After leaving Li Shimin's study, Du Qi brought Liu Jian to the kitchen of the Duke of Qin's residence. Liu Jian was puzzled. "Young master, aren't we leaving the Duke of Qin's Mansion? Now, where are we going? "
"Why should we leave?" Du Qi said. "We're staying here today."
Liu Jian was stunned.
He didn't understand why.
Du Qi explained, "Tonight, the Duke of Qin is hosting a grand banquet for all his officials and generals. You've learned thirty-six dishes, enough to make a banquet for fifty to sixty people. Tonight, you'll be in charge of cooking for everyone. "
"Ah!"
Liu Jian was stunned. He felt his legs go weak, and as he walked forward, he fell to the ground with a thump.
He was frightened.
The reason was very simple. Although he had learned the thirty-six dishes and was proficient in them, the problem was that he had only cooked for Du Qi and had never cooked for anyone else. But now, when he was asked to cook, he was asked to cook for dozens of people in the Duke of Qin's Manor. Especially when it involved people like the Duke of Qin, high officials, and nobles. They were all elite figures that he couldn't afford to offend.
If something went wrong, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
Liu Jian's legs went weak.
He was extremely nervous.
Du Qi looked at Liu Jian lying on the ground, especially at his cowardly appearance. He kicked Liu Jian and said, "What are you doing lying on the ground? Get up. You're a member of the Du family, and I, Du Qi, raised you. I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of? "
Liu Jian said, "Young master, I'm afraid I'll mess things up."
Du Qi said, "What are you afraid of? If anything happens, I'll take responsibility. You don't have to be afraid of anything. Besides, I'll guide you in the right direction for tonight's banquet. What can go wrong with me around? "
When Liu Jian heard this, he quickly stood up.
Only then did he regain his composure.
He had a backbone now.
With Du Qi here, Liu Jian wasn't worried at all, so he quickly nodded and said: "Young Noble, this lowly one will do his best and won't disappoint you."
Du Qi nodded. "Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Liu Jian followed closely behind Du Qi to the kitchen. Now that he had Li Shimin's token, he flashed the token, and Du Qi said that he would take over the kitchen, as well as be in charge of the evening banquet. Most of the chefs in the kitchen were women, and there were very few men. The women in the kitchen naturally had no objections.
Du Qi took over the kitchen and calmly gave out orders.
Although these women couldn't help much, they could wash the vegetables, pick the vegetables, and prepare all kinds of condiments.
Therefore, Du Qi quickly made arrangements.
Apart from that, he also instructed his subordinates to prepare the other ingredients that he needed. However, when Du Qi looked around the kitchen, he found beef.
This was extremely rare.
Whether it was the Qin and Han Dynasties, or the Sui and Tang Dynasties, cattle were extremely important and were not allowed to be slaughtered. Even if they could be on the table, they could only be slaughtered if they died of illness or old age. Apart from that, it was explicitly forbidden to slaughter cattle. Once it was discovered, one would be punished.
This was a big lump of beef.
The part of the beef was where the beef brisket was.
Du Qi roughly estimated that this lump of beef brisket was at least five kilograms. For a banquet of fifty to sixty people, five kilograms of beef was enough.
Du Qi didn't care where the beef came from. Since he found it, he could use it.
Du Qi first gave out orders, and then made the dishes for the evening, a total of twelve dishes. Such a number was actually more than enough for a banquet. This was because today's banquet was not a banquet where people sat around a table to eat. Instead, there was a table in front of everyone, and dishes were served one after another. Everyone had a table in front of them.
Therefore, for every dish served, the quantity was actually small, but the taste was important.
Of course, if Du Qi wasn't in charge of the banquet, the banquet at night would be very simple, and the wine and dishes would be ready. But now that Du Qi was in charge, he wanted to make his reputation as the best dish in the world and let these future big shots of the Tang dynasty know the power of his best dish. Therefore, tonight, he had to bring out his signature dishes.
After Du Qi finished customizing the twelve dishes, he arranged for the various condiments, side dishes, and so on to be prepared by others. Fortunately, Liu Jian was the head chef now, so Du Qi only needed to move his mouth and arrange things in the kitchen.
Du Qi was busy, and the other women who were picking vegetables and washing vegetables were sitting far away, but they were also chatting. Because they were very surprised. They didn't expect Du Qi to be in charge of the arrangements, and he seemed to be very good.
The whole kitchen was busy, and soon, everything was on the right track.
Fortunately, Li Shimin had asked someone to make a wok for the egg fried rice and Mapo tofu. He could let Liu Jian cook, so Liu Jian didn't have to go back to get a wok. However, tonight's dishes were mostly steamed, although some were stir-fried.
As all kinds of preparations began, a fragrant aroma came from the kitchen.
Such a fragrant aroma, even the women who had been immersed in the kitchen, after smelling it, their mouths and tongues moved, and their faces were full of surprise. The smell was too fragrant.
Du Qi looked at the women's surprise, but he chuckled.
This was too normal.
Noon passed, and it was afternoon in the blink of an eye. After Li Shimin returned to the mansion, Du Qi arranged everything in his hands and went to the study to see Li Shimin again.
Du Qi saluted and said, "Your Highness, I didn't tell my father that I came to King Qin's Mansion. So I beg Your Highness to send someone to inform my father, so that he won't be worried. "
Li Shimin said, "I've already told your father about this matter. Your father is also in King Qin's Mansion now. "
Du Qi said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Li Shimin saw that Du Qi was travel-worn and even smelled of oil and smoke, but he didn't think that Du Qi was lacking in manners. He said with a smile, "It's already afternoon, Erlang. The banquet isn't too far away. Are you ready now? If you can't complete it, I won't let you off easily. "
Du Qi said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Everything has been arranged properly. And many dishes have been prepared. You don't need to worry about this, Your Highness. "
"Very good!"
Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "I'm looking forward to it."
Du Qi said, "I won't disappoint Your Highness."
Li Shimin said, "You're dismissed!"
"Yes!"
Du Qi turned around and walked out of the study, heading straight out. He didn't go anywhere else and went straight to the kitchen. However, when Du Qi came back, he saw a woman in her early twenties enter.
As soon as she entered, the women in the kitchen quickly bowed and greeted, "Princess!"
The moment Du Qi heard this, he understood the identity of the person who had come.
The person who came was the future Empress Zhangsun, the current Qin Wangfei, Zhangsun Wugou.
Du Qi sized up Qin Wangfei. Her clothes weren't luxurious, but they were simple and generous. Her appearance was even more dignified and elegant, and she had a demure and tranquil aura.
Her appearance wasn't even as outstanding as Qianxue's, but she had a noble temperament from head to toe. She also had a scholarly aura, which could be seen at a glance when she stood in a crowd.
Du Qi quickly bowed and said, "I'm Du Qi. Greetings, Your Highness."
Zhangsun Wugou nodded and praised, "You're Erlang. Not bad, not bad! My husband said that although you're young, you're eccentric and very smart. Especially when it comes to cooking, you're also very good at it. The egg-fried rice and mapo tofu that are essential for every meal in the residence were created by you. "
Du Qi said, "Your Highness Duke of Qin is too kind. I'm just a little smart and not worth mentioning."
Zhangsun Wugou's voice was very pleasant. She said again, "My husband has been very tired these few days. This afternoon, he didn't eat because he was busy. I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything else to eat and send it to my husband. I didn't expect to smell all kinds of fragrances when I just entered the kitchen. Erlang, did you arrange all of this? "
"Yes!"
Du Qi nodded and answered.
After a pause, Du Qi continued, "Your Highness hasn't eaten yet. Coincidentally, there are some dishes that are ready to eat. There's beef with dried bamboo shoots, chicken soup, and some rice. These are enough to fill Your Highness."
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