Food starts with Mapo Tofu

Today's pastries are the same as before, and they are cold after the entrance.

It's just that there is a touch of sweetness in this coldness.

The light tea taste has no bitterness like usual tea.

It's like garlic that is handled properly when cooking, only the garlic is fragrant without the spicy.

This kind of taste, this kind of taste, is very suitable for this kind of weather.

Since ancient times, the more advanced the dessert, the lighter the sweetness, but this does not mean that it is bland, but more palatable.

Li Xu took small sips to taste, and now Wang Jin has learned that every time after bringing in the dessert at noon, he will take the initiative to say that he will wait outside, because he knows that His Majesty does not like to be eaten when eating desserts. people bother.

And at this time, Li Xu also enjoyed it very much. Even when it was almost noon every day, he began to guess what delicious and novel snacks Chen Nian would make today.

"Come in and pack your things."

Wang Jin, who had been standing at the door, heard this and hurried into the imperial dining room to clean up the mess.

While tidying him up, he was thinking about his words, and when he was almost done tidying up, he brought up the food box: "Your Majesty, when Mr. Chen handed over the matcha and red bean layer to me today, he also asked the servant to tell you something. "

"what's up?"

"It's just that Mr. Chen seems to have researched some new things that can cool off the heat, so if your Majesty feels particularly hot at any time and want to eat something to cool off, you can tell the servant girl that the servant will help you Go to Master Chen to get it."

Li Xu thought for a while: "Something that can cool off the heat? What is that?"

"According to Master Chen, this new thing is called ice cream."

"Is ice cream made of snow?"

"Your Majesty forgive me, but this servant is not very clear."

But Li Xu still nodded: "Okay, I understand, you go down first."

After a while, when Wang Jin came to the imperial dining room and returned the food box, he found Chen Nian again: "Master Chen, our family told His Majesty for you, but what is this ice cream you are talking about?"

Chen Nian smiled: "Of course it's literally. It's a pastry, but it doesn't count, because it's made entirely of ice. It's more delicious than snow itself. It happened to me this morning. By the way, I made some, would you like to taste it?"

Wang Jin couldn't help swallowing when he heard this, but finally refused: "I'll forget it, this is what the Tian family eats, how can I just eat it casually?"

"Alright then." Chen Nian sighed regretfully.

And Wang Jin has been really hot and unbearable these few days. Although he can't eat it, he is still very curious about ice cream: "Master Chen, what is this ice cream?"

Chen Nian thought for a while: "How should I put it, this thing is actually used to cool off the heat, and it usually has a sweet taste, but the difference is that it can be made into various fruit flavors, milk flavors, or even It can be made directly with sugar and water."

Wang Jin still couldn't imagine it.

"Elder-in-law, you will know when you see it."

In this way until the afternoon, Li Xu also felt very hot. Now is the hot season. Although it is a little cold in the morning and evening, it is absolutely hot during the day.

Li Xu lost interest as he was working. He really wanted to go outside for a walk now, but he knew that as an emperor, he couldn't be willful.

So he still can't go out.

"Wang Jin."

So Li Xu yelled.

After Wang Jin heard the voice, he quickly entered the room: "Your Majesty, the servant is here."

"Didn't you say earlier that there is something to cool off at Chennian? It seems to be some kind of ice cream...you go and get it for me now."

Wang Jin nodded after hearing this: "Your Majesty, the servants are going right away."

After speaking, Wang Jin turned around and left the house, trotting all the way towards the imperial dining room.

After rushing to the imperial dining room, he was already sweating a lot, and while wiping the sweat off his face with a handkerchief, he panted and said, "Master Chen, Lord Chen, where is the ice cream you made? Your Majesty wants use."

Chen Nian was preparing dishes in the kitchen at this time. After hearing this, he turned around and whispered a few words to Song Qingzhou, then led Wang Jin towards the icehouse.

Since the old age successfully produced ice cubes, after that, by the way, you opened up a place in the ice cellar, and only the old age can be used here.

It was precisely for this reason that Chen Nian didn't let Wang Jin tell the emperor about this until yesterday.

But just yesterday, Chen Nian made many kinds of ice cream directly with existing things.

"My lord, did your Majesty say which flavor you want?" Chen Nian asked.

Wang Jin broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this, and he slapped his head: "Oh, my family forgot about this matter, you really asked our family to ask His Majesty earlier."

Chen Nian smiled: "It doesn't matter, since that's the case, let's give His Majesty a taste of this relatively basic taste first, but this time, Eunuch must remember, by the way, I have one more thing I want to trouble Eunuch, If Your Majesty is satisfied with this ice cream, can Eunuch tell the craftsmen in the palace to help me, because I need some molds here."

"It's easy to talk, just wait for our family to help you ask, and this time our family will tell His Majesty, and His Majesty can choose by himself tomorrow."

"Well, let's go, father-in-law."

While talking, Chen Nian put the milk-flavored ice cream he had made into the box, and placed ice cubes inside to prevent the ice cream from melting in the middle.

After Wang Jin got it, he headed towards the imperial study without stopping. He slowed down when he was about to arrive. He took out his handkerchief again and wiped his sweat. After all, he was a person around the emperor. Otherwise, if you go to see the emperor with sweat profusely, it will inevitably displease His Majesty.

After reaching the door, he whispered: "Your Majesty, the ice cream slave has brought it for you."

"Well, send it in."

Finally, Wang Jin entered the room and took the ice cream out of the food box respectfully, and put it on the table.

Due to the relatively short time, aging can only make this kind of square mold now.

It's just that this is the first time Li Xu has seen such a thing.

At first glance, it looked like a square cake made of milk, but a layer of frost had condensed on the outside of it, and it was still braving the cold after taking it out.

What's even more ingenious is that there is actually a wooden stick inserted under the square cake.

Seeing that the emperor was about to start using ice cream, Wang Jin walked out of the room very tactfully.

Li Xu looked at the ice cream in front of him and really had the urge to try it.

Although this was the first time he ate it, when he saw it at a glance, he already knew how to eat it.

Holding the wooden stick underneath with his right hand, he first picked up the ice cream and sniffed it close to the tip of his nose.

This square cake is relatively not as heavy as ordinary cakes, but besides the milky smell, he also smells sweet.

Then he stuck out his tongue and licked it.

In an instant, the icy coolness entered her body through the tip of her tongue.

After that, the soldiers were divided into two groups, one part went up to the head, and the other part went down to the limbs and bones.

"This is cooler than all the dim sum he's made before!"

"But it's really refreshing!"

Li Xu felt a little surprised.

She also ate ice before, and that was when she was very young. One summer, in the palace, he and his younger brother Li Zhao only felt that the weather was unbearably hot, so they wanted to go to the ice cellar to enjoy the coolness together.

This ice cellar was originally used by the royal family, and they, princes and princesses, could naturally go in at any time.

It's just that they did feel much cooler after entering, but at the beginning, only the temperature on the body surface dropped, and the inner heat still remained.

So they turned their minds to the ice that was in there.

With a look from Li Xu, Li Zhao immediately understood, and immediately began to chisel a small piece of ice out of the big ice with the tools in the ice cellar.

Then the two of them held the ice cubes and prepared to have a delicious taste. In their impression, the ice was probably the same as the snow in winter. It might not taste good in their mouths, but it was cool.

But when they really put the ice into their mouths, they realized that they were wrong.

This ice cube is not tasty at all, and it has a strange taste in it.

The feeling is probably slightly better than drinking the river water directly, and this is because the cold will temporarily weaken their taste function.

After spitting out the ice in their mouths, they threw the ice cube on the ground and never touched it again.

Later, they told the matter to the emperor at that time, their father, and the old emperor laughed wildly, saying that of course the ice is not edible, if you want to eat it, you can take some water and put it in the ice cellar ice.

Put it in one day in advance, and it can be eaten the next day.

So Li Xu has always remembered this incident, until now the palace still has the habit of eating ice in summer.

It's just that their way of eating is much simpler and rougher than this ice cream.

It is to put the edible ice in the ice cellar and freeze it in advance, and then use special tools to break the ice into pieces.

Finally, the fruit is made into a jam, sprinkled on top, and honey is added at most.

Even so, they had a great time eating.

But the eunuchs in charge of making ice in the palace themselves, even if they put in some effort, at most they would freeze the sour plum soup.

Where is there such a pattern as old?

So Li Xu was shocked by the taste after licking the first bite.

It doesn't smell too strong, but it tastes full of milk. When you lick the ice cream lightly, the outer layer of frost will be scratched off.

In this scorching heat, it is especially refreshing.

"good."

Li Xu couldn't help admiring.

After that, he licked it mouthful after mouthful, until she felt much more comfortable after eating one piece.

"No, I have to ask other people to taste it later."

She also wants to see how other people feel when they eat ice cream.

But at this moment, she was still a little bit unsatisfied, and wanted to eat another one, so she called Wang Jin in again: "Go get me another ice cream."

When Wang Jin heard this, he immediately felt troubled, because Chen Nian had told him before that it was enough to eat one ice cream at a time, and eating too much would cause stomach upset.

So Wang Jin had no choice but to repeat the words to the emperor.

"why?"

"Your Majesty, Chen Nian said that this kind of cold food can only be used as snacks to cool off the summer heat. It is not good to eat too much. If Your Majesty's dragon body is ill, then neither servants nor Lord Chen can bear the crime."

As one of the eunuchs beside the emperor, Wang Jin naturally had to think about the emperor.

"Oh, all right."

The emperor sighed a little disappointed: "Then you go down first."

But this time Wang Jin remembered what Chen Nian had told him before: "Your Majesty, Master Chen also asked your servant to tell you that there are many flavors of ice cream on his side. Besides the milky one, there are also several fruity ones. , there are orange flavors, apricot flavors, hawthorn flavors, watermelon flavors, and matcha flavors. If you want to eat, you can choose from these flavors.”

Only then did the emperor realize that the several kinds of fruits that were used to make snacks in the past were used in this ice cream.

"Well, I see."

After Wang Jin left, Li Xu became even more distressed. She wanted to try so many flavors, but Chen Nian said that eating too much would make her stomach upset.

But after another two hours, although the weather gradually began to cool down, Li Xu wanted to eat ice cream again, but this time she didn't directly ask Wang Jin to get another one for herself, but ordered others to get it. Li Zhao, please come into the palace.

Not long after, when Li Zhao came over, Li Xu asked him to wait in the imperial study for a while.

"Wang Jin, go get two more ice creams."

Hearing this new term, Li Zhao couldn't help but his eyes brightened: "Sister Huang, what is this ice cream?"

Li Xu was a little proud: "It's made by Chen Nianxin, and it's used to cool off the heat."

Then she asked Wang Jin to introduce the flavors to Li Zhao.

"Is it so rich? Then I'll have an orange flavor."

"Well, then go and get an orange one and a hawthorn one."

Wang Jin nodded and turned around to look for Chen Nian again.

……

Not long after, Li Zhao looked at the ice cream in front of him and took a tentative bite.

"good to eat!"

"Your Majesty, why is this ice cream so delicious?"

Li Xu looked at Li Zhao's equally astonished expression, and was very happy: "It's good as long as it's delicious. This ice cream is made after years of thinking. You have done a great job this time, and you have found such a good royal chef for me."

Li Zhao smiled: "That's fate. If I hadn't passed that street that day, I wouldn't have met Chen Nian, and I couldn't have found that Chen Nian's food was so delicious. You have a lot of talents, and I heard that Chen Nian's sister is very close to the son of Hubu Shangshuhai."

"And other things?"

"Well, they seem to be getting engaged soon."

Li Xu thought about it for a while. The folk customs of the Great Xia Dynasty were relatively open, which was a little different from the previous dynasty. Generally speaking, the children of court officials who held important positions like the Minister of the Household Department usually found a suitable family.

Either marry with some noble families to ensure a stable position in the court in the future.

After the Great Xia Dynasty, due to some laws promulgated by Li Xu, the folk customs gradually began to change.

Many people have begun to advocate free love. Although there are many who follow the orders of their parents and the words of matchmakers, there are always relatively few people.

Many officials in the imperial court had wives who were ordinary civilians before.

"If that's the case, then I will give them marriages."

"Emperor Sister Shengming!"

This is what Li Zhao loves to do most.

The reason why he willingly supported Li Xu's ascension to the throne was also for this reason. (end of this chapter)