20demayo Chapter 89 Wedding Night, A Small Success in Life
Chapter 89 Wedding Night, A Small Success in Life
Chapter 89 Wedding Night, A Small Success in Life
Auspicious omens descended from heaven, and a general amnesty was granted.
The entire capital was filled with joy. A lot had happened recently, but less than two months had passed and the peony season was not yet over.
The peony festival, which was gradually closing down, became lively again after the emperor announced a general amnesty. In order to avoid the limelight, Xu Qingya did not stay in seclusion at the Marquis's residence, but changed his clothes and invited Yang Yan to admire the peonies.
Revisiting the Peony Festival after only two months gave me a sense of the passage of time and the changing of the world. Last time I visited, there was a Cantonese roast meat shop near the overpass, and a talkative guy explaining all the different flowers.
As time passed, Mai Laoguang could only sell roast meat on the road to the underworld. Given his personality, he most likely wouldn't bribe the ghost messengers, and he would inevitably have to go through the ordeal of being boiled in boiling oil.
Ding Dian and Ling Shuanghua have disappeared. They may be in the Northeast, in Western Hunan, or in some beautiful valley. Given their personalities, they can be happy as long as there are flowers around them.
Master Lei was busy rolling out noodles, Jiang Asheng was running errands from street to street, Zeng Jing was selling cloth at a stall, and Granny Cai found a teahouse and proudly showed off the big match she had just secured, successfully getting rid of her zero-win rate.
Everything was so wonderful.
The most wonderful thing, of course, is the beautiful woman beside you.
Yang Yan stood gracefully beside the yellow peony flowers. The flowers were beautiful, but she was even more beautiful than the flowers. She was truly more charming than the flowers!
In terms of familiarity with Luoyang, Yang Yan was naturally more familiar with it. Logically, Yang Yan should have been the tour guide, leading Xu Qingya around. However, Yang Yan was too shy to be rational at the moment.
Being "love-struck" is a double buff!
It can make people's IQ comparable to Einstein and Sherlock Holmes, drawing conclusions from the slightest clues.
At the same time, it can overwhelm people with their emotions, completely taking over their minds. At this moment, all rational judgment and literary talent become invisible.
"Love Brain" has another special advantage: if you have a reckless personality like Liu Qingci, you can be immune to 99% of mental illusions under the special blessing of Love Brain. All kinds of soul-capturing demonic sounds, soul-snatching Brahma sounds, and even earth-shattering mental techniques will be ineffective!
Psychological attacks, simply put, are attacks on the target's mental vulnerabilities. If the target's mind is already empty and they can be in an extremely fanatical state at any time, even if Bashiba personally takes action, he will be helpless.
Liu Qingci is capable of achieving this level of skill.
Yin Susu and Cheng Lingsu could do half of it.
Yang Yan is highly unlikely to be able to do it.
Yang Yan's mind works too fast and she remembers too much. When faced with a mental attack, she is either deceived by the enemy's illusions or deceives the enemy in return.
Xu Qingya shook his head, thinking to himself, "What a waste of such a beautiful day! How can I think about such pointless things?"
If you have nothing better to do, why are you thinking about monks?
Bashiba is in seclusion in Tibet, tens of thousands of miles away from Luoyang. How could he possibly curse me?
Yang Yan suddenly asked, "Qingya, what are you thinking about? I feel like you're acting a little strange!"
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "You might not believe it, but I was thinking about Ba Shiba. He was the Imperial Preceptor of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, and I am the successor of the Martial Saint of the Great Han Dynasty. Could he curse me?"
"Hiss~~"
Yang Yan gasped, "Qingya, you can't just spout nonsense like that! I've heard that Tantric lamas are skilled in curses and can make armies sick through chanting and incantations, subduing the enemy without a fight!"
Xu Qingya sneered, "Nonsense! That's because of lax military discipline, it has nothing to do with a curse!"
What Yang Yan just said is indeed recorded in history, but it has long been deciphered in later generations.
Besides geographical advantages such as the snowy plateau and altitude sickness, the lamas and masters of Tantric Buddhism do indeed have a method to cause large-scale disease outbreaks in their enemies.
The so-called "curse of thousands of troops" is not a disease like a plague, but mostly a dirty disease.
Before the war, the lamas would send out a group of prostitutes with venereal diseases to seduce the soldiers or deliberately capture them. Most of the troops with lax discipline would fall for this trick.
Over time, this led to rumors of a "curse".
How was this move countered?
Such underhanded tactics can only be used against low-life bandits and convicts. Against the Golden Pearl Mami, they will only provoke their fighting spirit and make them more and more courageous in battle.
Thinking of this, Xu Qingya smiled.
Yang Yan asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "Believe it or not, if I lead troops into battle, I can break the curse!"
Yang Yan hugged Xu Qingya's arm: "Linglong Pavilion just opened a restaurant, which was opened by Chef Chen. Back then, Chef Chen should have been the champion in the Imperial Chef Competition, but unfortunately he offended the Yuxian Gang and could only hide his identity."
Xu Qingya asked, "Yan'er, what dishes does Chef Chen specialize in? Which cuisine does he specialize in?"
Yang Yan smiled smugly: "Qingya, don't underestimate the heroes of the world! As I just said, Chef Chen won first place in the Imperial Chef Competition. His status in the culinary world is roughly equivalent to Zhang Zhenren or Bodhidharma. He can basically cook all the cuisines from all over the Central Plains!"
What is Master Chen's specialty?
'
"The aroma of meat fills the garden as the jar is opened—"
"—The Buddha, upon hearing this, abandoned his meditation and jumped over the wall!"
"That's right. Chef Chen's specialty is the famous Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall requires three days of preparation. I asked him to prepare one serving. When we arrived, it was right at mealtime."
"What other dishes are available?"
"Just watch me arrange it!"
Yang Yan glanced at Xu Qingya.
Xu Qingya obediently followed behind the rich woman.
The master ordered the dishes, so Chef Chen naturally had to be on high alert. There were no specific dishes, but rather requirements were given, allowing Chef Chen to create his own dishes, similar to an assigned essay topic. This was not difficult for Chef Chen.
During the imperial chef examination, the questions given by the examiners were as difficult as those for the imperial examinations. Given the late emperor's absurdity, it was not uncommon for him to find a certain line of poetry beautiful and ask the imperial kitchen to prepare dishes based on that line. If they couldn't do it, they would have to bear the consequences themselves.
However, to be fair, we should try to salvage the late emperor's reputation a little. Although he was absurd, he treated the cooks very well and gave them very high pay.
Zhuge Kongfang, the former head chef of the imperial kitchen, served the late emperor for more than 20 years. The late emperor not only never scolded him, but also had a kitchen knife forged for Zhuge Kongfang from black iron.
He can have moments of irrationality, but most of the time he's easy to please; just give him plenty of oil and salt!
The late emperor consumed too many elixirs, which impaired his sense of taste. He needed at least six or seven spoonfuls of salt to taste a bowl of fried rice, and sometimes eight spoonfuls were required.
The late emperor bestowed a dish upon a minister, who took it home, added some cabbage, vermicelli, and frozen tofu to make a large stew. No salt was needed, and it was enough to feed the whole family for three days. The minister wrote a letter expressing his gratitude to His Majesty for his great kindness, saying that he was willing to give his life for the emperor.
Leader of the Encountering Immortals Gang: The late emperor was so old, yet he ate half a pound of salt and a bottle of soy sauce per meal. He was clearly murdered, and all my elixirs were genuine!
Yang Yan explained in a low voice, "Zhuge Kongfang is good in every other way, except that he has a loss of taste. He's ruthless when it comes to seasoning, which suits the late emperor's palate, but no normal person could stomach it! His Majesty could only use the excuse of finding a successor to send him traveling the world!"
Xu Qingya shrugged: "Zhuge Kongfang caused more damage to the tyrannical emperor than ten assassins. He has done a good job for the country and the people. I wish him all his wishes come true."
The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at Master Chen's newly opened restaurant, named Ke Lai Xiang. The signboard had a flying goose mark, indicating that the restaurant was owned by Linglong Pavilion and all affairs were handled by Linglong Pavilion.
Simply put, this restaurant pays its protection fee to Linglong Pavilion, and neither Liufenbantang nor Jinfengxiyulou are allowed to cause trouble.
This also demonstrates that the restaurant is a neutral entity. If Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun want to negotiate, they can come here without worrying about being ambushed.
The restaurant has three floors: the ground floor has open seating, the second floor has regular private rooms, and the third floor has enclosed private rooms.
Important figures like Yang Yan went directly to the backyard of the restaurant, where there was a small courtyard that resembled a farmhouse near a scenic area. It was decorated very luxuriously, perhaps because it had just opened, as there were red flowers and red silk on it.
The courtyard was very quiet.
Apart from Chef Chen who was serving the dishes, there were no outsiders.
As soon as the two sat down, Chef Chen brought over a plate of dishes, a soup served before the meal to soothe the stomach and stimulate the appetite.
"I've heard that Young Master Xu is skilled in cooking?"
"I dare not embarrass myself in front of a master."
"Not at all, since we're in the same profession, let me explain how to make this dish. The main ingredients are lotus seeds and snow frog, and it's prepared using an ancient imperial glass dish," he said, "which blends the flavors of the ingredients perfectly, so that they are inseparable, like intertwined branches and birds flying wing to wing!"
Chef Chen winked at Xu Qingya: "Young Master Xu, please suggest a name for this soup!"
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "These two ingredients are like intertwined branches and birds flying wing to wing, so let's call it 'Flying Together Soup'!"
"Great name! Great name!"
Chef Chen returned to the kitchen with a chuckle.
Yang Yan ladled out two small bowls of soup and carefully fed them to Xu Qingya with a spoon. The two of them lingered there for almost a quarter of an hour before finishing the appetizer soup.
Just as I finished my soup, Chef Chen came in again.
This dish is very similar to boiled cabbage in clear broth. The pork belly is sliced as thin as rice paper, rolled into a flower shape, with red dates as the stamens, and drizzled with broth, giving it a beautiful feel like searching for plum blossoms in the snow.
This dish is called "Guanju Treading on Snow"!
Guan Guan Ju Dou, in the river continent.
My lady, my gentleman is good.
I also incorporated Xu Qingya's favorite dish, pickled cabbage and pork belly, into it, making slight modifications.
The next dish was "Longan Stewed Turtle". The soup was a rich and fragrant golden broth, with lotus seeds mixed in, like pearls falling into a jade plate, which looked beautiful.
This dish is called "Golden Match Cup"!
It's roughly equivalent to a simplified version of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!
Next up is a pastry, which looks a lot like Dragon Beard Pastry. It has a filling of golden thread jujubes, and the pastry is connected by thousands of red threads. The filling is also connected by threads, like lotus root threads, symbolizing three lifetimes and three worlds, never to be broken. This pastry is called "Lianli Qiansi Pastry".
After drinking the soup, eating the vegetables, and tasting the desserts, Chef Chen brought out three main dishes that looked like works of art.
One dish is stewed ginseng from Liaodong, served in a glass cup, with swirling steam and a magpie bridge carved from white radish on top, named "Magpie Bridge Double Treasure Stew"!
A dish of two-colored tofu balls, with five different fillings inside, each with a flavor that represents the five tastes of life: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. It is called "Cloud Brocade Reflecting the Moon".
One of Chef Chen's specialties, the most time-consuming Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, is a slightly modified version. Instead of being placed in a bowl, it is laid out flat on a deep plate, with the various ingredients resembling flowers on a brocade, colorful and mouthwatering.
This dish is called "Heavenly Weaver's Brocade Soup"!
Finally, the drinks were served.
Lily green plum wine!
The official name is "A Century of Harmony Brew"!
Chef Chen truly lives up to his reputation as a former imperial chef. He not only possesses unparalleled culinary skills but also outstanding eloquence and exceptional creativity. He is particularly adept at reading people's expressions and knowing exactly what to say and to what extent, making people feel very comfortable.
Chinese people are the most picky about food.
Eating is more than just eating; it's not just about the color, aroma, and taste of food. Service is also an important part of the experience, and good dining service can make people feel happy and relaxed.
Master Chen tiptoed out.
Xu Qingya and Yang Yan were eating in the room.
In fact, there's no need to eat vegetables anymore.
Look at the names of these dishes: Flying Together as One, A Gentleman's Pursuit, A Perfect Match, A Hundred Years of Harmony, A Thousand Threads of Intertwined Branches, Flowers in Full Bloom and the Moon at its Fullest, A Meeting on the Magpie Bridge —
If you can't even understand this little thing, your mind must be a bit dull. Even Guo Jing should be able to understand these dishes just by hearing their names, right?
Eating too much is bad for exercise.
Xu Qingya stepped forward, picked up a spoon, scooped up a few tofu balls, and chuckled, "Life is full of firewood, rice, oil, salt, vinegar, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors. Once you've tasted all five flavors, that's a part of life. What do you think, Yan'er?"
1
Yang Yan nodded gently: "Qingya always has so many tricks up her sleeve, I'll listen to you no matter what."
"It's all thanks to Chef Chen's skill. No wonder he ranked first in the imperial chef exam; his reputation is truly well-deserved!"
"What if we let Qingya do it herself?"
"I can probably make Qiu Zhou, which is actually pigeon meat porridge. I've read about it in books, but I don't have any practical experience yet."
Which book would record these things?
"The Adventures of a Silly Boy"
"They're making things up again!"
"Don't you always listen to me?"
"I feel I have the right to cheat."
"No, you didn't!"
Xu Qingya gently embraced Yang Yan.
Xu Qingya said, "The name of this soup is wonderful. It means that you are in me and I am in you, and we are inseparable. Master Chen is using this soup to express what I am thinking."
Yan'er, ever since I met you, my world has become like this soup, a mixture of a thousand flavors, and I can no longer distinguish which part is you and which part is me.
Yang Yan's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes sparkling: "All you do is spout this kind of heart-chilling nonsense. When I met you, I gave you a good whack with a bamboo stick!"
"Did Yan'er do it on purpose?"
"At that time, my aunt had disappeared, and Linglong Pavilion was on the verge of collapse, desperately needing powerful assistance. When I saw you, I felt like I had found a savior. I was worried that you would be kidnapped, so I had no choice but to resort to this!"
"How can this be a bad idea? Your ancestors were originally surnamed Pan. I'm practically my master's son, so we can inherit half the surname—Pan and Ximen—"
"Is there anything wrong with this?"
"Yes! Absolutely right, just like this Guanju Treading on Snow. The knife skills and artistic conception are both superb, as elegant as treading on snow to find plum blossoms. But no matter how exquisite the knife skills are, they can't compare to the way you look standing next to the peony."
"A fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affections," the ancients were right. But I, a mere gentleman, have already found the most gentle and virtuous lady in the world.
I probably won't need the skill of "searching for plum blossoms in the snow," I can simply look down at you.
Yang Yan's smile deepened: "You're such a smooth talker! Isn't the pickled cabbage and pork belly in this dish your favorite?"
Xu Qingya picked up a piece of pastry: "Yan'er, this plate of 'Twin Threads Pastry,' with its red threads entwining the dough and the sweet, soft dates connecting it, doesn't it resemble our destiny? Seemingly a thousand threads, yet in reality, every strand points to one thing:
Three lifetimes, never to be separated.
Even though life is as fragile as flaky pastry, the sweetness within is destined to linger and last!
Xu Qingya scooped up another meatball and gently held it to Yang Yan's lips: "Life is full of flavors, just like the sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty tastes in this meatball. Yan'er, I am willing to taste all the flavors of this world with you."
No matter what the future holds, whether sweet or bitter, smooth or rough, as long as you're by my side, it's a perfect match, a lifelong union. Only by experiencing this together can we call it a complete life, a life without regrets!
Xu Qingya's words grew increasingly passionate, so passionate that Yang Yan felt weak all over, her limbs went limp, and she couldn't even open her eyes. Like a lazy kitten, she nestled in Xu Qingya's arms, enjoying the warmth of his embrace.
"The jade spoon is used to evenly distribute the sweetness of the pair of lovebirds."
A thousand threads of honey bind a happy marriage;
Guan Ju treads on snow, melting the frost.
Brocade soup weaves together twin lotus blossoms;
A feast is only complete when all five flavors are tasted together.
Only when three people drink together can it be considered complete;
Tonight, candlelight illuminates the hibiscus-scented tent;
I smile as I watch my beloved sleep beside me;
"Yan'er, are you ready?"
Xu Qingya picked up Yang Yan in one swift motion.
The room next door is a bridal chamber, decorated in bright red and exquisite. The meal is over, the wine is over, the sweet words are over, and the love poems are over. Now, if anyone dares to stop us, not even the King of Heaven can protect them!
"Yan'er, I'll teach you a martial arts move!"
"What...what kind of martial arts...?"
"The only palm technique I know!"
Ximen Changhai loved to travel all over the country. One day, Xu Qingya learned that Ximen Changhai wanted to travel to Yunnan. After pleading with him for several days, he finally got his master to agree to bring back a palm technique when he returned from Yunnan.
Five Luo Light Smoke Palm!
Essential skills for the wedding night.
The Five Luos are:
Silk robe, silk shirt, silk blouse, silk skirt, silk stockings.
The smoke is:
The wisps of smoke rising as the red candle goes out.
The so-called "Five Luo Light Smoke Palm" is a palm strike that removes the silk robe, silk shirt, silk blouse, silk skirt, and silk stockings, extinguishes the red candles, and leaves only tenderness and affection in the room.
You can skip practicing the Spring and Autumn Saber Technique, you can skip learning the Five Tigers Severing the Gate Saber Technique, you can skip the Northern Darkness Divine Skill, the Yi Jin Jing, the Tai Chi Classics, etc., but this palm technique is the only one you must master, even if it means going to heaven or earth.
With a sweep of his hand, the five arrows flew wildly.
Spring is here, and flowers are in bloom.