CH 24

Chapter 24 - State Teacher

Ling Wangye was surprised to see that Su Yu choose the straw basket.

It was something he got by chance from the hands of a foreigner. He always thought it was a kind of medicinal herb and planned to take it back to Imperial Hospital for research.

“Su Yu, what did you choose?”

Everyone else had finished their presentation, and each one was surging forward with great momentum, worried about one’s country and the people, but Su Yu kept his head down and didn’t come to his senses until he was named.

After all, he will sell this thing in the future, naturally, he couldn't lie. Besides, he knew very little about the taboos of this dynasty, maybe he would offend because of a careless word, so, he had to tell the truth after hesitating for a long time.

“Reporting to Wangye, this is a kind of ingredient.”

“Ingredient?” Ling Qinwang picked up the chili and pulled it near his nose, the spicy breath entered his nose and he couldn’t help sneezing.

“How do you know?” It was the first time he had seen this, how could Su Yu know?

The Seventeenth Wangye squinted his eyes and the eyes that looked at Su Yu were full of scrutiny.

Su Yu’s heart skipped a beat, is there anything else involved with this thing? If it’s related to state secrets, then he’ll die an unjust death.

“Reporting to Wangye, this commoner family has an ancestral recipe book, which mentions this kind of ingredient. This thing is called chili pepper, it’s a seasoning that can make extremely rare delicacies.” He answered slowly and carefully, making up lies always took time to think, what’s more, the target of deceit was a high-ranking Qinwang.

“Is that so?” Ling Wangye’s eyes lit up and looked at his thirteenth brother.

The day before, they paid attention to Su Yu’s family background. They remembered that he was the descendant of the Su family, whose dishes had been lost for several generations.

“Tell me what you can do with this, if it’s really easy to use, this Wangye will get some more.”

Su Yu’s heart moved, and he looked at His Royal Highness Ling Wangye, who was full of curiosity.

The geographical environment of this space-time was different from what he was familiar with, he was not sure that chili pepper seeds could be planted here in the capital. If not, maybe he could cooperate with his Imperial Uncle through King Zhao.

Considering this, Su Yu put on the posture of talking about business and introduced chili-related dishes in detail.

“This ingredient can expel cold and expel dampness and is used to mix cold ingredients, especially fish, shrimps, and crabs. It is very delicious, you can make spicy crabs, spicy shrimps, poached sliced fish in hot chili oil [TL_Note: Sichuan recipe], spicy lobster, spicy roasted whole fish…”

Speaking of Sichuan cuisine, Su Yu began to talk endlessly. Hearing this, Ling Wangye’s eyes were wide open, and the scribes beside him wrote down every word without omission.

When Su Yu finished, the final selection was over. The inner attendants submitted the selected objects and records to the State Teacher, they also had the honor of going to the Anguo Tower to wait for the State Teacher’s comments.

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Anguo Tower, towering into the clouds, the first floor alone was three feet high.

The body of the tower was made of a very precious black stone, which with faintly suffused with golden spots under the sun.

The heavy gate was open, and a maid in a light-colored dress saluted the crowd, leading them into the audience hall on the first floor.

The main hall was not as solemn as everyone thought, it was even very beautiful. The huge upright columns supported the dome, on which an intricate start map was drawn.

There were layers and layers of snow veils hanging in the hall, making it look like a fairyland.

The stone steps leading to the top of the tower were paved with the same black stone, rotating upwards, which was similar to the rotating staircase of Xianmantang.

No one outside the royal family was allowed to step above the first floor of the main hall of Anguo Tower. Originally, they could have brought the things to the tower to give them to the State Teacher, but it happened that Duke Lu’s Shizi choose the Qingcong Horse.

Naturally, such a big beast cannot contaminate the sacred upper floors of the Anguo Tower, so everyone could only wait quietly in the hall.

“DingLingLing…” A clear and distant ringing came from the stone steps that spiraled down, the sound seemed so close, like an intimate whisper in your ear; It seemed so distant, with the desolation handed down from ancient times.

At this moment, everyone couldn’t help but feel an impulse to prostrate themselves in worship and everyone in the hall kneeled together.

“Greeting the State Teacher.” Even the two Qinwangs bowed their heads.

Dressed in an intricate and magnificent snow-colored robe, one person walked down the stairs and walked slowly to the throne in the audience hall.

Su Yu didn’t dare to look up casually. When he heard a melodious voice saying “No need for ceremony.” above his head, he looked up.

White hair like snow, picturesque features, handsome and cold, not like a Daoist master.

Su Yu was shocked, he always thought that the State Teacher was an immortal-like old man, unexpectedly, he turned out to be a beautiful man in his twenties.

If his white hair grew on others, they would look old, but on his body, it turned into an ethereal immortal aura.

The inner attendants presented several pieces of recorded silk cloths to the State Teacher, and Su Yu suddenly felt that his whole person was not good.

In this situation, with such an immortal State Teacher, the other’s statements were either a deeply moving heroic magnificent aspiration, a moving tale, or a flowery Da’an anthem, while his was a Sichuan seafood recipe.

He always felt that it was particularly damaging to the atmosphere…

Sure enough, the State Teacher just took a quick glance at the silk cloth in front of him and snorted coldly.

“Who is Su Yu?”

Su Yu quickly knelt down and saluted.

“Can you prove that what you said just now is true?” The State Teacher twisted a dried chili pepper in his hand and his beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

“This matter is related to the fortune of the country, if you talk nonsense, this seat will punish you today for the sin of bringing disaster to the country.”

Su Yu broke out into a cold sweat, he really didn’t understand how a basket of chili peppers could provoke so much trouble, but now was obviously not the time to complain. If the State Teacher decided that he was a disaster to the country, he was the right to execute him now!

Abruptly, Su Yu calmed down. He didn’t do anything wrong, if worst comes to worst he’ll just prove it to these country bumkins.

He took a deep breath and his tone was steady.

“Reporting to the State Teacher, what this commoner said was true, please supply this commoner some fish and cooking utensils to prove it.”

Everyone stared dumbstruck at the development of things. When the inner attendants brought out a complete set of cooking utensils and two big lively fishes, their eyes were about to fall out.

Su Yu didn’t know how he got to this point, but there was no turning back, he could only take one step at a time.

Picking up the grass carp in the water, he beat it dizzy, quickly killed it, and removed its scales, he then sliced it into thin strips at a very fast speed.

The fast and delicious Sichuan cuisine was none other than boiled fish. It doesn’t need to be marinated for a long time, after preparing the others ingredients, you can put them into the pot.

The fresh and tender white fish, covered with brown pepper and bright red chili pepper, was sprinkled with hot oil, and the spicy and fragrant scent instantly burst out, immediately filling the whole hall.

At this moment, the State Teacher, who had been keeping his beautiful eyes slightly closed, slowly opened his eyes, got up, and walked up to the second floor.

“Give this Wangye a taste!” When Ling Wangye saw the State Teacher leave, he couldn’t hold back and immediately stuffed a piece of fish into his mouth.

The fresh and tender meat was accompanied by a spicy taste, which he had never experienced before, almost made Seventeenth Wangye bite his tongue.

Su Wangye frowned and snatched the chopsticks from his younger brother’s hand.

“The Imperial Concubine Selection is not over, take care of business first.” With that, he took a piece of fish and tasted it.

Just then, the State Teacher’s person suddenly communicated a message that this thing should not be touched without authorization, and forcibly snatched a basin full of Sichuan poached sliced fish in hot chili oil from the hands of the two Qinwangs.

“This is Ours. No one is allowed to eat it.” In the hall on the second floor, An Hongchen, dressed in bright yellow clothes, pulled the pot of fish to his side.

“Then there will be no judgment, and this matter is closed.” The State Teacher leisurely stroked the white hair at his temples.

“Imperial Uncle can eat it.” Only then did the emperor reluctantly remove his hand, but stared coldly at the opposite State Teacher.

The State Teacher ignored him and slowly picked out a piece of fish and ate it.

“Is this why you said I must choose him?”

“Whether you choose or not is up to you, We are too lazy to care!” An Hongche snorted coldly and stormed off in a huff.

Looking at the golden silhouette jumping down from the huge window, the State Teacher slowly put down the bowl and chopsticks.

“Go down and announce, ba.”

Everyone waited in the hall for a long time and finally received the evaluations from the State Teacher.

Whether it was poetry, songs, or heroes’ blood and tears, the great State Teacher mercilessly gave an “Inferior” evaluation absolutely without consideration for others' feelings and then acclaimed.

“It’s all rubbish!”

Only Su Yu got an “Acceptable” evaluation and was allowed to enter the palace to serve.

Su Yu blankly held a basket of chili peppers, completely dumbfounded.