lovenovelstory Chapter 3: What delicious food has my darling daughter eaten? Let me have a taste!
Chapter 3: What delicious food has my darling daughter eaten? Let me have a taste!
Inside the Lizheng Hall, the air pressure was frighteningly low.
A row of eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Kitchen knelt outside the hall, their heads hitting the floor tiles, trembling like leaves.
Inside the hall, Li Shimin paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his boots clattering on the floor.
Empress Zhangsun sat on the edge of the couch, holding a bowl of cold mutton soup in her hand, her brows furrowed tightly. She was already in poor health, and these past few days, due to Xiao Sizi's anorexia, she had been working so hard that her eyes were dark and swollen.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Li Shimin abruptly stopped, pointed outside the palace, and cursed, "What use are you bunch of good-for-nothings to me? Princess Jinyang hasn't eaten properly for three days, and what have you sent? The smell of mutton can be smelled from three miles away! Let alone the child, even I feel nauseous from the smell!"
The Imperial Food Bureau official lowered his head even further, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, but dared not utter a single word in defense.
These days, the main meats available are mutton and venison, and the cooking methods are simply steaming, boiling, and roasting.
To remove the fishy smell, you have to rely on dogwood and Sichuan pepper to suppress it. But even if you suppress the fishy smell, the strange smell will be even stronger. Children have sensitive taste buds, so they can't eat it.
"Erlang, calm down."
Empress Zhangsun put down her bowl and gently advised, "Sizi has not been feeling well these past few days. The imperial physician also said that her spleen and stomach are weak. No wonder the imperial chefs are worried."
"That's because they're incompetent!"
Li Shimin's chest heaved. "I possess the entire world, yet I cannot even provide my daughter with a decent meal?"
Just then, a small head peeked in through the palace door.
Li Shimin, who was just moments before so angry he wanted to kill someone, instantly cleared his face of gloom and put on a kind father's smile as he quickly went to greet him.
"Sizi's back? Where did she go? Father has been looking for her everywhere."
Little Sizi, with his hands behind his back, stepped across the threshold with his two short legs.
Unlike her usual listless self, she was radiant with health and walked with a brisk pace, even letting out a contented burp.
"Burp~"
The sound was loud and clear.
Li Shimin's outstretched hand, reaching out to hug the child, froze in mid-air.
Empress Zhangsun was also stunned.
These past few days, Little Sizi was so hungry that she didn't even have the strength to speak. How come after going out for a walk, she's regained all her energy?
Li Shimin picked up his youngest daughter, placed her on his lap, and bounced her around a little; she seemed a tiny bit heavier now. He then gently patted her tummy.
Good heavens, round and hard as a rock, did it eat too much?
"Sizi, have you... eaten something?" Li Shimin asked tentatively.
The little ox's heart was filled with alarm bells.
Pretty Girl said that if her father finds out, there will be no more Fanfanqi!
She immediately shook her head vigorously, covering her mouth tightly with her two little hands, and mumbled indistinctly, "I don't know anything! I don't know anything!"
Li Shimin squinted his eyes.
Something is wrong!
This girl usually blushes when she lies, but today she practically had "I'm hiding something" written all over her forehead.
He leaned closer, his nostrils twitching.
Gone is the faint medicinal scent of the past; in its place is an extremely refreshing fruity aroma.
It's somewhat like the pomelos that were presented as tribute from Lingnan, but sweeter, more refreshing, and with a faint... oily aroma.
"What is this?"
Li Shimin, with his sharp eyes, reached out and gently pinched the corner of the little rhinoceros's mouth.
A golden-yellow object landed on his fingertip.
Rice grains.
But the rice grains here are different from those eaten in the palace.
It was golden yellow all over, with a thin layer of charred crust on the outside, and it actually shone in the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Waaaaah...waaaah..." Little Sizi stared at the piece of evidence, its big eyes darting around. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck it: "This is...this is a bug!"
Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Li Shimin was both amused and exasperated, and brought the "worm" to his nose to smell it.
The rich aroma of eggs mixed with the caramelized scent of oil is so strong that even a single egg can forcefully fill your nostrils.
Glug!
Li Shimin's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
How could the mighty Emperor of the Tang Dynasty be so greedy for a single grain of rice?
"Oh, so you dare to lie to your father."
Li Shimin deliberately put on a stern face and gently scratched Xiao Sizi's nose with his finger. "Tell the truth, where did you go to steal food? If you don't tell me, your father will chop up all those old men in the Imperial Kitchen."
When the little ox heard that someone was going to be killed, its face turned pale with fright.
Although the handsome guy is fierce, he's a good eater and we can't let him get hurt!
"Don't cut!"
The little ox squirmed anxiously in Li Shimin's arms, and in her haste, she uttered even more blatantly, "I really didn't go to the woodshed! I didn't look for a pretty pot! That golden rice wasn't good at all! And I didn't drink any sweet water!"
Li Shimin: "..."
Empress Zhangsun: "..."
Case solved!
Location: Woodshed.
Character: Handsome older brother.
Tools used in the crime: golden rice and sweet juice.
Li Shimin's facial muscles twitched twice.
Where would you find a woodshed in the Imperial Palace? It's just the waste dump in the backyard of the Imperial Kitchen. Could anyone live there? A handsome young man, no less?
Besides the princes, the only other men in the palace were eunuchs and guards. Could a eunuch call someone "brother"? Would a guard dare cook in the inner palace?
"The woodshed..."
Li Shimin chewed on those two words, his face darkening. "Guards, go to the backyard of the imperial kitchen and see what kind of monsters are hiding there, daring to feed the princess such things of unknown origin!"
When the little ox heard that someone was going to be arrested, it burst into tears.
She frantically rummaged through her clothes, trying to hide that last bit of treasure deeper inside.
The more she rushed things, the more chaotic things became. A small oil paper package slipped out of her collar and fell to the ground with a thud.
The oil paper package was unwrapped.
A rice ball the size of a fist rolled out.
Although the rice ball was cold, it still retained an enticing golden color. A few chopped scallions were sprinkled on top, adding a lovely touch of green.
The fragrance that had been sealed by the oil paper could no longer be hidden. Like a long-accumulated volcanic eruption, it instantly filled the entire Rissei-den!
The imperial kitchen stewards, who had been kowtowing, twitched their noses and looked up in shock.
This taste...
Too domineering!
Even if you put all the spices in the imperial kitchen together, none of them would be as tempting as this!
Li Shimin bent down and picked up the rice ball.
It feels slightly warm to the touch, oily but not greasy.
"What is this?" Li Shimin frowned.
Seeing her treasure being confiscated, Little Sizi couldn't care less about keeping it a secret anymore. She stretched out her little hand to grab it back, shouting, "Give it back to me! That was given to me by my handsome husband! I haven't had enough yet!"
Li Shimin ignored his daughter's protest and took a closer look at the rice ball.
It contains small pieces of meat.
It's not mutton; it doesn't have that dark red color.
It looks more like... pork?
That's cheap meat!
Only laborers who built the Great Wall and farmers in the fields ate this stuff.
It smelled fishy and foul, making it difficult to swallow.
How dare someone feed pork to the most noble princess of the Tang Dynasty?
Li Shimin was furious and was about to throw the thing away.
But that fragrance was just too alluring.
It relentlessly burrowed into his nose, causing his mouth to water uncontrollably. He'd been starving since the morning court session started.
It was by some strange twist of fate.
Li Shimin did not throw away the rice ball. Instead, he hesitated, opened his mouth, and took a small bite of the golden rice ball.
"Erlang, no!" Empress Zhangsun exclaimed, but it was too late to stop him.
Li Shimin chewed it.
The hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared at the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, waiting for him to unleash his fury and spit out this filthy thing.
however--
Li Shimin froze!
It didn't have the fishy smell I expected, nor did it have a rough texture.
The moment his teeth sliced through the rice and meat, an intensely rich aroma of meat, mixed with the exhilarating sensation of sizzling fat, surged through his mouth!
Is this pork?
How could this possibly be pork?!
The cracklings rendered from pork fat are crispy yet chewy, and become more fragrant the more you chew them.
The rice grains are soaked with egg liquid and lard, making each one chewy and delicious!
The touch of bright green scallion was a stroke of genius, instantly cutting through all the greasiness and leaving only a lingering fragrance in your mouth!
Li Shimin's eyes widened, and his jaw involuntarily increased the speed of his chewing.
Gum!
Swallow it in one gulp.
That feeling of satisfaction slid down my esophagus, warmly soothing my already empty stomach.
"this……"
He's eaten all sorts of delicacies his whole life, what hasn't he seen?
But just now, this bite of cheap fried rice actually won him over?
"Erlang?" Empress Zhangsun called out worriedly, noticing her husband's strange expression. "Is it poisoned?"
"Poisonous...it's extremely poisonous!"
Li Shimin muttered to himself, and then, to everyone's astonishment, disregarding all imperial dignity, he opened his mouth wide and stuffed the remaining half of the rice ball into it in one gulp!
With cheeks puffed out, he chewed heartily.
Really fragrant!
It smells so damn good!
Which divine chef made this? This skill is so amazing, it's no exaggeration to say it's the work of a god of food descended to earth!
After finishing the last bite, Li Shimin licked the oil off his lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction, feeling that the mutton soup and venison he had just eaten were nothing more than fodder for livestock!