Xiaocao’s specially prepared medicines were only a tiny level away from the legendary elixirs in the stories. With them on hand, even if Su Ran wanted to die he wouldn’t be able to.
“So shameless! To mount a sneak attack! If it was a fair fight, Sir Su likely wouldn’t have lost to him!!” When Yu Xiaocao found out that Su Ran was fine, she let out a sigh of relief. She then waved her small fists in the air and cried out for the injustice that he had endured.
“Okay, okay! Your Sir Su is very strong, alright ah?” Zhu Junyang almost slapped his own face. He knew that the little lass was a crazy fangirl of that fellow, so why did he have to bring that stupid eunuch up in such a good atmosphere?
Yu Xiaocao frowned perceptibly and snarled angrily at him, “What sort of attitude is that? Huh? Do you want to elaborate?”
Zhu Junyang inwardly rolled his eyes as he thought, ‘Your Sir Su, who is soooo skilled, actually had to be saved by your man. Within the whole army, other than the heavily injured Su Ran, only I, your man, can be considered a worthy opponent to that person. Although that person ultimately fell due to the might of the gun, the person who reacted the fastest when Chief Steward Su Ran got attacked was still your man. If it wasn’t for me blocking the way, your Sir Su would have long died without even the chance of getting medical treatment!’
Now he needed to bring the little lass’s attention back to himself, “Chief Steward Su is truly quite skilled but he had been heavily injured. It was I, your man, who had bravely stepped forward to fight his enemy despite the danger. It was also I, your man, who ended up subduing the other party. In the end, it was also I, your man, who saved Chief Steward Su’s life. Based on the facts, who do you think is the strongest now?”
Oh ho! Who was being jealous again? Such a narrow-minded man! However, this was exactly the type she liked! Yu Xiaocao jumped up and gave a quick kiss to the handsome man in front of her who was currently incredibly jealous. She grinned and said, “You’re the strongest! In my heart, you’re the biggest hero in this world and no one can surpass you!! Sir Su’s enemy was so strong, so I need to check to see if you’re injured or not.”
“Nope! When this prince left, I had promised you that not even a single hair on my head would be harmed ah!” Zhu Junyang acquiesced to the little lass’s request and turned his body around, allowing her to easily inspect him. As Xiaocao began to pull apart his clothing to get a closer look, he grabbed onto her busy little hands and said, “This prince isn’t stupid. If I couldn’t beat him, don’t I also have a gun on hand? One shot and that fellow fell straight to the ground!”
Apparently he had used this type of strategy. Yu Xiaocao felt completely relaxed as she said, “My Junyangyang is the smartest of them all! You’re absolutely right. What’s the point of trying to beat them head on if you don’t have to? That’s something only an idiot would do! Guns are so easy to use ah, so it’d be idiotic of you to not use it if you have one ah!” As she spoke, her eyes glittered with worship as she stared at him. It made Zhu Junyang feel quite proud and elated.
“Junyangyang, did you eat lunch yet? What do you want to eat for dinner? It’s been a long time since you last ate something that I made, so I need to make sure to compensate you!” Yu Xiaocao rubbed her hands together in anticipation. She was planning on making sure she had a firm grasp on Great General Zhenxi’s stomach.
"I didn’t eat yet! In order to come back earlier to see you, I even ate breakfast on horseback. I just gnawed casually on a few bites of dried rations.” As he spoke, Zhu Junyang held his stomach in an exaggerated manner as he pasted a pitiful look on his face.
Yu Xiaocao immediately felt her heart soften, “Aiyo! How can that be okay? I can’t let my great hulking hero starve to death! Wutong, Wutong! Quickly take out the pastries that I personally made at noon and bring them to the reception pavilion! You should first eat a few pastries for now. Later on, I’ll make a sumptuous meal for you!”
Although she had deliberately stationed herself further away from the two of them, Wutong had been observing the events in the courtyard quite carefully. She had seen everything: her young miss sobbing pitifully when she saw Royal Prince Yang, her young miss acting spoiled and cute, her young miss being intimate with the prince…ahem ahem. In the past, she had done her best to prevent Royal Prince Yang from taking any liberties, but now there was no need for her to be so cautious. In a year, her young miss would become Princess Consort Yang. If she continued to block these two lovers, she’d end up drawing the ire of both. Even her young miss wouldn’t forgive her for those actions!
When she heard her young miss’s orders, Wutong made a noise in assent and quickly headed into the small kitchen. Earlier, during lunch, her previously down and depressed young miss finally had become more lively and had made some chocolate sandwich cookies in the kitchen. After she finished making them, she only ate a few cookies. Was it because her young miss had a premonition that Royal Prince Yang was going to appear so she had especially prepared these pastries for him?
At the moment, Xiaocao had already entered the small kitchen and was bustling about. Zhu Junyang didn’t want to waste a single moment he had to interact with Xiaocao, so he picked up the plate of sandwich cookies and strolled into the small kitchen. He gazed at Xiaocao’s busy figure and felt a burst of warmth rise up in his heart. He really wanted to marry his little lass as soon as possible. That way, she would only make food for him. Everything would be for himself only!
“What sort of delicious foods are you planning to make for me?” Zhu Junyang bit into a flaky and delicate sandwich cookie. He delicately chewed on the pastry as he asked.
“Today I was sent over some fresh prawns, so I’m going to make you a dish from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast , ‘Peacock Prawns’. Yu Xiaocao shelled the large prawns with a practiced ease and cleaned out the middle intestines before seasoning them. Then, she whipped some egg whites until they were foamy and placed the peeled prawns within them. Afterwards, she fried the coated prawns until they were a golden yellow, “Try some, ah…”
“These are…done?” Didn’t she say that this dish was called ‘peacock prawns’? Where was the peacock? Zhu Junyang ended up asking the question that rose within his mind.
“Peacock?” Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose in an unconfident manner. Her eyes roved around as she said, “That is just made by using some squash and carving it into a pretty shape for the plate. It’s just for show. We’re very close to each other, so there’s no need to do it today!”
One of the sous chefs who was quietly helping out on the side took out a piece of wintermelon and carved it into a life-like looking peacock head and neck before handing it to her master. Yu Xiaocao smiled gratefully and made a funny face at Zhu Junyang, “Alright ah, now we have the peacock! My dear prince, do you have any other requests now?”
The golden yellow large prawns were now paired with the light green color of the ‘peacock’ neck. A delicate aroma wafted from the dish and the beautiful aesthetics of the dish delighted one’s eyes. With such delicious and tasty looking shrimp in front of a person, who would want to eat some boring cookies instead ah? Zhu Junyang stuffed the plate of cookies into the drooling Hou Xiaoliang’s hands, “These are gifted to you now!”
“Thank you, Master!” Hou Xiaoliang was exhausted and starving after spending a grueling journey on horseback following his master. Although Wutong had considerately given him a piece of jujube cake earlier, he had seen the tantalizing plate of cookies within his master’s hands. Furthermore, it was said that these were made by his future mistress. Thus, the jujube cake became tasteless in his mouth.
Everyone in the capital had acknowledged his future mistress’s culinary talents. However, he had never been lucky enough to eat any food personally made by her. He would have never had expected that his master would be so kind to bestow upon him a plate of chocolate sandwich cookies to him. Boo hoo…he was so touched. What should he do from now on? In the future, he needed to work even harder for his master in hopes that he would get rewarded with more delicious food to eat!
Naturally, Zhu Junyang had no idea of the thoughts that were running through his assistant’s head. He was currently stretching out a hand to pick up a golden-yellow fried prawn. He stuffed it in his mouth and tasted it delicately. Mhm~~~crispy on the outside while tender on the inside. Flaky and immensely tasty. This truly was the hallmark of his lass’s cooking!
“Oh right! What is the ‘Manchu-Han Imperial Feast’?” Zhu Junyang ate three large prawns in quick succession before he had the time to voice the question that had risen in his heart.
“Ah? Uh! Hm~~” Yu Xiaocao’s hands paused for a second as she pondered how to answer this question, “The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, ah, is a type of legendary court feast that has been lost in the sands of time. This feast not only has the elegant qualities of imperial dishes but also has the refreshing qualities of local delicacies. It combines the tastes and qualities of both Manchu and Han culinary traditions. It’s considered one of the best feasts within our culture and has reached the pinnacle of culinary success. The entire feast has a total of a hundred and eight dishes. It contains sweet and savory dishes, vegetarian and meat foods, extensive and rare ingredients that are found in the deep mountains and frigid seas.”
Wow! A hundred and eight different dishes? Zhu Junyang’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard this detail. Didn’t that mean that once he married his little lass he would have such a delicious feast in the future?
“Wife, were the recipes for this legendary ‘Manchu-Han Imperial Feast’ recorded in that ancient scroll remnant that you had found?” Zhu Junyang considerately found a perfect excuse for Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao paused for a second and then lightly nodded her head, “Mhm! However, the scroll remnant is just a remnant, after all. I only know a few dishes that were used in that legendary feast!”
“It’s already amazing that you know how to make a few of these dishes! This prince’s little wife is truly the best among the best!” (Author’s note: Royal Prince Yang, where is your cold and aloof image now? Royal Prince Yang: Cold and aloof image? Isn’t this prince a loyal and loving dog in front of his wife ah?)
“Who’s your little wife? Looks like not even food can keep your mouth shut!” Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him in a coquettish manner as she continued to prepare food.
Zhu Junyang sidled over and stuffed a fried prawn into her mouth. When he saw her chewing happily, he felt like this plate of ‘peacock prawns’ had become even more tasty.
“Wife, you are clearly this prince’s little wife, right? In about a year, you’ll be eighteen. Hasn’t our wedding date been set long ago ah?” Their wedding date had already been booked over a year ago. They had decided to get married at the start of spring next year, during the third month. At that time, the weather wouldn’t be too hot or cold, so it was perfect!
Zhu Junyang watched as Xiaocao concentrated on making delicious food for him. As expected, seeing Xiaocao fully focused made it hard for a person to stop staring at her. He gazed at her in an infatuated manner. Even the plate of large prawns in his hands wasn’t enough to draw his attention, “Wife, what are you making now?”
“I noticed that the kitchen has both meat and fish and remembered there’s a dish from the ‘Manchu-Han Imperial Feast’ called ‘Affection of the Dragon and Phoenix’, so I plan on making that!” Yu Xiaocao didn’t raise her head as she deboned and skinned the fish in her hands. She then expertly skinned and deboned some chicken breast before she thinly sliced both meats into slender slivers. Following that, the two meats were placed into two bowls and seasoned with some cooking wine and a bit of salt. After mixing it up, she then placed the two meats into some egg white and corn flour.
“Wife, this name is quite nice! However, when you take this dish outside this residence, it’s better to find a different name. Otherwise, certain people would use this name as an excuse to attack our reputations!” Zhu Junyang had just come back triumphantly and didn’t want some jealous officials to find anything to bring him down in front of the court.
“Okay! Then I’ll change the name, I’ll call it——Loving Iron Man!” Yu Xiaocao also felt the ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ in the name of the dish was a bit too eye catching. Although the emperor wasn’t someone who was that petty, she was afraid that there would be nitpicky jealous officials who would take it as a point of contention against her and complain endlessly.
“Wife, this name is very good! It sounds like this dish was named especially for this prince!” Wasn’t he the perfect example of a ‘loving iron man’ ah? He was such a manly man but in front of his little lass, he acted like a gentle and loving person instead.
“However, this dish looks to be quite cumbersome to make! In the future, you should have the chefs and cook maids make such complicated dishes!” Zhu Junyang didn’t want his little lass to work so hard. Cooking was quite difficult sometimes and his wife was supposed to live a leisurely life. She wasn’t there to be his personal chef. In the future, she shouldn’t have to do so much work if she didn’t want to!
[1] Manchu-Han Imperial Feast – a grand banquet held sometime in the Qing dynasty. One of the grandest meals ever documented in Chinese culinary history, the banquet reportedly consisted of 108 dishes served in six meals over the course of three days.
