The prince is more stable

Chapter 756 Delicious Food Is Hard to Bear
How contradictory can the personality of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl be?
Zhao Xiaoqian saw a good example in Li Qingzhao.

Her talent is beyond doubt. A woman who can be rated as the "first talented woman" possesses a spirituality that cannot be achieved simply by being proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics.

Throughout history, there have been many scholars, but when it comes to composing poetry and lyrics, Li Qingzhao ranks among the top ten poets in China's thousands of years of history.

In Zhao Xiaoqian's memory, this young girl should have been a sheltered young lady, quiet and gentle, spending her days gazing at the moon and flowers, reciting classical poems with ease.

Who would have thought that this first talented woman's personality was completely different from "gentle and serene"? Instead, she was more like a hero of Liangshan, eating meat and drinking wine heartily, and even gambling after she was full...

Zhao Xiaoqian is now very curious: she goes to bars, she drinks, she gambles... she's so busy, when will she finally write poetry and lyrics?

"Give me the money." Zhao Xiaoqian held out his hand to Su Shi and Li Qingzhao.

Su Shi and Li Qingzhao were stunned.

"What?"

"It's proper etiquette to visit someone's home. If you don't bring a gift, then we'll give you cash instead. Ten taels per person isn't much. We can't break the rules, otherwise everyone will follow your example and visit empty-handed. How will I ever get rich? How will I ever achieve a comfortable life? Hurry up and give me the money."

Su Shi laughed in anger: "This reason...you have no shame at all! I won't give it to you! You can kick me out."

Li Qingzhao nodded repeatedly beside her, laughing exaggeratedly: "I am very poor. My father's salary is not much, so he really can't give me any more."

Zhao Xiaoqian's smile immediately faded, and he was clearly less enthusiastic.

"For the sake of our friendship, I won't kick you out. But if I'm not hospitable enough, please don't complain. After all, you came empty-handed, so you can't expect to receive the high-end service that makes you feel right at home," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a regretful sigh.

Su Shi laughed heartily, pointing at him and trembling with laughter: "You, An, after so long apart, you still have this face? Keep acting up, I'm going to take you seriously today."

As he spoke, Su Shi miraculously pulled out a straw rope from behind him, one end of which was tightly tied to a black, furry bear paw.

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback, then overjoyed, and leaned forward to examine Su Shi's buttocks closely.

"Where did you pull that out from? Did this rope get caught in your...?"

For no apparent reason, the image of where Grandpa Qian hid his old mobile phone popped into my mind...

Su Shi arrogantly raised his nose: "Never mind where I pulled this out from, did you see it clearly? I originally intended to share it with you today, but since you have such a face, hehe, I've decided to take it back as is. You're not worthy of enjoying it!"

After saying this, Su Shi turned to leave, but Zhao Xiaoqian quickly grabbed his arm.

"What do you intend to do?" Su Shi glared at him sternly.

Li Qingzhao stood to the side, laughing uncontrollably.

Almost instantly, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes softened and became tender and affectionate.

“Mr. Zizhan, you are so old, why do you still act so impulsively…” Zhao Xiaoqian began to sing with deep emotion halfway through his sentence: “Always taking from you but never… saying thank you…”

Su Shi felt a chill and goosebumps appeared on his arms.

"Alright, alright! Leave it here, the bear paw is on the table!"

"...Time, time, please slow down."

"Alright! Zian, shut up!" Su Shi was about to explode in anger.

Li Qingzhao was laughing so hard she almost passed out.

Zhao Xiaoqian finally shut up and swiftly took the precious bear paw from Su Shi's hand.

“A wonderful thing! Something I’ve always longed for but could never have, like a first love I couldn’t have in my youth…” Zhao Xiaoqian stared at it with a dreamy look in his eyes, murmuring as if in a dream.

Su Shi gave him a hard shove from behind: "What are you standing there for! Heat the oil in the wok!"

"How did you manage to obtain this, Mr. Zizhan?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked curiously. "Back then, I ordered several hundred of my imperial guards to search the mountains, but we couldn't find a single bear. How did you manage to get one?"

Su Shi smiled proudly: "Although I am too weak to even kill a chicken, my connections are far greater than those of your imperial guards. In the past six months, I have written to countless old friends to finally obtain one."

Zhao Xiaoqian examined the bear paw closely, then hesitated and said, "This is just..."

Everyone here is a glutton, and Su Shi immediately understood his meaning, so he quickly replied, "It's the right palm, how about it? Is Zian satisfied?"

Zhao Xiaoqian then revealed a satisfied smile.

Li Qingzhao asked in bewilderment, "What's the difference between the right palm and the left palm?"

Su Shi patiently explained: "When bears hibernate, their left paw is placed under their buttocks, so it tastes fishy and smelly and the smell is hard to remove. However, their right paw is often licked by them. Therefore, when eating bear paws, the right paw is the best choice. It is truly the most delicious food in the world."

In her short life, Li Qingzhao had probably never tasted such delicacies. Upon hearing this, she immediately replied humbly, "I am truly impressed."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at her and said, "You've gained another piece of useless knowledge. Cherish today, because unless something unexpected happens, you probably won't be able to eat this again in your life. You have no idea how difficult it is to get this stuff."

Li Qingzhao smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons: "This humble woman is blessed today, thank you both very much." With the precious ingredients in hand, she couldn't wait a moment longer.

Zhao Xiaoqian simply took the two to the courtyard of the Prince's mansion's kitchen, chased away the cooks and servants, and personally processed the bear paw.

Su Shi didn't argue with him, after all, the bear paw that Zhao Xiaoqian had made for him last time was indeed to his liking, and he wasn't confident that he could make it better than Zhao Xiaoqian.

Bear paws must be thoroughly cleaned to remove any fishy or foul odor. The smell of raw bear paws is simply indescribable; getting close enough to smell it can be suffocating.

After burning off the hair and skin, Zhao Xiaoqian marinated the bear paws with rice wine, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and other seasonings.

Su Shi, meanwhile, was chopping scallions and boiling water.

Li Qingzhao watched as the two of them busied themselves with their respective tasks, working together seamlessly, and couldn't help but smile again.

"Who would believe that His Highness Prince Cheng, renowned throughout the land, and Scholar Su would be so serious and earnest over a bear paw? If outsiders saw you like this, you would probably be laughed at for three years."

Su Shi glanced at her and said, "Bear paws are so precious that you can't be too serious about them. You are still too young to understand the saying 'the greatest pleasure in the world is good food.' When you reach my age, you will know that everything in the world is illusory, and only the food you eat is real."

Li Qingzhao wrinkled her nose: "There are many interesting people and things in the world, and delicious food is just one of them. Why take it so seriously?"

Su Shi shook his head and sighed, "After a lifetime of vicissitudes, I hope you can still say these words."

Li Qingzhao chuckled and said, "I won't have lived a life of hardship. I was born lucky and came to this world to enjoy happiness."

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly paused in his actions of handling the bear paw.

In a daze, he suddenly remembered Li Qingzhao's fate.

This woman... she can't really be said to have a lucky life.

Perhaps the happiest time of her life was the few years after she married her husband, Zhao Mingcheng.

After Zhao Mingcheng's death, the Jin army marched south, the country was destroyed and the family was ruined. Li Qingzhao spent half her life in hardship and displacement, and was even forced to remarry due to the need to make a living. In the end, she died in loneliness and desolation.

Speaking of Li Qingzhao's fate, Zhao Xiaoqian believes it was much more difficult than Su Shi's. Su Shi's official career was not smooth, and his personal life was not actually impoverished, but Li Qingzhao suffered poverty and hardship all her life.

The carefree little girl in front of me has a bright and cheerful smile, full of hope and anticipation for the future. She is even confident that she will enjoy a happy life.

Perhaps, as history changed, Li Qingzhao's fate did indeed change as well.

After all, an individual's fate is closely linked to the rise and fall of the nation. If the Jin army had marched south in history and the country had not been destroyed, why couldn't Li Qingzhao have enjoyed a peaceful and happy life?
The scene in the kitchen courtyard was harmonious, with everyone busy at their own pace. Zhao Xiaoqian cleared his mind of the jumbled thoughts and focused on the bear paw in his hand.

With delicious food in front of us, everything else takes a backseat.

Su Shi had prepared everything and quietly watched Zhao Xiaoqian prepare the bear paw. As he watched, Su Shi suddenly smiled and said, "Zi'an, don't underestimate this young girl just because she's young. Her talent is no less than yours."

"Last night, when she was halfway through her drinking session, she actually composed a poem, which immediately amazed everyone present and was truly admirable."

Su Shi turned to look at Li Qingzhao, who was gathering firewood, and said, "Young lady, how did you compose that poem? Recite it again in front of Zhao Banque and let him give you some pointers."

Li Qingzhao was not intimidated and immediately replied, "My poem is 'Like a Dream,' with the lines, 'Last night the rain was sparse and the wind was strong'..."

After Li Qingzhao finished reciting the entire poem, she stared at Zhao Xiaoqian with bright eyes, as if she wanted his praise and approval.

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled. This timeless classic was actually written when she was fifteen or sixteen years old. The title of the first female genius was indeed well-deserved.

"'Yet the crabapple blossoms remain the same,' 'The green leaves are lush and the red flowers are faded'... What beautiful words!" Zhao Xiaoqian was naturally generous with his praise: "This poem will surely be passed down through the ages. A thousand years from now, students sitting in classrooms will be reciting and memorizing this poem."

Su Shi nodded and said, "With such talent and intelligence, she will surely become a great master in the future. This young lady is extraordinary!"

Hearing the two men's exaggerated praise, Li Qingzhao's vanity was immediately satisfied, and she looked proud and smug.

Cooking bear paws is a very time-consuming and energy-intensive task; one must be able to wait patiently and sit still.

Fortunately, Su Shi had more patience than most when it came to food. Li Qingzhao, on the other hand, was too young to sit still. After observing Zhao Xiaoqian preparing bear paws for a short while, she lost patience and wandered around the Prince's mansion.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately summoned a young maid and instructed her to lead Li Qingzhao around, especially to linger in his bedroom and highlight the historical site of His Highness Prince Cheng's former residence...

After Li Qingzhao was led away by her maid, Su Shi suddenly smiled.

"Zi'an, haven't you noticed that this girl has feelings for you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian froze, staring at him in disbelief.

Su Shi said unhappily, "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I'm senile and talking nonsense in front of you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded subconsciously: "Not only is he senile, but he's also quite frivolous."

(End of this chapter)