After having three meals at noon, Zhang Shou went to a small teahouse in the afternoon to drink tea with three elders. They first talked about Longmen and then Jiuzhangtang. They talked a lot. Then the three elders dragged him to select two candidates for imperial chefs in a formal manner - because he specifically instructed that in each guild hall, all dishes should be the work of one chef - in the end, Huaiyang cuisine and Shandong cuisine were selected.
As for the slightly sweet Suzhou cuisine, he thought it was good, but the elders did not like it, so he only got one vote out of four. Although he could decide on his own, he finally decided to go back and mention it to the emperor. However, at the same time, he had an extremely bold idea in his mind.
By the evening of that day, when Zhang Shou sent Ge Yong and the other two home one by one, it was already evening. The feeling of fullness from the three meals at noon was long gone. Although he was not starving, he could not help but think to himself with self-mockery that the more he ate, the hungrier he would get.
At this moment, he heard Ah Liu muttering beside him: "Can mathematics really make a living?"
Zhang Shou glanced at Ah Liu, who had been mute the whole afternoon. Since persuading him to study was completely useless to this kid, he could only sneer and say, "For the teacher and those two gentlemen, it is indeed a delicacy and an elixir of eternal youth. Can you imagine how miserable the teacher and those two gentlemen will be when they are old and can no longer study these things?"
Ah Liu tilted his head and thought about it carefully, then nodded knowingly: "Yeah, I can't imagine what will happen when I get old and can't fight anymore."
When you are old and can’t fight anymore... Haha, I can’t imagine what that will be like!
Zhang Shou couldn't help laughing, but then he heard Ah Liu suddenly say, "Do you want me to check again to see what the frame-up is all about? I think it's true that Concubine Guo stole things, and it's also true that the man surnamed Zhou from the Imperial Kitchen had an affair with her and took advantage of her countless times in the Imperial Kitchen over the years, but there's something wrong with that frame-up."
Zhang Shou never doubted Ah Liu's sensitivity, and he himself believed that there might be something fishy behind this matter. However, seeing Ah Liu's murderous look at this moment, he couldn't help but laugh: "Didn't the emperor ask the imperial attendant to investigate? That means your master is leading the team, what are you worried about?"
Ah Liu frowned in annoyance: "But madmen do things in a messy way!" Besides, it's hard to tell where the source of this matter came from!
You make it sound like you're not messing around! Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh: "This is about the imperial palace. Unless you want to switch jobs and go back to your old job, don't even think about me agreeing to your request! Don't think too much. Maybe they sent you such a fool and the wooden man that the emperor often plays with on purpose. Instead of fussing over the details now, you might as well think about how to get your revenge in the future!"
"I understand." Although he agreed readily, Ah Liu once again began to think about all kinds of people in the capital. Although he had beaten some of them with his fists, poached some with promises, and had some people keep an eye on others, as a migrant worker who had just arrived in the capital for more than a year, he still felt that he lacked some means and that those people at home were not working hard enough.