Starting from Tongzhou early in the morning, they arrived in the capital before noon, and then hurried straight to the palace and climbed Wansui Mountain. After Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying talked about the past of the capital and the palace, they naturally felt hungry. So when the emperor smiled and said that he had prepared lunch and they would eat in the Wanshou Pavilion in Wansui Mountain, Zhang Shou breathed a sigh of relief.
If he was summoned before noon but was not given food, he would have to rely on the dried meat that Ah Liu always brought with him to fill his stomach on the way out of the palace. Of course, he could only eat it in the car, otherwise he would be seen by others, and his demeanor would be completely ruined!
It's just that, while dining on Wanshou Mountain offered views and atmosphere, the dishes and snacks that were taken out of the food boxes with charcoal stored in the secret compartments looked extremely good, but the taste was... extremely ordinary, so much so that Zhang Shou couldn't help but think of some high-end restaurants with luxurious decorations, exquisite presentation, and attentive service... but the food was not delicious!
He tried to control himself from showing his disgust, but there were two people beside him who had been spoiled by him. After tasting a few bites, Ge Yong's frown never relaxed, and Zhu Ying, after tasting a piece of dessert, complained directly: "Why is the standard of the imperial kitchen in the palace worse than before? The Queen Mother's Qingning Palace's small kitchen is obviously not bad!"
The emperor glanced at Zhu Ying, who reacted directly, Ge Yong, who looked disgusted, and Zhang Shou, who was calm and composed, and then looked at his two sons. The third and fourth princes were eating obediently, not to mention complaining, and they didn't say a word. At this moment, he asked his two young sons: "Sanlang, Silang, do you think these dishes are delicious?"
The Third and Fourth Princes looked up in bewilderment. They looked at each other and then answered in unison.
"tasty!"
“It’s not tasty!”
As soon as the words came out, the two of them stared at each other in surprise again. The fourth prince shouted first: "Third brother, how can you lie with your eyes open? This dish is obviously terrible. Last time you complained to me that the Guanglu Temple is in charge of the imperial kitchen, but the food in the imperial kitchen is getting worse and worse! If it weren't for the small kitchen in Qingning Palace, even the Queen Mother couldn't eat delicious food!"
The Third Prince insisted that the food was delicious but was exposed by his own brother. He was so embarrassed that his face turned red.
Seeing that the emperor looked at him without anger, and seemed to be encouraging him to tell the truth, he mustered up the courage to say, "Father taught me to be content with what I have, and my teacher also said that there are still people in the world who cannot fill their stomachs, so it's just that it doesn't taste good, and I just want to bear with it."
He paused for a moment, then his voice softened as if he was feeling guilty: "Besides, Father, you have been eating this for so many years and never said anything. I thought you didn't want others to think you were a picky eater..."
Zhang Shou finally couldn't help laughing when he heard the Third Prince say that it was because of the Emperor's attitude. Seeing the Emperor shaking his head and sighing without saying anything, he said, "Third Prince, being picky about food is different from being picky about food. The Imperial Kitchen is under the jurisdiction of the Guanglu Temple. It provides food for the Emperor and other people in the palace. The monthly payment for purchasing ingredients is not a small amount."