up a piece of coffee beans, thinking that since it can be soaked in water, it should be edible, so he carefully put it in his mouth, but in the end he was so tangled up in bitterness.

Xue Zhijing laughed, and Xiao Liege said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me it was bitter?"

"I see that you are very curious, so let you try it yourself."

"It's so bitter, how can I eat it?"

"Tea is also bitter, don't you enjoy drinking it too?"

Saying that, Xue Zhijing was about to grind it, although she didn't have the modern grinding tool, she used some substitutes, first used a tool like a pounding medicine to grind it roughly, and then used a grinding tool to grind it. way to turn it into a suitable powder.

The rest of the hand pouring utensils were specially made for her by Xue Zhijing.

The upper part of the filter cup is made of fired ceramics, this part is simple, white porcelain is enough, the lower part of the sharing pot Xue Zhijing wants full transparent glass, this is hard to break the craftsmen, and almost gave her a crystal instead Yes, it was finally made out, it probably has something to do with the raw material, it is not as transparent as the later ones, it has some yellow color, and it will show dreamy colors under the sun, Xue Zhijing thinks it is quite interesting.

There is no suitable filter paper, so she uses a pure white square towel instead, folds it and puts it in the filter cup, then puts in coffee powder, and slowly pours hot water into it with a kettle.

Seeing the amber liquid slowly dripping from the filter cup into the glass sharing pot below, Xiao Liege felt quite curious, after all the color is very special.

"I thought it was going to be black liquid."

Xue Zhijing put down the kettle, "With such a concentration, it can't be black."

Finally, the coffee liquid was almost low, and the filter cup was removed, Xue Zhijing poured out the coffee from the sharing pot, using a white porcelain cup with a tray, the amber liquid and the white porcelain cup matched each other very well.

Xiao Liege tentatively took a sip, his eyes and eyebrows wrinkled together, "It's disgusting, it's so bitter, it's like medicine."

"Do you feel a sense of regret?"

"Yes." Xiao Liege drank it for the first time, feeling a little disgusted.

Xue Zhijing sent someone to bring milk and cream, first poured some milk into Xiao Liege's cup, and then spread a layer of cream on top with a spoon, "Taste now!"

Xiao Liege looked at the familiar cream, picked it up and took another sip, this time she smacked her mouth, "Not bad, it tastes different from milk tea, and it's not bitter anymore."

Seeing Xiao Liege's upper lip stained with cream, Xue Zhijing thought of some nasty skits she had seen before, which seemed to have similar plots, but before she could act, she saw Xiao Liege sticking out his tongue, With one swipe, the cream on the lips is wiped away.

Xue Zhijing took a deep breath.

Xiao Liege looked at her strangely, "Why are you looking at me like that, did I get something on my face?"

"No." Xue Zhijing called the people around him to go out, patted his leg towards Xiao Liege, "Come here."

"Why?" Even though he asked, Xiao Liege stood up immediately, walked over obediently, and sat on Xue Zhijing's lap.

Xue Zhijing hugged Xiao Liege's waist, and let out a long sigh of relief, "Huh!"

"what happened?"

Xue Zhijing leaned against her, smiled and said, "You look so cute drinking coffee, just now I wanted to help you lick the cream off your lips."

"..."

Xiao Liege had a strange expression on his face, and began to say embarrassingly, "No way."

It's just that when she said this, she shrank her whole body into Xue Zhijing's arms like a puppy.

Anyway, the people around her had already been dismissed, so she could act coquettishly in front of Xue Zhijing to her heart's content without worrying about her own face.

Xue Zhijing caressed her waist with his nose in Xiao Liege's hair, and said with a smile, "I'm very happy, I think we can be together for a long time in the future, don't worry about you leaving at any time, Don't worry about anything else."