After several days of sailing, thanks to the varnish applied on the imperial dragon boat, there were hardly any barnacles or mussels attached to it.
The emperor was extremely satisfied upon hearing the report from his attendant eunuch and decreed that Lu Xunguang be heavily rewarded.
The eunuch who delivered the decree brought the reward for Lu Xunguang and said with a smile, "Thanks to Lord Lu's wide knowledge this time, we can ensure the safety of the dragon boat. His Majesty is in high spirits. We who serve in front of the imperial presence can finally relax a bit."
Lu Xunguang exchanged a few words of greeting with him and then gave him some gold leaves as a tip. Only then was the eunuch satisfied and took his leave.
Since this was a southern inspection tour, it was natural to examine the livelihood and sentiment of the people along the way.
Later in the day, the majestic dragon boat docked at the port of Jiangcheng.
The magistrate of Jiangcheng had received the news in advance and led all the local officials to welcome the imperial entourage respectfully.
It was already getting late, and the emperor was a bit tired. So he spent the night in the private residence of the Jiangcheng magistrate.
Such an honor was hard to come by.
It should be noted that back then, the Cao official in charge of the textile manufacturing was favored by the previous emperor after receiving him, and thus became a favorite in front of the emperor. Now there was still no suitable candidate for the position of the official in charge of the southern textile manufacturing. Jiangcheng was only one city away from the textile manufacturing office. The Jiangcheng magistrate was eager to make a good impression in front of the emperor.
After the emperor went to bed, the magistrate quietly pulled aside the imperial eunuch who served the emperor personally and led him to a secluded place. He secretly stuffed a bag of silver into the eunuch's hand.
"Eunuch, I'm extremely nervous about receiving His Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty has any special preferences. Please give me some pointers."
The money bag was quite heavy, obviously of great value.
The imperial eunuch only hesitated for a moment before making up his mind and said in a low voice, "His Majesty doesn't like extravagance. The only thing he still has some interest in now is food. If there are any fresh and delicious dishes in Jiangcheng, you can just present them to His Majesty tomorrow."
Currently, Lu Xunguang was in the emperor's good graces.
However, although this Lord Lu was polite to them, the emperor's attendants, he always kept a certain distance and never got too close to others.
If the Jiangcheng magistrate really had the ability to please the emperor, just like the once - prosperous Cao official in charge of the textile manufacturing, he would surely owe the eunuch a favor.
Moreover, even if this attempt failed, it would be the Jiangcheng magistrate who would bear the emperor's wrath, and it had nothing to do with the eunuch. If it succeeded, it would be a win - win situation. Why not give it a try?
Although the Jiangcheng magistrate got some advice, he still had no idea what to do. Where could he find any novel food in Jiangcheng? In terms of the delicacy of cooking, who in the world could prepare meals better than the imperial chefs in the palace?
Seeing the magistrate looking so worried, the eunuch who delivered the decree thought for a while, recalling the dishes Li Ying had presented before, and then said, "His Majesty doesn't like excessive luxury. In my opinion, you might as well find some food that the people of Jiangcheng usually like and cook it carefully. Maybe it will meet His Majesty's taste."
He remembered that when Lu Xunguang was ordered to repair the ship, he had brought those unremarkable barnacles back to his mansion to make a meal. So he told this to the Jiangcheng magistrate as a suggestion.
The Jiangcheng magistrate's eyes immediately lit up as if he had thought of something. He said happily, "Thank you for your advice, Eunuch!"
He excitedly saw off the eunuch who delivered the decree. Without even going back to his room to rest, he called in a few trusted subordinates and whispered some instructions to them.
The next day, the emperor intended to experience the local customs of Jiangcheng, so he specifically ordered the imperial kitchen and Li Ying not to prepare meals. Everything would be arranged by the Jiangcheng magistrate.
This was exactly what the Jiangcheng magistrate wanted. He quickly clapped his hands, and the servants filed in, presenting all kinds of fragrant dishes.
Jiangcheng was located by the sea, and most of its delicious food was mainly seafood.
Empress Pei and the empress dowager had a light diet. Although these dishes were not particularly special, they were fresh and quite palatable.
When the time was right, the Jiangcheng magistrate calmly clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, there is still one more dish, which is unique to Jiangcheng. The local people often pick it to cook. I specially sent people to buy some. Please have a taste."
"Oh?"
The emperor became a bit interested and waited leisurely for the magistrate to present his treasure.
A large white porcelain plate was soon carried in by a maid.
The Jiangcheng magistrate didn't notice anything amiss and reported, "Your Majesty, please take a look. This thing is called 'cactus'. It tastes extremely delicious. Just blanch it, and it will be an unparalleled delicacy."
"I've arranged some music and dance for Your Majesty and the ladies to enjoy. This 'cactus' can be used as a snack to relieve boredom."
Empress Pei took a look at the plate and her face instantly changed color.
The empress dowager also held her Buddhist beads and said in distress, "It's a sin. Such a sin."
The green - yellow things on the plate all had sharp claws. They didn't look like any "cactus" at all. Instead, they were quite similar to turtle feet!
Just a few days ago, the emperor had released a huge hawksbill turtle and strictly ordered the whole country not to hunt hawksbill turtles casually. Now, the Jiangcheng magistrate was presenting a plate of blanched turtle feet in front of him. It was simply audacious!
He let out a cold snort and roared angrily, "Jiangcheng is really bold enough to ignore my imperial edict!"
The Jiangcheng magistrate never expected that his attempt to present a treasure would instead incur the emperor's wrath. He quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have absolutely no intention of disobeying the imperial edict, let alone provoking Your Majesty's authority! Please investigate clearly!"
"I just wanted to make Your Majesty happy!"
He almost knocked his forehead until it bled, but the emperor just waved his hand impatiently and was about to order someone to drag him away.
Li Ying also quietly glanced at the plate.
She looked at Lu Xunguang hesitantly.
Lu Xunguang knew that she must have something to say. He took three steps forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Allow me to report."
Li Ying felt helpless.
The Jiangcheng magistrate must be a person who was not used to physical labor and knew nothing about production.
Why on earth did he call it "cactus"? It only made the emperor misunderstand.
The things on the plate were clearly goose barnacles!
These goose barnacles did look like turtle feet, so they were also called "turtle feet". As for "cactus", it was just a nicer name.
These goose barnacles could be either blanched or stir - fried. As long as the hard skin on the stem of the "turtle feet" was peeled off, the white and tender meat would be revealed. They tasted delicious, similar to crab roe.
The barnacles Li Ying had cooked were a bit fatter, but in terms of the rich and fragrant taste, the goose barnacles were the best.
After Li Ying's explanation, the emperor was still skeptical.
The Jiangcheng magistrate also quickly explained, "Yes, Your Majesty. These 'cactuses' were harvested by the fishermen on the reefs by the sea. It's definitely not as cruel as cutting off the feet of a divine turtle, Your Majesty!"
However, goose barnacles usually grew in dangerous places with rough waves, and their yield was extremely low.
The Jiangcheng magistrate had easily presented such a large amount. I'm afraid...