Chapter 20 Sincerity

Emperor Xuanwu ate very little for lunch, and the kitchen staff thought that there was something wrong with the taste of their dishes, so they studied it for a long time. It was not

until the two chefs who went to Hexi Palace to "apprentice" came back that they realized that Empress Zhenji was going to make barbecue again in the evening.

Many old chefs who have worked as chefs in the palace for decades did not take it seriously. The emperor did so only because he doted on Empress Zhenji. If it were another concubine, I'm afraid it would be difficult to swallow!

As for the young chefs' enthusiastic discussion about how novel the barbecue method was, they just thought that young people were not down-to-earth and just wanted to flatter and take shortcuts.

But how can there be shortcuts in cooking?

If it tastes good, it tastes good, and if it doesn't taste good, it doesn't taste good. The nobles in the palace all have golden tongues and can eat anything.

If you want to get ahead in this palace, you have to rely on real skills.

Jiang Xinyue also thinks so.

If you want to win the heart of Emperor Xuanwu and conquer his stomach, you have to have real skills.

Fortunately, she came from the future, which is famous for its food. Just making barbecue and hot pot is enough to conquer the ancient people who are poor in food.

Emperor Xuanwu, who did not eat enough for lunch, could not bear it at 3 p.m., and his stomach growled.

"Wang Dequan, has anyone from Hexi Palace come to reply? When will we have dinner?"

Wang Dequan was also hungry, and he had not eaten enough. He said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, they said it will be at 10:00 p.m. Your Majesty, why don't you order dinner first, and the barbecue will be a midnight snack."

"No!"

Emperor Xuanwu refused sternly, forcing himself to ignore the feeling of emptiness in his stomach and carefully reviewing the memorials.

He had been patient for so long, wouldn't it be a waste of all his efforts if he had dinner now?

"Wang Dequan, do you smell the aroma of barbecue?"

After a while, Emperor Xuanwu sniffed with his nose: "Is Zhenji already grilling meat?"

Wang Dequan's eyes were bright again, and he hurriedly said: "I'll send someone to ask."

"No need!"

Emperor Xuanwu felt that asking so frequently showed that he really wanted to eat, which was too unrestrained.

He closed the memorial, stood up and changed into a crimson purple uniform: "Anyway, the government affairs have been dealt with, I will go and see in person how this barbecue is made."

Jiang Xinyue set the time for eating barbecue at the hour of Xu, which is from seven to nine in the evening.

Summer nights come particularly slowly, and it is not completely dark at seven o'clock. If you want to have a bonfire party, you have to wait until it is dark at night.

The female officials of the palace's Jiaofangsi received an order from Empress Zhenji to go to Hexi Palace tonight to play musical instruments for the emperor, the empress, Concubine Liang, Concubine De, and the young masters. It's another rehearsal.

Every time there is a palace banquet in the palace, the Jiaofangsi is asked to send beautiful dancers and singers, and those musicians are just the foils of those beautiful women.

It was a rare opportunity that Empress Zhenji of Hexi Palace liked musical instruments. The actors wanted to show off their talents and racked their brains to rehearse a piece of music featuring twelve kinds of musical instruments.

Emperor Xuanwu arrived at Hexi Palace a quarter before the hour of Xu, but the bustling scene in front of him made him suspect that he had gone to the wrong place.

Jiang Xinyue saw him first and waved to him, "Your Majesty, come here quickly! We are waiting for you."

Her casual and leisurely attitude made Emperor Xuanwu think that he had come to the common people and became a wealthy businessman.

Jiang Xinyue was his wife, and she was inviting her husband, who had worked hard all day, to have a meal.

"Your Majesty, your concubine pays homage to you."

"Your son pays homage to you, father."

Emperor Xuanwu's thoughts were instantly brought back to reality. Zhenji was not his wife. His wife wore plain clothes and her face had aged, but in the reflection of the campfire, one could still glimpse her peerless beauty from her youth.

Jiang Xinyue held a small brush in her left hand and a kebab in her right hand, and said, "Your Majesty, I am not very convenient. Please don't blame me for not knowing etiquette for today's family dinner!"

Emperor Xuanwu stared at the kebab in her hand, but did not forget to help Empress Zhu up: "Our Empress Zhenji has worked hard to be the chef of Huiyu, how dare I blame her?"

He touched the head of the third prince: "How does the barbecue made by Empress Zhenji taste?"

The third prince, who was caught eating secretly, bit his greasy lips, his eyes sparkling: "Father, Empress Zhenji is amazing, this is the first time I have eaten such delicious potatoes."

Potatoes are potatoes, because they were brought back from foreign countries by envoys a hundred years ago, so they are called potatoes. The

childish words made everyone laugh.

Several plates of grilled skewers were already placed on the table. After Emperor Xuanwu sat down, Empress Zhu, Concubine Liang, and Concubine De also sat down.

Xi Que and Shuang Jiang took over Jiang Xinyue's barbecue business and asked her to go over and enjoy the food.

She had to teach the ladies how to eat this barbecue.

Empress Zhu thought that this way of eating barbecue was a bit insulting at first, but after learning Zhenji's method and eating a pork belly vegetable bun, it was as if she had opened the door to a new world.

Although the emperor was still elegant, his movements were swift and he seemed to be very skilled. Zhenji even personally put a skewer of beef into the lettuce, added raw Qingyang peppers and garlic slices, and stuffed it into the emperor's mouth.

Not only did the emperor not blame her, he also packed one back for Zhenji to eat.

They looked like an ordinary and loving couple in the folk.

Empress Zhu suddenly realized that Emperor Xuanwu might not have regarded Zhenji as a substitute for Concubine Li Guifei when she was young, but he really liked Zhenji.

Because this girl has a kind of friendly magic, when she releases her kindness, everyone wants to get close to her and make friends with her.

Just look at it, the usually arrogant eldest princess, the always cold second princess, and the naughty third prince, have all surrendered to Zhenji's charm, calling her Empress Zhenji one by one, and their joy is overflowing.

This barbecue is a great pleasure for the guests.

After the meal, the masters were all full, and Jiang Xinyue asked the people from the Jiaofangsi to come in and play musical instruments.

Pipa, Xiqin, Konghou, Guqin, Xiao, Di, Se, Qin, Xun, Sheng, Drum and Ruanqin.

Each instrument has its own unique range of sound when played solo, and when they are combined together, they are inexplicably harmonious, sometimes majestic, sometimes gentle and graceful...

The children's laughter is sweet to the ears, and the palace maids, eunuchs and Jiang Xinyue danced around the campfire hand in hand.

Empress Zhu sat next to Emperor Xuanwu. She took off the fake smile that had remained on her face for ten years and showed some sincerity: "It's a bit like the winter hunting festival of the Mongolian people on the grassland."

Emperor Xuanwu turned his head and smiled at him: "The Mongolian barbecue is to cut a whole cow or sheep into a plate. It's not as delicate as Zhenji's method. It's more suitable for us Dayan people."

At this time, Jiang Xinyue had changed into a set of palace concubines' clothes. In front of the fire, her face was like the bright moon in the sky, emitting a radiant glow.

Her smile was bright, as if it could dispel all the haze and darkness, making people want to pursue that beauty.

Empress Zhu's eyes were kind: "No wonder the emperor likes her. She is so innocent that even I can't hate her."