Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan dealt with Yu Wenrong's people. Yu Wenrong didn't show any hostility. Instead, he gave Xiao Bei and the others a gift. He didn't apologize for offending Xiao Bei, nor did he mention that his people were hurt by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. It was as if nothing had happened.
In addition to making preparations for Li Longji's journey to Jinyang, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also had to set up a reception area in Jinyang. Usually, after the reception area was built, it would be put aside. Even if the Emperor left, no one else could use it.
Zhang Xiaobao also thought the same, so he needed to make arrangements there. This trip would cost about two to three hundred thousand strings of string of coins. It wasn't a small amount. If they couldn't earn it back, they would lose money.
"We've already sent people out. We won't take the land route. There's a Fen River that connects to the capital, so we can save a lot of money on the road. However, we need to build temporary rest areas every once in a while. I'm going to build the rest areas in the big garden."
In order to earn back the money he spent, Zhang Xiaobao drew a picture on a piece of paper. It was the garden he was talking about.
Wang Juan came over to take a look. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't tell that it was a garden. It looked more like a big market. She looked at Zhang Xiaobao in confusion, "How long do you think it will take to earn back the money you spent?"
"Very soon. Look, when Li Longji comes, we'll plant more flowers. When he leaves, we'll remove the flowers and turn it into a market. In every place like this, we'll use iron chains to pull up a bridge. It's convenient for people on both sides to trade with each other. We'll collect a bridge fee.
When others trade, we won't collect any fees. We won't even collect the market management fee. The price will be decided by the buyers and sellers. However, there's one thing. All the goods that come over must be seen by us before they're sold. We can buy them all directly. "
Zhang Xiaobao drew on the picture. He also drew a few flower pots and a hole on the ground. He meant to bury the pots and flowers in the ground. It would be convenient for them to go back and forth.
Wang Juan thought for a moment and understood what Zhang Xiaobao meant. Although it was said that the market price would not be affected, once they had the right to buy first, as long as they controlled it a little, they could make the price of various items in the market fluctuate. They could control the quantity of goods and make a lot of money. She nodded and said,
"This is feasible. What about the iron chain bridge? I estimate that 300,000 strings of coins won't be enough to repair the bridge fee. It's a long term thing..
It's better than nothing. At that time, there will be more merchants coming and going, and transportation will be convenient. At most, we can find someone to cooperate with. Our family can't take out too much money. When Li Longji goes to Jinyang for a tour, that's where the real money is. We'll protect the place where he stays, but in the name of letting him cultivate, we'll buy a larger area around it and build an artificial lake.
We'll let people go there and see if there's a good place and lake there. We'll arrange the place where Li Longji stays. We won't let others stay in the courtyard where he stayed. No one will care about the other places. Even the Emperor is willing to stay in a place where he stays. How many people will want to rest and play there?
We'll build more inns and restaurants, and that place will gradually become prosperous. The main thing is that we can let people do business there with a little management fee. If they're willing to rent out the place, they can earn back the money they spent in less than two years. In the future, that place will become more and more profitable. "
Zhang Xiaobao told Wang Juan his idea, and then said, "We still have to think of a way to let Li Longji write a title or something, such as the world's number one lake. Well, I don't think that's possible. That small lake can't be the world's number one. Let's not talk about this for now. We'll think about it when the time comes."
"You're using Li Longji's name to get benefits for yourself." Wang Juan admitted that this celebrity effect would be good. People nowadays liked things like being attached to others. For example, if someone wrote a good poem in a certain place, as the poem spread, that place would become famous, and many people would come because of it.
Not to mention this time, it was the same at other times. Lu Xun wrote Kong Yiji, and as a result, the fennel beans and Xianfeng Tavern became famous. Originally, it was something that could be eaten anywhere and didn't taste good, but it was sold at a high price.
When the time came, Zhang Xiaobao would also specially cook a few side dishes in Jinyang, and then have someone make a story about it. After that, he would connect it with the Emperor and spread it out. Then, he would find someone to write a few prepared poems in advance. Aiya, that would be amazing. He estimated that he would be able to earn back the money in two years.
Jinyang was also a big place, and it was already prosperous enough. Who knew how much the land that was rented out would be sold.
Thinking of this, Wang Juan reminded Zhang Xiaobao, "Don't forget about the ship. Li Longji's ship can't be closed off to others, right? At most, we'll leave his cabin open. The other places can still be used as a cruise ship. I think there will be a lot of people who are willing to go up and get some of the dragon's aura. "
"I know. Make use of everything you can. Oh, and don't forget to send money and gifts to the people around Li Longji. Even if it's an errand eunuch or a guard, you have to take care of them. Who knows when you'll need them in the future?"
Zhang Xiaobao also had such plans. If the imperial court spent money directly, the money spent would become a one-time expense. Although this money would eventually fall into the hands of the people and officials, it wouldn't play a big role in the development of the local economy.
If it were up to him to operate, not only would he be able to make money, but he would also provide a place for the people to exchange goods. Many of the things produced by the people couldn't be sold because of the lack of a place to buy and sell them. Some people lacked such goods, especially vegetables. It would be a pity to just throw them away.
After the two of them were almost done with their discussion, they once again sent people to the front to make arrangements. Time was tight, and they only had half a month to prepare. The project was huge, and they needed to find a lot of people to help.
The sky gradually darkened. Zhang Xiaobao started to cook for his younger siblings again. Xiaobei and the others were unwilling to just stay in the room. They were wearing the official robes of Mi You and were wandering back and forth in the courtyard behind Savant's Restaurant. They were afraid that others wouldn't know that they were officials now.
After wandering for a while, Xiaobei started to think about her guards. Now that she was an official, according to the rules, she could have a certain number of attendants. Even though she was just a low-ranking official, she could still enjoy such treatment and a salary from the imperial court.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family had guards, and the number had long exceeded the standard. However, no one cared about it, and no one mentioned it. Other than the fact that other people also exceeded the standard, it was also because of the importance of the skills of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family. Even Li Longji hoped that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family would have more guards to prevent others from prying into their good skills.
"I've decided. My guards must grow up with me and be nurtured from a young age." After thinking for a while, Xiaobei came up with such a decision. She started to look at Xiaoyuan.
"Don't look at me. I'm not your guard. I'm also an official. I also need my own guards." Xiaoyuan knew what Xiaobei was thinking when she saw Xiaobei looking over. She straightforwardly told Xiaobei to dismiss the idea.
Xiaobei looked elsewhere regretfully and finally said, "Forget it. When we're on the way, I'll see if I can meet some orphans and find them to be my guards. In the future, they will definitely be more powerful than the people from Team Zero."
The people who lived in Savant's Restaurant were also looking at Xiaobei and the others in the courtyard. They were all envious and jealous.
*****
When the sky finally turned dark, Zhang Xiaobao brought out the food he had prepared for his younger siblings. Just as he was about to ask his younger siblings to eat, someone from the palace came. Gao Lishi asked the little eunuch, Luo Bin, to come over and ask Zhang Xiaobao if he had made any dishes. He had not eaten yet.
When he heard Luo Bin say this, Zhang Xiaobao gave Wang Juan a look, telling her to continue telling stories to his younger siblings while he went to cook for Li Longji.
Although Luo Bin said that Gao Lishi wanted to eat, Zhang Xiaobao knew that this was Li Longji's problem. In fact, the chefs in the palace were not bad. It was just that the food they made was more casual. It was unlike the palace, where the food used was fixed and could not be different. If it was a little salty or bland, then it would be troublesome.
After busying himself for a full hour, Zhang Xiaobao only managed to make eight dishes and one soup. He put them in a large food box and had the people Luo Bin brought carry it away. He did not forget to give Luo Bin and the others a gift according to the importance of their position and status. He even did not miss out on the palace guards who followed them.
This time, the people who came out went back happily and promised Zhang Xiaobao that they would not delay the journey and would not let anyone come close. This meant that they did not have to worry about anyone tampering with the food.
After watching Luo Bin and the others leave, Zhang Xiaobao rubbed his starving stomach and looked for something to eat. He muttered, "This journey is so tiring. I reckon that Li Longji wants me to cook for him, so he transferred me over from Baoxin County. What kind of person is he?"
Zhang Xiaobao did not know whether Li Longji really thought this way or not. When Luo Bin hurried back to the palace, the food was still warm. There was no need to reheat it. There was a charcoal fire under the food box to keep it warm. In addition, it was currently summer, so it was impossible for it to become cold.
Zhang Xiaobao was hungry from cooking, but Li Longji and Gao Lishi were also hungry. In order to eat more of Zhang Xiaobao's food, the two of them only drank tea and did not even touch the snacks.
When they saw that the food was delivered with the seal that Zhang Xiaobao had put on it, Gao Lishi checked it and saw that no one had touched it. He did not need anyone else to taste it. He tasted every dish himself. After waiting for another fifteen minutes, he nodded to Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, you can eat now."
When Li Longji saw that Gao Lishi did not feel uncomfortable after tasting the food, he impatiently picked up his chopsticks and started eating. As he ate, he said, "If only I could get Xiao Bao to come over and cook for me. I don't need anyone else to taste it. After we leave the capital, I can eat Xiao Bao's food every day. Don't you think it's strange? Xiao Bao's knife skills are not as good as the chefs in the palace, so why does it taste so good?"
"Your Majesty, this subject believes that it has nothing to do with the knife skills, nor is it an issue with the seasonings. It's just that Xiao Bao's food gives me the feeling of eating at home. It's not like a restaurant where the food is good, but it's all the same. Xiao Bao's food is called a home-cooked meal."
Gao Lishi explained from the side.
"Yes, yes, yes, home-cooked meal. That's indeed the case. In the past, when I was in my own residence, even if the food I ate was not as good as the food in the palace, I still felt that it was better than the food in the palace. Tomorrow, call Xiao Bao and the others over and make that pot of clear water. It'll be more lively when a group of people eat together. It's better than eating alone."
Li Longji agreed. Then, he wanted to liven up the atmosphere. The people in the palace, even his children and concubines, were a little reserved when eating with him. They were not as good as Zhang Xiaobao and his younger siblings. Children did not know how to be afraid and would say whatever was on their mind. Only then would they be able to eat together freely.
Gao Lishi did not object. He immediately sent someone to Savant's Restaurant to inform Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan so that they could prepare in advance. Whatever they wanted to dip in the pot of water would be decided by the two of them. It should not be bad, but they did not know how much it would cost. The Emperor's meal was not simple.
"Lishi, you eat too. Eight dishes and one soup. I can't finish it alone. It would be a pity to throw it away." Li Longji said to Gao Lishi when he saw Gao Lishi eating at the side. From the looks of it, Xiao Bao knew that if two people were eating, he would probably increase the portion by a little.
When Gao Lishi thanked him and also started to eat, Li Longji suddenly changed the topic and talked about the trip to Jinyang this time.
"Lishi, how much do you think Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will spend this time? How will they earn it back? I don't believe that they will only spend and not earn. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned to them that I am willing to take the initiative to fork out this money. It probably won't be a small amount. "
In fact, Li Longji did not need Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to fork out the money. There was a lot of money in the national treasury now, enough to support a few trips like this. The reason why he agreed was that it was better to save as much as possible and use it in other aspects. The people in the imperial court had already calculated that if they were to fork out money from the national treasury this time, they would need at least 200,000 strings of coins. This was not including the money that would be taken out when they arrived at Jinyang.
It was better to save money and leave it to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Another reason was that he wanted to see if the two of them could earn money from this kind of thing. He wanted to learn.
How could Gao Lishi know how much Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan would fork out? He estimated that it would not be less. After thinking for a while, he replied, "Your Majesty, this subject feels that if Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were to fork out the money, they would not be able to spend 300,000 strings of coins. It might even be 500,000 strings of coins."
"Oh? Why do you say so? "Li Longji asked.
"Replying to Your Majesty, since Xiao Bao and Cuckoo have accepted this job, they naturally will not be fooling around. They will definitely arrange it well so that Your Majesty will be happy along the way and feel comfortable when you arrive at your destination. This is a sum of money. According to the calculations of the officials in the imperial court, the amount of money that was prepared to be used in the national treasury was 200,000 strings of coins.
Moreover, when you arrive at Jinyang, you will also need to spend a lot of money there. There are construction banks, roads, and arrangements for Your Majesty's sightseeing. 100,000 strings of coins is still the minimum. It is estimated that it will only be more and not less. Since this is the case, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will have to fork out 300,000 strings of coins.
In addition, they will have to think of ways to earn money, so they will need to use more money to take advantage of the opportunity to build. Therefore, this subject feels that 300,000 strings of coins is possible. "
Gao Lishi analyzed for Li Longji. He also wanted to know how Xiao Bao would earn back the money. The more the better.
Seeing that Li Longji was deep in thought, Gao Lishi asked again, "Why don't this subject send someone to ask Xiao Bao?"
"Ask? No need, we will know when the time comes. The Empress and Concubine Hui are still in the hospital. Did they say when they will be back? "
Li Longji felt that if he asked, Zhang Xiaobao would naturally tell him, but it would not be a surprise. It would be interesting to guess more. It would be best if he could see how Zhang Xiaobao would earn money. At the same time, he asked Empress Wang and Concubine Wu. If they were not back, he could not bring them along. It did not matter whether Empress Wang brought them along or not. Wu Huifei had not seen her for a long time.
Gao Lishi knew the situation over there. He said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, this subject reckons that the Empress and Concubine Hui will not be able to make it this time. There is a chef competition over there."
Li Longji looked a little regretful. He did not say anything more and continued to eat.
*****
In Huayuan County, the chef competition was still in progress. Chefs from all over the country showed their skills. For the next few days, they were busy all day and night, taking turns to come.
The chefs in Aqua Cloud Room had already cooked several dishes, but every time Wu Huifei gave them a very low score. Even if the food in her mouth was clearly better than the dishes cooked by others, she still wouldn't give them a high score.
Empress Wang was more fair. She would give a score according to her own feelings. If the food Between the Clouds and the Water did not taste good, she would not give a high score.
The two of them were not the only ones who tasted the food. There were other people who were also there to give a fair score after tasting the food made by others.
In this way, it was impossible for Concubine Wu Huifei to suppress Between the Clouds and the Water even if she tried her best. Now it was night time, and there were only two days left. The chef competition would enter the finals. Most of the chefs who were eliminated by the score would not have a chance to enter the finals.
Now, among the 20 people in front of the competition, 12 of them were Between the Clouds and the Water. One of them was because the food Between the Clouds and the Water cooked was really good. The other was because the chefs Between the Clouds and the Water came in large numbers. There were many branches Between the Clouds and the Water in the prefectures around Gyeonggi Province.
Even if there was only one chef from each branch, there would be more than 100 chefs coming here. Under such competition, it was hard not to be sent to the front.
In order to suppress Between the Clouds and the Water, Concubine Wu Huifei could not sit still. Tonight's competition was to make a soup and two optional dishes. Once the dishes were done, dinner would be finished after tasting them.
Concubine Wu Huifei sat there and thought for a while. Then she gave an order to the person next to her. That person immediately came to the stage where the competition was going to be held and shouted to the crowd, "Concubine Wu has ordered that in today's competition, we will not follow the previous rules. Instead, we will divide the dishes made by the 20 people in front of us and let each judge be responsible for two people's dishes.
As for the chefs after the 20th place, they will be counted according to the normal rules. In this way, we can increase the difficulty of the chefs and make the competition more interesting. "
The onlookers understood as soon as they heard that. Concubine Wu Huifei wanted to change the rules. If it were someone else who said this, the onlookers would definitely not support it. However, she was an imperial concubine. Even if some people were not satisfied with it, they could not say anything.
At this time, many people looked at Empress Wang, wondering if she would agree.
How could Empress Wang not know what Concubine Wu Huifei was thinking? If she did this, then as long as Concubine Wu Huifei ate the dishes made by the chefs Between the Clouds and the Water, no matter how good or bad they were, they would be given a very low score. This would cause the chefs Between the Clouds and the Water to drop from the top 20.
One less person was one less person. Two less people were two less people. In this way, Between the Clouds and the Water might lose in the finals because of the lack of chefs.
Empress Wang wanted to stop it, but when she saw the person in charge of the competition, who looked indifferent, she finally swallowed the words she wanted to say. Weiwei nodded, agreeing to this rule.
Seeing that Empress Wang did not object, Concubine Wu Huifei was happy. She looked at the place where the lots were being drawn, hoping that she could draw two chefs Between the Clouds and the Water. That way, she could take revenge on Wang Juan first. After all, she had brought Empress Wang here and taught her a lot of skills.
Perhaps she was really lucky. When the lots were drawn, Concubine Wu Huifei indeed drew two chefs Between the Clouds and the Water.
Wu Huifei looked at the two chefs who were indifferent and thought about how to find fault with them later.
With the order, the competition started. Concubine Wu Huifei stared at the two chefs she was in charge of. When it came time to score, she had to have an excuse.
The two chefs Between the Clouds and the Water did not make shark fin and abalone. It was a very normal dish. First, they prepared the ingredients for two soups. One prepared to make a soup with cucumber and egg, while the other prepared to make a soup with shredded radish.
After preparing the ingredients for the soup, one of the chefs began to beat the eggs. He used shredded radish to make the soup. Because there were eggs in the main dish, it was not good to put eggs in the soup. Otherwise, it would be repeated.
The oil in the pot was first heated. Then, he beat the eggs one by one into the bowl. Then, he used chopsticks to break the adhering parts. The chopsticks flew up and down, and the eggs rose and fell with the movements of the chopsticks. In the end, the eggs did not look like eggs. They looked like yellowish cloth.
After the oil in the wok was boiling, the cook added some salt to the eggs. He didn't add anything else and directly put the cloth into the wok with his chopsticks. With a sizzling sound, the eggs in the wok suddenly swelled up.
When the last piece of egg was beaten into the pot, the chef used his chopsticks to pull the egg pancake in the pot and turned it around. Immediately, with the force of the turn, the egg pancake was picked up along the side of the pot and landed on the empty plate at the side.
The whole process was very fast. It was so fast that the onlookers below exclaimed. They had never seen anyone make fried eggs like this. It looked very comfortable, but the requirements for heat control and the chef's proficiency were very high.
This dish was actually very common. However, when placed in Between the Clouds and the Water, it was a dish that every chef who wanted to be promoted to a special chef. The simpler the dish, the more one could see the chef's ability.
Then, the chef began to stir-fry the wood ears and shredded meat. At the same time, it was a very simple dish. At this time, the other chef had also finished the first dish. It was stir-fried tofu with some starch on top. That was it. The other dish was eggplant with minced meat.
Except for the wood ears, which were very rare, the commoners had eaten all the other dishes. They were the most commonly seen dishes. However, none of the commoners felt that this dish was not good. They were all waiting for the final score.
At this moment, the soup was also being served. The entire process, which consisted of two dishes and one soup, took less than half an hour before they were placed on the table in front of Wu Huifei.
Before they even touched their chopsticks, Wu Huifei spoke first. She evaluated the four dishes one by one. "I don't know what the chef is thinking about this fried egg. You made such a big piece. How do you expect others to eat it? Don't you know how to break it? When did Between the Clouds and the Water have such a chef? At the very least, it should be divided into four pieces. Even if you used a knife to divide it later, it would be fine. "
The chef who was criticized nodded and replied, "Your Highness is right. When I made it, I did as Your Highness said. I divided this piece of egg into six pieces. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, just use your chopsticks and you will know.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the eggs seem to be in a continuous state when you put them into the pot. In fact, they actually broke five times. Furthermore, the position of the eggs in the pot has also been adjusted. Just by connecting them together, they can be separated with chopsticks. "
Hearing the chef's words, the commoners nearby gasped in admiration again. They all followed the people around them and said that the chef Between the Clouds and the Water was amazing and so on.
Wu Huifei's expression turned ugly. Using her chopsticks to pick up the egg, wasn't that right? With just a slight movement, the egg on the plate immediately divided into six pieces.
Following the praises of the surrounding commoners again, Wu Huifei felt that she had lost face. She said, "Don't you know how to add some chopped green onions to add color when you are scrambling the eggs? Look at what you made. Without chopped green onions, how can the taste be good? "
"Yes, Your Highness is right." The chef didn't refute this time. In this aspect, everyone had their own reasons. Not adding chopped green onions was to allow the scrambled eggs to maintain the original taste as much as possible. If he added chopped green onions, then there would be an additional taste of chopped green onions. However, some people didn't like to eat eggs with chopped green onions because the taste wasn't good.
Seeing that the other party didn't refute this time, Wu Huifei picked up a piece of egg and took a small bite. Her brows furrowed. Scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs. You really fried them lightly. Don't tell me you don't have any salt? You only put this little bit of salt. It doesn't taste good at all.
The chef was stunned for a moment and didn't say anything. The surrounding people who knew how to eat looked at Wu Huifei in surprise. Every one of them wondered if this was Wu Huifei. Didn't she know that eating scrambled eggs wasn't about eating salt, but the freshness of the egg? Otherwise, why was she able to get it out of the pot so quickly?
"I don't know how you got such a high score. This dish only got a zero. Do you have any objections?" Feeling that she had caught the other party's flaw, Wu Huifei directly gave him a zero.
What objections could the chef have? So be it. He didn't come here to get first place. It was fine as long as he achieved his goal.
After Wu Huifei said this, the commoners let out a series of boos. Then, they immediately stopped, afraid that Wu Huifei would see them and have them arrested.
At this time, the person in charge of the competition walked over and said to Wu Huifei, "Your Highness said it very well. Then should this dish be called lightly fried?"
"Yes, it's this light word." Wu Huifei nodded. Weiwei nodded.
"Thank you, Your Highness." At this time, the chef bowed to Wu Huifei, because he had achieved his goal. In the future, there would be a dish called Wu Huifei Stir-Fry, and it would definitely be very famous. Especially since the Zhang and Wang families had a lot of eggs, there was no need to worry about not having enough. It was estimated that from today onwards, Wu Huifei Stir-Fry of Shuiyun Room would become famous.
Wu Huifei didn't know that this chef's competition was prepared for her. They used her name to earn her living expenses in the Four Seasons Restaurant. Then, she started to evaluate the next dish.
How could one not be able to pick a bone in an egg? The four dishes and two soups of the two chefs all got zero points. These six dishes also got their own names. The method of making minced meat and eggplant was to cut open the eggplant and put minced meat inside. It was not the other method of making minced meat on the outside.
Wu Huifei said that once the customers saw the meat, they would have preconceived ideas and wouldn't buy it. This was because the dishes Between the Clouds and the Water all had pictures to let the customers know how they looked.
Therefore, Wu Huifei gave a bad evaluation of this dish, saying that it only knew how to hide the meat inside.
As a result, the Minced Meat and Eggplant Between the Clouds and the Water became Wu Huifei's Minced Meat. When eating this dish, one could even imagine whether the Emperor would be angry when he heard about it. Never mind. I'll explain later. I'll earn as much money as I can.
The other dishes also got their own names, all of which started with "Wu Huifei". It was agreed that they would use the names of Empress Wang and Wu Huifei. Wu Huifei was very happy. As the dishes spread, her reputation would also spread.
Empress Wang was also evaluating the dishes. Her opinions were very pertinent. Even if she didn't know, she would ask clearly. She named the dishes that tasted good and left the ones that didn't.
Wu Huifei, who didn't know that she was being schemed against, was still happily thinking that there would be two less people Between the Clouds and the Water. When the finals came, she would think of a way to make the first place go to someone else. That would be perfect.
The person in charge of the Zhang family and the chefs here were all amazed by the Little Young Master. When the competition was held, the Little Young Master repeatedly emphasized that there was no need to get first place this time. Even if they didn't get first place, Between the Clouds and the Water would still be Between the Clouds and the Water, especially since this was a competition held Between the Clouds and the Water.
If the first place didn't belong to Between the Clouds and the Water, the reputation of Between the Clouds and the Water might be better. As long as Wu Huifei and Empress Wang allowed them to use their names to name the dishes, it would be a success.
Looking at the situation, now they were one step closer to success. Moreover, Wu Huifei deliberately made trouble. The people were not stupid, especially when they were talking about the scrambled eggs, they said it was light. It was estimated that it would soon spread and become a joke. Moreover, people who went to Between the Clouds and the Water to eat would be willing to order this dish, which was not expensive.
After Wu Huifei and the others tasted the dishes and were full, the onlookers also had the opportunity to order some dishes to try. This dish was made by the best chefs in the whole of Gyeonggi Province. Usually, if they wanted to eat it, they wouldn't be able to afford it. Now, they had a chance.
After the selection of today's competition, the first 20 people who were going to participate in the finals had been selected. After Wu Huifei eliminated two of them, the remaining 10 people successfully passed the competition.
The people also began to disperse. When they walked on the road, they didn't forget to talk to each other about today's competition. As long as they weren't stupid, they could see that Wu Huifei was deliberately making trouble for Between the Clouds and the Water.
How could a chef who got a high score for Between the Clouds and the Water not cook good food? Moreover, there were people who had tasted it. When the scrambled eggs were put in the mouth, they were soft and fragrant. After one bite, they wanted a second bite.
The remaining eight judges also knew Wu Huifei's intention, but they couldn't cooperate with Wu Huifei. Empress Wang was there. If they really cooperated with Wu Huifei, not to mention whether Empress Wang would agree or not, Between the Clouds and the Water would also have ideas about them.
In particular, the eight of them also wanted to maintain their reputation. Wu Huifei might not care about what she did, but if the eight of them followed suit and made trouble, who would invite them to taste dishes in the future? Who didn't know how high the standards for choosing a chef from Between the Clouds and the Water were? Moreover, Between the Clouds and the Water could always produce new dishes.
If none of them made it to the finals, people wouldn't doubt the ability of Between the Clouds and the Water, but whether there was something wrong with the person who tasted the dishes.
Wu Huifei, who thought that she had won by a small margin, looked at the eight judges in dissatisfaction. She smiled and greeted Empress Wang, then returned to Four Seasons Workshop, 70% full.
Empress Wang smiled and didn't say anything. Beside her, Xiao Zhu pouted on the way back and said, "Empress, why did you just watch Wu Huifei make trouble there? Look at how she picked on the dishes. I really suspect that there's something wrong with the palace chef who cooked for her. "
"It's all because of me. Cuckoo sent me here. Of course, Wu Huifei wouldn't agree. She's taking revenge. It's a pity that she chose the wrong person. Zhang Family and Wang Family won't suffer for nothing. This time, Wu Huifei's name will be known, but it won't be a good reputation."
Empress Wang wasn't worried that Zhang Family and Wang Family couldn't handle such a small matter. Thinking of Wang Juan in her heart, a smile appeared on her face.
Xiao Zhu nodded, "Anyway, I can't see what Zhang Family and Wang Family will do."
At this moment, the maid from Yaowang Mountain who was in charge of serving Empress Wang said to Xiao Zhu, "Little Sister Xiao Zhu, you haven't eaten yet, right? Then when we go back later, I'll make Huifei Stir-Fry for you. "
Hearing this name, Xiao Zhu finally reacted. She opened her eyes wide in surprise and suddenly burst out laughing, "You're so bad. I know. In the future, Huifei Stir-Fry Between the Clouds and the Water will be a famous dish. Then tomorrow, shouldn't we let Wu Huifei continue to make trouble?"
Empress Wang also smiled. She knew that this was Wang Juan helping her again. It wouldn't be long before the people around Gongji Province knew about what happened today. Wu Huifei's reputation would plummet. At least, she wouldn't be able to run away from the fact that she didn't know how to taste dishes.
If she deliberately made trouble Between the Clouds and the Water, after going back, the people in the court would hesitate when choosing a side. Who didn't know that Zhang Family and Wang Family were vengeful people?
Good plan, this plan was well used. It was all for her and made things difficult for Cuckoo.
The next day, when the final competition was held, Wu Huifei didn't let go of the chef Between the Clouds and the Water. This time, she thought of a new rule. That was, there were 20 people and 10 judges. She divided the judges into two teams. One team would follow Empress Wang, and the other team would follow her.
First, the judges would report their scores to her, and then she would make the final decision. Under normal circumstances, she could take down at least five people from Aqua Cloud Room. If she was lucky, she could even take down ten people from Aqua Cloud Room.
At that time, if she met someone who wasn't Between the Clouds and the Water, she would deliberately give full marks. She didn't believe that Empress Wang would do the same.
If Empress Wang had a person Between the Clouds and the Water who got full marks, and she also had a person from another place who got full marks, they would compete again. Then, both sides would jointly give their scores. She would lead four people to give the person Between the Clouds and the Water a lower score. Wasn't Empress Wang fair? That was good. No matter how bad her side was, the fair Empress Wang wouldn't give a zero.
Then, after calculating the average score of both sides, Between the Clouds and the Water would at most get second place.
That night, Wu Huifei, who had figured this out, had a good dream. The next day, her spirit couldn't keep up. The palace maid next to her also listened to her sleep talk for the whole night. She said that the dish didn't look good, that there was too much oil, and so on.
It was the last day of the competition. More people came, hoping that they would be lucky enough to try the dishes that the judges couldn't finish.
The 20 chefs who were going to enter the finals were also ready. During the drawing of lots, it was unknown how it was so 'coincidental'. After Wu Huifei announced her new rules, she actually drew nine chefs from Between the Clouds and the Water. Only one of them didn't have a name Between the Clouds and the Water.
The chef Between the Clouds and the Water who was assigned to Empress Wang was said to be the head chef of the flagship store Between the Clouds and the Water in Sanshui County.
After a round of evaluation, the nine chefs from Between the Clouds and the Water in Wu Huifei's team were once again degraded by Wu Huifei. Their scores were so low that all kinds of excuses that would make people blush came out of Wu Huifei's mouth.
As a result, many of the dishes were given new names. The nine chefs were very happy, and the remaining one was given full marks by Wu Huifei. The four judges who followed him were very helpless. Wu Huifei didn't allow them to say anything, so they could only write. After they finished writing, they gave their scores to Wu Huifei.
If others didn't know, they would really think that they gave a very low score.
Empress Wang also had a chef who got full marks, and it was the chef from Between the Clouds and the Water. The head chef Between the Clouds and the Water was indeed amazing. Even the other nine chefs who were competing with him couldn't help but be convinced.
As a result, there were two chefs who got full marks on the competition stage.
Wu Huifei excitedly used the method she thought of last night to start a new round of evaluation. The result was needless to say. Between the Clouds and the Water was given a low score, while the other chef was given a high score and full marks.
After the two rounds were averaged, the chef Between the Clouds and the Water lost and only got a runner-up.
Wu Huifei acted as if she had done a very great thing. She personally gave the champion a trophy and asked, "Xin Yu, why has this consort never heard of that restaurant of yours before? If there is a chance in the future, this consort will definitely go there and personally taste your dishes. "
"Many thanks, Your Imperial Highness. However, this lowly one probably won't be able to stay in that restaurant in the future. After all, this lowly one is going there to help train the chefs. Once the training is done, the original Thousand Delicacies Restaurant will be changed into a branch of Between the Clouds and the Water. At that time, this lowly one will return to Between the Clouds and the Water. This lowly one is only temporarily transferred over. This lowly one was originally the head chef of the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water in Wannian County.
In the future, if Your Imperial Highness wants to eat this lowly one's dishes, you can have someone call this lowly one to the palace or the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water in Wannian County. This lowly one will definitely make the best dishes for Your Imperial Highness. "
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