The emperor was diligent in governance. Besides using fish therapy to relieve his physical discomfort, he naturally needed some unique forms of entertainment to truly relax.
Currently, the squid in the sea were at their sweetest. The coastal villagers called them "xiao guan", which were rather small in size. Their snow - white bodies faintly glowed with a green fluorescence in the night. When they swam in groups in the sea, they were like a galaxy reflected in the vast ocean.
However, this alone was not particularly remarkable.
The most unique feature of the "xiao guan" squid was its extremely delicious flavor.
Once the squid was out of the water, its freshness would quickly fade away.
If one wanted to taste the freshest, crunchiest and sweetest flavor, the best way was to catch and eat them immediately.
Li Ying had previously gone out to sea on a boat to catch "xiao guan" squid with lights. While chatting with the boat captain, she had learned how to set up the lights and arrange the fishing nets when catching these squid.
When the heavy fishing net was pulled out of the sea, the "xiao guan" squid were like unsheathed daggers, glinting with a faint cold light. There were also all kinds of lively sea fish mixed among them, presenting a peaceful and bountiful harvest scene!
That night, the boat reached Dongshan County. Lu Xunguang had already, as per Li Ying's instructions, ordered people to hang several bright lamps on the fishing boats at the Dongshan Port, illuminating the gray sea surface as bright as day.
The emperor, Empress Pei and others were carefully helped onto the fishing boats by the palace servants.
This fishing boat had, of course, been thoroughly cleaned inside and out. However, the salty smell of the sea water that had seeped into the boat planks over the years was hard to dispel completely, making everyone wrinkle their noses involuntarily.
Seeing this, the magistrate of Dongshan County couldn't help but feel anxious.
The emperor was of such precious status. How could he be allowed to step into such a dirty place?
He was in a dilemma. But the emperor and the court officials were already used to Li Ying's ever - changing arrangements along the way and didn't mind.
The magistrate of Dongshan County had no choice but to keep silent and stand nervously on the side.
On the other side, Li Ying and Lu Xunguang took the lead and had already greeted the fishermen of Dongshan County to spread the huge net.
"Your Majesty, you have the imperial words and the protection of the dragon aura. Please indicate where we should cast the first net!" Li Ying said respectfully as she stepped forward to ask for instructions.
The emperor glanced in the direction of the lights. He didn't know anything about net - casting. But since Li Ying had said so, he casually pointed and said, "I think we should cast it in the southeast direction!"
The fishermen followed his order, shouting in chorus, and sank the big net into the sea. The magistrate of Dongshan County couldn't help but mutter secretly when he saw this bustling scene.
What if the net came up empty... How could he explain it to the emperor!
But Li Ying was confident and knew exactly what would happen.
The reason for choosing to go out to sea at night was that most marine creatures had a tendency to be attracted to light.
The sea was pitch - black at night. With the bright lamps on the fishing boats on the sea surface, the "xiao guan" squid would swarm in groups. It would be effortless to catch a bountiful harvest.
This was the "light - fishing" method of later generations. Although the boat lights of the Dongshan fishing boats couldn't illuminate the sea as brightly as in later times, they were more than sufficient to catch the "xiao guan" squid and other creatures.
She explained this light - luring method in detail to the fishermen of Dongshan County, and they all felt greatly benefited.
They regarded Li Ying as a guest of Princess Yongning, and their looks towards Yongning were full of gratitude.
Seeing Li Ying's well - prepared appearance, the emperor could easily guess that this woman must have come up with another good idea to make money.
Most of the business during this southern tour was managed by Princess Yongning, which also helped to enrich the national treasury. It was truly a great achievement. Now that the common people were extremely grateful to Yongning, it would be easier for her to make a name for herself in Dongshan County in the future.
Thinking of this, the emperor didn't ask any more questions and just let the common people do as they pleased.
Before long, the fishermen shouted as they pulled up the fishing net. Sure enough, a large group of "xiao guan" squid were jumping in the net. The faint light on their bodies was like glistening silver scales in the sea, constantly changing.
The magistrate of Dongshan County was overjoyed. The stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. He happily bowed to the emperor and congratulated him, "Your Majesty is truly blessed with profound good fortune and protected by the heavens!"
All the officials echoed his words. The emperor was quite proud but remained calm on the surface. He waved his hand and ordered Li Ying to go and deal with these freshly caught "xiao guan" squid.
The caught "xiao guan" squid were extremely lively. Their flexible tentacles waved wildly in mid - air, and their bright eyes were like glass beads.
The fresh "xiao guan" squid only needed a little washing. They could even be boiled in water without removing their internal organs.
The original - flavored "xiao guan" squid had a sweet, crunchy and elastic taste, with a unique flavor. Just dipping them in ginger - vinegar and soy sauce, one could taste the most extreme ocean flavor.
The plump roe in the squid's belly had a delicate and creamy texture, and even the black "ink" had a unique delicious taste.
Or one could cut the squid into small pieces and stir - fry them quickly over high heat. As soon as the squid changed color, it should be taken out of the pan immediately and drizzled with scallion oil while it was still hot.
Scallion - oil "xiao guan" squid was a common home - cooked dish among the coastal fishermen. Although it looked ordinary, because of the freshly caught squid with a tender texture, this fresh flavor was even better than the rare delicacies in the imperial cuisine.
After the emperor tasted the "xiao guan" squid, he was full of praise.
Li Ying smiled slightly. Instead of hurrying back to the port, she cheerfully presented a fishing hook with both hands.
"Your Majesty, why not try the fun of fishing for 'xiao guan' squid in the sea?"
According to the seasons, the best time to fish for "xiao guan" squid in the sea was actually in early summer, around May or June. That was when the squid were most active and the catch was quite good.
However, at present, many "xiao guan" squid had been lured by the lights. It didn't take the emperor much time to easily catch a "xiao guan" squid with one cast of his fishing rod, which helped relieve his fatigue.
Sure enough, this novel experience made the emperor find it even more interesting.
There was another way to eat the caught "xiao guan" squid raw. Insert the tentacle side directly into a cup of prepared dipping sauce. The squid would twist its body vigorously when stimulated by the salty and fresh sauce.
At this moment, one could take a bite of the squid and chew the smooth and tender meat to one's heart's content. Although this way of eating was a bit wild and cruel, there were quite a few curious diners who took pleasure in it and imitated it one after another.
However, the emperor and the empress dowager were kind - hearted. This kind of vulgar and barbaric way of eating was naturally not suitable to be shown in front of them.
The group cast the net a few more times for "xiao guan" squid and then reluctantly stopped the boat and returned to the port.
The "xiao guan" squid were delicious and were the emperor's favorite. Once the news spread, it was certain that countless food lovers would flock here!
The freshness of the "xiao guan" squid would fade away quickly once they were out of the water. If one wanted to taste this rare deliciousness, they could only come to Dongshan County in person.
Thus, the tourism industry in Dongshan County would have a unique and signature experience project.