Zhang Xiaojing is extremely calculating, and becoming friends with him in the short term is virtually impossible. Lu Xuan, being his superior, naturally doesn't need to fawn over him. However, he needs to keep abreast of the movements within the Bad Guys. After all, Zhang Xiaojing has trained his subordinates like believers, something Lu Xuan can't easily influence. Coincidentally, Li Fushan also asked Lu Xuan to find him a job. He can't keep living off Lai Xi's legacy. He's living in Lai Xi's house; he needs to be self-reliant.
After discussing it with him, Lu Xuan decided to send him to the Bad Guys. Having a trustworthy person there would make it easier for Lu Xuan to control the situation. Moreover, upon closer inspection, Li Xiaowei and Zhang Xiaojing actually had quite a few similarities. Both of them were capable of training their subordinates to be extremely loyal. Neither of them were kind-hearted at heart, so it wouldn't be an easy task for Zhang Xiaojing to capture him.
The county constable's job was much simpler than Lu Xuan had imagined, mainly because Zhang Xiaojing was so capable. Lu Xuan dumped all the tasks of apprehending thieves and robbers onto him. With Li Fushan watching over things, as long as it wasn't too outrageous, he would pretend not to see it. Anyway, he would get more than half the credit, which was one of the perks of being an official.
However, Lu Xuan still had some matters to attend to. The county constable was responsible for some household registration work. Simply put, to register a household in Wannian County, Chang'an, one had to get past Lu Xuan.
The Tang Dynasty's household registration system was extremely strict. In Wannian County, right under the emperor's nose, it was even stricter. Countless merchants from the Central Plains tried to pull strings and use connections to gain a household registration in Wannian County through Lu Xuan.
Heaven help him, this was the first time in both of his lives that someone had asked Lu Xuan to give him gifts. However, after a difficult internal struggle, Lu Xuan rejected all the offers of gifts offered through connections. In his previous life, Lu Xuan hated corrupt officials the most, and he didn't want to become one of those people he once despised. Of course, more importantly, Lu Xuan wasn't short of money.
The emperor bestowed upon him a large bag of gold and silver beads, a gesture that subtly mocked him as a country bumpkin who only cared about gold and silver. But it was still real money. Converted, Lu Xuan was quite wealthy. He could support a host of servants and live a very comfortable life. However, Lu Xuan wasn't satisfied with this lifestyle. Having transmigrated and even become the head of the capital's police department, it would be a waste of his transmigrator status not to experience great wealth and power.
I returned to my backyard after get off work. The old man and Xiao Si were busily working. The whole yard was filled with a strong aroma of alcohol.
The three essential tools for time travelers are cement, perfume, and soap. Cement is a heavy industry, and Lu Xuan's wealth and status make it utterly impossible for him to acquire. Furthermore, the rudimentary cement-making methods depicted in time-travel novels are unreliable. Neither strength nor adhesion can be guaranteed. (This also depends on the region; in some areas, the rocky texture is particularly suitable for cement making, while in others it is not.)
He only knew the basics of perfume and soap making, and had little hope of success in the short term. He wasn't particularly skilled at brewing either, but he knew some simple purification techniques. Due to a lack of purification technology, Tang Dynasty wines naturally had low alcohol content. Based on this, Lu Xuan set his sights on high-proof spirits.
The old man and Xiao Si had already tried to produce this kind of distilled spirit back in Da Ma Ying. However, spirits were a luxury there, and they didn't have enough to experiment with, so the project ultimately failed. Now that they were in Chang'an and had money, they were able to pick it up again.
"Master, that's about it. I just tasted it, and the flavor is like drinking a mouthful of fire. Absolutely excellent liquor." The old man fawned over him. However, Lu Xuan knew that this stuff was only stronger because it had been purified, resulting in a higher alcohol content. It wasn't really a high-quality liquor. But for people of this era, this kind of intensity was indeed synonymous with goodness.
"It's alright. Try it a few more times and record the detailed proportions. Then, divide them into different grades according to their intensity. Don't be afraid to spend money. Experiment a few more times and make the proportions more precise."
"Understood. Also, boss, I've already asked someone to look for the shop you asked me to find. He told me he'd get back to me within two days."
Opening a shop was essential. Although the Tang Dynasty had regulations prohibiting officials of the fifth rank and above from entering the market, Lu Xuan, a low-ranking official of the eighth rank, was not subject to this rule. Moreover, many officials of the fifth rank and above openly or secretly controlled various shops and businesses. Otherwise, they simply could not maintain their luxurious lifestyle.
Taking up an official post and opening a shop, Lu Xuan's time-traveling life in the Tang Dynasty has entered a new phase.
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Chapter Thirty-One: The Special Guest
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Today is a special day; Lu Xuan's tavern has opened. But even a tavern needs to sell food. As the head of a great food-loving empire, Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't allow his tavern to continue selling the kind of mutton soup from Da Ma Ying. That would be a disgrace to the food-loving empire. He personally trained the old man and Xiao Si, and hired two more kitchen helpers, setting up a tavern kitchen.
On opening day, Zhang Xiaojing brought some thugs to show their support. Lu Xuan also brought out a strong liquor that the old man had been distilling and blending for nearly a month.
"Even though it's a day off, as members of the underworld, you still need to stay alert and vigilant at all times. So, there won't be much wine, just one bowl per person. Eat as much meat as you like, everyone."
"You are so generous, sir. We would like to offer you a toast."
The group of scoundrels raised their glasses in unison, and Lu Xuan didn't stand on ceremony. They drank together, and the atmosphere became quite lively.
The food was good, mostly meat. These scoundrels were all carnivores, so Lu Xuan naturally catered to their tastes.
The culinary scene in the Tang Dynasty was not particularly developed, despite the exceptional prosperity of its political, economic, and cultural sectors. Food, like anything else, requires a long period of accumulation to gradually take shape. This is one reason why Chinese food culture flourished in later generations. Only through the accumulation of a long civilization can something truly worthy of being called culture be cultivated.
Look at the delicacies made from tires in later generations. Cut the fish into chunks, then put them in 60-degree hot water and simmer for 15 minutes. After that, take them out and plate them... And then what? Then you eat them. What more do you want? Lu Xuan didn't even need to eat them to know that the fish must have been incredibly delicious, after all, it was a fish that cost thousands of yuan. It's just that the culinary culture involved... hehe.
The richness of China's culinary culture is unparalleled by any other country in the world. Different eras and backgrounds have given rise to diverse styles of food culture. These cultures, refined over time, have ultimately formed a variety of distinct styles.
Due to a large population and food shortages, for a time, livestock were utilized to the extreme. Aside from bone fragments, almost everything edible was consumed by the Chinese. This is a point of contention among foreigners, who feel that eating offal is unhealthy. However, they don't understand that these eating habits have been practiced for hundreds, even thousands of years. Perhaps from a modern scientific perspective, they may not be considered particularly healthy. But these are the true cultural practices. (If we were to follow scientifically sound, absolutely healthy eating methods, very few people in the world could maintain them. Is eating rare steak a healthy way for Europeans and Americans to eat it???)
Speaking of extravagance, when Chinese cuisine truly becomes lavish, it would terrify even the most discerning barbarians. A single, exquisite Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish can take over a week to prepare... containing hundreds of ingredients...
Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't cook such extravagant dishes, and even if he did, he wouldn't have enough ingredients. He could prepare some offal, but that wasn't easy to find. Because of its strong odor, it was rarely eaten in Chang'an. Therefore, today's main dishes would still be mutton, along with chicken, duck, and fish.
What made Chang'an City superior to Damaying was its abundance of various seasonings. This allowed Lu Xuan to perform a process that only appeared in later generations: making stock. No chicken, no freshness; no pork hock, no richness; no bones, no aroma; no water, no purity—one pound of ingredients yields one pound of stock; this is true stock.
Making stock is essentially an advanced version of MSG. As the culinary world matured, MSG emerged to enable home kitchens to quickly prepare delicious dishes. However, everyone knows that excessive consumption is unhealthy. Therefore, many experienced chefs make their own stock at home and use it instead of MSG or chicken bouillon to enhance the flavor of their food. (I tried this at home this past Chinese New Year, and it turned out quite well; everyone said it was delicious.)
This deliciousness was an explosive stimulus for the Tang Dynasty, an era in which culinary culture was just beginning to take shape.
These were just some ordinary stews and stir-fries, but after being seasoned with broth, they suddenly possessed an unprecedented deliciousness. Furthermore, stir-frying was still considered a high-end skill at that time, practiced only in a very few large restaurants. This was mainly because iron woks were too expensive and not widely available; many ordinary households used earthenware pots, making stir-frying a difficult skill to master.
Lu Xuan's iron wok was a thin iron wok that was custom-made at a high price by a blacksmith. This was so that the food could be heated quickly, thus realizing the concept of stir-frying.
Although Zhang Xiaojing looked rough around the edges, he was also a connoisseur. He ate with gusto, sweating profusely as he drank and ate. He had originally only come to boost the restaurant's popularity because of his superior, but he hadn't expected that this superior's restaurant would actually have something special. Both the fiery wine and the seemingly simple dishes on the table possessed an enticing aroma he had never experienced before. Suddenly, he became even more curious about this superior from the western borderlands.
Lu Xuan mingled among the crowd, occasionally livening up the atmosphere. Having some work experience in his previous life, he easily blended in.
However, just as the atmosphere was getting lively, Lu Xuan caught a glimpse of two young men entering his restaurant. It was its opening day, but there were countless restaurants in Chang'an, with more than one opening every day. Lu Xuan's restaurant, in fact, hadn't received much attention.
Aside from a group of scoundrels, there weren't many guests. But those two were different, very, very different. Because the one walking at the very front was the Crown Prince...
Lu Xuan had some interaction with the Crown Prince because it was the Crown Prince who had arranged for him to become the county magistrate of Wannian County that day in the main hall. However, aside from that, Lu Xuan and the Crown Prince had no other communication. That time in the main hall could be considered a gesture of goodwill. Although he didn't understand why the Crown Prince would show favor to someone as lowly as him, Lu Xuan remembered it. However, he later discovered that even if he wanted to repay the favor, he had no way to do so. He didn't even know where the Crown Prince's residence was...
Beside the Crown Prince was a young man, younger than the prince, appearing to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. He carried a whisk in his hand, suggesting he was a Taoist. In this era, many high-ranking officials held this status (at this time, Yang Guifei was still a Taoist).
Although Zhang Xiaojing and Su were eating and drinking heartily, they were still observant and attentive to their surroundings. Amidst the noise, they still noticed two somewhat out of place figures.
He turned to look at his superior, only to see Lu Xuan hurriedly get up and go to greet him.
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Chapter Thirty-Two: Is this person usable?
In the 'VIP' room upstairs, Lu Xuan served tea to the Crown Prince and the young man beside him.
Crown Prince Li Heng raised his hand to stop Lu Xuan from paying his respects.
"No need for formalities. I'm here simply as a customer. I smelled a rich aroma of wine outside the door. It's unlike any wine I've ever tasted before. When I came in, I was surprised to find it was County Magistrate Lu's restaurant."
"It's a joint venture between me and a few friends. We obtained a recipe for a strong liquor from the Western Regions. After returning, we experimented many times and improved it into a unique spirit. So we opened this tavern to see if we could open up some sales channels."
"Changyuan, did you hear that? Lu Xuan is boasting that this is an unprecedentedly fine wine. We absolutely have to try it."