As Qiu Zeyu took out bowls of food one by one, Liu Xun covered his nose and said, "What are all these things? Can His Majesty eat them?"
"What's wrong with eating this? These are all rare delicacies. Look, this beef is fresh yellow beef, and the tripe is crisp and tender. And this crisp bok choy, it can be eaten after a little blanching. Oh, and these meatballs, there are pork, beef, chicken, and a few vegetable meatballs, they are all excellent ingredients for hot pot," Qiu Zeyu said with great relish.
Liu Xun didn't say anything, but carefully examined each item one by one. When he saw Qiu Zeyu pull a pot out of the food box, he was shocked. "Master Qiu, are you worried that His Majesty won't have a pot?"
Qiu Zeyu wasn't in a hurry. He turned the pot to the side, showing it to the two of them, and said, "This is a spicy beef broth made in Gangang. As for why it's called that, I don't know either. Someone else prepared it. But I've tasted it, and it's really delicious." He then held it to his nose and sniffed it, praising, "This is the taste. Don't be fooled by how solidified it is now. Once you add half a pot of hot water, it will be completely different."
The Emperor, naturally unfamiliar with such offal and scraps of meat, frowned, somewhat regretting entrusting such an important matter as meals to this careless fellow. Now that it had arrived, he was truly in a bind. Fearing to dampen the spirits of his subjects, he decided to eat a few bites to ease his palate.
Qiu Zeyu happily arranged the dishes, then said to Liu Xun, "Lord Liu, have a servant bring over a tea-brewing stove."
Liu Xun reluctantly went to call for help, and once the small clay stove burning charcoal was brought up, Qiu Zeyu got to work. First, he placed the hot pot on it; the beef melted as it heated up, sizzling and releasing a fragrant aroma. While the heat was just right, he immediately added half a pot of water, and with a sizzling sound, a delicious fragrance rose and filled the entire hall.
The greedy emperor left his seat and came over to watch.
The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and the water boiled in just three to five minutes. Qiu Zeyu ladled some hot broth into the dipping sauce, then picked up a piece of beef, blanched it in the pot for less than a minute, took it out, rolled it in the dipping sauce, and fed it to the Emperor.
"What is this?" The Emperor was already swallowing hard, but he still asked first.
"This is beef, try it while it's hot."
The Emperor took the bowl and chopsticks, picked up the piece of beef, examined it first, and then slowly put it into his mouth. After only a couple of chews, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "So tender! So spicy! So delicious! I want more!"
Qiu Zeyu quickly picked up another pair of chopsticks and cooked another slice of beef for the Emperor.
The Emperor ate to his heart's content, then pointed to the other dishes, "Try these too."
Qiu Zeyu quickly cooked another piece of tripe.
Liu Xun was completely confused. Although the smell did smell somewhat appealing, it just looked like a pot of chili and beef tallow! How could it possibly taste that good?
I taught Lan Ya Mei how to cook tripe last time. Just blanch it for a few dozen seconds and it's ready to eat.
The emperor dipped the tripe in the sauce, gulped it down, and exclaimed, "This dish is delicious! It's crisp and crunchy, like eating vegetables, but with a meaty flavor! I'll have another piece."
The Emperor ate with great relish, sweating profusely. Only when there was no food left on the table did he finally put down his chopsticks, patting his round belly, and say with a smile, "This is the best meal I've ever had! Master Qiu, what is this meal called?"
Qiu Zeyu quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this is called hot pot!"
"Hot pot?" His Majesty repeated, guessing, "Is it called hot pot because the pot is constantly burning on the fire?"
"That's exactly what I meant!"
"Excellent! The chef who invented this dish is a fine chef! Reward him handsomely, I will reward him handsomely!" Turning to Liu Xun, he said, "Give him one hundred taels of gold!"
On his way back to Longyang Town with the hundred taels of gold, Qiu Zeyu had already secretly fished out two meatballs that had slipped through the net from the hot pot and tasted them. They were truly chewy and refreshing, quite a rare find.
That evening at dinner, the Emperor again ordered Liu Xun to have another hot pot meal.
Liu Xun looked at the spotless pot, his face clouded with worry. He should have kept it; he could have cooked another meal for the Emperor that night. What was he going to do? After much deliberation, he rode out of Lin'an that very night. But that's a story for later.
When Qiu Zeyu handed the hundred taels of gold to Lan Yamei, Lan Yamei was not surprised at all, and calmly accepted all the gold.
"Why don't you seem surprised?" Qiu Zeyu asked.
"As expected! Didn't you like it a lot the first time you ate it? If my cooking is right, he wants to eat it again tonight."
"No way! What delicious food hasn't His Majesty eaten? By the way, how do you plan to appear at the auction?"
"That's easy. I'll put on some makeup and change my clothes, then nobody will recognize me. That'll do the trick!"
"Once you get the money, how will you walk away unscathed?" Qiu Zeyu continued to ask.
"Please invite His Majesty to participate. Once we receive the money, we will immediately trade with His Majesty and buy Hua Man Lou. It's a win-win situation."
"What if His Majesty refuses to come?" Qiu Zeyu asked.
“He won’t not come. He’s already taken the bait we threw out today. The hardest thing for people is to control their appetite. It’s fine if they’ve never eaten it before, but once they’ve seen and tasted it, they can’t put it down. I bet you, His Majesty will definitely send someone to find you again tonight!” Lan Yamei was confident. It was because of the reward of one hundred taels of gold that she adjusted her plan.
"Alright! If tonight's events unfold as you predict, I'll do whatever you say about the auction. If you're wrong, I'll handle the auction. With the money, I'll still buy Hua Man Lou for you."
"Okay! It's a deal!"
It was still early, so Lan Yamei invited Qiu Zeyu to practice his kung fu by the river. He had been busy with various matters for many days and hadn't had a chance to practice properly.
The river has already formed a thin layer of ice, and the aquatic plants on the banks are withered and yellow.
Lan Yamei practiced the basic skills Qiu Zeyu had taught her, working up a sweat before stopping. She then took out the martial arts manual from her spatial storage and handed it to Qiu Zeyu, saying, "This is the martial arts manual that's about to be auctioned, but I couldn't bear to part with it, so I switched it out. This is the real one; I'm giving it to you."
Qiu Zeyu had considered this before, but after meeting Lan Yamei, he only wanted to withdraw from the entanglements of the martial arts world and live a simple, ordinary life. Now that he had the manual in his hands, he felt it was a bit of a hot potato. "Where did it come from?"
Lan Yamei briefly recounted the events in a few words.
Qiu Zeyu then opened the martial arts manual and softly read, "The Sunflower Manual! I've heard my father mention this book before. It's a profound and unfathomable martial arts manual. If one can successfully cultivate it, one's power will surely increase greatly! Even a simple punch can shatter a person's internal organs."
"Then you can keep it. I hope you become the most skilled martial artist in the martial arts world, and that no one can hurt you."
"You don't want it?"
"I don't want to. I'm not experienced enough to cultivate this technique. I'm afraid I'll suffer a qi deviation and it would be a loss." Lan Yamei smiled and said, "You can teach me later if you have the chance."
"Okay! Let me try it first, then I'll teach you and Yangyang." Qiu Zeyu put the manual into his pocket.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
