Perfect Ingredient

Naming and rumors are two powerful weapons.

For example, cervical erosion is just a physiological phenomenon of ectopic columnar epithelium in the cervix, but this term can be mistakenly interpreted as a causative inflammation, leading to psychological fear.

If you encounter an unscrupulous doctor, they may treat you as if you were sick, resulting in a lot of money being spent, or even creating a disease where you weren't sick at all.

For example, if a rumor spreads that a certain product may cause cancer or that a certain ingredient exceeds the standard, and conclusions are drawn by taking things out of context, a single rumor can destroy a product.

The world is always made up of ordinary people. These people don't have the time or ability to discern the truth, so they can only believe whatever they hear.

If this is the case in any society that receives education, it goes without saying that in a society like the Great Han Dynasty, where even academies were still under construction.

"You can't do anything about it?"

The new emperor raised his own questions, and Zhang Xuezhou was equally at a loss.

If there had been some timely intervention, those harmful cases would have disappeared long ago.

Spreading rumors is easy, and triggering a bandwagon effect is also easy, but achieving the same level of debunking is almost impossible.

Zhang Xuezhou indeed lacked the ability to resolve the issues surrounding the naming of the tofu and the rumors.

Even factors like decay are somewhat associated with them.

This may have passively made the King of Huainan less resistant, thus achieving the new emperor's goal of demanding that the other party reveal the formula for the White Flesh Pill Formula.

"If people don't want to eat tofu, I can't just force it into their mouths," Zhang Xuezhou said, shaking his head.

"That's true!"

The new emperor nodded.

Changing people's perceptions is very difficult. Even venomous snakes have some meat, and very few people eat them. It's hard for the public to accept that beans that cause death from abdominal pain should be used as food.

Horse feed is undoubtedly a very low-end ingredient; people won't compete with dogs for bones, nor with cattle and horses for food.

The idea that everyone would love delicious food, which the new emperor envisioned, would spread like wildfire throughout the Great Han Dynasty, was ultimately just an imagination.

"But..."

"But what?"

"Some people can be forced into it!"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for two seconds before speaking.

The new emperor was initially somewhat bewildered, but he suddenly came to his senses.

While the general public doesn't eat tofu, there are some groups who are forced to consume it.

For example, prisoners who lack choices, family members or children of criminals, or even sexual assault can be used as a form of punishment.

Facts speak louder than words. If these people eat without dying, and their bodies don't rot, but instead become plump and healthy, the rumors might simply fall apart.

Of course, the bad thing is that those who should be punished don't receive the punishment they deserve, and instead get to eat well and be well-fed.

This choice made the new emperor somewhat hesitant, and he didn't think that prisoners or corrupt officials taking advantage of others would have a positive effect.

"Does this mean that if an official makes a mistake in the future, I'll reward him with a plate of tofu?"

The new emperor only had to imagine the scene before he felt it was truly indecent.

But if he were to dispel the rumors, gain acceptance from the general public, and even spread the word throughout the Great Han Dynasty, he had no other good methods.

"If you really can't stand it and think that those who made mistakes haven't been punished, then give them moldy tofu," Zhang Xuezhou said, pondering the situation of the Huainan test.

"Eating rotten food would really kill you!" the new emperor asked in astonishment.

"That's really not something you can kill!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about it and realized that no matter how much the prisoners and corrupt officials ate, it wouldn't be like the case in Huainan where they ate to death.

Many people ate it for half a month without dying, so Zhang Xuezhou didn't think that eating ten or eight pounds of rotten stinky tofu would kill him.

"You mean tofu is edible whether it's good, bad, moldy, or rotten?" the new emperor asked hesitantly.

"I think so," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"There's no such food in the world!" The new emperor shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Don't come up with such a terrible idea!"

"They're lucky they survive even if it rots; if they die, it serves as a warning to the public that tofu is only inedible when it's rotten," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"What you're saying seems to make sense. Those who are going to be beheaded are perfect for eating rotten tofu, hairy tofu, and stinky tofu," the new emperor said through gritted teeth.

"That's right!"

The two people in the side hall exchanged a glance, and for a moment they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment, feeling that promoting tofu as a form of punishment might actually be feasible.

Tofu may deter some people, but watching a spectacle is human nature.

If people know that a prisoner is being beheaded, many will go to watch the spectacle.

The sensationalism would likely be even greater if people knew that the prisoners were beheaded and then fed rotten stinky tofu.

"If eating rotten stinky tofu once doesn't kill you, then try it twice. If twice isn't enough, try three times. The more times you do it, the bigger the sensation it will cause," the new emperor whispered.

If someone is given poison, they can drink cup after cup without stopping, and even the emperor who is punishing them will feel that such a person does not deserve to die.

If death row inmates survive eating rotten stinky tofu twenty, thirty, or even a year and a half in a row, even the most foolish members of the public will realize that the food is safe.

"Really, it won't kill you?" the new emperor repeatedly asked for confirmation.

Although Zhang Xuezhou's suggestion served as a reminder, the new emperor felt that to truly have a significant impact, it would be best to eat rotten stinky tofu—it wouldn't kill him.

If it truly reaches that level, then it's the perfect ingredient chosen by heaven, and nothing can stop tofu from being accepted by the world.

"I don't think it'll kill me," Zhang Xuezhou said after thinking it over. "How about I make tofu again and see what happens after it rots and grows mold? I'll also eat some myself and see the result!"

"Don't do anything reckless!" Upon hearing this, the new emperor's heart skipped a beat, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "It's fine for you to make tofu here, but don't eat it yourself. I'll send you a death row inmate for testing!"

"OK!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

No test can compare to laboratory research.

Zhang Xuezhou thought that after returning to North Rehe, he could take the opportunity to conduct data testing on tofu to see what its components were after it grew moldy, and whether these components contained any factors that could harm the health of ordinary people.

According to the tests conducted by the King of King of Huainan, tofu is indeed a perfect ingredient.

The people of Zhang Household Village practically risked their lives to prove this point.

From boiled soy milk to soft tofu, then to firm tofu squeezed dry, to fried tofu, then to moldy stinky tofu, and finally to rotten tofu, no one has died from eating tofu; at most, they feel nauseous from eating too much.

Tofu has exceeded the limits of conventional ingredients; almost no other ingredient can withstand such an extreme test.

Moreover, soybeans can be stored for two or three years, which means that tofu can be eaten all year round.

Not to mention the profound social impact of this technology in the Great Han Dynasty, even in the real world where food resources are abundant, people would be overjoyed to have a new ingredient added to their diet.

Zhang Xuezhou's comparative test was not just a whim; he believed it was meaningful and could even have strategic significance for contemporary society.

Naming and rumors can have a devastating impact on new things, but tofu seems perfect to be flawless.

Tofu itself is perfect enough that it is strong enough to withstand all adversity.

In the battle between the new emperor and the King of Huainan over tofu, Zhang Xuezhou believed that the new emperor would ultimately prevail.