Cowardly Stepmother Dressed As the Hero

The further north you go, the drier and colder the weather gets.

Fortunately, it was early spring when Cao Mi and his party set off. After walking for half a month, they crashed into the spring rain. When the weather is clear, there will be more flowers and birdsong to accompany you on the journey.

Because of the rain, I was trapped in the carriage for several days, and it was finally clear that the weather was fine. When the convoy stopped to rest, Cao Mi decided to go directly to eat outside.

It was the first time for the children to go out, and they were free at this time, and a big rooster with brightly colored tails on the side of the road could make them exclaim for a long time. The big rooster was obviously domesticated. Looking at the Beian Prince's Mansion and his party stationed by the roadside, he didn't flinch. Instead, he probed his brain several times, trying to pick up something cheap from the temporary stove.

Cao Mi saw that the twins were very curious about it, so he asked Dongli to grab a small handful of unhulled bran rice for each of them. The two little ones got together and started to feed the chickens.

The eldest, Qi Rui, had no energy, and yawned obediently beside Cao Mi.

Cao Mi was a little worried about him.

They have been on the road for over a month. During the trip, the diet of the three children was more or less affected, which was also Cao Mi's greatest concern.

But now it seems that there is no problem with the twins, only the trend of lateral development has stalled slightly. And Qi Rui, who had finally gained some weight by her, was visibly thinner.

At this time, Cao Mi saw his lack of energy, and remembered the recent reduction in his appetite, and asked, "Rui'er, is the recent meal unpalatable?"

Qi Rui looked at her, and Cao Mi added, "You haven't eaten much recently, and you've lost a little weight."

Qi Rui thought for a while, then nodded and admitted, "It's not delicious."

"After all, it's better than being in Fuzhong on the road." Cao Mi thought about it, "What do you want to eat, when you get to the next town, your mother will let them buy it and take it with you on the road."

Qi Rui thought about it for a while, and then replied, "...I don't know either, but I just feel that the food I've been eating lately is a bit boring."

Cao Mi nodded thoughtfully.

She actually has some opinions on her recent diet too.

After more than a month of trekking, the sauerkraut and bacon carried by the palace have been exhausted. Although passing through towns along the way, the convoy will stop to replenish, but there are always a few good foods to carry.

Even if the chefs of the palace pass the test, they will not be able to play any tricks.

Just thinking about it, Cao Mi suddenly recalled something.

She pretended to smile at Qi Rui mysteriously, and said, "I'll have dinner later, my mother will find something different for you."

After she finished speaking, she turned to Dongli and asked her to go to the cook and take out a jar of the moldy tofu she had marinated before.

Dongli was very efficient, and after a while, a black jar was sent to Cao Mi.

Moldy tofu, also known as fermented bean curd.

Earlier, when Cao Mi was still in the palace, Liu Ge improved the stone mill, and when Cao Mi moved his lips, the tofu came out of the kitchen.

But after the tofu was made, Cao Mi found out that there are few kinds of seasonings in this world. She had tofu when she had time, but she couldn't make the delicious taste of her previous life. In addition, several children are young and do not eat too many soy products, so she forgot tofu.

When she was about to leave the capital, she remembered this, and then ordered the kitchen staff to make moldy tofu from a batch of beans that could not be taken away from the house.

Calculated now, this batch of moldy tofu has been marinated for a full month and is ready to eat.

Cao Mi personally opened the jar, took a pair of chopsticks, and took out a piece of moldy tofu from the jar.

Seeing the appearance of this moldy tofu, Cao Mi felt a little helpless.

This batch of moldy tofu did not sell well.

There is no chili in this world, and Cao Mi has nowhere to find chili noodles to pickle.

The surface of the fermented fermented bean curd is orange in color, and the inside is white, and the yellow and white are mixed, which is not enough to arouse people's appetite.

Cao Mi put the moldy tofu he picked out on a plate, smelled it carefully, then picked a little bit with chopsticks and put it in his mouth to taste. When the cook next to her saw it, she couldn't help but exclaimed, "Princess!"

"I still feel something is missing..." Cao Mi put down his chopsticks, calmly took a water bag from the side and took a few sips, and then asked the cook next to him, "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Uh... slave, slave..." The cook hesitated for a while, and finally asked, "Is this thing edible?"

This batch of moldy tofu was made by the cook. Others may not be very clear, but she can clearly remember that the batch of tofu was put into moldy and hairy, before being sent to the jar for pickling.

Seeing Cao Mi bring this kind of "over-haired" food into her mouth, her surprise was self-evident.

Cao Mi nodded to her and smiled, "Of course you can."

At this time, the twins had finished feeding the rice in their hands and came back to look for Cao Mi.

The third child saw the chopsticks in Cao Mi's hand, his eyes lit up, he rushed forward and shouted, "Mother, I want to eat too, I'm hungry!"

This eager energy, no wonder he is still in shape on the road.

Cao Mi kept calm, took a pair of new chopsticks, picked a little bit of tofu and fed it to the three children's mouths. Unsurprisingly, the three children's faces were wrinkled.

"So salty, so salty!" The second child Qi An was so salty that he jumped.

Cao Mi asked Dongli to feed them water while showing a successful mischief smile.

After this trouble, Qi Rui and Qi An no longer liked this thing, and ran away after drinking water.

However, the most greedy one licked his tongue and tasted the unique fresh and salty bean fragrance after the moldy tofu was diluted with water.

He probed his brain beside Cao Mi, as if hesitating whether he should come again.

Cao Mi waved his hand at him amusingly, "Okay, don't worry about it for now. This should be eaten with porridge, or used for cooking."

Qi Ran stared wide-eyed and asked obediently, "Can you eat it later?"

Cao Mi nodded, "Yes."

After getting the promise, Qi Ran turned around and went to find his two brothers.

After he left, Cao Mi brought the jar of moldy tofu and the cook to the stove.

After this encounter, the cook finally believed that this thing was edible.

After all, everyone in the house knew that the princess attached great importance to the three children, and she could never feed the children bad things.

The cook took the opportunity to pick out some moldy tofu and tasted it. After frowning by the saltiness, she really felt the aftertaste of the bean fragrance. Now, she was really relieved.

So next Cao Mi's instructions, she carefully remembered.

The fermented bean curd is not anything expensive, and the most valuable ingredient is a small amount of liquor needed before marinating. Before leaving the palace, Cao Mi had marinated several jars. At this time, he was not stingy, and asked the cook to give everyone a taste.

The cook nodded, and according to Cao Mi's teaching, used moldy tofu as a condiment, fried a few plates of wild vegetables, and stewed some meat.

For a time, a strange salty fragrance wafted in the motorcade of the Bei'an Prince's Mansion.

Qi Ran sat down at the table early, craned his neck and waited eagerly for the dishes. The second child, Qi An, said that he was unpromising, but he was hooked and looked forward to it.

Not far from them, dishes with a bean fragrance were also delivered to the tables of Qi Wu and various soldiers.

Qi Wu took a sniff and quickly found two dishes that tasted different from usual.

It is rumored that there are ten cronies who have followed him since childhood. They are named from one to ten according to their age. These ten people are good at different things and have different divisions of labor. Cao Mi has met in the palace, and Qi San, who is rumored to be good at interrogation, is one of them.

Qi Wu is a confidant of Qi You in the military camp.

This time, Qi You went to Liaozhou and was sealed. In addition to the upper and lower palaces, he also took away 500 soldiers who belonged to him.

This group of soldiers was divided into two groups. The vanguard team set off earlier than Cao Mi and the others, and would go to Liaozhou first, while the others were led by Qi Wu, who followed around the Wangfu convoy and also served as guards.

This unit is full of warriors, and there are no logisticians. He usually uses the dry food he carries with him every day to provide food and clothing, but after Cao Mi found out, as long as he has the conditions, he will ask the cook in the house to make their portion as well.

At this time, several dishes were served, and Qi Wu said with great interest: "It's obviously the same amaranth as yesterday, why does it taste so strange today?"

A subordinate who knew the whole story smiled and replied, "I heard that the cook said that it was a new meal specially given by the princess."

"It's the princess again!" Before Qi Wu could speak, the deputy on his right suddenly muttered.

Seeing this, Qi Wu laughed, "Why, are you still not satisfied with the new menu? Who has been complaining to me that the mouth is fading out of the bird these days?"

The deputy glanced at him resentfully, and placed his chopsticks on a few dishes without the aroma of beans, apparently deliberately not wanting to accept Cao Mi's favor.

He swallowed a mouthful of rice and complained, "I don't know who caused the bird to fade out of my mouth."

For soldiers like them, if they catch up with resting in the wild during their normal journey, someone will search nearby and hunt some game to improve their food.

The snow had not yet melted, and most of them were walking on roads, so they didn't have much chance to hunt. But just a few days ago, the soldiers finally found the opportunity to hunt a few wild ducks and deer in the nearby mountains.

The soldiers didn't even think about eating alone, so they sent it to Cao Mi immediately.

But unexpectedly, Cao Mi not only confiscated this gesture, but found Qi You's side, and asked Qi You to put an end to the phenomenon of random hunting in the army on the grounds that "eating game is easy to catch a fever".

Qi You was strict in governing the army. Originally, he turned a blind eye to this kind of thing. At that time, when Cao Mi mentioned it solemnly, he felt that what she said was reasonable, so he agreed.

Since then, the only way for the soldiers to improve their food has been blocked.

This wouldn't make these people angry, but with a straight personality like Qi You's deputy, he had some opinions on the princess Cao Mi in his heart.

Qi Wu is a person from Qi You, of course, he can't see the situation getting worse. He patted his deputy's shoulder and said with a smile, "You big man, do you still care about this?"

On normal resting occasions, he used to eat and sleep with his subordinates. So when talking to his adjutant, there is no air at all.

After he finished speaking, he was the first to pick up the plate of amaranth with moldy tofu on it, and exclaimed: "If I were you, I would try to eat more. After all, it's the princess' thing, if you don't eat it, you won't eat it for nothing!"

After speaking, he put the dish in his mouth, thinking that no matter what the taste, he had to pretend to taste the unparalleled deliciousness.

But after the entrance, he was stunned for a moment.

Another subordinate next to him asked expectantly: "How? Is it delicious?"

"It's really delicious." Qi Wu replied.

He originally just wanted to make an appearance, but he didn't expect the taste in the mouth to be completely different from the dishes he had eaten before, "Um... very fragrant, like beans?"

He looked at the plate of amaranth suspiciously, "No, no..."

The person at the table with him was incited by his appearance, and finally began to move his chopsticks towards the dish.

"Hey, it's really good!"

"I've been eating all kinds of pig food these days, and I'm dead tired! I can finally have a good meal today!"

"Zanthoxylum bungeanum, definitely added Zanthoxylum bungeanum! Zanthoxylum bungeanum removes dampness, it just happened to be rainy and rainy recently, I need to eat more!"

"…"

After tasting, everyone started to eat with one chopstick and one chopstick.

The deputy, who had been insisting that he didn't want to touch him, was dumbfounded. When he reacted, the two dishes fried with moldy tofu had almost bottomed out.

He wailed, "You bunch of rice buckets", and finally joined the ranks of grabbing vegetables unwillingly.

Qi Wu's kung fu was steady, and while everyone was fighting for it, he had already caught a small half bowl.

As he tasted it slowly, he felt that the princess did not seem to be as weak and incompetent as Lao Liu said.

On this day, everyone was attracted by moldy tofu, and most of them had a full meal.

Qi Rui finished his second bowl of rice and burped in a low voice.

Next to him, the little fat man with a round belly was already thinking about the next meal, "Mother, shall we eat this tomorrow morning?"

Cao Mi tapped his little nose, "You can't eat too much of this thing, you have a bowl of steamed eggs tomorrow morning, don't worry about it."

Qi Ran retorted: "I've eaten the egg, and I can still eat this."

"Then you can only eat a little bit!" Cao Mi emphasized with his fingers.

Qi Ran nodded, and imitated his little round hand, "Yeah! A little bit!"

The second child suddenly pinched his face beside him and shouted, "Don't eat any more, you are too fat! Just know how to eat!"

Qi Ran jumped in anger, "You are also fat, you are the fattest! Qi An is the fattest!"

While a few people were fighting, Dongli brought a basin of warm water, and Cao Mi called the three children to his side and carefully wiped their faces and hands.

Everyone slept in the wild all night, and the next morning, the servants woke up before the host, and they were already busy.

Beisi carried two buckets to the stream next to him to fetch water, and bumped into Qi Wu who also came to fetch water.

After yesterday's moldy tofu incident, Qi Wu had a little more affection for Cao Mi's people. After nodding and saying hello to each other, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you the North Temple? The steward of the princess's courtyard?"

Beisi nodded, "Yes."

Qi Wu said: "We can go to Yecheng in two or three hours today, and the army will send someone to buy a batch of medicinal materials. How many people are uncomfortable in the palace? What are the symptoms? You Help me count the number, and the army will arrange it together when the time comes."

Beisi nodded as a response, and said at the same time, "I'm in trouble sir. There aren't many people in the house who are sick. In fact, we have enough medicinal materials."

Qi Wu smiled, "When you go out, you will inevitably encounter all kinds of small problems. They are not tormenting, but troublesome. If they don't tell you about such small problems, you won't be able to see them. You have to ask them one by one."

Beisi replied: "I know, we have people who are responsible for counting the number of sick people in various places every day. I remember that there are probably five or six people who are a little uncomfortable."

"Five or six?" Qi Wu looked at him in surprise, "There should be seven or eighty people in the palace, right? Only five or six people have problems? The servants in the house are strong and strong, we have all suffered twenty or so, and you only have five or six?"

"Yes." Beisi nodded affirmatively, "I just counted it before the break yesterday. There were originally six, but one seems to be almost healed, so I said five or six."

Qi Wu frowned.

He had been around the team during this period of time, and he didn't seem to notice that the people in the palace were much better off than their soldiers.

When conditions permit, we all live together in the lower house. When the conditions are not available, he sleeps in the wild and eats wild vegetables that can be seen everywhere on the roadside.

Unable to think of a clue for a while, Qi Wu lifted the water bladder that had just been filled, ready to quench his thirst.

Beisi, who was still fetching water, suddenly knocked off his water bladder.

The two looked at each other with doubts in their eyes, and said at the same time, "What are you doing?"

Qi Wu realized that he was not malicious, and explained funny: "I drink water, what did I do?"

"You can't drink this water directly!" Bei Si also realized that his behavior was a little inappropriate, and explained: "Uh... The princess said that the water found on the road must be boiled and cooled before drinking."

"It's so troublesome?" Qi Wu didn't care, "That's why the people in your palace are so particular about it. The soldiers in the army are often in the wild, so don't care about it."

Beisi shook his head, "It's not about being particular about it. The princess said that the disease enters from the mouth, and the easier it is to ignore the place, the easier it is to get sick. So pay attention, um... Paying attention to personal hygiene is very important."

"Easy to get sick?" The other Qi Wu didn't quite understand it, but he immediately grasped the point.

He pressed on: "You mean, just because all of you drink boiled water, it's not easy to get sick?"

Beisi was stunned.

He felt like he didn't say that, but thinking about it carefully, isn't there such a logic.

So he nodded, "Well... Probably. Anyway, what the princess said is always right."

"Has the princess told you anything else?" Qi Wu thought for a while, and then asked, "Or just drink boiled water?"

"Well, of course there are others." Beisi replied truthfully: "For example, you must wash your hands before meals, and the food must be cooked before you can eat it... It's all written in the 'sanitary regulations', do you need it? I can go. Get you one."

Qi Wu nodded, put on Beisi's shoulder with a smile, and said, "Of course, this is the best way."

He felt that Beisi seemed to be a little dumb, and he said everything when he asked casually.

Little did he know that Cao Mi had already asked the servants around him to supervise each other, and if he had the spare energy, he could take the initiative to spread this hygiene awareness to others and reduce the risk of illness.

Beisi was not the kind of person who would take the initiative to chat with people, but Qi Wu just asked, and he followed Cao Mi's instructions and explained all the precautions.

So a few days later, when Cao Mi found out that the big-headed soldiers who she had not dared to point blindly started to boil water every day, after some investigation, they discovered the credit of Beisi.

She was pleased to see the hygiene concept gradually established in the palace, turned her head and asked Xiu Niang to make a pennant for the North Temple as an "advanced hygiene small pacesetter".

After another half month, the Wangfu and his party came to Jiuchang City.

Before everyone entered the city, they met the servants of the Jiuchang Prefect's family. They waited on the only way to enter the city, and invited the King of Bei'an into the mansion for a banquet on behalf of their master.

Qi You's journey was very low-key, and he rarely accepted favors from local officials. But this time he thought about it and agreed.

The Jiuchang City was actually the last city to enter Liaozhou. Qi You originally planned to stay in Jiuchang City for a few days to make the final supplies.

After all, although Liaozhou is large, the city is not densely populated. In addition, it has been invaded by the northern Rong people all year round, and various conditions are relatively poor.

Since we have to stay here for two days, it is not good to save the face of the local snake.

So, he instructed Qi Wu to find a good place to place everyone, so he took Cao Mi and his three children, escorted by his own team of personal guards, and went directly to the prefect's house for a banquet.

As soon as he entered the table, Cao Mi knew that the prefect had really put a lot of thought into it. The various dishes during the banquet were exquisite and delicious, and it was full of temptation for her, who had eaten all kinds of contemporary delicacies in the palace.

She thought that the prefect must have come with the purpose of flattering, and it was not until the evening, after everyone had a good meal, that she realized that the prefect actually had another purpose.

During the banquet, he praised Qi You's family from beginning to end, and when he came to the end, he talked about business affairs, and put on a sad face.

"My lord has lived in the capital for a long time, and I don't know anything about it. It's really hard for me to be an official all these years!"

Qi You remained calm and asked, "Oh? I would like to hear the details."

The prefect looked relieved and complained, "Xiaguan has been conscientious in Jiuchang City for the past few years, and he doesn't dare to relax at all! The prince entered the city today, and he should have seen it, although Jiuchang City is not as big as those big ones. City, but the people in the city are still living and working in peace and contentment. Last year’s harvest was not good, and the lower officials also gave up their face and dealt with the wealthy businessmen in the city for hundreds of thousands of shi of food to help Jiuchang City survive this crisis.”

Cao Mi was a little amused when he heard this.

She also paid attention when she entered the city just now, but the Jiuchang City she saw was not as calm as the prefect said. There are many beggars begging for food on the streets, obviously not suitable for "living and working in peace and contentment".

But she soon knew she wanted to go wrong.

The next words of the prefect made clear the origin of those beggars.

"Since last year, many refugees from Liaozhou began to go south, and several thousand of them stayed near Jiuchang. The ability of the lower officials was limited, and they could only keep the people of this city. For these people, it is really There is nothing that can be done, only the number of people entering the city can be limited, and most people are kept out of the city.

"Xiaguan also sent a letter to the superior in Liaozhou, but the superior replied that Liaozhou was hit by disasters, and he was unable to control too many refugees. Hey...Xiaguan didn't want to report this kind of thing, and sullied the saints above. Ears. Yes, yes…”

When he said this, he did not continue, but Cao Mi also understood what he meant.

This prefect took advantage of the opportunity to entertain and wanted to talk to Qi You, who was about to become the highest official of Liaozhou: "My lord, you are going to be a high-ranking official in Liaozhou, but remember to take care of the refugees on your side, don't let them Come here again and cause trouble for me! It will greatly affect my promotion, you understand!"

Even though he had collected some information about Liaozhou as much as possible before he set off, it made Cao Mi a little worried when he heard about the current situation in Liaozhou from other people's mouths.

Now is the beginning of spring, the season for farming, and the time for green and yellow. If it is true as the prefect said, there are a large number of refugees in Liaozhou, which means that a large area of ​​Liaozhou has lost the labor force that should have been cultivated, and these people have come to the brink of life and death because they have no food.

The situation in Liaozhou was more difficult than Cao Mi imagined.

The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angel who threw the rocket launcher: Mu Yue 1;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!