Chapter 99
She turned around, with an almost mischievous glint in her eyes, like a child who had found a new toy.
"Tingyu, pass my message along. The topic for tomorrow's rematch has been changed."
Tingyu was stunned: "My lady, what should I change it to?"
Song Qingyuan said word by word, "Just change it to - 'Beauty without Salt'."
"Beauty without salt?" Tingyu and Shen Yanzhi both looked puzzled.
"Right." Song Qingyuan smiled. "Tell all the contestants that no salt will be provided in tomorrow's rematch. They can only use the provided 'Imperial Fresh' and the most common seasonings such as onions, ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar, etc. to create a dish that is as fresh and delicious as possible. Whoever can do it will advance to the finals."
As soon as these words came out, Shen Yanzhi instantly understood her intention, and his eyes burst into a surprisingly bright light.
Brilliant! Really brilliant!
The Chen family went to great lengths to monopolize the fine salt, hoping to gain control. Song Qingyuan, however, simply flipped the chessboard and changed the rules. "I won't argue with you about salt. I won't use salt at all!"
This move not only thwarted all the Chen family's plans, but also turned the crisis into a golden opportunity for publicity. While everyone was fretting over the "salt" issue, she told them they could make delicious dishes without salt using her "Yupinxian" (Yupinxian). This was more effective than any advertising!
At the same time, this also greatly increases the difficulty and attraction of the competition. Without salt, the most basic seasoning, how to enhance the flavor and how to season the food will be a test of the chef's wisdom and skills.
Those chefs who only know how to use high-end ingredients and seasonings, such as Liu Yishou, are probably at a loss.
"They want to drown me with salt," Song Qingyuan looked at Shen Yanzhi, the smile in his eyes deepened, "I will use their waves to send my ship 'Imperial Fresh' to a higher place."
"What? Beauty without salt?"
When the organizing committee of the competition announced the new topic for the semi-finals, the entire group of contestants was shocked.
"How is this possible? How can you cook without salt? This is ridiculous!" A fat chef was so anxious that he jumped up and down.
"Yes, salt is the king of all flavors. Without salt, the food will be bland. How can we eat this dish if it is bland and tasteless?"
"I think the Crown Princess has run out of tricks. Since she can't get good salt, she came up with this crooked trick to fool people!"
Complaints and doubts arose one after another. Many chefs were discouraged. Their lifelong cooking experience was built on salt. Now that this pillar of support had been suddenly removed, they felt that their culinary skills were about to collapse.
However, when Liu Yishou of Zuixianju heard this topic, he was stunned at first, and then a sneer of contempt appeared at the corner of his mouth.
No salt? That's just a woman's opinion. He studied under a master of Huaiyang cuisine, and his specialty is enhancing the flavor of broth. Even without salt, the broth he creates with ham, scallops, chicken, and pig's trotters is incredibly delicious, surpassing even ordinary seasonings.
As for the so-called "Imperial Fresh", it was just fermented beans. How useful could it be? He was confident that he could still crush everyone in this round.
In the Prince of Wei's mansion, Chen Yuanjing sneered after hearing the servant's report.
"The beauty of saltlessness? How naive. She thinks she can break our salt bureau this way? It's simply a foolish dream." He said to Shen Yancong, "Your Highness, she is courting death.
Without salt, no matter how fancy the dish is, it will be bland and tasteless. Once the judges and the common people taste those inedible dishes, they will think this competition is a joke, and the reputation of the Eastern Palace will be completely lost."
Shen Yancong nodded, feeling much more relaxed. "Let her do whatever she wants. I want to see how she ends up."
The next day, the rematch was held as scheduled.
The atmosphere in the square was noticeably more tense than during the preliminary round. Many chefs wore gloomy expressions, sighing and lamenting over the ingredients before them, hesitant to start.
At the judging table, Grand Secretary Zhang watched all this with great interest. Eunuch Wang and Shopkeeper Qian, on the other hand, looked worried, as they too felt the question was too tricky, even a little unreasonable.
The gong sounded to signal the start of the game.
Liu Yishou was still the center of attention. He had a plate filled with the finest ingredients: Jinhua ham, dried scallops, and a plump old hen. He methodically began preparing the ingredients, preparing a pot of his signature soup.
He didn't even look at the "Imperial Fresh" that was distributed uniformly at the stadium, as if that thing was not worthy of entering his kitchen.
Meanwhile, in an unassuming corner, a young chef stood out. His name was Lin Xiaoshu, a kitchen helper at a small restaurant in the south of the city. He had barely made it through the preliminary round with a homely dish of "scallion-roasted chicken." Unlike the others, he wasn't distressed; instead, his eyes lit up, as if he was genuinely interested in the topic.
The ingredients he chose were very simple: a lively grass carp, a few pieces of tofu, and a handful of fresh mushrooms.
He cleaned the fish neatly, cut it into pieces, and marinated it briefly with rice wine and ginger slices. Then he heated up some oil in a pan and pan-fried the fish until golden brown on both sides.
Instead of adding water, he directly poured in half a bottle of "Yupinxian". The moment the soy sauce entered the hot pot, a rich aroma of soy sauce and beans immediately burst out, instantly covering up all other flavors on the field.
"This soy sauce... smells so good!" Someone in the crowd couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Even Mr. Zhang, the university scholar sitting in the judging panel, twitched his nose and looked in the direction of Lin Xiaoshu with sparkling eyes.
Lin Xiaoshu added shiitake mushrooms and diced tofu, covered the pot, and simmered it on low heat. He didn't add any more seasonings, but simply stood quietly by the stove, controlling the heat.
Time passes by little by little.
Liu Yishou's soup is ready, the milky white broth exuding an alluring meaty aroma. He uses it to make a dish called "Boiling Cabbage." The cabbage heart, scalded to a translucent state, resembles a jade carving, and served in the clear broth, it looks stunning. He believes this dish's deliciousness will captivate everyone's taste buds.
When the dishes were brought to the judging table one by one, the winner was immediately apparent.
Dishes that tried to mask the lack of salt with sweet, sour, or spice failed miserably, tasting bland or strange, leaving the judges frowning at every bite.
It was Liu Yishou’s turn to have “boiled cabbage”.
"Well, the soup is fresh and mellow, and the cabbage is soft and rotten, not bad." Eunuch Wang nodded in praise.
Shopkeeper Qian also said, "You have a great grasp of the heat. You are worthy of being Chef Liu."
Grand Scholar Zhang took a bite and shook his head slightly. "It's fresh, but a bit greasy. It's a delicious combination of delicacies from land and sea, a rich and luxurious freshness, but lacking a bit of soul."
After he finished speaking, his eyes turned to the next dish, which was Lin Xiaoshu's dark and inconspicuous "Braised Fish with Tofu".
The waiter brought the dish over, and a rich but not overbearing aroma of sauce filled the air. The fish was stewed until glossy, and the tofu had absorbed the broth, turning an attractive brown.
Grand Secretary Zhang picked up a piece of tofu and carefully put it into his mouth.
The next moment, his eyes suddenly widened.
The tofu melts in your mouth, and the rich broth bursts in your mouth. First, the uniquely savory and salty flavor of "Yupinxian" is revealed, followed by the sweetness of the fish and the fragrant aroma of the mushrooms. These three flavors blend perfectly, layer by layer, creating an indescribable complex and delicious experience.
This taste is much richer and mellower than the salty taste brought by simple salt.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Grand Secretary Zhang couldn't help but applaud. "This dish is perfectly salty and fresh, with a rich sauce aroma. The freshness of the fish, the tenderness of the tofu, and the fragrance of the mushrooms are all integrated and elevated by the soy sauce! This is the true 'beauty without salt'! Using freshness instead of salt, and adding richness to the flavor. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Eunuch Wang and Shopkeeper Qian also took a sip and were both shocked. They had never imagined that a small bottle of soy sauce could give food such a rich flavor.
"This... this is really without any salt?" Eunuch Wang couldn't believe it.
Lin Xiaoshu nodded nervously.
The result speaks for itself.
When the emcee announced that Lin Xiaoshu from Chengnan Restaurant had won the semifinals, the entire audience erupted in astonishment. Liu Yishou, on the other hand, stood there, his face pale. His "boiled cabbage," a dish that had used countless precious ingredients, was completely defeated by the simple "braised fish with tofu."
He lost not in cooking skills but in his thinking. He clung to tradition and despised innovation, and was caught off guard by the new rules and new seasonings.
When the news came out, the whole capital was in an uproar.
The people suddenly realized that the Crown Princess changed the topic not because she couldn't get salt, but because she wanted to tell everyone that "Imperial Fresh" could actually replace salt and taste even better!
"Oh my god, is this 'Imperial Fresh' so magical?"
"Go buy a few bottles and try them at home! Can I cook without adding salt in the future?"
"The East Palace is thinking about us ordinary people! Even if the price of salt becomes higher in the future, we won't be afraid!"
Suddenly, a long line formed in front of the "Yupinxian" specialty store on Zhuque Street. The goods that the Ministry of Revenue had just put out were sold out in an instant.
When Li Deyu heard the news in his mansion, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He wanted to see Song Qingyuan's joke, but ended up handing her the ladder himself, letting her step on his face and climb to a higher peak of prestige.
Prince Wei's Palace.
"Waste! A bunch of waste!" Shen Yancong was so angry that he swept everything on the desk to the ground.
Chen Yuanjing's expression was utterly dismal. His meticulously designed "Salt Bureau" hadn't only failed to trap Song Qingyuan, but had instead become a stepping stone for her to promote "Imperial Fresh," earning her and the Eastern Palace widespread acclaim. They had lost both their wife and their army; their defeat was complete.
In the East Palace, Song Qingyuan smiled with curved eyebrows when he heard Tingyu's report.
"Your Highness, look, when you cast the bait, what you catch may not necessarily be a fish," she said to Shen Yanzhi. "It could also be a group of... clever crabs that crawled over sideways and broke their own legs."
Shen Yanzhi couldn't help laughing when he saw her sly and complacent look. He took her hand and gently pinched her fingertips.
"You're too clever, and your web is too strong," he whispered. "But even though the crabs' legs are broken, they haven't given up yet. In the finals, they'll definitely come back, and I'm afraid their tactics will be even more ruthless."
"I'll wait for them." A sharp light flashed in Song Qingyuan's eyes. "The muddier the water, the easier it is to fish. In the next round, I will make sure they can't even keep their crab shells."
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