Chapter 20 Shen Chu is ridiculed as a country bumpkin

Shen Chu looked up and saw a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old opposite her. He had a fair complexion, but unfortunately, he had a pair of large nostrils.

At that moment, his nostrils were pointing skyward, like two cannon barrels, which was somewhat nauseating.

"And this young master is..."

The young man's nostrils flared even higher as he proudly declared, "I am Wang Yao, the heir of the Earl of Changping. Enough with the nonsense, let me tell you, these pastries were made by my family's chef, who used to be a royal chef in the palace."

"I am the heir of a third-rank earl's mansion, while you currently hold no official position. It is an honor to offer you this plate of snacks; there is no need for you to thank me too much."

Shen Chu's gaze swept over his face, and she suddenly realized:

"Oh, so the young master is the Marquis of Changping who lost to the Sixth Prince in the competition for the title of courtesan, and was beaten so badly by the Sixth Prince that he ran all over the street, lost his pants, and had his leg broken."

Pfft.

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from all around.

Wang Yao was so angry that his face turned red.

Two months ago, he was beaten by Pei Yuan and ran all over the street. Somehow, his pants fell down, and while he was pulling them up, Pei Yuan kicked him and broke his leg. This incident became the laughing stock of the entire capital.

He had been hiding at home for two months under the pretense of recuperating from his injury. Today was the first time he went out to a banquet, but Shen Chu brought up his embarrassing incident as soon as he arrived.

It's absolutely hateful.

Wang Yao slammed his hand on the table. "You...you stop interrupting me. I'm being kind today. Here's what I'll do: you don't need to tell me the story behind the snacks. Apologize for your rudeness earlier, and I'll reward you with the snacks."

Shen Yan, who was sitting next to Wang Yao, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Wang Yao, don't make things difficult for my brother. Everyone here knows that my brother was raised in a Taoist temple since he was a child."

She's been a vegetarian since childhood, and I heard that before going to the capital, she often farmed in the mountains behind the city with her master.

Shen Chu raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan was also looking at her, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.

When he returned from the academy, he heard about the trouble Shen Chu had caused at home, and he was furious.

A son of a concubine who grew up in the countryside, yet he wants to act arrogantly in the Changning Marquis's mansion and make a name for himself in the capital? Bah! He should take a piss and look at himself in the mirror.

He was determined to embarrass Shen Chu today.

Wang Yao nodded, his smile quite wicked. "Ayan, you're right. We see these snacks every day, but they're probably a rare treat for your older brother."

Actually, this was his first time eating this dish, Zhaoji Abalone Cup. Abalone lives in the sea and is not easy to transport to the capital, so it's not something you can eat all the time.

He specially asked his family cook to make this today so he could show it off here.

But that doesn't stop him from bragging.

Wang Yao: "What's the use of just having good looks and some talent? The nobility and vision that one possesses require long-term cultivation from family background."

People who grow up in rural Taoist temples, even if they get lucky and become officials, wearing official robes and looking respectable, can't hide their inherent poverty and squalor.

Low chuckles rose from all around.

Shen Yan whispered to Shen Qingshuang, "Wait and see how your brother will help you get revenge."

Shen Qingshuang pressed a handkerchief to her lips, a hint of pleasure flashing in her eyes.

Today we must make sure Shen Chu goes back in disgrace, and then beg them to bring him to the banquets of noble families in the future.

Shen Yan stepped forward and looked at Shen Chu with concern. "Wang Yao's words may be unpleasant to hear, but they are true. Big brother has certainly never seen such exquisite pastries before, has he?"

He pushed the plate of snacks forward, saying, "Today we won't fight with you, brother. You should eat more and give us your feedback on the taste."

If Shen Chu eats this pastry, the whole capital will be laughing at him tomorrow for being unsophisticated, poor, and rude.

Ha! A lowly bastard like him wants to fit into their aristocratic circle?

Shen Chu was already in a depressed mood because His Majesty wasn't coming, and she had no interest in dealing with Wang Yao. Seeing that he and Shen Yan were still going on and on, she felt a little annoyed.

"Have the two princes finished speaking?"

Wang Yao was still mocking Shen Chu: "Little Scholar Shen, eat up! Today is the perfect opportunity for you to broaden your horizons."

"After all, he's the newly appointed top scholar; if he's never even seen or tasted a dessert before, people will laugh at him."

Shen Chu slowly picked up the pastries on the table and said with a faint smile:

"I have never seen such exquisite and precious imperial kitchen pastries before."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted around him.

Some of the young girls who had admired Chen Chu's talent and looks now looked disheartened.

Men should have more knowledge and experience.

Wang Yao smiled and subconsciously looked at Shen Qingshuang.

He had been infatuated with Shen Qingshuang for a long time, and now that he saw a smile on his beloved's face, he felt that he had found a way to please her and prepared to continue mocking Shen Chu.

However, Shen Chu changed the subject, "It's just that Shen Chu has been learning loyalty to the country and the ability to judge people since childhood, so naturally I am not as insightful as the two princes, whose knowledge is focused on these things."

Laughter erupted from all around.

Wang Yao was furious. "Even if it's about eating, drinking and having fun, we have the means to do so. Ha, we've eaten so many leftovers that we've fed them to dogs since we were kids. You probably haven't even tasted those, have you?"

What's the use of reading so many books? You still don't even know how to make a simple dessert.

Shen Yan frowned. "Brother, we meant no harm. We just wanted to offer you some snacks. Why are you saying this about us?"

Shen Qingshuang also spoke softly, "Brother, this dessert is called 'Zhaoji Abalone Cup,' and it's made with abalone from the sea."

Don't be fooled by its small size; this snack is packed with ingredients, including pine nuts, green peppers, radishes, cucumbers, corn, and abalone pieces. It's fragrant, delicious, and refreshing.

My brother genuinely wants you to eat something good, please don't misunderstand us.

Wang Yao smiled and complimented, "Oh my, I've eaten this dessert so many times, but I never knew there was so much to learn about it. Miss Shen is truly knowledgeable; she is indeed a talented woman."

Shen Qingshuang smiled, a hint of smugness rising in her eyes.

Wang Yao curled his lip, "Why is Miss Shen telling him so much? Not to mention that Scholar Shen has never seen this dessert before, I'm afraid he has never even seen what abalone looks like."

Low chuckles rippled through the crowd.

"Oh my, what a lively scene! We apologize for disturbing you all." A slightly shrill voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned around and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red eunuch's uniform walk in.

Shen Qingshuang was the first to stand up. "Why is Eunuch Cai here?"

The visitor was Cai Chong, the chief eunuch and a favorite of the current emperor, the Longqing Emperor.

Cai Chong stepped forward carrying a wooden bucket and bowed, "Greetings to all the young masters and ladies. The tribute from the Donghai Kingdom has arrived, and it's all live animals."

His Majesty found them very fresh and asked me to send some over to the Grand Princess of Chengyang to help her recover.

The Grand Princess instructed me to bring this to the Plum Garden first so everyone could see this rare treasure from the Eastern Sea Kingdom.

He placed the wooden bucket on the ground, and everyone gathered around it.

Shen Yan spoke first: "These black, thumb-sized things should be sea cucumbers, right?"

Shen Qingshuang nodded, "That's right, it's sea cucumber, just a little smaller than the ones we usually eat."

Wang Yao looked at it and asked, "What is that dark greenish-brown thing over there? Miss Shen is well-read and knowledgeable, but do you know what it is?"

Shen Qingshuang's expression was somewhat stiff; she didn't recognize him either.

"This...this creature has a hard shell with spots on it. Qing Shuang read in a book that the most precious fish in the sea is the black-spotted cod. This might be..."

Pfft.

Shen Chu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Shen Qingshuang couldn't continue her story and her face turned bright red. "Big brother must know this, why don't you tell everyone about it?"

All eyes were on Shen Chu.

Shen Chu glanced into the bucket and smiled faintly, "Hmm, I should have seen it before."

Wang Yao burst into laughter, his face full of disdain. "Chen Chu, you really are bragging without thinking. This is something from the sea, how could you possibly recognize it?"

Shen Yan looked disgusted. "Big brother, don't try to save face. If you say something wrong, you'll be even more embarrassed."

Shen Chu raised his chin slightly, deliberately revealing an arrogant look, "If I can really tell you the name of this thing and its living environment, then you two should apologize to me for your rudeness just now."

Wang Yao blurted out, "If you can tell us, we'll drink all the water in this bucket."