As she walked from the backyard to the main entrance of the restaurant, she saw a middle-aged man dressed in a blue silk robe and wearing a brocade hat.
In addition, there were more than twenty martial arts practitioners following behind him, who seemed to be people of considerable status.
For Hua Rong, a complicated identity meant trouble.
Hua Rong's gaze lingered for a moment between his mouth and nose before he clasped his hands in a fist salute and said gently.
"Sir, all ten spots for today have been used up. Please go to Deliang's shop at the town entrance to collect your jade token and come back to Shimeilou for a meal tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."
The middle-aged man subtly sized up Hua Rong, his attitude extremely polite, though his voice was slightly shrill: "We're not here to dine. May I ask if you are 'Food Immortal' Boss Xie?"
Hua Rong waved his hand: "I really dare not accept the title of 'Food Immortal,' I am Xie Hua Rong."
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief, took out a gold medal, showed it to Hua Rong, and then immediately put it away.
He then said, "Would Mr. Xie be willing to invite us in for a chat?"
Hua Rong sighed inwardly. It was true that people are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. This place was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, yet someone still managed to find it.
That was a real miscalculation.
When Dingdang returned, Huarong had already packed their luggage. The two of them each asked for a horse and then joined the group on their journey back to Yingjing.
As for Shi Mei Lou... she'll always come back!
On the way, Hua Rong asked the middle-aged man who claimed to be settling the matter, "Sir, how did the palace come to know about me?"
Ping Shi seemed pleased and laughed as he replied in a high-pitched voice, "Boss Xie is too modest. There are probably few people in the Great Zhou who don't know Boss Xie's reputation these days. Not long ago... that lord was even clamoring to leave... the manor to find you, the Food Immortal."
Hua Rong turned her head and glanced at Ding Dang, her eyes conveying the message: Am I that famous?
Dingdang nodded vigorously. The jade pendant from that respectable shop had already been delivered half a year later.
Hua Rong remained silent. At first, she just wanted to eat delicious food. Later, she needed to survive and wanted to continue eating delicious food, so she became a chef.
Unexpectedly, he became a grandmaster without making a sound.
Hua Rong sighed. It's not good for a person to be too smart.
trouble!
Apart from the eunuch in charge of settling matters, the other imperial guards escorting them were initially quite indifferent to Hua Rong.
However, after eating several meals with Hua Rong along the way, they would stop and set up camp whenever it was time to eat, without her having to say anything.
As a result, what should have been a two-month journey took them more than three months.
When they arrived in Yingjing, it was the day before the Great Zhou Emperor's birthday—this was only after they had sped up their journey.
Emperor Ziche Xuyang of the Great Zhou Dynasty was a good emperor, and under his leadership, the Great Zhou Dynasty prospered immensely.
This enlightened and prosperous era greatly pleased Hua Rong.
So he never thought about usurping the throne or changing the dynasty.
Strictly speaking, her excellent culinary skills today are largely thanks to Ziche Xuyang's good governance of the country, which enabled the food industry to flourish.
Because of this, Hua Rong returned to Yingjing to cook for his 50th birthday.
After entering the palace, the eunuch Ping Shi originally intended to take her to meet the emperor, but Hua Rong refused because she was thinking about the body search in front of the palace.
"Your Majesty's invitation to return to the palace to take charge of cooking shows your high regard for my culinary skills. In that case, please send someone to take me to the Imperial Kitchen so that I can prepare a dish for Your Majesty."
Upon hearing Hua Rong's words, Ping Shi felt that His Majesty would agree.
Sure enough, when he entered the imperial study, the emperor, who was sitting high behind the desk, looked up and his eyes flashed brightly.
"Of course it's approved! I've been wanting this delicacy made by the Food Immortal for a long time."
As the judge testifies, His Majesty's words are absolutely true.
Several years ago, before Hua Rong was revered as a culinary master, some people said that she had unique ideas and that her self-created dishes were unusual and delicious, leaving a lasting impression on those who tasted them.
Upon hearing this, His Majesty decided to leave the palace and personally go to ask for food.
But he didn't encounter her on several trips outside the palace; Hua Rong's whereabouts were as elusive as a ghost.
A few months ago, the name of the "Food Immortal" spread, which stirred His Majesty's heart. Thinking about his upcoming fiftieth birthday, he could no longer resist.
He dispatched his closest and most trusted eunuch to handle the matter outside the palace, and sincerely invited Hua Rong to cook the grand banquet for his fiftieth birthday with ten thousand taels of gold.
With the imperial decree in hand, and with Eunuch Ping Shi personally taking her to the imperial kitchen, no one dared to stop her from cooking.
Seeing the dissatisfaction on the faces of the people in the imperial kitchen around him, Hua Rong suddenly had an idea.
She had always wanted to try making a dish that she had successfully created in her mind, but she had never been able to succeed.
The dish was so complex that it required at least twenty highly skilled chefs to assist it.
But now, the imperial kitchen has more than twenty people.
Her gaze fell on a young man with fair skin and a red mole in the middle of his eyebrow standing at the door.
He then turned to the eunuch Ping Shi beside him and said, "I wish to present His Majesty with a dish of my own creation, but I need to borrow the help of the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen. Is that alright?"
"certainly!"
It is only natural that Your Majesty's appetite is of utmost importance now!
Hua Rong was satisfied and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the young man, saying, "You must be Chef Zhe Yu. I've long admired your name."
Zhe Yu looked at Hua Rong. She was dressed in simple white clothes, with a delicate and fair face. What caught his attention most were her hands, which were as smooth as cream.
His face flushed slightly; as a great chef, he had been respected since he took the helm.
Later, he was even fortunate enough to become the emperor's personal chef, which was a meteoric rise to power.
But over the years, he has had a regret: why he has never met a soulmate who understands him—a soulmate with beautiful hands.
"The name of the Immortal Eater commands the utmost respect from Zhe Yu."
"In that case, Chef Zhe Yu, please lead the chefs of the Imperial Kitchen and join me in presenting His Majesty with a 'Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' painting."
"A panoramic view of the vast land?"
Ping Shi, who was standing nearby, felt his eyelids twitch. Seeing that the people in the Imperial Kitchen did not intend to make things difficult for Hua Rong, he prepared to reveal the news to His Majesty.
The name "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" sounds extraordinary, but I wonder what it tastes like.
He was walking in a hurry when he bumped into someone at a corner of a corridor.
"Which servant has the audacity to offend this Crown Prince...? Oh? Isn't this Eunuch Ping Shi? What's the matter? Is there something wrong, Father?"
Ping Shi could tell who this person was just by listening to their voice.
Prince Jing, Che Sheng, has already been designated as the Crown Prince!
"This humble servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and begs Your Highness's forgiveness for my offense."
Ziche Sheng was dressed in a black robe with eight pythons and gold thread, and his head was tied with a jade crown. He had an outstanding appearance and was very dignified.
Beside him followed a bright and elegant lady in gorgeous clothes.
This beautiful woman has bright eyes and white teeth, like a lotus flower touched by morning dew.
With simplicity as its essence and water as its heart, a tranquil lake lies serenely.
This was none other than the Crown Princess Xie, born into the Xie family, and the only legitimate daughter of Xie Zhengran, the Governor-General of Jiangnan and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.
Xie Huazhi.
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