Chapter 47: The Winter Melon Slicing Tactic

Xu Jingchang's research on force-feeding ducks was a resounding success. He would acquire ducks of about a month old and place them in ceramic jars for fattening. After twenty days of this regimen, a small duck would grow to weigh six or seven catties, making it even heavier than an adult duck.

With a growth cycle of around forty days, the force-fed ducks yielded meat that was tender and rich like tofu, with bones so soft they practically melted, making them exceptionally well-suited for charcoal roasting. To this end, Xu Jingchang had even commissioned a custom roasting oven and gathered a generous supply of fruitwood.

He wondered if future generations, whenever roasted duck was mentioned, would associate it with the surname Xu... Xu Family Roasted Duck, now that was the authentic taste. Whenever the old natives of Yingtian woke up, this was the dish they craved—there was simply no other. If you didn't eat a couple of wraps of duck, you couldn't truly be considered a veteran of Yingtian!

To entertain the imperial Zhu family, Xu Jingchang roasted ten plump and tender force-fed ducks in one go. Along with them, he prepared lotus leaf pancakes, lettuce leaves, sweet bean paste, mashed garlic with fragrant vinegar, shredded cucumber, shredded radish, and various other side dishes.

While there were plenty of places selling roasted duck in Yingtian, Xu Jingchang was the very first to offer such a wide and elaborate variety of accompaniments.

Members of the Zhu family arrived one after another, led first by Zhu Zhanji, who had placed the order.

"See for yourself, is this worth a gold bead or not? Setting aside everything else, even these little porcelain dishes are from the Yuan Dynasty in celadon, all products of the official kilns. You little rascal, you should just count your blessings and smile secretly."

With that, Xu Jingchang picked up a lotus leaf pancake, wrapped up a few slices of duck meat, and handed it to Zhu Zhanji.

"Give it a try."

The little fellow took it in his hands and took a hearty bite. Instantly, a mellow fragrance filled his mouth... The roasted duck had no gamey odor whatsoever; instead, it carried the subtle aroma of fruitwood. The meat was tender and fell apart in the mouth, dissolving instantly—it was simply indescribable.

"Delicious, truly delicious!"

Overjoyed, Zhu Zhanji danced with delight. Even the imperial banquets in the palace couldn't compare to this; his uncle truly knew how to eat.

In high spirits, Xu Jingchang remarked, "Never mind, I'll throw in a complimentary dish of vinegar-poached live fish. I've been practicing this dish for nearly a month."

Glancing around, Xu Jingchang casually asked, "Have His Majesty and the Empress departed yet?"

A subordinate immediately replied, "Not yet, Your Honor. The Second Prince and the Third Prince have gone out to welcome them. The three brothers will enter the palace first and then come over together."

Xu Jingchang nodded. "Very well, get the wok of oil ready and prepare the seasonings."

He casually selected a plump, robust carp weighing a full four catties and placed it in a wooden bucket to wait.

Finally, word came from outside that Zhu Jiuding—no, Zhu Di—was on the move, and Xu Jingchang immediately gave the order to heat the oil.

"His Majesty has reached the Imperial Avenue."

Xu Jingchang sprang into action himself, grabbing the carp, scaling it, slitting the belly, and removing the viscera... His movements were as smooth as flowing water and as swift as lightning. Even a professional fishmonger might not have been any faster.

Everyone had a bit of talent, and Xu Jingchang discovered that almost all of his talents lay in the realm of eating, drinking, and making merry.

If he were asked to practice archery, even after several months, he would still have the level of skill where wherever he aimed was entirely a matter of chance. But when it came to killing fish, after practicing just a few times, he was as proficient as a veteran of many years.

Master Confucius said that one should never tire of fine foods, nor of finely minced meats. Yet, judging by the fact that the old master spent most of his life in obscurity and frustration, he probably never actually ate anything decent.

It required both disposable wealth and abundant leisure to be able to invest tireless energy into fine cuisine.

For ordinary households, simply being able to cook their food through and have a hot bite to eat was already quite good.

Therefore, the earliest fine cuisines were invented either by prominent scholar-officials or wealthy salt merchants; they were the ones who tinkered with these delicacies.

The salt merchants of Yangzhou were the founders of Huaiyang cuisine, while the salt merchants of Zigong were the source of Sichuan cuisine... Top-tier aristocrats like Xu Jingchang were indeed truly suited for researching gastronomy.

Spending a lifetime eating, drinking, and being merry, and eventually compiling a few recipe books—court banquets and Xu family cuisine—would at least allow one's name to be passed down to posterity.

The life of the nobility was simply that unpretentious, plain, clean, and hygienic.

The fish was prepared, and the wok of oil was properly heated.

The family of Zhu Di also arrived at the entrance. At this moment, everything depended on the chef's skill.

Xu Jingchang wrapped the fish's head in a damp towel, scored the body of the fish with a knife, and lowered it directly into a wok of oil heated to eighty percent. He counted silently in his mind—the time could not be too long, roughly a minute and a half, and then it had to be removed quickly.

It was placed onto a pre-warmed serving platter prepared in advance.

That was right; all the plates used for serving today had been pre-heated, otherwise, the falling temperature would negatively affect the texture.

The fish was fried, and a vinegar sauce was being prepared on the side.

Just as Zhu Di and his entourage walked in, Xu Jingchang poured the hot vinegar sauce over the fish, and the aroma instantly rose into the air.

And would you believe it—the fish's eyes were still blinking, and its mouth was still moving slightly.

"Your Majesty, the dish is ready. Please do try it."

Zhu Di glanced at it and couldn't help asking, "Is this what your little rascal calls vinegar-poached live fish?"

"Precisely. The key is to capture this utmost freshness."

Zhu Di looked at the dish, suddenly extended his chopsticks, picked up a section of the fish tail, placed it on a small plate, turned around, and handed it to a very large, heavy-set man.

"Eldest, you've worked hard. This is given to you by your Imperial Father."

Standing before Zhu Di was a plump young man, who looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, weighing easily two hundred and fifty or sixty catties—a proper giant of a man.

He took it with visible excitement and quickly took a bite.

"This son thanks Imperial Father. This fish is truly peerless. This son never expected that Cousin would possess such a craft; it truly astonishes this son."

Zhu Di snorted. "Him? He has plenty of petty cleverness, he just doesn't like to focus on proper business." As he spoke, Zhu Di also picked up a piece of meat from the fish's back and handed it to Xu Jingchang. "Consider this thanks for being our host."

Xu Jingchang received it, his eyes rolling thoughtfully. Giving the fish tail to the big guy probably meant entrusting him with a heavy responsibility... For an imperial prince, being entrusted with a heavy responsibility undoubtedly meant ascending to the position of the heir apparent.

But what did giving the fish back to him mean?

Was it a compliment that his preparations were proper?

While Xu Jingchang was still pondering, Zhu Di instructed, "Eldest, you should divide the fish for your two younger brothers as well."

Zhu Gaozhi readily agreed. He hurriedly picked up a plump piece of the fish belly and handed it to Zhu Gaozhu.

This was an act of opening one's heart and showing absolute sincerity!

Zhu Gaozhu accepted it.

Then Zhu Gaozhi used his chopsticks near the fish's rear and handed that piece to Zhu GaoSui.

This particular action also had a traditional name, signifying "boundless blessings for posterity."

In other words, the eldest prince would open his heart and treat his second brother with absolute honesty and sincerity, while the third brother was destined for lasting fortune and a carefree life... Zhu Di had not leaked a single word of intent beforehand.

It was ostensibly just the eldest imperial prince entering the capital to be welcomed and cleansed of travel dust.

However, Xu Jingchang knew very well in his heart that at times like this, one had to be adept at setting up the game for those in power. Therefore, aside from the roasted duck, he had personally prepared this vinegar-poached live fish.

Only because he cooked it personally could Zhu Di smoothly take the opportunity to divide the fish... And this fish was no longer an ordinary fish.

Everyone understood each other without needing to spell it out. Aside from little Zhu Zhanji, who remained completely clueless, everyone else present understood the implications.

Zhu Di invited everyone to be seated and smiled. "There are no outsiders here; this is simply a family banquet. Back when We first entered the capital, We did plenty of eating and drinking in this very courtyard. Back then, We even roasted and ate the pigeons raised by Our father-in-law."

Empress Xu cast him a sideways glance. "Don't even mention it. Those were carrier pigeons raised by my father, and it broke the old man's heart."

Zhu Di laughed. "If they weren't carrier pigeons, We wouldn't have eaten them. Carrier pigeons have thick meat, which makes for a satisfying chew."

Old Four Zhu was truly an incorrigible scamp at heart.

Imitating Xu Jingchang's method earlier, Empress Xu rolled up a wrap for Zhu Di and handed it to him.

"Delicious, truly delicious!" Zhu Di raised his thumb high. "Xu Jingchang, did you invent this way of eating?"

Xu Jingchang smiled. "Indeed. I am currently researching other fine cuisines. I've been perusing ancient texts and searching for renowned dishes. I plan to open a dedicated culinary column in the imperial gazette to promote Chinese dietary culture. By the way, Your Majesty, when compiling books, you shouldn't just focus on the Hundred Schools of Thought; it would be best to add a volume on cuisine to make it truly complete."

Zhu Di took a deep breath and suddenly asked Zhu Gaozhi, "Eldest, tell me, what should be done with an official who spends all day pondering food, drink, and merry-making, and insists on turning a serious grand enterprise of book compilation into a cookbook?"

With his mouth still stuffed with a duck wrap, Zhu Gaozhi hurriedly replied, "He should be entrusted with heavy responsibilities, given that such capable ministers are rare."

Zhu Di rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Second, what do you say?"

Zhu Gaozhu replied, "This son doesn't know. This son is simply wondering how many ducks would be consumed in a year if half the people in Yingtian started eating roasted duck, and how much profit there would be to make."

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow, pondering this. "Second's words are quite interesting. Caring about people's livelihood and the economy—he's much more sensible than before. Let Us ask you, this time your eldest brother did not completely crush Joseon, but stopped at a shallow point, failing even to rescue Yi Seong-gye or restore him to his position as ruler of the state—how did he handle it?"

"Excellently," Zhu Gaozhu declared straightforwardly. "Imperial Father, if Joseon's vitality had been completely shattered, leaving their people impoverished and reduced to beggars, who would I sell my goods to? If I couldn't sell them, wouldn't all my hard work have been for nothing?"

Zhu Di was dumbfounded. "Second, what has gotten into you? Didn't you always love fighting wars the most? How have you changed now?"

Zhu Gaozhu was taken aback. "This son hasn't changed. But fighting wars has to be for the sake of something, right? Of course, if one can make a huge profit without having to fight, that's not bad either."

Zhu Di frowned even more deeply. He simply stared directly at Xu Jingchang. "We ask you, if Joseon causes trouble again in the future and cannot be resolved once and for all, what should be done?"

"This subject does not know what Your Majesty means by 'resolved once and for all,' but this subject actually thinks the Eldest Prince's tactic is quite good."

"What tactic? Did you summarize one for him?"

"Indeed. The Winter Melon Cutting Tactic... Winter melons on the market are very large, so the vendors cut them into slices to sell to customers. We can do the exact same thing, slicing them away bit by bit, so that the vassal state is not driven to desperation and things don't spiral out of control," Xu Jingchang said with a cheerful smile.