Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Delicious Fish Soup Wontons One Day in Daming Palace...

At two o'clock in the fifth watch on a summer night, the first crow sounded from the tower of Taiji Palace, and the sound of galloping horses unveiled the sky.

Duan Zhiwei brushed his teeth with a willow branch in the backyard, wiped his face with well water, ate a piece of Hu pancake in a hurry, and began to prepare today's breakfast.

A Pan got up earlier than Duan Zhiwei and lit the fire in the stove outside the restaurant. Duan Zhiwei yawned and asked, "Why did you get up so early?"

Ah Pan lowered his head and sorted the firewood: "I heard a cat meowing last night. I got up and saw a white cat with its mouth open, screaming at the moon. The sound was really unpleasant, and I couldn't sleep."

Duan Zhiwei said, "Then go and get some sleep." But A Pan decisively refused.

There was still a basin of fish heads and bones left from treating the fish yesterday. I soaked them in scallion water for half an hour to remove the fishy smell.

Duan Zhiwei put an iron pan on the stove, stir-fried scallions and ginger strips with lard until fragrant, then fried the fish head and bones until browned, poured them all into the stove, added water, and simmered them slowly over low heat.

Then he moved a small bed to the door of the restaurant and began to slowly make fish wontons with A Pan.

Chop the big bluefish and pork in half, beat an egg when making the stuffing, add some scallion and ginger water, and add some chopped red celery to enhance the flavor.

Use a single chopstick to pick up some meat filling and spread it on the thin wonton skin, then pinch it with your right hand. Soon, a row of Yuanbao wontons are lined up on the chopping board. The fish soup in the stove should be almost done, as a white mist of hot air accompanied by a rich and fresh aroma comes out of the stove.

The sky was just getting brighter and people began to walk along the roadside. The students who had been studying all night in the hostel next door and the merchants who were traveling on camels all looked towards the fragrant stove and took a breath of the aromatic air to satisfy their cravings.

"My dear gentlemen, would you like a bowl of fresh fish soup wontons?"

The students swallowed.

A bowl of fish soup wontons sprinkled with green onions is placed on the dining table. In the bright yellow fish soup, plump pink wontons are squeezed together. Regardless of the scalding temperature, diners pick up a piece. The delicious filling and the fresh fish soup blend together. The diners sweat profusely while eating on this summer morning.

Duan Zhiwei made a lot of money from selling fish soup wontons in the morning. He was sitting and calculating on the abacus when Pu Tao came out, rubbing his eyes, and said angrily, "Well, my wife and Ah Pan got up early again to work without calling me."

"Isn't it because I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't bear to call you?" Duan Zhiwei smiled awkwardly.

Not to mention shouting, even if I quietly threw the rambutan into the Yong'an Canal in the middle of the night, I'm afraid the little girl wouldn't be able to wake up.

Duan Zhiwei comforted her twice and opened the lid of the stove: "I left a bowl of fish soup and wontons for you for breakfast, don't be angry." She picked up the ladle and was about to scoop up the fish soup, but suddenly stopped.

After a long time, a full-throated roar from the sky above Xuanyangfang came from the shopkeeper of the Duan family.

"Where's my fish soup?!"

The furnace was empty, having been completely robbed. This person came again and again to steal food. This is really intolerable. Duan Zhiwei punched the air, helpless, he had to go across the street to buy two plates of steamed cakes and share them with Pu Tao and Aunt Duan who got up late.

Ah Pan stayed near the furnace for a while, then came in with a handkerchief in both hands and placed it in front of Duan Zhiwei: "Some of this fell near the furnace."

Duan Zhiwei looked down and saw some white, fluffy balls of fur.

Ah Pan said, "It seems to be cat hair." She was silent for a moment and then said, "Cats like to eat fish, so the cat might have stolen it."

Duan Zhiwei touched the fluffy ball, which felt very soft and comfortable. She looked at Ah Pan and said, "You mean, a cat smelled the fragrance of the fish soup, stretched out its paw to open the cover of the furnace, and then took a spoon and a bowl to scoop up the fish soup?"

Ah Pan: “…”

Leaving aside the food thief, the restaurant was short of peppercorns, so Duan Zhiwei drove her donkey cart to the East Market. When she came back, she saw Aunt Duan, A Pan, and Pu Tao sitting in a row on a Hu couch at the door. When they saw her come back, they winked and pointed inside the store, then winked at her.

Duan Zhiwei walked into the restaurant inexplicably. There was no diners in the restaurant, only one person leaning on the couch drinking Xinfeng wine.

This man had a jade-like face, long eyebrows, and a pair of narrow, slightly upturned fox eyes. He was wearing a snow-white robe with a golden belt around his waist. This robe seems to be made of gold brocade. The material is light and looks even more majestic on him.

Duan Zhiwei saw that the man was wearing unusual clothes and had a silver fish bag hanging around his waist, so he knew that he was of an unusual identity, so he asked, "Who are you?"

The man suddenly looked at her, his amber pupils seemed to be able to see into people's hearts. He looked at Duan Zhiwei calmly, and then said slowly: "I am Dugu Jie, the demon catcher."

Although Duan Zhiwei had heard from Yuan Shenji that the court had secretly set up a demon-catching department, this was the first time he saw the real person. He could not help but quietly step back and ask, "Dugu Luling came to a small restaurant like this one. What can I do for you?"

He put on a serious look and explained his purpose.

Last night, a palace maid died near Wenchang Gate in Daming Palace. Her death was miserable. There was a black hole in her chest and her heart was missing. Most importantly, there were marks left by cat claws on her neck.

The cat ghost poison is the most evil. After a cat dies, it turns into a cat ghost. The sorcerer will use the cat ghost to kill the person he designates. The Queen Dugu of the previous dynasty suddenly fell ill. It is said that it was Queen Dugu's brother Dugu Tuo who used this Gu to harm her. People cursed by this Gu will feel a stabbing pain in their stomach, which is the cat ghost gnawing at their heart.

Duan Zhiwei was horrified, but also puzzled: "I just run a restaurant in Xuanyangfang. What does this have to do with me?"

Dugu Jie stretched out his hand, and between his pale and slender fingers was the ball of cat hair that Ah Pan had found during the Chao: "This cat once stayed in this restaurant. I need Madam Duan's help."

What kind of cat ghost can eat a human heart and then secretly drink fish soup!

"Well..." Duan Zhiwei felt a little embarrassed and said inwardly, "I am neither a Taoist nun nor a witch, why did you think of asking me for help?"

She felt that catching monsters was too dangerous and there was no money to be made, but she did not dare to openly offend the court officials. She lowered her head and was thinking about finding an excuse to turn it down.

Dugu Jie saw through her thoughts and smiled maliciously, "Since this cat ghost has come to this restaurant to linger, it may come out to do evil at night. Who will be the first to suffer? Madam Duan, do you have any idea about it?"

Duan Zhiwei was horrified. There were four ladies in the restaurant, and a scholar who was more handsome than the ladies. They were all potential victims. She wanted to cling to Dugu Jie's thighs: "Master, please save me!"

The vermilion palace walls were majestic and solemn, and the golden glazed tiles sparkled in the sun. Duan Zhiwei didn't dare to breathe at all while sitting in the carriage.

She actually followed Dugu Jie and sneaked into the Daming Palace. This heart of the Tang Empire has gone through many vicissitudes today, and one can only vaguely make out its outline and imagine its former glory. But now she has traveled through a thousand years and is standing firmly on the bluestone slabs of this palace.

Duan Zhiwei was just feeling overwhelmed when the carriage suddenly stopped at Chunming Gate. The guard on duty at the door came over with a ferocious look on his face to question him and even got on the carriage to search it.

Dugu Jie took out the token and replaced his awkward expression with a cold one: "Dugu Jie, I am the commander of the Demon Catcher Division. I have received a secret order from the Saint to come to the palace to investigate the cat poison case. If anyone delays the investigation of this case, I will report it to the Saint."

The Monster Catching Division has always been mysterious and independent of the Three Books and Six Provinces. The laws and regulations of the Monster Catching Division are directly under the jurisdiction of the saint. Moreover, the curse of Concubine Xiao before her death, "I am a cat ghost, and Awu is a mouse", is still vivid in people's minds. Who dares to touch the saint's reverse scale at this time? The guards had to bow their heads and apologize with their fists, and then let them go.

The palace maid Hongyao died near the Ziyu Pavilion at Taiye Lake. On sunny days, the shadow of the pavilion cast on the ground looked like countless raindrops.

Dugu Jie picked up a brush and began to draw talismans on the ground.

A cluster of red peony suddenly bloomed from the ground. It was midsummer now, and everything was green, with no other flowers in bloom. But this cluster of red peony had countless little red petals.

The petals began to float in a certain direction. Dugu Jie followed Duan Zhiwei and followed the petals to a gate bridge near Taiye Lake. Duan Zhiwei looked around and said, "There's nothing here."

Dugu Jie squatted down and there seemed to be something on the ground.

Duan Zhiwei asked, "Is it cat hair again?"

Dugu Jie stretched out his hand, and Duan Zhiwei moved closer to take a look.

It's white hair, very long white hair.

The palace maids can be sent out when they turn 25, so there will be no white hair for the palace maids.

Dugu Jie thought for a moment and said, "When the palace maid Hongyao died, she had the scent of cicada and silkworm fragrance on her body."

Cicada and silkworm fragrance was a tribute from the Kingdom of Jiaozhi and was also known as "Rui Long Nao" in the Tang Palace. Not to mention Hongyao, even the nobleman she served was not favored by the emperor and could not have this fragrance.

But the saint’s concubines are in clusters, young and beautiful, with dark hair on their temples. Where did the white hair come from?

Dugu Jie narrowed his eyes and said, "It looks like it should be that place."

Duan Zhiwei: "Which place?"

He dragged Duan Zhiwei quickly towards a place in the back hall. Duan Zhiwei was inexplicably pulled and was forced to follow him.

A column of Jinwu Guards passed by them. The leader paused, then suddenly turned around and strode towards them.

Duan Zhiwei was so frightened when he saw a stranger that he dared not look up, but he heard a familiar voice: "Madam Duan?"

Duan Zhiwei looked up and saw Yuan Shenji, wearing a full set of bright armor and holding a cold sword, standing in front of her.

She changed into a palace maid's gauze half-sleeved skirt and combed her hair into a cross-hearted bun. At first glance, she looked no different from an ordinary palace maid. But when Yuan Shenji passed by, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

Duan Zhiwei lifted her skirt and ran to his side: "How are you these days, Captain?"

"He was punished by the emperor for failing to patrol the palace properly." Some sarcastic remarks were heard from the side.

Yuan Shenji then noticed Dugu Jie, who was holding a fan, and said coldly, "It turned out to be Dugu Luling."

Duan Zhiwei told him what happened, and he turned to Dugu Jie and said, "The Demon Catching Department has great powers. Why should the law make things difficult for a common woman?"

Dugu Jie asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

The atmosphere once dropped to freezing point.

Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to forcefully change the subject: "Where are we going now?"

Dugu Jie snorted coldly and replied with only two words: "Cold Palace."