Emperor Xuanwu used very little for lunch, and the imperial kitchen thought there was something wrong with the taste of their dishes, so they studied it for a long time.
It wasn't until the two royal chefs who went to Hexi Palace to "apprentice" came back that they knew that Empress Zhenji was going to make barbecue again in the evening.
Many old chefs who have worked as royal chefs in the palace for decades do not take it seriously. The emperor only dotes on Empress Zhenji like this. If it were any other concubine, it would be hard to swallow!
The few young royal chefs discussed enthusiastically how novel the barbecue methods were. They just felt that young people were not practical and wanted to take shortcuts by flattering others.
But are there any shortcuts to cooking?
If it's delicious, it's delicious. If it's not delicious, it's not delicious. The noble masters in the palace all have golden tongues and can eat anything.
If you want to get ahead in this palace, you have to rely on your true abilities.
Jiang Xinyue thought so too.
If you want to win Emperor Xuanwu's heart and conquer his stomach, you must have real ability.
Fortunately, she comes from a later generation that is famous for its delicious food. Just making barbecue and hot pot is enough to conquer the ancient people with poor food.
Emperor Xuanwu, who was not full at lunch, couldn't stand it anymore and his stomach growled.
"Wang Dequan, has anyone from Hexi Palace come to reply? When will we have dinner?"
Wang Dequan was also hungry and had not eaten enough. He said with a bitter face, "When I got back to the emperor, I said it was going to be Xu time. Your Majesty, why don't you pass on the dinner first, and the barbecue will be a midnight snack."
"no!"
Emperor Xuanwu sternly refused, forcing himself to ignore the empty feeling in his stomach, and began to review the memorial seriously.
We have endured this for so long. Wouldn’t it be a waste of all our efforts to eat now?
"Wang Dequan, do you smell the aroma of barbecue?"
After a while, Emperor Xuanwu sniffed: "Is Zhenji already grilling meat?"
Wang Dequan's eyes regained light, and he hurriedly said: "I'll send someone to ask again."
"Need not!"
Emperor Xuanwu felt that asking so frequently showed that he wanted to eat, which was too unreserved.
He closed the memorial, stood up and changed into a purple uniform: "Anyway, the government affairs have been dealt with. Let me go and see for myself how this barbecue is made?"
Jiang Xinyue set the time to eat barbecue at Xu hour, which is from 7 to 9 pm.
Summer nights fall extremely slowly, and it's not completely dark at seven o'clock. If you want to have a bonfire party, you have to wait until it gets dark at night to enjoy it.
The female officer of the palace's teaching department received the order from Empress Zhenji and went to Hexi Palace tonight to play musical instruments for the emperor, queen, concubine Liang, concubine De, and all the young masters. It was another rehearsal.
Every time there was a banquet in the palace, the Jiaofang Secretary would send beautiful dancers and singers. Those musical instruments singers were just foils for those beautiful women.
It is rare that Empress Zhenji of Hexi Palace loves musical instruments. The actors wanted to feel proud and racked their brains to rehearse a piece with twelve musical instruments.
Emperor Xuanwu arrived at Hexi Palace a quarter of an hour before Xu Shi, but the lively scene in front of him made him suspect that he had gone wrong.
Jiang Xinyue saw him first and waved to him: "Your Majesty, come here quickly! I'm waiting for you."
His casual posture made Emperor Xuanwu think that he had come to the common people and became a wealthy businessman with the highest wealth in the world.
Jiang Xinyue is his wife, and she is entertaining her husband who has worked hard all day outside for dinner.
"I, my concubine, see you, Your Majesty."
"My son, I will meet my father."
Emperor Xuanwu's thoughts were instantly pulled back. Zhenji was not his wife. His wife was wearing plain clothes and her appearance was already old. However, against the backdrop of the bonfire, one could still glimpse the peerless beauty of her youth.
Jiang Xinyue held a small brush in her left hand and mutton skewers in her right hand, which was smoky and smoky: "Your Majesty, it's not very convenient for me to be a concubine. Don't blame me for not being polite during today's family dinner!"
Emperor Xuanwu stared at the meat skewers in her hand, but he did not forget to help Empress Zhu up: "Our empress Zhenji is tired of working as an imperial cook, how can I dare to blame her?"
He touched the third prince's head: "How does the barbecue made by Madam Zhenji taste?"
The third prince, who was caught stealing, bit his glossy lips and said with bright eyes, "Father, Empress Zhenji is so amazing. This is my first time to eat such delicious potatoes."
Potatoes are potatoes. They were called potatoes because they were brought back from foreign countries by envoys a hundred years ago.
Children's words made everyone laugh.
Several plates of grilled meat skewers were already placed on the table. After Emperor Xuanwu sat down, Empress Zhu, Concubine Liang, and Concubine De followed suit.
Magpie and Shuangjiang took over Jiang Xinyue's barbecue business and asked her to come and enjoy the delicious food.
She had to teach several ladies how to eat this barbecue.
At first, Empress Zhu felt that this way of eating barbecue was a bit degrading, but after following Zhen Ji's method and eating a pork belly and vegetable bun, she seemed to have opened the door to a new world.
Seeing that although the emperor was still elegant, he seemed to be very skillful in his swift and violent movements. Zhenji even personally put a bunch of beef into the lettuce, added raw Qingyang chili peppers and garlic slices, and stuffed it into the emperor's mouth.
Not only did the emperor not blame him, he even packed one back for Zhenji to eat.
They looked like an ordinary, ordinary, loving couple.
Empress Zhu suddenly understood that Emperor Xuanwu might not regard Zhenji as a substitute for Concubine Li when she was young. He really liked Zhenji somewhat.
Because this girl has a kind of friendly magic, when she releases her kindness, everyone wants to get close to her and make friends with her.
Just look at it, the usually high-minded eldest princess, the usually deserted second princess, and the naughty third prince have all succumbed to Zhenji's charm, and they are all Zhenji, and their joy is beyond words.
This barbecue is a feast for both the guest and the host.
After the meal, all the masters were full, and Jiang Xinyue asked people from the Jiaofang Division to come in and play instruments.
Pipa, Xiqin, konghou, guqin, Xiao, flute, zither, qin, xun, sheng, drums and ruanqin.
Each instrument has its own unique range when played solo, and together they are inexplicably harmonious, sometimes majestic, sometimes graceful and gentle...
The children's laughter was melodious, and the palace maids and eunuchs held hands with Jiang Xinyue and danced around the bonfire.
Empress Zhu sat next to Emperor Xuanwu. The fake smile that had remained on her face for ten years was removed, revealing a bit of sincerity: "It's a bit like the winter hunting gathering of the Mongolian people on the grassland."
Emperor Xuanwu turned his head and looked at him with a smile: "The Meng people's barbecue is just a whole beef and sheep cut into a plate. It is not as exquisite as Zhenji's method, and is more suitable for us Dayan people."
At this time, Jiang Xinyue had changed into a set of palace concubine's regular clothes. In front of the fire, her face was like the bright moon in the sky, exuding a gleaming luster.
Her smile is bright, as if it can dispel all the haze and darkness, making people want to chase the beauty.
Empress Zhu's eyes were kind: "No wonder the emperor likes her. Even my concubines can't hate such an innocent person like her."
