With Huai En's letters lying there, both Kong Hongtai and Liu Daxia regarded Chang Feng as one of their own.
Not everyone has the courage to resist the traitors and protect the prince. The two even had a hint of admiration for Chang Feng.
Kong Hongtai warmly invited Chang Feng: "The ancestor worship ceremony is approaching, and there are too many chores at home. I plan to go to Tai'an Prefecture with Magistrate Liu, climb Mount Tai, and hide away for a while."
"Chang Baihu is your first time in Shandong, right? How can you not climb Mount Tai? Why not go together?"
Chang Feng was about to go to Mount Tai for an on-site investigation to see how to create unusual disasters.
Chang Feng cupped his hands and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Yansheng. I would rather obey my orders than to be respectful."
Kong Hongtai said again: "It's almost noon. Let's all stay and have dinner together."
It is the supreme honor of all officials of the Ming Dynasty to have dinner at the same table as Duke Yan Shenggong!
Everyone knows that Duke Yansheng is aloof and arrogant.
No matter how high-ranking the person is, he will not give him a meal.
The last time the governor of Shandong went to the Confucius Temple to worship, it was approaching sunset and he wanted to stay at the Confucius Mansion to have a taste of the world-famous Confucius Mansion Banquet.
Duke Yansheng refused, saying, "Master Futai is busy with official duties. Please come back."
Kong Hongtai invited Chang Feng, a little Jin Yiwei, to try out hundreds of households for dinner, not for anything else but for Ya's loyalty.
Naturally, Kong Hongtai didn't know that Chang Feng's protection of the prince was probably out of selfish motives of self-preservation.
The three of them entered the dining room of Kong Mansion.
In the sage's former residence, eating is very particular. The dietary system is a branch of the ritual and music system advocated by Confucius.
Therefore, the daily diet of Yanshenggong in the past dynasties was comparable to the royal banquets in the palace.
The beautiful maids of the Confucius Mansion began to serve the dishes elegantly.
The first course was yellow bream.
Chang Feng took a bite, with a smile on his face that shows up subconsciously when someone eats delicious food.
This is much more delicious than the pork head meat on Lvdiaozi Street!
Chang Feng couldn't help but ask: "May I ask Mr. Yan Shenggong, Mr. Liu, what's the fame of this dish?"
Chang Feng at this moment, to use an allusion from "A Dream of Red Mansions" in later generations, is really like "Grandma Liu entered Cybertron for the first time, and Optimus Prime first tried the love of clouds and rain."
Kong Hongtai stroked his beard and said nothing.
Liu Daxia was honest and self-reliant, and lived in Tai'an government office all day long with vegetables and tofu. As soon as I felt greedy, I went to Kong's house to have my teeth beaten.
His knowledge of Confucian food and drink was even better than that of Yanshenggong!
Liu Daxia explained: "The name of this dish is Yellow Bird Bream. Take a three-month-old male Yellow Bird, kill it and then remove the claws and wing tips."
"Soak and wash with 20-year-old Shaoxing wine. Then disembowel the sparrow, dry it in the sun, and remove 40% of the water."
“Then use orange peel, onion ginger, red yeast rice, sweet rice wine, pepper, fine sea salt, and add water to make a marinade.”
"Add the oriole to the marinade and let it marinate for 2816 days until the flavor develops."
"When eating, take the oriole out of the marinade and wash it again with the finest daughter's red. It will be exposed to the scorching sun for an hour and a quarter."
"Use high-quality rapeseed oil and heat it to 60% heat. Put the oriole in and roll it twice."
"Take out the upper drawer and steam for a while. This yellow bird bream is ready."
Liu Daxia's words stunned Chang Feng.
Such an ordinary side dish in Kongfu is so complicated to make. It is indeed a two-thousand-year-old family with millions of acres of land to support it.
Liu Daxia added: "As for the various dishes at the Confucius's banquet, I am more familiar with it than Yan Shenggong! I am a poor official, and I come to enjoy Yan Shenggong's autumn breeze whenever I have time."
Kong Hongtai said: "Poor officials in the Ming Dynasty are harder to find than rare ones. I hope you come to my house every day to enjoy the autumn breeze."
After eating sixteen kinds of dishes, the first delicacy of the Confucian banquet was served.
It was an ordinary-looking birthday peach. It's called "Yipin Longevity Peach".
Chang Feng thought to himself: This should be the staple food at the Confucian banquet.
The beautiful maid gave Chang Feng a piece.
Chang Feng took a bite, where is the longevity peach? Refreshing and fragrant, sweet but not greasy. The sweet aroma is refreshing.
Chang Feng's face showed another smile as he tasted the delicious food.
Liu Daxia smiled and said: "It was the first time I ate a Yipin Shou Tao, and my expression was exactly the same as yours."
"This brand of longevity peach is as delicate as the yellow bird bream. First, use low heat to fry the sorghum caramel until it is half dry."
"Take the yam from the Gongtian field at the foot of Mount Tai, steam it in a drawer for two seconds, then chop it into puree with a wooden knife."
"Mix the yam paste with hawthorn cake, green plum powder, red silk, and jujube paste, and form a dough into longevity peaches, then steam them for two minutes."
"Finally, add sorghum syrup to cold black tea water, boil over low heat to make gravy, and pour it on the longevity peaches."
Chang Feng was stunned again. No wonder Confucius said in "The Analects of Confucius" that "you never tire of fine food, and you never tire of fine meat"!
The descendants of his old man are indeed very particular about eating.
However, with a table full of delicious food, Kong Hongtai didn't move his chopsticks much.
Not long after, a maid walked up to Kong Hongtai.
What should I say about this maid? He looks great! They are both slender and curvy, with protruding legs and long legs that are so beautiful that they are bubbling.
The maid has a tray in her hand. On the tray is a pancake, a green onion, and a bowl of yellow sauce.
Kong Hongtai picked up the scallions, dipped them in the yellow sauce and spread them evenly on the pancakes. Then he skillfully rolled the scallions in the pancakes and chewed them.
The dignified Duke Yan actually loves pancakes rolled with green onions the most!
You know, Yuan Shao's "Fourth Generation and Three Dukes" during the Three Kingdoms period were already extremely noble.
The Kong family is "sixty-one generations, sixty princes and one king". A noble person like Kong Hongtai only loves pancakes and scallions?
After Kong Hongtai finished devouring it, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and explained: "Every household is often made to laugh. The Kongfu banquet is for distinguished guests like you."
"I don't really like eating it myself. This pancake roll with green onions is more refreshing."
Chang Feng was very good at talking: "Duke Yansheng did not forget the teachings of Confucius. Confucius said: Eat sparingly with food, drink water, and bend your arms to rest your head on it, and you will enjoy it."
The translation of this sentence is that you can enjoy yourself by eating rough food in cold water and using your arms as a pillow.
Kong Hongtai was surprised: "Chang Baihu is a warrior of Jinyiwei. He actually knows the words in The Analects of Confucius?"
Chang Feng was a little embarrassed: "When I was young, my father also forced his subordinates to study. However, my subordinates were not talented enough to study. They took the county examination three times but failed to report it."
Kong Hongtai said: "Studying is not about how far you can go in the imperial examination. It depends on how to read and how to use it."
At this moment, the stunningly beautiful maid who was serving Kong Hongtai to eat pancakes knelt down to Kong Hongtai with a "pop" sound.
The maid burst into tears: "Master, this is the last time I will serve you."
Chang Feng thought to himself: Which high-ranking official in the capital wouldn't have an affair with the most beautiful maid in his house? I think this beautiful maid must be Duke Yansheng's forbidden consort without status.
Chang Feng is still young. I saw too many bad things in Jinyiwei, but I don't believe that there are really saints in this world.
Kong Hongtai said quickly: "Nian'er, get up quickly. I forgot that you will leave the house tomorrow and marry the person you love, right?"
"You entered the family when you were six years old. You have served the Kong family for eleven years. The Kong family has never regarded you as a slave, only as a biological daughter."
"Your wishful husband, I remember, is a scholar from a poor family? I will give you twenty acres of land as a dowry from my mother's family."
"With twenty acres of land, it will be enough for you and your wife to live a good life."
"You tell him that he should keep reading and there is no end to his learning. But don't be obsessed with the imperial examination."
"Scholars, once you win the imperial examination and become an official, good people will turn into evil spirits!"
Chang Feng did not see the ambiguity between men and women in Kong Hongtai's eyes, only the love of a father for a son.
Kong Hongtai's last words were even more shocking to him.
