Yu Bufan smiled and said, "In order to completely remove the muddy taste of the catfish, I specially prepared a sauce to marinate it!"
Princess Jianning asked curiously, "What kind of sauce?"
Yu Bufan said, "This sauce contains dried plums, hawthorn, and ginger, which are excellent for removing fishy smells and enhancing flavor!"
Princess Jianning curled her lip: "You went to great lengths, but why does this pot of catfish still taste muddy?"
Yu Bufan laughed and said, "Princess, you must have smelled it wrong. Does Your Highness smell an earthy odor?"
Wu Sangui sniffed and said, "I only smell fragrance, not a trace of fishiness!"
Feng Xifan chimed in, "Just like Your Highness, the aroma alone has whetted my appetite!"
Li Huan silently gave Feng Xifan a thumbs up, thinking, "What a lapdog!"
Princess Jianning asked, "How old are you? Can you smell the earthy smell?"
Duolong said, "I can smell it. This 'iron pot catfish' does indeed have an earthy smell!"
Wu Yingqi said, "That's strange, I can't smell any earthy smell at all, it smells fresh and fragrant!"
Wei Xiaobao said, "The differences between the North and South lead to different eating habits. The princess in the palace never eats fish with an earthy smell, and neither do I or Master Duo!"
Yu Bufan remained silent, his brows slightly furrowed.
Princess Jianning said, "Please, Lord Li, say something fair."
Li Huan said in a serious tone, "As the defending champion, I cannot comment on Master Yu's dishes. Please, Princess, personally taste the iron pot catfish to determine whether it has any muddy taste!"
Princess Jianning nodded and said to Yu Bufan, "Bring it here."
Yu Bufan quickly picked up a spoon, scooped up a piece of catfish, placed it in a porcelain bowl, and first put it in front of Princess Jianning.
Immediately afterwards, Yu Bufan served five more pieces of catfish and gave them to Wu Sangui, Wu Yingqi, Feng Xifan, Wei Xiaobao, and Duolong respectively.
Princess Jianning took a bite of fish, her delicate brows furrowed, and she spat out the fish with a "pui" sound.
"It really does smell earthy!"
Princess Jianning put down her chopsticks in displeasure.
Duolong hurriedly said, "Let me try it..."
He took a bite of the fish and chewed it slowly.
"Hmm...it tastes quite good, but if you savor it slowly, there is indeed a muddy taste...Master Yu, your iron pot catfish dish is a failure!"
Yu Bufan looked embarrassed.
Wu Sangui swallowed the fish and laughed, "Although there are differences between the north and south, the taste for fish shouldn't be too different, right? This iron pot catfish is really well cooked, with no muddy taste at all!"
Wu Yingqi said, "Yes, yes, the fish is fresh and tender, and the aroma is wonderful!"
Feng Xifan said, "I guarantee with my integrity that Master Yu's iron pot catfish tastes absolutely delicious!"
After eating a few bites of fish, Wei Xiaobao said to Yu Bufan, "Sect Leader Yu, please give me more soup and a piece of flatbread!"
Yu Bufan followed the instructions, ladled out some soup, took a piece of flatbread, and handed it to Wei Xiaobao.
Wei Xiaobao smelled the pancake, broke it in half, dipped it in the broth, and put it in his mouth to taste.
Then, Wei Xiaobao swallowed the pancake and said, "I understand!"
Princess Jianning asked, "What have you understood?"
Wei Xiaobao said, "Actually, the fish meat of the catfish in the iron pot doesn't have a strong earthy smell, but when you dip the flatbread in the soup, the earthy smell becomes very strong!"
Holy crap, Wei Xiaobao is such a good actor.
To lie through one's teeth.
As the saying goes, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."
Princess Jianning, Wei Xiaobao, and Duolong mastered this trick of "turning black into white and confusing right and wrong" to the fullest extent!
Yu Bufan was even more annoyed and snorted.
"Since the princess, Eunuch Wei, and Master Duo dislike my 'iron pot catfish,' they probably won't vote for me. In that case, I'll likely only get three votes from the prince, the young prince, and Master Feng!"
"Therefore, I concede defeat, and there's no need for you to vote!"
The audience erupted in uproar upon hearing Yu Bufan's words.
Li Huan chuckled to himself.
Yu Bufan was quite straightforward and voluntarily admitted defeat.
Then, Li Huan understood.
Yu Bufan may seem to be admitting defeat, but in fact, he is using this method to express his dissatisfaction with Princess Jianning!
Princess Jianning said, "Sect Leader Yu's cooking skills are not good, but he has a very straightforward temper. He voluntarily admitted defeat, saving us the trouble of voting."
Duolong said, "Sect Leader Yu has self-awareness, which is better than those arrogant fools. I hope that after you return, Sect Leader Yu will study more about cooking and improve your skills!"
Yu Bufan snorted again.
Wei Xiaobao said, "I want to give Sect Leader Yu some advice!"
Yu Bufan said, "Please speak, Eunuch Wei. I am all ears."
Wei Xiaobao said, "Cooking skills require talent. Master Yu shouldn't just stay at home and study cooking techniques behind closed doors. He should go out and learn from renowned chefs in famous restaurants!"
Yu Bufan's thick eyebrows shot up, and anger flared in his eyes.
How could the dignified leader of the Qingcheng Sect be working as an apprentice in a restaurant?
Wu Sangui hurriedly said, "Sect Leader Yu, don't be discouraged. I really like this 'Iron Pot Catfish' and I also acknowledge your culinary skills!"
Yu Bufan clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Wu Sangui asked, "Given the current situation, you cannot be the winner of this round, but I admire you and wish to recruit you into my ranks. Are you willing to lead the Qingcheng Sect to submit to me?"
Yu Bufan said, "I am willing to submit to Your Highness and serve you with utmost loyalty!"
"Excellent!!" Wu Sangui exclaimed with delight. "A reward of 100,000 taels of silver and a beautiful woman!"
The guards brought in the silver, and a beautiful woman walked up to Yu Bufan.
Yu Bufan clasped his hands in thanks and beckoned the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect to come up on stage and carry away the silver.
"Your Highness, I accept the money, but I am not worthy of this beautiful woman!"
"Oh?" Wu Sangui asked in surprise, "Does Sect Leader Yu find this woman not beautiful enough?"
Yu Bufan said, "I already have a wife and do not wish to take a concubine."
Li Huan understood.
Yu Bufan must be henpecked.
Wu Sangui said, "You can take the beauties as you please, whether you want to have fun or take them as concubines."
After a moment's thought, Yu Bufan said, "Then thank you very much, Your Highness. I will give this beautiful lady to my eldest disciple."
"Thank you, Master!"
Loud voices, filled with joy, came from the audience.
The person who expressed his gratitude was none other than Yu Bufan's eldest disciple.
Wu Yingxiong announced: "The six contestants in the first round have all presented their dishes! After the judges' tasting, the one with the most votes is—Song Yuyuan from the Lotus School!"
The audience erupted in applause and cheers.
Song Yuyuan smiled, her face as radiant and dazzling as a flower.
Wu Yingxiong said, "Next, please let the defending champion, Lord Li, demonstrate his dishes and have the final showdown with Song Yuyuan!"
Li Huan lifted the pot lid and served the "Eight Treasure Osmanthus Fish".
Wu Sangui took a closer look and laughed, "Lord Li's dish is also fish!"
Feng Xifan said, "I wonder how the fish cooked by Lord Li is different from Yuan Bao's 'Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate' and Master Yu's 'Catfish in an Iron Pot'?"
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