Home/ I [Imperial] Am This Type of Man/ Chapter 16
Ji Jinrong did not panic.
For a moment, he stared at the monster in the sea without blinking.
Slowly, the high back of the monster emerged, resembling an ordinary mountain peak adorned with some aquatic plants and corals.
Some corals are very thick and have bright colors, looking incredibly beautiful. The white sea water poured down from its back, creating waves on the surrounding sea surface.
The cascading sea water “poured” for a long time before the monster’s full appearance was revealed.
The part of its back that wasn’t covered with anything was shiny black, with sharp corners that made it look like a hard shell. Looking further down, a huge head popped out from under the shell— just that head alone would require two people to embrace it completely!
This monster looked like a turtle, but it’s not exactly a turtle!
At least that head looks very strange, not what a giant turtle should look like.
At this moment, the monster’s eyes flickered with a cold light, as if it had been provoked. It struggled vigorously, trying to break free from the giant rope tied to itself. Its strength was so great that the boat dragging the “turtle shell” was almost overturned by him!
The general said hurriedly: “Your Majesty, Prince, please get off the boat first!”
Ji Jinrong saw that although the monster was struggling fiercely, it didn’t attack. He realized that this creature must be spiritual, and it just wanted to get rid of its restraints without hurting anyone.
He looked at the Zhennan King: “Stone!”
The Zhennan King has been following Ji Jinrong for a long time, and he immediately understood what Ji Jinrong meant and said: “I will go right now.”
The Zhennan King drew out his sword and used his strength to jump onto the ship that was about to overturn. He then stepped on the monster’s back by relying on the hemp rope that bound the monster’s shell.
Although the huge monster was obviously tumbling violently, it looked as if it was walking on flat ground.
Before everyone could see clearly, the Zhennan King had already raised his sword and swung it, causing the strong rope to instantly slide into the sea. He then took advantage of the rope before it fell completely and jumped up, returning to the ship closest to him.
The monster regained its freedom and the sea waves churned violently.
The Zhennan King put away his sword and returned to Ji Jinrong’s side neatly.
Ji Jinrong said to the monster: “Go back, go back to the sea.”
The sea gradually calmed down.
The monster remained motionless, neither swimming away nor sinking, as if lying on the flat ground.
Ji Jinrong said: “When there is peace here, I will definitely invite you to come!”
The monster seemed to understand Ji Jinrong’s words and suddenly turned around, sinking into the sea without looking back. At first, a faint outline could be seen from the sea, but later on, even the shadow disappeared, as if the commotion just now was just a dream for everyone.
As soon as everyone woke up from the dream, the general knelt down on one knee with a plop, and said in unison with all the soldiers kneeling behind him: “Xuanwu appears in the world, and the world will be at peace!” (Xuanwu = one of the high-ranking deities in taoism, also known as God of the north, Heidi)
When Xuanwu appears, the world will be at peace!
The voices of naval soldiers were all trained in huge waves, and when they shouted, their cries were deafening. The workers and idle men who were staring blankly at the dock were all awakened by the shock. They all knelt down and shouted: “Xuanwu appears, and the world will be at peace!”
Ji Jinrong calmly accepted everyone’s kneeling.
What he likes most is this kind of smart person.
With just a little hint, these people understood it immediately. Whether this monster is a giant turtle or really Xuanwu, so many people have already seen it and shouted its name, which means it is “Xuanwu”! It doesn’t matter whether it is true or not.
In ancient times, the most important thing when sending troops was to “have a cause”. With this, when the Zhennan King sends troops to fight in the future, it can be regarded as “conforming to heaven’s way”.
Ji Jinrong looked at the Zhennan King.
The Zhennan King also understood it in his heart. He remained calm and said with a smile: “Your Majesty, it’s time for lunch.”
Lunch was served at the pier.
The conditions were not as good as those in the palace, but the advantage lay in the delicious taste. The seafood was all freshly caught from the sea.
With the command of the Zhennan King, the fishing boats went out to sea one after another, and soon they had a bumper harvest. Some children also took out many snails unique to the seaside from the stone walls on the shore, and excitedly took them to the “chef”.
The “chef” picked out the best ones to make porridge.
For sailors and soldiers who have been drifting at sea for several months, fresh fruits and vegetables provided at the dock are more attractive than seafood. Although they brought a lot of fried vegetables when they went on the cruise, it was not as delicious as the freshly picked ones.
Ji Jinrong also found it quite novel.
Although Ji Jinrong has never personally engaged in farming, he is not someone who is unfamiliar with it. He knew that vegetables and rice are seasonal, and since it is winter now, logically there shouldn’t be so many vegetables available— generally speaking, only the greenhouse in the palace had enough supply of fresh vegetables.
Ji Jinrong looked at the Zhennan King.
The Zhennan King said: “Your Majesty doesn’t like vegetables, that’s why you didn’t notice this.” He simply introduced to Ji Jinrong how these fresh fruits and vegetables came about. In the previous world, various resources were already very scarce, and the fruits and vegetables were very difficult to grow. Most people could only rely on synthetic nutrient solutions to sustain their lives. In that era, people tried their best to grow plants. Even if they could grow a piece of grass, it was a great blessing for them!
In contrast, the extreme cold is nothing.
The Zhennan King said: “The greenhouse we’ve built is similar to the greenhouse in the palace, but it costs less and the materials are easier to find. In the past few years, we have been able to grow vegetables and fruits in winter, and they are sold in markets in all major prefectures and counties.”
What the Zhennan King said was too novel, and Ji Jinrong listened attentively. If these methods had been available at the beginning, Dazhou would not have reached the end of its strength.
The building is already about to collapse, so who cares about the royal family, as long as Dazhou can pass on and continue!
It’s not too late now.
If they can really go back to their world in the future, they will definitely be able to turn the tide and bring Dazhou out of danger.
Ji Jinrong ate peacefully.
When he and the Zhennan King had finished eating, the general came over again. He has already directed everyone to unload and pack the goods, preparing to send them to the capital.
After receiving a nod from Ji Jinrong, the general sat down and told Ji Jinrong and the Zhennan King about “Xuanwu”: “Someone saw that ‘big shell’ in the sea and felt it was very imposing, so he trapped it with a hemp rope and dragged it back with the ship. Because the ‘big shell’ never made any movement, everyone thought it was just an empty shell and didn’t take it to heart.”
Ji Jinrong remembered that the black shell was indeed as big as a mountain and said, “It’s really amazing.”
The general got excited and said happily: “That’s right! I didn’t expect that ‘big shell’ to actually come alive! Your Majesty, I think it might really be ‘Xuanwu’! I have gone to sea so many times and seen all kinds of big turtles, but the shell just now really doesn’t look like it belonged to a turtle. And I also saw its head and teeth, which were extraordinarily big. Ordinary turtles don’t look like this!”
Ji Jinrong listened with a smile and didn’t say much.
The Zhennan King felt that this talkative guy was a bit annoying.
Even if it’s one of his subordinates, he is not happy to see someone aggressively brushing their presence in front of Ji Jinrong.
The Zhennan King interrupted from the side: “Has your Majesty eaten enough?”
Ji Jinrong said: “I am almost full.”
The Zhennan King said: “This time a few Westerners came with the ship. They can make something called ‘bread’, which is different from the steamed buns we usually eat. Your Majesty can try it. When the conditions are met, I will also ask them to prepare some Western desserts for Your Majesty.”
The small flames in Ji Jinrong’s eyes lit up again, and the joy was beyond words: “Okay!”
General: “…”
Who said their Prince is ambitious and wants that position(throne)? Looking at the scene now, their prince couldn’t wait to pack all the good things for their majesty! He used to wonder why the Prince asked him to find a good cook and various ingredients. It turned out that all of that was to please His Majesty!
Ji Jinrong was already seventy percent full. When the Zhennan King said that there was something new to eat, he immediately stopped eating anything else. He stood up and went with the Zhennan King to watch a Western chef make bread. It is said to be different, but in fact, the ingredients are actually similar, the most important thing being the wheat flour.
But the process of making bread is different.
Ji Jinrong had never seen anyone else make steamed buns before, so he watched with interest.
Westerners are tall in stature, with the color of their hair and eyes being different from theirs. Their broad palms were like cattail fans, and the dough took shape quickly. The stove used for this bread was also different. Ji Jinrong looked back and forth for a long time. Seeing that the bread was not cooked yet, he kneaded the dough under the guidance of the Western cook and shaped it into a loaf.
Soon, the aroma of bread wafted from the temporary “kitchen”.
Perhaps because he had never tasted it before, Ji Jinrong took a sniff and felt that the taste was particularly sweet.
The Zhennan King took a large piece of bread and gave Ji Jinrong a small portion. The outer skin of the bread was baked golden, but the inside was snow-white, with a fluffy and soft texture.
Ji Jinrong took a bite and felt that the bread was fragrant on the outside and soft on the inside. The taste was really amazing!
The Zhennan King said: “If you don’t add yeast to it, it will be a little flat and hard, but then it can be stored for a longer time and won’t spoil for less than half a month. If you are going to march into battle, you can eat a single piece for a long time.”
Ji Jinrong knew what this meant. This means that in future battles, you can carry this thing with you. In case the soldiers cannot keep up with the food supplies or the situation doesn’t allow them to light a fire, they won’t have to go hungry if they carry this bread with them! If you need to march in a hurry, this is simply the best ration.
Ji Jinrong said: “Not bad!”
The Zhennan King asked Ji Jinrong to taste two other types of bread, and then ordered someone to bring the wine brought back by the caravan, saying: “This wine tastes sweet and mellow. Drink a small glass before going to bed, and you will have a good sleep at night.”
Ji Jinrong looked at the red wine and suddenly became curious about its taste.
The Zhennan King sat opposite Ji Jinrong and personally poured a glass for him, “This wine is made from grapes and has very low alcohol content. It is suitable for Your Majesty to drink.”
Ji Jinrong picked up the glass and tasted it, feeling that what the Zhennan King said was true. This wine has a sweet taste and a beautiful color. It’s really delicious!
Ji Jinrong’s eyes were bright as he spoke, “I like it.”
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