Chapter 67 Just how delicious is this dish?
The mass defection of the Black Wind Hall assassins has become an unsolved mystery in Jiayu County.
Following the clues, Chu Chongjin, with the strong assistance of three former assassins, wiped out all of Black Wind Hall's strongholds in Jiangnan in just one day.
Surprisingly, the arrest went exceptionally smoothly.
Those normally ruthless killers, upon meeting their former "traitor" colleagues and hearing their tearful recounting of their "enlightenment" experience outside the princess's courtyard that night, all expressed their desire to "receive purification" and "start anew."
Thus, in the Xuanjia Army's prison, a bizarre scene unfolded where a group of former assassins nearly fought over who would confess their crimes first and who would receive leniency.
Yan Ziche was busy taking notes, his small brows furrowed tightly.
He felt that his worldview was being repeatedly reshaped by the young princess in a very unreasonable way.
With the downfall of Sun Dehai and the destruction of the Black Wind Hall, the gloom over Jiayu County was swept away.
The grain and gold and silver confiscated from the prefectural governor's office were quickly distributed, and the disaster victims throughout Jiayu County were properly resettled.
In no time, the praise for the Ninth Prince and Princess Anguo as "unparalleled in benevolence and virtue" and "divine beings descended to earth" spread throughout the streets and alleys of Jiangnan.
That noon, after several busy days, everyone was finally able to sit down and have a proper meal.
The meal was prepared under the personal supervision of the newly appointed acting prefect, a middle-aged man who had been promoted from a low-ranking, honest official who had been suppressed by Sun Dehai.
To express his gratitude to the imperial envoy and his entourage, he specially ordered the cook to prepare a famous dish from the Jiangnan water towns—Jade Fish Scale Jelly.
When a large plate of crystal-clear, jade-like "jelly" was served, everyone was attracted by its appearance.
The fish scale jelly was cut into small diamond-shaped pieces and arranged neatly on a plate, garnished with a few bright red goji berries and emerald green scallions, making it a pleasing sight to behold.
"This is made by repeatedly boiling and filtering the scales of bluefish, a specialty of Mirror Lake, and then adding cooling ingredients such as lotus seeds and lilies, before letting it cool and solidify. It clears heat and detoxifies, and has a smooth texture, making it perfect for summer," the acting prefect explained enthusiastically from the side.
Mu Yu's little nose had already started working.
"It smells cool and sweet, like fruit cake." She smacked her lips, looking expectant.
Mu Fang picked up a pair of clean silver chopsticks, took a small piece, tasted it himself first, and after confirming that there was no problem, carefully fed it to his daughter.
"Little fish, have a taste."
Mu Yu swallowed the piece of fish scale jelly in one gulp.
The little mouth immediately began to chew quickly, and the big eyes squinted happily.
The fish scale jelly melts in your mouth, carrying a faint fragrance of lotus leaves and the deliciousness of fish soup, yet without any fishy taste.
It has a bouncy and smooth texture, like eating an extremely delicious jelly.
Mmm...delicious!
Mu Yu praised vaguely, nodding her head incessantly like a chick pecking at rice.
"Father, I want more!"
Mu Fang smiled and put another piece on her plate.
Seeing that she was eating with relish, Chu Chongjin, Xiao Beichen, and Yan Ziche also started eating.
As expected, it lives up to its reputation; it's refreshing and appetizing, making one's appetite soar.
"I never imagined that fish scales could be made into something so delicious," Xiao Beichen remarked as he ate.
Yan Ziche had already taken out his notebook and started asking the chef about the specific cooking methods and cooking time.
He felt that the recipe for this dish deserved to be recorded on the first page of "The Complete Recipes of Princess Anguo".
Mu Yu ate one bite after another, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Her little face radiated happiness, as if she had tasted the most delicious food in the world.
She ate most of the fish scale jelly that was served on the plate.
At the end of the meal, she let out a small, satisfied burp and licked her lips.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw her contented little face.
The fatigue and tension of the past few days seemed to vanish in that moment.
Suddenly, Mu Yu's small mouth twitched, and her two big eyes quickly filled with tears.
"Wow--"
She burst into tears without warning, tears streaming down her face.
This startled everyone.
Mu Fang jumped up and nervously hugged his daughter.
"Little Fish, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Did you eat something that upset your stomach?"
Chu Chongjin's expression also changed, and he immediately shouted, "Summon Xie Zhiwei!"
Xiao Beichen and Yan Ziche also came over, looking anxious.
"Little Fish, don't cry. Is there some scallion in the dish that you don't like?"
"Princess, are you choking? Quickly, drink some water!"
The entire dining room was in complete chaos.
Mu Yu cried and shook her head in Mu Fang's arms, her little hands still tightly clutching her little purse.
She cried so hard she could barely breathe, her little face turning bright red.
Mu Fang was sweating profusely and kept patting her back.
"My darling, what's wrong with you? Tell your father!"
Mu Yu sobbed for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a complete sentence.
"It's so...so delicious..."
Everyone: "..."
Mu Yu raised her teary eyes, looked at the table full of dishes, and cried even more bitterly.
"This is so delicious...I've never...I've never eaten anything like this before..."
"Waaaaah... I've lost out... I've lost a lot..."
"I wasted the first four and a half years of my life... Waaaaah..."
She cried so hard it was heartbreaking.
In the dining room, time seemed to stand still.
Mu Fang held his daughter, his face a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Chu Chongjin's hand, which was halfway out to check her pulse, froze in mid-air.
Xiao Beichen and Yan Ziche stared with their mouths open, unable to close them for a long time.
The acting prefect was so frightened that he thought there was something wrong with the dishes he had presented, and he almost knelt down on the spot.
So... it was so delicious it made me cry?
That reason is truly... refreshing and unconventional.
Yan Ziche silently added a note to "The Complete Recipes of Princess Anguo" in his little notebook:
"Warning: This dish is extremely delicious and may cause the princess to lose control of her emotions due to feeling that she has 'wasted her life in the past'. It must be served in limited quantities."
Mu Yu continued to cry, pointing with her little finger at the empty plate of fish scale jelly as she sobbed.
"Father...I want to eat this again tomorrow..."
"Waaaaah...I want to eat three huge plates!"
Mu Fang felt both sorry for him and amused, and quickly coaxed, "Alright, alright, eat up. Daddy will have the cook make you ten dishes, I'll make them all!"
It was a false alarm, and it ended with Mu Fang agreeing to provide plenty of fish scale jelly for the next three days.
The tense atmosphere instantly dissipated, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Chu Chongjin looked at the little girl sobbing in her father's arms, still trying to bargain for her own food, and his smile almost overflowed.
In this warm and humorous atmosphere, a Xuanjia Army scout strode in with a serious expression.
"Report—"
"Your Highness, General! Urgent dispatch from the capital!"
He presented a sealed letter with sealing wax with both hands.
Chu Chongjin's smile vanished instantly. He took the secret letter and quickly opened it.
He only glanced at it, and his face immediately darkened.
Mu Fang noticed the change in his expression and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"
Chu Chongjin handed him the secret letter, his voice cold.
"Second brother, they've made their move in Jiangnan."
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