Ang Lee hurriedly explained, telling the emperor and the ministers that the animal that looked like a cat in front of them was a cougar. Although this fellow looked like a cat, it was much bigger and fiercer than a cat. It was a very ferocious beast. Of course, it was not a lion.
"Cougar? But this fellow looks like a cat, not a lion at all! Lions don't look like that either. "
A minister raised his doubts. After all, the cougar looked like a big cat from its appearance. It did not have the aura of a lion at all, especially the mane of a lion was very domineering. Cougars, regardless of gender, did not have a handsome mane.
"I also feel that this fellow looks like a big cat. How did it become a lion, and a cougar at that. Do cougars look like cats?"
Li Longji was also puzzled. After thinking for a while, he suddenly laughed and said, "A lion's roar is very powerful. It is not comparable to a cat's roar. Let this fellow roar a few times and we will know whether it is a lion or not, haha!"
Ang Lee's face darkened when he heard this. Li Longji wanted to use its roar to confirm whether the cougar was a lion or not, but the cougar's roar was similar to a cat's. It was indeed a big cat. It was called a cougar to show that this animal was very ferocious, as ferocious as a lion.
"Meow …"
Under the provocation of the relevant personnel, the cougar roared angrily. Its expression and voice were completely like an angry cat.
"Hahaha …"
Emperor Li Longji and the ministers heard the cat's roar and immediately laughed. How could an animal that roared and looked like a cat be a lion?
"Assistant Minister Li, this is clearly a big cat. Even its roar is a cat's roar. It is more like a cougar. No matter what, it cannot be called a lion."
One of the ministers corrected him.
"Assistant Minister Li, don't call a cat a lion! His Majesty is a sage. "
A minister even brought up the story of the Qin Dynasty's Zhao Gao calling a deer a horse, accusing Ang Lee of deliberately deceiving the emperor by insisting that a cat was a lion.
When Li Longji heard this, he also looked at Ang Lee in confusion, indicating for Ang Lee to explain. After all, the fellow in front of him was like a big cat in all aspects. It did not look like a lion or have a powerful roar.
"Your Majesty, a cougar is not a lion. This fellow is closer to a cat by blood, so it is not wrong to call him a cat. However, this fellow is huge and has a rather ferocious temperament, similar to a lion, so it is not wrong to call him a cougar. It can remind the world to be careful of such animals. Don't treat it as a docile cat. Otherwise, who knows what would happen if it was swallowed into its stomach?"
Ang Lee quickly explained the reason why the cougar was called a lion.
When Li Longji and the ministers heard this, they immediately nodded in agreement. Although the fellow in front of them looked like a cat and its roar was very similar to a cat, its body was much larger than a cat raised at home. With such a huge body, it was not much smaller than a lion. It was completely possible for it to prey on humans. Calling it a cougar could reflect the wildness and aggressiveness of this animal, which was reasonable.
However, Li Longji thought for a moment and finally did not approve of the name cougar. After all, this fellow lacked the momentum of a lion, and its roar and appearance were too much like a cat. If the Tang dynasty named this newly discovered animal as a cougar, it would be a joke to the small foreign countries. They would think that the Tang dynasty had no talent and actually named a big cat as a lion.
"This big cat is golden all over. Why don't we call it the American Golden Cat?"
Li Long's words were like jade as he spoke.
Ang Lee was stunned when he heard this. If he had not known it before, he would have suspected that Li Longji was also a time traveler. The name he gave was exactly the same as the cougar's nickname. In later generations, the cougar's nickname was the American Golden Cat.
"American Golden Cat, this name is better."
"Your Majesty is so wise. It should be called the American Golden Cat."
"This is the largest cat in the world. The word 'golden' is the most appropriate."
All the ministers praised the Emperor and began to flatter him.
"American Golden Cat, this name is indeed more appropriate. I also agree."
Of course, Ang Lee would not object. Whether it was called a cougar or a American Golden Cat, in fact, it was just a name. It did not have much meaning.
"Assistant Minister Li, how is this American Golden Cat compared to a tiger?"
A minister remembered that Ang Lee had just said how powerful the American Golden Cat was. He wanted to compare it with the most common tiger in the Tang dynasty.
Ang Lee said, "Although the American Golden Cat is much larger than an ordinary pet cat, it is smaller than a tiger. So, naturally, it can't beat a tiger. However, it is much more powerful than a wolf."
Hearing this, the ministers looked at the American Golden Cat's size and sharp teeth. They all agreed with Ang Lee's opinion. The American Golden Cat's size determined that it could not beat a tiger, but it was much more powerful than a wild wolf.
"Is this a leopard? The spots on its body are very similar to a leopard, but its head is similar to a tiger. Is it a tiger or a leopard? "
Li Longji walked to the front of the American Golden Cat's cage and looked at the animals in the cage curiously.
"Could this be a tiger and a leopard …"
A minister guessed.
Ang Lee walked to the front of the iron cage and said, "Your Majesty, this is a Jaguar. It's just that its pattern is somewhat similar to a leopard. This animal is extremely ferocious and its strength is similar to that of a Puma. However, it can't beat the tigers of the Tang dynasty. After all, its size is slightly smaller."
"Jaguar, let it roar twice."
A child from the Wufang District immediately hit the Jaguar with a wooden stick and made the Jaguar roar in resistance.
"Tiger, it is indeed a tiger. It's just that its pattern is different from that of the tigers of the Tang dynasty. Its size is also slightly smaller. Its fur is very beautiful. Next time when I go to America, I must catch a few more."
Li Longji nodded and continued to walk forward. He saw the Jaguar.
"What animal is this? It looks like a leopard. "
"Your Majesty is wise. This is a Jaguar, also a kind of ferocious beast in America. Its strength is similar to that of the leopards of the Tang dynasty."
Ang Lee explained.
"Jaguar, a very beautiful animal."
Li Longji praised and continued to walk forward.
"This is an ostrich! The ostrich sent by the Arabian envoy was similar to this one. No, it was much larger. "
Li Longji had seen ostriches before, but they had been African ostriches, which were much larger than the American ostriches before him.
"Yes, Your Majesty. This is an American ostrich. It's slightly smaller than the African ostrich brought by the Arabian envoy. This is a rather gentle bird."
As Ang Lee explained, he suddenly noticed that the American ostrich had laid an egg.
"Your Majesty, this is truly a good omen! You've only just arrived, and the American ostrich has already laid an egg. And it's still warm? "
The officials were also happy to see the ostrich suddenly lay an egg, and Li Longji was naturally even happier, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's cooked."
As Li Longji spoke, he continued to walk forward to see more rare animals.
Ostrich eggs had very high nutritional value, and the American ostrich eggs were no exception. They tasted rather good when cooked, and the various nutrients were not easily lost.
Li Longji led the officials to admire the nearly one hundred rare animals shipped from America. Once he was satisfied, he returned to the palace to rest. He also had Ang Lee go to the imperial kitchen to personally instruct the chefs in preparing these delicacies from America.
Many delicacies had been shipped from America. After all, there were ten large ships, so there was naturally no shortage of supplies. Some of these supplies could be used for breeding, while the rest could be eaten. Of course, only the most revered Emperor had this right. Ordinary people did not have this right.
Ang Lee personally instructed the imperial chefs. First, he boiled a pot of chili oil and placed it in a jar to cool. Then, he instructed the imperial chefs in cooking scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes was a very easy dish to make. The imperial chefs learned it after watching it once. However, when boiling the chili oil, many of the imperial chefs' eyes were filled with tears. After all, the smell of boiling chili oil was too strong. The entire imperial kitchen, and even the surroundings of the imperial kitchen, could smell this extremely spicy smell. It was definitely a sour feeling.
Other than scrambled eggs with tomatoes, there was steamed corn, sweet potato millet porridge, fried shredded potatoes with green peppers, and other delicacies. In addition, in order to show the usefulness of the chili oil, Ang Lee also made a sea bass feast. Other than the ordinary ingredients, he added a seasoning like red chili.
There were also slices of beef and mutton. This dish had been around for a long time, but a layer of spicy chili oil covered the beef and mutton slices. This way, when the meat was eaten in the mouth, it would have a spicy and numbing feeling. The taste was definitely a sour feeling.
After cooking these delicacies, Ang Lee asked the imperial chefs to serve them to the emperor. He personally followed them. In addition to eating these dishes, the emperor also needed Ang Lee to explain them.
In addition, because the emperor was not the only one eating, many portions of these dishes were prepared so that the emperor, princes, and ministers could enjoy them. After all, the banquets of the Tang dynasty were different from those of later generations. In the banquets of later generations, a large group of people sat around a table and ate together. However, in the Tang dynasty, everyone had their own table and ate separately.
Ang Lee was the cook. At the same time, he also had a share of these dishes. After all, Ang Lee's current status was very high. Of course, he was qualified.
"Your Majesty, try the scrambled eggs with tomatoes first! This dish is delicious when it's hot. "
As Li An spoke, he started eating first.
Li Longji picked up the chopsticks and ate a few mouthfuls. The corner of his mouth showed a satisfied expression.
"Delicious, it's really delicious. It's much better than eating it raw. My dear ministers, please have a taste."
Seeing this, the ministers all picked up their chopsticks and tasted it carefully.
"Good, the taste is really extraordinary. I didn't know there was such delicious food in America."
The ministers all had a taste and nodded with great appreciation. In addition to the tomatoes, Ang Lee's cooking was also very good.
"Your Majesty, try the shredded potatoes fried with green peppers. This dish is also very good."
Ang Lee introduced and tasted it himself as a demonstration.
Li Longji and the ministers tasted it at the same time. After tasting it, their faces showed joy.
"It's crispy and slightly spicy. It's very chewy. Good, it's really delicious."
Li Longji gave his evaluation with great satisfaction.
After eating, the ministers and princes all smiled with great satisfaction. They praised the potatoes as a good thing. The shredded potatoes fried with green peppers were also a rare dish.
"Assistant Minister Li, what's that red stuff on the mutton slices? It smells a little spicy. Is it chili?"
Li Longji sniffed and asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. There is chili on the mutton slices, but it's boiled chili oil. It's less spicy than the chili from before. It tastes very good, especially when mixed with the mutton and beef slices. It's very delicious."
Ang Lee explained and picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth.
Li Longji and the ministers and princes all picked up a piece of meat. However, they didn't dare to use too much chili oil and only dipped it in a little.
When the meat was just in their mouths, they could taste a whiff of spiciness. However, after chewing carefully for a while, their faces gradually showed a sour expression.
"Spicy, it's really better when it's spicy. I should make more chili oil like this in the future."
Li Longji almost drooled from the spiciness. However, he liked the taste.
"Your Majesty, it's too spicy in your mouth. Have some sweet potato millet porridge! It'll make your mouth less spicy. "
Ang Lee found the right time to let Li Longji drink some sweet potato millet porridge to relieve the spiciness.
Li Longji and the ministers and princes took a sip and immediately tasted the sweetness in their mouths. They nodded with satisfaction and praised the taste of the sweet potato millet porridge.
Next was the sea bass with chili. Sea bass was a very popular delicacy in the Tang dynasty. However, without chili as a seasoning, the taste of the sea bass was reduced. After all, the fishy taste of the sea bass was not so easy to remove. However, with the addition of chili, the situation was completely different. The unique spiciness of chili could completely remove the fishy taste of the sea bass, making it more delicious.
After eating the sea bass, everyone felt a strong spiciness. However, they were all very satisfied at the same time. They felt that the taste of the sea bass was indeed better after the chili was added. It was more enjoyable to eat.
After eating a lot of American delicacies in one go, a few side dishes were finally served. Boiled American ostrich eggs and steamed corn kernels.
Because the American ostrich eggs were relatively large, except for Li Longji who was given a complete ostrich egg, the other ministers and princes, including Ang Lee, were each given an eighth of the ostrich egg. They only needed to taste it.
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