Unparalleled Duo
Chapter 50 - 50 34 Knockoff Cuisine

50: Chapter 34: Knockoff Cuisine 50: Chapter 34: Knockoff Cuisine The kitchen of Wisdom Immortal Pavilion, even within the entirety of Great Ming, was second to none.

On the “hardware” aspect, there’s no need to go into details as they utilized the best available materials; the iron of their iron pots was even superior to that used in the weapons of some itinerant fighters; the wood of their chopping boards was even more expensive than the finest furniture in common folk’s households.

For ingredients and condiments, they had everything imaginable — from delicacies from the mountains and seas of the north, south, east, and west, to even materials not native to Great Ming, all could be found here.

Take, for example, the fish just mentioned.

You should know, that era was nothing like today— in modern society, even if you live in an inland city, you can still eat seafood air-freighted under low temperatures; but back then, in cities far from the sea, wanting to eat a sea fish—not to say it was impossible…was certainly extremely difficult.

That is to say, in ancient times, a person living in Sichuan who never left Sichuan might never taste, or even see, any fish from the sea in their entire life.

Luoyang, on the other hand, was rather similar; Luoyang lies north of the Yellow River, so acquiring freshwater fish was not rare, but among the fish Yuan Fangzhi brought out earlier, the monkfish and mackerel are both sea fish, and monkfish particularly inhabit deep waters, making them difficult not only to catch but also to transport inland.

Just this fact alone shows that the owner here was not only wealthy but also incredibly resourceful.

And the “software” of this kitchen, which refers to the “people,” was even more impressive…

The kitchen on the first floor of Bogui Building was quite large, and during business hours, there were over a dozen chefs and helpers bustling about; the kitchen on the second floor was nearly as large as the first, yet it employed only three people.

One was the former Imperial Chef, known as “Southern Chef King” Yuan Fangzhi.

Another was Yuan Fangzhi’s assistant, an old eunuch who had left the palace with him, named Zhang Ergui.

And there was one helper, named You Jing.

Yuan Fangzhi was undoubtedly the core figure of this kitchen; by the age of twenty-five, he had already made a name for himself, and officials and nobles who dined daily at his restaurant spoke highly of his culinary skills.

Over time, even the Eunuch in charge of the Imperial Food Service at the time, Li Qian, had heard of Yuan Fangzhi.

One day, Li Qian visited the restaurant incognito and purposely ordered some rare dishes that even the servers had never heard of, wanting to test Chef Yuan’s capabilities.

Upon hearing the dish names, Yuan Fangzhi realized that his guest was no ordinary visitor and thus was filled with fighting spirit.

He not only prepared each of the dishes ordered by Li Qian to perfection but also offered a dish of his own creation— “Hasty Spring Rain.”

This dish highlighted seasonal bamboo shoots, which must be dug out no less than half a day from the ground and could be tasted fresh; it also comprised seventeen other ingredients, all fresh vegetables and fruits unique to spring.

These eighteen materials required eighteen different knife skills for processing, followed by cooking, and finally, they were finished with broth to harmonize the diverse tastes and textures.

The final dish presented achieved perfection in color, aroma, flavor, intent, and form, particularly showcasing Yuan Fangzhi’s sublime knife skills.

Li Qian tasted it and instantly resolved to recruit this chef to the palace.

That same year, Yuan Fangzhi was naturally promoted to the Imperial Kitchen and, fifteen years later, was formally named “Southern Chef King” by the previous Emperor, putting him on par with “Northern Chef King,” also known as “Commoner Chef King” Chen Jiurong.

However, as time changes so too do circumstances, and everyone ages ultimately, whether they like it or not.

In an era where the average lifespan barely exceeded sixty, Yuan Fangzhi, who had been engaged in highly physically demanding work, began to feel at fifty-six that he was somewhat less capable of handling his duties in the Imperial Kitchen.

Additionally, by this time, sixteen years had passed since he was titled a chef king; his most glorious years had long faded.

The current Emperor Yong Tai was not particularly discerning about food…

He neither knew nor cared who worked in the Imperial Kitchen.

Yuan Fangzhi felt there was no point in staying on, so he applied to retire and return to his hometown, which was approved.

As for Zhang Ergui, he was essentially Yuan Fangzhi’s half-apprentice, having mostly learned by Yuan Fangzhi’s side since the latter entered the palace.

In fact, he was only two years younger than Yuan Fangzhi.

The two were both mentors and friends, having built a friendship over several decades and developing a well-coordinated working relationship.

Thus, upon hearing Yuan Fangzhi was leaving, Zhang Ergui also decided to depart together.

One might ask, can a eunuch just leave the palace whenever he wishes?

Here I should clarify that “eunuch” does not solely equate to “castrated” before the Qing Dynasty, “eunuch” was a job title.

Although both eunuchs and castrated men could generally be referred to as eunuchs, a eunuch was a leader among them.

If you didn’t understand, let me give you an analogy: in your department at work, both your manager and you are employees, but the manager is the leader among the employees, not every employee can be a manager.

After the Qing Dynasty, the terms “eunuch” and “castrated man” became fully synonymous, which led to the concept of “minor eunuch.”

Zhang Ergui was just a eunuch.

As an old eunuch who had not been promoted by the age he was at, if he wanted to leave the palace…

nobody would keep him.

In fact, a few more years down the line, even if he didn’t want to leave, they would have forced him to, as his body was no longer fit for the physically demanding role of a low-level servant in the palace.