Zhao Jun had just finished her year-end summary when she received an invitation to the annual meeting from Ying Zheng.
As the New Year approaches, the court meetings have stopped and the ministers have begun their rare rest.
The King of Zhao had just received the news that Ying Zheng would summon all the court ministers to hold a banquet on the day before every New Year.
It was said to be a celebration together, but in her opinion it was just like an annual meeting.
As one of the Nine Ministers, she must of course attend this banquet.
Time quickly arrived at the night of the banquet.
This seems to be a place specially used for banquets, and Zhao Jun has never been here before.
When she arrived, many people were already there, including people she was familiar with, such as Li Si, Meng Yi, and Meng Tian.
She even saw Changping Jun sitting nearby and talking to others.
She lived in the palace but was the last to arrive.
Meng Yi was the first to greet her when he saw her.
"Lord Zhao has arrived. Happy New Year. This is my brother Meng Tian."
Meng Yi cupped his hands and gently introduced the person next to him.
"This is the famous Mr. Zhao, Happy New Year."
Meng Tian looks very similar to Meng Yi, but he looks much more burly and experienced than Meng Yi, and his aura is also different.
"This is General Meng Tian. I have long heard of your great name and your bravery."
Zhao Jun looked at him and praised him generously. This General Meng Tian was much more famous in history than his brother.
Soon Zhao Jun integrated into the group and started chatting with everyone.
After a while, a loud voice was heard.
"The King has arrived—"
Ying Zheng walked in from the main entrance. He seemed to have changed his clothes today.
But the overall color was still black, just with a different pattern, and Zhao Jun couldn't tell what it was.
"No need to be so polite, my lords. This banquet is a celebration for me and everyone else as it's New Year's Day."
Ying Zheng walked to the top seat, looked around and said.
Then he raised his glass.
"This first cup of wine is for the soldiers fighting abroad and guarding the border."
Everyone raised their glasses and said toast.
Zhao Jun picked up the wine glass and drank from it. She looked at the wine bottle nervously, wondering what kind of wine it was and how it tasted...
But the arrow was already on the string, so she had no choice but to drink it.
Tsk, it doesn’t taste weird like modern wine, and it’s not too strong.
Then Ying Zheng picked up the second glass of wine.
"The second cup of wine is to the people of Qin, to thank them for their efforts and hard work."
"The third glass of wine is to everyone here. You are the backbone of this country. Thank you for your hard work this year."
Ying Zheng stood and toasted three cups of wine, and everyone below also stood and followed suit.
Zhao Jun finished his drink and sat down.
This is just how good Ying Zheng is at holding annual meetings.
But you have to admit that this minister looks quite imposing with his cooperation.
After the speech, maids gradually came up with dishes.
Zhao Jun was quite looking forward to this dinner because she had gone to the kitchen before and saw Ai Du preparing the ingredients for the dinner.
After a few months, his cooking skills had improved considerably, and he was also able to make tofu more completely.
She took a look around and instructed them to add a dish, so what she was most looking forward to was the dinner.
It’s probably the joy of having a meal at public expense.
Soon the first dish was served. It was a traditional cold dish, but it didn't attract anyone's attention.
The next dish served was Aidu’s specialty stir-fried dish, which Zhao Jun tasted and found to be very delicious.
Meng Tian, who was sitting on her left, was eating with relish.
The ministers were talking in groups of three or four, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Soon the maids brought a small stove with fire on it, and many ministers didn't know what they were going to do.
This was also served in front of Ying Zheng, and he recognized it at a glance.
Meng Tian looked at the stove with a bit of vigilance in his heart. The open flame, could it be a murder by fire?
Zhao Jun looked at the stove calmly. This was what she had asked the kitchen to modify.
The hot pot stove was too big to be moved to the hall, so she instructed us to make a smaller one.
It is a bit like the small alcohol stove we have now, which is specially used for dry pots.
A pot piled high with ingredients followed.
Zhao Jun was very happy when she saw it, this was the beef offal hotpot she ordered.
Fry the beef and offal in advance and stew them, then add water and put them into the pot, and serve with some vegetarian dishes such as tofu and cabbage.
The pot was already placed in front of her, and she stretched out her chopsticks and couldn't wait to taste the stewed beef.
Mm, delicious.
Some of the other ministers were still wondering what this thing was when they saw Zhao Jun had already picked up his chopsticks.
Meng Yi next to him was not shy and asked directly.
"What's this?"
The others also listened attentively.
"This is the kitchen's new dry pot. The stove underneath keeps the food hot. It's perfect for winter. General Meng, try it quickly. It's delicious."
Zhao Jun replied to him that although the hot pot base was not used, the dish had a unique flavor after being stewed with Sichuan peppercorns and dogwood.
Ying Zheng, who was sitting upstairs, heard it and quietly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks.
The taste is good, but not as good as the previous hot pot, he thought silently.
"What's this?"
Li Si, who was sitting in front of Zhao Ju, was the first to eat the white tofu.
The snow-white and soft texture captured his heart immediately, and he turned his head to look at Zhao Jun.
"This is tofu. It's made from soybeans and tastes really good."
Zhao Jun tasted the tofu, which was full of juice and very tasty.
For a moment, everyone was very satisfied with this dish. You know, the dishes at previous banquets had never been so delicious or so hot.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
