The Rise and Fall of the Last Imperial Cook

6. Fatal Crisis

Translator: Gao Jing

Proofread by Peter Gong

Eventually, something happens, and in the afternoon of the next day, it not only shatters all Xu Zhiwei’s dreams, but also pushes him to the brink of death.

The emperor starts to get a toothache after eating this Neon Covering Golden Beams, and it hurts more and more, so that he is rolling on the Imperial couch in the Hongde Hall. This incident immediately alarmed the two empress dowagers. They send an imperial edict asking the Imperial Physician Liu to come to examine the emperor. At the same time, they order the Imperial Household Department to find out what caused the emperor’s toothache.

Before the Imperial Physician Liu arrives, the Imperial Household Department has already found out that the emperor has a toothache caused by eating the Neon Covering Golden Beams. When hearing that the Neon Covering Golden Beams caused such a big trouble, De Gonggong, the head chef Wang Fengding, and Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department all blamed it on Xu Zhiwei, as if everyone is going to give a shove to a falling wall. Each of them says that Xu Zhiwei has used weird and harmful methods to make dishes to distort the emperor’s taste and preferences in order to win a huge reward. Although they are slightly aware that something is wrong, they have not yet hold the true evidence, so they fail to stop it in time.

These people all tell the same story, so Empress Dowager Cixi is furious and immediately sentences Xu Zhiwei to death.

Fortunately, Mr. Weng is also in the Hongde Hall at that time and hastens to dissuade, “The cause of the emperor’s illness found out by the Imperial Household Department seems to be far-fetched, and we still need to wait for the diagnosis of the imperial physician. The emperor took the throne not long ago, and the decision about life or death must be made carefully. Otherwise, gossips of commoners who know nothing about the truth will have misunderstandings, which will damage the emperor’s reputation.”

The Empress Dowager Cixi is still angry, but considering what Mr. Weng said is very reasonable, she temporarily puts Xu Zhiwei in prison for the final decision.

Hongde Hall is noisy because of the emperor’s rolling and groaning, and the Empress Dowager Cixi is still angry, breaking cups and smashing bowls, which makes everyone frightened and focus their attention on these two people. So when Mr. Weng quietly left from Hongde Hall, no one notices that.

After leaving the Hongde Hall, Mr. Weng immediately runs to the must-pass crossing from the Imperial hospital to the Hongde Hall, and just there, he stops the Imperial Physician Liu and pulls the man aside.

“Imperial Physician Liu, you’ve got a felony!” Mr. Weng’s tone is scary.

The Imperial Physician Liu Is frightened, “What did I do?”

“The emperor is rolling on his couch with a toothache. You are the emperor’s physician. Aren’t you responsible for it?”

“Master Weng, that’s unreasonable. How can the emperor’s sudden toothache be blamed on me? I guess it’s because the emperor has eaten too many sweets recently, which causes dental caries pain. The person who is in charge of the emperor’s diet should be held responsible for this. By the way, I heard that the emperor has been obsessed with the Neon Covering Golden Beams in the past two days. The ribs contain much sugar sauce, and then the remnants of the meat will be embedded in the teeth. This should be the main cause of dental caries.”

“Imperial Physician Liu, you are wrong. As the emperor’s special physician, you should warn him of these situations in advance. Moreover, the emperor’s serious illness shows that you have not paid attention to the emperor’s condition recently, which is a negligence of duty. Do you think that if the emperor’s illness is attributed to an improper diet, the Empress Dowager Cixi who is always meticulous about everything will deem you innocent?”

“Ah! This, this… is really right. Master Weng, you made a point, but who shall be to blame in this case? Please give me some hints.” Imperial Physician Liu bows and turns to Mr. Weng for help.

“It’s very simple, just shift the blame on the empress dowager.”

“What? Shift it on the empress dowager? How? ”

“The empress dowager hopes that the emperor will live up to her expectations and win fame far and wide, so she has added a lot of study and exercises for His Majesty to work on. But the emperor is young, and he could not afford such a heavy load. Lack of appetite in the early stage shows signs of abnormality. You can go further in this aspect and pass the buck to the two empress dowagers. ”

“I see, I see, this works, this works.” The physician suddenly sees the light.

Xu Zhiwei walks out of the palace and he doesn’t know whether he should be happy or worried, and he has been numb with shock after he had wandered around the gate of the hell. From a meteoric rise to a sharp turn, and then the path winds along steep mountain ridges. He seems to have gone through his entire life in just over two days.

In others’ opinion, in order to confuse the emperor with the extreme taste, Xu Zhiwei used abnormal ingredients and weird cooking methods to damage the emperor’s body. If he is accused of such a crime, the empress dowager will sentence him to death in anger. Fortunately, the Imperial Physician Liu explains that the emperor’s toothache was caused by body fatigue, excessive internal pressure, and much deficiency, which had little to do with the diet. The emperor should have less schoolwork, and have fun more often to reduce internal anxiety.

The emperor is pleased with this statement, saying yes again and again. Empress Dowager Cixi also feels reasonable after hearing the diagnosis of the Imperial Physician Liu. But she can’t take the blame herself, so Xu Zhiwei still needs to be a scapegoat. He won’t be decapitated, but has to be driven out of the palace, and he will never be employed officially. This is not only to smooth things over, but also to manifest Empress Dowager Cixi’s kindness to people who make mistakes in the palace.

Xu Zhiwei is taken out of the palace with a blanket on his back, meeting the Imperial Physician Liu on the way. He gratefully kneels on the ground and kowtows to the physician, thanking the latter for saving his life. The Imperial Physician Liu sighs lightly and says in a voice that only the two of them can hear, “You should thank Master Weng.” At this time, Xu Zhiwei realizes that it is Mr. Weng who has saved his life.

Everyone thinks the Palace is heaven. But only after going in will you know that this heaven is more dangerous than hell, and the most important thing is that it lacks humanity. Xu Zhiwei is gradually recovering from the numbness, taking a long breath. He feels that he is reincarnated and returns to the world again. After experiencing this rapid transition between life and death, lowliness and nobleness, Xu Zhiwei suddenly discovers that everything in the world is so beautiful. At this moment, he thinks of his parents and his newly-wed wife who is left behind. He wants to go back, and he wants to find them. Even if he is successful, he can never avoid a series of ups and downs, and only home can give him love and stability.

When Xu Zhiwei was driven out of the palace, the guards robbed him of all his previous savings. The people in the palace are the best at taking advantage of others’ misfortune. It is a mercy for Xu Zhiwei to take away the bedding and clothing. Now Xu Zhiwei is penniless, but he has already decided to go home. Even if he needs to crawl, he will crawl back.

Fortunately, Xu Zhiwei ordered a set of kitchen knives at the Golden Monkey Blacksmith Shop in the Er Shaozi Hutong when he customized the iron grid for fried ribs. This should be the only property that is left to him after all these years. He decides to get the kitchen knives first, and with this set of tools, he can walk back to his hometown of Wuxi, even by doing odd jobs in the tavern.

After taking the kitchen knives from the Golden Monkey Blacksmith Shop, Xu Zhiwei just walks out of the alley when a young man runs towards him.

“Master Xu, are you Master Xu? We have been looking for you for a long time. Hurry up, Mr. Weng has been waiting for you in Shaoyi Shop outside the Zuo’an Gate for a long time. ” When Xu Zhiwei hears that Mr. Weng is looking for him, he is overwhelmed by all kinds of emotions. If he had followed Mr. Weng’s advice and hadn’t longed for glory and wealth, he would not end up like this.

To be honest, Xu Zhiwei at this moment is really ashamed to see Mr. Weng, but he knows that he must go there. Not to mention the lasting friendship and Mr. Weng’s care for him, this time it is also Mr. Weng that saves his life. So no matter what, he must say thanks in person. As for this kindness, he can only repay Mr. Weng in the future.

When two old friends meet in Shaoyi Shop, they can only sigh in succession and say no words. In silence, Mr. Weng pours wine for Xu Zhiwei repeatedly, soothing him and helping him to get over the shock. Xu Zhiwei doesn’t refuse, and he even drinks up seven or eight cups before covering his cup with his hands. At this time, the wine gets into his head and tears can’t help welling up in his eyes.

“Forget about this matter.  What do you plan to do in the future?” Mr. Weng finally asks. Xu Zhiwei hasn’t recovered from the grief, so he cannot speak and he just shakes his head silently.

“Why don’t you just stay at my house and serve me? I really like your dishes. Moreover, we can often talk to each other and study the art of cooking. ”

“No, no!” Xu Zhiwei quickly wipes his face with his sleeve, “Thank you for your kindness, but I cannot accept your kind offer. The life-saving favor has not been repaid, and how can I trouble you even further? If the empress dowager knows that the one she has expelled is taken in by you, she may be angry with you. ” What Xu Zhiwei says is sensible. Cixi has given him serious punishment. Now if a court official privately hires Xu Zhiwei, Cixi may regard the official as rebellious to her after knowing about it.

“Then where are you going?”

“Go home, after so many years, it’s time to go home.”

“It’s okay, it’s better to go home. You should go back and have a look. Living a wealthy life or a common life are the same. But I don’t know when I can meet you again, or when I can taste the food you madeagain. ” Mr. Weng feels quite sorry.

“There are all kinds of cuisines around the world. Cooking styles are as varied as mountains, and dishes are as numerous as stars. There are many cooks who are better than me. You can just forget about the dishes made by the person who has suffered a setback in cooking like me.” Xu Zhiwei is being humble, but he is also telling the truth.

“Don’t belittle yourself. With your cooking skills, you can easily stand out in the palace, and even fewer people can compare with you among the commoners. When it comes to cooking, you are definitely a brilliant person, don’t give up on yourself. Since you can no longer rely on your cooking skills to make great achievements in the palace, why not find a place where there are no unique dishes to create a new cooking style? ”

“Creating a new cooking style?”

“Yes! Create a new style of cooking and become a master! ” Mr. Weng pats the desktop with his palm while speaking. Xu Zhiwei’s eyes show a little confusion. Mr. Weng seems to be telling a myth and he doesn’t know when that day will finally come.

“Maybe saying this at this time will make you feel like a delusion. But remember my words, as long as you don’t give up, you will gradually discover your true talent. Nothing is impossible as long as you tap your potential to the fullest. ”

Mr. Weng’s words make Xu Zhiwei suddenly think of something. He takes out a booklet from the bedding. He first pats off the dust with his hand, and then puts it in front of Mr. Weng.

“This is…” Mr. Weng looks puzzled.

“These are the few pages of recipes I have compiled over the years with my understanding of cooking. Just take it, please. I’m not using this to repay your life-saving favor, since it is far from enough. I’m going to say goodbye to you. After this, I don’t know when we will have the chance to meet again. I just give this booklet to you as a reminder. When you are bored, you can look through it for fun. If you want to eat hometown food, you can tell someone to cook according to the recipe. ”

“That’s not good, this booklet shows all your hard work. Besides, I’m not a cook, so it’s useless for me, it’s much more useful if you keep it yourself. ” Mr. Weng hurriedly declines, and he clearly knows this booklet’s meaning and value.

“It doesn’t matter, I have already kept in mind the content in the booklet. It makes no difference for me to own it or not. Moreover, although you don’t cook, there are some similarities between governing the country and cooking. I hope this booklet can bring inspiration to you when you read it. ”

“Yes, governing the country is like cooking. Even if you have used the best ingredients, even if all the supplementary ingredients are in place, in the end, it doesn’t necessarily suit the taste of the eater. ”

“The original intention is good, and all is done with good will, but the final result is not achieved by hard work and one has to suit others’ will. This is the helplessness of the cook making delicious food, and also the helplessness of the official governing the country. More than this, when you try to do it, all kinds of accidents may overwhelm you, and you can’t control that. It is another lesson I learn from this ‘Feast to the Emperor’s Taste’. It is too late to write it in the booklet, so I may as well tell you directly.”

“Well! Thank you for your reminding, I hope I will not face this helpless predicament in my future career path. In that case, I will accept this booklet. But you have to accept this, too. ” When speaking, Mr. Weng puts a heavy cloth pouch in front of Xu Zhiwei, “Zhiwei, since you decide to go home, money is necessary, you can’t beg for food all the way. It doesn’t matter if you ask for food while going back, but you have to bring something for your family.”

Tears well up in Xu Zhiwei’s eyes again. Mr. Weng is so thoughtful that Xu Zhiwei really doesn’t know how to thank him. He can only utter simple words when feeling a lump in the throat, “Yeah! Well! Well!”