Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Zhu Gang sat in the hall of the palace, looking at Su Mingzhi in front of him.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Su, I really appreciate your cooking skills.

Especially the 'Squirrel Mandarin Fish', which is really unforgettable. "

Su Mingzhi quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, thank you for your praise. I am just a little bit knowledgeable in cooking."

Zhu Gang smiled and waved his hand, "Mr. Su, there is no need to be modest. I will fully support your research on culinary skills.

If Mr. Su can work for the palace, with the resources of the Jin Palace, Mr. Su's dish of 'Squirrel Mandarin Fish' will surely spread all over the world."

Su Mingzhi's heart moved when he heard this. After thinking it over again and again, he thought that he could use the resources of Prince Jin's Mansion to further improve and promote the dish of "Squirrel Mandarin Fish".

In the end, Su Mingzhi gladly accepted Zhu Gang's invitation: "Thanks to your kindness, I am willing to serve the palace."

On the other side, Liu Xiaoshuang was standing on the street in Yingtianfu, looking at her own food stall with a bright smile on her face.

She said to her parents beside her: "Dad, Mom!

This cooking competition was so much fun, and my daughter learned a lot.”

Liu Xiaoshuang's father smiled and touched Liu Xiaoshuang's head. "Haha, my Xiaoshuang is the best. She even won the third place in the competition."

Liu Xiaoshuang laughed and said, "Dad, please stop praising me, my daughter still has many shortcomings.

I have to keep working hard to let more people taste our salted duck."

Liu Xiaoshuang is particularly good at making salted duck. In order to make salted duck with unique flavor, she visited many places.

Every time she visited the master, Liu Xiaoshuang always had a bright smile on her face.

Her eyes were full of sincerity and expectation, and she respectfully handed over the small gift she had prepared with both hands.

"Master, I really like making salted duck, and I would like to ask you for some braising techniques. Please teach me."

Seeing how enthusiastic and sincere Liu Xiaoshuang is, the old masters are often willing to teach her everything they know.

An old chef smiled and said, "Miss Su, the key to marinating this salted duck lies in the mixing of the marinade. The proportions of various spices must be just right."

Liu Xiaoshuang listened carefully, nodded from time to time and said, "Thank you, Master. I will remember it."

In fact, in Liu Xiaoshuang's heart, letting more people taste the delicious and affordable salted duck is her greatest happiness.

Liu Xiaoshuang participated in the cooking competition with the intention of learning and communicating.

When she learned that she had won third place, her eyes were red with excitement and her heart was filled with joy and emotion.

When delivering her acceptance speech, Liu Xiaoshuang murmured to herself: "I didn't expect that I could really do it. This is not only a recognition of my cooking skills, but also a recognition of folk cuisine.

I must work harder to let more people taste this delicious and affordable salted duck."

While studying salted duck, Liu Xiaoshuang heard the legend about the origin of salted duck from her family elders.

One theory is that salted duck first appeared in the Southern Dynasties.

At that time, there was an emperor named Liu Yu. Because he liked to eat duck, he asked the chef to marinate the duck with salt water and spices, and then cook it with water.

Liu Yu thought this food was light and not greasy, so he named it "Liu Yu Duck" and gave it to his relatives and friends.

It is said that there was a general who followed Liu Yu in his campaigns, and his family was the ancestor of Liu Xiaoshuang.

The general improved the production process of "Liu Yu Duck" and brought it back to his hometown of Yingtian Prefecture. As time went by, this dish gradually spread in the local area and became a favorite delicacy among the people.

Later, during her visit, Liu Xiaoshuang met an old pharmacist.

The old pharmacist mentioned that his family had had interactions with a medical scientist named Li, and knew some clues about the unique formula of "Li's Duck".

This made Liu Xiaoshuang very excited. She thought that if she could find the recipe, she might be able to make her salted duck more distinctive, so she began to explore further along this clue.

The last theory is that "salted duck" originated from a businessman from the previous dynasty named Wang Xiang.

This man became rich because of his good management of the salt business.

He wanted to develop a new product, so he asked the chef to marinate the duck with salt water and various spices, and then cook it in water.

Wang Xiang thought the food was very fragrant, so he named it "Wang Xiang Duck" and gave it to his relatives and friends.

While Liu Xiaoshuang was asking around for the origin of salted duck, she unexpectedly learned that Wang Xiang's descendants now live near Yingtian Prefecture.

She decided to visit them, hoping to get more information about the origin and production of salted duck and inject new inspiration into her salted duck business.

Some time ago, while investigating Liu Xiaoshuang according to Zhu Gang's instructions, the Hidden Dragon Guards discovered some unusual clues.

The next day, Zhang Long, the commander of the Hidden Dragon Guard, walked into Zhu Gang's study with a serious expression and closed the door carefully.

Zhu Gang, who was reading a book, looked up and saw Zhang Long's serious expression, and his heart tightened.

Zhang Long reported in a low voice: "Your Highness, according to the current investigation, Fan Zhengqing has not found any signs of contact with the remnant forces of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

But on Su Mingzhi's side, the situation is a bit complicated.

Although we have always known that he was someone developed by His Highness, we dare not relax our investigation at all.

Recently we discovered that Su Mingzhi had close contacts with Liu Xiaoshuang, who won third place in the cooking competition.

As the investigation deepened, Li Meng found out that Liu Xiaoshuang's parents were members of the White Lotus Sect in their early years.

Zhu Gang's brows knitted tightly together, and a trace of worry flashed across his eyes. "We must not take this matter lightly. Ask Li Meng to continue digging deeper to see if Liu Xiaoshuang still has any secret dealings with the White Lotus Sect."

Zhang Long clasped his fists and replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I will go and tell Li Meng right away."

After saying that, Zhang Long turned and left the study, leaving Zhu Gang sitting alone in front of the desk, lost in thought.

According to the conclusions he drew from later history, the White Lotus Sect played a very special role in the late Yuan Dynasty.

During the Red Turban Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Han Shantong used the White Lotus Sect to launch the Northern Red Turban Army.

At the same time, there is another influential figure in history - Peng Yingyu, who is the prototype of Monk Peng in the later "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". He is the ancestor of the Southern Red Turban Army.

Peng Yingyu himself is a mixture of multiple religions. After joining the White Lotus Sect, he often appears in the image of "Maitreya Buddha".

Peng Yingyu, who was once a monk, not only followed the teachings of Maitreya Buddhism, claiming that "darkness will soon pass and light will soon come", but also practiced the path of spiritual practice of killing to welcome "Maitreya Buddha's coming to the world and changing the world".

However, when Zhu Yuanzhang issued a manifesto to attack Zhang Shicheng, he had already publicly denied the claim of Maitreya Buddha's reincarnation. The White Lotus Sect was also listed as a heresy and a banned religion as early as the 26th year of Zhizheng.

Although the imperial court had now established the Monks' Registration Office to govern the existing religions in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang never changed his attitude towards the White Lotus Sect.

Therefore, no matter whether Liu Xiaoshuang's parents belonged to the Southern or Northern school, it will inevitably affect the future development of this female chef.

(End of this chapter)