Youqing knew that Kangxi was unhappy, but she deliberately said, "These fish were quite easy to catch today. There are so many. I'm afraid I can't finish them all. Your Majesty, please have lunch with me!"
Under normal circumstances, Emperor Kangxi would not have refused, but in this situation, refusing was not an option, nor was agreeing.
Liang Jiugong, standing to the side, couldn't help but tremble with fear. My goodness, His Majesty is clearly unhappy, and you really dare to say anything out loud!
Looking at his empty fish bucket and then at Youqing, whose eyes held a hint of smugness and teasing, Kangxi suddenly smiled: "Very well, I know you are quite skilled. Since you caught these fish, I will try your cooking at noon."
Youqing was no longer smug.
Is this asking her to cook for him?
Cooking on such a hot day?
At that moment, Youqing had only one thought in her mind: "I've shot myself in the foot; it really hurts."
Seeing Youqing's slightly aggrieved expression, Kangxi's annoyed mood improved considerably. Indeed, the most effective way to cheer himself up was to see others suffer misfortune. Although it was somewhat unethical, it was certainly effective.
"How can His Majesty know that my cooking is good if he has never even tasted the food I've cooked?"
Emperor Kangxi smiled and said, "My beloved concubine's cooking skills are naturally excellent. I can eat whatever you make."
That's quite a clever way to put it!
"It's been a long time since I've cooked. If it's not done well, Your Majesty must eat it."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi keenly sensed that something was amiss, but the information he found indicated that Youqing could cook, so it shouldn't be that bad... right?
Youqing can indeed cook. The original owner of this body could, and so could she. However, at this level, she could only say that she could eat it. She was naturally no match for the imperial chefs. Emperor Kangxi ate delicacies from land and sea, and even simple ingredients had to be carefully cooked before they could be eaten.
The food she cooks is probably not to his liking, and who knows who will suffer in the end!
The two of them stopped fishing. After processing and cooking the fish, it was almost lunchtime.
Hanyuan Palace has a special small kitchen, so there was no need for Youqing to go back. Youqing started cooking directly in the small kitchen of Hanyuan Palace.
Although Youqing was cooking, there were people preparing the ingredients on the side. This fish was really not easy to handle. Youqing only made a menu. By the time she entered the small kitchen, the fish had already been cleaned and all the necessary side dishes had been prepared.
Although it's a small kitchen, it uses a large earthen stove. Youqing can cook, but only with a gas stove or a solar cooker bought from the farm's shopping mall, which are all small pots.
This was the first time Youqing had ever used such a large pot, and she wasn't used to it. However, she could still cook it, but it was indeed quite slow.
Emperor Kangxi was reading in his study, but he couldn't concentrate. After a while, he asked, "How long has it been? Is Consort Shu's meal ready?"
Liang Jiugong remembers the time.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu has only been gone for a quarter of an hour."
Even for an experienced chef, preparing a whole fish feast in fifteen minutes is quite difficult.
Kangxi was taken aback when he heard this. It had only been a quarter of an hour, but he felt that almost an hour had passed.
He glanced at the book a couple more times, but couldn't concentrate, so he didn't force himself. He got up and left the study, and Liang Jiugong quickly followed.
Kangxi's destination was the small kitchen.
Youqing was busy in the small kitchen. Actually, cooking is not something you hate. You would definitely get tired of it if you did it every day for a long time, but you can find it quite interesting to do it occasionally. So even though the large earthen stove was not easy to use, Youqing did not find it too annoying. It was just a bit hot and uncomfortable.
Kangxi stood outside the small kitchen, watching Youqing busy inside through the small window.
She's really practical; she actually cooked it herself!
Emperor Kangxi received many soups and dishes from the concubines in the harem, all claiming to have made them by hand. In reality, he knew that most of them just watched from the sidelines. The head cook in the kitchen would hand over the ingredients and seasonings, and he would simply put them in. He would not even touch the spoons or spatulas.
The child did everything himself except for the ingredients that needed to be prepared, which made him seem exceptionally honest and sincere.
"...The fire is too big, reduce it..."
One of the biggest drawbacks of the large earthen stove is that it's not easy to control the heat. This was also the first time Youqing had used such a stove, and she didn't communicate very well with the eunuch tending the fire, so she had to say a few words every now and then.
Fifteen minutes later, Youqing served a plate of sweet and sour fish, then poured in oil, added the fish, and fried it until both sides were golden brown. One side of the fish that Youqing fried was a little blackened, but it was fine and didn't have a burnt taste.
Leave the fried fish still, put it in cold water with ginger slices, bring it to a boil over high heat, add a few pieces of tofu, and simmer for a while longer until the tofu is flavorful. Then you don't need to add more heat. Finally, add some chopped green onions, and you're all done.
Aside from a few mistakes when frying the fish, the fish tofu soup was pretty successful; at least it looked decent.
Emperor Kangxi stood blankly outside the small kitchen for a long time, not even noticing the passage of time.
When Youqing turned her head and saw Kangxi outside, she quickly came out, first bowed to him, and then said, "This concubine's cooking skills are not good, Your Majesty, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. The food is ready."
Kangxi said, "Then let's eat!"
Kangxi took Youqing to a room in Hanyuan Hall, and Liang Jiugong followed behind, quickly ordering people to bring up all the dishes that Youqing had prepared.
Youqing didn't cook much, just four dishes and a soup, including two vegetarian dishes. It wasn't that there wasn't enough fish, but rather that Youqing only knew how to cook a limited amount of fish. Two fish-related dishes and a soup were already her limit.
Four dishes and a soup—this was naturally simple for Kangxi, but it was made by Youqing herself, and he was very much looking forward to it.
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