Chapter 61 (Vegetables?)

As a family of military generals, there is nothing more joyful than hearing the three words "victory".

Even though the Xiao family won countless battles, once they failed, they basically lost their lives, so every success was enough to make people happy.

In such joy, stinky tofu could only be temporarily ignored. Madam Xiao waved her hand and doubled the salary of everyone in the mansion. The people in the mansion were already happy, and they were so happy all of a sudden.

Some people even have half a day off.

It's just that human joy is not the same.

The good news from Xiao Huaiting this time is good for the Great Zhou, but not for some people.

What does it mean to capture three cities in a row?

This means that Wuta seems to be completely unable to cause any harm to Xiao's army.

Zhou Zejing was announced to attend the court along with other court officials. Listening to the messenger's excited and uplifting voice describing how difficult this battle was and how brave the Xiao family army was, his brows became increasingly furrowed.

Others who heard this only felt excited, but he was only thinking, he never expected that the sixth son of the Xiao family, Xiao Waiting, would actually surpass his master!

Even his father and brothers could not defeat the enemy so ferociously in such a short time!

This is just good news. If we continue to fight, will we be able to... take over the entire Uta?

After thinking about it, he looked up at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. The old emperor had been ill during the New Year. Although he looked better now, he was old and had white hair. His suspicion became more and more... serious as he got older.

A normal emperor would be happy to hear the good news, but he was the only one who had a blank expression on his face.

No one else dared to look the Holy Spirit in the eye, so naturally they did not notice.

As soon as Zhou Zejing raised his head, the other party immediately looked over. When their eyes met, Zhou Zejing nodded in understanding. The old emperor then said, "I understand. Duke Zhenguo has worked hard and made great contributions. It is a blessing for our Great Zhou that he has made such achievements at such a young age!"

The court officials echoed: "It is because of your majesty's wisdom that the Great Zhou has such a talented person!"

Even though it was flattery, the old emperor was still somewhat satisfied, and sighed: "It's a pity that the Xiao family is now small, and too many have sacrificed for the country. When I think of the Duke of Zhenguo, I feel guilty and I really don't know how to reward him."

This……

The court officials didn't know how to respond for a moment. Everyone knew that the Xiao family had made great contributions and were already dukes. Madam Xiao had even been granted an imperial decree. What other title could be bestowed upon her?

At this time, Zhou Zejing came out and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I think that since the national treasury is not rich now, and for the sake of Duke Zhenguo, why not stop the war here?"

At this point, many people understood and came forward one after another, saying, "Your Highness is right. War is costly and injurious. Wuta has lost three cities in a row. This is a lesson enough. If we continue to fight, too many people will die. It will be a waste of blood!"

"Your Majesty, I think so too. Our Great Zhou once had good relations with Wuta, but we cannot be too drastic now."

Everyone spoke with a firm belief that no matter what, it was time to stop. Wars cost lives and property, and Uta had learned his lesson enough. It was enough.

They are also doing this for the good of the people of Da Zhou!

The Sixth Prince, Prince Xuan, also echoed the sentiment. He was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and his handsome face was full of sympathy for the people.

The old emperor even curled his lips slightly.

Suddenly, Prince Chang, who had been silent, stood up and said in a deep voice: "Father, I think we should continue the fight! Seize the opportunity to win and make sure that there is no Wuta Kingdom on this continent!"

The powerful and resounding voice successfully silenced the chaotic voices in the court.

The court officials looked over and saw that the person who spoke was Prince Chang, and many of them shut up out of interest.

As the former crown prince, Prince Chang's status in the hearts of the court officials was not low. After all, he was once the crown prince they recognized and was excellent in every aspect. If it weren't for the missing five years, how could Prince Shun and Prince Xuan have had a chance to come to the fore?

Zhou Zejing's face turned cold, and he smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Chang has a very good idea, but he may not have seen a real war scene. Whether it is the soldiers of Wuta or the soldiers of my Great Zhou, even if they win, many people will die on both sides. In addition, the treasury is empty now. Why is Your Highness Prince Chang still determined to attack?"

Prince Chang said, "Father, my Lords, it may seem like what the Crown Prince said, it is all very well, but the Wuta Kingdom is ambitious and has not been able to settle down for many years. If Xiao Huaian had not risked his life to avoid severely damaging Wuta five years ago, how could they have taken five years to recover before offending our Great Zhou again? Now that the Duke of Zhenguo has captured three of its cities, they can at most be kept in abeyance for two years, and we will have to start the war again after two years!"

As he spoke, he took two steps forward, his gentle peach blossom eyes staring straight at Zhou Zejing, as if he could see through the darkness in his heart, and said in a shocked voice: "May I ask, Your Highness, was the battle back then not a battle? Wasn't it the lives of the soldiers who were sacrificed back then? Wasn't it the money of our Great Zhou that was wasted back then?!"

Zhou Zejing was speechless for a moment.

The voice seemed to be right beside his ears, and every word hit his heart, making cold sweat break out on his back and his feet involuntarily take two steps back.

Prince Chang did not continue to target him, but instead went through the ministers who had just called on the emperor not to fight.

The ministers looked away and said nothing.

Then he looked at the old emperor.

The old emperor's face darkened and he gripped the armrests of the dragon chair tightly.

At this time, on the other side of King Chang, a fair and clean young man appeared. He was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had an extremely handsome face. He looked like a noble young man. As soon as he appeared, many people were excited.

It's over. Are we going to fight now?

But the young boy's clear voice echoed in the hall: "Father, I think what my second brother said is very true. This battle should be fought. If the Duke of Zhenguo can destroy Wuta in one fell swoop, the people at the border will no longer be disturbed by Wuta. It will be a great thing for the country and the people!"

Zhou Zejing's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Prince Shun with a frown.

This person actually agreed to King Chang’s proposal?

Didn't he know that Prince Chang and the Xiao family were in cahoots? If the Xiao family won, Prince Chang's power would only grow.

The old emperor was also worried that one day, the Zhou family would no longer be able to control the Xiao family, and the world would change its surname.

Many people in the court also looked sideways, their eyes showing drastic changes of emotions, not knowing what to do.

The old emperor's face was shrunk, the corners of his lips were pressed down, and there was surprise in his eyes, but more of anger.

However, with the support of his younger brother, Prince Chang saluted directly: "Father, this battle must be fought!"

Prince Shun also bowed and said, "Father, this battle must be fought!"

The court officials who were looking up to the two also followed suit and shouted. Then more and more people joined in the call. Gradually, almost all the civil and military officials in the court were shouting. Only a few people from the Sixth Prince's faction and Zhou Zejing did not move.

But the situation was hopeless by this time, and there was no excuse to suspend the war, unless the old emperor said it bluntly. He was unwilling to see the Xiao family continue to grow and become more powerful, even at the expense of the people living on the border.

Finally, the old emperor forced a smile and said, "Why do you have to do this? I am just suggesting that since you all think it is worth fighting, then go ahead. I just hope that Xiao Jia Liulang can return safely."

"Your Majesty is merciful. The Duke of Zhenguo will surely return safely!" all the court officials said in unison.

When they lowered their heads, the old emperor sitting high on the dragon throne's smile turned cold.

Yan Qiushu and others had no idea about the disputes in the court.

The Xiao family was still immersed in joy.

On that day, all the Xiao family members gathered together to celebrate with delicious food. Yan Qiushu didn't have to do anything because the chefs in the mansion were very skilled and they replicated her cooking skills almost perfectly. Occasionally they would even make some changes to create new things. For example, the original steamed lion's head was changed to braised lion's head because Yan Qiushu mentioned that the taste could be changed.

Although the taste is slightly different from the braised lion head in Yan Qiushu's memory, it is still a different taste.

The steps are always the same.

Yan Qiushu enjoyed the meal, but when she returned home after dinner, she still felt a little guilty when she saw Zhou Zhaoqin eating alone in her yard.

Although this child cannot openly observe mourning for his mother's death, he cannot eat meat for at least 49 days. The Xiao family does not have to observe mourning, but they want to celebrate with good food. They can't let this child just watch them eat meat, right?

I can only ask the chef to prepare delicious food for him first and then eat it myself.

Maybe because there was no one else around, Zhou Zhaoqin ate slowly. When they finished eating, drinking, chatting and laughing, Yan Qiushu came back and found that the child had just finished eating, and there was still a lot of food left on the table.

"Don't you like these?" Yan Qiushu asked, "How about I make you some egg fried rice?"

Zhou Zhaoqin shook his head, and a sensible smile appeared on his slightly recovered little face: "No, I like it very much."

Yan Qiushu rubbed his head and said nothing.

The child was ignorant and felt that the bear was angry. When she became sensible, she was not happy. However, she still made half a bowl of fried rice in the end. This time Zhou Zhaoqin really enjoyed the meal. He ate it all in big mouthfuls under Yan Qiushu's watchful eyes. He even scraped out the last grain of rice at the bottom of the bowl as if he was not satisfied.

After eating, he became more lively. He came to Yan Qiushu's side very obediently and said in a childish voice, "Thank you, Sister Shu, you've worked hard!"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said hurriedly, "It's not hard, because you will have to work hard next."

After hearing this, Zhou Zhaoqin's eyes lit up. This was mainly because these days, whenever Yan Qiushu said that they had worked hard or had helped her, she would definitely cook something delicious. He didn't dare to be as presumptuous as Dongdong, but he also stared at her in surprise, waiting for her to continue.

Yan Qiushu pinched his little nose and said with a smile: "You are quite smart. You have to make something delicious!"

Zhou Zhaoqin said in a crisp voice: "I am not afraid of hard work!"

With this in mind, it was easy to talk. The next day, one hour before lunch, Yan Qiushu took Zhou Zhaoqin into the kitchen.

Nanny Li watched her actions with a wooden face. At first, she was very indignant because she saw that this girl treated the emperor's grandson as an ordinary child. Although she called him "Your Highness" and "Your Highness", she actually treated Zhou Zhaoqin and Dongdong the same way.

But unexpectedly, Zhou Zhaoqin liked her so much. She raised such a listless child well and made the child much more lively. The key was that the Xiao family still protected her, and she herself did not give face to anyone.

Even Nanny Li, who came here with a mission, didn't know how to start.

Poor Tian Jian, she really tried, but was either ignored or scolded. Now that Zhou Zhaoqin was treated so well, she couldn't even find an excuse to blame her and could only watch in frustration.

I still have some regrets...

The stinky tofu smelled bad yesterday, but Mrs. Xiao and the others liked it very much. She almost tried it yesterday, but refused because she was too suspicious!

Anyway, Nanny Li couldn't complete the task now. She thought to herself in despair that since she was so cooperative, she wondered if Miss Yan would be able to give her something good to eat later, just like she did to Shui Yan and Nanny Xu.

Yan Qiushu had no idea what Nanny Li was muttering in her heart.

She is busy in the kitchen.

To make the next delicacy, the first step is to wash the gluten. First, pour the flour into a basin, add a little salt and a cup of water, stir with chopsticks, and wait until the flour inside is mixed into flocs, then start kneading.

Zhou Zhaoqin rolled up his sleeves, revealing a pair of clean, white hands, which he held high, not daring to get dirty. He had just washed with Yan Qiushu, but the woman in front of him was so focused on her work that she didn't even raise her head. He held his hands up for a long time, and anxiously whispered, "Sister Shu, what am I doing?"

Yan Qiushu soothed him, "Just wait, it will be done soon."

After kneading the messy dough into a smooth ball, she put it directly into a basin, poured a large basin of water into it, brought four small stools, and called to Madam Xu, Shui Yu, and Zhou Zhaoqin: "Come here, it's time to work!"

The three of them sat down in unison, staring at the dough in the water: "What are you going to do?"

"Wash the dough like washing clothes, just keep rubbing it!" Yan Qiushu said. She was the first to put her hand into the water and began to rub it. In the blink of an eye, the clear water turned white. Zhou Zhaoqin followed closely and reached out his hand.

Shui Yu and Nanny Xu did not delay either.

Four people's four hands were stirring together, and the speed of washing the face became extremely fast.

After a while, the water had to be changed. Shui Yu picked up the water and said, "I'll pour this basin of water."

"Don't!" Yan Qiushu stopped her: "Keep this, it will be useful, let's continue."

Shui Xi sat down dazed and continued to follow the washing group.

This thing is not easy to wash, especially since the dough made by Yan Qiushu is quite big. She kneaded it for a long time, and it would take even longer to wash it now. Four basins of water were used up, and it took a while for the fifth basin of water to become turbid again.

Yan Qiushu pinched the soft, slightly darker thing and said, "It's OK!"

All three of them relaxed immediately and patted their sore arms softly. This time they were really tired!

After resting for a while, Yan Qiushu said again: "Shui Yu, help me get two chopsticks."

"Okay!" Shui Yan quickly went over and took the things.

Yan Qiushu carefully stretched the gluten into thinner pieces, rolled it on the chopsticks, stacked it layer by layer, and slowly moved it backwards, eventually forming a shape that was thin in the front and fat in the back.

Repeat this several times until all the gluten on hand is used up, then add seasonings to marinate. Next, take a piece of winter melon, peel it, cut it into slices, drizzle it with soy sauce, and fry it in the pan. Then take the pickled vegetables, ginger, peppercorns, and dogwood and stir-fry them in the pan. After the aroma comes out, pour it into the bowl containing the winter melon. Finally, use a larger bowl and put it on top, with the two upside down.

When the lid was opened, Shui Xian was already stunned: "This! Isn't this a winter melon?!"

Yan Qiushu raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Maybe not."

Then she took the gluten dough, put it into a pan with freshly heated oil and fried it until the edges were golden brown. She then added salt, soy sauce, sugar and other seasonings and stir-fried it. Finally, she added starch to thicken the sauce.

A quarter of an hour later, two dishes plus a bowl of appetizer hot and sour soup were ready. Shui Yu brought the dishes out. Yan Qiushu and Zhou Zhaoqin were already sitting at the dining table. The former was as calm as before, while the latter was full of anticipation.

He hasn't even seen what these two dishes look like!

As soon as the lids on the two dishes were removed, Zhou Zhaoqin's prepared "Wow" turned into "Huh?"

The two dishes in front of me are clearly - Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables and Braised Chicken Legs!!!

The pork with preserved vegetables is sauce-colored, with large pieces of meat covering it. There are cuts on the skin at the top, through which you can vaguely see the meat inside, and the bottom is filled with pickled vegetables.

Not to mention the chicken legs, they were cooked to look like braised ones, with the braised sauce still flowing slowly on them. I didn't smell any other fragrance, but the color and shape were no different from braised chicken legs!

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Try it?"

Zhou Zhaoqin had the chopsticks ready in his hand, but he was hesitant to use them. After hearing what Yan Qiushu said, he shook his head quickly.

Yan Qiushu was amused by this. She explained, "It's not meat, I promise!"

After hearing this, Zhou Zhaoqin tentatively picked up a chicken leg. Although he guessed that this was what they had just made, when he looked at it with his naked eyes, as a child, he did not observe it so carefully at first, especially the tail of the chicken leg, which looked like a "bone"!

It was only when the whole chicken leg was put into his mouth, his teeth bit it open, and the tip of his tongue touched it that Zhou Zhaoqin clearly realized that it was not really a chicken leg.

But the taste is somewhat similar to chicken. The "meat" is tender, with layers of it tightly stacked. As the teeth bite it, the "meat" is torn apart, and the braised sauce poured on it has a salty flavor with a slight sweetness. The combination makes for a food that really tastes a bit like chicken!

He was surprised and delighted: "It's delicious! Is this really what we made this afternoon?"

Yan Qiushu nodded and was about to explain when a clear young voice came out: "What's delicious?"

They looked up and saw a handsome young man walking towards them in the yard. He was wearing gorgeous clothes and had a red gem on his hair crown that sparkled in the sun.

The young man smiled as he approached with his long legs. When he looked over, the smile on his face suddenly changed and he said in a serious tone, "Who allowed you to feed him meat?!"