Chapter 2731 Layout
The official did not stop the chef from recommending his family. No one knew how long the envoy would stay here, so the kitchen would definitely need more people.
Who doesn’t like Tian?
The family is easy to manage.
So he asked someone to take the chef back to pick up his wife and children, and he hurried to report the situation to Prince Gao Er.
However, Prince Gao Er had not finished his meeting yet. He stood outside for a while and saw Nusa coming out of the house with a tired and sad face. When he saw her expression, he didn't dare to go close to her, for fear of bringing bad luck, so he lowered his head and hid aside.
Nuosa left disappointed and sad. The official then raised his head and looked at his hunched back. Seeing that other generals and ministers had also come out, he hurried forward to ask for a meeting.
Prince Gao Er was about to speak to his confidant when he heard him request an audience. He summoned him in and asked, "Have you arranged for the envoy from Jin?"
"Yes." The official carefully described Bai Shan's various behaviors after he moved in, including the long speech that Daji said.
Then he took out the gold ingot and presented it to the emperor, bending over and saying, "Prince, this is what he gave to me."
Prince Gao Er only took a glance and waved his hand, saying, "Since he gave it to you, just keep it."
He sneered and said, "Send people to guard his yard and don't let them go out at will."
He decided to leave him alone for two days to see how the situation would develop and to determine the attitude of the Dajin side.
The official agreed, and when he saw that Prince Gao Er had no other opinions on the matter of hiring a cook for the guest house, he bowed and left.
As soon as the minor official left, the confidant bowed and said, "Prince, by the sound of it, this envoy must be from a wealthy family."
Prince Gao sneered, "At such a young age, he's already reached the position of Zhongshu Sheren, and even served as an envoy on behalf of the emperor. How can his family background be low?"
A high birthplace meant that the opponent's knowledge and ability were not weak. From the moment he could face him with neither arrogance nor servility, Prince Gao knew that although this opponent was young, he should not be underestimated.
With just a few words, Yuan Yi and the others had already decided to surrender.
Prince Gao Er pursed his lips in displeasure at the thought and ordered again, "Send someone to guard the courtyard where they live and don't let them go out."
"yes."
Bai Shan stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, watching the soldiers patrolling outside the courtyard wall. He smiled slightly and turned to go in.
Xue Gui walked around the entire courtyard, even checking the toilet at the back. He said to Bai Shan, "Master Bai, there are guards everywhere, with a guard every ten steps. We can't get out even at night."
"If we can't get out, then we won't."
"But we are trapped here. Isn't it true that we can't do anything?"
What's the use of all the gold, silver and jewelry you brought?
Bai Shan smiled slightly and said, "If I can't go to the mountain, then I must let the mountain go to me."
He turned around and asked Daji, "Have the cook and his family arrived?"
"Here I come."
“How many people are there in their family?”
Daji said, "His wife, two sons and a daughter, when he heard that I needed a maid to boil water, he brought them all with him."
He said, "He told me that his wife and eldest son can buy the ingredients. They are familiar with the vegetable farmers in the city, and the youngest son can stay in the courtyard to give orders."
Bai Shan nodded slightly, "I've asked clearly, are all his family members here?"
"Yes, I brought them all."
Bai Shan was satisfied and said to Daji, "Give them some gold and tell them that I want fresh vegetables for lunch and dinner tomorrow, and I also want roasted mutton, the tenderest piece, and no extra."
Daji understood and turned to get the gold.
Xue Gui, who was standing by, saw Daji take out another piece of gold and was speechless for a long time.
Even the emperor opposite was not so extravagant. The last time they ate in the same tent with His Majesty, the emperor ate the same thing as them, just two dishes and a soup.
One dish was tofu, and the other just had some minced meat.
The army is outside, and this is not their own territory. The supplies cannot keep up. The food is okay, but there is really little vegetables and meat.
He vaguely felt that Bai Shan's action was not just for food, but he couldn't figure out why, so he could only remain silent and wait and see what happened.
The chef was also excited and surprised when he received a piece of gold. Although he was prepared for the extravagance of this noble man, he was still shocked by the two days' food expenses.
Daji said: "Money is not a problem, the main thing is to make my young master happy with the meal. If you do well, the young master will reward you."
The chef and his family bowed and said, "Yes, yes, we will do our best."
After Daji left, the chef's wife stared at the gold in his hand in a daze. After swallowing, she said, "Boss, where can we find so many fresh vegetables now?"
She said, "I was just planning to find someone to buy some cabbages from the cellar."
The chef said, "If the vegetable farmers don't have it, we can buy it from the wealthy families. They have farms and other courtyards, so they must have places to grow fresh vegetables. As long as we have money, can't we buy these things?"
He touched the gold in his hand and said, "See? This is real gold. One piece of this can buy a small courtyard. Even if I can only save a small part of it, if I save it a few more times, it will be enough for me to work as a chef in a restaurant for twenty years."
The head chef also swallowed her saliva after hearing this, and then reached out to take the gold. "Okay, I'll go out and look for it now. When I used to deliver food to restaurants, I knew a lot of housekeepers. I'll ask them."
The chef nodded in satisfaction.
The soldiers at the door did not stop the people from the kitchen from going in and out to buy things, but they did not allow people from Jin to go in or out.
Bai Shan did not test their bottom line and stayed in the house honestly, but he would occasionally find fault with the living quarters, sometimes saying that the quilt was not soft enough and asked someone to tell the soldiers at the door to replace it with new bedding;
After a while, he said he was really bored, so he asked them to send some books, and also asked for pens, ink, paper, and inkstone...
Anyway, there were so many detailed requirements that the soldiers guarding the door straightened their backs when they saw the Jin people coming.
But they still acted like a superior country, while Goguryeo was defeated and could not be tough even if they wanted to, so they could only endure it.
And every time the Council would meet their demands, the soldiers guarding the gate became even less confident when facing them. They obviously knew that although they were guarding the envoys from Jin, even their superiors had to be polite to these Jin people. So although they were not allowed to leave, they were polite to them.
Xue Gui also figured out what was going on. He turned his head and looked at Bai Shan who was flipping through a book. It was just an ordinary copy of "The Analects of Confucius". He didn't believe that Bai Shan, a Jinshi, had never read it, but at this moment he was reading it with great interest.
There was nothing he could do, he could only suppress his temper and sit there in a daze.
The next day, the kitchen prepared the fresh vegetables and tender roasted lamb that Bai Shan requested.
Bai Shan raised the corner of his mouth slightly and continued to ask for fine food the next day.
The next day, after the chef had prepared the food for him, Bai Shan called the chef over for a chat and asked him directly, "I see you speak Chinese quite well. Did you learn it in a restaurant?"
The chef was stunned for a moment, then bent down and said, "Yes, this is not only elegant language, but also our official language. I work in a restaurant and occasionally have to meet some distinguished guests, so I learned it."
Bai Shan was very satisfied and nodded, "I see that you are a good cook, especially in making dim sum. Have you ever thought about going to the Central Plains?"
He smiled slightly and said, "If you're willing, I can take you with me when I return to Chang'an. How about you be my cook?"
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
