Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 22 22. Bronze Fish Sashimi
When Qin Shi arrived at the palace kitchen, everyone in the kitchen was busy preparing dinner for the evening.

Hearing that the noble had made an additional request for boiled eggs for breakfast and only asked for soup noodles for lunch, the palace kitchen staff were worried, thinking that this was a sign that the noble was not satisfied with them.

Hearing that the distinguished guest had arrived, the eunuch had just given the order when everyone in the kitchen knelt down.

Without Qin Shi's instructions, Chi Nu said, "Get up."

"Where is the Minister of Imperial Households? Your Excellency has something to tell you."

The palace kitchen was under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu, and the highest official in charge was the Taiguanling, who was currently serving the king at the Xianyang Palace. The person assigned to the Lanchi was his deputy, the Taiguancheng.

Qin Shi didn't need to know these trivial details, but now that she is the right-hand man of the King of Qin, Chi Nu Wu Zi is fully prepared.

At the head of the crowd, a slightly plump, sturdy man stood up. His cheeks were tight and plump, his skin was slightly dark, and he stood about 1.8 meters tall, which was really tall for that era.

But the back is not straight, but slightly arched, and the back looks heavy and round, giving a slightly clumsy feeling.

"I am Zhu Kui, the Minister of the Imperial Household here. Please give me your instructions."

Qin Shi curiously withdrew his gaze from the kitchen.

This place is really big and spacious, and probably because a lot of food needs to be kept refrigerated, and the room is spacious and the roof is high and wide, it is not as hot as imagined.

Zhu Kui wore slightly more formal clothes because he didn't have to cook, while the other kitchen staff wore short shirts with waists and brown turbans on their heads.

Looking at the kitchen again, the stove top is also neat and clean.

Obviously, they have reached the limit of their knowledge in terms of hygiene.

Qin Shi nodded with satisfaction, then asked, "Are all the ducks I want ready?"

Zhu Kui bowed and said, "Sir, we have already slaughtered and cleaned three of them and are ready for use. We are not very skilled in cooking, so I hope you will forgive us."

Qin Shi waved his hand: "This is not your problem, it's just that I'm new here and I'm not used to the taste."

"I know your meat soup, roasted meat, preserved meat, and fish sashimi are all excellent."

But the meat had a fishy smell, roasted meat was too easy to get angry, and preserved meat was not very appetizing in the summer. The only fresh and refreshing fish sashimi, Qin Shi did not dare to eat.

After all, nowadays sashimi is made from freshwater fish, and as we all know, the parasites in freshwater fish can easily infect humans.

Hearing this, everyone in the palace kitchen breathed a sigh of relief. Some even carefully moved the corners of their clothes, apparently feeling that they would not be punished again.

Zhu Kui regained his confidence—that's right! They serve the king, and now they are transferred to Lanchi Palace, so their skills cannot be bad!

So he quickly asked, "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for your generosity. I heard that you wanted to eat fresh shrimp at noon. I wonder if you would like to have shrimp with vinegar and fresh fish sashimi?"

"Here are some live fish that were just delivered and are still in the pond."

Qin Shi declined: "No, I don't eat raw food."

She didn't want to mention the parasite in front of so many people, so she directly ordered, "Please ask the cook to chop the duck into pieces."

The noble lady wanted to get down to business, so Zhu Kui immediately arranged for someone to stand by. At the same time, he carefully checked her expression and said, "May I ask, Your Excellency, do you need us to step aside?"

Qin Shi was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that the cooking method of this delicacy was also a secret of each family.

The reason why nobles are noble is not only because of their status, but also because of the books, inherited knowledge, cooking skills and needlework accumulated by their ancestors.

In short, any kind of knowledge is to be monopolized.

The terrible thing is that it is not monopolized by the king.

For the supreme authoritarian, rule is exclusive.

Except for him, everyone else is an enemy.

This is also why the feudal dynasties have always been in struggle for political power...

She collected her wandering thoughts, unable to suppress a laugh, and returned to the main topic: "No need, just learn how to make it. It's no different than making duck soup every day, and it'll suit my taste." The kitchen staff exchanged glances, then couldn't contain their ecstasy. Without Zhu Kui's instructions, they immediately stood by, obediently at the side, their eyes burning with anticipation.

There were also three cooks waiting in front of the chopping board, holding knives, waiting for orders.

Qin Shi was about to speak when he suddenly saw the knife in the hands of a cook and the bronze tripod in front of him. He was stunned: "Is this a bronze knife?"

"Yes." The cook, not knowing why the nobleman asked this question, explained honestly, "Your Excellency is of high rank, and the Shaofu specially prepared bronze utensils for your meals."

If it weren't for the royal family or the nobles, the common people wouldn't be able to use this.

Qin Shi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Although we don’t know how the king is doing now, the fact that Qin Shi Huang lived to be 49 years old in history clearly shows that his physical fitness was at its peak.

After all, not everyone can achieve such a great feat when there is poison everywhere.

She shook her head, "From now on, you are not allowed to use bronze utensils when preparing my meals."

"You can use iron utensils for cooking, and pottery doesn't need to be painted, just its original color is fine."

Everyone was confused for a moment.

How can a noble person use such things that only poor people use?
Kui Shi, however, reacted immediately and waved his hand: "I will obey your orders. Please wait a moment, I will make new arrangements."

Oh my! In this huge Xianyang Palace, it really takes a lot of effort to find these pottery tripods and iron knives that are of the highest standard possible, suitable for a noble status, but without any painted or inlaid patterns.

The kitchen was bustling with people replacing various tools, and Qin Shi gestured to Chi Nu to hand over the hot pepper grass in her hand: "If you have time, please help me find some more fresh hot pepper grass."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked out, slowly strolling along the corridor near the palace kitchen again.

The number of people accompanying him had decreased significantly, and Wu Zi couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't the Qin Lord love bronze artifacts?"

Qin Shi shook his head: "When bronze is exposed to high temperatures or acid, it will turn into lead."

She looked at the two people's pupils that instantly dilated, and at this moment she couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic: "Yes, it's that highly toxic lead."

There was silence for a long time.

After a while, Chi Nu asked again: "Then...fish sashimi..."

"This," Qin Shi originally wanted to say, "River fish carry many parasites smaller than dust particles, invisible to the naked eye. High-temperature cooking can kill them."

"But if they are eaten raw, or even if the water is not boiled, these parasites will enter the human intestines."

Chi Nu and Wu Zi's scalps tightened, and goose bumps appeared under their sleeves and on their limbs.

"These tiny worms grow bigger inside the stomach and then become visible. But the human eye can't see through the stomach, so we don't know."

"When they're inside my body, at best they rob me of my nutrients, even my three meals a day. Even if I eat seven or eight meals a day, I still feel tired, weak, and my blood is thin."

A slight gasp came from Wu Zi beside him.

"In severe cases, they can burrow all the way into the brain or press on internal organs... Sometimes, there are too many worms, which can become tangled like threads and block the intestines, causing abdominal pain that can be fatal."

Intestinal obstruction in this era is also incurable.

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During the Qin Dynasty, breakfast was called "chao shi" or "饔" and dinner was usually called "飧" or "食".

[Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin, lead and other metals. When exposed to high temperatures and acidity, lead will precipitate.]

[Sashimi: Sea fish is not that problematic, freshwater fish is much more plentiful. In general, avoid gambling on odds in ancient times.]

[While the chapters are free now, let me explain more. It will be inconvenient to say more if they are paid.]

Wow! There are also friends who give rewards!