Chapter 91 (Tiger Pepper)

He immediately attracted two guests.

Yan Qiushu was extremely excited. After seeing off a few little guests and seeing that it was almost dark, she helped settle the new guests and ran to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

We must ensure that these two people are well fed and well-dressed, so that more people can be attracted to come!

So what to do?

Young girls of this era generally do not have such strong tastes, so Yan Qiushu plans to make more flavors, including a portion of light seasonal vegetables, slightly spicy tiger skin green peppers, and her specialty, honey-glazed chicken wings.

The little girls were away from home for the first time, so they must be a little uncomfortable. Worried that they wouldn't sleep well, Yan Qiushu added another portion of wine, brewed with strawberries.

It's been about seven days now, so it should be ready to drink.

She ran over and fetched a jar, opened the lid, and the sweet aroma of wine inside immediately filled her nose. However, the smell of wine was not strong. It was brewed from strawberries, and after being made into wine, it was also a beautiful pink color.

Yan Qiushu forced out the fruit wine, put it in a container, and put the wine in the ice cellar for a while.

Then continue cooking.

If there is fruit wine, then there must be some snacks to go with it, and a portion of crispy pork, which is crispy and numb, very good.

After deciding on the menu, everyone started working together.

No one knew how to cook tiger-skin green peppers, so Yan Qiushu had to do it. For the other dishes, she only had to be the one to cook at the end, which was still very easy.

Deep-fry the crispy pork twice, stir-fry the seasonal vegetables, and roast the chicken wings.

The last one is the tiger skin green pepper.

Long green peppers with pointed ends are used. When processing, the veins inside should be removed, so that the spiciness will be almost reduced.

Overall, this dish is very simple to prepare. First, fry the peppers in a pan until they are slightly charred on both sides, then add various seasonings and stir-fry. After the aroma comes out, add a little water and continue stir-frying until the peppers are soft, then you can remove them from the pan.

However, considering that Hong Chufu and Fu Mingwan are both noble ladies, their etiquette should be very reserved when dining. It would be a bit indecent to eat such long green peppers, so she was considerate and used sterilized scissors to cut the green peppers one by one into two-centimeter long segments.

The green peppers were ready and the chicken wings were grilled, and Shui Xuan helped carry the other dishes over.

Yan Qiushu would not eat with guests unless specifically requested. But after the food and wine were served, she was about to leave when the two men stopped her and said, "Why don't you sit down and eat with us, my Lord?"

It was so friendly that Yan Qiushu was a little surprised.

It was not that she felt inferior, but Mrs. Jiang's attitude before and Mrs. Xue's later intention to take a concubine for her son made her realize clearly that in the ancient times with clear class distinctions, her identity was just a boarder in the Xiao family.

Generally speaking, these people would not be willing to treat her as an equal.

But Yan Qiushu felt that these two people were very friendly.

Actually, she didn't know who the parents of these two people were. But it was useless to know. Yan Qiushu was not familiar with the officialdom of this country. Without the Internet and no websites to publish information, she could only rely on herself to understand it, and it was too slow to obtain information.

After receiving the invitation, she hesitated for a second, then sat down calmly and asked Shui Xuan to get another pair of bowls and chopsticks.

Fu Ming smiled and said, "You are indeed straightforward, just like the Xiao family."

Yan Qiushu smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Hong Chufu noticed this and explained in a gentle voice: "Ming Wan's mother is from the Shen family. She is a cousin of the third son-in-law of the Xiao family. The marriage between the Xiao family and the Shen family can be considered as close relatives."

Yan Qiushu understood immediately, and her smile became more genuine: "So that's how it is."

Fu Mingwan smiled timidly: "Yes, Sister Shu, in a few months, we will be relatives. Can I eat strawberries for free when I come over?"

Yan Qiushu's cheeks were flushed with laughter: "Of course you can."

Hong Chufu noticed her embarrassment, pushed his friend and said with a smile: "Okay, let's eat first."

Yan Qiushu breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the pink porcelain bottle, opened it and poured wine for them: "This is the strawberry wine I brewed. The taste is very light. I just took it out of the ice cellar. You can try it."

She first helped Fu Ming to drink, and when she was about to pour for Hong Chufu, she was a little worried: "I don't know how to drink, will I get drunk?"

Yan Qiushu hesitated for a moment: "That shouldn't be the case, right? This wine has only been brewed for seven days, and the taste is very light."

"It's okay. Are you not at ease here? We can sleep together at night. It will be fine." Fu Mingwan said loudly while taking a sip of the drink.

She wanted to imitate her father's way of drinking, smacking his lips and tasting the wine.

But as soon as the cold wine entered her mouth, the sweet and sour taste flowed into her lips and tongue, which made her shudder so much that she forgot about tasting it like her father.

The wine went straight down my throat, and sure enough, the taste was very light, with just a hint of wine aroma, slightly smoky, but not seeming to be intoxicating at all.

Fu Mingwan's brows raised as he drank: "Wow! This tastes really good!"

Hong Chufu looked curious and took a sip from the cup. He said happily, "Hey, it's quite good! It's just a little bit of wine, sweet and sour, quite appetizing!"

Seeing this, Yan Qiushu also took a sip. She had only tried it without ice before, and the taste of the wine was stronger. The taste of the iced wine was even lighter, and it tasted like a drink. When the tip of her tongue touched it, there was a slight smell of alcohol, but more of it was the familiar sweet and sour taste of strawberry.

It tasted sour and sweet, and it really whetted her appetite. After she finished drinking it, she smiled and said, "If it whets your appetite, then eat it quickly. You can try these dishes and order the ones you like tomorrow. By the way, this dish is made with peppers, called tiger skin green peppers, which are a crop brought back by General Xiao. The seeds have been planted and will be harvested in a few months. It should be ready to eat at the food court."

"Tiger Pepper? That's an interesting name."

"Then I'm welcome."

The two of them looked at the green peppers. They were stacked on a jade-white plate, one by one. If they hadn't been cut, they would have looked very nice. The green peppers had pointed tails, and the fried skin had patterns on it, which matched the word "tiger skin".

In fact, they had tried all the other dishes in the food court, but they had never seen the tiger skin green pepper dish before. They both reached for it with their chopsticks at the same time, picked up a piece of green pepper, and tentatively put it into their mouths.

I just tasted the cold wine in my mouth, and now I eat the hot dish. It feels very satisfying. The green pepper is actually a bit meaty because it stayed in the pot for quite some time.

The salty flavor permeates it, and as you chew it, the green pepper is soft yet hard. The slight spiciness is not overpowering, but tastes just right.

Fu Mingwan was amazed: "It tastes pretty good!"

Hong Chufu also said: "It's delicious, so soft and fluffy!"

"As long as you like it." Yan Qiushu said with a smile: "Can you handle spicy food? If you can, I can make a spicier dish tomorrow."

"Of course!" The two nodded in agreement. The little girl was always very happy when talking about food. Hong Chufu was even more enthusiastic: "We have tried most of the food in the food court and we like it very much! Especially the grilled fish, which is very delicious!"

Yan Qiushu said happily: "Okay, this is my first time entertaining guests, and I forgot to ask you what you like. I will give you something better tomorrow!"

The two of them nodded repeatedly and kept reaching out their chopsticks. The boneless chicken wings tasted absolutely delicious. The crispy pork was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a crispy and numb texture. It was also very delicious!

After a satisfying meal, take a sip of strawberry wine and feel so happy!

Hong Chufu likes tiger-skin green peppers very much. She kept picking them up with her chopsticks, and one-third of the plate was empty. However, this dish was a bit salty and needed something else to go with it. There was rice in front of them, but they didn't eat rice while drinking, so she ate it bite by bite.

When Fu Ming came to his senses and poured himself some wine, he found that there was a lot less in the bottle: "Ah Chu, how can you drink so much?"

Hong Chufu blinked blankly: "No, I just drank a little bit?"

The little girl's pink and tender face was red, not like the bright red she had when she was playing in the morning, but the slightly red color of being drunk. She tried hard to keep her eyes open, and needed the help of her eyebrows, otherwise she couldn't open her eyes.

Fu Mingwan smacked his lips: "It's over, you're drunk!"

Yan Qiushu was also stunned: "This wine looks quite powerful?"

Fu Mingwan suppressed a smile and said, "I guess she didn't drink. You see, we are fine."

Hong Chufu pouted unhappily: "No! I'm not drunk!"

"Okay, you're not drunk, so do you want to go to rest?" Fu Mingwan smiled and pushed her.

Hong Chufu's head was shaking, and she felt even more dizzy. However, she shook her head stubbornly, took another sip of wine, picked up the crispy meat and put it into her mouth, making a crunching sound. After eating, she seemed to be a little more sober, and looked at her friend with grievance: "Wuwuwu, Dad obviously thinks that His Royal Highness Huai was wronged, why didn't he agree with us? He is too timid! Too much!"

Yan Qiushu looked at her in confusion. Was this the Prince Huai that the man just mentioned?

Is she also among Prince Huai's targets?

Fu Mingwan also felt that the situation was difficult, so he pulled her to get her up and said with a dry smile, "She's drunk, Ah Chu, let's go and have some rest."

"I don't!" Hong Chufu was forced to stand up. He pushed her away unhappily and patted his face. It felt hot, as if he was a little drunk?

But she still shook her head and said stubbornly: "I'm not drunk, I just feel uncomfortable!"

Fu Mingwan came over to support her again and coaxed her, "Okay, you're not drunk, but you've eaten enough, right? Let's go back..."

However, before she could finish her words, she was interrupted. Hong Chufu threw himself into her arms in grievance, "I feel so bad. Why is my father so timid? Isn't he the Minister of War?! Besides, His Highness Prince Huai is not afraid of the Dali Temple at all. He definitely didn't do anything bad. Sister Shu, don't you agree? His Highness Prince Huai is very good!"

Fu Mingwan wanted to cover her mouth, but she was heard at the beginning. Later, she gave up as she thought it was not an outsider after all.

She found out about the plan of the Minister of War to marry Prince Huai after just a little inquiry, so she simply gave up.

Otherwise it would not be able to be hidden and make Yan Qiushu uncomfortable.

Hearing Hong Chufu's question, she replied perfunctorily: "Yes, yes, His Royal Highness Prince Huai is fine."

Hong Chufu was satisfied and was about to be happy when a clear voice said in his ear: "Your Highness Prince Huai is not a good person. He just appears to be a humble gentleman."

Hong Chufu: “???”

The little fangirl glared at her, sobering up a lot, and looked at her angrily: "Why do you say that?!"

Fu Mingwan was also shocked. Everyone knew that Prince Huai had a good reputation. How could she say that?!

Yan Qiushu looked at the two innocent girls and explained, "Prince Huai is not a good person. He did murder Prince Chang. He was the only one who knew that potatoes were poisonous when they were brought back to Da Zhou, but he didn't say it."

"On the contrary, there was a chef in Prince Chang's mansion who deliberately used sprouted potatoes to cook for Prince Chang. Do you think he is innocent in these two cases?"

"You know, the chef in Prince Chang's mansion didn't even cook the potatoes over high heat to ensure their toxicity. He even confessed. Wasn't it intentional? Apart from Prince Huai, who else could have figured out the toxicity of potatoes in such a short time?"

Fu Mingwan thought about what she said and was shocked, but he didn't say anything.

Hong Chufu was completely sober, pursed his lips, and tried to organize his words to refute: "Maybe he really doesn't know, after all, he just got the potatoes!"

"Do you think that if you came across such a good crop, you would ask whether potatoes are poisonous?" Yan Qiushu asked back.

Hong Chufu couldn't avoid the pair of round eyes looking at her. She thought seriously for a while. Her mind was actually a little straight after drinking, but when thinking about this question, she...still nodded: "Yes."

It can fill the stomach and can be produced in large quantities. It is such a good thing, it is too perfect, so she can't believe it and will definitely find out about its weaknesses.

But... "But Your Highness, time is running out, it's too late!"

Yan Qiushu said, "It makes sense, but it's a bit forced. After all, he brought back a lot of potatoes. If you ask people when they are transporting them, people who know about potatoes will tell you, because ordinary people will not waste any food. If it is non-toxic, they will not even waste the sprouts. People who have eaten potatoes for a long time will definitely know."

Hong Chufu took two steps back in panic, and said with some resistance: "That's fine if it makes sense! Prince Huai was brought back because he cares about the safety of the people. You can't make such random guesses about him!"

Yan Qiushu sighed and stood up. Fortunately, they had just finished their meal and asked the other maids and servants to go out for dinner, so there was no one around.

In ancient times, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, because of her gender, lack of experience, and simple nature, would easily identify with a person and would not be willing to believe the truth about herself.

But Yan Qiushu was not her relative, so she could not say many things. She could only say, "He is not such a good man. I am 90% sure that he wants to marry you because of your father's status. If nothing unexpected happens, your father was willing to give in because of his good reputation. But Prince Chang and the Xiao family have a better reputation. They can impeach him openly in the court, and your father will be shaken. So he is unwilling to let you marry him. If you really like him, then wait for two years. You are still young now. After two years, when everything is over, you can decide whether to marry him or not. Anyway... be cautious."

She said, then turned and left.

Saying too much can easily cause rebelliousness, but if she doesn't say anything, Yan Qiushu will feel bad.

Xiao Huaiya had already dodged, so she didn't say anything. But the girl was in the trap, and if she didn't say anything, she would be caught in it. When Prince Huai was exposed, she, as the Princess of Huai, would be unable to extricate herself, and would end up like the Third Prince's wife. What's worse, her family might even be implicated.

The Third Prince's wife did have a chance of survival, but she couldn't. Her family of several hundred people were ruined because of her. For her, the sin was grave.

Yan Qiushu said this much, but she felt that her words still created a gap in the girl's heart, otherwise she would not have looked at her with such resistance just now.

She was afraid that if she said anything more, it would completely destroy the image of Prince Huai in her heart.

Yan Qiushu’s idea was right.

Her words sobered Hong Chufu up immediately.

She was in a daze and kept thinking about this matter.

After Fu Mingwan washed up with her, they lay on the bed and discussed this matter: "Do you think what she said is true?"

Fu Mingwan thought for a moment and said, "She feels very real to me, not fake, but I can't accept it. Prince Huai is a good person. Your purse was stolen that time, and he caught the thief on the way. A person who can help others when seeing injustice should not be that bad, right?"

Hong Chufu said with a grin: "I think so too. There must be a misunderstanding regarding the murder of Prince Chang..."

But she still felt a little unsure when she remembered what Yan Qiushu said about potato sprouts being poisonous.

Fu Mingwan sighed and patted his friend's hand: "Why don't you really wait before getting married? Anyway, your father won't agree now. If he really likes you, he will definitely be willing to wait. Wait... until things calm down, and then you can get married, and your father will be relieved."

Hong Chufu was a little reluctant, but she was not a fool. She felt the seriousness in Yan Qiushu's words, and even though she didn't want to believe it, she was still afraid.

It's not true that her feelings for Prince Huai were so deep that she had to be with him and would die if she couldn't be with him. So at this moment, after listening to Fu Mingwan's suggestion, she did not object, but thought seriously about whether she should do this.

How about giving it a try?

She had heard her parents secretly talking before that the battle for the crown prince should be over within this year. Prince Huai did not like to fight for power, so he would naturally not mess with them. He would definitely be safe!

Of course you can!