Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 56 Garlic Chili Sauce

"Where did you see that I didn't let you agree, my wife?" Gu Yunyi turned to look at Xu Qingmeng.

Xu Qingmeng glared at him: "The look in your eyes and the two light taps you gave me clearly meant you weren't going to let me have it."

"Oh?" Gu Yunyi looked at her jokingly: "My wife and I are really on the same wavelength. I never thought we could have such a tacit understanding."

Xu Qingmeng glared at him and said irritably, "I'm talking to you seriously. Speak properly."

Gu Yunyi looked regretful, thinking she would be shy, but she wasn't at all.

"Quan County is not peaceful right now. We are fine as we are now, and there is no need for us to get involved in this mess."

"Muddy waters, what do you mean?" Xu Qingmeng asked, puzzled.

Gu Yunyi leaned closer and whispered, "County Commandant Liu..."

“Liu, the county magistrate, came from the military camp and participated in suppressing the rebellion back then. He has been stationed in the county government ever since. Lord Huang has only been in office for a short time. What do you think?”

Xu Qingmeng immediately understood. This County Magistrate Liu had risen to his position through military prowess. At that time, the court valued military affairs over civil ones, and he had always considered Quan County as his own. Now that he had sent Lord Huang to take office, the power struggle had begun.

"Is Hengshan Academy related to County Magistrate Liu?"

When Gu Yunyi saw that Xu Qingmeng had hit the nail on the head, he smiled and said, "The headmaster of Hengshan Academy is surnamed Liu."

So that's how it is. In that case, even if Hengshan Academy has many talented people, it will still be difficult for Lord Huang to get close to them.

The headmaster Liu and the county magistrate Liu are from the same family; one is a scholar, and the other is a military officer. They have the power in Quan County firmly in their hands. However, this Lord Huang is no simple man either. He is able to contend with these two and even form such a balance, which shows that he must have something on the other side.

Xu Qing dreamt that the grandson of the steamed bun shop owner knew the county examination results in advance, which clearly indicated that the examination was heavily rigged. However, since Lord Huang was no pushover, they dared not influence the results of the top few candidates.
Gu Yunyi's appearance provided Lord Huang with a way to break the deadlock. He was Elder Shen's disciple and had no chance with County Magistrate Liu and the others. Besides, the Huang family and Elder Shen were old friends.

"Lord Huang wants to use you to break this deadlock? This young master Huang has visited twice, and the magistrate's wife has personally intervened for us today. Clearly, you have caught Lord Huang's eye." Xu Qingmeng looked worried.

"Don't worry." Gu Yunyi patted her hand to comfort her. "I went to meet Zhang Quan yesterday."

Zhang Quan was also from the West District, not far from his home. Moreover, his father was a teacher at Hengshan Academy. After Gu Yunyi became the top scholar, he had visited him several times. His knowledge was also quite good.

Therefore, it is quite obvious that he is a member of the Hengshan Academy faction.

Xu Qingmeng looked up at Gu Yunyi, thinking, "He truly deserves to be the future Grand Secretary."

"So, when you went to the appointment yesterday, you played the role of a bookworm who knows nothing and only knows how to read?"

"My wife is so clever," Gu Yunyi said with a smile.

She understood his thoughts with just one sentence, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. He liked her like this, he liked this confident, opinionated, charming, and intelligent Xu Qingmeng.

"What are you doing, standing here?" Mrs. He said after returning from washing the little one's face.

Xu Qingmeng blushed, "Ahem, I'm going to get back to work."

Gu Yunyi smiled and agreed.

With more people helping with the housework, Xu Qingmeng and He Shi no longer interfered with cleaning the braised food. Although He Shi didn't eat spicy hot pot, she still craved the boiled fish from the morning. Apart from the two little ones who didn't touch it, Xinting and Xun Ge'er also loved the taste.

Gu Yunyi was quite pleased with the dish today, and thinking that he was about to go to the prefectural city for the exam, he decided to make some garlic chili sauce in addition to the chili oil he had made before.

Garlic chili sauce is relatively mild and can be eaten directly with rice, steamed buns, dumplings, or flatbread.

More importantly, the general public may be more receptive to this garlic chili sauce.

Making garlic chili sauce is actually not difficult; the main ingredients are chili peppers and garlic.

Peel and mince the garlic and ginger, the finer the better. Pour them into a clean, dry pot, then add salt to taste (start with a small amount and gradually add more according to your preference).
Add an appropriate amount of white sugar and white vinegar, stir over medium heat until it starts to simmer, then reduce to low heat and continue stirring. If the taste is good, it should be ready in about 15 minutes.

Pouring a little bit of white wine before extinguishing the fire will make it easier to preserve and keep it for a longer time.

The entire kitchen was filled with a slightly pungent, spicy aroma, along with a rich garlic scent, which was very tempting.

Fortunately, we had made chili oil sauce before, which was much spicier, so everyone had gotten used to it.

Xu Qingmeng took out clean jars and packed the minced garlic and chili peppers into them, making a total of twenty jars.

After Xu Qingmeng finished doing all that, the braised dishes were ready.

Because of the discount Xu Qingmeng mentioned at noon, the shop was packed with people again when it opened.

Xu Qingmeng had prepared much more than before, but in the end she still couldn't sell them.

Lin Yichen stood in the crowd, his gaze passing through the bustling crowd and settling on Xu Qingmeng who was busy. He had no intention of saving her, but unexpectedly, that act of helping her stirred up ripples in his heart.

Her smile was warm and sincere, as if it could dispel the gloom in people's hearts, making him increasingly unable to look away from her.

"Young master, shall we go? She's already married." The servant beside him said, seeing his master staring at Xu Qingmeng for so long.

Lin Yichen withdrew his gaze, gently shook his head, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips: "Let's go."

Xu Qingmeng was unaware that she had become a sight to behold in the eyes of others. She was helping customers weigh their items, occasionally looking up to chat with them, her face beaming with smiles and her words gentle.

The following day, Gu Yunyi was called out by Zhang Quan again, but was refused on the grounds that the prefectural examination was approaching and he needed to concentrate on his studies.

The prefectural examinations were held in mid-April and were usually divided into three sessions.

The examination content included eight-legged essays, examination poems, classics and treatises, and regulated verse.

The first session is the main session, and the exam usually includes one question from the Four Books, one question from either the Classic of Filial Piety or the Book of Human Nature, and one five-character, six-line poem.
The second-round exam included one question from the Four Books, one question from classic texts such as "Elementary Learning," and one question from reciting "The Sacred Edict and Extensive Instructions."
The third, fourth, and fifth sessions included additional tests in contemporary essays, regulated verse, and parallel prose. During these sessions, candidates were not allowed to leave the examination hall, and a great deal of preparation was required.

Gu Yunyi planned to go earlier, since the journey and the time to settle in would mean he would have to leave no later than the tenth of the month.

When Madam He learned that her son was studying so hard, and considering the date Gu Yunyi would be leaving, she decided to go to Lingyin Temple to pray for him and wish him success in the imperial examination.

Mrs. He looked through the almanac and found that the first day of the month was auspicious for travel and praying for blessings, so she set that date.

(End of this chapter)