The ama divers at the pearl farm had already received a great deal of care from Li Ying. Now, they were even fortunate enough to meet the emperor in person and gain such a promising future. Naturally, each of them was overjoyed.
By now, the pearl farm had achieved some success. The ama divers excitedly brought many seashells from the clam fields for Li Ying to choose from at will. If these could be cooked into delicious dishes for the emperor to taste even a mouthful, it would be a blessing for three lifetimes for them.
Li Ying immediately spotted several baskets of abalones, which were very fresh and plump. Immediately, various cooking methods with different flavors came to her mind, and she readily agreed.
However, the prefect of Jingcheng frowned tightly as he watched the fisherwomen with their tanned skin, grinning honestly with their white teeth, chatting merrily with Li Ying.
He was the prefect of Jingcheng and the parent - official of the common people!
It was fine that the emperor favored that village woman Li Ying. Naturally, he didn't dare to make any irresponsible remarks about the emperor's will. But, to his annoyance, these audacious common people only got close to that woman, full of gratitude, completely ignoring him, the upright and honest official!
How could he swallow this humiliation!
Bravely facing the rough hands of the ama divers and the simple bamboo - woven baskets filled with seashells, he pondered for a moment. Finally, he stepped forward carefully and said, "Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty is of noble status. These seashells have an unclear origin and are dirty all over. If Your Majesty eats them rashly, it may be harmful to Your Majesty's body..."
He put on an appearance of being deeply worried and willing to share the emperor's concerns, but how could Li Ying not guess his little schemes?
She smiled bitterly to herself. During this southern inspection, she had thoroughly offended all the local officials along the way.
Before she could say anything, Princess Yongning stepped forward to protect her and said, "Prefect, you're over - worrying."
She stood in front of Li Ying, clearly showing her intention to protect her under her wings. Li Ying exchanged a smile with her and immediately felt more confident.
In the future, it would be Princess Yongning who would negotiate with these people, and she didn't need to worry about it.
She cleared her throat and said softly, "These seashells are artificially cultivated. As long as they are washed a little and the sand is spit out, they are all extremely delicious delicacies. Prefect, please rest assured."
Princess Yongning also said, "These seashells are a gift from the ama divers to Father. Although they are not precious, they are the people's sincere feelings. If the prefect insists on stopping, won't it chill the hearts of the common people in Father's eyes?"
The prefect of Jingcheng was rebuffed by Princess Yongning and didn't dare to say more. He could only slink away, nodding submissively and bowing his head to leave.
Li Ying thanked Princess Yongning for coming to her rescue. After washing her hands, she came to process the seashells.
The main dish was, of course, a thick and sticky Buddha - Jumps - Over - the - Wall.
Eight ingredients such as a whole chicken, an old duck, a pork knuckle, spare ribs, and fresh fish were used to make a pure white soup stock with delicate gelatin. This soup stock was then used to simmer fish maw, abalones, shark fins, and sea cucumbers.
Just making the soup stock took four hours. Then, another three hours were needed to stew the meat in the soup stock until it was tender, allowing all the essence to blend into the white soup, creating the so - called "Old Buddha Soup".
It took another two hours to slowly stew the ten main ingredients of Buddha - Jumps - Over - the - Wall until they were well - flavored. The imperial chefs, following Li Ying's instructions, carefully guarded the stove without any slack. It took a full nine hours to create this bowl of the king of Fujian cuisine, Buddha - Jumps - Over - the - Wall, with an extremely strong and natural fragrance.
Taking advantage of this time, Li Ying went to prepare a dish of abalone slices with scallions in oil.
The fresh large abalones were gutted, the mucus was washed off, and then they were sliced into wafer - thin pieces.
The evenly sliced abalone pieces only needed to be briefly blanched in boiling water, and they would be cooked to a refreshing and crispy texture.
Then, a layer of fresh green scallions was sprinkled on top, some soy sauce was drizzled over, and a pot of boiling oil was heated and immediately poured over the abalone slices.
The sizzling hot oil brought out the fragrant smell of scallions, covering up the almost imperceptible fishy smell of the abalones and leaving only a sweet aftertaste.
After enjoying the rich and greasy Buddha - Jumps - Over - the - Wall, it was just right to have a few fresh and refreshing side dishes to relieve the greasiness.
Since she came on the boat, Li Ying had already understood the eating preferences of the emperor, the empress dowager, and others. As expected, today's imperial meal was well - received.
The prefect of Jingcheng also tasted Li Ying's cooking. When Princess Yongning asked him with a half - smile how it tasted, he forced a smile, and his face showed a hint of uneasiness.
He bowed and said, "Your humble official had no other intention. I was just concerned about His Majesty's body... Princess, please don't make fun of your humble official..."
The emperor said calmly, "It's all right. You are also loyal. Yongning, don't be naughty."
Knowing that Princess Yongning was standing up for her, how could Li Ying just stand by and do nothing?
She walked forward with a smile, bowed, and seemingly casually picked up an abalone shell while pretending to serve food. She said softly, "Your Majesty, the true dragon emperor, is really extraordinary. Just casually picking up an abalone, it turns out to be the most superior nine - hole abalone!"
Seeing her cherish the abalone shell like a precious treasure, the emperor, having had his fill of food and wine, became quite interested.
He raised his eyebrows, looked in the direction of Li Ying's hand, and asked curiously, "What's so special about the nine - hole abalone?"
Li Ying bowed again and then explained calmly, "Your Majesty may not know that when abalones grow in the sea, they only leave a few breathing holes on their shells. As time passes, the breathing holes from their early days will be blocked by calcareous substances, and only a few of the front - most breathing holes will be preserved."
Ordinary abalones usually have only three to seven holes. Only a few abalones of the hybrid variety can have six to nine holes, and those with nine holes have the best medicinal properties.
Medicinal properties?
The emperor was even more interested as he listened to her explain in such detail.
Li Ying had been waiting for him to ask further questions. Now that he had spoken, she continued to explain with a charming smile.
"Your Majesty may not know that the shell of the nine - hole abalone is also called 'Concha Haliotidis', which is a good medicine for treating eye diseases and clearing eye disorders."
"I've heard that the empress dowager is getting old and her eyesight is a bit weak. Your Majesty has so many state affairs to attend to every day that you will inevitably suffer from eye fatigue. Making a decoction with this Concha Haliotidis will be of great benefit to Your Majesty's body. That's why I dared to ask Princess Yongning for permission to cook today's dishes."
Princess Yongning understood her meaning and had already ordered someone to bring a small silver plate.
On the plate was the Concha Haliotidis that had been baked and ground into powder, to be dipped with roasted pig liver.
The emperor took a small bite. It was crispy and not hard to swallow.
Perhaps due to a psychological effect, after eating a few bites of this "Concha Haliotidis", he actually felt as if his hearing and eyesight had improved a lot, and he was overjoyed.
"Yongning, you've really put your heart into it!"
The emperor smiled at Princess Yongning with great pleasure.
The prefect of Jingcheng immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
His original intention was just to restore his image of "fulfilling his duties loyally" in front of the emperor. But unexpectedly, he had made a mess of things! And he had even offended Princess Yongning, who was currently in high favor with the emperor...
He was afraid that there would be no easy days for him in Jingcheng in the future!