PFC Chapter 1833 The Kitchen as a Gift
Chapter 1833 The Kitchen as a Gift
"There's more!" Shocked, Cheng Feng moved the lower menu to the top! He looked at each dish one by one, finally pointing to the last two. "I see, these are the two dishes my wife made!"
Shang tide craned her neck and looked in the direction Cheng Feng was pointing, then laughed: "You're really something! You actually managed to find the dish I'm going to make in this huge menu!"
Cheng Feng said, "You can tell what these two dishes are just by looking at them: braised fish and chestnut chicken. Only these simple and unpretentious names are easy to remember!"
As lunchtime approached, Cheng Feng led a group of servants to the palace!
Several carriages from the Prince's residence were also dispatched!
The old steward was already waiting outside the palace. Seeing Cheng Feng arrive on time, followed by a large group of palace servants carrying food boxes, the old steward smiled and asked, "What have you made today? Why are there so many food boxes?"
Cheng Feng shoved the recipes into the old steward's hands, saying, "The entire kitchen of the Prince's mansion is mobilized, all eager to show off their skills to the Emperor. The recipes are getting longer and longer, and the number of dishes is increasing!"
Cheng Feng felt he had prepared too many dishes today, but the old steward was pleased. "His Majesty and everyone else are waiting! You've brought enough food, so there's no need to ask the imperial kitchen to add more!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Feng asked, "Besides those few people with the surname Sui, are there any others?"
The old steward said, "There are no outsiders. It's the Imperial Advisor, Lord Yan from the Ministry of Revenue, Censor Song, and your Uncle Ge!"
"Uncle Ge is here again?"
"I was just reporting to His Majesty when it was lunchtime, so I must stay and have lunch with him!"
Cheng Feng couldn't help but marvel at Ge Dongqing's shamelessness! He'd infuriated the Emperor, who had then berated him so severely, and yet he still had to dine with the Emperor! "My uncle asked him to investigate a case, and he did?"
The old steward smiled ingratiatingly, "It's not difficult to investigate this matter by following the clues, but pulling out one radish brings out a whole lot of mud, implicating many others! Lord Ge had no choice but to come and consult the Emperor!"
Cheng Feng immediately understood from the old steward's expression that the Han family was implicated in too many matters, and Ge Dongqing was unsure whether to publicize Han's crimes. The specific verdict depended on the Emperor's decision. However, it must be said that many of those implicated were innocent.
Before Cheng Feng could even enter the house, he was stopped by his attendant again. "Leave me a few plates of food, I'll find somewhere to eat myself!"
The attendant had a habit of not liking to eat with outsiders. There were only a few people who would sit and eat with him, and this person was elusive and rarely showed up!
Deep-fried daylily buds are a must-have! The others are picked and chosen, and after selecting a dish to go with the drinks, the servants grab a pot of wine and disappear!
After the announcement, Cheng Feng and the old steward entered the main hall one after the other. Tables and chairs had already been set up inside, and the people were sitting around the table. Obviously, they were not talking about anything related to the investigation, because Wan Lianxing had a smile on his face. Such a harmonious scene was rare in the past two days!
After Cheng Feng greeted Wan Lianxing, he had someone bring in a food box. Sui Ying, seeing this display, remarked, "One table won't be enough!"
The dishes could only fit when the last three tables were pushed together. Song Tingzhi, the only one at the table, felt extremely uncomfortable. He had never eaten at the same table as the Emperor before. Several times he tried to get up and leave, but as soon as he sat up, Wan Lianxing would raise his hand to signal him to sit down.
Sending Ge Dongqing out to persuade various countries to trust Wan Lianxing was not enough to allow him to investigate the case, so Wan Lianxing sent the Censor Song Tingzhi to investigate the case with him! This is why Song Tingzhi is here!
Seeing this table of dishes, Wan Lianxing was naturally happier than when he saw the dishes yesterday!
Before he even picked up his chopsticks, he was overjoyed and declared, "I will reward the workers in your palace kitchen!"
Cheng Feng pointed to the two dishes closest to Wan Lianxing, "Don't just reward the workers in the Prince's mansion's kitchen! Your niece-in-law also showed off her skills!"
Wan Lianxing glanced at the plate of chestnut chicken and the two large fish, wanting to ask someone to move the two dishes further away, but he didn't dare to say so.
Wan Lianxing said with a smile, "Reward! Not only will Shang Xi be rewarded, but the steward Yu Hua will also be rewarded. Not only does Yu Hua's fried fish look good, but he is also an upright person who is very kind to me!"
Cheng Feng urged Wan Lianxing, "Uncle, then you should try it!"
If he doesn't move quickly, no one dares to eat!
Wan Lianxing chuckled as he looked at the bright yellow fried daylily buds. A fried fish was then placed on his plate by the old butler! Wan Lianxing took a bite. Whether it was a famous dish was debatable, but the taste was indeed excellent. No wonder that brat You Ning, even under house arrest, was still craving this! "Crispy and delicious, everyone, pick up your chopsticks!"
When Wan Lianxing gave the order, everyone picked up their chopsticks. Suiming ate a whole piece in one bite, bones and all, without missing a single bone or thorn. Suixin wasn't much better; she ate a whole piece in two bites, without missing any bones or thorns either. Of all the people at the table, the two of them ate the most savagely. But this way of eating was something they had honed over many years in the military. No matter how good the food was in the military, it wasn't possible to eat meat and fish every day, and it was impossible to eat as slowly and deliberately as the others. If they ate so slowly and deliberately, how could they go to the battlefield?
Cheng Feng said to Wan Lianxing, "Uncle, try the fish and chestnut chicken that Shang tide specially cooked for you! They're delicious and beautifully presented!"
Wan Lianxing looked at the two dishes with lingering fear, "At my age, my teeth are not as strong as yours young people. You eat, you eat!"
"I've never heard that you have bad teeth. You're always gnawing on crabs, and they're fine!" As he spoke, Cheng Feng placed a large chopstickful of fish into Wan Lianxing's bowl, followed by two pieces of chestnut chicken. Cheng Feng added, "You can skip the other dishes, but you must eat these two. Shang Xi spent the whole morning in the kitchen preparing them!" Cheng Feng then said to the others, "You all eat too. These are my wife's specialty dishes!"
Cheng Feng had already made the arrangements, and a plate of chestnut chicken was distributed. Everyone had a piece in their bowl, but they looked at each other and didn't eat. Cheng Feng asked them, "What are you waiting for? Eat!"
With such a delicious meal on the table, including fried daylily buds, Sui Ying didn't want to challenge Shang tide's cooking. "My teeth have been hurting these past two days!"
The person accompanying him also said, "I can't chew hard things these days either!"
The rest of the people were waiting for Wan Lianxing. This dish was a gift from his niece-in-law. Everyone was able to eat Shang tide's cooking because they were benefiting from the Emperor's favor.
Wan Lianxing raised his hand and said, "Everyone, start eating. There's no need to be so formal with the rules between ruler and subject!"
Upon hearing this, Suiming and Suixin, who never hesitated, immediately picked up their chopsticks, just like enforcing military law! While eating, they nodded slightly, and Suixin said, "I've always loved Shangxi's cooking. Although it's all home-style cooking, it's unforgettable!"
Seeing how much he was enjoying his food, Suiying asked curiously, "Isn't it hard?"
Suixin picked up another piece, "It's not hard! It's delicious!"