Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Three cups of drunken chicken, one cup of rice wine, and lard...
It was lunch time when I got home.
Zhao Mingsheng put the heavy backpack in the yard and went back to her room to change. When she came out again, she had time to look at the chicken coop in the corner of the yard.
The chicken coop is built in a well-ventilated place, and the breeze that blows through every day will gently carry away the odor in the chicken coop, so that the yard will not be filled with strange smells.
Zhao Mingsheng didn't expect that the chicken coop built by his father was quite decent. It had a row of low bamboo fences, with meticulous and neat workmanship. There was also a small house near the outer wall fence to shelter from wind and rain.
The chicks that had not been seen for three days seemed to have grown a little bigger. When they saw someone approaching, they flapped their short wings and chirped, looking very lively.
Zhao Mingsheng scattered some millet for the chicks, and they immediately pecked at it with their sharp beaks, blocking their mouths with food.
After feeding the chicks, Zhao Mingsheng heard some noise in the kitchen. He thought it was Aunt Zou coming to cook, so he walked in as usual to help.
I could smell the aroma of meat before I even got close.
She began to feel puzzled, because Aunt Zou was an expert at making pickles, red oil tofu, and ordinary home-cooked vegetarian dishes. However, since her family was relatively poor and they rarely had the chance to eat meat, meat dishes were not her forte, and it was unlikely that she could make such meaty dishes.
Thinking of this, she quickly walked into the kitchen. Seeing the old couple in the kitchen, Zhao Mingsheng blinked in disbelief.
I saw Mrs. Meng cooking and Mr. Zhao lighting the fire, and the two of them worked in perfect harmony.
Zhao Mingsheng felt that it was unnecessary for her to stay, and was about to slip out quietly when Meng turned around to get the seasoning and saw the girl she had been thinking about for a long time.
Unable to conceal her joy, she pushed Father Zhao's shoulder and said, "My daughter is back!"
Father Zhao put down the fire tongs and looked behind him. Although he was worried in his heart, the words he said became...
"Finally you're back. You don't know how worried your mother is. She blames me every day for agreeing to let you go out and pick fruits."
"Look, the girl is back safely. In my opinion, you are worrying for nothing." He said it as if he was not worried at all.
Meng snorted lightly and casually exposed Zhao's father's past.
"I don't know who was tossing and turning so late at night that I almost went with him carrying the medicine box."
"Okay, okay, didn't you say you would make a delicious meal for our daughter?" Father Zhao blushed and changed the subject.
"Ah, my Three Cup Chicken!" Meng then remembered that there was still some stewing vegetables in the pot, and hurriedly started to stir-fry them.
The thick, sauce-colored soup was bubbling as it was cooked over a high fire. Fortunately, enough rice wine was added to prevent the pot from getting burnt.
Zhao Mingsheng belatedly noticed that it was actually Meng who was cooking. She was worried that Meng couldn't handle the intense heat in the kitchen, so she quickly said, "Why is it Mom who's cooking? Be careful not to tire yourself out. Let me do it."
"Not tired, not tired. I feel much better recently. You have been busy outside for three days. You must be exhausted." As Meng said this, she scooped a piece of chicken from the pot, put it in a bowl and handed it to Zhao Mingsheng.
"Try it and see how it tastes." She said a little unconfidently: "I haven't cooked for a long time, my skills are not so good..."
Meng had been depressed and sick for more than half a year. At the most serious time, she could not even stand up. It was only in the last two months that she untied the knot in her heart and gradually recovered with the nourishment of the spiritual spring.
The chicken covered with sauce rests at the bottom of the white porcelain bowl, emitting an enticing aroma.
Zhao Mingsheng lowered his head and took a bite. The smooth and chewy texture instantly conquered his taste buds.
"tasty!"
Three-Cup Chicken, as the name suggests, does not use a drop of water in the cooking process. It relies entirely on one cup of lard, one cup of rice wine, and one cup of soy sauce.
The lard is fragrant but not greasy, the rice wine is sweet and mellow, and the soy sauce is salty and fresh. The three flavors blend together without being chaotic, but rather blend together to form a more delicious taste that makes people salivate.
After a long period of stewing, the chicken has become soft and full of rich soup. It is fragrant and smooth when chewed in the mouth. There is no fishy smell of chicken, only the sweetness of rice wine mixed in it. Every bite is irresistible.
The soup bubbled up and down, emitting waves of aroma that spread in the air.
Hearing her daughter say it was delicious, Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as she recovered, the first thing she wanted to do was to make a delicious meal for her daughter. Seeing her happy eating made her happy too.
When Cui Cen returned home from school at noon, he was stunned when he saw someone busy at the dining table.
Zhao Mingsheng put the dishes on the table and turned around to see Cui Cen standing there in a daze. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why are you standing there? Come and eat."
The girl's sweet voice woke him from his daze. Cui Cen looked Zhao Mingsheng up and down, asking questions non-stop.
"Are you hurt?"
"Have you been starving yourself these days?"
"Are there a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains?"
"Did you sleep well last night?"
A series of questions almost knocked Zhao Mingsheng unconscious. She took a chicken leg and stuffed it into Cui Cen's mouth, which stopped his chattering and saved her ears.
“Woo woo woo!”
Even though his mouth was blocked, Cui Cen still did not give up. His pair of bright eyes stared at Zhao Mingsheng like a little wolfdog, as if he would not give up until Zhao Mingsheng told him.
Zhao Mingsheng could only rub his brows helplessly, and thought carefully about his life in the past few days.
"I'm not hurt."
"I slept well, too."
“No mosquito bites either.”
As for food, I recall the past few days of eating bamboo shoots in red oil, cold wild vegetables, wild mushroom soup, clear-boiled crucian carp soup, grilled river shrimp, and fruit-flavored grilled fish...
Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help swallowing.
“The food is delicious too!”
As for the orange-footed flying squirrels, lynxes, and the encounter with the bear, Zhao Mingsheng didn't intend to tell him about it, so as to avoid him thinking too much.
After hearing this and confirming that she had no injuries, Cui Cen felt relieved. He had been worried for the past few days since Zhao Mingsheng went into the mountains, and now he was relieved to see that she had returned safely.
On the other side, a cloaked guest arrived at the most luxurious prime minister's residence in the capital.
A man in a gray cloak was led from the side door into the study of the current Prime Minister Dong Songfeng.
As soon as he entered the study, he was dazzled by the famous calligraphy and paintings, as well as valuable porcelain. However, he had no intention of appreciating them.
A middle-aged man, about forty years old, sat before a two-meter-high, four-meter-long jade screen with carved patterns. A man in a gray robe looked at him, as if hesitant to speak.
When Dong Songfeng saw his expression, he knew that he had something to discuss, so he extended his hand to dismiss the servant.
After the servants quietly left, the man in gray robe couldn't wait to ask him for confirmation.
"Prime Minister Dong, is what happened in the court today true?"
Dong Songfeng held the teacup in his right hand, gently skimmed off the foam with the tea lid with his left hand, and slowly took a sip of the fine Huanxichun tea.
Then he said slowly: "Well, I also saw that it is indeed the handwriting of Prince Heng."
After getting a positive answer, the man in the cloak couldn't help himself and raised his voice unconsciously.
"Didn't he say he's missing?"
A few days ago, news came from Yanzhou that two months of severe drought had caused a large area of crops in Yanzhou to wither, food became scarce, and the number of homeless refugees also increased dramatically. The prefect of Yanzhou saw that the situation was about to get out of control, so he reported the situation to the emperor.
But by now, the severe drought in Yanzhou was a foregone conclusion. All the court could do now was to transport grain for disaster relief and stabilize the refugees. Who should be sent to help? This became a problem. The emperor wrote a special letter to Prince Heng, who was outside the capital.
Prince Heng, who has always been diligent and conscientious in his duties, did not respond for three consecutive days after receiving such important and urgent news, which caused a lot of discussion in the court.
There were even rumors that he had met with an accident and disappeared. The Black Iron Cavalry under his command suddenly appeared in a remote town under Jing Liu's command, which further confirmed everyone's speculation.
When this news came out, some people in the court were happy while others were worried.
The man in gray robe was the happy group.
Because after the court was dismissed yesterday, Dong Songfeng secretly called him to the prime minister's residence and told him that he had recommended him to the emperor as the person to go to disaster relief.
The gray-robed man was delighted to hear this. This was a great opportunity to make a contribution! He quickly bowed and thanked him, almost kneeling on the ground to kowtow to Dong Xiang.
But before he could be happy for too long, he heard this afternoon that Prince Heng had written a personal letter to the emperor, saying that he was willing to go to Yanzhou in person to handle the matter. He then hurried to the prime minister's residence to verify it.
Dong Songfeng raised his eyelids and glared at him, "Young people are always impatient when it comes to doing things. What can we do now that he's back?"
A trace of bitterness appeared on the corner of the gray-robed man's mouth. Now that Prince Heng has returned, what chance does he have? Isn't His Majesty sure to assign this task to him?
"Are you afraid that he'll come back and take your place?" Dong Songfeng guessed his thoughts and sneered, "Don't worry, the emperor won't give him this mission."
"Why?" The gray-robed man looked puzzled.
"Yanzhou is remote and far away, three thousand miles from the capital. Prince Yiheng's body can't withstand such a long journey." Dong Songfeng narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Your Majesty has a deep brotherly bond with him and will definitely not send him there."
The gray-robed man's expression relaxed.
He had actually forgotten about this. Half a year ago, Prince Heng was injured and retreated from the border to the capital. Since then, his health has not been good. Whenever he was seen, he looked sick. This was also obvious to everyone. It was the residual power of the God of War that made him forget this.
"Instead of worrying about this, do you know where King Heng went after disappearing for three days?" Dong Songfeng suddenly changed the subject and talked about another thing.
The gray-robed man didn't understand what he meant and shook his head in confusion.
"Qingshan. He went to Qingshan!"
At the same time as the emperor received the personal letter from Prince Heng, Dong Songfeng also received news from the secret guards. According to the news, Yan Zhuo was currently in Qingkang County next to Qingshan Mountain. It was said that he had been there for a long time. This time he disappeared, and Jingliu used the Black Iron Cavalry, which accidentally exposed their whereabouts.
"You mean Qingshan?! Did he know something?" the gray-robed man said in shock.
He once again thought of the incident that woke him up in the middle of the night.
Recently he often dreamed that Cui Cen was wearing a blood-stained red robe, dragging his broken body that had been eaten by wild beasts, walking towards him step by step, shouting at him to take his life.
As a result, he was always shocked and broke out in a cold sweat when he woke up.
Seeing the fear in the gray-robed man's eyes, Dong Songfeng smiled with satisfaction. He snorted coldly:
"Even if he knew, what would he do? He's been searching for so long and still hasn't found anyone, which means Cui Cen's body has long been in the belly of some wild beast."
"Don't worry, I've already dealt with those who have seen Cui Cen."
Dong Songfeng made a gesture of wiping his neck, which scared the gray-robed man so much that he shuddered and his thighs trembled.
It served as a warning, and Dong Songfeng began to dispel his concerns little by little.
"Besides, there's no witness or evidence. Even if he guessed it, what can he do to you?"
Dong Songfeng's sinister and vicious look made the gray-robed man in front of him break out in a cold sweat. He couldn't help but wonder if what he was doing was courting disaster.
But no matter what, they are now tied to the same rope... No, it should be said that he has already boarded this pirate ship. If he wants to leave at this time, it would be tantamount to seeking his own death!
He suppressed his fear and said flatteringly, "Prime Minister Dong, you are right."
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