Chapter 395: Sour Grapes
"Today's barbecue will be prepared by Mr. Su from Chenglou in Kyoto. I'm sure you're all familiar with him. Last night, I also tried some unique ways of preparing the food, and I thought they were quite good. I asked Minister Su about it, and it turned out to be Chenglou's creation, so I wanted you to try it too. Tonight, eat as much as you want. This opportunity only comes once a year."
The emperor is quite approachable and does not have the airs of an emperor.
Now it looks like a team-building activity organized by a large company.
"Boss Su, you have to teach us how to eat tonight."
The emperor looked at Su Yun and smiled. He had always known what the Su brothers were doing.
Su Yun opened a restaurant. For the sake of Yuyan Hall, he did not stop him. The imperial censors in Kyoto also had nothing to say. After all, their current salaries were paid by Yuyan Hall.
Yuyantang is really profitable and has quickly restored the vitality of a country. It is reasonable and logical for him to have no say in the Su family's business.
Moreover, the Su family is very sensible and will not do anything too out of line, which will not cause his dissatisfaction. He is also willing to give some face to such a sensible minister and it is okay to indulge him a little.
This is a process of mutual fulfillment.
After the barbecue is cooked, it is served on a plate, and a small dish of dipping sauce is prepared for each person on the table.
After the barbecue is served, there are some vegetable leaves for wrapping and eating, which are also called lettuce.
Su Yun put on clean cloth gloves, wrapped a piece of meat with a vegetable leaf, put cucumber and green onion shreds on it, and demonstrated to Eunuch Lu.
The emperor took it directly in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth.
The refreshing taste of vegetable leaves and cucumber shreds, paired with spicy roasted pork belly, is fat and lean, not too dry, nor too greasy. It is especially fragrant after being dipped in garlic water and added with chopped green onions.
As the saying goes, if you eat meat without garlic, the flavor will be half lost. There is peeled garlic on the table. You can add it if needed.
After eating, you will have mint water to rinse your mouth, so you don’t have to be afraid to eat because of the taste.
There is another way to eat it. The mutton chunks can be wrapped in small pancakes and eaten, and the wild rabbit can be made into spicy rabbit heads and eaten cold.
Roe deer meat is made into braised meat, and venison can be made into smoked meat or air-dried meat depending on the part of the body.
I like spicy food, and this is the first time I have tasted such a fresh way of eating barbecue.
There is also barbecue rice, which is made by roasting pheasant meat until it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is then mixed with soy sauce rice and topped with green onions. The taste is really amazing.
The emperor enjoyed the food very much, praised it repeatedly, and looked very satisfied.
He also likes this sour plum soup very much. It is sweet and sour, and especially refreshing. He can drink a cup of it in one breath.
Although the Queen thought it was delicious, she was still the Queen after all, so she had to eat in a dignified manner. She put down her chopsticks after eating a little, and turned around to persuade the Emperor:
"Your Majesty, although this barbecue is delicious, it is very greasy, has a strong flavor, and is too smoky. It is better to eat less. And this sour plum soup, although it is very refreshing for a while, is too cold. It is best to drink less."
The emperor finally had a happy meal, but the queen kept complaining about this and that, which really spoiled his mood.
He glanced at the Queen unhappily:
"Queen, this hunting trip only happens once a year, not every day. It's a rare opportunity for the monarch and his subjects to have such a chance. Let's drink and have fun. Why bother with all this talk? Just have fun."
"Your Majesty, according to the rules of our ancestors, becoming a concubine is also for the sake of your health."
The queen thought she was very sensible, but she didn't realize that saying such things too much would make people annoyed.
The emperor put down his chopsticks unhappily, looking unhappy.
"It's enough to follow the rules of our ancestors in the palace, but now that you're out, you're still constantly reiterating these rules. Rules are dead, but people are alive. Why are you, Queen, so conservative?
If you don’t like it, then go back and rest early!"
She only felt embarrassed when the emperor lost his temper in public and offended her, while Concubine Shu laughed with glee on the side.
The Queen was embarrassed, and seeing that Concubine Shu was still laughing at her, she couldn't help but glare at her.
The bonfire party continued and everyone was very satisfied with the food.
There was a break halfway through the meal, where we had some desserts and there was also singing and dancing.
The dancers, dressed in exotic costumes, danced gracefully on a makeshift stage in the middle of the lawn.
Murong Huai raised his glass to Su Mu from a distance, thanking him for curing his mother's poison.
Su Mu politely returned the gift.
"Minister Su!"
The emperor drank a few cups and felt happy. He leaned back in his chair and called Su Jing.
Su Jing stood up and walked out and bowed:
"I am here!"
When the emperor saw him coming out, he pointed at him with a smile on his face:
"Rewards, brothers of the Su family, every one of them will receive a reward."
He suddenly said this without any context, and Su Jing just made himself look more respectful.
"Let me think about it. The eldest is the top scholar. He repaired the Xuan River for me, controlled the flood, and benefited the people. The second is the only disciple of a genius doctor. He is even better than his master. His medical skills are outstanding. He cured Concubine Chen's poison with one move. The third is my brave cavalry general. He is flexible at a young age. He is not afraid even when trapped in the enemy camp. He can also help the Jiang Kingdom to cooperate with the outside world and win the battle. The young are formidable.
Fourth brother, you dare to think and do. The delicacies you are eating today are the result of a unique secret recipe developed by someone else. Fifth brother, you are gifted and your painting is superb. Your wedding banquet painting is worth passing down through the ages. Great, great. You, the Su family, are all great.
Oh, and our Princess Xuanle, who has great righteousness in her heart, tell me, is she worthy of a reward?"
He stretched out his hand and pointed at the ministers below.
The ministers looked at each other and basically knew what to do. If the emperor was happy, they would just follow the lead.
"Your Majesty, I think they deserve a reward. As long as they make Your Majesty happy, they deserve a reward."
The person who spoke was the Minister of Revenue, but his words sounded strange, as if he treated the Su brothers as monkeys.
The Su family is very popular, so there are many jealous people. They are just envious, so they say the grapes are sour because they can't eat them.
When he said this, many people agreed with him, and the Su brothers all looked unhappy.
Seeing this, Murong Huai hurried out to smooth things over.
"Your Majesty, Minister Su's four brothers, including Princess Xuanle, have all made contributions to our Jin State. They are capable and talented, and are all outstanding figures in our great Jin State. They shine in their respective fields, and this is obvious to all. I think they should be rewarded, but Minister Zhao's statement doesn't say so. This prince always feels a bit sarcastic when listening to it. Could it be that Minister Su has offended you in some way?
Also, I've been asking you for some documents. When will you give them to me? If you're too busy, why not prepare them and send them to me sooner rather than later?"
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