Cui Lin thought about it over and over again, always having trouble making a decision.
After thinking again and again, he finally decided to meet Gao Rou, an old friend in charge of the judicial prison.
After all, the child Wen Ji owed him so much.
————
After Xia Houxuan sent You Ling'er away, he returned to the west hall. At this time, the matchmaker who came to the Hefu to talk to him had been sent away by Bi Han.
"Aunt Han, has the matchmaker left already?"
Xia Houxuan took off his plain robe and handed it to the maid. While asking, he bathed his hands in the copper basin handed over by the servant.
Bihan smiled and replied:
"Yes, I told the matchmaker that this is a good thing, but I have to ask the head of the family for permission before I dare to apply."
Xia Houxuan nodded and said:
"In this case, Xuan'er will write a letter and send it to Xiangyang, Jingzhou. After asking his father, he will choose a good time and auspicious day to organize the wedding for Mr. He Kui and Yu'er."
"That's very good."
Thinking that her daughter would have a good home, Bihan felt very happy. And this joy naturally overshadowed the reluctance in my heart that my daughter was about to leave home. Bihan said again:
"Xuan'er, I've asked Magu to prepare dinner. Go quickly and call Feng'er, Xian'er, and Tiger Tiger to stop playing and come have dinner together."
"Okay, Aunt Han."
Xia Houxuan smiled and immediately rushed to the backyard and asked Xia Houxian and the others to go.
Not long after, everyone was seated.
Under the arrangements of Gu Ting and Magu, the servants began to get busy. After a while, steaming soup and noodles were placed on everyone's desks.
"Wow, it's mallow soup! It smells so good!"
When Yu Huan lived in Taishan County in his early years, mallow was always served as the main dish at home. However, Yu's family was in decline at that time, so how could they afford a good cook? Therefore, in the past three meals a day for many years, I have never seen such delicious mallow soup, so I was pleasantly surprised.
Xia Houxian smiled and said:
"Tiger is really lucky. The first time he came to my brother's house for dinner, he happened upon Magu's signature mallow soup. Like me, it takes me a month to have a chance to eat it."
Xiahou Feng, who likes Confucian classics, also laughed and said:
""Shen Nong's Materia Medica" says: Sunflower is the top grade. According to the season, this sunflower can be divided into spring sunflower, okra and mallow. And this mallow must be a seedling or young stems and leaves before it can be eaten, so it is the oldest It’s hard to eat it every day at home.”
Bi Han, who was interested in medical skills, also smiled and said:
"It's exactly what Feng'er said. This mallow is sweet, astringent, and cold. It can clear away heat, soothe water, and smooth the intestines. If the whole plant is used, it can also be used as medicine."
Yu Huan listened to what others were saying, tasted the soup, and asked with a smile:
"Brother Xuan, what is said in the Yuefu "Fifteen Military Expeditions" that you taught me a few days ago: Valley is born in the courtyard, and sunflower is born in the well. Grain is used to pound rice, and sunflower is picked to make soup. Is this the mallow that makes the soup?"
Xia Houxuan, who had just served some soup to 'Amo' next to him, looked at Yu Huan approvingly, nodded and said:
"What the tiger said is true, it is the 'Lord of 100 Vegetables', mallow."
Everyone chatted while eating. After dinner, it was already the time when the sun was setting in the west and the red sun was setting in the west.
After Xiahou Xian, Xiahou Feng and Yu Huan had eaten, they also said goodbye to Xiahou Xuan, Bihan and Xia Houyu and went back to their homes.
"Aunt Han, now that Yu'er's matter has been settled, Xuan'er has something to deal with later. He may not return to the house tonight. Aunt Han and Yu'er can rest early and don't wait for Xuan'er."
Bihan smiled and said:
"In that case, Xuan'er should dress warmly and be careful."
Xia Houxuan took the big cloak handed to him by his subordinates, put the 'Quality' sword on his waist, and bowed to Bihan:
"Xuan'er knows."
————
When Xia Houxuan arrived at Tingwei Gaorou's residence in the "White Bird", it was already dusk in Xushi.
At this time, the sun was setting behind the western mountains.
The sky and the earth are dim and everything is hazy.
"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."
Xia Houxuan got off his horse, tied it to the horse-tying stone guarded by a servant outside the gate of Gaofu, and knocked on the side door of Gaofu.
"Hey, it turns out to be Mr. Xiahou. Why are you here today?"
The servant met many people on weekdays and had a good memory, so he was no stranger to Xia Houxuan, a noble son.
Xia Houxuan smiled and replied:
"Xuan came today because he has something to discuss with Duke Wenhui, the Tingwei."
"So that's it." The servant thought for a moment and said, "Master Xiahou, please come with me."
"In this case, I will have you to help me."
As the two of them spoke, they headed towards the south of the mansion.
The servant led Xia Houxuan to Gao Xun's Nanyuan, bowed his head and said:
"Young master, please forgive me. My master is drinking tea and chatting with Cui Deru and Cui Gong of Da Honglu at the moment. However, the young master does not dare to ask the master to wait, so I have arranged for the master to come to my house first to meet the master."
Xia Houxuan smiled slightly and said:
"It's okay, thank you for your hard work, brother."
"Master, please excuse me."
After the servant finished speaking, he went back to the gate of Gao Mansion to wait.
"Brother Xiahou, what brought you here today?"
Gao Xun heard the conversation in the courtyard and went out to greet Xia Houxuan before he could knock on the door.
"Brother Gao, Xuan came today because he wanted to visit Duke Wen Hui, but Duke Wen Hui was not available yet, so he came to bother him first."
Gao Xun smiled and said:
"My uncle is indeed drinking tea and having a long talk with Cui Gong. He probably won't be free for a while. Come on, brother Xiahou, why don't you choose a different day to try my newly brewed wine?"
Xia Houxuan smiled and said:
"What, another novelty wine prepared for Princess Dongxiang? I really want it, but Xuan has to meet Duke Wen Hui later, so I don't dare to drink too much today!"
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!"
Gao Xun smiled and went into the house hand in hand with Xia Houxuan.
————
The residence of Duyang Marquis and General Hussar.
Although it was dusk at the moment, there was a bustling crowd in front of the Cao Mansion, with people coming and going in an endless stream.
This is because today, General Cao Hong held a grand banquet.
Rumor has it that Cao Hong, the general of the Hussars, spent a full two hundred thousand yuan to prepare for this banquet. As for whether this news is true or false, no one knows.
Today, Cao Hong not only invited some old friends in the army, such as General Xian Yufu and General Wang Zhong of Qingche, but also invited some princes, nobles and noblemen to the banquet.
However, the only prince who came to the banquet was Cao Jian, the newly crowned king of Dongwuyang.
As Cao Hong expected, Cao Rui, the king of Pingyuan, and Cao Lin, the king of Hedong, refused to come, citing physical discomfort and busy schedules as excuses.
As for the young princes, such as Taifu Zhongyao’s eldest son Zhong Yu, the Xun family prince Xun Can, the four brothers Cao Xi, Cao Yan, Cao Ze, and Cao Xun, as well as Fu Gu, as well as Xu Yun, Cui Zan, and others who Li Yi arranged to protect Cao Jian, Yuan Kan, Yuan Liang, Sima Zhao, He Gui, etc. all came to the banquet.
Due to the large number of guests, it was difficult to arrange seats, and there were many drinks and food. Therefore, it was not until around Hai hour that all the guests inside and outside the hall were seated one by one.
General Cao Hong was sitting in the main hall, facing north and south.
The remaining guests were seated one by one according to their family status and official position.
After everyone greeted each other politely, the host Cao Hong finally spoke:
"Everyone, Cao Zilian has no other intention in hosting this banquet today. He just wants to drink wine, eat meat and enjoy happiness with everyone. Tonight, we will not go home until we are drunk!"
"Thank you, General Hussar!"
After everyone thanked Cao Hong, they all drank a cup of wine.
Soon, elegant music was playing inside and outside the hall, and the servants began to serve dishes.
The first dish is the five-flavored preserved food that is the favorite of the royal family of this dynasty.
When everyone saw this dish, they all moved their index fingers.
Speaking of these five-flavored preserved fruits, they are usually made in February, September or October, and are the most delicious. As for meat, it can be anything from cattle, sheep, deer, deer, or pork.
After cutting the meat into slices or strips with a knife, smash the bones on the meat and cook it into bone juice. After skimming off the foam, add black beans and cook again.
When the color is sufficient and the flavor is strong, strain out the residue and add salt to the pot.
Then pound the finely chopped scallions into a pulp, add minced Sichuan peppercorns, orange peel and minced ginger. Dip the meat into the fresh juice and rub it with your hands to infuse it with flavor.
The preserved slices need to be soaked for more than three days and nights. After the preserved slices are marinated, they are hung with strings under the northern eaves of the house to dry in the shade.
When the strips are semi-wet, squeeze them tightly with your hands repeatedly. After the preserved meat is made, put it in a large and clean warehouse, wrap it in a paper bag and hang it until summer, when it tastes best.
After everyone tasted the first delicious dish, they all believed the rumor that two hundred thousand was spent to prepare the banquet.
The servants of the Cao family are very busy at the moment, constantly adding wine to each table.
Not long after, the second dish was also served on the table.
"It turns out to be snakehead fish breasts. The general of the Hussars is so generous!"
General Wang Zhong of Qingchao couldn't help but feel very good when he saw such delicacies.
This snakehead fish is commonly known as mullet. The method of making this dish is to first boil a pot of extremely salty seasoning soup, add more minced ginger and Sichuan peppercorns to the soup, fill the mouth of the fish, and then use a bamboo stick to pierce the eyes.
Ten strings of fish are hung on the north eaves of the house with the mouth of the fish pointing upward. They will not be ready until February or March of the following year.
At this time, the five internal organs from the belly of the fish are cut out raw and soaked in sour vinegar. It tastes extremely delicious.
Before serving, the mullet is wrapped in grass, and then the fish meat is lightly pounded with a wooden hammer. The meat is as white as snow and has an unparalleled umami flavor. It is an extremely precious food to be enjoyed with meals and wine.
"Come on, everyone, drink this cup! Hahahaha!"
Cao Hong was feasting happily at this moment, and his heart was extremely happy.
After a while, the wine in his jar was drained.
After eating two dishes, everyone had drunk a lot of wine, and some of the guests who drank less felt a little dizzy.
"Come here, I'll serve you some Hu Geng to relieve your hangover. It's been a long night, how can you get drunk so fast!"
Cao Hong gave the order and the servants immediately started running.
This Hu Geng is a dish introduced to the Han Dynasty after Zhang Qian of the previous dynasty traveled to the Western Regions.
And only a wealthy member of the royal family like Cao Hong could afford to eat this dish every day.
For this Hu Geng, first take a few kilograms of mutton ribs, add a few kilograms of mutton meat, and four liters of water. After cooking, remove the ribs, cut the meat into pieces, add onions, coriander, and a certain amount of pomegranate juice to adjust it. taste.
The soup is extremely delicious and is perfect for drinking.
Night has come, and everything should be in a state of tranquility, but at this moment, in Cao Hong's house, the lights are on and people are buzzing.
