The poor man grows watermelon

Before Xiao Heng asked any questions, the queen said first: "I don't know that the imperial chef who can preside over such a banquet is actually so young."

Xiao Heng maintained the harmony on the surface, and said with a smile: "Although Su Qing is young, she is very talented in cooking."

"Oh?" The Queen raised delicate eyebrows, "Your Majesty knows?"

Xiao Heng gritted his teeth, "That's natural!"

At this time, his expression was already a little bad, and there was obvious anger in his eyes.

The queen smiled, and turned to look at His Highness, "Su Qing, there is something unclear about this palace, and I hope Su Qing can clarify."

Su Ye bowed, "My lady, please tell me."

"Since it is a whole fish feast, why is there no trace of fish in the last soup?"

Su Ye pleaded guilty, "Your Majesty, empress, please forgive me for my selfishness."

"Selfishness?" A gleam flashed in the queen's eyes.

"Yes, selfishness." Su Ye replied unhurriedly: "I was born in the countryside, even if I have been blessed by heaven to serve Your Majesty and the adults, I still care about the villagers."

"That's right, Su Qing never forgets her background, just like your lovers don't forget their duty, putting the country first, it's all righteousness." Xiao Heng looked at the queen with a hint of meaning.

The queen's face was expressionless.

Xiao Heng sighed quietly in his heart, "Su Qing, please continue."

"According to the order." Su Ye bowed and continued, "The countryside is poor, and it is rare to see meat all year round. Every spring and summer, wild vegetables are everywhere. This seasonal vegetable noodle and fish soup is the favorite taste of the villagers."

"how do I say this?"

"The so-called 'noodle fish' is actually noodle skin made from wheat flour; as for 'seasonal vegetables', as the name suggests, it refers to seasonal vegetables, regardless of variety, which can be stewed into the soup."

Xiao Heng understood, and said sincerely: "Although the ingredients are not precious, and the method is simple, it tastes soft and warm in the stomach."

Su Ye nodded, "The seasonal vegetables are delicious but not hungry, and the noodles are full and nourishing. The combination of the two just complements each other."

Not far away was an envoy from the Kingdom of Shu, who nodded repeatedly after listening to Su Ye's words, "Our country is located in the southwest, with little cultivated land, but there are many mountains and forests, and wild vegetables and mushrooms are everywhere. This soup can feed and clothe the people. .”

The other party said very sincerely: "I beg your Majesty to tell you how to make this soup. I will be very grateful."

Xiao Heng smiled, and said magnanimously: "What's so difficult about it? It's good to ask your followers to learn from Su Qing later."

The man thanked him excitedly, Xiao Heng was very satisfied.

Now that someone has opened his mouth, others are not polite.

"The territory of our country is humid, especially in winter, it is very cold and humid. Although the boiled fish dish just now is spicy, it makes people sweat profusely and is very refreshing. I wonder if Mr. Su can tell you how to do it?"

Su Ye didn't reply immediately, but looked at Xiao Heng, who nodded with a smile.

Su Ye then said: "The reason why boiled fish can have such a taste lies in the ingredients, not in the method."

"Dare to ask, what ingredients are there to have such a magical taste?"

"Chili, or grass cornel. Grass cornel tastes bitter and can be made into spicy peppers. It can be added not only to boiled fish, but also to stir-fries and stews, or directly added to steamed buns and noodle cakes."

"The recipe of cornel chili..."

Su Ye was about to speak, but was interrupted by Min Zheng.

This seemingly gentle royal doctor is relentless when it comes to business.

"Prescriptions are easy to obtain, but cornel is hard to find. Even if adults know it, it is difficult to make without ingredients."

Who is not a human being sitting here?

As soon as Min Zheng opened his mouth, the man immediately understood and said humbly: "My lord said that there is not much arable land in our country, and the food is still insufficient. It is really not suitable for planting this kind of thing. I also hope that your majesty will open up more trade routes. Our country is willing to use it. Use good medicinal materials in exchange."

"Our country has fur, exchange it for your country's spring fish!"

"Our country has iron mines!"

"Our country is next to the sea, and there is plenty of sea salt!"

The envoys who couldn't pick it up shouted their conditions one after another, or exchanged fish, pickled vegetables, or spicy peppers. For a while, the solemn hall almost turned into a vegetable market. Everyone was afraid that if they shouted too slowly, they would not have their own share.

Su Ye and Min Zheng looked at each other tacitly, and both laughed—this is the power of food.

Although the results are surprising, the problem that should be solved still needs to be solved.

When the envoys from various countries left one after another, and the ministers also retreated one by one, Xiao Heng's face became serious.

"Su Qing, what happened to the last soup?"

Su Ye showed no signs of fear, and described the scene in the kitchen in detail.

At the same time, under Huo Da's leadership, Shao Ping and Su Qingzhu escorted the palace servants involved, and Yu Feng carried the soup pot to the main hall one after another.

The palace man who was trying to escape was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. When he saw the big maid next to the empress, he couldn't help shouting: "Sister, save me!"

The queen's face changed, and she flew into a rage, "Damn slave! What nonsense!"

Xiao Heng frowned tightly, "Why is the queen so angry?"

The queen came to her senses, pulled the silk handkerchief, and said nothing.

All the incidents tonight were too unsatisfactory for her, otherwise they wouldn't disturb her heart.

The facts are already obvious, and the next development has nothing to do with Su Ye and others.

Xiao Heng rubbed the center of his brows, and said wearily: "Su Qing has been suffering a lot today, so I will stay in the palace for a few more days, and I will reward you for your merits after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Ye had no choice but to agree at this time, even though he wanted to return.

Anyway, the mission is accomplished, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Everyone was still a little scared, Hou An asked bitterly: "Who is so bad? How dare you make trouble in the emperor's soup?"

Shao Ping tapped his head and said in a deep voice, "Speak carefully."

Hou An stuck out his tongue.

Xiaoxia's sister-in-law rubbed her chest and said weakly: "I was so scared to death, I almost thought I would kill my head..."

Aunt Chun Jiu patted her hand, "It's fine, it's fine."

Su Ye took the opportunity to point out: "The palace is no worse than Yujia Village. It's dangerous everywhere. It's best for us to stay in the back hall these few days to avoid any trouble."

Everyone nodded.

Su Qingzhu secretly ran to his side, spread his hands, "Look, my lord gave it to me."

Su Ye was taken aback, the only adult they knew in the capital, besides Huo Da, was Min Zheng.

"Master Min Zheng?"

Su Qingzhu nodded.

"What did he give you?"

Su Qingzhu passed his hand forward, and said impatiently: "Look for yourself."

Su Ye knocked on his head and took something into his hand - it was a waist card with the word "Min" engraved on it.

This is something used by the aristocratic family in the capital to show their identity. With this, they can avoid being provoked by people who are short-sighted.

Su Ye handed it back to Su Qingzhu, "Since it was given to you by an adult, hold it carefully and tie it around your waist when you go out to play. Remember, don't throw it away, and don't give it away."

"Oh." Su Qingzhu put it away obediently.

-

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the emperor allowed Su Ye and others to go out of the palace to play.

Everyone still has lingering fears about the turmoil at the small banquet. Although they really want to go out for a stroll, they are worried that something will happen.

In the end, only Su Qingzhu and Hou An responded.

Aunt Chunjiu said cautiously: "In my opinion, we'd better keep quiet these few days, let's get over this matter first, and play as we want."

Xiaoxia's sister-in-law nodded repeatedly, "Auntie is right, let's just stay here and don't go anywhere."

"Aren't you going?" Hou An lay down on the desk in disappointment, "Then I won't go either."

Shao Ping pursed his lips and looked at Su Ye.

Su Qingzhu also looked at Su Ye eagerly.

Su Ye felt very uncomfortable. He brought these people out originally with the intention of seeing the world together, but he didn't expect to scare them.

This will not work.

So, Su Ye had a smile on his face, and said in a relaxed tone: "It's rare to come to the capital, how can we not go out for a walk? It just so happens that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, let's go to the street to buy some gifts for everyone to take back!"

Hou An jumped up excitedly, "Okay, okay, I promised to buy the best pastries for Maomao and the others!"

Su Qingzhu also happily said: "The pastry will be broken after buying it back, so it's better to buy something fun."

"Yeah, then buy something fun!"

Xiaoxia's sister-in-law was still a little confused, "Ma'am, please bring some food for my mother and Douzi. By the way, there are also nephews and nieces from my mother's family. I won't go."

Aunt Chun Jiu thought for a while, and said, "Leave this matter to Xiao Ye, and we both will keep it. If anyone comes here, there will be someone to pass the message."

Su Ye wanted to persuade her again, but Aunt Chun Jiu said: "We two women are not suitable to go out with you, especially Xiao Xia, she is still young..."

Su Ye could hear what she meant, and although she disagreed in her heart, she still respected their ideas.

Several people walked out of the high palace wall, and suddenly felt that the air outside was a little fresh.

Hou An was as excited as a little monkey coming out of the mountain, pulling Su Qingzhu up and down the street.

There is a biscuit stall at the gate of the palace, and the crispy biscuits covered with sesame seeds exude an attractive aroma.

Hou An asked curiously, "What is this?"

Seeing that Hou An was wearing coarse clothes and speaking in dialect, the brother who sold sesame seed cakes showed a bit of contempt on his face, and replied calmly: "Hubing, very expensive."

Shao Ping frowned, pulled Hou An back, and said in a deep voice, "I'll buy it later."

It's not that Hou An couldn't see the height of his brows and eyes, and he immediately froze.

The little brother sneered and muttered, "Oh, if you can't afford it, just say you can't afford it!"

Su Qingzhu glared at him fiercely, causing the other party to tremble in fright, shrinking his neck like a quail.

At this moment, an enthusiastic shout came from the stall next to it, "Hubing, hot Hubing! Brother, do you want some?"

When Hou An heard that the other party was calling him, he jumped over happily, and asked a little embarrassedly: "Can you sell this pancake?"

The stall owner was a kind old man, and he laughed when he heard this, "The old man is setting up a stall here, of course he sells it."

Hou An giggled, took out the purse from his pocket, and said boldly, "I'll treat everyone to dinner!"

Su Ye and the others were very relieved to see that he didn't mind what happened just now, and they accepted his kindness generously.

However, when paying the money, there was a big and small oolong.

"What? I don't accept this money?!" Hou An held the copper coin in his hand, his round eyes widened.