第68章 五万石粮食毁于一旦

Chapter 68 : 50,000 dan of Grain Destroyed

The basket was covered with a thick layer of gauze, and the surrounding area was so tightly covered that it was impossible to tell what was inside.

Cao Zhong Quan is overjoyed. His Majesty hasn’t had a meal since this morning. The food made by this Niang Niang has always been a favorite of the Emperor, so he immediately picked up the two baskets.

“Wait a minute, if it would be better for me to leave a note. Eunuch Cao, do you have a pen, inkstone, and paper here?” Lu Yunluo thought about it. She thinks it would be better to leave a note.

Eunuch Cao asked one of the eunuchs at the door to fetch a pair of pens and ink.

After Lu Yunluo finished writing it, she stuffed it into the gap beside the handle of the basket. 

After giving another explanation, he went back to the Cold Palace.

Inside the imperial study room, 

The heavy pressure was terribly low.

The officials shivered and knelt on the ground.

On the ground not far away, there were still a number of broken tea cups. 

The minister kneeling at the nearest front, with blood still gurgling on his forehead, knelt on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

Ji Wu Jue, dressed in dark purple brocade with rolled edges, was seated above him, his demonically handsome face with lingering anger, his gaze sweeping at the officials below.

Because of this drought, the price of food has risen in many places, and with enemy spies secretly buying food at high prices with malicious intent, the price of food in the areas around the capital has started to remain high.

Many people could not afford to buy food, and just yesterday, people had actually died of starvation!

　

Yesterday, it was ordered to open the state treasury’s granaries and transport a portion to the surrounding areas to provide relief to the poor people.

But who knew that after the first barn was opened, the grain would all become mouldy and wormy, and the entire 50,000 dan of grain would be ruined because of poor storage.

The entire 50,000 dan (a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 liters or 176 pints), that’s a year’s ration for 10,000 people!

It was unexpectedly destroyed by these bastards!

How could Ji Wu Jue not be angry?

The one minister kneeling at the front was Wang Xingzhi, Minister of Revenue, a first-ranking civil official who was in charge of the silver or money taxes of the Dong Lan Kingdom as well as the country’s granaries.

He has to bear the blame for the accident that happened to the grain this time.

He felt bad about having failed the common people! He was ashamed to face the world! Ashamed to be the Emperor!

The blood on his head blurred his eyes, but he remained on his knees, not daring to move.

The imperial study was surprisingly quietened for a moment.

Ji Wu Jue leaned back in the mahogany chair behind him with his eyes closed and what he was thinking about was unknown.

When Cao Zhong Quan saw this, he immediately came forward with a basket, “Your Majesty, Niang Niang has specially brought you some hand-made food from the Cold Palace, do you want to try it?”

He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the basket in Cao Zhong Quan’s hand.

“Present it.” He pinched his brow, having dealt with these bastards, he was indeed a little hungry at the moment.

Cao Zhong Quan, who was standing by the side, immediately had bowls and chopsticks handed over, then uncovered the gauze on top of the basket, revealing the steaming, white, fat steamed stuffed buns inside.

Cao Zhong Quan was stunned.

What kind of food is this?

Ji Wu Jue only raised his eyebrows slightly, and directly reached out to take one, which was soft and sweet in the mouth, but chewy to eat, and after one went down and entered his stomach, he felt particularly full.

It was the first time he had seen such food.

His eyes fell on another basket and he said to Cao Zhong Quan, “See what’s in there?”

Cao Zhong Quan removed the gauze from the basket and found the same steaming hot fluffy plumpy white food inside, but in a slightly different shape than the one he had just seen.

The one he had just eaten was square shaped, but the ones inside were round, with a little bit of  wrinkled circular decorative pattern on top.

Ji Wu Jue took another one and with one bite, he realized that this round one had a filling inside, which was tender and juicy in the mouth, with a soft texture, leaving a rich aftertaste. 

The taste is unexpectedly and unusually good.

The smell of the meat buns immediately filled the entire imperial study.