Chu Nian scratched his head helplessly and said, "Why don't you invite His Majesty to come to Xukun Palace and try the grilled fish in my palace?"
The emperor frowned upon hearing this: "Grilled fish? When was it grilled?"
Chu Nian: "I'd say the night before last!"
The Emperor said, "You're letting me eat leftovers?" He paused, then added, "You can't possibly expect two days' worth of leftover grilled fish to be better than the food in my palace, can you?"
Chu Nian: "After grilling the fish the night before last, I realized I couldn't eat it all, so I put it in the cellar freezer. Today, if I want to eat it, I'll take it out and grill it again. It should still taste delicious." In reality, she only considered that grilled fish half done. It wasn't fully cooked, and she hadn't added all the seasonings. She would have to process it again when grilling it.
While the taste may not be as fresh as grilled live fish, it is certainly better than the dishes served in the ancient imperial court that only had a little salt.
The emperor had previously heard her recite a bunch of recipes, some of which included strange seasonings he had never heard of before for his usual dishes. So he became curious about the grilled fish she mentioned and, after thinking about it, agreed to go eat grilled fish with her.
To be honest, although Chu Susu felt that Consort Lian still couldn't forget the Emperor, she really didn't expect that Consort Lian would bring the Emperor back with her, and as soon as she entered the courtyard, she would order the palace servants to go to the cellar to get fish...
This fish was one of the three that were lost in Mingjing Lake. It was the largest one. When the emperor saw the palace servants carrying it out, he felt a little sorry for it. But when he thought of the saying "fish leaping over the dragon gate," he felt that although the fish was good, it would be better if it died.
This big fish must weigh over ten pounds, the kind that's very rare to see. Otherwise, why would the emperor treasure it so much? It took four tall and strong eunuchs to carry it out and support it with several large wooden skewers.
Because there wasn't a large enough stove to roast it, they could only set up a large fire.
Chu Nian sprinkled the seasonings he had brought from a restaurant in the Western Regions onto the fish, and a unique aroma, different from the usual way of cooking fish in this ancient world, wafted out.
"This fish...smells so good." Chu Susu couldn't help but say, even she, who always prided herself on her self-control, was a little unable to resist the urge to eat.
Chu Nian said, "It would be even better if there were sheep or deer."
The Emperor said, "If you want to eat it, you can wait until the autumn hunt. I will hunt whatever kind of meat you want then."
Chu Nian's lips twitched, and she thought helplessly, "The autumn hunt is still more than half a year away. I just want to eat some meat, and I have to wait so long! This is too hard for me!"
She felt that since the emperor didn't have real power, it would be difficult for him to gather the seasonings she wanted. So, when she turned to look at Chu Susu, her eyes lit up: This matter still needs to be handled by the female lead!
Chu Susu noticed that Niannian's gaze was rather strange—her eyes were shining like stars—and her face inexplicably flushed. She asked curiously, "Niannian, is there something you need that's making you look at me like that?"
"Sister is so clever." Chu Nian flattered her first, then asked mysteriously, "Sister, do you know a saying passed down from the ancients?"
Chu Susu asked curiously, "What did you say?"
Chu Nian: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"The words of the ancients..." Chu Susu asked with a puzzled look, "were they all expressed so bluntly?"
Chu Nian: "They were very ancient people, the kind who couldn't even read, so of course they spoke very bluntly."
Chu Susu chuckled twice and said, "Alright, whatever you say goes!"
Chu Nian immediately seized the opportunity and said, "So, you understand."
Chu Susu asked in surprise, "What do you know?"
Chu Nian said, "If you want to win a man's heart, you must first learn to cook." Then she looked at Su He and said, "I left many medicinal food recipes with the Emperor. Send someone to copy them and give them to the Empress later."
Suhe paused for a moment, then looked at Chu Susu with a question in her eyes.
Chu Susu said with a serious face: "You must carefully carry out Consort Lian's instructions."
Suhe responded with a "Yes" and immediately sent someone to the Qianqing Palace to copy the recipes that Chu Nian had just mentioned.
The Emperor watched in utter bewilderment: Was Consort Lian teaching the Empress how to win my heart? But hadn't she always been unwilling for me to share my favor with other concubines?
Chu Nian smelled the aroma of the fish and said, "It's ready to eat."
Chu Susu immediately took up the knife herself—the hand that held the sword was indeed as adept at wielding the knife as she skillfully cut off a piece of the freshest meat from the fish's spine and placed it on a plate.
The emperor was already happily reaching out to take it, but before he knew it, Chu Susu had already handed the plate of fish to Chu Nian.
Chu Nian took it and began to eat it without a care in the world, enjoying it immensely.
The emperor, his hand still in the catching gesture: ...
Seeing this, Chu Susu had no choice but to cut another piece and hand it to him, saying, "Fish is fishy, and Your Majesty's health has always been weak. Just a taste is enough; you shouldn't eat too much."
Chu Nian nodded repeatedly and said, "Sister is absolutely right. The Emperor is here to taste our fish. He has already prepared lunch for him in his palace."
The emperor was so angry when he heard the two women talking that he almost vomited blood.
Although the emperor was very unhappy, the roasted fish tasted incredibly sweet and delicious, far better than the salted chicken, duck, and fish he usually ate.
His displeasure had mostly subsided, and he asked in surprise, "Consort Lian, your grilled fish is so delicious! I wonder how you marinated and prepared it, as it tastes so different from the fish I usually eat?"
Chu Nian held up the bottle of seasonings and smiled, "The key is in these seasonings." She paused, then added, "So Your Majesty, you'll have to send someone to collect the seasonings that aren't listed in the recipes I gave you as soon as you get back!"
She didn't want to eat only salty dishes all day long, without even vinegar; people in this era were truly pitiful.
It's said that many ordinary people can't afford salt! This suggests that even their salt-making technology is quite backward…
While eating, Chu Nian pondered whether she should start producing and selling salt, thus securing a stable source of income and making things easier in the future. However, the salt industry was generally controlled by the imperial court; would her meddling cause trouble for herself and the Lian family?
Thinking of this, she turned her gaze to Chu Susu: Just how powerful is this female protagonist's halo? Could she use her power to get her hands on the salt business?
Otherwise, if the salt business doesn't work out, she can try other things: such as soy sauce, soybean paste, and yellow soybean paste... Due to the persistently high price of salt, these salt-related condiments have not yet been developed.
The emperor discovered that he had received roughly the same amount of a large fish weighing over ten kilograms as Suhe and Lianxi. The empress and Consort Lian then refused to give him any more, citing his frail health and inability to consume too much fishy food.
So, he excitedly went to Xukun Palace with Consort Lian to eat grilled fish, but he only ate a small plate, which he felt was not even enough to fill his teeth. He returned to Qianqing Palace hungry and continued to eat the lunch prepared for him by the Imperial Kitchen. However, after finishing the grilled fish, he felt that the food was tasteless.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
