The magistrate of Yuan City had already dispersed most of his family fortune. Although he might not be a benevolent official whole - heartedly dedicated to the people, he was at least dutiful.
Hearing his words, Li Ying saw that the worry on his face seemed genuine. She felt somewhat gratified and said softly, "Your Honor, there's no need to worry."
Currently, due to the flood discharge in the city and the cooling weather, the number of white clams and conches on the tidal flat had sharply decreased, leaving only empty shells. But it was exactly the right time to harvest sea anemones.
Sea anemones?
It was no wonder the people of Yuan City were puzzled.
The so - called "sea anemones" were a later - day term. In ancient times, this creature was mostly called "stone milk". It had a strange appearance and was not easy to catch. Even in later times, it could be considered an exotic item.
Words were not enough to convince them. So Li Ying simply asked the people of Yuan City for a shovel and went to the tidal flat herself.
In the shallow water, one could vaguely see sea anemones in the sea sand, looking like chrysanthemums, gently swaying their soft tentacles.
They were very alert and sensitive. As soon as someone poked them, they would quickly shrink. Those slender "petals" would disappear, and there would be nothing left on the beach.
No wonder sea anemones were hard to obtain.
Li Ying was unhurried. First, she dug the soft sea sand on both sides of the sea anemone, then inserted the shovel into the sand right under the sea anemone to block its retreat. Then she could pull out the deeply - buried rhizome of the sea anemone with force.
Once out of the water, the sea anemone shrank into a fist - sized ball, round and dusty, covered with a lot of mucus. It really didn't look like a delicious thing.
However, when cooked, sea anemones were highly nourishing. Whether stir - fried, boiled, stewed or fried, they were extremely delicious and could be regarded as top - grade ingredients.
The magistrate of Yuan City was skeptical. He ordered his men to follow Li Ying closely. Soon, they had harvested several baskets of sea anemones.
Li Ying gently reminded them that only the plain - looking gray sea anemones or the light - red ones with dotted purple protrusions on their bodies were edible.
As for the light - green sea anemones, they were slightly poisonous and not suitable for consumption. One had to be extremely careful when harvesting by the sea.
The washed sea anemones only needed to be blanched in boiling water to remove the large amount of mucus and toxicity from their tentacles. If stir - frying, one only needed to cut the sea anemones into large pieces, add some chili peppers, and cook quickly over high heat.
The sea anemones had a soft and chewy texture, with rich soup. They had a strong flavor similar to chicken liver or pig liver, and their thick meat was satisfying when chewed.
When stewing sea anemone soup, only the simplest seasoning of salt was needed. Generally, for delicious ingredients, the simplest seasonings could bring out the purest and most intense flavors.
What Li Ying cooked was a dish called "sand garlic bean noodles". The so - called "sand garlic" was another name for sea anemones.
And the "bean noodles" were vermicelli made from mung beans or sweet potatoes.
Sea anemones were juicy, and the vermicelli would absorb all the soup from the sea anemones. The essence of the delicious sea anemones was locked in. With some minced garlic, the deliciousness of the seafood and the aroma of garlic were a perfect match.
The taste of fried sea anemones was quite different.
The sea anemones coated with batter were fried until the outside was crispy and the inside was tender. Under the crispy shell was extremely sweet soup.
Taking a light bite, the unique ocean flavor was like a heavy - duty bomb exploding in the mouth. The strong salty and fresh smell came in waves, one after another.
Considering the tastes of the elderly and children, Li Ying also made a dish of sea anemone dices steamed with egg custard.
In the tender egg custard, the chewy and crispy sea anemone dices were dotted. Just drizzle some ginger vinegar on it, and it was most suitable to be eaten with hot rice.
The magistrate of Yuan City never expected that this plain - looking "stone milk" that looked like a mud ball could, in Li Ying's skillful hands, instantly become such a delicate and delicious dish. He was so shocked that he stared blankly and was speechless.
He carefully took a few bites. The strong aroma almost left him speechless. After a while, he finally composed himself and politely bowed to Li Ying.
"With these stone milk, the people of Yuan City will no longer go hungry. In the days to come, they can live more comfortably! On behalf of the people of Yuan City, I would like to thank the young lady in advance for teaching us the skills of harvesting by the sea!"
Then he turned to look at Princess Yongning and the emperor, knelt down solemnly, kowtowed three times and shouted long live, thanking the emperor for his kindness.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"
"Princess Yongning is intelligent and has the ability to recognize talents. There are many capable people under her. It is truly a blessing for Your Majesty and the people of the world!"
These words were very pleasing to the ears of the emperor and Princess Yongning.
The emperor waved his hand nonchalantly and said lightly, "You have made great contributions to protecting the people of Yuan City. You are a capable official, and I will reward you handsomely."
During his southern tour this time, accompanied by the capable official Su Buchi who dared to speak out, the emperor had punished many corrupt officials and heartless rich people along the way.
The people clapped their hands in joy, but the court and the country were inevitably in a state of panic.
Rewarding the magistrate of Yuan City generously would also show that the emperor was fair in rewards and punishments and was a benevolent king.
Li Ying drew pictures and clearly wrote down the appearance of the sea anemones and the methods of harvesting them. The emperor immediately ordered to inform the cities in the southern border that sea anemones were edible, so as to relieve the people's urgent need after the hurricane disaster.
After all this busy work, even though the emperor was still in his prime, he couldn't help but feel exhausted. He felt that he was unable to handle the political affairs with ease.
Empress Pei accompanied the emperor every day. She spoke softly and gently massaged the emperor's aching forehead. The deep affection between the emperor and the empress was widely known as a beautiful story.
Li Ying remembered that one day Empress Pei had summoned her and told her that the emperor had already approved her marriage with Lu Xunguang, but just wanted to temper their sharpness.
Since the food problem of the people of Yuan City had been solved, she had to plan carefully for herself and Lu Xunguang.
Only by pleasing this supreme emperor could her wedding go smoothly in the future.
While searching for sea anemones, Li Ying had seen many cute little fish swimming in the shallow beach. She had already had an idea in mind.
She told Lu Xunguang about her plan one by one. Lu Xunguang naturally let her decide everything. He called a few servants and ordered them to prepare according to her plan.
When they were alone in the cabin, Lu Xunguang whispered, "A Ying, I know you're not a sycophant. In fact, you don't have to go to so much trouble to please the emperor."
Anyway, he had already set his heart on Li Ying. Even if the emperor didn't like it, he would still marry her in a proper way.
Li Ying smiled and said, "How can I not know your thoughts? Lu Lang, you've always considered everything for me and exhausted your efforts. Now it's just such a small thing. How can I not plan for you?"
He never wanted to wrong her.
And she also didn't want him to fall out of favor with the emperor because of her, nor did she want him to be criticized in the capital.