In the evening, we rested overnight at Huangzhuang and continued our journey after dawn. It was not until dark the next day that the mighty hunting team arrived at the mountain paddock.
In an open space at the edge of the forest, everyone was busy lighting torches, setting up tents, making fires to cook, and the guards were meticulously guarding the side. Of course, there were also people with excess energy.
After getting off the carriage, he took his bow and arrows and rushed into the woods to practice his skills first. For example, Cheng Huailiang, because he was worried about Cheng Huailiang's safety, Qin Huaiyu also followed with a few people.
With the help of several soldiers brought by Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin, Fang Yiai and Du He's tents were quickly set up. After thanking a few people, Fang Yiai and Du He sat down without a trace.
Next to the fire that Fuasaki had lit, we started chatting casually.
After a while, Fang Qi and Du Chun, Du He's schoolboy, came over holding a pot of water drawn from the river not far away, and the other holding favorite cooking utensils. These cooking utensils were given by Fang Yiai in advance.
Qin Huaiyu helped prepare it.
Fuasaki hung the pot of water on a simple shelf and added some firewood under the pot. Fuasaki clapped his hands and said, "Master, there are a lot of fish in the river ahead. Do you want it?"
Catch a few and deal with them first tonight?"
"You're still worried about not having enough food." Fang Yiai glanced at Fang Qi and said, "Don't worry, we won't be short of food."
"Hehe, I also know that it is definitely not possible to be hungry, but the fish that the greedy master grilled last time was not." Fuasaki said sheepishly, and at the end he smacked his lips in a very vivid way.
"It's indeed delicious. How about, Yi Ai, let's go grab some?" Du He also said with some drooling.
"You can catch fish and eat it, but it's not suitable to grill it now. I've just been on the road for a day and haven't drank much water. If you eat grilled fish again, it will hurt your health. But you can use it to make fish soup, which is quite good.
Let's go." Fang Yiai said, stood up and patted the dirt on his clothes.
"Okay." Fuasaki quickly ran to the front to lead the way.
"Du Chun, look at the water in the pot." Du He told Du Chun, and without waiting for Du Chun to respond, he quickly ran away with Fang Yiai's master and servant.
Maybe it was because few people went to catch fish in this river, so it took half an hour for Fang Yiai, Du He and Fang Qi to clean up the fish with six fish each, almost one and a half feet long.
The fish came back wet.
Seeing that the three of them came back safely, and that everyone had something in their hands, Du Chun's little face was extremely happy, and he immediately stood up and went over to greet him. At the same time, he said, "Master, Master Fang, the guards have delivered all our meals just now."
It’s here, it’s still warm.” As he spoke, he took the two skewers of fish skewered with grass stems from Du He’s hand.
"Has the water been boiled just now?" Fang Yiai asked.
"It's open. I poured it into four bamboo tubes and saved it for drinking at night. There was half a pot left in the pot. The guard just brought a bucket of water. I added some more. It's still on the fire. Let's boil it soon.
Already." Du Chun said.
Fang Yiai nodded. When he walked to the fire, the water in the pot happened to be boiling. He lifted the lid of the pot and scooped out some water. When he felt that the water level was about the same, he picked four slightly smaller fish and stuffed them into the pot.
Inside, he asked Fuasaki to bring the bottles and jars he had brought, and put some ingredients and salt in them.
Then he gave each person a piece of seasoning, and asked Du Chun and Fang Qi to send three to Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin who were camping next to them. He also asked Du He to send three to Changsun Huan and his son, and the remaining few to the side.
The guards sent it to the emperor, while Fang Yiai stayed behind to watch the pot.
After a while, Du He and the three of them came back, and they also brought back a lot of delicious food.
The four of them prepared some of the food brought by the guards and waited for the fragrant fish soup in the pot.
Just as the four of them were biting their chopsticks and eagerly waiting for the fish soup in the pot, there was a commotion and the sound of horse hooves in the camp.
"What a shame, this guy came back so promptly!" Fang Yiai complained.
"Cheng Hualiang?" Du He asked.
"Yeah." Fang Yiai nodded.
Sure enough, after a while, Cheng Huailiang and Qin Huaiyu came over on horseback, said hello to Fang Yiai and went back to their respective homes.
Probably just after saying hello to the two old men and washing their faces, Cheng Hualiang and Qin Huaiyu came over carrying two pheasants and rabbits without even changing their clothes.
"Hey, there are quite a lot of rabbits and pheasants in the woods. If we don't fight them, they will come out of the woods." Cheng Huailiang said carelessly, "What are you cooking in the pot? It's so fragrant."
"Put away all the pheasants. Once you've done that, you can come over and drink fish soup." Fang Yiai raised his head and said.
"Okay." Cheng Hualiang took his little follower Cheng Yu to collect the pheasants. Qin Huaiyu handed the pheasants in his hand to Qin Ye who was following behind and asked him to follow Cheng Huailiang to collect the pheasants.
Just after Cheng Huailiang and the others returned, they had just put the prepared pheasants on the fire, picked up the fish soup and drank two sips. Li Anyang, the manager beside Li Shimin, came with a guard.
Came over with a smile.
Everyone quickly put down their bowls and stood up to greet Li Anyang.
"Haha, the food at Mr. Fang's place is the most tempting. No wonder it's so lively. Even Princess Hepu and the Ninth Prince are clamoring to come to Mr. Fang's place to eat." Li Anyang stretched out his hand to help Fang Yiai up, smiling.
He looked at the soup bowl that several people had placed next to him, sniffed it twice, and said.
"Eunuch Li, would you like some? There's still some in the pot, and the bowls have just been served, and they haven't been touched much yet," Fang Yiai said.
"No, Mr. Fang sent some fish to the emperor, and our family also received half of them because of the emperor's kindness. I heard that the ingredients for the fish were prepared by Mr. Fang, and the taste of the fish is comparable to that of the imperial chef.
, it really has a unique flavor. Our family was ordered to thank Mr. Fang." Li Anyang said.
"As long as the emperor likes it," Fang Yiai said.
"By the way, the emperor asked our family to come over now. By the way, I want to tell Mr. Fang that the hunting competition between you and Prince Nurjiang will start the day after tomorrow. Each person can choose two to four helpers, but each team will bring
There can only be ten guards." Li Anyang said.
After seeing Fang Yiai nodding to express his understanding, Li Anyang continued, "The competition lasts for ten days, but the number of prey every day must be counted in front of the emperor before dusk. After ten days, the final results will be tallied up to determine the winner.
burden."
"How do you calculate prey?" Fang Yiai asked.
"Based on the number, rabbits and pheasants are the same. Jacks, foxes, lynxes and musk deer are counted as ten pheasants each. Deer and goat are counted as thirty pheasants each. Wild boars are counted according to their body size. Small ones are counted.
Count thirty, and the big ones count fifty to sixty. Each black blind can be worth 200 pheasants. If it is a big insect, one counts as 250 pheasants. How about it?" Li Anyang
said.
"Okay, I understand." Fang Yiai summed it up and nodded.
"By the way, Jieli Khan proposed a hundred gold prize for this competition, and also said that the prey of the losing party will belong to the winning party. The emperor agreed. Mr. Fang has no objection, right?" Li
Anyang asked with a smile.
Fang Yixin thought, Your Majesty, all of you have agreed. If I have any objections, it will be of no use! Damn it, this is simply raping others. I even tell people sanctimoniously that I am trying to free you, and I have to make people smile and be grateful.
! It’s so frustrating! It’s so frustrating! It’s so frustrating!
Resisting the urge to beat people and vomit blood, on the surface, Fang Yiai had to say cheerfully, "The emperor has the final say."
"The emperor also said that if you lose, the emperor will not blame you. He will just ask you to unconditionally promise the emperor one thing. It is definitely a good thing that others can't even think of." Li Anyang looked at it with a smile.
Fang Yiai said.
No matter how Fang Yiai looked at it, she felt that Li Anyang's smiling face reflected in the firelight had a treacherous feeling. Besides, the good things the emperor said may not be good things for herself. Secretly curling her lips, Fang Yiai asked.
, "What if I win?"
"Haha, the emperor is still wise." Li Anyang showed an expression that showed that he was so, and said unhurriedly, "The emperor said that if you win, it is your duty. As a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, you should
The country will contribute its efforts to win glory for our country."