It was almost ten o'clock when Li Xiuzhu left the manor, and he returned to Li's Mansion before noon.
As soon as he arrived at the house, Li Xiuzhu was startled.
"Sir, the queen is waiting for you inside."
Why is she here?
Li Xiuzhu walked in doubtfully, and realized when he looked at the pair of top-notch ladies standing next to the queen.
This is to fulfill the ‘promise’ to myself.
But is the palace so rich? There are beauties of this level.
"Your Majesty Li Xiuzhu pays homage to the Queen."
The queen nodded slightly when she heard this.
"Get up!"
"The Ai family thought they wouldn't see the champion today, and they planned to go back after lunch."
"I just talked to Liuli and Baguio. I can tell that they are living a happy life, and the Ai family is also very happy."
"These are the two beautiful ladies who promised you, and the gold is here too."
Li Xiuzhu smiled when he heard this and said, "Your Majesty is a trustworthy person, so thank you very much."
"Well, since it's nothing..."
Li Xiuzhu interrupted the queen's words and said: "Why don't you have your meal at home before leaving? My cook is no worse than the imperial chef. I think it will make your queen feel novel."
Hearing this, Li Liuli hurriedly said: "Yes, Queen Mother, the cooks at home were all trained by Xiuzhu, and the cooking is always delicious."
The queen was startled when she heard this, looked at Li Xiuzhu and said in surprise: "Can Xiuzhu know how to cook? Isn't it said that a gentleman is far away from the cook?"
Li Xiuzhu smiled and said: "There is such a saying, but according to the situation at that time, this saying actually has an allusion."
"At that time, King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius how to be a good king. Mencius said that it is enough to protect and raise the people well, and you can do it."
"At that time, King Qi Xuan was confused. He didn't even know if he could do it. How could you know?"
"Mencius said that once King Xuan of Qi saw someone dragging an ox to sacrifice the bell. He couldn't bear to see the ox trembling with fear, but he had to sacrifice the bell, so he had a sheep replaced."
At this moment, Li Xiuzhu's women all had an idea in their minds.
This sheep is really unlucky.
Li Xiuzhu continued: "Then Mencius said that although he knew that King Xuan of Qi was moved by compassion and showed mercy, the people would only think that cattle were lower than sheep."
"And you feel pity for the cow because he died in the bell sacrifice without any sin. What about the sheep? Is he guilty?"
"King Xuan of Qi knew that he was wrong when he heard this, but he didn't know what to do, so he asked Mencius what should I do?"
"Mencius said, when a gentleman is far away from the kitchen, the difference between cattle and sheep is only whether you see them or not, not the cattle and sheep."
"It's better to be safe out of sight."
"Later on, Confucianism gradually deteriorated, and now it does not mean that a gentleman cannot cook, but that cooking often involves blood and is tainted with hostility."
"A gentleman should behave like a humble gentleman and should not be tainted with hostility."
However, in my opinion, this is the foundation of the country's subjugation. If you are blindly humble, it will only make others push forward.
Honest people are afraid of rogues, and rogues are afraid of risking their lives.
The Queen nodded upon hearing this.
"So that's what it is, but the Ai family is shallow."
Li Xiuzhu smiled and did not refute the flattery, as the relationship between the two did not require it.
"Then the queen will stay for a meal? I will cook two dishes myself."
Before the queen spoke, Li Liuli immediately became excited.
"Wow, the queen is still proud of me. I haven't eaten the food cooked by my husband for a long time. This time, it's really thanks to the queen."
Li Xiuzhu rolled his eyes when he heard this.
“I don’t know who snatched the tails of the roasted suckling pig three days ago.”
When the queen heard this, she frowned, was surprised, and became curious.
"Liu Li, do you still eat pork?"
As we all know, pork is a cheap meat.
Li Liuli didn't notice the dissatisfaction on the Queen Mother's face at all, and said excitedly: "Queen Mother, you don't even know how delicious that pork is, it's just...just..."
"OMG……"
"Really, I can't find any description other than these four words. It tastes better than beef and mutton."
"It's strange, why is pork considered a cheap meat?"
At this time, Fu Yuehua on the side heard this and said: "Not all pork is so delicious. These pigs are raised by the family according to the methods taught by my husband."
"The pork will be stirred before the estrus period, so that there will be no fishy smell."
"Pork raised in this way has a bland meat taste and can better absorb the flavor of spices, which is why it is so delicious."
"In addition to the 28-day-old roasted suckling pigs, the pigs we raise also include large pigs. The large pigs exercise every day and have firm meat, which is also a rare product."
"Now in Yunshuang's shop, a roasted suckling pig costs 10 taels of silver, and a portion of Dongpo meat costs 2 taels of silver."
Li Liuli was stunned when he heard this. It turns out that the pork eaten at home is different from ordinary pork. No wonder ordinary pork is called cheap meat.
The queen also relaxed her brows, looked at Li Xiuzhu and asked, "Are we going to eat pork today?"
"If the Queen wants to eat, I can make Dongpo Pork and Guobao Pork, but today's main dish is Three Cup Chicken."
Speaking of this, Li Xiuzhu suddenly thought of his three little aunts.
"Yuehua, go and fetch your aunts."
"It's been a long time since I made delicious food for them."
Fu Yuehua chuckled and nodded when he heard this.
"My dear, I'm sorry to accompany you."
"Well, go ahead and be safe."
Li Xiuzhu also left to prepare food.
It takes more than half an hour to make three cups of chicken, as well as Dongpo pork and Guobao pork. They are all arranged. One hour is the minimum.
Fortunately, because two of the dishes need to be stewed, the time can be staggered.
Half an hour later, the moment Li Xiuzhu's dish was served, it immediately aroused cheers.
Li Xiuzhu made a total of three tables, and his wife and sister-in-law shared two tables.
The Queen sat at a table with him and his three wives.
Li Xiuzhu took a chopstick and put the pot-wrapped meat into the Queen's bowl.
"Queen, try this. It's sour, crispy and delicious. It should suit your taste."
At this moment, the little eunuch beside the queen hurried forward.
"Mother, try the dishes."
Li Xiuzhu was startled and looked at the young eunuch unhappy.
"What does this intersex mean?"
Fu Yuehua hesitated, then twitched the corner of his mouth, and the next second he quickly pulled Li Xiuzhu's sleeve.
Seemingly seeing the displeasure on Li Xiuzhu's face, Li Liuli immediately became angry.
"What do you mean? Do you think my husband will harm my mother?"
"This... little one doesn't dare."
The queen also saw Li Xiuzhu's expression, and her heart tightened inexplicably, and she said: "There is no need to try the dishes. This is made by the consort himself. He never left his sight during the whole process. He will definitely not harm the Ai family."
The queen had spoken. Although the young eunuch felt aggrieved, there was nothing he could say.
Li Xiuzhu's face looked much better. At this moment, a little foot fell on his lap from under the table curtain.
Li Xiuzhu was startled, and moved his leg over the other person's leg, and immediately noticed whose foot it was.