Chapter 75: State Banquet (3)

Brown sat still in the position for a moment. The heir looked at the cabbage on the table with a lot of soup and water. He couldn’t smell anything except warm air.

With an angry expression on his face, he couldn’t help but turn his head and look at His Majesty the Emperor, who was sitting in the highest place: “Your Majesty the Emperor, are you kidding me?”

“After serving so many delicious dishes and soups, what does it mean to suddenly come up with a clear soup and watery cabbage? Are you sending us away and looking down on us?”

As soon as Chais’ voice fell, there was a buzzing discussion in the otherwise quiet banquet hall. Even His Majesty, who was sitting in the highest place, looked at the cabbage in the shape of a lotus flower in front of him and couldn’t help but complain in his heart. 

But because he was the leader of the empire, he couldn’t speak casually, so he could only look down at the other high-level officials of the empire who were sitting down.

On the other hand, the netizens who couldn’t taste the dishes because the officials didn’t activate the five senses launched a barrage at this moment. They were surprised and angry, but because it was about Ye Jin, every incident related to him would eventually be reversed, so there are still many netizens who save their sanity and let everyone taste the truth first.

At this moment, the old man Fu, who was sitting on the right side of the banquet hall, did not participate in the discussions of other people at all. Instead, he picked up the spoon on the side and scooped a spoonful of soup to taste. After that, he showed a stunning expression on his face, and he started to stuff the soup and cabbage into his mouth.

His Majesty, who was sitting at the top of the table, was annoyed by Chais’ words, and at the same time he was complaining about why Ye Jin wanted to serve such a dish. Was it really just to breathe a sigh of relief that he would serve a dish casually to make the Federals look bad? But, on this particular occasion, did he not consider how such a move would make the entire empire laugh?

The expression on His Majesty’s face sank when he thought of this, but thinking of everyone’s description of Ye Jin, His Majesty also felt that Ye Jin would not be such an ignorant person. So he quickly returned to his normal expression and wanted to say something, but before he could speak, he was picked up by the old man Fu who was sitting next to him.

He then heard an old voice with the sound of a soup spoon colliding with a porcelain bowl: “Don’t just look at its appearance; don’t look at its unpretentiousness; the taste is really more delicious than the previous dishes combined.”

After speaking, Old Man Fu continued to drink the remaining soup in the small half bowl and cabbage left in the porcelain bowl into his stomach.

The officials, who were talking in a low voice, turned their heads to look at old man Fu when they heard him and then stared at the soup bowl that had been cleaned up in front of him. 

They were suspicious. Who in the upper echelons of the empire didn’t know that the kid from the Fu family and Ye Jin were relatives? Isn’t he just saying to save Ye Jin?

Thinking of this, they looked at Old Man Fu suspiciously, but there were also people who had made good friends with the Fu family. After hearing what Old Man Fu said, they immediately picked up the soup spoon. The reaction after eating the soup was nearly identical to that of old man Fu.

And His Majesty, who was originally a little dissatisfied with Ye Jin, was also puzzled by everyone’s reaction and what Old Man Fu said. Ye Jin, who was originally in His Majesty’s cognition, shouldn’t be such a person who ignores the overall situation. Now, seeing everyone’s reaction, he relaxed and picked up a spoon to taste the soup in the bowl.

After seeing that even His Majesty had started to eat the dishes, those who still had doubts tasted the soup suspiciously, including Brown. After noticing that the officials of the Empire had started drinking the soup, he immediately picked up the bowl and gobbled it up.

The conflict that had been looking promising calmed down because of the words and attitude of the old man, observed by the diplomat sitting next to Chais. He swore vehemently in his heart when he saw the person seated next to him gobbling, and when Chais set the bowl down, he kicked the person in private.

When Chais was reminded by the diplomat to think about his attitude just now, he rolled his eyes at him silently. He turned his head to look at His Majesty in the highest place and apologized: “I’m very sorry, Your Majesty; I was being impulsive just now. The main reason was that this dish doesn’t smell and looks a lot like it was simply cooked in clear water. I’m very sorry for my outburst.”

His Majesty, who was sitting at the top of the table, saw the interaction between the two, and his eyes deepened. He returned with a smile on his face to indicate that it was okay and said a few words to the palace valet around him. The atmosphere in the hall has returned to its previous harmony and friendliness.

The audience in the live broadcast room watched everyone enjoy eating the boiled cabbage that they had just disliked very much, especially those who directly picked up and gobbled the bowl without any shame at all. 

The netizens who were still saying that Ye Jin was irresponsible immediately closed their mouths and became silent, leaving only some netizens who had unconditionally supported Ye Jin to discuss the taste of this dish.

    [I really want to know what this dish tastes like. Listening to Marshal Fu’s meaning, it is better than all the previous dishes combined. I have no idea what the taste would be like!】

    [Hey, it’s a pity that this is a banquet for a friendly visit between the two countries, and it won’t give us holographic five senses. Otherwise, we can also taste the taste of this dish.】

    [I just saw the name of the dish on the tray. This dish is called Cabbage in Boiled Water. Look at the image of what they are eating now, and you will know how delicious it is. If it weren’t for the name, it is estimated that there would be no such episode.】

    [But looking at the appearance of this dish, it really fits the name of the dish. It’s not misleading, is it? As that Chais said, this dish has no fragrance, and it doesn’t look like seasoning is used at all. Normal people would think it was just boiled, right? After all, we didn’t know this dish could be so delicious.】

    [What upstairs said also makes sense. If Jin Jin hadn’t made this dish today and attached the name of the dish, no one of us would know what kind of dish it is.】

    [Let’s not talk about the name of such an unpretentious dish. I just want to know if we will have a chance to taste this dish in Jin Jin’s live broadcast room in the future. The children are almost crying.】

A small storm on the side of the banquet hall did not affect Ye Jin’s kitchen at all. The squirrel osmanthus fish made by Yu Nian had already been brought out after being prepared. What Ye Jin was preparing at this time was Dongpo meat, and because the process was more time-consuming, Ye Jin divided it into several steps for everyone to divide the labor.

Since the roast duck was the only main dish left in the end, Ye Jin asked Ye Xu to help make the cake crust, while the others followed him to make the roast duck. Ye Jin taught everyone how to cut the duck meat in various ways to set the plate and cut the vegetarian dishes to make the sauce.

Because the ingredients and spices needed for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall were not enough, Ye Jin could only give up the production of this dish and replace the final dish with the roast duck.

As it’s the final dish, in order to preserve the heat and freshness of the roast duck, Ye Jin took everyone to the banquet hall to serve the dishes in person and prepare the roast duck slices for everyone on the spot.

When Ye Jin led everyone to the banquet hall, everyone in the hall was looking forward to Ye Jin’s new dishes and glanced at the door, waiting for them to appear soon. Even His Majesty, who has always paid great attention to his image, glanced at the door of the hall quietly from time to time. Even though everyone was talking, they were a little absent-minded.

Seeing that Ye Jin had personally brought people to serve the food, the imperial officials present showed a look of surprise one after another. His Majesty asked curiously: “Why did Ye Qing come to serve the food in person?”

Although Ye Jin was a little nervous in the face of everyone’s gaze, he tried her best to stay calm and thought about the reply mode on the TV he had watched before, and replied respectfully but not humbly.

“Your Majesty, the dish that I came to serve needs to be made on the spot to keep it as delicious as possible. That’s why I came to serve it in person. I hope you forgive me.”

After Ye Jin finished speaking, he faced His Majesty and bowed deeply with his right hand on his left chest. This etiquette was taught by Fu Chen when he was escorted to the palace. He was afraid that he would encounter some sudden situation and have to see His Majesty.

Seeing Ye Jin’s courteous and leisurely appearance, His Majesty nodded secretly in his heart and said with a kind smile on his face, “Yes, I am also very curious about how delicious this dish that needs to be cooked on the spot will be.”

After getting the permission, Ye Jin turned around and opened the dinner plate to reveal the roasted duck with a bright red color that was very appetizing at first glance. He picked up the knife on the side and began to quickly and skillfully slice the roast duck.

Everyone watched Ye Jin neatly and beautifully put the steaming roast duck. 

First, he cut a plate full of skin and put it on the plate held by the palace valets, and then quickly cut another plate full of meat. The third plate consisted of the duck ribs. After the three plates were cut, there was only one skeleton left of the originally plump roast duck, and the duck meat that was cut by Ye Jin was evenly thick and evenly shaped, like willow leaves neatly placed on the plate.

After Ye Jin took care of the roast duck and put it on everyone’s table, he saw Chais who couldn’t wait to taste it, and stopped him: “Please wait a moment for the people to tell you how to eat. It will not be too late to taste it then.”

Chais, who originally wanted to stretch out his hand to snatch the duck meat, stalled in mid-air.  He then glanced at Ye Jin, who was explaining and demonstrating how to eat. Thinking that no one saw it, he silently retracted his hand and followed Ye Jin’s steps to roll up the roast duck.

After Ye Jin finished demonstrating how to eat and was about to return to the kitchen, he was stopped by His Majesty, who was sitting at the top of the table. “Ye Qing’s craftsmanship is truly unique in the empire. Today, Ye Qing has done a great job in cooking, so that I and the imperial officials have eaten such delicious dishes. I don’t know what reward Ye Qing wants; I will promise you that I will grant it!”

The audience in the live broadcast room really didn’t expect to see Ye Jin again, and when they realized they could see His Majesty’s reward for Ye Jin with their own eyes, especially at this kind of banquet of friendly diplomatic relations between the two countries, they were excited as if it were themselves who were rewarded.

On the other hand, Chais and the diplomats around him looked at Ye Jin up and down with curiosity and surprise. They really didn’t expect to be able to eat so many delicious dishes at today’s banquet.

It turned out to be a boy who looked underage, and he was very beautiful and dazzling. If it weren’t for the fact that he was right in front of their eyes, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was a star.

The other high-level officials of the empire here have complicated feelings for Ye Jin.

One is the superb cooking skills he showed today, and the second is the energy contained in the dishes Ye Jin made today. Although some dishes are not high in energy intensity, they are indeed real. Every dish has healing energy; otherwise, it will not let everyone end up eating, regardless of the image, and this also makes everyone more eager to befriend him. Even if you can’t eat the dishes he makes very often, you can ask for his help in a critical situation.

Everyone could only sigh inwardly as they thought of the friendship between Ye Jin and Fu Chen, lamenting how cunning the Fu family was while also debating whether to allow the junior members of the family to get in touch with Ye Jin.

But when Ye Jin heard His Majesty’s words, he asked cautiously: “Your Majesty, regarding the question of rewards, can this lowly one wait until after the banquet to talk about it?”

His Majesty, who was sitting at the top of the table, looked at Ye Jin’s careful inquiry and then looked at the people all over the hall. At the same time, there were palace valets in his ears reminding him that there was a live broadcast. 

Only then did he realize that it might be some sort of request that he was embarrassed to make in front of everyone. On the other hand, he was also curious about what Ye Jin wanted to ask for, so he nodded and agreed to let Ye Jin come to the palace with Fu Chen tomorrow to discuss it in detail.

It was already around eleven o’clock in the night when the banquet dissipated. At the moment he walked out of the palace gate and got in the suspension car, Chais looked at the magnificent palace in front of him and thought for a while: “Eid, cancel that plan. Judging by the guards in the palace today, I can imagine  how tight the place where Marshal Feng is held can be. Visiting the empire during this period of time, anyone who is not a fool knows that we have an ultimate intention behind us. I don’t want to be used as a gun by some people.”

With that said, he glanced at Eid, who was sitting aside, and said coldly, “I also hope you don’t step on my bottom line. If you don’t obey, I don’t mind leaving you behind. After all, if there is any unexpected situation, I believe the people of the Empire would be happy to have a hostage.”

“After all, you are the next true heir, aren’t you?” At this time, Chais no longer had the brainless image of when he was in the Imperial Palace. His temperament has become sharp and indifferent that a single look can make people’s hair stand up straight.

Chais’ voice fell, and there was a long silence in the car. It took a long time before a low and unheard response emerged.

Flo's notes:

Roasted Duck Meat