As soon as Lin Dan finished speaking, everyone present was stunned. Even the emperor who was in charge of the overall situation showed a surprised expression.
According to Lin Dan, by sending the rice dumplings to the public for tasting and letting them choose for themselves, the flavor they finally choose will definitely be the one they like. They didn't know who made the two barrels of rice dumplings, let alone that this was related to the outcome of a competition, so only in this way could the most fair result be reached.
No one could refute Lin Dan's words, not even the emperor, because he had already promised to give Lin Dan a fair competition, and she could decide everything. The emperor's words are as heavy as Mount Tai and cannot be regretted.
Only then did the emperor realize Lin Dan's true intention. The decision of this competition is no longer in his hands, nor in the hands of the referee, but in the hands of the people. In order to prevent him from using the imperial power to interfere, she even stipulated that only those who entered the city were allowed in, and those who left were not allowed to leave. The emperor can arrange people to go out of the city to get rice dumplings, but he cannot control who enters the city. Only God knows who will come to the capital today and when they will come.
The two barrels of zongzi had already been disturbed. Even if the emperor had great powers and immediately sent a message for people to disguise themselves as civilians and enter the city, he would not be able to tell which barrel of zongzi belonged to Yan Langqing. In the end, he still had to decide based on his preference. Besides, he was too embarrassed to ask who the two barrels of rice dumplings belonged to.
Is this fair? The emperor shook his head and actually laughed out loud, "Fair, this is fair! Come, move the two barrels of rice dumplings to the west gate and have the guards distribute them to the people entering the city. Each person entering the city is only allowed to choose one after tasting them, and no more is allowed." In this way, they can only take the one they like best.
The emperor originally planned to support Yan Langqing. After all, she was the woman he liked and she had just been wronged, so it would not hurt to pamper her a little. But now, he thought Lin Dan was very interesting, and this competition was also very interesting, so why didn't he be fair and make it more interesting? Next, he will do nothing, nor will he allow others to break the rules, and let the people judge the results.
Seeing the emperor's excited expression, Tang Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Lin Dan, who looked relaxed. His eyes became very hot, and then he smiled slightly. He worried in vain again. Lin Dan was always able to face any desperate situation calmly, and then find a way out with his own persistence and wisdom.
Weiyuan Hou's lazy and casual expression finally faded away. Now he turned his head and stared straight at Lin Dan. Prince Cheng and Prince Gong huddled together, whispering and laughing, and seemed to be in a good mood. The Prince of Dianqian just rubbed the teacup in his hand, occasionally looking up at Lin Dan with a deep gaze.
The one with the most stiff expression must be Yan Langqing. She could never have imagined that Lin Dan would come up with such a method of judgment. However, after thinking about it carefully, she had to admire Lin Dan's intelligence. The emperor particularly likes women with quick minds and even more interesting things. He probably admires Lin Dan very much now and will no longer favor either side.
Yan Langqing was a little nervous, but not panicked because she believed in her craftsmanship.
The group arrived at the west gate and chose a high platform on the gate to look down. The guards placed two barrels of rice dumplings side by side, peeled one and broke it into pieces for those entering the city to taste. The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and many rich people will distribute rice dumplings to the poor, as a way to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, so passers-by do not find it strange. And because there are guards watching, they dare not snatch them, as they are told that only those entering the city are allowed to take them. So only those entering the city can take them, and no one dares to ask for more.
After taking a bite of the samples from both sides, the visitors quickly picked up the rice dumplings they liked and left. The emperor stood on the high platform and looked down. His boredom had long been replaced by excitement and anticipation. He likes this style of game, which is uncontrollable and therefore more interesting.
It takes a lot of time to process glutinous rice and pork belly. It was already afternoon when the two of them finished wrapping the dumplings. There was only half an hour left before the city gates were closed. They were also delayed for a while on the way, so they were unable to distribute all the two buckets of dumplings. But this does not hinder the judgment. Whoever has fewer dumplings left will win, there is no doubt about that.
They moved to a nearby restaurant and booked the most luxurious private room. As soon as the emperor entered the room, he hurriedly called out, "Come here, count the rice dumplings in the bucket."
Immediately, two guards came forward and counted the rice dumplings in the two barrels respectively. After they got the results, they wrote them down on paper and asked another two guards to continue counting. This was repeated three times, and they gave up after getting the same number each time. One of the guards stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, there are 288 zongzi left in the left bucket, and 63 zongzi left in the right bucket. The right side wins."
The gap between the two is really huge! The emperor looked at Lin Dan and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Can you tell which bucket is yours?"
Lin Dan walked to the right and said confidently, "Of course I recognize him."
Yan Langqing looked at the two barrels uncertainly, his face turning pale.
"How do you know this bucket is yours?" The emperor looked at Lin Dan with a smile in his eyes.
"When I was wrapping the rice dumplings, I tied a knot at the end of each rope. If you don't believe me, you can check it for yourself." Lin Dan took out a rice dumpling and showed the rope to everyone. There was indeed a small knot at the end. It was impossible to find it unless you held it in your hand and looked closely.
To show fairness, several guards immediately took out all the dumplings and checked them one by one. They nodded and said, "Your Majesty, the dumplings on the right are all tied with knots, but the ones on the left are not."
Lin Dan then said: "Even if you don't look at the knot, just open the rice dumpling leaves. Yan Yuchu, you can't be unable to tell your own cooking skills, right?" After speaking, he picked up two rice dumplings and opened them slowly.
If you don't open the rice dumplings leaves, the two dumplings look exactly the same in size and shape, as if they were made by the same person. However, when the rice dumplings leaves are completely opened, the differences inside are very big. Previously, everyone was standing on a high platform looking at the city gate, so they naturally couldn't see the specific situation clearly. But now, the two dumplings were lying in the jade-white bowl and they could see them clearly.
The zongzi on the right is golden all over, with a clear surface, and looks very delicate and small. The zongzi on the left is slightly yellowish white at both ends and a brown in the middle, as if it had been dipped in a big dye vat, and looks very messy. Whether a dish is good or bad must be judged based on its color, aroma and taste. Seeing the difference between the two dumplings, everyone had to admit that judging from the appearance, Lin Dan had taken the lead.
All the rice dumplings that Yan Langqing has made have this mixed color, because the glutinous rice is white and the pickled pork belly is saucey, and when the two are steamed together, they will naturally stain each other and become unsightly. But she never expected that the glutinous rice that Lin Dan soaked in ash water would turn into a brilliant golden color and look very fresh and lovely. What is the reason for this?
She was shocked and complained, "This is not right! Lin Dan's glutinous rice has been soaked in ash water, it's dirty, how can it look better than mine?"
Before everyone showed their surprised expressions, Lin Dan slowly spoke: "You only know one thing, but not the other. Do you know that the ash formed by burning firewood is cleaner than spring water? Due to the tempering of the flame, the dirt inside has been burned away. The ash water also contains a magical medium that can be used to clean hands and can also be used to make dry goods. Soaking hard dry goods in ash water will soften them several times faster than water. The zongzi I made is soaked in this ash water. It is called ash water zongzi, which is a specialty of the Baiyue region. The glutinous rice soaked in ash water is not only not dirty, but also dyed with a layer of golden yellow, with a rich and unique fragrance, and a soft, sticky and smooth taste, which is more delicious than ordinary white zongzi."
She held out her hand and gestured, "After we have finished tasting them, you can judge their aroma and taste."
The emperor picked up the plate, sniffed the two dumplings carefully, his eyebrows raised, and then handed the plate to the old imperial chef beside him. After smelling it, the old imperial chef's eyes lit up and passed it to the next referee. Everyone took turns smelling it, and finally handed it to Yan Langqing.
Yan Langqing didn't believe it at first, but after hearing it, he looked as pale as death. This gray water rice dumpling was just as Lin Dan said, with a light aroma of grass and wood, mixed with a fresh astringent taste and a faint aroma of sauce, which was very unique. Her white rice dumplings only had the aroma of rice and meat. Although they smelled good, they were not rich in layers. Compared with Lin Dan's rice dumplings, they seemed ordinary.
"Everyone, please have a taste." Lin Dan calmly picked up the chopsticks and cut the two dumplings open.
Everyone tasted the two kinds of rice dumplings, and the amazement on their faces became even stronger. There is no other reason. This gray water rice dumpling is not only bright in color and unique in fragrance, but also very soft, glutinous and smooth in taste. Although it has cooled down, the taste has not lost any. It is slightly chewy when bitten into the mouth. At first, you can taste the sweetness of glutinous rice, but then there is a sense of astringency, and finally the strong aroma of sauce and meat. The rich juice fills the mouth, which makes people linger.
After tasting Lin Dan’s rice dumplings, the texture and taste of Yan Langqing’s rice dumplings immediately dropped several levels. The white glutinous rice dumpling has cooled down and is not as soft as it was when it was just out of the pot. It feels a little sticky and hard to chew when you bite it in your mouth. The core is hard and difficult to swallow. Even the meat filling has clumped together and looks dry.
Seeing everyone frowning, Lin Dan said slowly, "The gray water zongzi tastes better after it is completely cooled. It is soft and sticky with a little elasticity, and is very easy to eat. Not to mention stuffed with meat, even if it is not stuffed with anything, it tastes very good just dipped in sugar. Ordinary white glutinous rice zongzi will become dry and hard after being completely cooled, and it is not easy to eat. It needs to be heated up before eating. This is the difference between the two. In order to prevent you from saying that I won unfairly, I will pick two more zongzi and heat them up to eat."
Yan Langqing's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked at the emperor with hope.
The emperor smiled and waved his hand: "Come here, heat up the rice dumplings!"
Immediately, two palace maids took the rice dumplings to the kitchen and returned with a food box after a while. The heated white rice dumplings were indeed very soft and glutinous, and tasted much better than before, but Lin Dan’s gray water rice dumplings were golden, with delicate and rich oil flowing out from the gaps in the glutinous rice, giving it a layer of refreshing luster. The appearance was many times better than Yan Langqing’s white rice dumplings.
The emperor took a liking to the gray water rice dumpling at first sight. He immediately picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and then sighed with satisfaction. The glutinous rice soaked in ash water is sweeter, softer and smoother, and is completely soaked in the juice secreted by the meat filling. Every bite is full of rich and delicious meaty aroma, making people want to swallow their tongue. After tasting Lin Dan’s secret gray water rice dumpling and then Yan Langqing’s white rice dumpling, only four words came to the emperor’s mind - bland.
After unpacking the two kinds of rice dumplings, the gray water rice dumplings were both good-looking and delicious, while the white rice dumplings were mottled and hard, making them difficult to eat. No wonder Lin Dan's bucket was almost empty, while Yan Langqing's bucket was still half full. This time, her loss was truly not unfair.
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