Miao Chu

Chapter 335 Appreciation
Before me were the faces of enthusiastic or excited students, holding baskets of steamed buns of various sizes and shapes.

Zhao Yu felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this, and couldn't help but secretly lament his misfortune.

Why is it steamed buns again!

To be honest, ever since he ate that spoiled "Ye Yi Xian Tian" at the Imperial Academy, he had been avoiding steamed buns like the plague for a while. As a result, he had been eating rice, noodles, and flatbreads on weekdays.

He could manage on his own, but sometimes when he went to the Empress Dowager's palace to pay his respects and was offered a meal, even if there were steamed buns in front of him, he would have to raise his head and pretend not to see them, so as not to recall the taste of those days.

However, now that the students had offered their heartfelt wishes to him, Zhao Yu naturally couldn't refuse.

He looked at each basket one by one.

The first thing that catches the eye is the tofu steamed bun, which is quite large and very round. The pleats are also roughly pinched, and occasionally a little bit of soup color can be vaguely seen from the pleats.

Tofu……

It's midday and hot, won't this tofu... spoil easily?

Still shaken by the prospect of risking everything, Zhao Yu dared not gamble recklessly and quickly shifted his gaze to the side.

This time, the basket contained mutton buns, which were extremely plump and as big as an adult's fist. Just by looking at them, you could tell that they were heavy—the dough was not the thin kind, and the bottom clearly showed a bright red color, which was due to being soaked in oil.

Even though they were still several steps apart, Zhao Yu could already smell the aroma of noodles and mutton.

However... it smells good, but if mutton is not cooked well, it can easily smell good but taste gamey.

Zhao Yu recalled the last time Chief Minister Deng ate duck and goose buns, how he looked like he wanted to vomit but dared not.

He didn't dare reach out.

Next to it were pickled vegetable steamed buns, round with a slightly yellow dough. The pleats at the seam were quite pretty, like ears of barley, and the surface had a glossy sheen.

Surely the pickled vegetables won't go bad?

Zhao Yu picked up his chopsticks, about to reach for the food, when he heard a student beside him shout, "Is His Majesty eating char siu buns?! Oh dear! Wang Chang, why are your arms so short! Do you even know how to do it?!"

"Exactly! Other fillings can be found elsewhere, but this char siu bun is unique to this place—there's no other branch of it! Quickly tell the Emperor to try the char siu buns that Lady Song made for our Imperial Academy!"

"Quickly! Wu Laowu, move that pickled vegetable bun aside, don't block Lao Wang's way!"

A group of people openly cheated on the barbecued pork buns right in front of the emperor.

The student, who was sometimes called "Old Wang" and sometimes "Wang Chang," was given way by others and hurriedly squeezed his basket a little closer, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look at these roasted pork and char siu buns! They are very delicious—so soft and fragrant!"

Zhao Yu turned his gaze over there.

It was a huge steamed bun, quite different from any he had ever seen before. The outer skin was whiter and looked very fluffy. The top was beautifully decorated with three petals, revealing the filling inside—a piece of roasted meat, with alternating layers of fat and lean, coated in a thick, dark sauce, half-solid and half-liquid. As he held it up, the aroma of the meat, with its caramelized and slightly burnt flavor, wafted precisely towards his nose.

The students weren't wrong; he hadn't tasted this flavor anywhere else.

The world is vast, and even though it is our own world, it is perfectly normal to encounter things we have never seen or tasted before.

Seeing many people "recommending" him, Zhao Yu was not in a hurry to eat. He first asked, "When I came here last time, I ate the steamed buns from your kitchen. Chancellor Deng admitted his mistake and said he would improve—I wonder how the improvement is going? Do you have any opinions?"

Unlike before, this time, upon hearing the emperor's question, every student eagerly began to speak.

"Your Majesty, it is all thanks to Your Majesty's advocacy for us students that the food and dishes in the imperial kitchen have improved so much!"

"If it weren't for His Majesty, we would still be eating that rotten rice and vegetables every day!"

"Now that the kitchen has a new head chef, the food has improved a lot—especially since they've been buying lots of steamed buns from outside, and those buns really taste good!"

"It would be even better if we could also bring back some good vegetables and meat from Song's restaurant—but it doesn't matter if we can't. We are already living a very good life, and we rely entirely on His Majesty's concern for us Imperial Academy students!"

"Your Majesty, please try this steamed bun—it's from Song's Steamed Buns, and it tastes best when it's fresh out of the steamer!"

Although Zhao Yu didn't know anything about Song or not, he felt comforted after hearing so much. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and took a char siu bun.

Before he could even eat, the group of people got anxious again when they saw him choose the char siu bun. One pushed the pickled vegetable bun closer, another cheered for the tofu bun, and yet another begged the emperor to give the mutton bun a chance.

Everyone was earnest, all students showing their sincere admiration for the Emperor. Zhao Yu had no choice but to pick a few more and put them into another large bowl in front of him.

Indeed, he left the palace before dawn, busy patrolling the dike, asking questions, and inquiring about matters. He only ate a little something before setting off, and Zhao Yu, being an adult, was already hungry.

He first had the food served and then invited everyone to eat together before tentatively taking a bite of the roasted pork and char siu steamed bun.

Before the steamed bun entered his mouth, Zhao Yu's two eyebrows furrowed slightly involuntarily. But after tasting it, the right eyebrow twitched in surprise, and he raised his head as well.

The emperor was dining here, and the students of the Imperial Kitchen should not have looked directly at him, but none of them could resist. They all secretly glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes, and when they saw him look up, they couldn't help but look up as well.

There were clearly many people in the room, yet no one spoke; it was very quiet as everyone waited for the emperor to speak.

Zhao Yu remained silent.

He originally only intended to taste it, but after taking one bite, he took another, and another, and another, until he finished all three pieces of the roasted pork and char siu bun in the bowl. Still not satisfied, he reached out with his chopsticks and took half of each of the pickled vegetables, mutton, and tofu bun that Huang Men had divided from the large bowl and put them into his own small bowl.

When people are hungry, everything tastes good, let alone the fact that Zhao Yu was facing a table full of Songji steamed buns—even emperors are human!

The char siu buns are excellent, with an extremely soft dough and a perfectly seasoned sweet and savory filling. The meat itself is even more delicious, with a good balance of lean and fat, and a hint of caramelized aroma. The mutton buns are rich and flavorful, with plenty of meat juice and fat, and also have a refreshingly sweet carrot shred.

The pickled vegetable steamed buns were surprisingly spicy, both sour and savory, with a little minced pork inside, making them incredibly appetizing; as for the tofu steamed buns, they were simply amazing, with a tender and smooth filling, also slightly spicy, and containing a little chopped shiitake mushroom and a bit of minced pork...

Meat-filled steamed buns are delicious and satisfying, and vegetarian steamed buns are just as tasty!

Before Zhao Yu lay a bowl of meat broth served by the Imperial Academy's kitchen staff, piled high with meat. Yet, he painstakingly used his spoon to push aside the meat and ladle out the pure broth to eat with his steamed buns—even as he ate, he felt that it would be better if the broth were a little clearer—so that the aroma of the steamed buns' dough, meat, and filling could be better brought out in his mouth…

He had eaten almost all the steamed buns here before a large group of people came running in from outside.

At the head of the procession was the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, followed by several academic officials and two tutors, Chen and Cao. Chancellor Deng saw the Emperor sitting in the center, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and guards, with students all around. In front of him were bowls, and countless steamed buns and dishes. He was holding chopsticks in his hand, chewing and eating.

He was extremely nervous. He led his entourage forward to greet and bow, then apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, I have been rude and did not know that Your Majesty was coming in person. I have failed to give you a proper welcome!"

Zhao Yu put down his chopsticks and said, "I only did it on a whim, so don't blame me!"

Seeing that the emperor's expression was rather strange, not angry but not happy either, and even carrying a hint of regret in his tone, Chief Minister Deng was really unsure of what was going on.

He hurriedly added, "Your Majesty was negligent in your oversight, but fortunately, Your Majesty did not pursue the matter. Currently, the Imperial Academy's public kitchen and dining hall have undergone several renovations. Every ten days, an official is assigned to collect student suggestions, add or modify the menu, and replace the public kitchen staff. In response to the students' demands, we have also sourced steamed buns, glutinous rice, and other food from outside..."

As Zhao Yu listened, he nodded and said, "That's exactly right. Senior officials like Deng Qing are the backbone of the court, while the new students of the Imperial Academy are the pillars of the court. I have been allocating funds for them year after year so that young talents can study with peace of mind and not be in dire need of food at critical times. They can learn skills while studying so that they can serve the court and the people when they enter officialdom in the future!"

After saying this, he wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief, took out a roasted pork and char siu bun from the basket in front, held it up and gestured, and solemnly said: "Only by using this to support my scholars can I be without shame!"

As soon as Zhao Yu finished speaking, all the students in the Imperial Academy were excited, and the room was filled with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone wished they could bring their books out right now, eat while reciting them to the emperor, partly to express themselves and partly to let him know how hard they were trying to learn—ideally, to remember their appearance and names!
Zhao Yu finished all the steamed buns and had a bowl of meat soup, feeling about 80% full. After comforting the students, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. He went to see the dormitories and the study hall. When he arrived at the study hall, he found the two elders, Chen and Cao, following behind. He quickly went up to greet them and asked them about their dormitories.

He went to the teaching building, where the Imperial Academy had just finished its monthly private examinations. As soon as the door opened, Zhao Yu saw the essays and answers to the classics laid out on the table.

He picked up the two papers and looked them over before asking, "Were there any outstanding essays in this private examination?"

He then said to Master Chen, "Today, while inspecting the dike, I encountered Han Li, a student of the Imperial Academy. I wonder if his examination papers are here?"

"This..." Master Chen was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but exchange a glance with the man surnamed Cao next to him. He quickly turned back and said, "Your Majesty, Han Li is currently on temporary assignment at the Water Conservancy Bureau and is not participating in the private examinations or the dormitory examinations. There are no answer sheets or articles of his here."

Zhao Yu was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't say much. He looked through a few students' answer sheets, put them down, and then asked Master Chen about the matter of Fu and Feng restoring the nine channels of the Yellow River.

Seeing that the emperor was seriously inquiring about the matter, and that the emperor seemed to intend to bring up the previously proposed plan again for evaluation, Master Chen was overjoyed, even though he knew that things would not be so easy.

He almost immediately took out a manuscript, presented it to Zhao Yu with both hands, and said, "This is a draft document prepared by my late master in his early years regarding the restoration of the nine channels of the Yellow River. Please take a look, Your Majesty..."

The manuscript was extremely thick and contained a great deal of information. Zhao Yu sat in the armchair and began to peruse it.

The more substantial and abundant the content, the slower and more difficult it becomes to read.

Fu Jiu's handbook not only contained content, but also contained many place names, river names, and mountain names that Zhao Yu had never heard of or seen before, perhaps because they were remote or unknown. It was hard to imagine.

Besides these, there are even instructions on how to improve broomwork, carpentry, and other crafts.

This part was much easier to read. Zhao Yu glanced at it and immediately noticed that many of the contents were quite similar to what he had seen on the riverbank that day. He guessed that Han Li had modified Fu Jiu's method.

As he looked at it, he couldn't help but call out to Master Chen, and then asked, "I wish to take this manuscript back to the palace. Is there any problem with that?"

Master Chen quickly shook his head in denial.

Zhao Yu then called over a eunuch. Just as he was about to hand over the note, he gently lifted it and discovered that there was another book next to it. He opened it and found that it contained many pictures but few words, and it was quite thick.

The paintings depict almost all the utensils, river engineering equipment, devices, and so on along the river, in great detail. They show what materials are needed, how to prepare them, what the preparation should look like, how to assemble them, how to maintain them, what might happen if they are damaged, and how to repair them. Everything is clearly explained.

What's most special is that the style of the illustrations inside is different from what you usually see; they are more realistic and lifelike.

He carefully checked it and found that each painting had a page number next to it. He turned to the corresponding page in the journal and found that it mentioned the devices and instruments in the paintings.

Zhao Yu couldn't help but flip through it again and again. Noticing the different handwriting, he raised the booklet in his hand and asked, "Is this also Old Master Fu's handwritten notes?"

"Oh! That's true speech..."

Before Master Chen could finish speaking, he heard footsteps outside. Turning around, he saw a palace eunuch leading Han Li, who had rushed back, into the room.

After Han Li finished his greetings, Master Chen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it was actually my junior who organized most of my late master's letters and manuscripts..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu called the person closer, asked a few more questions, and finally praised, "I have seen that the Imperial Water Conservancy Bureau used to record things with maps, but they are still inferior to your maps. You can spread this method..."

Han Li replied, "Your Majesty's praise is too much for me to accept—this method of drawing was inspired by a young lady and taught to me by her."

"The students went to Huazhou, and because they knew that the Tonghe River needed manpower the most and time was tight, they happened to meet a young lady named Song—she was selling breakfast from a cart in the back alley of the Imperial Academy..."

In a few words, he explained how the two met, how they coincidentally invited each other to help cook at the Kyoto government office, and how he discovered the other's talent for leadership.

"Upon arriving in Huazhou, although she was new to the area, and had no help, she recruited more than two hundred cooks herself and arranged the meals along the river in an orderly manner. She also set up fifty rules in the kitchen, and for some reason, almost everyone could memorize them."

"After the students asked questions and looked closely, they realized that she had drawn diagrams to supplement the learning process, so that they could memorize and remember the material more quickly."

After discussing Huazhou, he then mentioned the suspect's portrait on the recently drawn arrest warrant.

After finishing speaking, Han Li said, "I followed the instructions of that young lady Song and asked her to teach me when she had time, so I drew a new picture book for Your Majesty."

"So, when you reported your merits before, you mentioned in your memorial..." Zhao Yu paused, "that you were teaching the painting, and that steamed bun today, were all things that Lady Song did?"

Upon receiving Han Li's reply, he was surprised but also found it quite amusing. He said, "The steamed buns I ate today were filled with tofu and roasted pork, and they tasted very good. Does the kitchen have any left? If so, I'll buy some Songji Taixue steamed buns to take back to the palace for the Empress Dowager to try. She's heard about the young lady's name and actions several times already!"

"I'm afraid it's past mealtime, and there might not be any left," Master Chen said.

Hearing Master Chen say this, Old Cao quickly echoed, "They must have already sold out. Perhaps we should do it another day..."

There weren't many people in the room at the time, but Chief Minister Deng hurriedly said, "I'm afraid there are still some. I'll send someone to inquire."

As he spoke, he went out himself, and after a long while, he excitedly brought in a food box.

"It's quite a coincidence! Today, Song's restaurant sent over some new dishes and steamed buns for the students' tasting—perfect for the Empress Dowager to sample!"

Master Cao turned around and saw the food box in his hand. He also saw that not far outside the door, the servant he had assigned to wait for Song Ji to add more food was standing there, standing on tiptoe, looking over anxiously—his hands were empty.

No way? You said you were going to the kitchen, what are you doing here?
Where did these food tasting samples come from?
　Many thanks to Jixu Qinghuan for the spring of inspiration I received, and to Nalan Weiyu for the amulet of good fortune I was given :)

　　(End of this chapter)