The pleasure boat that Zhang Xiancheng and his team had stepped on yesterday was decorated even more magnificently today. Not only were there lights and decorations, but a red carpet was also laid out. Zhang Xiancheng and his team bowed and attentively ushered Eunuch Qian into the pleasure boat.
“You guys are thoughtful.”
Eunuch Qian walked into the pleasure boat, swaying his body with his orchid fingers, and naturally sat in the main seat. Before sitting down, Eunuch Qian, who was obsessed with cleanliness, wiped the chair with an embroidered handkerchief, and saw that there was no trace of dust on it, and nodded with satisfaction.
After getting the affirmation from Eunuch Qian, County Magistrate Zhang and his men felt as happy as if they had drunk sweet wine. They felt that the slaves they had provided a day earlier were not wasted, so they became more diligent.
In order to please Eunuch Qian, County Magistrate Zhang used several connections and hired three chefs from the provincial capital at a large expense to cook all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. Since Eunuch Qian sat down, plates and stacks of delicacies were brought to the table like water, and jars of fine wine that had been stored in the cellar for more than a hundred years were opened one after another.
On both sides of the river, there are more stray dogs chasing the pleasure boats...
County Magistrate Zhang and his men went to great lengths to prepare elaborate delicacies from land and sea, but they were unable to satisfy Eunuch Qian.
"This Longjing shrimp dish features white and tender shrimp meat and fragrant buds and leaves. Unfortunately, the cooking time was not controlled well enough, it was a little shallow, so the shrimp meat was tender, but the fragrance of the buds and leaves could not penetrate into the shrimp meat..."
Following the earnest recommendation of County Magistrate Zhang and his companions, Eunuch Qian tried the Longjing shrimp. After eating only half of the shrimp, he put down his chopsticks, wiped his lips with an embroidered handkerchief, and made a faint comment.
Is the heat not high enough
The clerks took a bite of the shrimp and almost swallowed their tongues. Why did we think it tasted so good?
"Ahem, Eunuch Qian, please try this West Lake Vinegar Fish. This dish is the undisputed 'champion' of Jiangnan cuisine. We specially invited Master Liu from Taizhou Prefecture. He is the chef who is best at making West Lake Vinegar Fish in Taizhou Prefecture."
County Magistrate Zhang became anxious when he saw that Eunuch Qian had not eaten well. Just at this moment, a dish of West Lake vinegar fish was served. County Magistrate Zhang was overjoyed and hurriedly took the dish himself and placed his hands in front of Eunuch Qian attentively.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Eunuch Qian stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, put it into his mouth, and took a light bite.
After taking a bite of the fish, Eunuch Qian chewed it gently for a while and slowly spit out a few tiny fish bones.
Everyone looked at Eunuch Qian expectantly, waiting for his evaluation.
This Master Liu is an expert in making West Lake vinegar fish and is well-known throughout the Jiangnan region.
County Magistrate Zhang and others were confident that this West Lake vinegar fish dish would be well received by Eunuch Qian.
However, they were disappointed again.
"The sauce is just okay, and the fish is tender, but it's not delicate enough. The imperial chef in the palace made this West Lake vinegar fish, but you can't taste a single fish bone. Before cooking, the imperial chef has already pulled out every bone, and the fish bones are placed on the plate, just forming a fish shape..."
Eunuch Qian wiped his mouth with an embroidered handkerchief and shook his head slightly. He did not think highly of the dish.
"Haha, that's right. Eunuch Qian has eaten all kinds of delicacies in the palace. It's us who are making fun of him."
Yao Zhubu smiled slightly and said flatteringly.
"No, no, I just serve the queen, and I am blessed by her grace, so I got some benefits from her..."
Eunuch Qian half covered his lips with an embroidered handkerchief and spoke modestly. His words were full of humility and his face was full of pride.
He is neither male nor female, so hard to please!
Li Dianshi was complaining in his heart but did not dare to show it on his face. County Magistrate Zhang had specifically told him to worship Eunuch Qian as his own ancestor and coax him to Jingnan to deal with Zhu Ping'an.
Although Eunuch Qian was rather picky about food, under the deliberate flattery of Yao Zhubu, Zhang Xiancheng and others, as well as the endless stream of delicacies from land and sea that came without regard for cost, the banquet was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests. The topic of Eunuch Qian's mission to the south of the Yangtze River naturally came up during the banquet.
"Eunuch Qian, you'd better come to our Jingnan to buy Jinbao pearls. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the famous pearl towns of our Ming Dynasty, and Jingnan is even more famous for its pearls. Even the famous Zhuji is not as good as our Jingnan." County Magistrate Zhang held the wine glass in both hands, respectfully toasted Eunuch Qian, and said after drinking.
"Oh?" After hearing the word Zhenzhu, Eunuch Qian became obviously interested. "Zhuji, Shaoxing, the ancient capital of the Yue Kingdom, the hometown of Xi Shi, is a famous pearl town in our Ming Dynasty. This miscellaneous expert knows that it is said that the fairy Chang'e in the Moon Palace has a huge pearl that is the best in the world. She often plays with it in her palm, and it is surrounded by fairy spirit. One day, the fairy Chang'e could not stand the loneliness, so she secretly met with Wu Gang under the osmanthus tree and left the pearl to the golden rooster for protection. The golden rooster, as usual, threw the pearl back and forth, playing secretly, and accidentally dropped the pearl into the mortal world. The golden rooster chased the pearl to the mortal world, and the pearl fell into the Huansha River in Zhuji. The pearl is spiritual, and seeing that the beautiful mountains and rivers of Zhuji are far better than the cold Moon Palace, it refused to go back. In order to avoid the pursuit of the golden rooster, the pearl flew from the Huansha River into the mouth of a woman washing yarn by the river. The woman gave birth to Xi Shi with the pearl, so there is an allusion of 'the mother bathed silk in the stream, and the pearl shot into the body and became pregnant', and Zhuji is also called the pearl town. However, what does Zhang County Magistrate say that Zhuji is not as good as your Jingnan? "
Seeing that Eunuch Qian was interested in his words, County Magistrate Zhang tried his best to express himself. "As we all know, pearls are grown from shells. Zhuji is located inland and only has river shells. However, Jingnan is backed by the boundless sea. It not only has river shells, but also sea shells. Both the quantity and quality are far superior to Zhuji."
"oh."
Eunuch Qian said lightly, "Oh."
Obviously, County Magistrate Zhang's words did not convince Eunuch Qian.
County Magistrate Zhang's face turned red.
"Ahem, Eunuch Qian, do you know about the Heshi Bi?" Yao Zhubu coughed, took over the conversation from Zhang Xiancheng, and said to Eunuch Qian.
"The Heshi Bi is world-famous, so how could I not know about it?" Eunuch Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and said lightly,
"Eunuch Qian knows about the Heshi Bi. Do you know about the Sui Hou Pearl, which is as famous as the Heshi Bi and is also a 'treasure passed down throughout the world' that has been fought for by emperors of all dynasties?" Yao Zhubu smiled slightly and continued.
"The Sui Marquis' Pearl?!" Eunuch Qian was slightly startled, then nodded slightly, "I seem to have heard of this, but I know very little about it."
"Han Feizi said: 'The wall of Heshi is not decorated with five colors; the pearl of Suihou is not decorated with silver and yellow. Its quality is so beautiful that nothing can decorate it.' There is also a saying in Lüshi Chunqiu: Guansheng: 'Now someone uses the pearl of Suihou to shoot a bird a thousand feet high. Why is that?' This famous book has a detailed description of the pearl of Suihou." Yao Zhubu said slowly.
"Could it be that the Sui Marquis's Pearl is related to your place?" Eunuch Qian asked with great interest after hearing what Yao Zhubu said.
"Eunuch Qian is wise, and he guessed it right at the first try." Yao Zhubu complimented, "When Sui Hou of the Western Zhou Dynasty was on patrol in his fiefdom and arrived at Zhashui, he found a giant snake several dozen feet long on the hillside. It was cut in half by someone and was dying. Sui Hou felt compassion and asked someone to treat it. A year later, Sui Hou was on patrol in Zhashui again and took a rest at a mountain post at noon. In his dream, a yellow-haired boy knelt down in front of him and said that he was the reincarnation of the giant snake that he had rescued last year. In order to thank Sui Hou for saving his life, he came to offer a pearl. Sui Hou suddenly woke up and found a pearl on the bedside. The huge pearl is white and round, dazzling, like a crystal candle when viewed from close up, and like a bright moon on the sea when viewed from afar. It is obvious that it is a precious pearl. When the news that Sui Hou got the precious pearl spread, it immediately attracted the covetousness of princes of various countries. Like the Heshi Bi, it was fought over by people all over the world. Finally, Sui Pearl fell into the hands of King Wu of Chu. Later, Qin conquered Chu, and Sui Pearl was taken by Qin Shihuang and regarded as the national treasure of Qin. It is as famous as the Heshi Bi and is fought over by emperors of all dynasties. This slag water is located in Jingnan. There is a clear record of this in the Jingnan County Chronicles, and you can find out with a simple search. "