Chapter 143 Extra: The Little Emperor's Troubles - I Want to Be a Chef
In the summer of the tenth year of the Xuanhe reign (1121), a great campaign was launched.
Although Regent Shen Jin has already traveled the world with his wife, the vast court is still functioning well under the rule of the young emperor... at least on the surface.
The morning court session is underway in the Golden Palace.
Minister of Revenue Qian Duoduo was holding a memorial to the throne, giving a fluent report on this year's tax revenue:
"Your Majesty, this year's rice harvest in Jiangnan is bountiful, and tax revenue has increased by 20% compared to previous years. However, the funds for repairing the river embankments..."
On the dragon throne, twenty-year-old Shen Xingchen wore a majestic dragon robe, sat upright, and had deep eyes, looking quite like a wise and virtuous ruler.
However, if anyone dared to get close and listen carefully, they would hear this wise ruler muttering to himself in a very low voice:
"Braised...steamed...deep-fried..."
"No, deep-fried food is too greasy. How about sweet and sour instead?"
"Why hasn't that old Qian finished reading yet? My braised pork knuckle is getting cold!"
Shen Xingchen's thoughts had long since flown out of the Golden Palace and into the large iron pot in the Imperial Kitchen.
Ever since marrying Empress Su Xiaoxiao, who is also a foodie, Shen Xingchen's "culinary soul" has been completely awakened.
He used to only know how to eat, but now he's discovered that cooking is more interesting than eating!
Especially when you see ordinary ingredients transformed into delicious dishes in your own hands, the sense of accomplishment is even better than reviewing a hundred memorials!
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"
Qian Duoduo raised her voice a few decibels, "What do you think?"
Shen Xingchen snapped back to reality and nodded with a serious expression:
“Your words are reasonable. Timing… no, I mean timing is very important. I will entrust this matter to you. You must… you must control the timing well, and take it slow and steady… cough, take it very seriously.”
The ministers: ? ? ?
Slow-cooked?
What does repairing a river embankment have to do with making soup?
However, since His Majesty has said so, there must be a deeper meaning behind it!
"Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers knelt in worship.
Shen Xingchen waved his hand: "Court adjourned!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he sprang from the dragon throne like a wild husky, disregarding all imperial dignity, and ran towards the inner palace with his dragon robe in his hand.
"Quickly! Set the imperial kitchen in the wings! My 'secret-recipe braised duck' is ready!"
...
Inside the imperial kitchen, chaos and turmoil reigned.
"Oh my Your Majesty! That knife is sharp! Be careful with your hand!"
"The oil temperature is too high! You can't add water!"
The head eunuch of the imperial kitchen was sweating profusely, pacing around the stove in a panic, afraid that this ancestor would burn himself.
Shen Xingchen, on the other hand, had changed out of his dragon robe and put on a specially made short outfit with an apron tied around his waist. He was waving a spatula in his hand, his face full of excitement and fervor.
"Quiet! Get out of my way!"
Shen Xingchen shouted, "I'm researching new dishes! Anyone who dares to disturb my inspiration will be punished... punished to eat nothing but boiled cabbage for a month!"
This punishment is too cruel.
The imperial chefs immediately shut up and huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.
"Sizzle—!"
Shen Xingchen threw a duck into the oil pan, skillfully stir-frying, thickening, and reducing the sauce.
His movements were fluid and graceful, showing the flair of a master chef.
"It's done!"
He ladled the duck out, sprinkled it with chopped scallions, and took a satisfied sniff. "Delicious! So delicious! Even my aunt would praise me if she tasted this!"
Just then, a round head peeked in through the doorway.
It was Empress Su Xiaoxiao.
"Your Majesty! Is it ready?"
Su Xiaoxiao held a pair of chopsticks in her hand, her eyes shining, "I came here because I could smell it!"
"Alright, alright! Come and have a taste!"
Shen Xingchen presented the plate like a treasure, "This is my improved 'Imperial Supreme Braised Duck,' with cumin sent from the Western Regions by my Imperial Uncle, and chili powder that my Imperial Aunt loves the most!"
Su Xiaoxiao couldn't wait to pick up a piece and put it in her mouth.
"Hmm..."
Her eyes widened instantly, then she gave a thumbs up. "Delicious! Absolutely amazing! Crispy skin, tender meat, and a perfect balance of sweet and savory! Your Majesty, you are simply a culinary genius whose talent was wasted on the throne!"
The phrase "a culinary genius whose talent was wasted on the throne" instantly struck a chord with Shen Xingchen.
He put down the spatula, suddenly sighed, and leaned against the stove with a melancholy expression.
"Little one..."
Shen Xingchen looked out the window at the four corners of the sky and asked, "Tell me, why did I become emperor?"
"What's so great about being an emperor? You have to get up earlier than the rooster and go to bed later than the dog every day, and you have to listen to those old men nagging. You even have to cook a meal in secret."
"My dream... is actually to be a chef."
"I want to open the biggest restaurant in the world, just like Aunt Huang's hot pot restaurant. I'll be the manager and head chef, and you'll be the proprietress and taste tester. We'll research new dishes and entertain guests every day—how carefree and wonderful that would be!"
Su Xiaoxiao listened, forgetting to chew the duck meat in her mouth.
[Is Your Majesty... experiencing a period of professional burnout?]
[Want to be a cook instead of an emperor? If the Grand Tutor heard this, wouldn't he want to bang his head against a pillar on the spot?]
“Um… Your Majesty,” Su Xiaoxiao cautiously advised, “Although being a cook is good, but… if you stop being the emperor, who will pay our salaries and buy our ingredients? Who will support our uncle and aunt?”
"and……"
She pointed to the plate of duck, "If you weren't the emperor, we couldn't afford these top-quality ingredients from the imperial kitchen. This duck was a tribute duck, costing several taels of silver each."
Shen Xingchen was stunned.
yes.
Being a chef costs money.
Moreover, the Imperial Uncle entrusted this empire to him so that he could protect the people and this family. If he were to abandon his post, the Imperial Uncle would surely return from Jiangnan, break his legs, and confiscate his cooking utensils along the way.
Thinking of her uncle's cold face, Shen Xingchen shivered.
"well……"
He sighed deeply, picked up the spatula again, and said, "It seems I have no hope in this lifetime."
"We can only carry out this principle of 'governing a large country is like cooking a small fish' to the very end."
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish?" Su Xiaoxiao blinked. "What do you mean?"
"It means..."
Shen Xingchen's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly regained some of his imperial aura:
"To combat corrupt officials, we must treat them like frying this duck in oil. Fry it thoroughly so it won't have a fishy smell."
"To appease the people, we must cook this pot of porridge slowly and patiently to bring out its flavor."
"As for those disobedient neighboring countries..."
He waved the spatula, "Then treat it like garlic, smash it, chop it up, and use it to... enhance the flavor of my empire!"
Su Xiaoxiao clapped her hands in admiration: "Your Majesty is right! Your Majesty is truly cultured!"
Shen Xingchen raised her chin triumphantly.
"That's right! I am the personal disciple of my imperial aunt!"
"Come on, don't waste it, finish this duck. After you're full, I still have to go back and review memorials."
“That Qian Duoduo’s memorial is too long. I plan to annotate it with two words: ‘Nonsense.’”
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The imperial kitchen was filled with cheerful chewing sounds and cheerful complaints.
Despite the annoyance of "not wanting to go to work" and the regret of "being held back by the throne".
But Shen Xingchen knew that some responsibilities had to be shouldered.
Since I can't be a full-time chef, I'll be... an emperor who's a "part-time culinary god."
Anyway, as long as we can "cook up" this great land well and ensure that the people can eat meat, then that can be considered a kind of... fulfillment, right?
"By the way, Xiaoxiao, how about we try making 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' tomorrow?"
"Great! Remember to add plenty of abalone!"
"No problem! I'll go open the private treasury right away!"
...
Outside the door, the head steward eavesdropped on the conversation inside, wiped away his cold sweat, and revealed a relieved smile.
As long as His Majesty is still willing to eat and cook, the sky over this great undertaking... will not collapse.
After all, an emperor who loves food is unlikely to be a bad emperor.
Right?
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