Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Delicious Xiaolong Soup King of Baotuo Khanate and...
Duan Zhiwei returned to the restaurant and told everyone that Li Lan was appreciated by the King of Tuo Khanate. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Aunt Duan, in particular, went to Da Ci'en Temple almost every month to listen to monks' lectures. She firmly believed in the Buddhist saying "Do good and accumulate virtue, and blessings will come naturally". After reciting a Buddhist mantra, she would cook some delicious food to reward Duan Zhiwei.
Pu Tao was still young and was moved by the love story between the king and the impoverished royal daughter. He kept pulling Duan Zhiwei to ask her to tell him the details.
The whole restaurant is shrouded in a cheerful and joyful atmosphere.
On the contrary, Yuan Shenji received the saint's order and returned to his study room, frowning and saying, "This Tuo Khanate is simply making a fuss!"
It turned out that yesterday in the royal garden of Qujiang, the king of Tuohan claimed that he fell in love with a beautiful lady at first sight, but the lady suddenly got frightened and ran away. The king did not even ask the beauty's name, but only knew that she had lost a shoe inlaid with gold pearls in a hurry.
The king immediately went to the Honglu Temple, found the minister of the temple, and immediately forced the whole city to search for the beautiful lady. Even a saint found this matter difficult.
The Khanate of Tuo was on a small island in the sea. It was hot there. The nobles only wore light gauze clothes and straw shoes, and the common people walked barefoot on the ground.
But it was different in Chang'an. Women's feet were private. Moreover, all the participants in the garden event that day were women from aristocratic families. In any case, it was simply inappropriate to let the "auspicious lion" Jinwu Guards guarding the city shuttle between various aristocratic families with an embroidered shoe looking for a lady.
The sage also thought it was ridiculous at first and simply threw away the memorial submitted by the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. However, King Nado Khan said that if he could find the lady, he would pay tribute of ten bushels of rare sea pearls to Chang'an every year.
The sage doesn't care. As a great country with tributes from all dynasties, who would look down on such a small thing as his? However, the favorite jewel of the imperial concubine in the palace was pearls, so she gave the saint an idea.
Wouldn't it be better to let the palace lady take the embroidered shoes and go find someone for the King of Tuo Khanate? The Jinwu Guards would play the role of guiding and escorting them. This would not only do the King of Tuo Khanate a favor, but also avoid offending the various aristocratic families.
The saint thought this was a good idea and immediately drafted an edict to the Jinwu Guard.
Yuan Shenji was really angry. The Jinwu Guards had always been responsible for the protection and ceremonial guards of the emperor's travels, as well as the patrol and supervision of Chang'an City. Now they had to protect the female officials of the Daming Palace to find a wife in various aristocratic families. It was simply nonsense.
But after all, the imperial edict had been issued, so he decided to let his subordinates handle such trivial matters. So as soon as the curfew was lifted the next morning, Yuan Shenji mounted his horse and went to Duan's restaurant to take some time off.
Duan Zhiwei took advantage of the spring chill and cooked a large pot of pork skin soup the night before and placed it by the well. When he got up this morning, he was satisfied to find that the soup had turned into shiny pork skin jelly.
Seeing that the jade siu mai was quite popular, she decided to try steaming soup dumplings. These soup dumplings had to be made in cold weather. In summer, Duan Zhiwei could neither rent an ice house nor get a refrigerator, and the pork skin soup would easily go bad before it solidified, so she had to make them in cold weather.
The bun skin is also very particular. In the north, for example, Goubuli in Tianjin and Qingfeng in Beijing are all made of leavened dough, which is fluffy and soft; in the south, most of them are made of unleavened dough, which is rolled into a thin layer.
Duan Zhiwei chose leavened dough when making various types of jade-tipped noodles, but now he decided to try unleavened dough.
In addition to the traditional meat filling, Duan Zhiwei also stuffs shrimp and diced spring bamboo shoots into the filling according to the season, which makes the filling more fresh and sweet than ordinary pork.
It turned out that the steamed dumplings were very successful. They were small and exquisite like little pagodas standing in the pine needles of the steamer. The skin was very tough and transparent, and you could see the soup swaying in the thin skin when facing the sunlight.
Everyone in Chang'an was very interested in eating the steamed buns with soup for the first time. Almost everyone ordered a basket. When they took big bites, the boiling hot gravy dripped down their chopsticks. The diners were not angry, but asked Duan Zhiwei how to pour soup into the sealed skin.
So when Yuan Shenji rode his horse to Xuanyangfang, Duan Zhiwei was already busy. When he saw him coming, he quickly found an empty seat for him.
A basket of steaming hot dumplings was placed in front of him, along with a dish of vinegar. Duan Zhiwei taught him: "There are some rules to follow when eating this steamed dumpling. You need to lift it gently, move it slowly, open the window first, and drink the soup later."
She gestured with her hands and feet, which looked very interesting, and it made Yuan Shenji feel less unhappy.
Following Duan Zhiwei's instruction, Yuan Shenji gently picked up the steamed dumpling and took a small bite. He was then greeted by the hot steam and rich aroma. The boiling and delicious gravy inside overflowed all at once. The pork was delicious, the jelly was rich and mellow, and if he chewed it carefully, he could taste the sweet bamboo shoots and firm shrimps. With some vinegar on it, it was moist and not greasy.
Duan Zhiwei sat aside and watched him eat, so he chatted with him: "How come the commander has time to come to my place for breakfast today?"
Because of his night patrols, Yuan Shenji seldom had time to come to the restaurant for breakfast, so Su Yu usually came to bring him some. The reason I came here today is because I'm angry about the Tuo Khanate incident, so I just wanted to sneak out and have some free time.
Today happened to be the day when Aunt Duan went to burn incense. She came back with a basket of incense and candles and said repeatedly, "Oh my, it's so lively outside. Several female officials from the Daming Palace rode out of the palace in a colorful silk ox cart, followed by two Wu Hous. It was quite grand."
Yuan Shenji's face darkened and he told Duan Zhiwei about the matter.
This is really a coincidence. Duan Zhiwei jumped up excitedly: "Why don't you ask me, Captain? I know who the lady the King of Tuo is looking for is. I have even been to her mansion."
Yuan Shenji raised his head suddenly.
On the other side, Li Lan's sister Li Shao was still applying lipstick in front of the bronze mirror. Li's mother hurried to the gate of the mansion, then went into her embroidery room and said, "I don't know when she will get to us."
Li Shao looked at herself in the mirror for a while, and said confidently, "Don't worry, mother. With my appearance and character, the King of Tuohan will definitely like me."
Mother Li nodded.
After General Dingyuan Li Yan died suddenly of a serious illness, the Li family immediately fell into decline. All the flatterers disappeared. It was difficult for her to raise her daughter alone. If her daughter could become the queen of a country, she would definitely go to those banquets to show off.
Li Shao asked with eyebrows drawn: "Where is she?"
Mother Li raised her eyebrows in disgust: "That freak is in her own room, but to prevent any complications, I locked her door."
Li Shao was relieved.
It was after noon when the female officials from the Daming Palace leisurely arrived at this house. The female officials in the palace were all shrewd people and knew how to serve the right person according to his/her situation. When they arrived at a wealthy family, they would be very careful with the noble ladies. Now that they knew that the Li Mansion was in decline, they just performed their duties with an expressionless face.
The embroidered shoes were not small. Li Shao was a noble lady after all, and her feet were not big. But she just couldn't put them in no matter how hard she tried. Li's mother was so anxious that she had to squat down and help her put them in.
As a result, the shoes bounced out by themselves as if they had a soul.
Mother Li gritted her teeth and said angrily: "Why not just cut off your heels? When you become the queen, you will have maids to support you."
Li Shao turned pale with fright, and seeing the female official's look of contempt, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.
As a result, the female official looked at them with contempt and said, "If you cut off your feet, it won't count."
The female official picked up the embroidered shoes with a forced smile, put them into the brocade box, and was about to say goodbye to the two stunned people.
Li Lan leaned against the door, and the bronze mirror in her hand actually reflected every move in the front hall. She sneered, and was about to chant a spell to unlock the lock on the door, when she saw a familiar figure appear in the bronze mirror, and she put down her finger.
Duan Zhiwei followed Yuan Shenji and although the two female officials did not know her, they recognized this fourth-rank official in scarlet clothes and saluted him politely.
Duan Zhiwei said: "This shoe belongs to Li Lan, the eldest daughter of former Dingyuan General Li Yan. She lives in the backyard. I just saw her two days ago."
"Oh?" The palace lady looked at Li's mother and her husband with a sharp look in her eyes. She stared at them for a while and said, "Then I'll trouble this kind lady to take us there."
Although Li's mother and her partner tried to stop them in various ways, they were unable to resist the two burly warriors who carried them aside.
Li Lan's embroidery room was indeed locked with a large copper lock. Wu Hou took a Mo Dao and chiseled open the copper lock, and saw Li Lan sitting on the ground crying anxiously. She was still wearing the old skirt with a gray padded jacket, and holding another embroidered shoe inlaid with gold pearls in her hand.
Hearing the noise, she raised her head and a tear fell down her cheek, looking so pitiful.
......
This time, there were so many diners at the Duan's restaurant that the line stretched outside the Xuanyangfang. Of course, this time they were not there for the jadeite steamed buns or the soup dumplings, but just for the love story of the King of Tuohan and his princess Li Lan. Duan Zhiwei didn't even have time to cook, he just stood in front of the restaurant and acted like a storyteller.
On the day Princess Li Lan was leaving Chang'an, she specially took a tall and fragrant carriage pulled by four camels to go to Duan's Restaurant to bid farewell to Duan Zhiwei. She also gave her a few pearls as a parting gift, which gave Duan Zhiwei enough face and also made the unknown Duan's Restaurant a hit in Chang'an.
Before leaving, Duan Zhiwei asked her worriedly, "Is your mother and sister not making things difficult for you?"
Li Lan smiled and shook her head. She was already wearing Chang'an's most fashionable double deer flower morning glow skirt, her hair was glittering with pearls and jade, and on her feet were a pair of embroidered shoes inlaid with gold pearls. She no longer looked timid in gray.
She looked at Duan Zhiwei with deep meaning, "They won't have the chance to embarrass anyone again."
Duan Zhiwei always felt that something was wrong when Li Lan said goodbye these two days, but he couldn't tell why. Plus he was too busy these two days, so he just let her be.
A rare guest came to the restaurant that day. It was Dugu, the law officer of the Demon Catching Temple who had not been seen for a long time. He had loose hair and wore a loose white robe. He walked into the restaurant in a very casual manner, leading two donkeys behind him.
Duan Zhiwei came over and wanted to help him lead the donkey, but the donkey was very aggressive and wanted to bite her sleeve.
Duan Zhiwei said, "Dugu Luling, your donkey is really irritable. Who dares to ride it?"
Dugu drank a cup of tea and said, "That's right. When I bought this donkey from the servant of Li's house, the servant said that this donkey was very wild. Before the princess went to Tuohan Kingdom, she warned that these two donkeys were wild and could not be ridden. It would be best to take them to the medicine shop to make donkey-hide gelatin. I had to persuade them to buy it."
Duan Zhiwei was curious: "Li Lan's mansion? She has donkeys at home, how come I didn't know about that?" Then he complained in a low voice: "There are two donkeys, can't I just drive the donkey cart to Qujiang by myself?"
When a diner called her, she quickly turned around and left.
Only the two donkeys, one old and one young, were left, anxiously waiting. The young donkey had a flower that looked like a peony next to its ear. When it saw Duan Zhiwei walking away, tears started to flow from its big eyes.
At this moment, the largest restaurant in Youzhou was booked by the King of Tuo Khanate, and ordinary guests were not allowed to enter.
The curtain of the restaurant was about to be drawn, and the hall was filled with elegantly dressed people and clinking glasses. The vermilion curtains on both sides of the stage fluttered in the wind, and the green jade stones hanging at the bottom jingled.
A group of Hu women have begun to dance to the sound of stringed instruments. The whole hall is filled with the rich fragrance of pearls, jade and wine, which blends together, making people's faces look like peach blossoms, and all they see is the intoxication of wealth and luxury.
The King of Tuohan Kingdom was hugging two beautiful Hu girls and drinking wine one bowl after another. Then he laughed wildly at the Imperial Master beside him: "The Imperial Master's prediction is really accurate. There really is a fish bone in Chang'an City that can be used to find treasure."
The Imperial Master smiled flatteringly and said, "Your Highness is hugging two Hu concubines at the moment, the Princess must be unhappy, what if she doesn't hand them over..."
The king smashed the cup and said, "What's the point of that skinny Chang'an woman? How can she be as beautiful as this plump Hu Ji? How dare she not hand over the fish bone? When she reaches my territory..."
He drank too much and acted like a madman, completely losing the elegance and courtesy he had in Chang'an. He also didn't notice Li Lan standing quietly behind the screen.
She returned to her room, holding a red bag stolen from the Imperial Master. She pinched out a handful of dirt and scattered it on the ground, and suddenly a rushing river appeared on the ground.
Then bury the wheat seeds in the soil and water them with river water. The wheat will begin to sprout and produce ears.
She collected the wheat, ground it into powder, and shook it, wondering what to do with the flour? Otherwise, make the jade steamed buns that the kind lady in Chang'an City taught you.
It was a pity that she arrived at the Honglu Temple early in the morning and followed the interpreter and the foreign envoy to the Duan family restaurant. She didn't expect that the king was such a person.
She glanced at the flour on her hands again.
That third donkey outside.
You will definitely like it.
She thought.
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