Chapter 581 [First Update] 581
Lu Xuan's mood at this moment was like a roller coaster. He was already feeling a little overwhelmed due to his injuries and the fatigue from the journey. Now, after listening to Liu Tan's wonderful deeds, he even felt that he needed to calm down.
However, neither he nor Liu Tan were actually too worried. At most... Liu Tan would just be confined to his house for a few days.
This matter can be big or small, and strictly speaking it is not a big deal.
Even if Liu Tan stabbed the court official due to a disagreement, Liu Che didn't say anything and even stood up for his son. Naturally, such a small matter now is not worth his making a big fuss.
Liu Che knew very well the character of his subordinates, who only knew how to keep the stove hot all day long. Now that Liu Tan was in favor, his mansion was full of flowers, and even if he didn't go back often, people would often send him gifts.
But once those people felt that the emperor no longer liked the King of the North so much, they changed their attitude quickly.
So neither Lu Xuan nor Liu Tan were too worried.
The only thing they were discussing was whether Lu Xuan should go to see Liu Che immediately after arriving in Beijing.
Lu Xuan wanted to meet him directly. This would show his sincerity in every way.
Even without mentioning his relationship with Liu Tan, as a vassal king, he should maintain due respect for the emperor so that the Han Dynasty can have more trust in Wusun.
Lu Xuan could understand that the postmasters had not been particularly kind to the King of Wusun before, as many Han people could not distinguish between the Western Regions and the Xiongnu.
For a long time, the countries in the Western Regions were controlled by the Huns, so in the eyes of many people, the countries in the Western Regions and the Huns were basically in the same group.
So, in their eyes, the King of Wusun was probably just another Xiongnu leader. Even though he was now considered naturalized... the Xiongnu had once wanted to maintain friendly relations with the Han Dynasty, even having marriages with them for many years. But what happened? They still marched south at the first opportunity.
Lu Xuan knew that Wusun had only recently surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and that he would have to prove it through various deeds.
This time he took the initiative to intercept the Huns for Liu Tan and for himself.
What's more, we have already come all this way. The environment of Weiyang Palace is definitely better than that on the road. It's just to meet the emperor. What's the big deal?
He just wanted to express his attitude. Liu Che knew that he was injured and would not make things too difficult for him.
Liu Tan thought about it and felt that this was true. Even if Liu Che was angry, there was still a string of reason in his mind. When encountering national affairs, he would instantly switch to the emperor state.
Therefore, he did not argue with Lu Xuan on this matter, but simply sent Miao Rui and Ajia Mu back to the capital to report.
Liu Che was very worried in the capital, and the knights sent by Liu Ju seemed to have found no trace of Liu Tan. When the two were thinking about whether to cast a wider net and send more people to look for him, Liu Che received the news.
After learning that Liu Tan had reunited with Lu Xuan, Liu Che finally felt relieved. After listening to Miao Rui's explanation of the whole process, he snorted softly, "He's smart."
This one he was referring to was naturally Lu Xuan.
Although he was angry that Lu Xuan had kidnapped his son, as Liu Tan had expected, Liu Che still showed some concern for Lu Xuan's injuries.
After hearing that Lu Xuan's injuries were severe and required stitches, he decisively turned to Aga Mu and said, "Go back and tell the King of Wusun to stay in the Northern Border Palace to recuperate after arriving in the capital. It won't be too late to come see me again after he's healed."
Aga Mu scratched his head and said naively, "But Kunmi said that it is the custom of the Han Dynasty to come to the emperor first after entering the capital. Since we have already naturalized, we should abide by the rules."
Liu Che waved his hand: "This is my special permission, so don't let him think too much."
Of course, the Aga Mule hopes that his owner doesn't have to run around, and he was just being nice to his owner just now.
He looks silly, but actually he is quite smart sometimes, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed with Lu Xuan for so many years.
Aga Mu happily thanked the Emperor for his concern for the King of Wusun, and also praised him several times in simple language.
Although he kept saying the same few sentences over and over again, which seemed a bit too straightforward, Liu Che felt that the more straightforward he was, the more it showed that the other party was truly happy.
Liu Che had never doubted Lu Xuan's desire to naturalize before. Seeing Ajia Mu's performance, he felt that the ideas Lu Xuan conveyed to his people on a daily basis must be good, and his mood became a little better.
Liu Tan and Lu Xuan ran into Aga Mu just before entering the city gate. After hearing the news, Lu Xuan, slightly concerned, shook Liu Tan's hand and said, "This... Although His Majesty said so, I still..."
Liu Tan said, "Don't bother. Just do whatever my father tells you to do."
Lu Xuan whispered, "But I'm worried you'll get scolded if you go back alone."
In Liu Che's heart, he probably still thought of him as an outsider, so even if he wanted to scold Liu Tan, he would restrain himself. If the two of them behaved a little better, nothing would have happened.
Liu Tan laughed: "Don't worry, he's my father, what can he do to me?"
Lu Xuan thought about it and it made sense. As far as he knew, Liu Che had never been angry with Liu Tan. Even the crown prince had been scolded, but Liu Tan had never been.
Liu Tan had already sent people to clear out the palace. He sent Lu Xuan over and personally settled him down before returning to the palace, with Lu Xuan reluctant to leave.
However, even though he was very calm when facing Lu Xuan, he couldn't help but tense up the moment he returned to the palace - even though his father had never beaten him, it didn't mean that he wouldn't beat him.
After Liu Tan returned, he went straight to the Weiyang Palace. After learning that Liu Che was discussing politics with the prime minister and others in the Xuanshi Hall, he thought for a moment and turned around and went straight to the imperial kitchen.
The imperial kitchen was overjoyed at his arrival. The dishes prepared by the King of the North were always more to the emperor's taste. Even the emperor had to have a dish invented by the King of the North at every meal.
However, no matter how delicious the food is, you will get tired of it if you eat it every day. Recently, the emperor seems to be a little tired of those dishes.
Although it was said that the King of the North had prepared new dishes for His Majesty the Emperor during his stay in Jiaozhi, the recipe really made everyone's head spin when it was passed to the imperial kitchen - those dishes used a lot of local ingredients from Jiaozhi, and basically every dish contained coconut. The transportation industry was not well developed in those days, and although coconuts could be preserved for a long time, they were no longer fresh by the time they were transported to Chang'an.
Even if the food was not spoiled, the taste of the dishes would be completely different from what Liu Che had eaten in Jiaozhi. As a result, even if they followed the recipe, Liu Che was very dissatisfied and even punished the kitchen for it.
The royal chefs in the kitchen have been having a very difficult time these days. They are also trying to come up with new dishes, but no matter how they innovate, it seems that they cannot compare to His Royal Highness the King of the North.
At least His Majesty the Emperor rarely thinks something is good after just one bite.
The eunuch in charge of the imperial kitchen came over and said with an apologetic smile, "Your Highness, how come you have time to come here today?"
Liu Tan had just returned from outside, looking exhausted, which surprised the eunuch.
Liu Tan, of course, didn't explain to him that he came here just to make a dish to appease his father. He simply said, "I've been a bit lazy these days and haven't prepared any new dishes for Father. I noticed that Father's appetite has been a little low these past two days, so I wanted to make something new for him to try."
When the eunuch was asking questions earlier, the royal chefs who were preparing the work did not stop working, but in fact their ears perked up. When they heard the words of the King of the Northern Territory, they really wanted to jump for joy on the spot.
They are finally saved!
It seems that if there are no new dishes that can satisfy His Majesty the Emperor, they will probably be kicked out.
The Imperial Kitchen Manager immediately said, "Your Highness, please let me know what ingredients you need. Even if we don't have them right now, there's still time to buy them."
Liu Tan hesitated for a moment. Actually, he didn't have any plan at the moment. He just thought that the easiest and most convenient way was to cook a dish and apologize to Liu Che. As for what to do, he hadn't decided yet.
But time is tight now, so he can forget about making big dishes. The steps of processing ingredients for many dishes may take a day or two, so he can only choose simpler dishes.
He said casually, "I only have a clue. Let me see what materials are available first. I don't need to go out to buy them. If we don't have enough time, I won't let Father wait."
This is of course the best. The head chef just stated his position and told Liu Tan that he would fully support him.
Liu Tan walked around the imperial kitchen. It turned out that the kitchen hygiene in the palace was quite good now - this was something that Emperor Liu Che's people learned from him.
You have to know that even the kitchens in the palace, where servants stayed, had poor sanitary conditions.
Liu Tan walked around the kitchen and saw the suckling pig and bamboo shoots. He suddenly asked, "Any bacon?"
The Imperial Kitchen Manager was slightly taken aback and immediately said, "Yes!"
There is basically no shortage of pickled meat these days. Almost every family with a well-off life has it. Many dishes in the palace also use this ingredient, and of course it is available all year round.
Liu Tan said directly: "Pick out some of the ribs of the suckling pig for me, and then prepare some bamboo shoots and bacon. The rest is green onions, rice wine and salt."
As he spoke, the head chef had his apprentice begin to prepare quickly. After they were ready, he counted and found that there were only three ingredients, not including the seasoning. He couldn't help but ask cautiously, "Your Highness...is this enough?"
Liu Tan waved his hand and said, "That's enough. I've already said that time is tight and there's no time to make complicated dishes. However, you can help me get a duck in advance, clean it, and marinate it with various spices. I'll need it tomorrow."
Liu Tan was making preparations for both scenarios. In case Liu Che didn't like today's dishes, he would use his ultimate weapon tomorrow.
The dish he is going to make today is the very simple pickled pork with preserved vegetables.
The dish Yan Du Xian should be a dish from the Huizhou area in later generations, and it has a salty and fresh taste.
Originally, this dish used more spring bamboo shoots, but at this time, spring bamboo shoots are definitely out of stock, so only winter bamboo shoots can be used.
Winter bamboo shoots have a more astringent taste than spring bamboo shoots. In order to remove this astringency, Liu Tan asked people to rinse the winter bamboo shoots with water before starting to cook them.
This dish is actually very simple to make. First, wash and cut all the meat and bacon, put them into a casserole and boil with clean water. Add rice wine and green onions, then turn to medium heat and slowly simmer the meat until half cooked. At this time, add the bamboo shoots and salt that have been prepared earlier.
Although the method is simple, Liu Tan still put in some effort. First, the meat and bacon are rinsed with water to remove foam and blood, and then the water is boiled before putting them into the pot.
At the same time, there must be a lot of water, and a lot more. It should not only be enough to cover the ingredients, but it is best to have some extra, and the pot cannot be covered while cooking.
After the soup is slightly boiling, turn to low heat, skim off the oil on the soup, and simmer for a while until it is almost done.
Although the soup produced in this way is not milky white, it is crystal clear. The yellow bamboo shoots and red meat form a sharp contrast at first glance, and the taste is also good.
The most important part of this dish is the slow cooking over low heat.
Liu Tan had made this dish at home before he traveled through time, but he couldn't remember how long it took to cook. Even if he remembered, it would be useless. How could the time taken on a natural gas stove be the same as that taken on a current stove?
He could only watch it step by step himself, and when he thought it was cooked to the right temperature, he would have someone bring the soup down.
Anyway, the dishes of the Flower Growers are generally based on intuition, so even if this dish is not particularly delicious, it is not bad either.
After the soup was ready, Liu Tan tasted it and thought it was pretty good. There was no astringency of winter bamboo shoots in the soup, and the fragrance of bamboo shoots and the salty flavor of meat were combined very well.
Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, Liu Tan asked the imperial chefs to get ready, and he went straight back to Sui Yu Palace to change his clothes before going to Weiyang Palace.
He originally planned to go directly to see Liu Che after finishing the dish, but when he came out of the kitchen, a gust of wind blew and he felt that he was covered in the smell of smoke and various ingredients. It felt as if he had been marinated in such a short time in the kitchen.
He had no choice but to change his clothes first, otherwise what if Liu Che mistakenly thought he was going to perform a live performance of stewing himself in an iron pot?
After changing his clothes, Liu Tan went straight to Weiyang Palace. Before leaving, he happened to meet Liu Ju who was walking out.
Liu Ju asked in surprise, "I heard you were back in the palace a long time ago. What have you been doing for so long?"
Liu Tan laughed and said, "I just heard that the emperor was in a meeting of state, so I went to the kitchen."
When Liu Ju heard this, he could hardly walk. Liu Tan would not go to the kitchen easily, so if he went there, there must be something delicious. Liu Ju was already a little hungry after working all day. Even though he didn't know what Liu Tan had done, his mouth was already watering at this moment.
Seeing his expression, Liu Tan said, "Why don't you come with me to see the Emperor?"
If Liu Ju were here, he might be able to help disperse the firepower.
Liu Ju was a little conflicted. He had just come out of Xuanshi and had to find an excuse to go back.
He thought very hard, but still couldn't resist the charm of the new dish. He sighed and said, "Let's go."
Liu Tan couldn't help but smile and followed him back to the Xuanshi Hall.
At this time, the door of the Xuanshi Hall was closed, so even the two of them had to get someone to report before they could enter.
Before Liu Tan could say anything to the eunuch outside, he heard Liu Che say in a deep voice, "Why don't you get in quickly?"
Liu Tan couldn't help but grin. Judging from his tone... he seemed to be very angry.
He glanced at Liu Ju, who gave him a helpless look.
Liu Tan straightened his clothes and his expression, trying to make himself look as if he had realized his mistake before stepping into the Xuanshi Hall.
At that time, Liu Che was processing documents. He didn't even look up when he heard footsteps. Although the number of footsteps sounded a little strange, he didn't pay much attention to it. He thought it was someone serving Liu Tan who had followed him in. He said coldly, "Kneel down."
After hearing this, Liu Tan knelt down quickly, showing a strong desire to survive.
Liu Ju stood aside and hesitated for a while, then knelt down.
Liu Tan looked at him in surprise: Your father didn't ask you to kneel, why are you kneeling?
Liu Ju: But my father didn’t say who should kneel.
Otherwise, why would he hesitate? At this moment, Liu Ju felt that he was simply possessed by a ghost. How could he be bewitched by a dish and follow in?
The last time Liu Che made people kneel down was... when his younger brothers were still alive. That time, several people started fighting over something, which made Liu Che very angry, so he made his sons kneel down for half an hour.
Although Liu Ju did not participate, he was fortunate enough to watch the whole process. His thought at the time was that if he could avoid making his father angry, he should do so. Kneeling for an hour sounded like it would hurt his knees.
As a result, now... he didn't do anything out of line, but he still had to accompany his brother here to be punished.
As for the time of kneeling, it should be proportional to the degree of his father's anger. Liu Ju thought about how angry Liu Che was after he knew that his brother ran out to meet the King of Wusun, and he had a hunch that he would not be in good shape today.
Well, there were no two dishes that couldn’t soothe his wounded heart!
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