Chapter 655 The Kingdom of Laki Directs and Acts Its Own Performance

Yangzhou mantis shrimp became an instant hit on its first day of business.

Prosperous places are never short of wealthy people. When they heard that a rare delicacy had appeared in Yangzhou City, and that it was a new species presented to the Great Yu Kingdom by foreign envoys, cultivated by the Sui Gong people and cooked into an extremely delicious dish, the wealthy people could no longer sit still and rushed over to make reservations and reserve seats.

A serving of mantis shrimp costs six taels of silver, and only one hundred servings are available each day. They are basically sold out by the morning, and customers who come in the afternoon and want to order extra food will have to pay double the price.

Those wealthy people have already come, so why would they be reluctant to spend this little bit of money?

"These crayfish are indeed delicious. Taking a bite of crayfish and a sip of fine wine is simply a heavenly pleasure."

"The cucumber in the soup was also exceptionally sweet and refreshing. It was so delicious! It's a pity that there wasn't enough prawns in the dish; we only ate two before they were gone."

"If they're out of crayfish, we'll just order another one. Let's live for today, because if we don't have crayfish tomorrow, we won't know where to eat them."

"..."

The Yangzhou mantis shrimp supply was limited to 2,000 jin (1,000 kg) this time. Despite the limited sales model, it was completely sold out in just six or seven days.

When the mantis shrimp in Yangzhou were sold out, the mantis shrimp that Cheng Wanwan ordered to be sent to the capital also arrived in the imperial city.

The imperial city was majestic and heavily guarded, with countless imperial guards protecting its gates.

The man transporting the crayfish handed over his token and memorial, and waited anxiously at the palace gate.

At this very moment, having just finished the morning court session, the Emperor of the Great Yu Kingdom was in his study discussing matters concerning the Laji Kingdom with several close ministers.

The incident began when merchants from the Kingdom of Laki were trading on the border of the Kingdom of Dayu. A dispute arose over a trivial matter, and the Laki merchants, feeling discriminated against, gathered a crowd to cause trouble. As a result, three of them were accidentally killed by the local people on the border. Since three people from Laki died in the Kingdom of Dayu, their envoys have come to demand an explanation.

He Hanhai cupped his hands and said, "The Laji Kingdom's actions are merely to ask for more rewards. If they give us some porcelain, silk, salt, and iron, this matter will naturally be over."

"No way." Grand Tutor Lin shook his head. "It was clearly a group of merchants from Laqi who caused trouble. Three people died in the chaos. How can we be sure that Laqi orchestrated this and framed us? Laqi is a tiny country where human life is worthless. What they lack most is resources. They are trying to exchange three worthless lives for the resources of our Great Yu Kingdom. We must not let them have their way."

“The Kingdom of Laki is full of conspiracies and schemes, and it may really be a frame-up.” Lord Zhang cupped his hands. “Does Your Majesty still remember Lady Sui’s post from the beginning of the year? Most of the new species that Laki Kingdom offered as tribute will affect the yield per mu of farmland. Laki Kingdom’s intentions are obvious. Please, Your Majesty, come up with a plan.”

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

After learning that the Kingdom of Laki was plotting to invade the Kingdom of Dayu using a new species, he conceived the idea of ​​destroying the Kingdom of Laki.

However, the Kingdom of Laki is a vassal state, and has been a vassal state for three or four hundred years. If we rashly take action against the Kingdom of Laki, it may discourage other vassal states in the surrounding area and cause unnecessary trouble.

"The Laqi Kingdom has great ambitions and should not be underestimated." The Emperor spoke slowly. "Minister Zhang, select a few responsible young men from the Court of State Ceremonial to go to the border to handle this matter. Under the pretext of appeasing the people of the Laqi Kingdom, you will enter the territory of the Laqi Kingdom. I need to know the situation of the Laqi Kingdom's royal family."

Lord Zhang's eyes lit up. The Emperor was going to start with the royal family of Laji Kingdom and dismantle this tiny place from top to bottom and from the inside out.

He cupped his hands and said loudly, "Your humble servant obeys!"

After this matter was discussed, Eunuch Ming, who was waiting at the door of the Imperial Study, finally dared to push the door open and enter: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Lady Sui from Dahe Town has sent some fine things to Your Majesty, all of them delicacies. May we have the Imperial Kitchen prepare them and present them to Your Majesty?"

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Tell the imperial kitchen to hurry up."

Then, he looked at the few close ministers standing below him and said, "It is noon. My dear ministers, please stay in the palace and have lunch with me."

Those below were overjoyed.

The food that Sui Gongren sent from so far away must be extraordinary; they are all in for a treat.

The meal was served in a side hall of the Imperial Study. The Emperor sat in the main seat, while Lord Lin, Lord He, and others sat down in order of rank.

In less than half an hour, the dishes from the imperial kitchen were served one after another. The first few dishes were the first imperial meals prepared by the imperial kitchen, which were extremely ordinary dishes for the emperor. Starting from the twelfth dish, there were delicacies that no one present had ever seen before.

After reading the booklet, Eunuch Ming stood by and explained it to the audience.

"These are crispy potato chips. Your Majesty and all the officials must be curious about what potatoes are. According to Sui Gongren, these potato seeds were discovered among the new species presented by the Kingdom of Laji. After they were cultivated, it was found that they were edible and extremely delicious. Sui Gongren then researched and developed various kinds of potato delicacies."

"This dish is called Beef Brisket and Tomato Soup. Everyone knows what beef brisket is. This tomato is a new variety that Lady Sui discovered and cultivated. When cooked with beef brisket, it is sweet, sour, tender, and extremely delicious. Your Majesty and all the officials can try it."

Under Ming Gonggong's explanation, the crowd picked up their chopsticks with a mixture of belief and skepticism.

The main reason they were wary was that they heard these things came from Laki, fearing the food might be poisonous.

However, seeing that the Emperor had taken a bite first, they didn't dare to be too pretentious and quickly picked up a bite and put it in their mouths, their eyes widening in surprise.

"This..." Lord Zhang said in disbelief, "Beef brisket is already a top-quality ingredient, and paired with this... what was it again..."

Grandpa Ming reminded him, "Tomatoes."

"These tomatoes have a sweet and sour flavor, which blends perfectly with the beef brisket. This is what makes it a delicious dish, truly a top-notch delicacy." Lord Zhang took a sip of soup, his face full of enjoyment. "These tomatoes must be planted on a large scale so that all the people of our Great Yu Kingdom can enjoy this delicacy."

The other adults were enjoying themselves just as much, each finishing almost their small portion of food.

"Please take your time with your meal, gentlemen," said Eunuch Ming with a smile. "There is also a dish called mantis shrimp, which is said to be very popular among the people of Huzhou."

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace maids filed in through the door.

Three prawns were placed on a small plate and set out on the dining table for each of the adults.

The crayfish looks a bit scary, with its red shell and menacing claws. It doesn't look like a delicacy at all, but the aroma that wafts over makes your mouth water.

The emperor disliked spicy food, so he chose steamed shrimp with garlic. He picked one out and placed it on a plate, but didn't know where to start.

Eunuch Ming immediately went over to help peel the shrimp and placed the whole, snow-white shrimp meat on the emperor's plate.

The emperor put the shrimp meat into his lips and tasted it carefully, a smile appearing on his face: "This mantis shrimp truly lives up to its name, it tastes very good. My beloved ministers, stop looking at me and try it quickly."

The ministers below had long been restless and began to pick up their chopsticks, some even disregarding etiquette and digging in directly.

Steamed shrimp is a lighter dish, allowing you to fully appreciate the original flavor of the crayfish.

The spicy mantis shrimp and braised shrimp are infused with spices, and the shrimp meat, after being dipped in the broth, seems to come alive, making you want to eat another bite after another...

The langoustines on the table were emptied in no time.