"Good! Good! You've grown up, darkened, and matured a lot. These are the true men of our Xiao Family. The Xiao Family has four sons, and each of them can fight. None of them are cowards. And you, Si, you are the most outstanding one among the seven generations of our Xiao Family. Our Xiao Family has been a family of generals for generations, but there has never been a noble, and you have done it. You have done very well! I am very satisfied! "
Xiao Wenkui patted Xiao Ruxun's shoulder hard a few times to express his inner joy.
The five of them sat at the dining table together. Xiao Wenkui asked Uncle Zhao to immediately ask the kitchen to make a few hot dishes for Xiao Ruxun to fill his stomach.
"I, your father, have also been to palace banquets. Don't talk about those empty things. That is just to see, not to eat. I want to get to know some important people and then see the magnificence of the palace dishes. It is delicious, but it is not enough! Those sour old men have enough to eat, but us generals can eat three catties of big bellies. How can those things be enough!
Don't be afraid of trouble. I will ask the kitchen to make a few meat dishes for you. They are all fresh and delicious. They are your favorite! Fill your stomach first. Your three sisters-in-law are chatting with Caiyun. Don't go first. Go after you are full! "
Xiao Ruxun did not refute. He was indeed not full. He was full of thoughts in the palace and did not think about eating anything at all. However, those heartless people were probably full. Some people even specially asked the palace servants to make more food for them. Xiao Ruxun had been thinking about the things at home and outside, so he was absent-minded. Now that he returned home and saw the table full of leftovers, he was really hungry.
"Now that we're back, we can have a good rest for a period of time. Our family can have a good reunion. The Emperor is so generous that he's given your three brothers three months of vacation so that we can have a good reunion.
The last time we met was four years ago, and we don't know when the next time will be. In these three months, us five must have a good time. Tell us all the places you want to play and eat inside and outside the capital. Your father did not make a name for himself in the capital, but he does not lack money! "
Xiao Wenkui probably drank too much and was not stingy with his spending. He said that he would take his sons to the best restaurants in the capital to eat the most expensive dishes. It was said that those chefs were imperial chefs from the palace, so the food they made was for the Emperor to eat. Not only did they have to spend money, but they also had a high status to eat. If you were a merchant with empty money, they would not be willing to let you eat.
Xiao Ruxun never believed in such things, because cooking for the Emperor was no longer the responsibility of the Chamberlain of Dependencies. The imperial chefs of the Chamberlain of Dependencies had been ridiculed by the people for their terrible cooking, and now they had lost their meal tickets. Now, the Emperor was eating food prepared by the eunuchs personally. These eunuchs and old eunuchs would learn from the chefs, and then the masters would teach their apprentices, passing it down from generation to generation. They would specially prepare food for the Emperor, and the Emperor would eat very well!
For example, Emperor Chong Zhen was known to be thrifty. Every month, he would abstain from eating vegetables for ten days. While saving money, he also prayed for the Daming. As a result, when Emperor Lie ate the real vegetarian food, he felt that it was really tasteless and was not willing to eat it. He privately talked to the eunuchs about this matter. The eunuchs were loyal and devoted to the Emperor. The Emperor's request was their pursuit, so they thought of a way.
When cooking vegetables, they first killed a goose, cut open its belly, and washed its organs. Then, they stuffed the vegetables inside and steamed it with the goose. When the goose was steamed, they took out the vegetables in its belly and seasoned it with the soup stock. Then, they gave it to the Emperor.
When Chong Zhen ate it, it was delicious! Delicious! Delicious! Not bad! In the future, they would do that! Generous rewards!
In the end, the cost of eating vegetables every month was even higher than eating normal meals.
Do you think a chef in a restaurant among the common folk can come up with such a method for you?
Unless that chef was a eunuch from the imperial palace and had really cooked for the Emperor, how could it be considered as an imperial cuisine? Our own family might even be able to cook better than theirs. Yet, we still spent money recklessly. It was purely for face. Xiao Ruxun's original intention was to go hunting in the wild and then barbecue in the wild. That taste would be much better than eating in those so-called imperial restaurants.
However, at this moment, Xiao Ruxun's mind was disturbed by that 'three months holiday'. The joy just now was swept away, and what was left was full of melancholy.
He didn't know what his father and three elder brothers would think if he told them about this matter.
"Father, if it was really something that His Majesty had eaten, then it doesn't matter how much money we spend. But the key is, is it real? Can a common restaurant invite the person who cooked for the Emperor? Can he even swagger about it? Isn't he afraid that the imperial court will punish him? "
Xiao Rulan raised her doubts.
"Don't doubt me, Eldest Brother. Let me tell you, the background of this restaurant is really not simple. If a common restaurant dared to raise such a banner, it would have been ordered to close down long ago. But for this restaurant, not to mention now, even Zhang Juzheng didn't dare to touch this restaurant back then!"
Xiao Wenkui said mysteriously about the imperial court's secrets.
Xiao Rulan was stunned for a moment, then she suddenly realized.
"Don't tell me it's funded by someone from one of the families?"
"You're right. It's from the British government. I don't know where they got the imperial chef from, but I'm sure that it must be from the imperial palace. Otherwise, would the dignified British government still have any face? Looking for someone to make up the numbers? That's going to be a scandal! "
Xiao Wenkui swore solemnly.
Xiao Ruxun smiled and said, "Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, let's not argue. When we go to eat, let's ask their head chef to come out and take a look. If it's a eunuch, then it's the real imperial chef. If it's not, then it's a fake. The food that our Emperor eats now is arranged by his trusted eunuchs. From purchasing to making the imperial food for His Majesty to eat, it's all done by the eunuch system. If it's really the imperial chef, then isn't it a eunuch?"
The father and son were stunned for a moment, then they burst into laughter in unison.
As they laughed, a few meat dishes were served. Xiao Ruxun ate and drank to his heart's content. The family chatted for a while, and Xiao Ruxun planned to tell the matter to his father and brothers.
"Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, this time, I've not only been conferred the title of Marquis and promoted to an official position, but I've also been assigned an errand."
Hearing this, Xiao Wenkui stopped talking and asked, "An errand? What errand? It's good to have an errand! You used to be the Ningxia Army Commander and made such a great contribution. Not to mention anything else, you should be the Ji Town Commander, right? That's the most important military town that protects the capital. "
The three elder brothers also looked at Xiao Ruxun expectantly.
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