lovenovelstory Chapter 31 What?! I ate beggar's chicken?!
Chapter 31 What?! I ate beggar's chicken?!
Chapter 31 What?! I ate beggar's chicken?!
"It's not digging a ditch—"
Li Lizhi's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed. She subconsciously hid her horribly disfigured hands behind her back, her voice barely audible, "It's—it's cooking."
"Cooking?"
Empress Zhangsun laughed in exasperation, pointing to the clump of still-wet yellow mud on Xiao Sizi's skirt. "Are you saying that the Imperial Kitchen now uses mud as an ingredient? Or do you think of yourselves as potatoes in the field, needing to roll in the mud to cook?"
"Mother is wrong!"
Little Sizi couldn't understand the lies at all. Instead, he puffed out his dirty little chest and pulled the food box that he had been dragging behind him to the front like a treasure.
"This is a precious gift that Guoguo made for Aye!"
As the little girl spoke, she struggled to open the food box lid.
The dishes weren't as elaborate as I'd expected.
As the lid was lifted, a pungent, earthy smell wafted out.
In the very center of the food box lay a dusty, hard clod of earth. It was pitted and uneven, and you could vaguely see a few small finger marks on it.
Empress Zhangsun: "————"
She felt a little dizzy.
These are the "treasures" that two Tang Dynasty princesses, covered in mud, brought back? This is clearly just a piece of junk dug out of some corner!
Just then, steady yet slightly hurried footsteps came from the back of the palace.
"They're back? My—cough, I heard the two maids are back?"
Li Shimin strode in.
As soon as I entered, my eyes fell on my two daughters.
"Wow!"
Li Shimin was startled, his steps halting abruptly. "This—have we encountered an assassin? Or have we fallen into a swamp?"
"Ah!"
As soon as the little boy saw his father, he immediately forgot the grievances of being scolded by his mother. He opened his two little hands, covered in dried mud, and rushed over, crying, "Father, hug me!"
Li Shimin looked at the mud-covered figure and instinctively wanted to hide, but looking into his little girl's bright, sparkling eyes, he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Li Shimin extended a finger and pressed it against the little girl's forehead, forcibly stopping her from holding on. "Don't hug her yet. Tell your father, what's the meaning behind this outfit?"
"It's to cook for my father!"
Little Sizi pointed at the clod of dirt on the table, his face beaming with pride. His lisp-like mouth chattered incessantly, "My lord said this mud is good stuff! It has to be sealed tightly, no air can leak out, otherwise it won't be good!"
Li Shimin looked in the direction of the finger, and his eyebrows instantly furrowed into a knot.
"This is... food?"
He walked over and tapped the clod of earth with his hand.
It's so hard.
The sound was dull, like hitting a brick.
"Lizhi, you speak," Li Shimin said, looking at his eldest daughter with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "That expert—is he perhaps in a bad mood today, using this clod of earth to play tricks on me?"
Li Lizhi didn't care about being embarrassed at this moment. She quickly stepped forward, took out a pair of scissors from the sewing basket next to her, and handed them over.
"Father, this is just the outer shell."
Li Lizhi swallowed hard. Although she was full, the thought of the taste made her mouth water again. "The essence is inside. Master Su said we have to break it open to eat it."
"Smash it open?"
Li Shimin was skeptical.
As the emperor, he always ate with the utmost refinement; even walnuts were prepared and served by a special person. This method of eating by having to crack open clods of dirt oneself was simply unheard of.
But that was done by a master.
A wise person's actions always have a profound meaning.
Li Shimin took a deep breath, and without even looking for a hammer, grabbed a paperweight inkstone from the corner of the table.
"I want to see what's going on in this gourd—no, what's hidden in this mud!"
With a flick of the wrist, the inkstone fell to the ground.
"Snap—!"
A crisp cracking sound rang out in the quiet Rikjeong Hall.
The hardened clay shell instantly shattered, and several charred clods of earth fell onto the table.
Followed by.
The moment the mud shell cracked open, a fragrance that had been suppressed for a long time and concentrated to the extreme burst out like a beast breaking free of its cage!
That's not a single flavor.
It was the bitter, grassy aroma of lotus leaves after being baked at high temperatures, mixed with the savory aroma of oil and the mellow aroma of rice wine after it evaporated.
These flavors intertwined, domineering, unreasonable, and forcefully penetrating the nostrils of everyone present, rushing straight to the top of their heads!
"Gurgle!"
Li Shimin was still holding the inkstone in his hand, but his Adam's apple bobbed violently.
The doubts and disdain I felt earlier vanished instantly in the face of this bewitching fragrance.
Empress Zhangsun initially wanted to cover her nose because she couldn't stand the smell of cooking oil, but as soon as the smell entered her nose, she found that her appetite was greatly stimulated, and the pent-up frustration that had been weighing on her chest for years seemed to dissipate considerably.
"this----"
Li Shimin's eyes widened, and ignoring the scalding heat, he quickly peeled off the remaining mud shell.
The dark brown lotus leaf sachet inside was revealed.
The lotus leaves were roasted until they were shiny and glistening, clinging tightly to the chicken, and the golden-yellow texture of the chicken skin could be vaguely seen underneath.
"Tear it open! Father, tear it open quickly!"
The little boy was jumping around anxiously, flailing his little hands in the air, shouting, "It's only just been tied up inside!"
Li Shimin reached out, pinched a corner of the lotus leaf, and gently tugged it.
Stab it!
The lotus leaf is lifted.
Steam rose, carrying an even richer aroma of meat. The chicken lay quietly in the center of the lotus leaf, its skin golden and translucent, like amber.
Because of the long-term braising and roasting, the meat and bones were so tender that they trembled and shook at the slightest touch.
"Great stuff—this is absolutely great stuff!"
Li Shimin could no longer maintain his composure.
Forget about imperial majesty and the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping; all of that can go to hell at this moment.
He simply reached out and tore off a chicken wing.
Without any effort, the bone detached smoothly, leaving only a large, trembling piece of flesh.
Put it in your mouth.
After taking that bite, Li Shimin froze completely.
So tender!
This chicken seems to melt in your mouth without needing your teeth!
The delicate fragrance of lotus leaves perfectly neutralized the greasiness of the chicken fat, leaving only a mouthful of deliciousness. The sensation of the juices bursting in his mouth reminded him of the celebratory wine he first tasted in the early years of the Zhenguan era—rich, intense, and unforgettable.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Li Shimin chewed while mumbling his praises, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Using earth as a furnace and leaves as clothing, returning to simplicity!"
He pointed to the pile of broken mud, looking as if he had just realized something. "I understand! This master was borrowing the earth's energy! The earth is the mother of all things. This chicken meat absorbed the earth's energy and locked in its vital energy. This isn't just eating chicken; it's clearly consuming the essence of this land!"
Seeing her husband's blissful expression, Empress Zhangsun couldn't resist picking up a piece of breast meat with her chopsticks.
It melts in your mouth and is bursting with fresh flavor.
"really----"
Empress Zhangsun swallowed the chicken and felt a warm feeling in her stomach. "Although this method looks crude, it tastes a hundred times better than the exquisite dishes prepared in the imperial kitchen."
"Of course!"
Li Shimin, his mouth greasy, tore off another chicken leg and handed it to Empress Zhangsun's bowl, saying, "Guanyinbi, eat more. This meat is tender and nourishing!"
Little Sizi watched his father and mother eat so heartily. Although his belly was already round and full, he couldn't help but smack his lips and stick out his dirty little finger, wanting to dip it into the soup left on the lotus leaf.
"Snapped!"
Li Lizhi reacted quickly and gently slapped her sister's hand away.
"Stop eating, or your stomach will burst!"
Little Si pouted pitifully, put his finger, which was a little oily, into his mouth and slurped it up: "It's so delicious—Brother said this is called beggar's chicken, only beggars are this delicious—"
"puff--!"
Li Shimin almost spat out the mouthful of meat he had just swallowed.
He coughed twice suddenly, staring wide-eyed at the incomplete chicken carcass.
"What should I call you? What should I call you?"
"Beggar's Chicken and Duck!"
Little Sizi said innocently, "Guoguo said that once upon a time, there was a beggar who had neither a pot nor a stove, so he stole a chicken, covered it in mud, and threw it into the fire to roast. It smelled so good! That's why it's called Beggar's Chicken!"
The Rissei-den fell silent once again.
Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history.
Empress Zhangsun, the mother of the nation during the Tang Dynasty.
The two were currently eating a chicken "invented by a beggar," their mouths greasy and completely unrefined!
Li Shimin's lips twitched twice.
This name—it really is—simple and unadorned, yet utterly rebellious.
If anyone else dared to serve me "beggar's chicken," I would punish them for the greatest disrespect.
The lingering fragrance in my mouth still lingered, and the satisfaction in my stomach was real.
Li Shimin looked at the pile of yellow mud and suddenly smiled with relief.
"What a delicious beggar's chicken!"
He tore off another piece of meat, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully, his eyes becoming deep.
"The most common is the most elegant. To be able to transform the cheapest mud into the finest cooking utensils; to be able to glean such exquisite flavors from the humble habits of a beggar. This master has profound insights and is not bound by worldly perspectives."
"This is what they call—following the natural way!"
Li Shimin slammed his fist on the table, forcefully elevating the theme and successfully convincing himself.
"Beautiful".
Li Shimin was in a good mood and turned to look at his eldest daughter, who was wiping her younger sister's face.
"I want to ask him face to face, what in this world is beyond his ability to be cooked?"
Li Lizhi's hand trembled, and the handkerchief almost fell to the ground.
A proper visit?
She imagined Su Mu wearing baggy shorts, lounging in a rocking chair picking his toes, while her father, the Emperor, in his dragon robe, led the civil and military officials to pay their respects.
That scene was probably even more devastating than the mud all over the place.
"Father Emperor————"
Li Lizhi spoke up timidly, "The master prefers quiet, and—and has a strange temper. If we make a big fuss, I'm afraid it will displease him."
Li Shimin was taken aback, then nodded.
"That makes sense. Great people, after all, often have a bit of a temper."
He touched the grease on his chin, his eyes resolute.
"Then I'll go and bump into him again!" This time, I'm determined to pull out all his hidden treasures!
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