Finally, the disgruntled commoners and tea merchants all dispersed. Li Ying hurriedly stepped forward to greet Lu Xunguang. Their eyes met, and without a word, they understood each other's feelings.
So what if the officials colluded and had great influence?
The wrath of the masses was irresistible. The tea tax inspector had committed numerous heinous crimes over the years. Now that he had fallen from power, how could the people in the capital easily forgive him?
When you pull out a radish, the mud comes with it. Under the thorough investigation of the Supreme Court, it was likely that the salt tax inspector and the commander of the Imperial Guards who had tried to cover things up today would also be implicated, and everyone would be in a state of self - alarm.
Li Ying nestled in Lu Xunguang's arms and said softly, "The New Year's Day is approaching, Lu Lang. I wonder how Inspector Lin will feel after receiving this great gift from us."
With the successive loss of his right - hand men and the unpredictable favor of the emperor, he would probably arouse suspicion. He was doomed to have a bad New Year.
Li Ying sighed again. It was a pity that those innocent servants who had died unjustly could never come back.
She and Lu Xunguang got into the carriage. She sighed to him with emotion but didn't get a response for a long time. She only felt a heavy weight on her shoulder and then noticed that the majestic head of the Lu family, who had been so high - spirited just a moment ago, was now lying on her like a child, sound asleep.
Even in his sleep, he still frowned tightly. Li Ying's heart softened, and her little hand gently stroked his eyebrows.
It was by no means an easy task to gather all the disciples of Master Ge, who were scattered far and wide, in the capital within just a few days.
Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, she knew that he must have stayed up for several nights. Li Ying gently massaged his forehead and whispered, "Lu Lang, have a good dream."
When they arrived at the Li residence, the coachman and Shihu helped the still - sleeping Lu Xunguang out of the carriage and settled him in the guest room. After a moment of thought, Li Ying told Ruyi to prepare some simple gifts and then went to the inn in person to thank all the disciples of Master Ge one by one.
Most of these people were older than her, and they were all the key figures in their respective tea houses. The Lu family's tea house would surely have to deal with them in the future.
Li Ying sent her visiting card. She was always modest and polite, and her way of dealing with people was very considerate. Moreover, everyone knew that Master Ge's unjust case had been cleared largely thanks to this charming girl who had run around and made arrangements everywhere. They were also interested in cooperating with the thriving Lu family's tea house, so they treated her with great respect.
Li Ying invited them to a banquet in her own restaurant and even cooked several dishes with auspicious meanings herself.
"Adding Splendor to Splendor" was made from a fresh grass carp. The fish bones were removed, and the fish was sliced into two pieces of tender meat as white as jade.
With an extremely sharp knife, the fish slices were cut into thin slices obliquely, but the fish skin was not cut off. Then, with a straight - blade cut, every eight cuts were separated. The cut fish pieces were soaked in cold water. Firstly, it could soak away the blood and fishy smell in the fish meat. Secondly, it could make the meat more compact and the taste more tender.
The fish meat stretched out in the water, looking like chrysanthemums with long petals, very clean and refreshing, white and cute.
The drained fish pieces were then mixed evenly with scallions, ginger, and yellow rice wine to remove the fishy smell. After marinating for a quarter of an hour, they were evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch and fried in a pan over low heat.
To make this dish of "Adding Splendor to Splendor", the most important things were the knife skills and the heat.
During the frying process, the fish should not be easily turned over, and it should not be fried for too long, otherwise, the "petals" of the fish meat would fall off. After taking it out, when frying it again, the fish should be fried until the outer skin was crispy and the petals were clearly separated, but it should not be over - fried. Otherwise, the meat would be dry and only greasy, with no taste.
While frying the fish, start another pot. Squeeze the juice of fresh small green tangerines, and then adjust a "small lychee flavor" with sugar and vinegar. Although the seasonings used were just a few common ones, the proportion of flavoring was very particular.
Different from the rich and straightforward sweet - and - sour flavor, this "lychee flavor" had a subtle fruit aroma, and the taste was more refreshing. Besides being sweet and sour, there should also be a hint of salty freshness. This salty freshness should not overpower the other flavors but should just right set off the fragrance of vinegar and the sweetness of brown sugar, making the sourness bright and the sweetness gentle.
The cooked sauce was evenly poured on each piece of fish. The fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and its shape was elegant and unique.
The tea merchants were in the business of refined pleasures. Li Ying's dish of "Adding Splendor to Splendor" had an auspicious meaning and was exquisitely made. When it was served on the table, it was naturally highly praised by everyone.
The fish bones and fish head that had been sliced off were not wasted. They were fried over low heat until golden brown, then poured into boiling water and boiled into a thick milky soup. Only ginger slices and sea salt were used for flavoring, and a layer of carefully selected and washed chrysanthemum petals of the Golden Silk Imperial Chrysanthemum was sprinkled on it, and a handful of bright red wolfberries were added and cooked together.
In such a light soup, thin slices of perch fillet were scalded, and the taste was extremely fresh and refreshing.
Just as the saying goes, "The fallen chrysanthemum petals blend into the steam, creating a warm taste in the cold winter."
When Lu Xunguang woke up, he heard that Li Ying had settled him in the room and then rushed to the restaurant non - stop to entertain the tea masters and merchants who had come from afar. Knowing that she must be planning for him, how could he still lie in bed?
He quickly put on his clothes and was about to go to greet the guests with her.
Even A Man, who usually spoke to him sharply, didn't make any sarcastic remarks today. Instead, she politely prepared a horse for him and told him to be careful on the way and come back early with his elder sister.
When Su Buchi finally managed to settle the crying and shouting commoners outside the Supreme Court and rushed over in a hurry, he only saw Li Ying and Lu Xunguang standing side by side. They were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, deeply in love, toasting and chatting with the guests at the table. The whole banquet was filled with joy.
He paused for a moment and then quietly took two steps back.
He had come here because he was worried about Li Ying and wanted to see her.
Even a gentle and elegant man like him couldn't help but blame Lu Xunguang when he saw the angry mobs who had lost their children attacking the tea tax inspector. Several people had casually brushed past Li Ying and almost knocked her down.
In such a chaotic farce, he should have taken good care of her. How could he let her take risks?
But now, seeing Li Ying smiling confidently, the thought of scolding Lu Xunguang in Su Buchi's heart disappeared immediately, and he even felt a little ashamed.
She was never a delicate flower that needed to be carefully protected.
She was a trumpet creeper blooming bravely under the scorching sun in midsummer, a budding lotus standing gracefully among the decaying lotus leaves in the pond. She wanted to ride the waves with Lu Xunguang in the ups and downs of the business world.
He respected and loved her. If she wanted to bloom, he would be willing to be a towering tree to provide shade for her. If she wanted to roam, he would be the vast expanse of water and let her swim freely.
It was only today that Su Buchi clearly realized that what she wanted was not someone to rely on, but another tree growing beside her, another fish swimming with her.
Just like Lu Xunguang.
He smiled helplessly.
It wasn't that fate had played a cruel joke on him and he had come too late.
It turned out that everything had been arranged just right.