The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 366: Lending a Helping Hand

At this moment, throwing all the wild game into the backyard of Hongfu Restaurant, Huangfu Jinxuan resumed his demeanor, waving his hand: "The meat is provided by me, prepare a wild game feast for me, and the leftover meat is your reward. But let me be clear, if the flavor is not up to par, you can expect to shut down this restaurant!"

The restaurant owner certainly knew he was the Lord Imperial Envoy.

Seeing the game that almost filled the ground and hearing his threatening words, the owner’s face turned pale.

Of course, this was beyond Huangfu Jinxuan’s considerations. He had gone through great lengths to procure such a complete selection of game, thanks in part to Huangfu Jingchen. Now he was treating Huangfu Jingchen to a meal, and if these fine ingredients ended up inedible, would that not be a colossal waste?

Actually, he was somewhat regretful.

When he was tricked into coming here as an imperial envoy by his father and elder brother, he should have expected this backwater place to have nothing good to eat, and should have tied... no, brought along old Zhang from the kitchen.

That way he wouldn’t have to eat unpalatable things every day.

The owner of Hongfu Restaurant felt a mix of joy and worry and immediately gathered three chefs in the back kitchen for a discussion.

Their cooking methods were simple and crude: braising, steaming, boiling.

But obviously, this Lord Imperial Envoy would not be satisfied with such unremarkable dishes.

Chef A, trembling: "Boss, you know my skills, I just put this meat into the pot to boil, cut it up and fry it. The townspeople say it’s tasty, but this is someone from the Capital City, we don’t even know their taste preferences!"

Chef B nodded repeatedly: "I heard the people from the Capital City are culinary experts, they have twenty-eight steps just to cook an eggplant. Our skills surely wouldn’t impress them!"

Chef C sighed: "Boss, I have elderly and young ones to care for at home. If this nobleman gets upset and has me cut down, my whole family would starve!"

The restaurant owner: "..."

He sighed and said: "What should we do then? Just watch? Then not only would your family starve, so would mine!"

Chef A suggested: "Isn’t there still an hour until dinnertime? Let’s clean and prepare these first, then we’ll figure it out! Staring at this pile of fur won’t help!"

The owner sincerely agreed: "Right, right, clean these up first, then we’ll discuss it again."

Chef B’s eyes suddenly brightened, and he said: "I have an idea!"

A few pairs of eyes looked over simultaneously.

Chef B, rolling his eyes, uncertainly: "The Lord Imperial Envoy is a nobleman from the Capital City, right? My second uncle’s cousin’s brother-in-law mentioned that this Lord Imperial Envoy respects no one here except Young Master Huang and Doctor Xia."

"This is urgent, so stop stalling and just say it!"

Chef B said: "We can’t approach Young Master Huang, but Doctor Xia is a good person, right?"

"Of course!"

Chef B said: "I see Doctor Xia seems well-traveled and knowledgeable; maybe she’s seen how dishes are made elsewhere. We can ask her to teach us a few tricks to make some special dishes, maybe that would satisfy the Lord Imperial Envoy?"

Upon hearing this, the owner’s eyes also brightened. He slapped his knee and said: "Right, why didn’t I think of that? Doctor Xia is kind-hearted and will definitely help!"

Chef C damped the mood: "Come to think of it, Doctor Xia is just a young girl, around sixteen or seventeen years old. To master her medical skills so well, she must have worked very hard, would she have time to learn cooking? Or maybe she doesn’t even know how to cook, would she know how to make dishes?"

This remark immediately drew angry glares from the other three.

When everyone is hopeful, how can someone dampen the mood?

Realizing his mistake, Chef C awkwardly said: "I was just saying!"

The owner glared at him fiercely, and directed: "You all quickly clean this up, I’ll go get Doctor Xia!"

For the past few days, Xia Wenjin stayed at an inn, something the townspeople all knew.

When the owner rushed to the inn to find Xia Wenjin, Xia Wenjin was enjoying new tea served by the inn’s owner.

Though this tea wasn’t top-tier, in this town, it was already a rare find.

Learning the owner’s purpose, Xia Wenjin found it amusing: was Huangfu Jinxuan reverting to his old ways? Huang Zheng is actually joining him in this mischief.

Besides, wasn’t Kong Tixin also talking about this restaurant?

She had planned to go anyway, seeing the restaurant owner sweating nervously as if it was raining, she decided to check it out.

Though Hongfu restaurant’s chefs cooked simply and roughly, they were extremely skilled in handling wild game, for within a short time, all the game was skinned and gutted.

Only the wild boars, being larger, were a bit more troublesome to handle.

Xia Wenjin didn’t start working herself; she walked around the back kitchen and spoke with the three chefs, who kept nodding.

There was still plenty of time, so Xia Wenjin prepared to buy some things.

As soon as Xia Wenjin left Hongfu Restaurant’s back kitchen and reached the street, someone arrived at the restaurant’s main hall.

Kong Tixin, accompanied by four or five attendants, exuded the authority of an official in his stride.

The restaurant owner, having just breathed a sigh of relief thinking Doctor Xia’s methods worked, quickly ran up with a smile and said: "Lord County Magistrate, are you here for a meal?"

Kong Tixin glanced at the restaurant owner. Although the owner was cautious, he was not overly flattered, merely asking if he was here for a meal.

Could it be that a Lord County Magistrate coming to such a small town’s humble restaurant wouldn’t expect the proprietor to arrange a grand welcome?

If the restaurant owner knew what he was thinking, he would just chuckle, knowing that the Lord Imperial Envoy was here picking dishes himself, even providing his own wild game, and didn’t call for a grand reception either.

Thinking back to the reason he came, Kong Tixin couldn’t bother to fuss over the proprietor’s behavior anymore. A small-town villager, so unsophisticated, what would he know?

He haughtily said: "This county will entertain guests tonight, arrange the most expensive banquet here, and the best dishes, got it?"

Another request for a banquet, the restaurant owner said: "Got it!"

Kong Tixin swept his gaze, saying in a high-handed manner: "You won’t lack Silver, but the dishes must be delicious, and the wine must be good... never mind, I’ll bring my own wine, understand?"

The restaurant owner almost wanted to wipe sweat again. However, with the guidance Doctor Xia gave to the three chefs, he felt slightly more confident and nodded vigorously: "Understood, understood! Rest assured, sir!"

When Kong Tixin left, the restaurant owner stood in place, a bit dazed.

His restaurant, business as usual throughout the year, not too hot nor cold; but today, why was business so good all of a sudden?