AEOGA CH43

Most dishes in a hundred-family meal were common home-cooked fare. The cooking methods of the era were already monotonous, and with commoners having limited means, almost everything was prepared using the most primitive techniques, resulting in quite ordinary flavors.

Yet, there were surprises.

Lu Xuechao picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks. Its color was a deep crimson, but it was not made using the braised pork method. It had a slightly salty flavor, lean without being dry, fragrant without being greasy—a flavor nonexistent in Yujing.

There was also a scallion pancake, richly aromatic, crispy yet soft and tender, countless times better than the hard dry rations. Yujing had no vendors selling this type of pancake either.

If improved upon with better techniques, the flavor could easily double.

After taking a few bites, Lu Xuechao summoned an attendant: “Find out who made these two dishes and bring them over tomorrow.”

The attendant’s expression instantly turned solemn: “Your Highness the Empress, is there an issue with the food?”

If so, there was no need to wait until tomorrow—they would arrest the culprits immediately.

Lu Xuechao shook his head: “The taste is quite good; I wish to learn their recipes.”

Lu Xuechao had not been born a master cook. Before he could independently create dish recipes, he had sought out famous chefs from across the realm to learn culinary arts. In truth, it had started because he was a picky eater; Prime Minister Lu had invited chefs from various regions to prepare dishes of every flavor for his son. But Lu Xuechao remained unsatisfied, so he reversed the process by learning cooking himself, surpassing his teachers.

Because those he learned from were renowned chefs, the dishes were all exquisite delicacies served at noble family banquets, emanating refined sophistication at every turn. As for ordinary local street snacks, Lu Xuechao—having grown up in Yujing—had never even tasted them, let alone made them.

Yet often, these humble everyday snacks embodied the wealth of wisdom among the populace, proving well worth learning for Lu Xuechao.

The attendant acknowledged the command.

Xie Chongjin smiled and said, “You are far too eager to learn.”

Lu Xuechao looked at him: “If I know more, I can help you a little more.”

In the past, he had fought with all his might to learn so many skills simply to oppose an illusory fate and rescue Xie Chongjin from his powerlessness.

Now, he was grateful to possess these talents, ensuring those many lifetimes had not been lived in vain. Once, he had done it so he could enjoy fine food; now, he wished for all people under heaven to be free from hunger and cold.

Xie Chongjin’s smile faded into gentleness. Without a word, he lightly stroked Lu Xuechao’s hair.

The next day, the people who had prepared those two dishes were invited over.

One was an elderly farmer, while the other turned out to be a familiar face—it was Da Zhou, who had been released in court just yesterday.

Da Zhou’s full name was Zhou Ziyan. He was twenty-four years old this year, a passionate, warm-hearted young man.

When summoned back to the yamen to meet the Emperor and Empress once more, his whole heart was filled with trepidation.

What had happened yesterday was far too surreal and sudden. He had been languishing in prison when he was abruptly dragged out to meet the Emperor and Empress, cleared of all charges on the spot, and walked out of the yamen in a daze, completely bewildered through the entire process.

It wasn’t until he returned home that night that the reality of it all belatedly sank in.

He had met the reigning Emperor and Empress?

He had spoken with His Highness the Empress?

His Majesty and His Highness had even helped clear his name?

At home, Zhou Ziyan had excitedly thrown a combination of punches in the air, hugging his quilt and rolling around on the bed, unable to sleep a wink all night. He oscillated between wild excitement and annoyance at himself for failing to perform well in front of His Highness the Empress—he must have looked utterly foolish on the court floor.

He was actually a scholar. Although no one in his family had ever pursued studies—generations before him had been baked sesame cake vendors—he was deeply interested in studying and entering officialdom.

Zhou Ziyan had been chivalrous and eager to help others since childhood, always standing up against injustice. After witnessing too many unfair grievances, he came to realize how insignificant a single person’s strength was. If he could become an official, he could help far more people. After his parents passed away, he carried on his father’s trade during the day by selling sesame cakes to earn a living, while at night he tied his hair to the rafters and poked his thighs to study by lamplight in preparation for the provincial examinations. Finally, in August of last year, he participated in the triennial provincial civil exam.

Regrettably, his name was not on the list of successful candidates.

Though disappointed, Zhou Ziyan was not discouraged and resolved to try again in the next cycle. Yet before the next imperial examination arrived, he was thrown into prison and given a criminal record. Forget about taking the exam—even surviving became a question.

Fortunately, Heaven had eyes, and he encountered His Majesty and His Highness the Empress, managing to wash away his grievances.

In Changli, there was no scholar who did not revere Lu Xuechao, and Zhou Ziyan was no exception.

After an entire night of excitement, Zhou Ziyan had barely managed to calm down today when he received another summons stating that His Highness the Empress wished to see him.

Alongside his excitement and shock, Zhou Ziyan felt an underlying anxiety.

Could there be an issue with yesterday’s case that required a retrial?

He was upright and unafraid of shadow, but six months of undeserved calamity had already taught him that Quling’s officialdom was rotten to the core. When the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones follow; those in power twisted right and wrong, fabricating charges at will, making “an innocent man remains pure” nothing more than a joke.

Of course, His Majesty and His Highness the Empress were definitely not such people.

He was simply incredibly nervous.

When he actually faced the Empress, all of Zhou Ziyan’s previous thoughts vanished, leaving his mind completely blank.

Lu Xuechao was not wearing the grand attire of yesterday. He wore a snow-white robe, a few strands of ink-black hair loosely held by a white jade hairpin while the rest draped behind his back. His waist was slender beyond measure, his belt pendants jingling softly—fitting the legendary description of an immortal who ‘favors white robes and white jade, walking like the wind, seemingly ready to ride the breeze back to the heavens.’

Xie Chongjin was also dressed in casual wear, lacking the terrifying majesty he had displayed in court yesterday. The gaze he turned toward Lu Xuechao held a touch of tenderness.

Zhou Ziyan blushed, unable to harbor a single thread of profanity, his agitated heart mirroring Fu Xinian’s when he first met Lu Xuechao.

“This, this humble subject… kowtows to Your Majesty and Your Highness the Empress.” Due to nervousness, Zhou Ziyan even stammered.

He was considered fortunate; at least he could still speak. The other farmer summoned alongside him was already prostrate on the ground, trembling so violently he couldn’t utter a word.

Observing the Emperor and Empress from afar amidst a crowd was completely different from an intimate, face-to-face audience.

“Dispense with the ceremony,” Lu Xuechao said gently. “There is no need to be nervous. We summoned you two because We found the dishes you prepared exceptionally good and wish to ask about the recipes.”

Zhou Ziyan had imagined a ten thousand reasons for the Empress summoning him, but he never expected it to be this.

It took him a good while to process it: “Your Highness, that baked sesame cake is a secret recipe passed down through my family. But if Your Highness wants it, I shall present it immediately!”

The other farmer hesitated for a moment before speaking timidly: “This humble peasant has no secret recipe. Since Your Highness wishes to know, I shall simply speak plainly.”

Currently, the living standards of the common folk were low. They couldn’t afford meat more than a few times a year, choosing to slaughter pigs and ducks only during festivals. Unable to finish it all in one meal and unwilling to waste it, they chose to cure the meat so it could be preserved long-term. Since most of it was cured during the twelfth lunar month (La Yue), it was called cured meat (la rou).

Yujing did not have cured meat. Yujing was prosperous and affluent; meat that couldn’t be finished was fed to dogs, and every meal presented was made with the freshest ingredients, so Lu Xuechao naturally had no exposure to it. This was entirely the crystallization of the working people’s wisdom.

Generally, only poor families chose to cure meat, and the method was not widely circulated, leaving most people unaware of it. Lu Xuechao felt that if cured meat was made delicious, it could also become wildly popular among the aristocracy… gathering a wave of wealth.

Furthermore, when soldiers marched off to war, they could only eat dry rations; because meat could not be stored long-term, they hardly ever ate it. Learning the method of curing meat would allow soldiers to eat meat, and only when well-fed would they have the strength to fight.

“Thank you,” Lu Xuechao said.

Understanding his intent, the attendant handed over a stack of silver banknotes.

The farmer was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. He had merely shared what was common knowledge to him, yet he received a word of thanks from His Highness the Empress and so much reward money.

Lu Xuechao noted down the process in detail, gaining a new direction for research.

Holding the reward money, the farmer departed with floating steps. As Zhou Ziyan also prepared to take his leave, Lu Xuechao said, “Young Master Zhou, please wait.”

Zhou Ziyan stumbled in his step.

His Highness the Empress actually remembered him?

Although they had met yesterday, His Highness hadn’t mentioned a word about the yamen affairs since the meeting began today, focusing entirely on asking about sesame cakes and cured meat. He had assumed His Highness had forgotten who he was.

“Does Your Highness have further questions?” Zhou Ziyan cupped his hands and asked.

Lu Xuechao said, “You participated in the provincial examination in August of last year.”

Zhou Ziyan nodded, smiling bitterly: “Yes, though this humble subject’s talent was shallow and learning meager, failing to pass…”

“It was not that your talent was shallow,” Lu Xuechao said. “You were the Jieyuan of that provincial examination.”

Zhou Ziyan froze.

Jieyuan was the top scorer in the provincial examination. Passing the provincial exam granted the status of a juren, allowing one to participate in the subsequent metropolitan examination and the final court examination.

Yet he had clearly failed the results.

“This was evidence uncovered by the imperial envoy,” Xie Chongjin said indifferently. “That Liu Hanzhang sold official posts, appointing county magistrates entirely based on financial transactions without regard for academic merit. By Changli law, unless personally appointed by me, no one may hold an official post without academic merit, nor can they purchase an official position. The origins of these people’s offices were suspicious; to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, he substituted the accomplishments of passing scholars onto those who bought offices. Thus, the buyers gained academic merit, while the true scholars failed. You were not the first to have your identity stolen, but you are currently the only one still alive.”

County Magistrate Zhang’s post was also stolen in this manner. Zhou Ziyan’s academic merit had been transferred to the magistrate of a neighboring county. These corrupt officials colluded together; Magistrate Zhang’s insistence on sentencing Zhou Ziyan to death—even as the entire town pleaded for him—was driven by the intent to silence him permanently.

Naturally, the Prefect of Quling and Magistrate Zhang were merely the beginning. The officialdom of Jiangnan was rotten to the core. Without needing Xie Chongjin to preside in person, the imperial envoys would investigate and handle them one by one.

Zhou Ziyan gasped.

The only one still alive… meaning all other scholars whose identities were stolen had been silenced.

If His Majesty and His Highness the Empress had not arrived, he likely would have become another ghost who died without ever knowing his life had been stolen.

“I hereby restore your juren status and appoint you as the new County Magistrate of Qiuling. Are you willing?” Xie Chongjin asked. “If you are unwilling, you may wait for the next round of imperial exams…”

“This humble subject is willing!” Before Xie Chongjin could finish speaking, Zhou Ziyan answered immediately.

A seventh-rank county magistrate was not a high position, yet held numerous responsibilities; the importance of a good official went without saying. For a negative example… one only needed to look at Magistrate Zhang.

Zhou Ziyan was a native of Qiuling. Honest and warm-hearted, he was deeply loved by the local populace, making him the most suitable choice to serve as Qiuling’s magistrate.

Even so, Xie Chongjin had still considered Zhou Ziyan’s wishes.

Zhou Ziyan had only taken the provincial exam before his spot was stolen and he was thrown into prison, losing the chance to take the subsequent metropolitan and court examinations. If he continued testing and managed to place in the top three, he could directly enter the imperial court as a fifth-rank official, skipping several steps.

Seventh-rank and fifth-rank had vastly different starting points. A county magistrate had precious few opportunities to advance; no matter how stellar their achievements were, the court rarely noticed. Countless individuals spent their entire lives as petty officials without ever getting the chance to rise to the first rank.

Xie Chongjin had read Zhou Ziyan’s essays; he would certainly not stop at being a mere juren. If he wished to continue taking the exams, Xie Chongjin would assign someone else as magistrate.

Yet Zhou Ziyan had agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

“Oh?” Xie Chongjin raised an eyebrow. “Do you not wish to go to Yujing, become a high official, and bring prosperity to the masses?”

Qiuling Town was too small—so small that no future could be seen.

“His Majesty and His Highness the Empress are dragons and phoenixes among men, holding the world in your hearts to benefit all people,” Zhou Ziyan smiled candidly. “Since childhood, this humble subject wished to study and become an official to help my hometown escape poverty, not to escape my impoverished hometown.”

“If my meager strength can bring prosperity to the people of this land, that is more than enough.”