When Prince Ling saw that Su Yu had chosen the straw basket, he was very surprised. That was something he had obtained by chance in the hands of a foreigner. He had always thought that it was a kind of medicinal herb and had planned to bring it back to the Imperial Academy of Medicine for research. "Su Yu, what did you choose?"
The rest of the people had finished their explanations, and each of them spoke grandly and worried about the country and its people. Su Yu, on the other hand, had his head lowered the whole time. He only came back to his senses when his name was called.
After all, he was going to sell this thing in the future, so naturally, he couldn't lie. Moreover, he knew very little about the taboos of this dynasty, so he might have said something wrong. After hesitating for a long time, Su Yu could only tell the truth, "Reporting to Prince, this is a kind of ingredient."
"Ingredient?" Prince Ling picked up a chili and put it near his nose as he asked. The spicy smell entered his nose, and he couldn't help but sneeze, "How did you know?" This was the first time he had seen this thing, so how could Su Yu know? Prince Seventeenth narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Su Yu with a gaze full of scrutiny.
Su Yu's heart thumped. Could it be that this thing had something to do with it? If it was related to state secrets, then he would be wronged.
"Replying to Prince, this commoner's family has an ancestral recipe that mentioned this thing. This thing is called chili, and it is a kind of condiment. It can be used to make extremely rare delicacies." Su Yu answered slowly and carefully. When making up a lie, he always needed time to think, not to mention that the person he was trying to fool was a prince with a high position.
"Is that so?" Prince Ling's eyes lit up. He turned around and looked at his thirteenth brother. Yesterday, they had paid attention to Su Yu's family background and remembered that he was a descendant of the Su family. The Su family's dishes had been lost for several generations. "Tell me, what kind of dishes can be made with this? If it's really good, I'll get some more."
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. He raised his head and looked at His Royal Highness King Ling, who was extremely curious. The geographical environment of this space-time was different from the one he was familiar with. He wasn't sure if the chili seeds could be grown in the capital. If they couldn't be grown, perhaps he could cooperate with Prince Zhao and his Royal Uncle. Thinking of this, Su Yu took out the posture of a businessman and introduced the chili related dishes in detail, "This thing can expel cold and dampness. It can be used to mix cold food, especially fish, prawns, and crabs. It is extremely delicious. It can be used to make spicy crabs, spicy prawns, spicy boiled fish, spicy crayfish, spicy grilled whole fish …"
When it came to Sichuan cuisine, Su Yu began to talk non-stop. Prince Ling's eyes widened as he listened. The clerk at the side quickly wrote down everything, not missing a single word.
When Su Yu finished, the final selection competition was over. The chamberlain handed the items and records to the National Tutor. They were lucky enough to go to Anguo Tower to wait for the National Tutor's comments.
Anguo Tower towered into the clouds. Just the first floor alone was three feet tall.
The tower was made of a very precious black stone. Under the sunlight, it faintly glowed with golden light. The heavy door was wide open. A maid in a light-colored dress bowed to everyone and led them into the main hall on the first floor.
The main hall wasn't as solemn as everyone imagined. It was even very beautiful. Straight pillars supported the dome. A complicated star chart was drawn on the ceiling. Layers of snow gauze were hung in the hall, making it look like a fairyland. The stone steps leading to the top of the tower were made of the same black stone. They spiraled upwards, similar to the wooden stairs in the Xian Mantang.
People other than the royal family were not allowed to set foot on the first floor of the Anguo Pagoda. Originally, they could have brought things up to the top of the pagoda to give to the Royal Advisor, but Lu Guogong's son had chosen the Dark Skinned Horse. Naturally, such a large animal could not touch the sacred upper level of the Anguo Pagoda. Everyone could only wait quietly in the hall.
"Ding Ling Ling …" A crisp and distant bell sound came from the spiraling stone steps. The sound seemed to be very close, like an intimate whisper in one's ear. It also seemed to be very far away, with a sense of desolation that had been passed down since ancient times.
At this moment, people couldn't help but have an impulse to prostrate themselves in worship. Everyone in the main hall knelt down in unison. "Greetings, National Tutor." Even the two princes bowed their heads.
A person dressed in a complicated and gorgeous snow-colored robe walked down the stairs and slowly walked to the throne in the main hall.
Su Yu didn't dare to raise his head casually. When he heard an extremely pleasant voice say, "You may rise." Only then did he look up.
White hair like snow, picturesque eyebrows, handsome and cold, not like a real person. Su Yu was shocked. He always thought that the National Tutor was an old man with an immortal aura. He didn't expect that he was a handsome man in his twenties. If his white hair was on someone else's body, he would definitely look old. But on his body, it was like a faintly discernible immortal aura.
The chamberlain presented a few pieces of silk cloth with records to the National Tutor. Su Yu suddenly felt that his whole body was in a bad mood.
In this situation, with such an immortal state preceptor, other people's narration would either be a heroic story that could make one weep, a touching story that could make one weep, or a beautiful song of praise. But what he had was a Sichuan-flavored seafood recipe …
He always felt that it was especially bad for the atmosphere …
Sure enough, the National Tutor only glanced at the silk cloth in front of him and coldly snorted. "Who is Su Yu?"
Su Yu hurriedly knelt down and saluted.
"Can you prove that what you said just now is true?" The National Tutor picked up a dried chili in his hand. His pair of beautiful eyes slightly narrowed. "This item is related to the fate of the country. If you are making up nonsense, then I will punish you for the crime of bringing disaster to the country."
Su Yu was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He really didn't understand how a basket of chili could cause so much trouble. However, now was obviously not the time to complain. If the National Tutor concluded that he was a person who brought disaster to the country, then he had the right to execute him right now!
Su Yu suddenly calmed down. He didn't do anything wrong. At worst, he could just prove it to these country bumpkins. He took a deep breath and said in a steady tone, "Reporting to the National Tutor, what this commoner said is true. Give this commoner some fish and cooking utensils to prove it."
Everyone was dumbfounded as they watched the development of the situation. When the chamberlains brought out a complete set of cooking utensils and two big, lively fish, their eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets.
Su Yu also didn't know how things had developed to this point. However, the arrow was already nocked on the bow, so he could only take one step at a time. He scooped up the grass carp in the water, knocked it unconscious, and quickly killed the fish to remove the scales. Then, he quickly sliced the fish into thin skins.
The Sichuan dish that was fast and delicious was none other than Sichuan Boiled Fish. It didn't need to be marinated for a long time. After the other ingredients were prepared, it could be put into the pot. The tender and white fish meat was covered with brown pepper and bright red dried chili. After the hot oil was poured, the spicy and fresh fragrance instantly exploded, filling the entire hall.
At this moment, the National Tutor, whose beautiful eyes were slightly closed, slowly opened them. She got up and walked to the second floor.
"Let this prince have a taste!" When Prince Ling saw the National Tutor leave, he immediately couldn't hold back. He picked up a piece of fish meat and stuffed it into his mouth. The fresh and tender meat coupled with the spicy taste almost made Seventeenth Prince bite his own tongue. He had never tasted this kind of freshness before.
Prince Su frowned and snatched the chopsticks from his brother's hand, "The election isn't over yet. Let's get down to business first." As he spoke, he picked up a piece of fish meat and tasted it.
Just as they were talking, the National Tutor suddenly sent someone to pass down a message that this thing was not to be touched. She forcibly snatched a basin full of Sichuan Boiled Fish from the hands of the two princes.
"This is mine. No one is allowed to eat it!" In the hall on the second floor, An Hong-chul, who was dressed in bright yellow, pulled a basin of fish to his side.
"Then there's no way to judge. This matter is over." The National Tutor leisurely stroked the white hair on his temples.
"Imperial Uncle can eat it." His Majesty the Emperor reluctantly let go. He only coldly stared at the National Tutor opposite him.
The National Tutor ignored him and slowly picked up the fish meat to eat. "Is this the reason you said you had to choose him?"
"It's up to you whether you choose him or not. I don't care!" An Hong-chul coldly snorted and left in a huff.
Seeing the golden figure jump down from the huge window, the National Tutor slowly put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand and said, "Let's go down and announce it."
Everyone had been waiting in the hall for a long time. Finally, they received the evaluation of the National Tutor. Whether it was the poem or the hero's tears, the great National Tutor mercilessly gave a neutral evaluation of "inferior" and praised, "It's all nonsense!"
Only Su Yu received a "passable" evaluation and was allowed to enter the palace to serve.
Su Yu blankly hugged the basket of chili and was completely dumbfounded.
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