"Thank you, Duke Xie Fang, thank you, Duke Fang Jun!"
The citizens all knelt down in gratitude as they watched the official being escorted away by the Hundred Riders Division.
When had an official ever shown them such high regard, even bringing out the glory of their ancestors to vindicate them?
Many of these citizens didn't even know that their ancestors had produced great figures.
"Get up, everyone! Get up quickly!" Fang Er and Fang Xuanling rushed forward, helping up some of the older people.
Yan Shuangying, Su Feng, and the clerks from the Ministry of Revenue also quickly followed. With the big shots moving, it would be inappropriate for them to just stand there.
"Duke Fang, are these dried fish truly for us to fill our stomachs?"
The old man surnamed Zhang excitedly grabbed Fang Xuanling's arm to confirm.
Dried fish like this, let alone with the current natural disaster, even in years of normal harvest, it was not always possible to eat. This was simply unbelievable.
"Yes, so please inform each other and live your lives peacefully. The court will certainly not let you go hungry."
Fang Xuanling tried his best to appease the old man surnamed Zhang, fearing that the elderly man might pass out from excitement.
This was no joke. In times of natural disaster, having something to eat was a life-saving grace.
The citizens looked at the long procession of carts on the street. On them were boxes upon boxes of dried fish!
These were the hope for survival.
After appeasing old man Zhang, Fang Xuanling waved his hand at the officials.
"Put them in the warehouse!"
"Yes!"
The clerks led the procession to the Grand Granary, and the citizens also followed them.
After the procession and the citizens had left, Fang Xuanling and Fang Er, along with a box of dried fish they had just opened, entered the imperial palace.
Inside the Hall of Two Extremes, Li Shimin looked at the firm dried fish, his face beaming with joy.
"Hahahaha! Indeed, heaven never closes all doors!"
"Anzhi has made a great contribution this time."
"To use meat for disaster relief, unprecedented in ancient times, today we have set a precedent!"
"Someone!"
"Your humble servant is here!" Deng Dengjie bowed in response from the side.
"Send all the dried fish to the Imperial Kitchen, have them all prepared, and then summon the ministers of all departments to the capital to taste them with the Duke!"
"With natural disasters upon us, why not eat meat porridge! Hahahaha!"
"Why not eat meat porridge?" This was originally a foolish saying by Emperor Hui of Jin, but now, it had become feasible!
In thousands of years, what emperor could have achieved this?
Thinking of this, Li Shimin felt his heart surge and couldn't help but want to find someone to brag to.
Soon, the Dukes residing in the capital one by one arrived at the Hall of Two Extremes.
Du Ruhui, Xiao Yu, Changsun Wuji, Yu Shinan, Liu Zhenghui, Li Ji, Li Jing, a total of seventeen or eighteen people.
"Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty!"
"Hahahaha, rise quickly."
"My lords, today is a good day, a great day!"
Li Shimin smiled, picked up a dried fish he had left from the box on his imperial desk, and threw it to the crowd.
"Look at this, what is it."
Li Jing stepped forward, caught the dried fish, and examined it. The skin of the dried fish had been removed, and the head and tail were gone. It looked much like a wooden board.
It could be seen as meat, but what kind of meat was unclear.
Finally, he asked a guard for a short knife, shaved off a piece, and put it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he looked at Li Shimin with confusion.
"Your Majesty, this is dried fish?"
"To mobilize all the old comrades in the capital like this, I thought there was a war, but it turned out to be for a piece of dried fish?"
"Hahahaha, it is indeed dried fish!"
"Do you know what 'why not eat meat porridge' means?"
Li Shimin stroked his beard and looked at everyone with a smile.
Yu Shinan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "We naturally know this allusion."
"This saying comes from the 'Book of Jin: Annals of Emperor Hui': The Emperor was once in the Hua Lin Garden and heard the croaking of toads, and said to his attendants, 'Do these creatures sing for the government or privately?' Some replied, 'They sing privately when on private land, and for the government when on government land.' When the world was in chaos and the people were starving to death, the Emperor said, 'Why not eat meat porridge?' Such was their ignorance."
"It is said that one year there was a famine, and the people had no grain to eat, so they had to dig for grass roots and eat bark, and many people starved to death as a result."
"The news was quickly reported to the palace. Emperor Hui of Jin sat on his high throne and listened to the ministers' reports with great bewilderment."
"The kind Emperor Hui of Jin sincerely wanted to do something for his people. After much deliberation, he finally came up with a solution: 'The people are hungry and have no rice to eat, why don't they eat meat porridge?'"
"So, when a drought strikes, why not let the people eat meat porridge?" Li Shimin said with a showy demeanor, extremely smug.
Fang Er: "......"
Fang Xuanling: "......"
The Dukes: "......"
"His Majesty's expression right now is so punchable!"
Fang Er and Fang Xuanling were fine, but the Dukes stared at Li Shimin as if he were an idiot.
"This Emperor, has his brain been kicked by a donkey?"
"Damn it, there's not enough food to eat, and you want to eat meat?"
"Come, Anzhi, tell them how much dried fish you brought back this time!"
Li Shimin took a cigar from a box on the corner of his imperial desk, lit it, and instead of sitting on a chair, he directly plopped himself onto the imperial desk.
At this moment, he felt more impressive than Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han!
Those two great figures were accomplished in battle, but their civil administration was far inferior to his. The simple phrase "why not eat meat porridge" was something they could not achieve in their lifetime!
"Ten million catties!" Fang Er could only cooperate.
"This person has changed..."
He was no longer the Li Shimin they first met, but a completely different person.
A person who loved to act arrogant!
"What!"
"Ten million catties?"
"Are you sure it's not a thousand catties, not ten thousand catties, but ten million catties?"
"Oh my god! Where did you get this from?"
"Young Fang, didn't you just talk big last time? You actually managed to get so much fish?"
The Dukes instantly exploded, their eyes wide like ox eyes, staring at Fang Er.
This was too outrageous. In such a short time, ten million catties, and dried fish at that.
After boiling, three taels of dried fish would be enough to fill an adult's stomach.
"It is indeed ten million catties of dried fish, and it has already been stored in the Grand Granary," Fang Xuanling was also forced to play along, acting as a foil for Li Shimin.
"Hiss...!"
The crowd accepted this fact, but they also gasped in shock.
Li Shimin was very satisfied with their reaction. He put his left hand on his hip and pointed with his right hand, holding the cigar, towards the Imperial Kitchen.
"I have ordered people to prepare fish porridge. Later, everyone will taste how the dried fish Anzhi brought back this time is."
"As those in power, we should dare to be the first in the world."
"Therefore, I summoned everyone here to taste it on behalf of the people first. If it's good, we'll distribute it."
"If it's not good, I'll lead by example, save the grain in the palace, eat dried fish, and let the people eat grain!"
"I also hope you all will be role models for the officials. What do you all think?"
"Your Majesty's command is superior to that of Yao and Shun!"
As a good foil, Fang Er cleverly offered a compliment.
"Your Majesty's command is superior to that of Yao and Shun!"
The Dukes echoed in unison, their shouts echoing for a hundred meters.