After all, they were cooking fish, so the fishy smell on Han Du's body was a bit strong. Although he was eager to taste the rare delicacy, Han Du was still prepared to change into clean and smellless clothes before going.
Han Du hurried to the inner hall, and before he entered the door, he shouted: "Save some for me, don't finish everything..."
As soon as he stepped through the door, Han Du had to swallow the last word "Le" in his mouth before he could say it out.
There was only silence in the inner hall, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. If it weren't for the fact that the table was filled with a huge amount of heat and was still steaming, anyone who saw it would have thought it was a still scene.
Han Du looked calmly and saw that the person sitting at the top was Lao Zhu, and the people on his left and right were Queen Ma and Zhu Biao. Then there is An Qing, who is a little bird beside Queen Ma, nestling in Queen Ma's arms like a little animal.
Han Du and Liu carefully sat beside Zhu Biao. As for Han Shu, he was not even qualified to serve at the table and simply stood aside and did not dare to sit down.
On the other hand, Han Kezhong and the girl were sitting on the table. Especially the girl, who was happily held in Lao Zhu's arms, and from time to time he stretched out his skinny fingers to tease her chin. The girl unceremoniously grabbed Lao Zhu's beard and pulled it randomly. Lao Zhu grinned and grinned, and Han Du was frightened by the sight.
When Lao Zhu saw Han Du walking in, he just glanced at him lightly, said nothing, and continued to tease the little girl with his head lowered.
Han Du was a little strange. After being deprived of his title, Han Du never thought of going to the palace to ask Lao Zhu for a clear explanation. After all, his title was obtained through actual meritorious service and was not just picked up casually on the roadside. He did not ask for the reason. Having taken away his title, Han Du also wanted to ask clearly. But unfortunately, Han Du couldn't even enter the palace gate, so he was stopped by the bodyguards.
Since Lao Zhu didn't want to see him, why would he take the initiative to come to his house now?
"Han Du, a common man, pays homage to Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and His Royal Highness the King of Zhou." No matter whether Lao Zhu was suffering from convulsions or not, Han Du went to pay his respects first.
After hearing this, Lao Zhu was slightly surprised. He looked up at Han Dupi and said with a smile: "Calling yourself a commoner? Why, are you still blaming me for taking away your title?"
I'm just blaming you... Han Du almost said these words many times to vent the resentment accumulated in the past few days. But when the words came to his lips, they turned into Han Du's flattering smile: "Your Majesty, the common people have lost their title. It's not appropriate to call yourself a minister anymore."
Lao Zhu's face darkened and he shouted angrily: "Without the title of Marquis of Zhenhai, wouldn't you be the consort of Anqing? Why, after all, I am also the father of Anqing, so why don't I get a word from you like a son-in-law?"
YY
Seeing that Han Du was reprimanded in this way, An Qing secretly tugged on Queen Ma's lapel and asked her for help.
Empress Ma smiled, turned to Lao Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. Even if you want to teach him a lesson, you have to eat a full meal before you have the strength to teach him a lesson. Facing this table full of delicious food, Your Majesty, if you still can’t put down your chopsticks, I won’t be able to wait any longer.”
Lao Zhu glared at Han Du fiercely, reached out and picked up the chopsticks and stabbed him hard. He turned back to Queen Ma and said, "Okay, then I'll finish eating first. Then I'll deal with him after I'm full and drunk." After saying that, he was not polite and directly took his chopsticks towards a piece of fried fish skin.
Seeing Lao Zhu start eating, Han Du smiled and stood up, pulled out a chair and sat down.
When Lao Zhu saw Han Du sitting down, he immediately held up his chopsticks, raised his eyes to look at Han Du, and said in a deep voice: "What are you doing?"
"Let's eat." Han Du then replied. After the words were spoken, he saw something wrong with Lao Zhu's face.
Empress Ma and An Qing were both winking at Han Du crazily, and even Zhu Biao lowered his head and smiled awkwardly, thinking quickly about how to help Han Du out of trouble.
"Did I ask you to sit down?" Lao Zhu's eyes suddenly became stern.
Han Du felt that the momentum of Lao Zhu on the opposite side was pressing towards him like a landslide and tsunami. He had faced the charge of tens of thousands of prairie cavalry without changing his expression. He had faced the huge wind and waves on the sea that were smashing him head and face, and You Zi threw his fist in the sky and roared. . However, at this moment, Han Du flinched.
As if there were springs on his butt, Han Du stood up instantly. How did he stand up? Han Du himself didn't quite understand the process. It seemed that the body's reaction exceeded the control of his mind.
Seeing Han Du stand up, Lao Zhu gradually showed a smile, took a chopstick of fish skin and put it into his mouth. A crisp and fragrant taste suddenly filled his mouth.
He kept nodding his head in praise, and then offered Queen Ma some food, saying, "Have a try, this food tastes really rare."
When Queen Ma saw it, she had no choice but to smile and follow Lao Zhu's wishes and take a bite. After just one bite, Queen Ma fell in love with the taste.
Among them, King Zhou Zhu was the most unkind. When Han Du asked Tang Ding for fish, he felt that Han Du's behavior was a bit strange. It stands to reason that Han Du is so rich, how could he ask for a dead fish? Unless there is something special about this fish. Now it seems that he was indeed right. Just looking at the dishes on this table made him move his index finger, wanting to know what it would feel like to eat them in his mouth.
After seeing Queen Ma start to move her chopsticks, Lao Zhu looked up at Hande and shouted softly, "Hande."
"Ah?" Han De couldn't guess what kind of medicine the emperor was selling in his gourd. He was startled by the sudden question and quickly replied: "The common people are here."
Lao Zhu was extremely polite to Han De. He smiled and said to Han De: "Don't be a grass-roots person. If this is among the people, you and I are also sons and daughters. Why are we so different? Come and have a taste of this thing. It’s really good. Don’t just sit there, use your chopsticks!”
"Caomin, thank you, Your Majesty." After Han De thanked him first, he turned back and glanced at Mrs. Liu. Then they picked up their chopsticks and began to eat slowly and tremblingly.
Even Han Shu and Lao Zhu cordially greeted him to sit down and eat together. Han Shu didn't dare to do so at first. He had just passed the examination and obtained the title of Scholar, and was not even a candidate for examination. Strictly speaking, he is not an official. How can he dare to eat at the same table with the emperor?
But since Lao Zhu spoke, it was Jinkou Yuyan's imperial edict, so he had no choice but to do it cautiously, eating with his head down, not daring to move his chopsticks towards the middle of the table.
By this time, everyone could see it. The emperor was targeting Han Du today, and there was no reason for anyone else. Of the people in the room, except for the personal guards brought by Lao Zhu and the servants of Han Mansion, only Han Du was still standing. Moreover, after sitting down, Lao Zhu called him up again. If this were done by another person and placed outside, Han Du would definitely be embarrassed. But after all, we are in our own home, and there are no outsiders, so there is no need to be shameless.
Han Du just couldn't bear to see that he had filled the table with dishes, and there was nothing left to eat as Old Zhu was swept away by the wind.
After Lao Zhu had eaten and drank enough, he looked up at Han Du, who was standing across the table with a pale face. I don't know why, but all the resentment in my heart disappeared in an instant, and instead it was filled with a happy feeling of successful revenge.
He originally planned to take care of Han Du after dinner, but now Lao Zhu suddenly felt that it was not a bad idea to let him go. So he pointed to the dishes on the table and said, "This table is good. I will make another table and send it to the palace tomorrow."
Han Du was stunned. The dishes on this table still relied on the sturgeon provided by Tang Ding. If you don’t have sturgeon, where can you get these dishes for you?
Besides, after working all night and not even tasting a piece of fish skin, Han Du was already full of anger. How could he agree to Lao Zhu's unreasonable request?
Putting his hands together, Han Du said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, but it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and without fish, I cannot make these dishes."
Lao Zhu naturally heard about the fish purchase at Xinguo Gongfu, otherwise he wouldn't have happily come to Han Du's house.
"It's just a fish, why don't you just send someone to catch it?" Lao Zhu was really thinking about it, thinking about the taste of the fish, "By the way, isn't there a fisherman who knows how to catch this fish? I've given you a decree , just ask the local county magistrate to catch the fish and deliver it."
Han Du's expression suddenly changed, and then his mind started to spin rapidly. In the flash of lightning, he suddenly said: "Your Majesty, this fish was not given as a gift. It was bought by Duke Xinguo's government for fifteen taels of gold. If it is added quickly, The flowers spent on horses and water tanks are worth twenty taels of gold each. As for the craftsmanship of my son, I should treat it as a tribute to Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty has eaten it, please pay for it. Twenty taels of gold!"
Lao Zhu was shocked when he saw Han Du extending his hand towards him. He asked in disbelief: "What are you talking about? Are you asking me for money to buy fish?"
Others were also frightened by Han Du's words. Since ancient times, no one has dared to ask the emperor for food money.
"Yes." Han Du replied with a smile, not at all afraid of Lao Zhu just now.
Lao Zhu suddenly became angry and shouted loudly: "Is it the king's land in the whole world, and the king's ministers are on the shore of the land. Everything in this world belongs to me, including this fish. I don't need to pay for it if I eat it!"
Han Du refused to give in, faced Lao Zhu's anger, and said with a smile: "The emperor is indeed rich all over the world, but if he doesn't give you money, then please ask the emperor to send people to catch fish in the Yangtze River."
"Why can't I order the fisherman to catch him?" Lao Zhu gritted his teeth and stared at Han Du as he asked word by word.
Han Du stretched out his hand, shook his head slightly, and said after a moment: "Of course, no one in the world dares to disobey the emperor's orders. However, based on Erchen's understanding, the fisherman was seriously injured trying to catch this fish, and he is still recovering in the hospital bed. He's here. If the emperor orders him to catch fish now, I think I might not be able to catch the fish, and he will feed the fish himself."
