Chapter 52: Special Guest Ying Zheng Returns for a Limited Time! ...
The "fragrant ripples of jade," also known as the egg fried rice "invented" by Fusu, was served from a large iron wok into the bowls of the emperor and each student. Because the emperor's arrival at the Imperial Academy was unexpected, the kitchen staff hurriedly began preparing the meal after receiving the news.
The freshly steamed rice was too moist and not separate grain by grain, so they used a palm-leaf fan to create a strong breeze, quickly drying the entire pot of rice. To speed up the process, they stir-fried it over high heat, filling the pot with a wonderful wok aroma – a truly exceptional effort.
Anyway, as soon as Fusu took a bite, he quietly gave Chef Bai a thumbs up.
Chef Bai immediately felt much relieved.
Not to mention Su Shi, after realizing he had been fooled twice, he simply took the fried rice as Zhao Xiaolang. He scooped up a spoonful and shoved it into his mouth, chewing it fiercely.
Within two seconds, he subconsciously squinted.
How could it taste even better than the first time he ate it?
As a seasoned gourmet, Su Shi had considerable insight into culinary appreciation: the first bite of a delicious meal is often the most memorable. Nothing else compares to the initial delight that evokes that first spark of flavor in the mind.
But the 'Fragrant Jade Fragrance' was different. The food he ate today was better than he remembered. After a few chews, it tasted even better than when he first put it in his mouth.
The cabbage was sweet, the eggs were rich and flavorful, the diced meat was tender and chewy, and the rice was perfectly cooked, with each grain separate. It was served with a flavorful sauce. The more you chewed, the richer and more delicious it became. He gulped it down in one go and then shoveled a few more mouthfuls into his mouth.
In one gulp, the bowl was emptied.
Su Shi stroked his bulging belly, looked at the gleaming bowl, and his expression was extremely serious: Su Shi, Su Shi, you need to have some backbone! Don't forget, Zhao Xiaolang tricked you twice!
You can't give him a nice look just because of a bowl of rice!
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Su Shi answered instinctively, "Delicious."
Hmm? Something's not right?
Why does it sound so soft?
He immediately looked up and met a small, round face that looked like a white dumpling, and his expression twisted for a moment.
He looked around and lowered his voice, "Your Highness, of course it's delicious."
Oh well, at least they didn't ignore me.
Fusu's first fear was that Su Shi would ignore him. His second fear was that Su Shi would speak to him in a distant tone befitting a ruler. This slightly sarcastic approach, however, offered a glimmer of hope.
He immediately squeezed closer to the person and muttered, "I'm sorry, Su Xiaolang, I have my reasons. Please let me explain."
Fusu used his self-taught skill of acting cute, deliberately widening his eyes to make himself look very innocent.
“At first, I really didn’t intend to lie to you. The Pu Prince’s residence was the only place where I could easily receive letters. At that time, I didn’t say that I was the son of the Pu Prince, right? And think about it, if I claimed to be the Cheng Prince, would you still feel comfortable talking to me?”
That's true, Su Shi thought to himself.
He and his father were both commoners, and their trip to the capital was purely for leisure. Encountering the emperor's only son naturally filled them with trepidation and a desire to avoid him at all costs, fearing it would bring them trouble. How could there possibly be any chance for future correspondence?
Wait, something seems off.
Su Shi suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Then why did you acknowledge the Prince of Pu as your father and come to the Imperial Academy? And why did the Emperor actually agree to it?"
He thought with a hint of disbelief—
It wasn't for me, was it?
"Of course it's for you!"
Fusu saw through Su Shi's thoughts at a glance and went along with it, successfully smoothing things over.
Besides that, the real reason might as well be told to him: "Of course, it is also to rectify the atmosphere of the Imperial Academy. To be honest, if I hadn't personally experienced Zhang Jifu's case, I really wouldn't believe that there were such students in the Imperial Academy."
"And, I'll tell you something secretly..."
"In the Imperial Academy right now, besides the Emperor, you're the only one who knows my identity."
Su Shi stared in astonishment.
He glanced around the kitchen discreetly: "The Chancellor, Senior Brother Fan, Mr. Mei... they don't know anything?"
“I know nothing about it,” Fusu said.
A smile, which had not been seen on Su Shi's face for a long time, appeared.
He had hesitated when he learned Zhao Xiaolang's identity. After all, Zhao Xiaolang was of noble birth, while he himself was of lowly status; it was impossible for him to feel no resentment. But then he thought, Zhao Xiaolang had never put on airs like a prince, always treating him as a friend, so why should he create trouble for himself?
The moment he took a bite of the fried rice, his anger subsided considerably. After hearing the explanation, he was struck by phrases like "you and I are the best of friends in the world," and all his previous negative emotions vanished.
“Sure! I’ll definitely keep it a secret!” he promised.
Fusu smiled helplessly, his mouth slightly open. Su Shi was just too adorable and easy to coax, making him feel a little guilty. He hadn't even used his trump card—the Sichuan-style fried rice recipe—and Su Shi was already won over. Should he still give it to him?
Su Shi suddenly said seriously, "Oh, by the way, Zhao Xiaolang, actually, I also have things I've done wrong to you."
Fusu suddenly felt a sense of foreboding: "...What?"
Su Shi said in an even softer voice than before, "Actually, I once thought you were the son of His Highness the Prince of Zhou."
Eighth Prince?
Fusu was instantly shocked: "But...but we weren't that close, were we? We were just ordinary guests!"
"Well, isn't that right? You're nominally the son of the Prince of Pu, so I assumed, assumed you were... something."
Fusu lost the courage to ask Su Shi what he had omitted.
He quickly covered Su Shi's mouth: "Alright, stop talking. The most important thing is to never let the Emperor know, understand?"
"Mmm, mmm."
Su Shi blinked and nodded innocently.
Once his mouth was released, he suddenly seemed to remember something, looking both nervous and excited: "Your Highness, please tell me, he shouldn't punish me, right? Right?"
That was an official with the well-being of the nation at heart, not a petty and vindictive member of the imperial clan.
"Of course not, don't worry!"
Just as Fusu was about to boast about Emperor Renzong's benevolence, he was unexpectedly called out by the person in question.
Emperor Renzong stood in the distance, a plate of cabbage trimmed into a lotus flower in front of him, and waved to him with a smile: "I've heard that the Imperial Academy has invented a dish for me to try. Is that true?"
...The props are all laid out in front of us, how could they be fake?
"Your Majesty, this is indeed true."
How strange. Before anyone knew, he and the emperor could act out their roles without any awkwardness. But now that Su Shi knows, he's acting all itchy. What's going on?
"Your Majesty, this dish is called 'Jade Cup Receiving Dew.' The essence of this dish lies not only in its color, aroma, and taste, but also in its sight, sound, and smell. Please take a good look."
Fusu's words were not just a reminder to the Emperor, but a warning to everyone in the dining hall—
The magic show is about to begin.
Because the broth was too hot, he couldn't handle it himself and had to let Chef Bai do it for him. Besides, this wasn't Fusu's first time performing magic; he had already tested it several times to ensure success, so he was quite calm.
But as the pale lotus slowly bloomed on the clear spring water under the watchful eyes of everyone, the incredible, almost deafening gasps that filled the room gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Is this edible?"
"Of course it can! Why don't you try it?"
The official gently scooped a spoonful of the "spring water" with a soup ladle, then slowly put it into his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise: "It's so fresh!"
"What? It's not spring water?"
"I thought it was just a fancy presentation... but it really is a dish?"
"How exactly did Zhao Xiaolang do that?"
"He's really got a lot of skills!"
Similar exclamations and whispers could be heard.
The kitchen staff promptly brought out jade cups to hold the dew—or rather, a youthful version of boiled cabbage in clear broth. The cabbage hearts weren't cut into lotus flower shapes, but rather into finger-joint-length pieces, which floated in the white bowl like lotus leaves on a boat, a truly delightful sight.
The students couldn't wait to scoop up a spoonful and put it in their mouths. Although they were mentally prepared, the freshness of the broth still exceeded their expectations, almost making their tongues fall off from the deliciousness. The tender cabbage was also very crisp and refreshing, with leaves covered in abundant juice, not greasy at all.
The dining hall quieted down a bit as everyone focused on enjoying their food. Some even thought to themselves that it would be worth it to treat themselves to a meal at the dining hall just for these two new dishes, even if they skipped the night market.
But soon, a single sentence from Emperor Renzong brought the atmosphere to a climax.
“‘Drinking magnolia dew in the morning and eating fallen chrysanthemum petals in the evening,’ is this how it should be? Although this dish is called ‘Jade Cup Holding Dew,’ it cannot help but remind me of the gentlemen of ancient times. The students in the Imperial Academy eat such food, which truly makes me envious.”
Did you hear that?
The Emperor himself has endorsed it. From now on, those who eat this dish will be considered "gentlemen of ancient times," and their dining hall will be the envy of even the Emperor! Come, from now on, two meals a day... no, three meals a day!
Fusu was even more excited than during the performance, his expression practically glowing as he looked at the Emperor: "Heavens! Your Majesty, you really are my father! One sentence solved a problem that had been troubling me for so long. Will I still worry about low seating rates in the dining hall? No way! People will come every day, fighting to get a seat!"
Emperor Renzong smiled smugly at his son.
He had been a ruler for decades and was long accustomed to his subordinates' blatant abuse of power. That night, his son's thoughts were written all over his face, though he was too ashamed to speak them aloud. How could he not see it? How could he not be satisfied?
He mouthed something to the distance.
'How was it? Was Father right?'
Fusu nodded repeatedly: Excellent, absolutely excellent!
Make sure his KPI is 120% achieved.
He mouthed the words back.
'Was that a pleasant surprise?'
That's enough, absolutely enough!
Emperor Renzong was well aware of this. The original jade cup for collecting dew would have been delicious even in a simple soup, like the fragrance of shattered jade. Why then did he insist on shaping it into a lotus flower and designing it as a magic trick, pouring hot soup over it—a blatant spectacle? Wasn't it all for his father's amusement?
At this moment, the father and son were in unison.
With such a father/son, what more could a man ask for?
As he sat down, Su Shi asked with great interest, "Hey, the Prince Cheng's Palace... never mind, I'll just call you Zhao Xiaolang. Zhao Xiaolang, did you and the Emperor perhaps agree on this beforehand?"
Fusu asked, "What?"
"Just now. Did you and the Emperor rehearse your lines beforehand? The Emperor has solved two major problems at once. He no longer has to worry about the vegetable fields not being cultivated, nor about a lack of people coming to the dining hall. It's killing two birds with one stone, achieving two goals at once!"
"No," Fusu said truthfully, "In fact, even I don't know when the Emperor will arrive."
He only gave a general timeframe.
“We didn’t discuss those words with him. It was what the Emperor himself wanted to say.”
"What? What?" Su Shi was very surprised, then exclaimed with admiration, "Then you two are just too in sync."
But then I thought about it again, and realized that the Emperor was the one who condoned Zhao Xiaolang's fabrication of an identity and his recognition of someone else as his father.
...That doesn't seem so strange anymore.
Fusu burst into laughter, two dimples appearing on his cheeks. Wasn't what he just said all for this compliment?
"Yes, my son and I have a great understanding."
Fusu, who said these words, had no idea what he would experience a few hours later.
-
"I have heard that, Fusu, you said that you have a very good understanding with someone? Ha."
A long-lost, long-unheard sound rang out.
Calm and undisturbed, yet subtly tinged with tension.
Fusu suddenly dared not look at the newcomer's face. He looked around; this was no longer the Imperial Academy he knew. Outside the tent, the north wind howled through Shangzhou, and heavy snow fell, heavier and colder than ever before.
Why aren't you saying anything?
"..."
Fusu's vision went black: Oh no, spare me!
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Author's note: I'm delighted! [sunglasses]
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