In the last championship match, more and more people came to watch. The betting area of the gambling house in front of the school field was crowded with people. Many people bought Deqing Tower, and many people bought Wangshan Tower. Qingfeng Yashe was the least favored.
The reason is very simple. Few people know that Ji Lingxue is the boss behind Qingfeng Yashe. Qingfeng Yashe has been closed since it was caused by ruffians.
The rumors outside naturally drifted into Prince Chen's Mansion. Ji Yuqing heard them and happily asked Zi Ye to take her dowry and bet on Xiao Yichen to win, hoping to take the opportunity to make a fortune.
After hearing this, Yiyun shook her head and said, "Dubo is either gambling or winning, the risk and reward are half and half, it's better not to take risks." It's not that she can't afford to lose in her life, but she wants to take every step down to earth.
Ji Lingxue got up early, and Mo Xiang and Lian Xin stood at the door as usual, waiting for Ji Lingxue's call. Ji Lingxue, who was used to Xiao Yichen sleeping beside her at night, opened the window, glanced in the direction of the study, curled her lips, and turned around to let Mo Xiang and Lian Xin come in to wash for her.
Mo Xiang combed Ji Lingxue's hair while saying, "Princess, I heard something very interesting."
Ji Lingxue raised her eyebrows and waited for Mo Xiang to continue.
Mo Xiang kept the secret a secret and continued, "This morning when I went to the kitchen to get some vegetables, I heard the vegetable washers talking about how the prince called Concubine Qing and Concubine Yun to the hall yesterday and said he wanted to find them a new husband. Concubine Qing cried so hard that her nose and tears flowed, and she even threatened the prince to give her a divorce letter, saying she would become a nun."
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips. Last time, she poisoned Ji Yuqing and caused a piece of her scalp to fall off. At that time, she was crying with snot and tears. Why didn't she say that she wanted to become a nun? But did Xiao Yichen really want to find a husband for them both
Ji Lingxue shook her head. No matter how she looked at it, she felt that Xiao Yichen was not the matchmaker. If he had been interested in her, Ji Yuqing would not still be staying in the palace. Xiao Yichen knew everything she had done.
Ji Lingxue asked: "What did Yiyun say?"
Mo Xiang said, "Concubine Yun was the calmest. She was married to him by the Emperor. She even analyzed the pros and cons for the prince. The prince didn't say anything else and told them to go back. I'm just worried that the concubines on both sides will think that you, the princess, instigated the prince to drive them away, right?"
Ji Lingxue smiled. She had attracted a lot of hatred, so she didn't care what the two of them thought.
Ji Lingxue asked: "Are all the things Mo Xiang asked you to prepare ready?"
Mo Xiang nodded, took out a small white porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Ji Lingxue, "This is the soup I cooked overnight."
Ji Lingxue put it directly in her arms, looked at herself in the mirror dressed like a scholar, and nodded with satisfaction.
The atmosphere in the training ground was a little tense. The chef from Wangshan Building looked very confident, while the chef from Deqing Building occasionally looked at Ji Lingxue provocatively.
Ji Lingxue ignored him and listened to the old chef on the high platform speaking. He said, "The prince asked me to come up with the theme for today's competition. I spent the whole night thinking about what makes a good chef. One who can make delicious food with whatever ingredients are at hand. Therefore, I brought a basket of yam beans. I hope you three can make delicious food for me and the prince."
Cooking with jicama
The chefs from Deqing Tower and Wangshan Tower looked at each other in bewilderment. It was unbelievable that the imperial chef would come up with the idea of using such cheap food as a topic.
Yam also known as sweet potato was introduced from Dayan, and the people of Dayan ate it as their staple food. Because the growing conditions of sweet potato are easy to control, it is drought-resistant and easy to mature, the people used it as a snack to fill their stomachs. For a while, roasted sweet potatoes were particularly popular in the imperial city.
Ji Lingxue walked to the vegetable basket, picked out two good-looking yam beans, turned back to her table, picked up a knife and started peeling them.
When the chef from Deqing Building saw Ji Lingxue starting to work, he also picked up two pieces of yam and took them back to the table to peel them. The chef from Wangshan Building looked at Ji Lingxue and then at the vegetable basket, then picked up the remaining two and took them back to his table.
After peeling the sweet potato, Ji Lingxue cut it into pieces. The chef of Deqinglou suddenly had an inspiration. He heated the oil in the pan and fried the cut sweet potatoes directly into the pan. Then he glanced at Ji Lingxue triumphantly.
Ji Lingxue continued to ignore him, picked up the pot, poured water into it and started to cook the bean fries. After covering the pot, Ji Lingxue raised her hand, and a maid immediately came up to ask if she needed any help. Ji Lingxue told the maid what ingredients she needed, and the maid came back to Ji Lingxue after asking for instructions, and handed over a dozen eggs to Ji Lingxue.
After a while, Ji Lingxue started to boil eggs, then peeled and removed the egg whites, chopped the egg yolks and added seasonings for later use. After the yam bean was cooked, it was picked up, added with starch and deep-fried in oil until golden brown. Stir-fry the salted egg yolks until bubbles appear, add the sugar bean chips and stir-fry, so that the egg yolks are evenly coated on the yam chips.
In a blink of an eye, the time of an incense stick was up. Ji Lingxue stood up and looked at the chef of Wangshan Tower. She saw the shiny yam in front of him. It was candied yam.
Ji Lingxue turned to look at the chef of Deqing Building. He was making fried yam, and the golden yam was garnished with coriander leaves.
Three plates of yam were placed on the judges' table, and Ji Lingxue quietly waited for the results of the competition. The chef of Deqinglou wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve from time to time. Ji Lingxue smiled and said, "What's wrong? It's not very hot today."
The chef of Deqing Building snorted coldly and looked away.
The chef of Wangshan Tower turned his head to look in Ji Lingxue's direction, then turned again to look at the judges' seats.
Ji Mingyang picked up his chopsticks and took his first bite of the egg yolk baked jicama made by Ji Lingxue. He nodded and said, "It's delicious and has a lingering aftertaste."
Xiao Yichen picked up the chopsticks and tasted it, nodding and saying, "Not bad."
After discussion and decision by the Grand Tutor and the Imperial Chef, Ji Lingxue's baked yam with egg yolk was named first, and the second place went to Wangshanlou's candied yam.
As soon as the result of the competition was announced, the whole audience was in an uproar, and Ji Lingxue also received many envious and jealous looks.
The chef of Wangshan Tower bowed to Ji Lingxue to express his congratulations.
Ji Lingxue smiled and nodded as a return gesture.
The chef of Deqing Building protested loudly: "Master, Imperial Chef, have you been bribed? Is the egg yolk baked jicama she made so delicious?" Perhaps he was too excited, he glared, clenched his fists, and looked like he was ready to fight.
The Taifu's white beard stood up in anger, and he sneered, "Prince Chen, what nonsense are you talking about? This is the result of a unanimous discussion between me, the imperial chef, and the prince. If you have any objections, why don't you come and taste these three dishes before you speak?"
The chef of Deqinglou rolled up his sleeves and said, "Just give it a try. I don't believe it. It's just a plate of sweet potatoes, but you call it yam. No matter how high-sounding the name is, it's just low-grade food. You can make something fancy and even taste better than what I cook."
The chef from Deqinglou walked to the judges' table, grabbed a piece of sweet potato and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up instantly. Sweet potatoes are sweet in nature, and the sweetness of malt is just right. The effect will be better if it is sweetened right out of the pot.
Although he was shocked in his heart, he did not show it on his face. He grabbed another piece of egg yolk baked jicama and put it in his mouth. It was salty and sweet, rich and fragrant, and melted in the mouth. Even though it was cold now, it still tasted good. He understood why it was rated first. Indeed, his fried jicama seemed a bit monotonous and unremarkable.
The chef of Deqinglou turned around and walked back with his head down. Suddenly he stood in front of Ji Lingxue, bowed and said, "Can you accept me as your apprentice?"
Ji Lingxue's mouth twitched, she looked up and down at the burly man in front of her and said, "No." Then she turned and left.
From that moment on, the news that Qingfeng Yashe had won the first prize in the cooking competition spread throughout the imperial city. The newly reopened Qingfeng Yashe in the west of the city welcomed wave after wave of diners who came here to admire its reputation. The dishes they ordered were the same, all of which were the three dishes made by Ji Lingxue in the cooking competition: cabbage in soup, carved radish, and baked yam with egg yolk.
The cooks were changed to two, Lian Xin and Qingshan Scholar. Lian Xin followed Mo Xiang and Ji Lingxue for a while, so Ji Lingxue taught her how to cook these three dishes. As for Qingshan Scholar, Ji Lingxue used his identity to participate in the competition, so he naturally had to go in and out of Qingfeng Yashe.
Almost half a month has passed since the cooking competition, and the people of Beijing are still talking about the results of the competition. Qingfeng Yashe has become famous and has become a must-go place for people to gather and chat. People who lost their bets on dubo will despise the chefs from Wangshan Tower and Deqing Tower every time they meet.
As a result, Deqinglou's reputation gradually faded. After someone revealed that Deqinglou's dishes imitated Qingfeng Yashe, even fewer people went there. For this reason, the prince had to transfer the shop after losing half of his money.
Ji Lingxue had long set his sights on the location of Deqing Building and intended to open another Qingfeng Yashe in the city. Unfortunately, he acted too late, and the shop had already been transferred when Mo Xiang went there.
That night, Ji Lingxue was invited by Xiao Yichen to have dinner together. Since Xiao Yichen confessed his love that day, Ji Lingxue had not seen him for a while. Today, Xiao Yichen was wearing a white robe and sitting in the courtyard with his hair crown held high. When he saw Ji Lingxue coming, he looked up and pointed to the seat opposite and asked Ji Lingxue to sit down. He did not speak while eating or sleeping.
After the meal, Xiao Yichen pushed a land deed in front of Ji Lingxue.
Ji Lingxue picked it up and took a look at it in confusion. It was the deed to Deqing Building. She didn't expect that Xiao Yichen had got there first.
Ji Lingxue looked up and asked, "You want to give this shop to me?"
Xiao Yichen nodded, "Qingfeng Yashe's business is so good now. It has been opened outside the city. Many people think it is too far away. I believe the princess has considered opening a branch in the city. Deqinglou has been transferred, so I sent someone to negotiate the price and bought it."
Ji Lingxue happily held the deed in her hands, and was very satisfied with Xiao Yichen's flattery this time. She jumped into Xiao Yichen's arms, hugged his neck, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I like this gift very much."
Xiao Yichen leaned over to her cheek and asked, "Does the princess have any reward?" He looked like a child asking for candy, without any of the majesty of a prince.
Ji Lingxue: “…”
Seeing that Ji Lingxue didn't answer, Xiao Yichen held Ji Lingxue's face and kissed her red lips.
(End of this chapter)