The prince is more stable

Chapter 283 Food Contest
People will behave like tyrants in areas where they are good at, not for any other reason, but because of self-confidence.

Zhao Xiaoqian had a very unsuccessful life in his previous life and had basically no special skills.

I study so that I won’t get beaten when I get home after the exam, and I go to work so that I can earn that little bit of pitiful money.

It was because of poverty that he mastered the cooking skills. In order to live up to his cooking skills, he even had the idea of ​​opening a restaurant. Later, he died halfway because he could not raise funds to open the store.

So in the field of cooking, Zhao Xiaoqian has an unusually bad temper.

You can say that my official position and title are fake, and you can say that my so-called ability to govern the country and bring peace to the world is a cheat.

But, you can't insult my cooking!
It's like your wife's belt, only you can untie it, and no one else can touch it.

Zhao Xiaoqian was angry. The old man in front of him was a stranger, but that didn't stop him from sitting down and talking with the old man.

"Do you know how to eat? Have you ever eaten good food? Have you ever seen fine bran in your life?" Zhao Xiaoqian blushed. "Any meat that smells of mutton is only fit to feed dogs. This is common sense!"

The old man was also furious: "Bullshit! How ignorant you are! The beauty of beef and mutton lies in that hint of mutton flavor. Eating it tickles your taste buds and leaves a lasting aftertaste. If you remove the mutton flavor, does it still deserve to be called mutton?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "You're fit to be exiled to the northern grasslands, to live with those nomadic tribes. They don't mind the smell of mutton, they eat raw meat and drink blood, they're uneducated, they eat with their hands, and if something falls on the ground, they pick it up with their mouths and continue eating."

The old man was stunned, not knowing which of these words touched his sore spot. He immediately became furious and started cursing.

"Asshole! You are the one being exiled, your whole family should be exiled too! How rude of you, you dare to humiliate me..."

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted coldly, "If you don't know how to eat, just shut up. Who doesn't know how to talk nonsense? Sit down first. Today I'm going to make some lamb without any smell of mutton, so that you can open your eyes and see the world!"

Seeing that the old man was still furious, Zhao Xiaoqian asked the servants to bring a chair and let the old man sit down. He didn't dare to say any more vicious words to anger him. He was so angry at his age that he would have to go to Kaifeng Prefecture to explain, which was very troublesome.

The mutton has been marinated. Zhao Xiaoqian took a casserole, put the mutton in it, cooked the mutton over high heat, then poured out the soup, changed the pot of water, added pepper, cinnamon and other spices, and continued to simmer over low heat.

After stewing for half an hour, the mutton is cooked through. Finally, add the chopped radish pieces and stew for another half an hour. Finally, add salt to season.

When the radish was stewed, the yard was filled with the mixed aroma of mutton and radish.

The old man, whose anger had calmed down a little, sniffed hard, looked at the casserole on the stove, his eyes showing greed, his throat moving a few times, and then he looked at Zhao Xiaoqian's disgusting face. The old man forced himself to remain calm and even snorted in disdain.

After a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian opened the lid, and the fragrance around became more and more intense.

The old man sniffed more rapidly, and his hand, which was calmly stroking his beard, trembled slightly, and it was obvious that he was quite uneasy inside.

Zhao Xiaoqian ignored him and ordered the servant to bring a bowl of rice. The old man next to him couldn't help it anymore and made a gesture to the servant without any hesitation.

"Two bowls." the old man added.

When the rice was served, the old man held the bowl and squatted in front of the casserole. His movements were smooth and fluid.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still too lazy to pay attention to him. He scooped up a spoonful of thick mutton soup with a wooden spoon and poured it on the rice.

"Soul juice, pour it on..." Zhao Xiaoqian muttered the magic spell.

Mix the mutton soup with rice, stir it well and put it into your mouth in big mouthfuls. Pick up a piece of well-cooked mutton, it melts in your mouth, and the soup and seasoning are deeply flavorful.

More importantly, there is no smell of mutton!
Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes in enjoyment and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

This is what life is all about! I can die without regrets.

The old man also picked up the bowl and imitated Zhao Xiaoqian, pouring the soul juice on...

The old man took a big mouthful of mutton soup and rice, his eyes lit up, and then he picked up a piece of mutton and put it in his mouth. He immediately narrowed his eyes like Zhao Xiaoqian and let out a satisfied sigh.

The old man is obviously an expert foodie. In this pot of mutton, the most delicious part is not the mutton, but the stewed radish.

When you put a piece of radish in your mouth, you can taste the delicious aroma of mutton, the rich flavor of meat and the broth that has been stewed into a thick juice, wrapped around the soft radish. The taste is simply...

I wouldn’t change it even if you gave it to a god.

"Delicious!" the old man couldn't help but praise.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and didn't want to pay attention to him now, let alone argue with him about whether the mutton should be de-smelled.

Facts speak louder than words. Looking at the old man now, he is like a starving pig in the pigsty at four o'clock in the afternoon, digging the stone trough in frustration and eating with an ugly grunt. He has avenged all his grudges.

"How does it taste? It's mutton without the mutton smell, so it's not against the law, right?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a sarcastic smile on his face.

The old man nodded frantically subconsciously, then froze for a moment, feeling somewhat unseemly. He put on airs again, stroking his beard and saying, "That's all. The mutton you prepared is indeed delicious, but there's still something missing..."

"You old bastard, can't you stand the smell of mutton?" Zhao Xiaoqian said unhappily.

The old man didn't seem to mind. He simply said, "It's delicious, but unfortunately it lacks a flavor. It's still disappointing to eat. ... It's not the smell of mutton, but another flavor." Seeing that he wasn't bothered by the mutton smell, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately became interested: "What flavor is missing?"

The old man looked around and asked, "Where is your kitchen?"

Zhao Xiaoqian clapped his hands, and a servant appeared. He then ordered the servant to take the old man to the kitchen.

After a long time, the old man came back with a handful of green leaves in his hand. Zhao Xiaoqian squinted and looked at him, but he couldn't see clearly what was in his hand from a distance.

The lamb in the casserole is still simmering, the flavor is getting richer and the aroma is overflowing.

The old man walked over and threw the green leaves in his hand into the casserole with lightning speed, stirring it with chopsticks.

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and looked down. He took a deep breath and his face turned pale.

The old man stroked his beard and said complacently, "You are still young after all. You don't know that delicious food in the world is like medicine, which also has its own main ingredients, secondary ingredients, and auxiliary ingredients. Good meat should be paired with good soup, and good soup should be paired with good dishes. Only in this way can they complement each other..."

Before he finished speaking, the old man noticed that Zhao Xiaoqian's face looked wrong, and his face was greener than green vegetables.

The old man was stunned: "What's wrong with you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glared at him, gritted his teeth and said slowly: "I made the mutton myself, and you put coriander in it?"

"You ignorant boy! What is coriander? It's called 'cilantro'." The old man was completely unaware of the impending disaster and still sat down to discuss with him in an academic manner.

Outside the yard, several servants were watching from afar, already trembling with fear.

Having violated the crown prince's biggest taboo, the sky is falling in the palace!
"Someone come here!" Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly shouted.

Several servants outside the yard hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward tremblingly.

"Stuff this old bastard's head into the manure pit in the palace. Damn it, today I'm treating you, and you'll be well fed!"

Without saying a word, the servants handcuffed the old man's arms behind his back, held him and walked away.

The old man looked puzzled. He didn't understand why this guy turned against him so suddenly. What had he done wrong?
There was no time to delve into the reasons, but he understood what Zhao Xiaoqian said. The old man was so frightened that he struggled hard: "Wait! Wait! I am a guest..."

"The guests must be well fed. Take them away!" Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand, his face still looking grim.

Several servants forced the old man to go to the toilet in the palace. Another servant stood obediently outside the yard, ready to receive the prince's orders at any time.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the cooked coriander in the casserole and sighed sadly.

A good pot of mutton was ruined.

It was not until this moment that Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly remembered something...

"By the way, who was that old man just now? Where did he come from?"

The servants outside the courtyard were astonished: "The prince doesn't recognize him?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled amiably and said, "Guess if I know him?"

The cold smile made the servant shudder, and he hurriedly said, "Sir, that person just now was a distinguished guest from the palace. He came to see His Highness and the Prince today. His Highness has asked the distinguished guest to sit in the Yin'an Hall for a while and he will come out to see the guest after he changes his clothes."

"For some unknown reason, this distinguished guest couldn't sit still for long, so he walked out of Yin'an Hall and ran around the palace, and then came to the Crown Prince..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly: "After talking for so long, you still haven't told him who he is."

The servant scratched his head and said, "The distinguished guest sent a name card in advance this morning. I heard he's quite famous. I think his name is... 'Su Shi'?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression and movements seemed to be frozen, and he froze in an instant.

"Who?"

"Su Shi."

Silence, cold, trembling...

Zhao Xiaoqian's hands and feet were cold, and even his mind was blank at this moment.

After a long moment, two drops of cold sweat slowly trickled down Zhao Xiaoqian's forehead. He wiped them with his sleeve and said in a trembling voice, "You...quickly go to the toilet and see if he's started eating."

The servant was confused and asked, "Does the prince want me to urge him to eat faster?"

"Save him, you bastard!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared.

(End of this chapter)