Chapter 56 A distinguished guest arrives
The next day, Pu Qiongzhi received the news early in the morning - His Majesty and the Queen Mother were coming to her restaurant for dinner!
I thought I would catch a big fish, but I didn't expect it to be this big! Great!
At first, she just wanted to use Princess Roujia to try and see if the Queen Mother could come. Even if not, there were still the Prince of Jinnan and his wife.
In any case, starting with these few people, her restaurant was initially opened.
"How could this happen..." Yan'er was terrified when he heard this, "If they are not satisfied..."
"You will be satisfied. Dress more subduedly today and don't be too eye-catching." Pu Qiongzhi ordered.
Today, these dishes are the protagonists, and she is just a foil.
…
The whole street was cleared early in the morning, and the ceremonial procession came all the way from the palace, which was very grand.
"Rui Lou." The old woman in the lead read the two words, then looked down at her granddaughter beside her, "Is it really as good as you say?"
"That's right! Although Pu Qiongzhi is annoying, her cook is really good!" Ding Momo whispered in the empress dowager's ear.
The Queen Mother was amused by her and laughed, "You naughty child!"
"Empress Dowager, let's go in first." The emperor stroked his beard, looked at the people kneeling outside the guards, and signaled them to stand up.
Pu Qiongzhi had been waiting in front of the restaurant since early morning, and was now personally leading several distinguished guests from the royal family in.
The emperor stood in the palace, looking at the five staircases. "Why does this place have so many entrances?"
"In reply to your Majesty, there are five entrances leading to different floors."
The emperor looked carefully and found that there was a different slogan written on the doorplate.
"Is this prepared for me?" The emperor pointed to the sign marked "Peaceful Rivers and Tranquil Seas".
Pu Qiongzhi bowed slightly, "Your Majesty is very perceptive. What I invite Your Majesty to eat is called "Peaceful Rivers and Tranquility of Seas", and what I eat is the taste of all living beings."
"Oh? Interesting. What is this bell-ming tripod food used for?" The Queen Mother chuckled and pointed to the one next to her.
Pu Qiongzhi continued to answer, "What we eat is the shape of the common people."
"You are an interesting child." The queen, who had been silent all this time, spoke at this moment, looking at her with a smile on her face.
Prince Jinnan patted his belly and bowed to the Emperor and the Queen Mother, saying, "It seems I have a good fortune today. Can I taste the peace and tranquility of the rivers and seas?"
"Your Highness, you are joking. Our menus are the same, but there are slight differences in the main dishes, and the restaurant's special menus are also differentiated. Everything else is the same." Pu Qiongzhi explained to him, making it clear that she did not mean to flatter the powerful and look down on the weak or judge people by their status.
However, what she didn't say was that in addition to these differences, there were also slight differences in the furnishings of the compartments, the prices of the dishes, and the preparation of the specific dishes.
The emperor snorted lightly, "Let's go, then, and see what the difference is."
"Your Majesty, please. Your Majesty, please. Your Majesty, please." Pu Qiongzhi lowered her head slightly to give way to everyone.
After everyone went upstairs, the waiter at the door wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Are you scared?" Pu Qiongzhi asked.
The waiter shook his head, raised his head and puffed out his chest as he replied, "My dear Anren, I have indeed never seen such a great man. But don't worry, we will get used to such scenes sooner or later!"
"Good, very bold! Do a good job!" Pu Qiongzhi nodded in approval.
The people selected by Qiao are always reliable.
She then followed from behind and found that everyone in the room was a little out of breath.
Of the five floors, she had placed them in the middle, fortunately not on the top floor. Otherwise, these pampered nobles would have been exhausted.
Pu Qiongzhi first asked someone to serve tea to the few people to relieve their fatigue.
As the dishes were served one by one, everyone began to taste them.
The chefs hired by Pu Qiongzhi each have their own specialties, and today's menu was carefully selected by her for a long time.
The nobles in the palace were used to having good things, so she didn't ask for expensive things, but she wanted something new.
Everyone tried the dishes one by one and praised the different dishes highly.
Ding Momo, in particular, was enjoying her meal to the fullest. If it weren't for Princess Jinnan's reminder, she would have almost forgotten the rules.
"This dish is indeed delicious." The emperor nodded. "You are quite skilled, kid."
Pu Qiongzhi hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
But she wanted more than just a good taste.
She wants to be famous all over the world, she wants to get all the wealth, and she wants everyone to flock to Pu’s shop in the future!
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. This is a blessing for me and these chefs." Pu Qiongzhi thanked him neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The emperor changed the subject, "But where is the special recipe for the main dish you mentioned?"
Pu Qiongzhi thought to herself, I have finally waited until this moment.
"Your Majesty, I dare not lie. This special recipe is made by a special person."
She even added, "One dish costs ten thousand taels of silver."
"Ten thousand taels of silver?" Princess Roujia exclaimed, "Are you crazy about money?"
When the emperor heard this, he burst into laughter. "Ten thousand taels of silver? What kind of dragon liver and phoenix gall do you have?"
"..." At this time, the queen whispered a few words in the emperor's ear.
The emperor finally calmed down his anger and looked at Pu Qiongzhi again. "Are you the woman who donated 800,000 taels a while ago?"
"Well, considering your previous contribution, I'll order one! I want to see if it's worth it!"
Pu Qiongzhi then thanked him and clapped her hands outside, signaling them to serve the food.
Soon, a dish was served.
Princess Roujia stretched her neck to take a look, only to find that it was a plate of stone.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
“What is this...?” The Queen Mother was stunned, and the eunuch beside her picked up a piece for her.
Pu Qiongzhi knelt on the ground and began today's topic, "This dish is called Suodiuer, a folk delicacy."
"The way to eat it is very simple. Just suck on the stones and spit them out. Just savoring the flavor of the stones is a delicious snack for ordinary people."
Upon hearing this, everyone was confused.
"Ah? Taste stones? Why?" Ding Momo asked in a low voice.
King Jinnan sighed, "You are lucky, little girl, to be born in the imperial city. But you don't know that the people in some places can't afford to eat. If you can drink a sip of cheap wine, it is already an extremely luxurious thing. This stone has been seasoned and has become flavorful. People, this is finding joy in suffering!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent.
Just think about how bold Wen Shuan is, she actually dares to sell such a dish for ten thousand taels of silver!
More importantly, she sold this dish to His Majesty!
The old emperor was a good emperor when he was young, and perhaps he had lofty ambitions.
Even though he is old now and sometimes does foolish things, he still cares about the people of the world.
He picked up a stone with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth, savoring its flavor.
All sorts of emotions filled his heart for a moment. "My people, how miserable!"
"Your Majesty is diligent and conscientious, and the whole world is grateful for your great grace!" Pu Qiongzhi said in a loud voice.
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Your Majesty has devoted all his efforts, and the people are also kind-hearted. How could they not know?"
"As a woman, I think of your Majesty's hard work and hope to do my best to help."
"I offer this dish on behalf of the people. I hope that even as a supreme ruler like you enjoys delicacies, you will not forget the heavy responsibility you shoulder for the people's well-being. Share their worries and rejoice in their happiness!"
"I understand your intentions... This dish is worth ten thousand taels of silver! Someday, ask my sons to come and try it!" The emperor took out the stone from his mouth and put it into his purse.
Everyone was stunned when they saw this scene. The emperor took these words very seriously.
"Your Majesty loves the people like his own children. I am deeply moved and shed tears of gratitude!" Pu Qiongzhi knelt down and shouted again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com