Chapter 35 The Emperor Also Cooks Xiu Yu Yanran said: "I can see that...
Xiu Yu said, "I see. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to defeat you." Her pretty face lightly lifted as her mind naturally began to ponder what she could ask the Emperor for. Of course, she couldn't just ask for something out loud; this 'thing' needed to reach the Emperor's heart.
Xiu Yu pursed her lips, smiled sweetly, and said, "How about Your Majesty and Yu'er steaming some buns together?"
"Steamed buns?" Xuanye asked again, "It's a rare occasion for me to lose, and you want this?"
Xiu Yu replied, "Is this easy? I'm probably the only one in the world who can make the emperor cook steamed buns."
"Yes, you're the only one who's right, but wasn't it me who first suggested cooking with you? Now that you've turned it into a bet between us, don't you feel like you're losing out?"
"It's not a loss." Xiu Yu shook her head slightly. "After all, this game isn't the last one. There's still a lot of time to go. Don't you want to play chess with me anymore? Or maybe I won't be able to beat you in the future?"
Xuanye smiled and said, "Of course it's 'there's a long way to go'."
"Yes!" Xiu Yu had already stood up and pulled Xuan Ye up. "Let's go and steam the buns! It's getting late now. If we don't steam them now, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to catch up with your midnight snack."
As Xuanye was being dragged along by Xiuyu, he said with a smile, "If I can't catch up, then as the ancients said, 'Beauty is a feast for the eyes!'"
Xiu Yu frowned slightly and lowered her voice, "You are so kind! Xiao Tao and the others are here."
At that time, Xiao Tao and Liang Jiugong really looked at each other and smiled, just like they were watching their own couple showing their love. It felt really comfortable.
He might be learning how to steam buns, but after all, Xuanye is the emperor. You should take his words seriously, but you also have to be able to tell when they're joking.
After driving the servants out, Xiu Yu rolled up her sleeves, handed the apron to Xuanye, and said, "Please help me tie it on. You can just sit and watch later."
"Can you learn by just sitting and watching?" Xuanye said as he tied an apron for Xiuyu. "I'm certainly not stupid, but don't think I'm too smart. I have to admit that I know nothing about kitchen matters."
"You have no idea, so you have to watch." Xiu Yu turned her head and smiled at Xuanye: "I have seen your intelligence a long time ago, so there is really no need to be so modest."
"I'm not being modest. I'm just speaking the truth." Xuanye said as he sat down next to Xiuyu. "When you need my help, please tell me. Today, don't treat me as the emperor. Just think of me as your disciple."
"Okay." Xiu Yu said this as he poured the flour into the basin.
Her steamed buns were certainly unique. Not only were various nuts mixed into the dough when kneading it, but she also hid her thoughts inside the skin. The small buns looked plain on the outside, but if you peeled off the skin, you'd find different fillings and different shapes of food inside, which made Xuanye stare at them without blinking.
"I say, did you learn all these kitchen skills from your mother? Your mother, my mother-in-law, is a little too good, isn't she?" Xuanye said this sincerely: "This thing, without some cleverness, it's impossible to do it, let alone think about it."
Xiu Yu said, "It is true that my mother taught me how to steam buns. But the idea behind it is that I learn by analogy and apply it to other similar situations." She put the last bun away and was about to take off her apron when Xuanye grabbed her wrist.
"I've been watching for so long, I'll make one myself." As he said this, Xuanye followed Xiuyu's example and rolled up his sleeves. "Master thinks I'm clever, so shouldn't I show off some of my cleverness?"
"Looking at your attitude, are you serious?" Xiu Yu was a little surprised: "I thought..."
"I really am coming." Xuanye looked at Xiuyu and said with a smile, "I want to steam these buns to honor my ancestors. Could you please teach me, 'Master'?"
Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao, who were setting up rules in the outer room and waiting for orders from the masters in the inner room at any time, pricked up their ears to listen to the movements inside and talked in low voices. The sound was like a mosquito, and no one else could hear it except the two of them.
"The Emperor steaming buns is truly a wonder." Liang Jiugong regretted that he couldn't peek through the window to see what was going on. His words betrayed a hint of regret: "I've followed the Emperor for so many years, and this is the first time I've heard he's even interested in learning this."
"It's because the person you are learning from is my master." Xiao Tao could understand Xuanye: "You have little contact with my master, so you don't understand. Our master is really loved by everyone and flowers bloom wherever she goes. As long as you can stay with her, let alone learning how to steam buns, even if it means climbing mountains of swords and diving into seas of fire, she would be happy to do it." In the latter sentence, Xiao Tao expressed her own ideas.
Liang Jiugong changed his posture slightly and continued to stand in line: "To be honest, in terms of appearance, your master is indeed like this in the harem." He secretly raised a thumbs up, "But our emperor is not a superficial person who only looks at the face, so..."
"So what?" Xiao Tao was a little curious about what Liang Jiugong, the eunuch in charge who had been working in the harem for many years, thought of her master.
Liang Jiugong said, "So, our Princess Yu not only has an unforgettable appearance, but her other abilities are also very impressive."
"Tsk!" Xiao Tao rolled his eyes. "I thought you were going to say something, but you just say this kind of obvious nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense." Liang Jiugong answered bluntly: "I have been in the palace for so long, watching the ladies in the harem being carried in from outside the palace one by one. Most of those who can be favored by our emperor have connections with the previous dynasty. At first, I did think that even if the master you chose is the most beautiful in the harem, she may not be able to keep the favor for long. After all, in the heart of the emperor, the country is the first priority! Your master's maternal family..." Having said this, Liang Jiugong stopped talking. There are some things he really shouldn't say in full.
Xiao Tao didn't force it and asked, "What about now?"
"Now." Liang Jiugong looked Xiao Tao up and down and said, "You have good taste and know how to choose a master."
"Of course not!" There was no need to continue the conversation. Xiao Tao did not forget to flatter Liang Jiugong: "I was picked by you, Brother Liang. How can you be wrong in the people you pick?"
"That's right!" Liang Jiugong also raised his tail: "To be honest, you are really the best among the palace maids." He raised a thumbs up: "Don't say that in the future, you and your master may be unrivaled in this palace."
"Will it still be needed in the future?" Xiao Tao has always been very confident, and she has even more faith in her master. "Even now, at this moment, is there anyone in the palace who can match my master's power?"
Liang Jiugong snorted, "You, don't be too confident. The harem is always a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers are everywhere. After all, you have been a maid beside the emperor for a long time. The principle of the best being defeated first, you should be more aware of the twists and turns in the harem! It won't hurt to be careful. Especially with a person like your master, you should be more careful. Wait..."
"What are you waiting for?" Xiao Tao asked seriously, "Brother Liang, we're sworn brothers now. You can't just tell me half the truth and hide the other half."
"You, figure it out on your own!" Liang Jiugong tapped Xiao Tao's nose. "Don't wait for me to teach you everything! If you figure it out on your own, you will benefit from it for the rest of your life. If you can't figure it out, even if I teach you, it will be like playing the lute to a cow!"
"Hey!" Xiao Tao's voice suddenly rose a little. She quickly covered her mouth again and lowered her voice, saying, "Liang Jiugong, don't go too far! I'll prepare that gift for you later. I won't give it to you!"
"You really don't want to give me anything?" Liang Jiugong had been in the palace for so long after all, so of course he wouldn't fall for Xiao Tao's tricks. "If you don't want to give me anything, then don't give me anything. I don't know how many young maids like you are lining up to give me gifts. Do you really think I'm willing to accept them? I'm sworn brothers with you because you're smart. Do you think anyone in the palace can be sworn brothers with me?"
Xiao Tao certainly understood this, and she had no choice but to give in: "Alright! After all, you're the older brother, and I'm the younger brother! I'll give you the gift, and I'll figure it out myself."
"Good 'little brother'!" Liang Jiugong was very satisfied: "I figured it out. It's good for you and Yu Gege too!" Liang Jiugong said seriously, and he looked like a 'highly accomplished Taoist'.
Inside the room, the aroma of steamed buns wafted into the air, and the chessboard between Xiuyu and Xuanye was filled with black and white pieces. Of course, this time they weren't playing Go, but Gomoku.
"I won't give you any chance this time." Just as he said this, Xuanye wrote a word, and it became 'live four'!
Xiu Yu threw the white chess piece into the chess box and said with a smile, "You make it sound like you gave me a break just now. Didn't I win that game of Go based on my own skill? I didn't see any signs of you giving me a break."
Xuanye was of course teasing Xiuyu: "That game of chess just now was a testament to your true skill. When I made my move, I also put in a lot of thought and tried my best."
"Yes." Xiu Yu stood up and walked to the front of the steamer, then turned back and asked Xuanye: "Do you think the one you made was 'exposed'?"
Xuanye walked over to Xiuyu and said with a smile, "Aren't we steaming buns? They're not dumplings, so how can there be any such thing as 'revealing the filling'?"
"The 'treasure' inside is the stuffing of the steamed buns." Xiu Yu said as he took a piece of cloth and opened the steamer.
The aroma was so fragrant! Of course, the steam also dazzled Xiuyu and Xuanye.
Fortunately, the steam dissipated quickly, and many of the steamed buns in the steamer bloomed, revealing Xiu Yu's little thoughts.
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