Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

The chief cook of the Prince's mansion was a plump middle-aged man named Lu Tong.

It is said that his ancestors were famous ministers of the Jin Dynasty and were quite knowledgeable about the art of tea.

By the time it came to him, the tea-brewing skills had been passed down for countless generations and were highly sought after by his colleagues.

So when he saw that his young master had also become interested in tea ceremony, he immediately grinned and came over, wanting to show Li Yu his skills.

This guy's an expert!

Although Li Yu still couldn't get used to the tea of ​​this era, the other party had, after all, passed down the craft for generations, and their understanding of the quality and grade of tea was far superior to his own.

"Old Lu, your tea is indeed very good, but I have a light palate and really can't enjoy it."

Li Yu really didn't want to drink a second sip of the tea that Lu Tong offered.

"It's nothing, it's already an honor for me to receive your praise!"

Lu Tong was a good-natured person. Even though his skills were criticized, he still had a smiling face. "By the way, young master, I have already collected the tea you dried. I have also picked out the bad leaves for you."

"Yes, that's very well done."

Li Yu nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Old Lu, what do you think would happen if this tea had no spices added at all?"

"Young master, this unspiced tea tastes astringent and has a strong grassy flavor, making it difficult to swallow."

"I have an idea for your young master: to make clear tea taste sweet and refreshing. Would you like to see it?" Li Yu smiled and stared at Lu Tong, determined to find an expert to carry forward the tea-frying technique.

Upon hearing Li Yu's question, Lu Tong maintained his cheerful demeanor: "If Young Master wishes to demonstrate for me, then it would naturally be my honor."

Sigh! This is clearly a lack of interest...

In order to avoid having to do everything himself in the future, and also to be able to have a cup of tea in the future, Li Yu felt that it was best to see through things but not say anything...

.........

After recalling the tea-frying process, Li Yu instructed his servants to add firewood.

As for Cheng Chumo, he was squatting there absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought. In any case, Li Yu dared not ask him for help.

After warning Lu Tong, who was recording the process, Li Yu began pouring tea into the hot pot...

The process of frying tea is nothing more than a few steps: spreading out, fixing, rolling, initial drying, rehydration, and final drying.

The most difficult step is "wrapping the film".

So when Li Yu was "finishing filming", that familiar feeling returned to his hands.

It's scalding hot! Damn it! My hands are even worse than they were in my previous life!

However, in order to succeed on the first try, Li Yu could only occasionally put his hands on a damp cloth to soothe them.

"Old Lu! You better remember this, I'm only demonstrating this once. If you can't learn it, I'll transfer you to the stable to raise horses!"

Although he knew it was a threatening lie, seeing his young master wincing in pain, Lu Tong didn't dare to be careless in the slightest.

Ultimately, it was due to a lack of skill. Just look at the tea masters of later generations; they stir-fry tea with such ease that they don't even feel the heat.

Unfortunately, Li Yu himself couldn't even get past the initial hurdle, so he could only "finish filming" again and again.

After finally finishing the last take, Li Yu collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

However, when I looked at the tea leaves in front of me, which had lost their grassy aroma, tears welled up uncontrollably.

It's heartbreaking!

.........

"Come on, have a taste!"

Li Yu was very proud of the results he had achieved with a do-or-die attitude. So he couldn't wait to brew a cup of tea, ready to let Lu Tong, an expert, taste it.

No sooner had the tea been handed over than he hurriedly stood up. Then he took half a step back and knelt down with a thud.

"Absolutely not!"

Good heavens! My little master is really scaring me to death!

If word got out that a prince was personally serving tea to his subordinates, he would be praised for his courtesy and respect, while the prince himself would be guilty of a grave offense of disrespect!

"Huh? What's going on?"

Li Yu was puzzled. Even if Laozi's tea was terrible, it shouldn't be enough to poison someone, right? How did it suddenly become a kowtow?

Not daring to gamble on whether his young master was genuinely ignorant or feigning ignorance, Lu Tong explained, "My life is lowly; how could I dare accept such a humble offering of tea from you! You've made me feel utterly unworthy!"

Seeing that Lu Tong was sweating profusely, Li Yu realized that he had been a bit rash, so he put the teacup on the table and helped Lu Tong up.

Sigh! I can't change this feudal habit of kneeling. It seems I can only learn some etiquette.

Otherwise, things will turn out like today, where Lu Tong is so frightened that he was just referring to himself as "this humble official" a moment ago, but now he's calling himself a "little man" every other word...

.........

Lu Tong sat down again, still looking shaken.

It took Li Yu a long time to comfort him, explaining that he had no other intentions and was simply overjoyed.

This finally calmed Lu Tong, who was half-dead with fright. Li Yu didn't dare to serve tea anymore, so he pushed the teacup across the table.

Seeing the teacup brought to him, Lu Tong finally felt relieved. He reached out, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.

The tea tastes bitter at first when it enters the throat.

As he swallowed the tea, Lu Tong hesitated whether to tell his young master about its taste when he felt a sweet flavor fill his mouth, which greatly surprised him, a tea drinker.

"How was it?" Li Yu couldn't wait to hear the first user's feedback.

Lu Tong took another sip, then clicked his tongue in amazement: "How strange! This tea is slightly astringent at first, but how come it turns sweet after being swallowed?"

Hearing Lu Tong's evaluation, Li Yu knew he had succeeded, so he poured himself a cup and took a small sip.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

Although the tea was of poor quality and my technique was somewhat rough, it did have some of the flavor of later generations' tea-making techniques.

"Young master, would you like to continue processing the remaining tea flags? Would you allow me to try?"

That's the way to go!

Li Yu knew that once a person with such refined taste and a passion for tea could appreciate its subtleties, they would start to study it on their own.

So he waved his hand generously and said, "Use the rest as you like. If it's not enough, I'll find a way to get more!"

"Yes, sir!"

.........

For the entire afternoon, Li Yu kept pulling Cheng Chumo to taste the tea he had roasted.

The two sat in the courtyard and drank cup after cup until their stomachs were so full that they could hear the water gurgling with every movement, and then they stopped.

"What's wrong? Did you get a shock from never having beaten Wenren An before?" Seeing Cheng Chumo's lifeless appearance, Li Yu brought up the matter again.

"Stop teasing me! Are we even brothers? Can't you see your brother is heartbroken?"

.........