Chapter 95

Li Deyu was stunned. Sending someone from the Eastern Palace? Wouldn't that be like planting a thorn in his side of the Ministry of Revenue? He wanted to refuse, but Shen Yanzhi's words were so watertight, mentioning "sharing worries" and "learning," that he couldn't find any reason to refute.

"This... is very good, very good." Li Deyu responded with a dry laugh.

"Then it's settled." Shen Yanzhi stood up. "I've been bothering you for quite some time today. The Crown Princess and I should return to the palace. If the preparatory team makes any progress or encounters any difficulties, you can always come to the Eastern Palace to look for me."

"Farewell, Your Highness. Farewell, Your Majesty." Li Deyu led his men and escorted the two to the door, with a smile on his face.

It was not until the prince's procession walked away that the smile on his face disappeared in an instant and became extremely gloomy.

"Sir, this..." The Minister of Revenue came over.

"Hmph, the Crown Prince is about to take the blame." Li Deyu sneered, "You think you can perform on my Ministry of Revenue's territory? You're still a little naive. Pass on my order, clear the most secluded room for the people coming from the Eastern Palace.

They want files? Just give them ten years of old files. They want cooperation? Let the laziest, most evasive veterans in the department handle it. I want to see how much patience His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have to waste with us."

The Minister understood: "Your Excellency is wise."

In the carriage, Song Qingyuan finally couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, why did you agree to his request just now? That old fox is clearly just trying to fool us!"

"If I don't agree, he'll have a hundred reasons waiting for us. Arguing with someone like him is the least effective way." Shen Yanzhi looked at her angrily and found it a little funny. "The purpose of our visit today has been achieved."

"Achieved?" Song Qingyuan was puzzled.

"First, we made it clear that we took this matter very seriously and would follow up personally. Second, we shut down his excuse about money. Third, and most importantly, we successfully placed our people there."

Shen Yanzhi explained, "This way, if he tries to play any tricks later, we will at least be the first to know."

Song Qingyuan suddenly realized that Shen Yanzhi had seen through Li Deyu's tricks long ago and had taken advantage of the situation to deploy his own chess pieces.

"But... just knowing is useless. What if they just drag their feet and don't do anything?"

"So," Shen Yanzhi looked at her, a sly look in his eyes, "we're going to use the method you mentioned yesterday."

Song Qingyuan's eyes lit up: "Fresh food tasting and cooking competition?"

"That's right." Shen Yanzhi nodded. "If the government channels are slow, we'll try the private channels first. If Li Deyu wants to delay, we'll force him to stop.

When the people of the entire capital are discussing 'Imperial Fresh', and when all the major restaurants are scrambling to get our soy sauce, if he, the Minister of Revenue, still can't come up with a promotional plan, what do you think the Emperor will think of him?"

Song Qingyuan suddenly understood and clapped his hands excitedly: "Take away the firewood from under the cauldron! Let him worry about it himself!"

"That's exactly what's going on." Shen Yanzhi laughed. "He wants to play Tai Chi with us, but we're just not going to take it. We'll just set up a new business outside his place and put on a show he has to watch."

Song Qingyuan looked at Shen Yanzhi with admiration. If she didn't have someone like Shen Yanzhi to protect her, her "golden ideas" from the modern era would be crushed by the unspoken rules of these old officials as soon as they appeared.

The two of them, one coming up with a brilliant plan and the other in charge of the overall situation, work together seamlessly.

"Alright!" Song Qingyuan clenched his fists. "Then let's get back and start preparing right away! I want to see whether Minister Li's procrastination tactics are more effective, or whether the aroma of our 'Imperial Fresh' is more tempting!"

A silent war over soy sauce has begun.

Song Qingyuan is a man who does what he says and never drags his feet.

Returning to the Eastern Palace, she immediately exchanged the thousand taels of gold for silver notes and copper coins circulating in the market, and then drew up a list of actions that was so detailed that it was outrageous. Shen Yanzhi then used the power of the Eastern Palace to arrange the things on her list one by one.

Three days later, four identical giant tents were erected simultaneously on the capital's busiest streets, Suzaku Street and Xuanwu Street, as well as in the heart of the East and West Markets. Hanging from the tents was a massive banner with gold lettering on a red background, which read: "Supervised by the Eastern Palace, this is a fresh imperial product. Invite you to taste it."

As soon as the news spread, the whole capital was in an uproar.

"Have you heard? The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are going to treat all the people in the city to meat on the street!"

"What kind of meat do you want to eat?"

"It's said that this is braised pork made with the divine soy sauce from the Golden Throne Room! The same kind the Crown Princess used to prove her innocence!"

"Is it true? That's something used by the emperor. Can ordinary people like us taste it?"

"It's absolutely true! It doesn't cost a penny, just eat as much as you want!"

The people were skeptical, but their curiosity couldn't resist. On the day the Fresh Food Festival officially began, the four colorful tents were packed with people.

Song Qingyuan, stationed in the Eastern Palace, monitored the situation in real time through the sent guards. She did not appear in person; neither the Crown Prince nor the Crown Princess should be present at such an event, lest they give rise to gossip. However, she dispatched her two most capable maids, Tingyu and Huachun, to coordinate and direct the operation.

Beneath the colorful tent, dozens of large pots were lined up, smoldering fiercely. Uniformly dressed cooks wielded large spoons as cubes of pork belly, alternating between fat and lean, bubbled up in the pots as the sauce simmered.

The overwhelming aroma, a blend of meat, sauce, and spices, was carried by the wind and wafted across most of the street. The crowd, who had been watching, instantly succumbed to their cravings when they smelled it, and they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"Open the pot!"

With a shout, the first pot of braised pork came out of the oven. The bright red color, the trembling meat pieces, and the thick sauce made people's mouths water just by looking at it.

"My fellow villagers, this is the braised pork prepared by 'Imperial Fresh', which is exactly the same as that used in the palace banquets. Today, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Princess have shown their sympathy for the people and have specially organized a tasting. Everyone is welcome to taste it for free!" the steward shouted.

The crowd cheered.

The small bowls that had been prepared in advance were distributed, one for each person, with two pieces of meat in the bowl and a spoonful of fragrant gravy poured on top.

The first brave man took the bowl, not caring about the heat, and shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. His eyes widened as the meat entered his mouth. The fatty part melted in his mouth without being greasy at all, while the lean part was crispy and tender, with a salty and sweet taste that filled his mouth with a fresh and fragrant aroma.

The unique aroma of the sauce was rich and lingering, a delicacy he had never tasted in his life.

"Delicious! So delicious!" he shouted incoherently.

With the first person to try it, the rest of the crowd rushed forward without hesitation to claim their prizes. For a moment, the only sounds around the tent were gasps of admiration and slurping.

"This meat...amazing! How can it be so fragrant?"