Chapter 687 Eating Twenty Lychees a Day
The next day.
News of the looting of the lychees brought back as tribute from Lingnan spread throughout the capital.
The court and the public were shocked, and the emperor was furious, ordering the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to thoroughly investigate the matter.
The common people of the capital didn't seem to care much about this. After all, no matter how good the lychees were, they were only for the enjoyment of nobles in the palace. Ordinary people couldn't get them, so it didn't concern them if they were taken away.
The Duke's Mansion, Qionghua Courtyard.
Gu Qianhan carried a food box into the house.
He dismissed all the maids, and only when he and Shen Wantang were left in the room did he open the food box.
Inside the food box, a chill permeated the air, and fresh, juicy lychees lay there.
Gu Qianhan peeled one open and held it to Shen Wantang's lips: "Try it and see how it tastes. This variety is different from the ones we've had before."
Shen Wantang took a bite and her eyes lit up: "So sweet and delicate, with a floral fragrance!"
Gu Qianhan chuckled: "If you like it, then consider it an apology from the palace."
As he spoke, he peeled another one for Shen Wantang.
While Shen Wantang was eating, he also peeled one for himself.
The couple ate with great relish, their mouths watering and filled with joy.
"Gu Qianhan, is it alright to eat so many lychees at once? I seem to remember reading in a medical book that it's not advisable to eat too many?"
“We didn’t eat much. I brought back forty in total, so that’s only twenty for each of us. Besides, we don’t eat like this every day. Eating it occasionally should be fine.”
Shen Wantang nodded: "That makes sense. Let's continue. It's so delicious! I feel like there's no fruit in the world that can compare to lychee. I wish we could grow it on our estate."
"They are very delicious, which is why the emperor spared no expense in sending the best lychees every year. It's a pity that he won't be able to eat this last batch."
Shen Wantang was still a little worried: "Won't he find out that you stole his lychees?"
"Don't worry, this time it was done very cleanly, leaving no trace. The lychees and the people responsible for transporting them all disappeared together. After we finish eating these, I will take the shells and pits with me and burn them."
Shen Wantang was relieved. No wonder he was so cautious, personally bringing in the lychees and sending all the maids out so he could eat with her alone. He was probably afraid the maids might accidentally leak the news.
After eating twenty lychees, Shen Wantang was full.
Her mouth was filled with the sweet aroma of lychee, sweeter than any fruit she had eaten at the estate. The key was that this fruit was magical; it was sweet but not cloying, and she could never get enough of it.
She thought that only forty lychees would be brought back this time, but to her surprise, Gu Qianhan brought back another forty after lunch the next day.
Same food box, same ice, same bright red lychee shell.
Once the outer shell is peeled off, the flesh inside is still the same white and tender fruit.
Shen Wantang was quite surprised: "There are still some? Aren't lychees supposed to be hard to preserve? How come these are still so well preserved after a whole day?"
"By keeping the stem intact and storing it in an ice cellar with a thin layer of ice covering both the top and bottom of the lychee, it can stay fresh. However, even so, it will only last a few days and needs to be eaten as soon as possible."
Shen Wantang nodded, and asked him while eating, "This should be all, right? Although this stuff is delicious, we really can't eat it every day. I've carefully checked the medical books, and eating too much can cause internal heat, dry mouth, and mouth ulcers."
"These are not all, but today is indeed the last time we ate them. I distributed the remaining lychees to everyone who participated in this lychee-looting operation. They risked their lives to steal lychees, so in addition to giving them silver, I also gave each of them two lychees so they could taste them."
Shen Wantang looked at him with a smile. He was quite good to his subordinates, which was quite different from his cold personality!
"Is there a risk of leakage?"
"Don't worry, they were all eaten on the spot. After eating, the shells and pits were destroyed together. They are all trustworthy people and won't leak anything."
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