Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 456: Eyeballs Falling to the Ground
As the saying goes, if you wish for something, it will come true... No matter how happy and conflicted Chef Song was, at the end of the day, like most people, he only got two consolation prizes in the extra question, but he was able to be included in the top ten list. Although he was only the last one and got tenth place, at least he made it to the semi-finals.
What he didn't expect was that when the long list was announced and some were happy while others were sad, a little eunuch actually came hurriedly, looked him up and down, left and right, stared at him for a long time, and then bowed earnestly.
"It's Chef Song, right? Princess, please go up to the third floor to talk."
At this moment, Chef Song felt that the gazes of the other chefs around him were like knives, stabbing him hard - the feeling of being stabbed by thousands of knives really made him, who had not been getting enough sleep in the past few days, wake up instantly. If it were someone with a rebellious temperament, he would have looked around and said something harsh at this time, but for him...
He scratched his head uneasily, then scratched his shoulders, as if he felt itchy all over. When he saw the little eunuch looking at him strangely, he stood up hastily, then pointed at his nose and asked puzzledly: "Summon me? Princess? But there are so many chefs today, I am at most tenth, how could the princess..."
As soon as these words came out, the hostile chefs wanted to catch Chef Song and stab him. What do you mean by being the tenth genius? You have already advanced! What's more, there are more than 30 people hanging behind you, bastard!
The young eunuch was also shocked by the tone of Chef Song, but he was obviously different from those arrogant and rude people in the opera. As a new generation of five-good eunuchs trained by Chu Kuan, he was just slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Yes, the princess and Miss Zhu are impressed by your desserts, Chef Song, and the Sixth Master just said a lot of good things about you."
"I wanted to announce you before, but if I did it before the result, it would feel like an imperial appointment. Miss Zhu even said that if you didn't make it to the imperial kitchen, she would invite you back to the Duke of Zhao's mansion to serve. So now that you are among the top ten after so many people's judgment, it won't be a problem for the princess to summon you again."
If a lot of people were envious, jealous and resentful of Chef Song before, then at this moment, after hearing the gentle words and smiles of the little eunuch, those negative emotions immediately turned into silence.
If this unknown chef who came out of some small restaurant suddenly qualified for the preliminary day and then "luckily" made it to the semi-finals, they still had the confidence to play some tricks behind the scenes. However, after hearing that the princess favored him and the hot-tempered Miss Zhu also liked the taste of the food, most people gave up.
If one offends Princess Yongping, the consequences may be unknown; but if one offends Zhu Ying, the bad luck that some people suffer is already obvious!
Chef Song was dumbfounded for a long time, and finally, after the little eunuch made a gesture of invitation, he followed the others with an unnatural look on his face. When he entered Xinglong Tea House, the public judges who were invited to the first floor had already dispersed. He didn't know that although these people were only judging the dim sum, most of them had eaten their fill after more than 30 dim sum dishes.
When he reached the second floor, he noticed that a large number of richly dressed people were looking at him. However, before he could see them clearly, he was urged to go up to the third floor by the eunuch who was leading the way.
For a moment, he didn't even know who was sitting on the second floor.
Before he had even walked halfway up the stairs from the second floor to the third floor, he saw the man sticking his head out from the stair railing. Seeing clearly that it was the strange guy who had come and gone without a trace before, he could not help but be stunned for a moment. He was so startled that he almost stepped on empty air and fell directly on the stairs. Fortunately, the eunuch who led him the way was also very observant and grabbed him.
Then, he felt another strong hand suddenly grab him, and then dragged him upstairs. It was no exaggeration, he even felt that his feet did not touch the ground, and he flew up the last half floor. When he finally stood firm, he could not help but stare at Ah Liu's face for a while, and then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Ever since he saw the man, Zhang Shou has been secretly observing this chef who actually knew about tapioca flour and who knew how to make taro balls with sweet potatoes and taro the first time he saw them.
But after observing for a while, he still couldn't come to a conclusion. Because Ah Liu had just come back and quietly described Chef Song's reaction to him, he felt that if this person was not a fool without too many schemes, then he must be a guy with deep thoughts that were hard to figure out. At first glance, although he felt that the person was more like a fool, he was not sure.
Ah Liu didn't care what Chef Song was wondering about, and dragged him in front of Zhang Shou - of course, in front of Princess Yongping and Zhu Ying, and then pointed at his face and said, "This guy is like this, a little stupid."
When Ge Yong heard Ah Liu seriously say that others were stupid, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea while drinking it. Qi Jingshan, who was sitting opposite him, dodged extremely quickly, just like a young man in his twenties. On the contrary, Zhang Chuan, the Duke of Qin, who was sitting at the back table, was slower to react. Thanks to Weinan Earl Zhang Kang, who pulled him up, he was spared from the aftermath.
But Grand Tutor Ge didn't care about losing his composure and kept looking at the strange Chef Song.
Sure enough, the next moment, he saw the man hurriedly bowing, but if Ah Liu hadn't suddenly pulled him back, his head would have almost hit the edge of the table! That's not all, after he came to his senses, he was still explaining.
"Princess, please forgive me, everyone, please forgive me... I didn't sleep all night last night, I was so excited!"
Even the always arrogant Princess Yongping couldn't help but be amused by the series of actions after he came up. However, she was still a princess who never showed her smile, so she just smiled slightly and said, "Chef Song has such good cooking skills. He caught up with the opponent in the preliminary round today and made it into the top ten. He is actually excited about participating in the competition?"
"Ahem... I just went to Mr. Lu San to sign up for a try. He only gave me a reply the day before yesterday. I didn't expect to be here today. So, in fact, I didn't sleep for one day, but two days..."
As Chef Song spoke, he stretched out two fingers and shook them. Then he couldn't help yawning . He stopped himself with great difficulty and said in a low voice, "Actually, I kept it a secret from my family and found a small restaurant to register with. That's how I could come here as a chef. The owner looked at me like a monster at first, and I gave him two strings of silver before he agreed."
Seeing Princess Yongping's smile suddenly freeze, Chu Kuan smiled and said, "Princess, Lu Sanlang only needs to taste the dishes to see if the chefs have enough cooking skills to apply for the preliminary round. As for examining the backgrounds of these chefs, others will do it."
Although he did not say it explicitly, everyone present was smart and could guess that the imperial attendants under the Imperial Household Department had already done the background check quietly. Duke of Zhao Zhu Jing disagreed, Duke of Qin Zhang Chuan frowned slightly, and Weinan Earl Zhang Kang did not care at all. The three elders, Ge Yong, Chu Ying, and Qi Jingshan, knew that Chu Kuan knew the true identity of the person, so they just laughed.
The old salted fish who was just there to make up the numbers glanced at the four monks, three big men and one small, who were all curiously looking at Chef Song, and thought that he should not think too much about such important people's affairs and just watch the fun. But even so, he was still very curious about Chef Song's true identity.
In view of his previous concerns, and now that he had been summoned by the princess, Chef Song thought about it all the way and decided to confess. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he scratched his neck again, as if it was itchy, and his voice became a little softer: "I am not a suspicious person, and I don't have any other thoughts. I just think that this kind of royal chef selection competition is interesting and fun."
"So, I just gave it a try , and I never thought I could advance. Actually, I'm not a cook. My family is a Guangdong sea merchant. I... ahem, I'm a juren. I was sick and missed the last exam. This time, my family forced me to go to Beijing to take the jinshi exam."
Except for Chu Kuan, who had already read the resumes of the chefs who were nominated today, which had been investigated by the imperial attendants, and had an idea of their names after learning their names, almost everyone else was extremely surprised at this moment.
Even for ordinary people, being a cook is a good job. Even if it is a bit worldly, it can still make money.
But as the saying goes, a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. This Song Juren was forced by his family to come to Beijing to take the imperial examination. It would be fine if he didn't prepare well for the exam, but he actually came to this imperial chef selection competition to take the imperial chef exam? Isn't this guy afraid of making his family elders angry?
Even Zhang Shou, who felt that he had some common language with this chef Song—now it should be said that he was a foodie—felt at a loss whether to laugh or cry. In the silence of the eyeballs falling to the ground, he coughed and asked, "Mr. Song, if Princess Yongping didn't expect to summon you today, would you plan to fish in troubled waters and persist until the end?"
"This..." Mr. Song's eyes suddenly turned around, but when he found that Princess Yongping was glaring at him sternly, he could only lower his head and said honestly, "In fact, I have loved sweets since I was a child, so I am good at making desserts. Other soups and dishes can only be foolproof. I practiced carving when I was a child because I was interested in learning how to carve seals with radishes."
He scratched his head again and muttered, "I feel I'm lucky to have made it through the preliminary round. It's impossible for me to continue on this path. Anyway, with this reputation, if I don't pass the imperial examination, maybe I can open a dessert shop in the future so that my skills can be put to good use. There are dessert shops everywhere in Guangdong, but there are none in Beijing. It's really a pity."
This time, even more people were stunned. Princess Yongping, who could not help herself at all, slammed the table in anger.
"Do you have any ambition? You have studied so hard for so many years, are your ambitions so low?"
"It's not that I want to study for the imperial examination, it's my family that forces me to do it!"
This time, Mr. Song finally couldn't help it anymore. He raised his head and argued unconvincedly, "In life, eating and drinking are the most important things. I heard that it was Emperor Taizu who said this! I have already passed the examination and can be exempted from some taxes. I am worthy of my family's training for so many years. Why should I waste time taking the examination for a Jinshi that I will definitely not pass?"
He pointed at his nose and said confidently, "Besides, if someone like me becomes an official, the common people will suffer! Apart from being able to recite some sage books by heart and figure out how to cook many ingredients, I don't know anything about taxes , criminal laws, farmland and irrigation... I don't want to be dismissed from office and go back to my hometown to eat dry food in disgrace!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
It was only at this moment that Ge Yong, who had just burst out laughing, laughed again. He tapped the table with his fingers, and when everyone looked at him, he smiled and said, "It is said that everyone has their own specialty, but after so many years, this is the first time I have seen someone who can stick to what the world thinks is a waste of time. Compared with you, Zhang Shou, the foodie, is not even qualified!"
Zhu Ying almost burst her stomach with laughter when she saw that Mr. Song pushed Princess Yongping so hard that her face turned pale.
At this moment, she managed to straighten up while holding her stomach, and then she said seriously: "Mr. Song, arguing with Princess Yongping about these things will lead to no results. Even though she just competed with me for the desserts you made and praised them endlessly, she is a person who only thinks that everything is inferior except reading!"
Princess Yongping was so angry that she forgot her manners and slammed the armrest and stood up suddenly: "Zhu Ying, what did you say!"
"Am I wrong? Just look at your Yuehua Tower Literary Society and you will know... The Literary Society is for reciting poems and discussing current affairs. How can there be a literary society where a bunch of eight-part essay anthologists gather every month to comment on art and contemporary literature?"
Zhu Ying was not afraid of Princess Yongping getting angry, and she would respond with a raised eyebrow. Seeing that the man was choked by her and his face turned red and speechless, she smiled and looked at Mr. Song who was stunned by the argument.
"Mr. Song, since you said that you can only make desserts and are not very good at other dishes and soups, it is really impossible for you to make it to the semi-finals. And if your family knew that you were so reckless, you might be kicked out of the house. Most of the scholarly families in the world are like this, as if there is no other way out for people if they don't take the imperial examination."
Seeing that Mr. Song really looked guilty, she glanced at Zhang Shou. Seeing that he nodded slightly to her, as if he knew what she was thinking, the eldest lady immediately became even happier.
"In that case, I'll give you two choices. First, if you're willing, you can stay at A Shou's Zhang Garden to study. Don't frown. You came to Beijing to prepare for the exam with money from your family. Don't you have the courage to even take a chance? If you feel bad about staying here for nothing, just go to the kitchen and make some desserts when you have time!"
Seeing that Chef Song did not make any comment, Zhu Ying smiled again and said, "As for the second option, it's very simple. If you are not afraid of your family turning against you, Ah Shou and I can help you open a dessert shop next to the Xinglong Tea House."
Instantly, Mr. Song's face was filled with ecstasy, and he shouted without hesitation: "I choose the second one!"
