Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

At dawn the next day, just as Wei Xiaobao finished preparing the Panax notoginseng medicine for Su Quan, Park Zhihuan came to report to Wei Xiaobao the news he had heard: "My benefactor, there is a 2,000-man guard army stationed in the imperial palace. They are all noble sons of the Tokugawa family and will obey the orders of the Tokugawa shogunate."

"In addition, the eunuchs in charge of purchasing items in the Imperial Palace would hand over the purchase list to the Tokugawa shogunate at Yiqiu Gate every day, and they would be responsible for going out to purchase. Eunuchs and palace maids were forbidden to leave the palace."

"The only ones that can go in and out are the auspicious carts from the Jingshifang. Every morning, more than ten auspicious carts are pulled out of the city and into the auspicious pond in the imperial farm, and then pulled back into the city at night."

"My benefactor, I suggest that we first bribe the eunuchs who pull the auspicious carriage, then make a new auspicious carriage, put the people in the auspicious carriage and enter the palace. Once we enter the palace, everything will be easy."

After listening to this, Wei Xiaobao felt that this method was feasible, but it was a bit unfair to everyone.

"Okay, let's do it your way. I have some silver bills here, you can take them first." After saying that, Wei Xiaobao took out five silver bills worth one thousand taels from his arms and handed them to Park Zhihuan.

"My benefactor, I have the silver. It won't cost that much to bribe a eunuch." Park Ji-hwan said.

When Wei Xiaobao heard Park Zhihuan say this, he took back the banknote.

Afterwards, Park Ji-hwan went out of the city to find the eunuch from the Jingshifang.

Wei Xiaobao took Shuang'er and Ling Zhao shopping in Kyoto City, while He Ti stayed at the inn to accompany the injured Su Quan.

Princess Lingzhao grew up in the Imperial Palace, rarely went out of the palace, and was not familiar with the city of Kyoto.

The weather in April was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. Wei Xiaobao strolled along the street and curiously discovered that everyone, male or female, was holding a fan. This strange sight puzzled him, so he asked Princess Lingzhao a question.

Ling Zhao is quite familiar with Kyoto's specialty, the Kyoto fan. Fans originated in China, but after being introduced to Japan, Kyoto's fan-making craftsmanship was even better. This Kyoto fan is like a precious work of art, which requires 88 complex processes to carve. Its exquisite craftsmanship has become a symbol of the noble status of the Japanese.

The use of the Kyoto fan is far more than just fanning to cool down. It is also a magical tool used by the Japanese to summon gods, carrying their reverence for the gods. At the same time, it is also a symbol of etiquette, used to show respect to the other party. What's more, the Kyoto fan is used as a weapon, and it is used freely, as if a fan in hand can resolve all the troubles in the world.

There are many Beijing fan workshops on the streets, and these fans are dazzling, including those suitable for men and those for women.

After Wei Raobao stepped into a fan shop, he spent 50 taels of silver and bought several Beijing fans for men and women to use.

Shuang'er and Lingzhao happily chose a fan of their choice. Wearing kimonos and holding fans, they looked even more graceful and charming.

If you were to ask what type of store is most numerous in Kyoto, matcha shops would definitely be the first.

The three of them walked into a matcha shop and ordered the most rare matcha and snacks.

Matcha is a specialty of Kyoto with a long history. It is said that its origin can be traced back to the Wei and Jin Dynasties in China. Matcha is a unique name for Japanese people, while in China, people call it "mocha".

To make matcha, fresh tea leaves picked in spring are put into a steamer to kill the green leaves, and then made into tea cakes. When drinking, take the tea cakes and bake them on a low fire until they are dry, then grind them into powder, and finally brew them with boiling water. The key to the quality of matcha lies in the light blocking and killing process.

Shading is a mysterious ritual before picking spring tea, as if it is a tacit agreement between nature and humans.

Twenty days before picking spring tea, a shade curtain made of reeds or rice straw is woven and gently covered over the tea trees to block out the light. The shade rate of good matcha should reach more than 98%. The higher the shade rate, the better the quality of matcha.

Killing green tea is a gorgeous transformation of tea leaves. Generally, green tea is killed by frying green tea leaves in a large pot over high heat. However, such high heat destroys the activity of some tea leaves. Although it removes the green taste of the tea leaves, it also causes some chlorophyll to be lost, making the green tea turn black.

The method of steaming matcha is like a warm baptism, which preserves the freshness of chlorophyll to the greatest extent. The ground tea powder is like emerald green, exuding an attractive luster.

Matcha is not only a drink, but also a treasure trove of nutrition. It contains 55% crude fiber and more than 30 vitamins, just like a gift from nature.

Long-term drinking can prolong life, which is one of the secrets why the Japanese people have one of the longest life spans in the world.

Later generations of Japanese people used matcha in various foods. They made matcha into ice cream, cakes, biscuits and other products and sold them to China. This is like an apprentice learning the master's craft and starting to earn the master's money, which makes people feel a little shabby.

In the afternoon, the three returned with a lot of Kyoto specialties. At this time, Park Ji-hwan had already finished his business and returned to the inn, welcoming them back like a family member who had been waiting for a long time.

The eunuch from the Jingshifang paid five hundred taels of silver to settle the matter, and the new carriage could not be picked up until tomorrow afternoon.

Everyone decided to enter the palace tomorrow night. As Su Quan was injured, He Ti stayed in the inn to guard Su Quan, while Wei Xiaobao, Shuang'er, Ling Zhao and Park Taihuan entered the palace.

In the evening, Wei Xiaobao once again prepared Panax notoginseng medicine for Su Quan, and used his "Intelligent Sky Eye" to see if Su Quan's cultivation had improved like Shuang'er and Mao Shiba.

Sure enough, God will not let down those who work hard. Su Quan's martial arts level reached the Grand Master level.

The internal injuries have mostly healed. After taking two more doses of Panax notoginseng medicine, he will be completely recovered.

The next day, Wei Xiaobao, Shuang'er, Ling Zhao and Pu Zhihuan dressed up as eunuchs and palace maids respectively and came to the place outside the city where they had agreed to meet the eunuchs from the Jingshifang.

A brand new horse-drawn cart stopped on the road, and the deliveryman took the money from Park Ji-hwan and left happily.

At about five o'clock in the afternoon, Wei Xiaobao, Shuang'er and Princess Lingzhao hid in the auspicious barrel on the auspicious car.

Park Ji-hwan sat in the coachman's seat waiting for the police convoy.

After a while, the convoy of the Jingshifang arrived. When the leading eunuch saw Park Ji-hwan, he didn't say a word, but just nodded.

Park Ji-hwan told the eunuch yesterday that he missed his son so much that he wanted to visit him in the palace. The eunuch was deeply moved and thought of his parents whom he had not seen for decades. He accepted 500 taels of silver and agreed to take Park Ji-hwan into the palace for one night and bring him out tomorrow morning. Whether he can see his son or not, it depends on fate.

Park Ji-hwan followed at the end in a new auspicious carriage, and the Jingshifang's auspicious carriage team entered Kyoto City unimpeded.