Princess Danyang felt her stomach was a little bloated, so she put down her chopsticks. Then she suddenly realized that she had eaten so much.
"My Lord, are you okay?" Nanny Chang asked worriedly. She had heard that some chefs would put something addictive in the food, and the diners would keep eating the food. She was afraid that Princess Danyang had been deceived.
Princess Danyang had also heard of that kind of thing. "It's okay." She was sure that the food was normal, but it was just so delicious that she couldn't help but eat so much.
I'm glad you're okay. Nanny Chang felt relieved but also a little curious. Is this dish really that delicious
Princess Danyang smiled when she saw her expression. "Try it," she said.
Nanny Chang had been serving her since she was a child, so naturally she treated her differently.
"Master..."
"You can taste it if you are allowed to."
Nanny Chang picked up the chopsticks. There were ten dishes on the table, but Princess Danyang was actually full after only two or three bites of each dish. Nanny Chang picked up a piece of mutton from the Yang Fang Cang Yu and put it into her mouth. Suddenly, she looked incredulous. How could this dish be so delicious
She was reluctant to swallow what was in her mouth and just wanted to savor its flavor.
"Now you know," said Princess Danyang.
Only then did Nanny Chang come back to her senses, put down her chopsticks, and stand aside.
Princess Danyang looked at the wine beside her. There were three cups of wine. One cup was gorgeous and beautiful, one cup looked like nectar, and one cup was even more peculiar, with a green tint.
She picked up the third glass and took a sip. The name of the wine was Piao Piao. After drinking it, she really felt dizzy.
It took a long while before Princess Danyang put down her wine glass.
Soon, Jin Jiaoyue was called into the box.
"I want to meet your chef." said Princess Danyang.
"I'll go and ask for you." Jin Jiaoyue replied.
"Okay." Princess Danyang nodded.
Jin Jiaoyue walked out of the box, her steps getting faster and faster, and came to the backyard.
At this time, Jiang Yunzhu had finished preparing lunch and was taking a rest.
"Boss." Jin Jiaoyue called out and whispered about Princess Danyang, then looked at Jiang Yunzhu. What was she going to do
Jiang Yunzhu had no idea what to do. In fact, on the day Madam Yang came, she had thought about what to do if Princess Danyang or Scholar Shen came to the store one day.
It doesn't matter, just let it go. She doesn't want to please them, and there's no need to avoid them on purpose.
Thinking of this, she stood up and walked towards Princess Danyang's box.
The sound of knuckles knocking on the door was very crisp, and it was obvious that it was a girl knocking on the door.
"Come in." Princess Danyang was actually a little nervous.
Jiang Yunzhu pushed the door open and walked in. "Guest, do you want to see me?"
The moment she came in, Princess Danyang felt as if her eyes were brightened. Jiang Yunzhu was wearing a sky-blue dress today, without any accessories on her body, and her black hair was tied up sideways, which made her skin look even more rosy and her eyes brighter.
Especially her comfortable temperament, which makes people like her.
Princess Danyang really didn't expect Jiang Yunzhu to be like this. She thought that if she had a relationship with her son, she might be a charming little woman who made delicious soups, so she bewitched her son. She also thought that she might be as beautiful as a peach and plum, full of charm in her every frown and smile, so she made the iron tree bloom.
But it’s not at all.
She looked Jiang Yunzhu up and down, not missing any details.
Jiang Yunzhu let her look at her, neither humble nor arrogant, as if she was just a restaurant owner waiting to talk to customers.
Her attitude made Princess Danyang uncertain. Was she overthinking? Or was she unaware of her identity, so she was so calm
"Are you the chef of the restaurant?" asked Princess Danyang.
"Yes, he is also the owner of the restaurant." Jiang Yunzhu replied.
Princess Danyang wanted to ask her if she had any relationship with her son, but stopped herself. She didn't want to have any more unpleasantness with Shen Fengming.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Can you make Taibai duck?"
"Yes." Jiang Yunzhu replied.
"Can you make me one? I'll take it away." Princess Danyang said. In fact, she had been interested in this dish since she saw it on the invitation.
Jiang Yunzhu was surprised. Did she call her here just for this matter
Princess Danyang said, "My mother likes this dish very much, but many chefs have been replaced and none of them can make it taste the same."
Princess Danyang's mother, the Queen Mother? She's not... No, Jiang Yunzhu's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly remembered that the Queen Mother in her dream seemed to have died this summer.
According to the ancestral system of the Xia Dynasty, after the death of the Queen Mother or the Empress, the state would mourn for one month, with days replacing months. During the mourning period, officials could not feast or have fun, nor could they get married, but the common people did not have this taboo.
Marquis Anping was a high official in the imperial court, so naturally he had to abide by this rule and could not hold banquets for a month. At that time, Jiang Yunzhu was working hard to practice her cooking skills in Marquis Anping's mansion, so she had some impression of it.
Jiang Yunzhu thought carefully about when the Empress Dowager passed away. She remembered that it seemed to be at the end of July.
It's the end of June now, isn't that fast
Her expression changed several times.
Originally, the Queen Mother, who was so high and mighty, had nothing to do with her, but she was Shen Fengming's grandmother. Although the royal family had been ruthless since ancient times, and it was not uncommon for brothers to fight against each other and fathers and sons to kill each other, Princess Danyang remembered that the Queen Mother liked to eat Taibai duck...
Princess Danyang saw her strange expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yunzhu came back to her senses. "The kitchen hasn't prepared duck today. Should the customer wait for a while and I will ask someone to buy it, or come back tomorrow?" she asked.
Princess Danyang was just about to chat with her, "I don't have anything to do, just wait a moment."
Jiang Yunzhu calculated the time. It was quite time-consuming to make Taibai duck. "It might take more than an hour."
"No problem."
"Okay." Jiang Yunzhu stood up, called Yundu, asked him to buy a duck, and told him the techniques for selecting a duck.
Then she wanted to go to the kitchen to prepare something.
"There's no rush. My mother must have had lunch by now. Just cook the duck before dinner." Princess Danyang said, motioning Jiang Yunzhu to sit down.
Jiang Yunzhu sat on the chair next to her.
She behaved with ease, and Princess Danyang was very curious about her past experiences.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"Changfeng Prefecture." Jiang Yunzhu replied.
Isn't it Luzhou? Princess Danyang was slightly startled, but continued to ask, "Are you new to the capital?"
"yes."
"Who did you learn your craft from?"
…
After they chatted for a while, Princess Danyang seemed to understand Jiang Yunzhu better, but she was still not sure whether she had any relationship with her son.
At this time Yundu came back, and Jiang Yunzhu immediately stood up and went to make Taibai duck.
Taibai duck is a famous dish in the Tang Dynasty. As you can see from its name, this dish is related to the poet Li Bai. According to legend, when Li Bai was serving in Sichuan, he particularly liked to eat a local braised duck. Later, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned him to the court, he thought he had met a wise ruler, so he improved the cooking method of the braised duck and presented it to Emperor Xuanzong.
After eating the dish, Emperor Xuanzong praised it highly and named it "Taibai Duck".
It’s a pity that Li Bai was frustrated throughout his life. Later he resigned from his official position. Only the shape of Taibai duck remains, but few people know its taste.
Jiang Yunzhu also conducted many experiments based on ancient books and Li Bai's experience before she made the Taibai duck that she was satisfied with.
Prepare the duck and put it into a jar together with aged Huadiao, Panax notoginseng and other ingredients. Seal the jar with cotton paper and steam it for an hour, and the Taibai duck is ready.
For this dish, it is best not to remove the tissue paper on the jar before eating, so Jiang Yunzhu directly put the jar into the food box and handed it to Princess Danyang.
It was getting late, so Princess Danyang asked someone to carry a food box and went directly to the palace to see the Queen Mother.
Jiang Yunzhu was not sure whether the Queen Mother would like the Taibai duck she made. Sometimes, old people just miss the old feeling.
But she has tried her best, so that's all.
She picked up Simba and went to the back to rest.
Today Shen Fengming and Yang Sheng came earlier than usual.
Yang Sheng continued to eat for free. After the meal, he drank two glasses of wine and then left.
Shen Fengming was left alone, and Jiang Yunzhu just happened to have something to say to him.
Simba seemed to like Shen Fengming very much. Whenever he came, he would squat next to him, like now.
Jiang Yunzhu found it interesting and said to Shen Fengming, "Your mother came to the store today."
Shen Fengming was about to hand Simba to Jiang Yunzhu, but stopped when he heard this. "What does she want?"
"She ate and then asked me to make a portion of Taibai duck, which she gave to the Empress Dowager." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Shen Fengming frowned slightly. Just eating
Jiang Yunzhu didn't continue talking about this matter, but asked, "Empress Dowager?"
"She forgets a lot of things, especially things that happened recently, she often forgets them very quickly. On the contrary, she sometimes remembers things that happened in the past very clearly," said Shen Fengming.
Jiang Yunzhu listened and thought it looked a bit like Alzheimer's disease. "Have you seen the doctor?"
"The imperial physician has checked and there is nothing wrong with his body, except that he often forgets things."
"Where is Doctor Wu? What did Doctor Wu say?" Jiang Yunzhu asked.
"We had Doctor Wu see us last year. He used acupuncture and prescribed medicine, but it only delayed the symptoms. Later, the Empress Dowager said that she was not sick and did not want to take medicine or use acupuncture, so we had to listen to her," Shen Fengming explained.
Jiang Yunzhu remembered that in her dream, the Empress Dowager would die at the end of July this year. Logically, Alzheimer's disease would not kill someone so soon. So was it... a sudden illness, or some accident
Shen Fengming looked at her worried expression and softened his expression, "The Royal Grandmother is very good to me. My father and mother often quarreled, and the Royal Grandmother often called me into the palace, saying that she wanted me to accompany her, but in fact she was worried about me.
She often told me not to blame my mother. "
Shen Fengming stopped talking here. In fact, he later understood why his mother married his father, in order to win over the Shen family and for the throne of Emperor Qinglong.
He lowered his long eyelashes, then raised them and looked at Jiang Yunzhu.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't have time to figure out his thoughts and asked directly, "Do you know where Wu Yixian is now?"
Her idea was to ask Wu Yixian to help the Empress Dowager. That was all she could do. Of course, when Wu Yixian came, she would discuss it with him and come up with a safe solution.
“I know.” Shen Fengming replied.
At this time, Princess Danyang had already entered the palace with the food box and met the Queen Mother.