Chapter 98
"Be careful." He didn't say much, just wrapped her hand in his palm, conveying silent support and warmth.
Song Qingyuan's heart warmed, and she held his hand. "Don't worry, Your Highness," she winked playfully. "My 'braised pork' would make Minister Li bow his head, and this 'Manchu and Han banquet' would also make His Highness the Prince of Wei... unable to swallow."
Outside the window, the night deepens, but the waters of the capital city begin to surge and become turbulent because of the upcoming culinary event.
The preliminary round of the cooking competition took place in the East Market Square, the widest section of Zhuque Street. Hundreds of stoves lined up in a row, smoke curling into the air. The constant clatter of spatulas mingled with the sizzling of ingredients simmering in the woks, creating a lively symphony.
The air was filled with a variety of aromas, some overbearing and spicy, some mellow and sauce-flavored, some elegant and sweet, which made the onlookers drool and stand on tiptoe to look inside.
Song Qingyuan wasn't present, but the entire competition situation was continuously transmitted to the East Palace through the servants of Tingfeng Tower. Three heavyweights sat in the judges' seats.
The leader was naturally Grand Secretary Zhang. The old scholar was dressed in casual clothes today, looking energetic, his eyes scanning the various dishes like a mouse in a rice warehouse.
To his left stood Eunuch Wang, the head chef of the imperial kitchen. Having served as a chef for thirty years, he had tasted all manner of delicacies and possessed a discerning palate. To his right stood Qian, the president of the Beijing Restaurant Guild and owner of Fu Man Lou, a figure who represented the highest standards of taste among the common people.
With these three people in charge, the fairness of the competition is beyond doubt.
The topic of the preliminary round was "chicken." This common ingredient, however, proved to be the most challenging for the chefs. For a moment, the square was abuzz with activity, or rather, everyone was showing off their skills.
Some people make boiled chicken, some make spicy chicken, some make lotus leaf chicken, and some people even come up with a unique dish called "Phoenix Reincarnation" - all the chicken bones are removed and the inside is stuffed with eight kinds of treasures such as mushrooms and ham, making the chicken complete and lifelike.
Among them, the most eye-catching one is undoubtedly Liu Yishou from Zuixianju.
He wasn't as flustered as other chefs, but rather slow and steady, his movements as graceful as embroidery. He was going to make a dish called "Peony Chicken," and he used a knife as thin as a cicada's wing to fly up and down, quickly turning a piece of chicken breast into slices of thin, translucent meat.
He then skillfully stacked these slices of meat, garnished them with red ham shreds and green vegetable juice. In just one stick of incense, a dish shaped like a blooming peony was formed. It was gorgeous and eye-catching, attracting admiration from those around him.
"This man has great knife skills and is very clever." Eunuch Wang twirled his fingers and nodded slightly.
Shopkeeper Qian also praised: "The top star of Zuixianju is indeed well-deserved."
Zhang Daxueshi, however, just glanced at it and twirled his beard noncommittally. He was more concerned with the taste.
When Liu Yishou's "Peony Chicken" was served to the judges, its exquisite presentation drew another wave of admiration. Grand Secretary Zhang picked up a piece, placed it in his mouth, and savored it carefully. The chicken was tender, the broth was delicious, and the ham enhanced the flavor. It was truly a superb dish.
"Not bad." He gave a fair evaluation.
Eunuch Wang and Shopkeeper Qian also nodded and gave high scores. Liu Yishou, with a smug look on his face, bowed to the judges and retreated, his brows etched with the arrogance of a determined winner.
The preliminary round was proceeding in an orderly manner and was about to end successfully, but an unexpected change occurred.
First, several participating chefs came to the competition office to complain that the well salt they bought from the market didn't taste right—it was salty, bitter, and astringent, ruining their dishes. At first, everyone thought it was just an excuse for poor cooking skills. But then, more and more people complained about the same problem.
"This salt is wrong! I've been using salt at home for over ten years and it never tastes like this!"
"My soup is ruined! The salt makes the whole pot bitter!"
The people from the competition office took the salt they mentioned and tasted it. Sure enough, it tasted salty and astringent at first, with a bitter aftertaste. It was the lowest quality coarse salt, and even had some unknown substances mixed in it.
The news spread quickly, and the entire arena was in an uproar. Salt, the king of all flavors. If there was something wrong with the salt, how could the competition even begin?
In the East Palace, Song Qingyuan listened to Tingyu's report, tapping the table lightly with his fingers.
"Have you checked? What's the situation at the salt shops in the capital?"
"Your Majesty, I've checked everything." Tingyu's face was a little serious. "Since yesterday afternoon, several major salt shops in the capital have been out of high-quality green salt and well salt. Now, the only thing available on the market is this low-quality bitter salt. And the price is 30% higher than the green salt in the past."
"Out of stock?" Shen Yanzhi said in a low voice, "The salt transport to the capital is managed by the Salt and Iron Department of the Ministry of Revenue. There are sufficient reserves. How can it be out of stock just like that?"
"It's the Chen family," Song Qingyuan said immediately. "Grand Secretary Zhang has reminded us that the Chen family controls the lifeline of illegal salt in Jiangnan. Not only do they smuggle illegal salt, they've probably also penetrated the official salt channels. They're telling us that they have the final say on the salt in the capital."
This move is like cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron, fast and ruthless.
The cooking competition couldn't be separated from salt. Cutting off the supply of high-quality salt would not only throw the competition into chaos and embarrass the Eastern Palace, but also allow them to raise the price of inferior salt and make a fortune. More importantly, it was a blatant provocation and demonstration against the Crown Prince's salt reform policy.
"Your Highness, if this matter is not handled properly, not only will the competition be ruined, but it will also shake the people's confidence in the salt reform." Song Qingyuan looked at Shen Yanzhi.
Shen Yanzhi understood what she meant. If they couldn't even guarantee the supply of official salt to the capital, how could they talk about promoting salt policy reform throughout the country? The people would only think that the court was incompetent and couldn't even let them eat good salt.
"I'll go to the Ministry of Revenue right now and ask Li Deyu to give an explanation." Shen Yanzhi stood up.
"No need." Song Qingyuan held him back, "Your Highness, if we go to the Ministry of Revenue now, Li Deyu will just play Tai Chi with us, saying that the transportation is not smooth or the salt fields in Jiangnan have a poor harvest.
By the time they slowly "solve" the problem, the competition will be over. And this is exactly what they want to see, drag us into the quagmire of the court and argue with them."
"So what do you think?"
Song Qingyuan stood up, walked to the window, looked at the clear sky outside, but a cold arc appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"They wanted to play with the salt, so I played with them. They thought if they pinched the salt, they would pinch my throat. But they forgot that I had something in my hand that was even more 'fresh' than the salt."
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