Xu Qinyu listened to the whispers of the people around her and felt that perhaps the imperial envoy had done it on purpose, perhaps to target the prefect. The prefect summoned his fourth brother at this time, which should also be related to the imperial envoy's matter.
She was a little worried about Governor Zhu.
Just as I was thinking about something, I heard people around me start saying, "Mrs. Zhu is out."
Xu Qinyu looked up into the restaurant and saw the woman who had reminded her of the thieves at noon walking out. It turned out that she was Madam Zhu.
The woman's face was filled with worry. Seeing a large crowd outside, she stepped out and said, "Everyone, please go away! Stop talking, or you'll bring trouble upon yourselves."
Someone shouted, "Madam Zhu, what are you going to do?"
Madam Zhu looked worried, but she still smiled. "I'm just making dinner for you, sir. What could it be? Don't worry too much. Let's all go."
Only then did the crowd disperse one after another.
Xu Qinyu didn't leave and stood at the door of the restaurant. Madam Zhu recognized him as the thin young man who had almost had his wallet stolen while queuing to buy dim sum at the dim sum shop at noon, so she nodded slightly at Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu also nodded at her.
Xu Qinyu did not delay and immediately returned to the Bafang Inn to see if her fourth brother had returned and to ask him about the specific situation.
When we returned to the Bafang Inn, our fourth brother had also returned, still in the same disguise as he had been that morning. He was standing by the window and when he heard the door open, he turned around to look over.
Xu Qinyu immediately ran to her fourth brother and told him about how she had run into thieves while buying snacks at noon and how Madam Zhu from the Zhu Family Restaurant had helped her. Then, she told her fourth brother about how she had returned to the Zhu Family Restaurant that afternoon and discovered that two officials from the imperial envoy had come to the restaurant and were trying to embarrass Madam Zhu. Finally, she asked, "Fourth brother, did you go to the prefect? Was this matter related to your visit?"
Pei Weixuan said: "It is indeed related to the relationship with the imperial envoy, but I don't know about Madam Zhu. Madam Zhu from the Zhu Family Restaurant is my great-uncle's sister."
He went to the prefect's mansion, and the prefect told him that after the imperial envoy arrived, he sent people to the military camp to inquire and ignored other matters. He was worried about the military pay embezzlement case, so he urged him twice. The imperial envoy's face was as black as charcoal, and he ridiculed him, saying that if he had the ability, he should investigate the military pay embezzlement case himself. After that, he turned his sleeves and left. After that, he often verbally bullied the prefect in the prefect's mansion or in front of other officials and soldiers guards.
The people in the prefectural government and the soldiers in the military camp were all angry but dared not speak out.
The prefect probably sensed something, and knew that Pei Weixuan had come to Raozhou. In addition, the prefect was vaguely aware that this nephew might not be a simple person, so he went to ask him if he knew about the military pay embezzlement case.
At this time, the prefect did not know that the embezzlement of military pay was caused by the King of Handong. He just thought that he had some connection with the imperial envoy. When Pei Weixuan told him that the officials who embezzled military pay were the King of Handong's men, and most of the embezzled military pay went into the King of Handong's pocket, and that the imperial envoy was also the King of Handong's man, it was natural that he would not really put his heart and soul into investigating the case of embezzlement of military pay.
This matter was investigated by the black-armored guards that Pei Weixuan had planted in the capital. The black-armored guards helped him investigate, and they would report to him all the movements in the capital.
After hearing this, the prefect remained silent for a long time.
In fact, the prefect had suspected that his nephew was planning to do something. It was not until he heard from his nephew about the conspiracy behind the military pay corruption case that he knew that his nephew was really planning to do something and he was not just an ordinary bodyguard of a small caravan.
But the prefect said nothing, just sighed.
Ever since he learned that the embezzlement of military pay was instigated by the King of Handong, he understood that the truth of this case would never come to light, and even if it was, the person would be the scapegoat.
And the King of Handong is the Queen Mother's younger brother, so it is impossible for the Queen Mother not to know about this.
From the moment the Queen Mother appointed her younger brother as a king of a different surname, to the massive construction of a luxurious palace, to the moment the prefect allowed his own younger brother to embezzle the military pay of the soldiers guarding the border, he already knew what situation the Great Sheng Dynasty would end up in.
Even if Pei Weixuan did not tell the prefect Zhu, he knew that the new emperor and the queen mother were pleasure-seeking people who were engaged in large-scale construction and building luxurious palaces.
These things had already spread to all the state capitals of Dasheng.
The prefect originally wanted to investigate the case of embezzlement of military pay. He felt that these soldiers guarding the border should not be treated unfairly under any circumstances.
But now the imperial envoys are all the King of Handong’s men, people from the palace, so what else can he do?
If this matter were to be exposed to all officials and the capital, the empress dowager would just pick a random reason to punish him.
If he were to leave, the next governor might be someone from the King of Handong or the Queen Mother. They would dare to embezzle military pay so openly and would surely only think about making money. The people in the border towns would suffer then. Originally, the people in the border towns had lived a good life for the past five years because of the eldest prince.
Moreover, it will be more difficult for my nephew to find a job in the future.
At this moment, the prefect's heart had unconsciously leaned towards his nephew's side.
Later, the prefect said nothing, but just asked Pei Weixuan to go back. It seemed that the issue of military pay would also be left unresolved.
Pei Weixuan also knew his uncle's choice.
My great uncle really couldn't do anything about this matter. All he could do was to protect himself. Otherwise, if my great uncle went down, the people in the border areas would be in trouble.
Pei Weixuan returned to the Bafang Inn.
After he finished speaking, Xu Qinyu understood a little. It seemed that the prefect didn't know about this yet, and the imperial envoy had been holding a grudge against the prefect because the prefect had once questioned him. When he learned about the relationship between Zhu's Restaurant and the prefect, he wanted to humiliate Madam Zhu in public, which was also a slap in the face of the prefect.
Xu Qinyu said angrily, "This imperial envoy is really petty and nitpicky. Fourth brother, what should we do now? Should we talk to the governor? He might have a solution."
Pei Weixuan shook his head, "My uncle and grandfather have no way to stop this."
He could kill these imperial envoys in the southwest, but this was the worst method and would cause trouble for the prefect. He already had other solutions to the case of embezzlement of military pay, and he could take action when the imperial envoys left the southwest.
Xu Qinyu suddenly had an idea, "Fourth brother, how about this? I'll go help Madam Zhu prepare an evening meal, and then the Imperial Envoy will definitely not find any fault.
She believed that no one could resist eating the food she cooked. As long as the imperial envoy ate it with relish, it would explain everything. He would not have the face to accuse Zhu's Restaurant of poor cooking skills and take the opportunity to cause trouble.
Pei Weixuan didn't say anything. He knew that if Yu Niang came forward, there would be no fault to be found in her cooking skills.
But even if Yu Niang was just helping out in the kitchen, if the imperial envoy noticed her, it would cause trouble.
It is very likely that Yu Niang's cooking skills have been noticed by the imperial envoy, who wants to bring her back to the capital to be a cook for the Queen Mother or the King of Handong.
But he knew in his heart that even if she would be targeted, Yu Niang would not ignore the matter.
So he asked, "Does Yu Niang want to go?"
He will take care of the rest.
Xu Qinyu nodded. "Of course, putting aside the relationship between Madam Zhu and the prefect, Madam Zhu helped me at noon, so I should also help Madam Zhu."
She would never do such a thing as ignoring someone who had helped her even though she could have helped him.
Pei Weixuan said, "Then Yu Niang, please go ahead. I'll go with you, but you'll have to wait a moment."
He returned to his desk and left a note for Manager Zhou, saying that he would be away for a few days and asked Manager Zhou to keep the room for them as if they were still living there.
After writing the note, Pei Weixuan went to Zhu's Restaurant with Yu Niang.
When we arrived at Zhu's Restaurant, Mrs. Zhu was also in the kitchen, having trouble with everyone.
She has loved cooking since she was a child, and had a childhood sweetheart when she was young. However, before they got married, her fiancé died in an accident, and she never remarried in her life. Finally, she used her own money to open the Zhu Family Restaurant, which has been open for many years. It has a strategy of affordable prices and large portions, and its business is still good.
Madam Zhu knew that her cooking skills were no match for the chef at Zuixianlou.
Moreover, this imperial envoy chose to eat at Zhu's Restaurant instead of other famous restaurants in Raozhou City. Zhu's Restaurant is well-known for its affordable and filling food. It is obvious that this imperial envoy is deliberately making things difficult for her. Why should a woman like her be embarrassed? It is obviously targeting the prefect behind her.
This matter also involved her sister and brother-in-law. She didn't want to cause trouble for her brother-in-law and let the imperial envoy humiliate her brother-in-law like this.
Madam Zhu was extremely worried. Her disciple hesitated and said, "Master, why don't you go and tell the governor? Perhaps he has a solution."
Her apprentice was a round-faced girl of fifteen or sixteen named Zhu Zhu. She was an abandoned baby she had picked up ten years ago and adopted. Although she was called her apprentice, they were actually her daughter and had taken her surname.
Madam Zhu shook her head, "It's useless even if the governor comes."
She knew what being an imperial envoy meant, and she couldn't even offend the prefect, so calling her brother-in-law would only add to her worries and cause trouble for him.
Just as I was feeling worried, the waiter in front suddenly ran into the backyard and said, "Master, two young men have come to the front hall and said they are looking for you."
"Sir? Are you going to have dinner?" Madam Zhu asked doubtfully, "Can you tell them that we won't be receiving guests today?"
The waiter nodded.
He was sitting in the front living room when he saw two young men, one tall and one short, come in. He immediately said, "Excuse me, gentlemen. The Zhu Family Restaurant is not accepting diners today. Please forgive me."
Because the imperial envoy was coming to the restaurant for dinner, everyone in the restaurant was worried. The owner did not plan to receive other diners, for fear that they would accidentally bump into the imperial envoy and harm others. Therefore, a sign saying that the restaurant was closed for the day was hung outside the restaurant. Unexpectedly, two people still came.
But the shorter young man said, "The owner of the shop has misunderstood. We are not here for dinner. I have something to ask your boss. Please help pass on the message."
The waiter then came to the kitchen to look for Madam Zhu.
After listening to this, Madam Zhu got up and went to the front living room. She was slightly surprised to see Xu Qinyu.
She recognized Xu Qinyu as the young man who was almost robbed at noon.
Seeing Xu Qinyu coming, Madam Zhu subconsciously assumed he had brought his family to thank her. Just as she was about to say there was no need to come all this way, she heard the young master say, "I know the Imperial Envoy will be having dinner at the Zhu Family Restaurant, and I understand Madam Zhu's concerns. I'm grateful for your kind reminder today. Plus, I happen to be a good cook, so I've come to offer my services to help Madam Zhu prepare dinner for the Imperial Envoy today."
Madam Zhu was stunned for a moment, "This, this..."
This is a self-recommendation.
But the young man in front of him looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, and the young man next to him, who had an ordinary appearance but was very tall, looked to be in his early twenties. Both of them were only in their teens or twenties, even though they seemed to have advanced cooking skills.
Is he here to tease her?
It can be seen that the shorter young man has a sincere face and does not seem to be trying to tease her on purpose.
For a moment, Madam Zhu was also a little confused.
Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan disguised themselves because they were afraid of being recognized by outsiders, so naturally they could not tell Madam Zhu her true identity.
At her age, it was not credible to say that she was a great cook, but she still had to say, "Madam Zhu, why don't you trust me for once? It's almost time for dinner, and it's time to prepare the ingredients."
Madam Zhu hesitated, but finally saw that the face of the thin little young man in front of her was too sincere and did not seem like he was lying.
Besides, the evening meal would be prepared soon. If the young master's cooking didn't taste good, the restaurant had other ingredients and she could cook it herself. It wouldn't affect anything, so she agreed after some hesitation.
Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan followed Madam Zhu to the kitchen.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Xu Qinyu made a long list of ingredients and asked Madam Zhu to buy them.
Madam Zhu saw such a long list, which included not only a variety of ingredients, but also various spices.
Madam Zhu asked the kitchen helper, her apprentice and other waiters in the restaurant to go buy it separately, which would save a lot of time.
In less than half an hour, the ingredients, spices and seasonings that Xu Qinyu ordered arrived.
The highlight of today is roasted suckling pig, which is made from a suckling pig weighing about ten pounds.
No one here has ever eaten suckling pig. Pork is only eaten when it is fat. It just so happens that there are people raising pigs in the city. Madam Zhu spent a lot of money to buy this suckling pig and asked the butcher to slaughter it according to the method told by the young master.
Now that the restaurant doesn't need to receive diners, even the waiter in the front couldn't help but run to the back to watch. He was very curious about Xu Qinyu, and even more curious about these ingredients. These ingredients were all weird, could they really be used to make delicious food?
Even the chef of Zuixianlou was criticized. Can this young man who is only seventeen or eighteen years old really cook food that will satisfy the imperial envoy?
No one really believed it.
In fact, roasted suckling pig requires a suckling pig of the fragrant pig breed. Naturally, there are no fragrant pigs here, so you can use this kind of domestic piglet.
The piglet has been slaughtered, and Xu Qinyu is about to start processing the ingredients.
In addition to the ingredients, there are also bricks, charcoal and iron forks.
Xu Qinyu went over and whispered a few words to the fourth brother. Pei Weixuan nodded and started to build a simple roasting pool with bricks and tiles, which would be needed for roasting suckling pig later.
The suckling pig had just been slaughtered but not processed properly. Xu Qinyu split the inner spine of the suckling pig, cut off the excess fat, and then removed the front ribs and shoulder blades. She was also very skillful in processing the suckling pig. She used a kitchen knife skillfully and removed the bones on the inside of the suckling pig in just ten seconds. This way, the suckling pig was still whole, but it would be more convenient to roast later.
After chopping the spine, Xu Qinyu washed the suckling pig again with clean water.
Madam Zhu and others nearby were stunned when they saw Xu Qinyu's skillful technique. Madam Zhu was even more shocked. She had been a cook for more than twenty years, but she had never been so skilled with a knife. Now she had a vague feeling that the young master was not fooling her and must have really good cooking skills.
But the food they make is a bit weird.
Xu Qinyu continued to process the ingredients. After cleaning the suckling pig, she stood aside and began to prepare the seasoning. The seasoning for roasted suckling pig is also of paramount importance. She ground the prepared spices into powder, ground the sesame seeds into paste, and used chopped shallots and minced garlic, and used several other seasonings to make a sauce. Finally, she added sugar and Huadiao wine, mixed evenly, and applied it to the suckling pig's abdominal cavity.
In fact, there were still a few missing seasonings, and she didn't bring homemade soybean paste and fermented bean curd, so she used soybean paste and fermented bean curd bought from Raozhou City. She could only put more effort into baking it later.
The seasoned suckling pig needs to be marinated for half an hour.
The marinated suckling pig needs to be propped up and fixed in the abdominal cavity with wooden strips, and then two iron forks should be pierced horizontally through the suckling pig according to the roasting method to facilitate roasting.
Hot water must also be poured on the suckling pig's skin to harden the surface.
This is not good enough, you also need to prepare the crispy syrup. Melt the malt sugar, add Huadiao wine and white vinegar, apply the prepared crispy syrup on the skin of the suckling pig while it is still hot, hang it up to dry and then start baking.
The barbecue oven on Fourth Brother's side has been built and the charcoal has started to burn.
Xu Qinyu began to prepare other ingredients.
This roast suckling pig is the highlight of today, so she didn’t plan to make the other dishes too greasy.
The other dishes include shredded chicken and white fungus. This dish is smooth, crisp and refreshing, which can relieve the greasiness of roast suckling pig.
Add a dish of milk-flavored fish fillet and fried duck.
Madam Zhu also bought some beef yesterday, and Xu Qinyu planned to make tangerine peel beef, which has the aroma of tangerine peel and tastes crispy, soft, spicy, and a little sweet.
It was already early autumn and water chestnuts were ripe. Xu Qinyu also asked someone to buy some water chestnuts and make water chestnut meat patties.
There is also a dish of stir-fried lotus root slices. The lotus roots at this time of year are just ripe and very tender. Simply cut them into thin slices and stir-fry with just salt, and they are very fresh and sweet.
Another dessert, Milk White Jujube Treasure, is made with golden red dates and glutinous rice flour. It is soft, sticky and sweet.
I also made a pot of pork tripe and chicken soup.
Madam Zhu said that there were about four or five people eating, and the amount Xu Qinyu prepared was enough.
The dishes she made were all those that Xu Ji in Yuanbao Town had never made.
She had prepared all the ingredients and the soup was already cooking.
Watching her hands flying, the kitchen knife almost leaving an afterimage, Madam Zhu and the others stared blankly at the steps the young master was preparing.
This was the first time I knew that eating could be done this way. The cooking methods of these foods were completely different from those of Mrs. Zhu, and even from those of other restaurants. I had never seen the style of the piglet being smeared on it before.
The food was ready, and Xu Qinyu carried the suckling pig over and started roasting it.
Roasting suckling pig also requires attention to the temperature. She adjusted the temperature of the charcoal and started roasting the suckling pig. At the beginning, there was no need to turn it over constantly, so she asked her fourth brother to help her watch it.
This roasted suckling pig is roasted horizontally on a well-built charcoal stove. With an iron fork holding the suckling pig in place, it is easy to turn over without using much force.
You also need to pay attention when roasting. You need to use a thicker iron needle to pierce the skin. This will make it easier to remove moisture from the suckling pig and make the pig skin taste crispier after roasting.
Moreover, when roasting the suckling pig, you need to be careful to wipe off the oozing fat, so that the roasted suckling pig will look good, with golden skin and uniform color.
With her fourth brother helping her turn the iron fork, Xu Qinyu began to cook other dishes.
After half an hour, the aroma of the roast suckling pig had filled the entire yard. It smelled of burnt aroma with a strong meaty aroma, and the meaty aroma was mixed with other aromas. It was the secret seasoning that permeated the meaty aroma, and then the unique meaty aroma after being roasted.
Madam Zhu was completely convinced by the young master in front of her.
Zhu Zhu even murmured, "Master, it smells so good."
Everyone else was staring at the roast suckling pig outside, swallowing hard.
The aroma of the meat filled the entire yard and began to drift outside.
The surrounding merchants and people visiting the market could smell the fragrance.
"What's that smell? It smells so good."
"It smells really good. Is this restaurant cooking?"
The shopkeepers of nearby shops couldn't help but come out to watch, and some even asked, "Who makes this food?"
"Could it be the Zhu Family Restaurant? Shouldn't the Zhu Family Restaurant be hosting a dinner for the Imperial Envoy today? Perhaps it's the Zhu Family Restaurant."
The owner of another shop immediately said, "Impossible! We've been neighbors with Zhu's Restaurant for years. We've eaten there countless times, morning and night. We can smell the food there. This isn't the taste of Zhu's Restaurant."
"Which one would that be?"
"I don't know, but this smell is really tempting. My stomach is rumbling."
"That's right. Hey, I really want to try what this food is. I feel like if I can eat it once, it will be worth my whole life."
In the backyard of Zhu's Restaurant, while Xu Qinyu was cooking other dishes, she still had time to go outside to see how the roast suckling pig was being cooked.
It takes about an hour to roast the suckling pig, and now we have to continue roasting it for another half an hour. The aroma will become stronger and spread farther as time goes by.
After waiting for half an hour, all her dishes were ready, and the pork tripe and chicken soup was also cooked.
The aroma of the roast suckling pig has overshadowed the aroma of the other dishes. The rich aroma of the secret meat, with a hint of burnt aroma, can be smelled throughout almost the entire market. The closer you get to Zhu's Restaurant, the more obvious this aroma becomes.
Even the shop owners who had previously thought that the fragrance was not coming from Zhu's Restaurant were a little hesitant. Could it be that the fragrance was really coming from Zhu's Restaurant?
But when did Madam Zhu’s cooking skills become so amazing?
They no longer had any intention of guarding the shop and were all standing at the door looking towards the Zhu Family Restaurant.
In the kitchen of the Zhu Family Restaurant, Xu Qinyu looked at Miss Zhu and said with a smile, "Miss Zhu, would you like to try some of these dishes?"
She made extra, divided it into two portions, served one portion later, and kept the rest in the kitchen for their evening snack. Now everyone was staring at the food eagerly.
The roast suckling pig cannot be eaten and must be served whole, otherwise cutting it into pieces will ruin the appearance.
She actually wanted to eat roast suckling pig as well, and planned to go back to Xu Ji and make some roast suckling pig for everyone to try after the matter was settled.
The skin of this roasted suckling pig is roasted until it is crispy and crunchy. It is crispy and fragrant when you eat it, but the meat is still very tender, and the fat is fat but not greasy.
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