A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 330: Time to Eat the Crab

For safety, they had erected several stretchable ropes around the Martial Stage. This way, a fall wouldn’t necessarily mean death.Xia Ruqing looked around and felt the place seemed familiar.

"Emperor, have I been here before?"

Zhao Junyao smiled and nodded. "When your brother was selected as the Imperial Guards Commander, wasn’t it right here?"

"Oh!" Xia Ruqing finally remembered.

Speaking of her brother, Xia Ruqing quickly asked, "Right, is brother coming this time?"

Zhao Junyao answered without hesitation, "Of course. The entire court, both civil and military officials, will attend!"

Xia Ruqing was puzzled. "Civil officials too?"

Zhao Junyao thought for a moment and said, "It’s quite necessary."

"We need to show them that military generals also possess real skills and knowledge. Merely reading the sages’ books will not repel the enemy!"

Xia Ruqing nodded. "Hmm, that makes sense. A good idea!"

While they were talking, they saw Xia Tingfeng rushing over with a group of subordinates.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Xia Tingfeng clasped his fist and knelt on one knee. "This subordinate pays respects to the Emperor!"

Zhao Junyao nodded. "How are things? Is everything arranged properly?"

Xia Tingfeng stood up straight and answered, "Yes! Everything is arranged. We’re just waiting for the examination the day after tomorrow!"

Zhao Junyao nodded again and patted his shoulder. "Well done! If this first martial examination goes smoothly, I’ll commend you for your merits!"

Xia Tingfeng was very pleased and immediately expressed his gratitude.

Zhao Junyao remembered something else and called over Li Shengan to give instructions. "The day after tomorrow, summon the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and Little Seventh as well. They’ve all grown up; it’s time they see the world!"

Li Shengan happily complied. "Yes, Emperor! The Seventh Prince was pestering this old servant just the other day, asking when the martial examination would be. He was worried Your Majesty wouldn’t allow him to attend!"

Zhao Junyao laughed heartily. "Little Seventh, that rascal! He pays no attention to his studies, only ever concerned with swords and sticks!"

When Xia Tingfeng heard this, he thought, Why did that sound so familiar?

He laughed immediately. "What the Emperor says, my father also said many times before. Only... I truly wasn’t cut out for studying!"

Zhao Junyao waved his hand. "Little Seventh is similar to you. Even when the previous Emperor was alive, he also felt the same frustration that iron couldn’t be turned into steel!"

Xia Tingfeng nodded and smiled. "This subordinate understands!"

Zhao Junyao didn’t say more after that.

Xia Ruqing waited in the stands. After the Emperor, Xia Tingfeng, and the others had made a round through the martial training ground to ensure there were no risks, the three of them returned to the temporary palace together.

Still in the sedan chair, Xia Ruqing was already so hungry she could hardly stand it.

Her mind was clamoring: food, food, delicious food!

Zhao Junyao noticed and asked her teasingly, "What do you feel like eating?"

Xia Ruqing thought for a moment. "Emperor, the weather has cooled down. In this autumn season, it’s time... to eat crabs!"

"Eat crabs?" Zhao Junyao was a little perplexed.

Xia Ruqing then questioned back, "Emperor, you haven’t had them before, have you?"

Zhao Junyao indeed shook his head. "They’re often served in the imperial kitchen, but I’ve never tried them!"

He felt those creatures, with their menacing claws, couldn’t possibly taste good.

Of course, the most important reason was that it was difficult to eat them elegantly!

Whether it was the fierce gnawing at crab shells, the slurping of crab roe, or the pounding of crab claws with a small hammer, none of these methods seemed very graceful.

And if one did manage to remove the shells and just dig out the meat to put on a plate, that wouldn’t look good either! A blob of yellow mush, and then a pile of white shreds... the presentation would be simply awful!

Crabs, in short, were a dilemma of taste versus appearance!

Zhao Junyao turned to ask again, "Has Beloved Minister Xia tried them before?"

Xia Tingfeng was a subject, so Zhao Junyao naturally called him Beloved Minister. However, this title sounded a bit odd. Beloved Minister Xia, Beloved Minister... Ahem! How strange!

Xia Tingfeng responded earnestly, "To answer the Emperor, this subordinate has never had them!"

Xia Ruqing looked at the two grown men. "You’ve never had such delicious food?"

Zhao Junyao just looked at her, his gaze falling on her stomach. "Qingqing, is it okay for you to eat this?"

His expression clearly said, Unless you prove you can eat it, I’m not letting you have any.

Xia Ruqing felt helpless.

Crab meat is high in protein. Only the roe is ’cool’ in nature. So, if I don’t eat the roe and only eat the meat, it should be fine!

Xia Ruqing confidently raised her small face. "I can eat it. If the Emperor doesn’t believe me, by all means, ask Imperial Doctor Zhang!"

Zhao Junyao narrowed his eyes. "Then we’ll have to wait until tomorrow!"

Xia Ruqing had forgotten about that. They were outside the palace, after all, and a round trip would take half a day.

So she thought for a moment and suggested again, "Then how about we go to the city to find the best folk doctor in the Capital City? Is that okay?"

Zhao Junyao disagreed firmly. "If you want to eat it, we’ll wait until we return to the palace. If Imperial Doctor Zhang says it’s okay, I will personally have someone make it for you! Now... no way!"

Xia Ruqing looked tearfully at her older brother, who stood to the side. Her little face looked so pitiful, as though tears might spill at any moment. "Brother~"

Xia Tingfeng glanced at her stomach, then at the sky, then at the ground. "Uh... the weather’s quite nice today, haha!"

Xia Ruqing was somewhat annoyed and stamped her foot. "Brother!"

A smile touched Zhao Junyao’s lips as he watched from the side.

Xia Tingfeng quickly stood properly and started persuading her earnestly. "Oh, dear sister! My little nephew is still in your belly. You can’t just think about yourself and not him!"

Zhao Junyao gave him a glare. "What ’your nephew’? That’s MY son!"

Xia Tingfeng was a bit lost for a moment. How is he not my nephew? My sister’s the one giving birth! How is he not my nephew!

Then, the two men went inside, still debating.

Xia Ruqing: "..."

Heh, these two grown men bicker too! Sigh!

Xia Ruqing followed them inside.

The crab plan—ruined!

Xia Ruqing sadly stroked her belly. Son! Your mom is abstaining from crab just for you!

Those autumn crabs, oh how plump! Steamed to a golden hue, once you open the shell, they’re filled with glistening yellow roe. To have a full bite would be truly enchanting! Sigh!

After sighing thirty-six times in a row, lunch was served.

It was still simple fare, as Zhao Junyao wouldn’t dare let her have anything unusual. Therefore, the dishes on the table were still familiar home-cooked meals: vegetables, chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

Xia Ruqing wasn’t too happy. They were out of the palace and still eating these things?

So she began to ponder.

In autumn, what else is there to eat? The answer is: country-style dishes! That’s right! The Emperor has been pampered since childhood; he must have never had country-style dishes! Then, how about some rustic snacks from the fields? Simmered peanuts and boiled edamame, baked sweet potatoes, and roasted sugarcane? Hehehe... I’m truly a genius!

Don’t criticize her for being restless despite her big belly. Only true foodies understand the world of a foodie!

Taking advantage of Zhao Junyao and Xia Tingfeng taking a midday rest, Xia Ruqing gave Little Zhuzi a bag of silver, about Five Taels.

"Go! Find someone to dig up some wild produce from the fields. Get whatever you can find—peanuts, edamame, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, all of it!"