Chapter 111 Fan Zhongyan: It's time to cooperate in exposing your true identity...

Attending banquets, especially those hosted by officials, was not a desirable task for many in the court. Even if the tables were laden with delicacies, what did it matter? Everyone knew that eating and drinking were not the main point.

Is that really the case?

The lower-ranking officials, who had received advice from their seniors and were expected to be observant and attentive to their surroundings, were stunned by the dishes that were served. "How come this is different from what you advised us to eat and drink? Does His Majesty really want me to eat and drink well?" Then, glancing furtively at their seniors who had given them advice, their eyes practically glued to the table, they suddenly realized how unfortunate things were.

But in fact, the officials didn't expect this either.

He had given Fusu complete control over the banquet's contents and the kitchen's authority, allowing him to do as he pleased. But as a staple food, how delicious could potatoes really be? At best, they were no better than white rice. When he arrived, the aroma that rushed into his nostrils startled him, and he paused for a moment before entering.

After settling down, he glanced in the direction of Fusu. He saw the latter resting his chin on his hand, smiling knowingly. Knowing that everything was under his control, he felt much more at ease and began to examine the dishes on his table.

As he examined them closely, he couldn't help but show surprise: "Zong Su, are these all made from potatoes? Is this the method you mentioned outside the city?"

"They're all made from... potatoes?"

"How could that be?"

A gasp went up from below the banquet floor. Upon closer inspection, it was Zhang Yaozuo—the uncle of Consort Zhang, one of the main forces obstructing the Qingli New Policies, and the ruthless man who had tried to sow discord between Zhao Xiaosanyuan and His Highness Prince Cheng.

From that moment on, Zhang Yaozuo believed he had completely broken ties with Zhao Xiaosanyuan, and his words were never shy about targeting him. He had even accompanied the emperor on his inspection tour a few days ago, and had boasted to his attendants about the emperor's excessive favoritism. Unfortunately, the emperor hadn't given him a chance to speak that day. Now that he had finally caught him, he was the first to jump out and question the emperor, while simultaneously raising his chin.

Hmph, let's see how you handle this.

But in reality... Fusu doesn't even remember who he is. If what dislikes you is a vast, low-saturation mass, would you remember everyone's face?

Moreover, given Fusu's style of doing things, which of his words has ever been proven wrong? Sometimes I really don't understand why these people, even after suffering losses time and time again, still keep coming back to cause him trouble.

However, this remark gave Fusu a way out. He stood up and said gracefully, "Since everyone has doubts, why don't I explain?"

The official immediately slapped the table, making a sound: "Stand up and explain, so that everyone can see it more clearly."

The ministers immediately began whispering among themselves.

Only Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and Ouyang Xiu sat upright at the table, hands at their sides, saying nothing. They exchanged glances, a knowing look of superiority on their faces: "See, we were right. The Emperor did indeed have that idea."

Who can sit next to the king?

Even the most favored ministers were not qualified. That was the territory symbolizing the imperial family. Apart from the empress, only the crown prince could sit there.

The official's implication was quite clear. Fan Zhongyan glanced around at the officials, stood on his intellectual high ground, and sighed wearily: "Sigh, how come not a single one of them noticed?"

Why are you all envious of His Highness Prince Cheng's favor? What's the point? Soon, you'll all have to bow to him.

The Emperor, however, claimed innocence: "I was just worried that Su'er's small stature would prevent the officials from seeing his performance, so I wanted to give him a good stage to shine."

When Fusu walked to the head of the table and stood naturally next to the Emperor, the Emperor even made way for him: "Now all of you can see, Zhao Xiaosanyuan, you may speak."

"Then I'll begin."

He first pointed to the main dish placed in the middle of the table: "Dongpo pork stewed with potatoes."

"I know about stewed potatoes, but what about Dongpo pork...?"

Fusu explained in a serious tone: "It was a gourmand I met in my dream who instructed me to make this dish. That gourmand called himself Dongpo, so I borrowed his name to name this dish."

As he spoke, he glanced down at the wall almost imperceptibly.

Su Shi, who was silently swallowing his saliva while looking at the table full of delicious dishes, looked up in confusion: Was it just his imagination? What did Zhao Xiaolang mean by suddenly glancing at him while he was introducing the dishes?

Could it be that he's trying to remember my embarrassing moment so he can come back and laugh at me later? Thinking of this, Su Shi immediately sat up straight, his gaze lingering on the food.

However, because of this unexpected turn of events, he did take Fusu's nonsense to heart and also remembered the name of the gourmand "Dongpo". From then on, whenever he went to a new place, he would search for a local gourmand named "Dongpo".

As for Su Tamu, the person behind "Dongpo" is hard to find, so he called himself "Dongpo Jushi" in commemoration, but that's another story.

At this moment, Su Shi was only thinking to himself: Stop thinking about the old immortal in your dream, hurry up and serve the food, I really want to taste it.

There are quite a few people who share his thoughts.

The Emperor was always very understanding. He took the jade bowl from Fusu, who had placed a large spoonful of Dongpo pork in it, and waved his hand, saying, "You gentlemen may also try it and see how it tastes."

Immediately, someone didn't hesitate to grab a piece with their chopsticks. After taking a bite, their eyes lit up.

Su Shi bluntly stated his opinion: "Delicious!"

The potatoes were stewed until incredibly soft and tender, soaking up the rich, dark broth of Dongpo pork. They melted instantly in the mouth, leaving a lingering, sweet meaty aftertaste. Anyone who had a prejudice against staple foods, thinking potatoes were bland and unremarkable, was proven wrong by this one bite.

As for the Dongpo pork itself, it is a deep red and glossy color, rich but not greasy, with an irresistible aroma of braising. The tenderness of the fat and the chewiness of the lean meat are perfectly balanced, creating a completely different texture from the powdery potatoes.

As a main dish at a palace banquet, it is of high quality and does not diminish the prestige in the slightest.

Even Emperor Renzong, accustomed to fine dining, was pleasantly surprised and ate all the dishes that Fusu had served him. Fusu smiled sweetly—this was a recipe he had created, and the Emperor's enjoyment of it felt like recognition for him; how could he not be happy?

"Your Majesty, please eat more."

He scooped up another large spoonful and put it into the official's bowl.

The Emperor was both amused and exasperated, and unintentionally let slip, "Su'er, don't worry about me. All the ministers are waiting for you to introduce the next dish."

Calling Zhao Xiaosanyuan "Su'er"... the officials' feelings were complicated again. But having eaten Zhao Xiaosanyuan's good food, they couldn't say anything more, so they tacitly pretended not to hear.

Only Fan Zhongyan and the other two exchanged glances again: They've even called for Su'er; they're not even going to act anymore. It seems the Emperor really wants to…

But when Fusu's voice rang out, everyone put aside their chaotic thoughts. Having witnessed the amazing success of Dongpo pork stewed with potatoes, they were genuinely curious about what other creative dishes potatoes could be prepared for.

Fusu, or rather, the recipes of later generations, never disappointed the literati of the Song Dynasty.

"This dish is called 'Three Treasures of the Earth,' which is made by stir-frying three kinds of vegetables after they have been lightly fried in oil..."

"This is stir-fried shredded potatoes. The dish is self-explanatory, so I don't need to say more."

"This is called French fries, and it has a unique flavor when eaten with fried fish... Hmm, the gourmet in my dream told me that it is said to be a dish that Westerners really like."

Fusu's explanations had a food critic's style. He not only introduced the flavors and ways to eat, but also mentioned a few details about the preparation methods. Many people listened attentively while engrossed in their food, thinking they would recount the explanations to their cooks back home to enrich their meals.

A palace banquet unexpectedly turned into a gourmet food tasting event.

There were those who criticized the banquet for its excessive extravagance and waste. They argued that every dish on the table was prepared with copious amounts of oil and seasonings, far removed from the culinary standards of ordinary people.

But Fusu's casual remark, "Then go try the potato rice. It's oil-free and seasoned, and ordinary people can afford it," completely overshadowed it, making it not even a minor incident.

In fact, Fusu wanted to add, "I believe the people will use potatoes to make all sorts of delicious food that they can afford," but the emperor's unusual behavior made him stop thinking.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

The official felt as if his eyelids were glued shut, as if weighed a ton. Although he sometimes felt this way after meals as he got older, he had never felt so exhausted as he was today, finding it extremely difficult to even open his eyes and stay awake. He felt as if he were about to faint at any moment.

Fusu's gaze slowly shifted to the jade bowl. An unbelievable yet plausible guess popped into his head: Uh, could His Majesty be... fainting from carbon monoxide poisoning?

That's quite possible. He kept piling food onto the emperor's plate. To show his support, and also because the food was truly delicious, the emperor ate everything in his bowl.

...That must have been a lot of carbohydrates! No wonder the emperor was so exhausted that he almost lost his composure in public.

Fortunately, the Emperor had no other symptoms, so Fusu supported him and said in a low voice, "You can close your eyes and take a nap. It won't hurt. The turban will block others' view. Besides, I see all the officials are here, uh, they're all engrossed in eating..."

They couldn't concern themselves with the emperor for the time being.

"I'll call you after they've finished eating."

The emperor's eyes narrowed to slits, and he nodded almost imperceptibly twice. It was unclear whether he was dozing off or expressing his agreement with Fusu's arrangement.

In short, he pretended to fall asleep under the cover of Fusu, right in front of everyone.

But to those who are interested, this matter presents a completely different picture.

Fan Zhongyan and the others only paid a fraction of their attention to the food; the remaining seven-tenths were focused on the emperor and his son at the head of the table. Seeing the emperor "faint," the group exchanged glances, each seeing a message in the other's eyes: the show is about to begin.

The Emperor is feigning unconsciousness; the next step is for Zhao Xiaosanyuan—oh no, His Highness Prince Cheng—to "slip up" and call him Father Emperor.

Fan Zhongyan was still inwardly marveling at how brilliantly this script was written. People only speak their true feelings when they're in a moment of desperation. This style didn't seem like something an official would do; it was more like something his newly taken-over apprentice would do!

Since that's the case, he, as a master who hadn't taught anything and whose apprentices were all self-taught, had no choice but to lend a hand.

"Your Highness Prince Cheng!" He suddenly stood up and called out a name that was completely unfamiliar to everyone present: "His Majesty seems to be unwell and is almost unconscious. This old minister begs you to take charge of the situation."

Those who had been drawn to Fan Zhongyan's words were mostly bewildered. When they looked at the person Fan Zhongyan was speaking to, they froze, collectively displaying expressions of utter disbelief and existential skepticism.

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Author's Note: [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]