Although there are many historical records of Emperor Qin's cruelty, few mention that he was harsh towards his ministers. He truly rewarded those who had merits.
Like Li Si in history, "His eldest son was appointed as the Administrator of Sanchuan, and his other sons were all married to Gong Princesses, while his daughters were all married to Gong princes."
How generous was this for Li Si?
Upon hearing that Ying Zheng was going to reward him, Li Ni came up with an idea during his lunchtime. It's better to act promptly than to wait for an opportunity. He said: "Your Majesty, I have something I would like to request!"
Li Ni told Ying Zheng about his desire to use an iron pot to cook.
Ying Zheng said, "What you have requested, I will grant. But all the ingredients must be ensured to be safe."
Li Ni said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! I understand!"
Ying Zheng said: "If you can make a delicacy, also prepare a copy for me!"
He also wanted to know what kind of dish this person from the future, Li Ni, would cook.
After obtaining the approval of the First Emperor, Li Ni returned to the sixth palace and began thinking about what dish he could make. He was proficient in cooking dishes made with pork, but at this time in Qin, pork was considered a humble meat and had a strong smell. Ordinary people ate it, but those of high status generally did not consume it.
Thinking about pork, he remembered he was supposed to castrate a pig, and that day he had made an assumption without considering the historical context. He believed that the smell of ancient pork was due to the fact that the pigs had not been castrated. However, after searching for information in his computer, he discovered that this was not the case.
There has been a tradition of castrating animals in ancient China, with people castrating pigs as early as the Shang Dynasty. The castrated pigs were referred to as "shen" or "tun."
Thinking about his bold statement in front of the First Emperor, Li Ni felt a little embarrassed. He had claimed that castrating pigs could reduce the smell in their meat, but he knew that this was not true in Qin.
At that time, the smell of pork was not due to castration or not, but because of the diet and breeding environment of pigs.
He could not change it unless he had a way to ensure that all the pigs in the entire Qin Dynasty were well-fed and well-cared for.
He could keep a few pigs in the sixth palace to experiment with it, but it would be difficult to popularize in Qin. The people themselves couldn't even afford to eat well, let alone pigs.
In the search engine, he could find recipes for cooking other types of meat, but most of them required later-period seasonings. The variety of seasonings in Qin was not very rich.
Recalling the seasoning, Li Ni realized several points that were often overlooked in his time. The salt and sugar in this era seemed to be of poor quality, and soy sauce, Thirteen Spices, and such items had not yet been invented.
These things do not necessarily require advanced technology from later times, they can be made with the materials available in this era. At that time, people just hadn't discovered them yet, like tofu!
But these things, he decided not to boastfully promise to the First Emperor. He would report back to the Emperor once he had made the dishes, and then elaborate on the details. He didn't want to make any false claims that could embarrass him, like the incident with castrating pigs.
Let's see what dishes we can make tonight.
After going through the bamboo slats that Guo Dian had brought, which recorded the ingredients and seasonings available in the palace kitchen, Li Ni decided to try making a few stir-fries at random.
He didn't know when chili peppers would become widely available in Qin. As a native of Sichuan, he felt that the taste of his dishes would be much less without the spicy kick of chili peppers.
A week had passed in a flash, and it was time for the scheduled conversation with the First Emperor, which was not in the evening this time, but at noon. Li Ni was summoned to the Zhangtai Palace by messengers of the Emperor.
Upon entering the hall, Li Ni saw that it was still the First Emperor and Meng Yi. He wondered why the First Emperor had kept his matter a secret and hadn't invited others to join them.
But he also understood that the First Emperor did not yet trust him.
That's right, a qualified monarch wouldn't just trust someone like that. Even if they believed he came from the future, they wouldn't necessarily trust his other statements.
Maybe the First Emperor is doing some things that he doesn't know, and testing his words.
Li Ni glanced around the hall and noticed that there were actually chairs and tables!
This time, he didn't have to sit cross-legged anymore. He had changed his life in Qin, taking the first step!
When the First Emperor saw Li Ni looking at the tables and chairs, he smiled and said, "I noticed that you always seemed to be uncomfortable sitting cross-legged. That's why I had these tables and chairs set up here today."
Li Ni immediately replied, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
After taking his seat, Li Ni was about to mention that his method of castrating pigs was useless in Qin, but before he could speak, the First Emperor asked him a question first: "Do you know Zhang Han?"
Zhang Han?
How could he not know?
A famous general of the late Qin dynasty!
Li Ni knew Zhang Han primarily not because of history, but because of an anime series that had been on the air for years and was still ongoing.
In the anime, Zhang Han was in charge of the Shadow Secret Guard, and there was an ambiguous relationship between him and Xiao Meng. There was a scene where Zhang Han saw Xiao Meng bathing, and she was exposed to him... with her snowy white...
Li Ni searched his brain for Zhang Han at that time and couldn't find any information about what he was doing. The First Emperor asked him what he wanted to do, but Li Ni didn't know how to respond.
After asking the question, Ying Zheng focused on Li Ni. When he saw the latter's initial surprise and subsequent thoughtful expression, it seemed that he knew Zhang Han.
Only when a person is faced with an unexpected situation can their instinctive reaction reveal their true character. Ying Zheng was using this to judge whether Li Ni was honest.
Li Ni nodded and said, "I know. Zhang Han was a famous general of the late Qin Dynasty. He once took on the responsibility of turning the tide for Qin, but unfortunately, he was hindered by Huo Hua and Zhao Gong among the court officials, and faced an unparalleled warlord named Xiang Yu. In the end, he could only resign himself to surrendering to Xiang Yu."
"Zhang Han once served as the Minister of Minor Treasury, with remarkable abilities and was an outstanding military leader. He put down the rebellion led by Chen Sheng."
Ying Zheng nodded, but did not continue to ask about Zhang Han. He also did not ask who Xiang Yu was, or how Zhang Han went from being a Minister of Minor Treasury to a general. Instead, he said, "Do you have something you want to tell me?"
Li Ni said, "Your Majesty has a keen eye. I had something I wanted to inform Your Majesty just now. I request to withdraw the suggestion of castrating pigs."
"It is because of my ignorance and limited knowledge that I did not realize that there was already a method for castrating pigs in the Qin Dynasty. I made bold statements before Your Majesty without realizing that I would only make myself a laughingstock."
When Li Ni mentioned this on that day, Ying Zheng also had it investigated and found that there was indeed a method for castrating pigs in the Qin Dynasty.
He deliberately didn't tell Li Ni, wanting to see how he would react next. Would Li Ni continue to make bold statements in front of him, or would he admit his mistake decisively once he knew there was an error?
Li Ni's ignorance of the method of castrating pigs in Qin confirmed his thought: that information Li Ni knew from the future might not be problematic either!
Ying Zheng smiled and said with a profound meaning, "It seems that things in the future are not always accurate!"
Li Ni deeply agreed and introspectively said, "Indeed, after thousands of years, even with historical records, there will inevitably be errors. It was also my mistake. I failed to understand it clearly before advising the King."
Ying Zheng said, "No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Let's let this matter rest here!"
Li Ni stood up and thanked the King: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Sit down!"
Ying Zheng looked at Li Ni and sat down in a chair as well, "Five days ago, I mentioned to you about discussing why the Qin Dynasty fell and how to avoid it. I want to know all the reasons that led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty!"
During these five days, besides making a globe, checking the progress of papermaking, presiding over the comparison between new and old plows, and writing health and longevity tips for the Emperor, Li Ni had also been preparing for today's questions.
He searched the engine for a large amount of information related to the fall of the Qin Dynasty, summarized and refined it, and added his own reflections since coming to this era. Today was the time to discuss these matters with the Emperor.
