When Li Yu arrived at Prince Qing's Mansion, Timothy Richard and Pu Lande had already arrived.
Yikuang was very happy and energetic when he saw it today. After all, he felt that his Western learning during this period was not in vain, and he was finally proud of the Queen Mother.
Although what he has learned is only superficial knowledge, people don’t think so: I am already a prince, so it would be a great honor to put in some effort to learn, okay?
What kind of bike do you want? Is it possible for me to go back and rebuild it?
After Li Yu arrived, they exchanged a few words with each other, and Yi Kuang sat down at the dining table with the three of them. Yi Kuang clapped his hands, and a maid immediately brought a plate of melon seeds.
Li Yu was a little surprised. He thought it was at least a Manchu-Han banquet. If not, it would be fine to have some pastries first. Why did they just serve melon seeds? Maybe they should be invited to watch a play first.
However, Yi Kuang was very proud and pointed at the melon seeds and introduced to the three of them: "These are not ordinary melon seeds. Their name is Bingxin melon seeds. They are a snack that even the Queen Mother and Lafayette praised highly."
"dessert?"
Timothy Li picked up a melon seed and was about to eat it, but Yi Kuang reached out to stop him. Then he picked up a few melon seeds, put them directly into his mouth, and chewed them whole.
"Your Majesty, melon seed shells are too hard and are very bad for the stomach and intestines!" Puland said quickly.
Yikuang laughed loudly: "That's why it's unusual. The shells of these melon seeds can also be eaten. Please give it a try."
Li Yu and the others each picked up a few and put them in their mouths. Sure enough, they broke into pieces as soon as they were chewed. The melon seed shells were actually made of flour! Moreover, the melon seed kernels inside were fresh and refreshing, with a strong mint aroma.
Mrs. Timothy was shocked: "Your Majesty, how did you do this?"
Yi Kuan said: "The melon seeds need to be peeled one by one, and the larger ones are soaked in freshly squeezed peppermint oil overnight and left to dry. Then use five thin sheets of different colors to press out the melon seed skin and wrap it
Melon seed kernels are kneaded into the shape of melon seeds one by one, and then roasted."
When it comes to eating, drinking and enjoying things, Yi Kuang is really very sensible.
Li Yu was shocked. This plate of hundreds of melon seeds would probably take at least four or five people a day and a night to make.
Timothy Richard and Purland applauded: "It's so ingenious and wonderful."
Just like modern people love to eat popcorn while watching movies, Cixi also liked to eat melon seeds when watching a show. But eating melon seeds is such an "elegant" and extremely troublesome thing. How could Lafayette do it? Besides, if he eats it,
One bitter grain, and the cooks in the imperial kitchen will probably be beaten.
So I don't know who came up with this magical idea, making melon seeds that can also be eaten in their shells, and named them Bingxin melon seeds. Cixi liked it very much, and often kept a small plate at hand when watching the theater.
You can not only enjoy the fun of eating melon seeds, but also save the trouble of eating melon seeds.
Elegant and timeless!
Yikuang was also an old theater fan, and he was not short of money, so he hired a few people to make melon seeds for him.
Yikuang was also very proud of himself. In terms of "enjoyment" alone, even the British princes and princes were nothing more than rich people in the countryside in his eyes.
The Manchu dignitaries at that time developed the art of serving people to the highest level. You may have seen Heshen's luxurious life on TV. Sometimes he didn't even need to use chopsticks to eat, and even after he pooped, a maid would give him a hot towel.
Wipe your ass.
When Li Yu was a child, he once thought that he was unable to take care of himself.
So, in Yi Kuang's eyes, when it comes to enjoyment, what can the British nobles enjoy! Let alone enjoyment, can they think of some things!
Li Yu sighed lightly, not knowing what to say.
This is just an appetizer before the meal. The subsequent bird's nest and eight immortal soups, roasted suckling pig, mushrooms and sea cucumbers, and steamed sea bass are all carefully prepared. Even the most ordinary cabbage only uses the innermost part of each cabbage.
Made.
After a table full of dishes, we went directly to the Beijing Junior Suite.
However, for Yikuang, the most greedy Prince Qing in the Qing Dynasty, he would come here once or twice a week, which was really a small dish for him.
Li Yu had the most expensive meal in his life. Fortunately, he was baptized in the modern catering industry and had seen the market.
Timothy Richard and Purland were truly shocked. Where have they ever tasted this in the UK?
Not to mention them, even for the British in the 21st century, the diet is unbelievably simple. It is hard to imagine that a country that was the first to give birth to modern civilization has developed for hundreds of years, and its food culture is just "Fish and chips"
"!
There is no shortage of tomatoes or eggs, so why can’t we make scrambled eggs with tomatoes?!
Li Yu couldn't figure it out anyway.
Not only in the UK, when he was an exchange student in Germany, he found that Germans also had too simple meals, often eating hamburgers and ham. His German classmates explained to him this way: because they didn’t want to waste energy on eating.
.
Although there is some truth in it, Li Yu still thinks it's too ridiculous. People are like iron rice and steel, okay?
After three rounds of wine and five delicious dishes, at night, the telescope brought by Purland on Li Yu's shelf allowed Yikuang to see the rings of Saturn, and the imaging effect was even better than Cixi's.
Prince Qing was so happy that his beard was blowing, and he even gave another one to Li Yu.
The telescope is indeed a good thing, and Li Yu even had some bold ideas, and his huge knowledge base of astronomy could finally be put to use.
The next day, the Empress Dowager Cixi received the reward, awarded Li Yu 200 taels of silver, and ordered him to teach Si Gege how to use telescopes.
The most convenient thing for the Queen Mother to access now is the four-grid grid. If she learns it, Cixi's telescope will not be idle again, and she can relieve her boredom at night.
After all, what Lafayette wants most now is to enjoy life! Since he has no children, he can only look for fun elsewhere.
The young prince Zai Zhen also knew about this. It was not easy to get a reward from the Queen Mother. He found Li Yu in Tongwen Hall.
"Professor Li, are you free today?"
Now that he is directly asked to teach, Li Yu can't shirk the excuse: "It's rare to be invited by Mr. Bei, so of course I'm free."
"That's great, let's go have a drink together."
"drink wine?"
"Yes, by the way, I would like to ask you some advice about foreigners. The imperial court has issued a notice asking me to prepare to go to England."
"I see, let's have a drink together!"
Li Yu also wanted to see what the bar looked like more than 100 years ago.
The palace must have its own special car, a carriage. And it is the best style with wheels at the rear and doors that open on both sides. It is definitely a BMW!
In the late Qing Dynasty, if you could own a carriage like this, the cost and maintenance would probably be more than just a BMW, at least it would be a Rolls-Royce. The cost of hiring a carriage driver alone would be hundreds of taels of silver per year, because at this time you could
Being a carriage driver is also an absolutely advanced technical job.
The carriage pulled the two of them to a foreign bar in Dongjiaomin Lane. After getting off the car, Li Yu was shocked when he saw the name of the bar. He even wondered if he had returned to the 21st century, because the name of the bar was: