Emperor Qianlong was probably the most dashing emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty. His reign was second only to his grandfather Kangxi. However, during his reign, there were not many wars like the Kangxi period, so he had more time to enjoy life.

Emperor Qianlong may be the most dashing emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty. His reign was second only to his grandfather Kangxi . However, during his reign, there were not many wars like the Kangxi period, so he had more time to enjoy life.

He went to the south of the Yangtze River several times. It can be said that Emperor Qianlong made a lot of money during his imperial tours. The mountains and rivers in the north were too fierce, and the gentleness of the south of the Yangtze River gave Emperor Qianlong a taste of the sweetness. Behind the visit to the south of the Yangtze River, it was actually a sign of strong national power. .

When Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River for the fifth time, he suddenly had the idea to break away from the guards and conduct a private visit incognito. On the way, he ate the most delicious chicken in his life. Since he had no money to pay, he simply wrote a couplet, Unexpectedly, it became the boss's greatest wealth.

Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River

Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River six times. This is exactly the same as his grandfather Kangxi. Except for Yongzheng , the unlucky guy who worked hard for the country and the country, the grandfather and grandson enjoyed being emperors. all privileges.

The reason why Kangxi went to the south of the Yangtze River was because the country at that time was suffering from serious internal and external troubles. For example, there was Wu Sangui rebellion at home, and there were Galdan, Mongolia and even Tsarist Russia outside who were eyeing the Qing Dynasty. The only way to solve these problems was to fight. , fighting a war requires a lot of money.

Kangxi wanted money for the war. Where did the money come from? It came from the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. Only by appeasing them could these people obediently hand over the money to the court for the war. Emperor Qianlong also learned from his grandfather. Got to this move.

However, unlike Kangxi, Qianlong's trips to the south of the Yangtze River were not only for political needs, but also for fun. Every time he visited the south, Qianlong would definitely bring many civil and military ministers, concubines, and relatives of the emperor with him. There were sedans, chariots and pavilions, flags were flying, and the battle was huge.

From here we can see the difference between Kangxi and Qianlong. Qianlong's southern tour method was better. He brought ministers and family members with him, which meant that politics was much less overt and more acceptable to the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. , after all, no one can resist the scene of having fun with the people.

Therefore, Qianlong's six trips to the south of the Yangtze River were more political than political. This can also be seen from the pomp and circumstance during Emperor Qianlong's tours.

When Kangxi went to the south of the Yangtze River, it was very simple. He just rode the emperor's ship all the way south, showed the emperor's majesty to the gentry, and then promoted the central government's policies, that's all.

But Qianlong was completely different. In terms of ostentation, he would use tens of thousands of people for a patrol. Among these people were guards, fiber pullers, and palace maids responsible for daily service. Therefore, Qianlong's ship must be very large. It can often accommodate thousands of people having fun.

Due to the limitations of ancient shipbuilding technology, it was impossible to load supplies for so many people. Therefore, the transport team could only follow the big ship along the canal. One patrol required 5,000 horses and more than 400 carriages. and nearly a thousand camels.

There is an imperial chef on call at all times on the dragon boat. However, the dragon boat will only carry a limited amount of food. The food for the people on the boat mainly depends on the tributes from officials along the way. In order to please the emperor, they offer all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas, which are so-called taken from the people. .

Delicious Roast Chicken

During his fifth southern tour, Emperor Qianlong was a little tired of this kind of grand ostentation. Thinking about it from his perspective, he only ate delicacies from the mountains and seas every day in the palace, but it was not easy to go on tour in one visit. , if you still eat these things, you will definitely get bored.

One night, Qianlong slipped out of the dragon boat with and Shen. They planned to go to Suzhou 's Flower Street to have a look, but the next day Qianlong had to meet with the governor of Jiangsu, and Shen He proposed to end the trip.

How could Qianlong be willing? It was so difficult for a person to slip out and let go. How could he go back so easily? When Heshen saw this, he could only express his feelings and reason, and asked the emperor not to forget the purpose of this southern tour. Purpose.

But Qianlong still refused. He told Heshen that he would go and hold the Jiangsu governor tomorrow and he would be back in a few days. Heshen had no choice but to watch Qianlong leave.

However, Heshen was not stupid. If something happened to Qianlong alone, he would be the first person responsible, so he secretly sent several internal experts to escort him.

Here Qianlong came to Suzhou Street alone, and asked someone about the most famous brothel on the road. Passers-by gave Qianlong directions, but when Qianlong came to the brothel, he realized that he didn't have any money with him.

What should I do? Qianlong looked at the two women who were already in his arms, and cold sweat broke out on his back. If he had no money, he would not be able to leave, so he touched left and right on his body and finally found it. He got a gold button, so he could only use it to pay for the drink.

Qianlong was so hungry after coming out of the brothel that his chest pressed against his back. Suddenly he smelled a strange fragrance in his nose. He followed the smell and came to a small shop selling roast chicken. "Jiang Ji Hongfu Chicken".

Seeing Qianlong's majesty, the boss thought that a distinguished guest was coming, so he enthusiastically welcomed Qianlong in and said: "Dear guest, you must try our roast chicken."

Then, a fragrant and hot chicken was placed in front of Emperor Qianlong. At this time, the glutton in his stomach had long been drawn out, and he started to feast regardless of the image.

Windfall

Not long after, a chicken was eaten clean by Qianlong. After the meal, it was time to pay the bill. Qianlong knew that he had nothing to offer, so he came to the busy boss and paid the bill. I bowed and said that I didn’t bring any money today, and I would pay double the amount tomorrow.

The boss was surprised at first, thinking that he met someone eating Overlord's meal, but after taking a closer look, he saw that although the person in front of him was not dressed in an unassuming way, he could tell that the food was of high quality. Such a person should not be specifically eating Overlord's meal. Rogue.

Then the boss asked, is the distinguished guest a scholar? Emperor Qianlong replied: Yes, he is a scholar. The boss laughed after hearing this and said: "Look, my shop is empty, there is nothing. Why don't you write me a couplet and I will hang it at the door, and today's meal will be free of charge."

Qianlong was such a person who loved to show off his talents. When he heard his boss's suggestion, he readily agreed and immediately wrote a couplet: Suzhou's unique roasted German poultry is delicious for a confused person.

This couplet not only praised the boss’s craftsmanship, but also made fun of himself for forgetting to bring money. The boss found it interesting after reading it, so he hung it at the door. Unexpectedly, after eating roast chicken, Qianlong could never forget it. He returned to the Forbidden City and asked the imperial chef to cook it for him, but the taste was not the same.

On the eve of Qianlong's sixtieth birthday, he accidentally mentioned the Hongfu chicken in Suzhou during a court meeting. The governor of Jiangsu wrote it down and asked his men to buy it. When he found the couplet, he recognized the characters of Qianlong and asked the boss. After asking about it, I understood the whole story.

In the end, the governor of Jiangsu bought the couplet for one thousand gold, making the owner of Hongfu Chicken a fortune.