Dugong

Chapter 12: Find a Godfather
Eunuch Rong?
Li Ping'an instantly thought of Xiao Rongzi, and suddenly realized why he was assigned to the Shangshenjian. He had told him about this before.

His mind raced, and he couldn't figure out what Eunuch Sun liked or disliked, so he answered vaguely.

"My dear father-in-law, when I was studying at Shangwu Hall, Eunuch Rong taught me how to read. We haven't had any contact since then."

Eunuch Sun nodded and said, "I see."

Li Ping'an knelt on the ground and waited for a long time, but no task was assigned to him. He was feeling very anxious, and finally he heard Eunuch Sun speak.

"You have caught the eye of Eunuch Rong, so you must be of good character. We are in need of a son-in-law. Are you willing?"

"My son greets his godfather!"

Li Ping'an didn't think twice and knelt on the ground, kowtowed loudly, and his forehead turned bloody red.

I have thought about this set of movements hundreds of times, and today I finally found a place to use them. I must not miss the opportunity.

"Hey, good job."

Eunuch Sun agreed and said, "We are short of a waiter for dinner. Go find Xiao Huizi and ask him to teach you the rules."

"Thank you, godfather."

Li Ping'an kowtowed repeatedly, with more sincerity than before.

The most prestigious job in the imperial kitchen is serving meals, which allows one to appear before His Majesty, even if it is just for a brief moment.

Among them, dinner is the most important. Your Majesty eats carefully and asks about the dishes many times.

The eunuch serving the meals gave such eloquent answers that His Majesty and the nobles were so happy that any reward they gave was considered a great favor.

Li Ping'an kowtowed a few more times and bowed as he left the main office.

The young eunuch on duty at the door was filled with envy and jealousy, as well as regret and fear, because he had just received two taels of silver.

It is perfectly normal for a doorman to recruit people.

However, Li Ping'an rose to prominence and became Eunuch Sun's godson. If he said a few bad words one day, he might be punished to wash pots and dishes.

"Find an opportunity to return twenty taels to Eunuch An. It's a courtesy!"

Li Ping'an didn't know what the young eunuch was thinking, otherwise he would have hinted that he should give it quickly, because that was not twenty taels of silver, but two or three acres of land.

He suppressed his excitement and went to the kitchen to look for Xiao Huizi.

When she heard that he was Eunuch Sun's new godson and the new celebrity in the imperial kitchen, Xiao Huizi did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

"Eunuch An, let me explain this to you in detail. Our Imperial Kitchen is the most important area of ​​the Imperial Kitchen, and the Transmission Kitchen is the most important..."

The Shangshenjian was responsible for the imperial meals, tribute ingredients, ceremonial banquets, etc. in the palace. It not only had the imperial kitchen, but also the vegetable inspection department, the food delivery department, the tribute department and other institutions.

It can be said that the entire process, from paying tribute and purchasing to cooking, testing for poisons, and finally serving the food on His Majesty's table, is the responsibility of the Shangshenjian.

Every link is lucrative, no wonder the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen are all fat and plump.

Xiao Huizi shamelessly explained, "It's because we've gained weight that the food we cook is delicious, not because we've embezzled money."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly, wanting to say that you can embezzle money, but you must take our family with you.

If eunuchs are not greedy, are they still eunuchs?
Xiao Huizi took Li Ping'an on a tour of the imperial kitchen, met the eunuchs from various places, made them familiar with each other, and emphasized the identity of "Eunuch Sun's godson".

Naturally, Li Ping'an received a lot of praise.

If he had not had his experience in the Inner Martial Hall, he would have been complacent and arrogant. Now, when he hears flattery, he can only respond with a smile.

Seeing Li Ping'an's calm appearance, the eunuchs felt awe in their hearts.

He is so expressionless at such a young age, so he might be able to climb higher in the future. No wonder he can serve under Eunuch Sun!
Return to the kitchen.

Li Ping'an didn't dare to sit idle and carefully asked about the meal serving process.

Xiao Huizi explained everything she knew: "After the meal is served in the kitchen, Eunuch Sun will sweep the dust and clear the way. The four of us will carry the main course, two will carry the soup, and one will carry the snacks..."

There are naturally more than one main dish or soup. With the eunuchs serving the food and the imperial guards, each meal involves at least thirty or forty people.

Xiao Huizi discussed the delivery of meals, then the dining process. "There are five ways to test for poison: using a silver needle, tasting the food, using the imperial physician, using classics, and checking the utensils..."

When Your Majesty eats, Eunuch Sun will announce the names of the dishes..."

Li Ping'an listened attentively and took notes carefully, not daring to make any mistakes.

Serving food is a good job, but it also comes with corresponding risks. Any mistakes or omissions will be considered a serious crime.

For example, if your majesty is ill, the imperial physician diagnoses that it is caused by drinking soup.

The Shangshen Supervisor will investigate every step of the way, from the source of the soup ingredients to whether the chef caught a cold during the meal, and will impose penalties wherever there is a problem.

If there are two problems, there will be a fine of two places; if there are ten problems, there will be a fine of ten places.

The matter of the "Dragon Body" concerns the stability of the country. How can a few dozen eunuchs bear the responsibility? It is better to kill the wrong people than to miss any of them!
After Xiao Huizi finished speaking, she asked cautiously, "Eunuch An, are you serving the main course or the dessert?"

Li Ping'an glanced around and saw that the eunuchs from the kitchen seemed nonchalant, but in fact they were a little nervous and uneasy.

"We're new here, so just bring some soup."

The main course is eye-catching, and the desserts mentioned separately are more likely to attract His Majesty's attention than the throat-soothing soup, so the duties are more important and the competition is more intense.

Li Ping'an's godfather was the head of the imperial kitchen, so there was no need for competition. He could promote anyone he wanted, but he still chose the secondary position.

First, I have just arrived and I don’t want to be excluded by my colleagues.

Secondly, you are not familiar with the food serving process. It is not too late to change your position after some time to make sure that you are not being tricked by your colleagues.

When the eunuchs heard this, they gathered around him again to flatter him.

Li Ping'an responded to each of them with a smile on his face, and took note in his mind of which flattery had more words and which had fewer words.

noon.

Li Ping'an no longer had to go to the kitchen to grab food, he could eat directly in the imperial kitchen.

The staple food is still white flour steamed buns and thick porridge, but the flour and rice are unusual and taste more fragrant and sweeter.

Xiao Huizi said, "These are steamed buns made from silver thread flour and porridge made from rouge rice. They are all tributes. Ordinary people will be punished if they eat a bite!"

Li Pingan pointed at the vegetables in the basin and asked, "Is this stew special?"

"of course."

Xiao Huizi picked up a piece of black meat from the vegetable bowl and said, "The Scrophulariaceae sent from the East China Sea is said to be worth an ounce of gold. We can eat it every meal."

Li Pingan asked, "Do you know the number of tributes in the palace?"

Xiao Huizi explained, "Generally speaking, tributes are usually sent in excess of what's in the account. More is allowed, not less. Furthermore, during the cooking and frying process, some loss is inevitable."

"I see!"

Li Ping'an had heard that the Shangshenjian was extremely wealthy, and he saw it with his own eyes on his first day on duty. He realized that he had come to the right place.

Wait until the afternoon.

The sun was about to set in the sky, and according to the rule of "eat before the sun has completely faded", dinner began to be served in the palace.

Xiao Huizi took the initiative to give up the main course and joined forces with Li Pingan to carry the soup.

When Eunuch Sun saw that Gan'er was at the back row, not paying much attention and not trying to get ahead, he showed a look of satisfaction.

Originally, he took Li Ping'an as his godson out of consideration for Eunuch Rong's face, indirectly currying favor with the popular people around the ancestor. Now it seems that he is quite smart and may be a useful talent.

It took the food delivery team two quarters of an hour to walk from the imperial kitchen to the warm room next to the Qinzheng Hall.

Each dish was served on the table, arranged in strict order according to the main ingredient, secondary ingredient, and side dish.

When it was Li Ping'an's turn to serve the dishes, he finally met the legendary emperor.

(End of this chapter)