Li Ying felt the gazes of the emperor and Empress Pei on her. She knew that her calm response this time must have greatly improved the emperor's impression of her.
Sure enough, she heard Princess Yongning say in a soft voice, "Your subject thinks that Lord Lu and Miss Li are truly deeply in love. True love is precious, but that's not the most important thing. The two of them are in perfect harmony. Miss Li often only needs to give a glance, and Lord Lu will immediately understand. When they work together, they can achieve twice the result with half the effort. This is truly a blessing for our dynasty."
It seemed like just idle talk from her, but upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but secretly calculate in his mind.
Indeed, just as Princess Yongning had said.
Yongning had no feelings for Lu Xunguang.
If he still stubbornly insisted on betrothing Yongning to Lu Xunguang, this honest young man might inevitably bear a grudge, and a rift would emerge between the monarch and his subject, which would be rather inelegant.
Now, seeing this Miss Li, he found that she truly had some skills. Judging from the situation, those "polder field methods" and "mulberry - fishpond systems" were probably also her ideas.
If he were to separate this loving couple, and Miss Li left in anger, no longer sharing all her ingenious ideas to assist Lu Xunguang, it would truly be a great loss.
Out of the corner of her eye, Li Ying saw that the emperor was deep in thought. She felt much relieved and then focused on processing the monkfish liver in her hand.
Although the monkfish liver tasted delicious, if all the fascia couldn't be completely removed, after cooking, the taste would be greatly reduced, with a strong fishy smell and not easy to eat.
Only by carefully removing all the fascia, then wrapping the loose monkfish liver into a cylindrical shape and steaming it in the pot could the preliminary preparation be completed.
The steamed monkfish liver was as fat and delicious as foie gras, with a more delicate and oily texture. Cut into small pieces, decorated with red radish puree and scallions, and paired with a perilla leaf, and slightly marinated in a refreshing grapefruit vinegar with a strong fruity aroma, it became a refreshing appetizer for wine.
If the monkfish liver was fried in the pot until both sides were golden - brown and then cooked with self - brewed red grape wine, the aroma of the wine would make the fattiness of the liver more mellow and rich. It would be soft, glutinous, and silky in the mouth, just like a piece of fine brocade.
The monkfish belly was crispy. After washing off the mucus, blanching it and cutting it into sections, stir - frying it with chili peppers made it spicy and very suitable to go with rice.
Half of the sweet monkfish meat was used to make a soup with wild mushrooms, and the other half was cut into wafer - thin double slices to make spicy and tender boiled fish slices.
Half of the fish skin was shredded and cold - dressed with scallions, ginger, and pickled peppers, with a chewy and tender taste in every bite. The other half was cut into large pieces and braised with scallions, which was quite similar to the soft and glutinous scallion - braised sea cucumber.
As for the fish bones and gills, there was no need to discard them either.
The blanched fish bones were coated with a layer of batter, deep - fried, and then stir - fried with dried chili peppers until crispy and fluffy, and then sprinkled with a generous layer of pepper salt. They were excellent to go with wine.
The pink fish gills, after being washed, were silky and soft, just like a piece of fine coral.
The monkfish was full of cartilage all over its body, so even the gills could be deep - fried as a snack. They wouldn't be dry at all. Instead, they were soft and glutinous. With every chew, the crispy outer shell wrapped thick gelatin, which greatly pleased Empress Pei and the Empress Dowager.
If the emperor had only regarded Li Ying as an ordinary cook with a bit of ingenuity before, today, seeing her on the devastated and chaotic mudflat of Huan City, deftly making several delicious and visually appealing dishes from an ugly and vulgar monkfish, he couldn't help but develop a bit of favor for her in his heart.
This woman was by no means just a bit clever!
Her calm and composed demeanor in the face of danger, as well as her numerous ingenious ideas that came at will, couldn't have been achieved overnight!
He wondered how many books this woman had read to have such astonishing adaptability. If she stayed by Lu Xunguang's side and offered him advice, it would truly be a blessing for the world!
After the emperor tasted the imperial meal presented by Li Ying, the look of amazement in his eyes grew stronger, and he finally showed a bit of appreciation.
He said indifferently, "Miss Li, you've made great contributions this time. When we return to the capital, I will surely reward you handsomely!"
In his heart, he had already calculated that he might as well do a favor and arrange a marriage for Li Ying and Lu Xunguang.
But a king's word was final. When the words came to his lips, he hesitated for a moment.
A king's greatest taboo was a subject whose merits were so great that they overshadowed the king.
During this southern inspection tour, Lu Xunguang had repaired the dragon boat, dug canals, and mobilized the Lu family's funds to relieve the people's urgent needs. Wherever he went, although the common people praised the emperor's merits, they also spared no praise for Lu Xunguang.
He was already as wealthy as a nation. If he had ill intentions...
Thinking of this, the emperor's face darkened, and he stopped talking. He waved his hand and told her to step back.
Li Ying noticed the slight change in the emperor's expression and already guessed the general idea.
The Lu family was at the height of its power, and the emperor must be jealous. She and Lu Xunguang had long been aware of this.
However, the emperor still relied on the Lu family for the time being, so he probably wouldn't do something like getting rid of those who had served their purpose.
Moreover, there was Princess Yongning secretly helping them.
During this southern inspection tour, as long as everything went smoothly on Princess Yongning's side before they reached the southern fishing village, the emperor's misgivings would surely be completely dispelled!
She was neither flustered nor in a hurry to defend herself. She just obediently retreated as told.
Li Ying secretly left a portion of braised monkfish tail and also prepared a portion of the original - flavored steamed monkfish liver, putting them into a food box. She thought that Lu Xunguang was still in Huan City, leading the people of Huan City to rebuild their homes. He was probably so dedicated that he had forgotten to eat.
When she rushed there with the food box, sure enough, she saw Lu Xunguang frowning. The Minister of the Ministry of Works and a group of people from Huan City were gathered around him, chattering away and discussing very lively.
"Lord Lu, in your opinion, how should we repair these common people's houses?"
"After the hurricane, all the wood in the city was soaked through by the flood. It's really not suitable for repairing houses. We don't know when the imperial relief funds will arrive in Huan City. Moreover, this hurricane was so powerful and affected a wide area. Huan City was not the only place affected..."
Although the national treasury was a bit more abundant now, if they were to rebuild every small city damaged by the hurricane, a huge amount of construction materials would be needed. How could the Ministry of Works produce so many materials all at once!
Lu Xunguang had already generously contributed a lot of silver, both openly and secretly, to rebuild Huan City.
Seeing those wealthy gentry in Huan City seemed insatiable and still wanted to ask Lu Xunguang for more, Li Ying couldn't help but sneer. She walked forward gracefully and took Lu Xunguang's hand.
"My dear Lu, I know you care about the people all over the world and are dedicated to your duty. You just want to relieve the emperor's worries. But exhausting yourself to serve the country doesn't mean doing it like this."
She looked around and said indifferently, "Repairing houses doesn't only mean large - scale construction. According to the local scenery and climate of Huan City, there are naturally methods suitable for the local conditions."