Ch 79: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

In Shengjing, the political situation was undergoing drastic changes.

A few days after the emperor fell gravely ill, he suddenly issued an imperial decree, reinstating the deposed crown prince and appointing him as regent to manage state affairs, fulfilling the duties of heir apparent.

The beloved consort Xuan, who had long enjoyed imperial favor and held the de facto power of an empress despite not bearing the title, was accused of misconduct before the emperor and demoted to one of the Nine Consorts, confined to the depths of the cold palace.

Her son, the second prince, King Kang, tried to see his father under the pretense of attending to his illness to plead for his mother, but he didn’t even make it to the gates of the imperial bedchamber.

Eunuch She, the trusted head eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who had served two emperors, had been personally attending to the current emperor during this time. Most of the duties of the Directorate of Ceremonial had fallen to two senior eunuchs under him, one of whom was Yu Jiuque, freshly rotated into duty.

Yu Jiuque didn’t speak much during his shifts, appearing proper and devoid of ambition. However, the fearsome reputation he had earned from helping solve cases with the Western Depot still preceded him, causing court officials to instinctively avoid him. Getting involved with eunuchs and the secret police of the Eastern and Western Depots always meant trouble.

Meanwhile, in the imperial court.

The regent crown prince, known for his mild temperament and virtuous character, managed the delicate balance between the cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial with great precision. The two factions, which used to clash like fighting roosters, had temporarily entered an eerie calm, giving many the sense that they were “basking in the warmth of spring.”

Under such conditions, it was clear that a few opportunists were already starting to lean westward, swayed by the winds of change.

…

For the common people, as long as the emperor still sat on the dragon throne, life continued as usual.

After Mid-Autumn, crabs were still in season, and Qin Xia received several bookings to prepare crab banquets for various households. Even his “fake crab” dish, which he had improvised in a pinch at the Song residence, became one of his signature dishes. Wherever he went, people clamored to see him showcase this dish.

After a few banquets, he pocketed over two hundred taels of silver.

Since he didn’t have to supply the ingredients for these banquets, he earned purely through his labor.

Qin Xia consoled himself that even if the distillery didn’t turn much profit for the time being, at least half of the money he invested in it had already been recouped.

After handling so many crabs, the fishy sea smell seemed impossible to wash off his hands.

Qin Xia scrubbed his hands with soapberry every day, feeling like he was about to rub a layer of skin off.

After all that effort, he had more than enough of the taste of crab meat and roe. Once he finished making the last few jars of crab roe oil for his regular customers, the female crabs had already passed their prime.

Qin Xia announced that the crab season at Qin Ji Eatery was officially over.

For those who still craved crabs, they would have to wait until next year.

…

Each season brings its own cuisine.

Crab vendors had all but disappeared from the streets, replaced by the fragrant scent of osmanthus flowers.

At the restaurant, the glutinous rice lotus roots, which had once been drizzled with red date syrup, were now topped with osmanthus syrup. Qin Xia also had the kitchen prepare plenty of fresh osmanthus flowers to make syrup, which would be used for making desserts like Osmanthus Jujube and Double Ninth Flower Cakes.

Osmanthus Jujube is essentially candied jujubes flavored with osmanthus syrup.

Take a handful of red dates, wash and soak them, then remove the pits from each one. Make a few shallow cuts on the skin to help the flavor seep in.

Place the dates in a pot, add water and a generous amount of rock sugar, and slowly simmer until the sugar water thickens and reduces. When it’s just right, pour in the osmanthus syrup, stir it well, and let it cool. Then coat the dates lightly with toasted sesame seeds.

These candied jujubes are sticky yet chewy, and taste as if you’ve swallowed a mouthful of honey. You can eat a lot without feeling overwhelmed by sweetness, making them a favorite for both adults and children who enjoy sweets.

Once the candied jujubes are done, they’re packed into special jars that were purchased for this purpose.

Qin Xia made a few portions to gift along with flower cakes, and the rest he distributed among the workers for them to enjoy or take home.

Double Ninth Flower Cake is an essential food for the Double Ninth Festival, and every household has its own version. Qin Xia didn’t innovate much with this dish, sticking to tradition by mixing glutinous rice flour with white rice flour, adding red bean paste and nuts, and steaming it into a soft, three-layered cake.

If there was anything special about his version, it was that he was generous with the red bean paste, and the filling was smooth and velvety, unlike some places where you could still find whole red beans in the sweet filling.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Qin Xia delivered the pastries and osmanthus jujubes to the Liu family as a gift to Fang Rong.

That day was also the time for married daughters to return to their parental homes. Early in the morning, Liu Yingzi (the elder daughter of Fang Rong) and her husband came with their eldest grandson in tow.

Since Qin Xia was considered the child’s god-uncle, he couldn’t show up empty-handed the first time meeting his god-nephew. He gave a pair of silver bracelets, a silver necklace with a longevity lock, and a gold-embroidered pouch filled with heavy silver melon seeds.

Liu Yingzi and her husband said the gifts were too generous, estimating they were worth around ten taels of silver.

Qin Xia smiled and said, “It’s not just from me. Half of it is from his little god-uncle. If he were here, he’d probably say the gifts weren’t enough.”

Liu Yingzi had of course heard about Yu Jiuque’s “return to his family.” It had already been nearly six months, and he still hadn’t returned.

But from what Qin Xia said, it was clear that he still fully considered Yu Jiuque his husband.

“I thank my son’s uncles on his behalf.”

“No need for thanks. We’re all family.”

After sitting for a bit, Qin Xia excused himself, saying the restaurant was busy, and got up to leave.

Since Liu Yingzi lived far away and only visited once or twice a year, he didn’t want to intrude on their family time.

Before he left, Fang Rong handed him two osmanthus sachets that she had sewn herself.

“Hang these by your bed. They’ll help calm your mind.”

Qin Xia accepted them, but when he got home, he put them in his wardrobe instead.

He preferred the scent of orchids over osmanthus.

…

Mid-September.

After Mid-Autumn Festival, Qin Xia visited the distillery in Chuntai County for the fourth time. The several hundred taels of silver he had invested had been well spent, and Zhao Laodie had proven his skill in winemaking.

Both the grape wine and the persimmon wine had reached an initial stage of completion.

When poured into bowls, the grape wine was a translucent purple, and the persimmon wine was a clear amber. The aroma was strong, with fruity notes at the beginning, and neither wine had a harsh aftertaste.

Two types of grape wine had been produced: one fermented using only the natural yeast on the grapes, and another with additional yeast mixed in after the grapes were crushed.

Qin Xia tasted both, and the latter had a noticeably higher alcohol content.

Since all the grapes he had purchased were used up, Qin Xia gave Tao Ke some money to send people back to the village to buy more grapes and persimmons.

“Also, ask around if there are any good-quality red dates for sale. Buy a bunch of those too, and we’ll try making red date wine.”

This idea sounded healthy and timely, especially with the colder weather approaching. If the red date wine turned out well, it certainly wouldn’t be hard to sell.

The thought first came to him while making candied jujubes.

“I’ve only heard of soaking red dates in wine, but I’ve never had wine brewed from dates.”

Tao Ke took the money and remarked on how willing Qin Xia was to experiment.

He had little interest in persimmon or red date wine, thinking that producing just a well-known grape wine would be enough to ensure they never lacked food or drink.

Qin Xia, however, had more ideas about these fruit wines.

Selling wine didn’t have to mean just selling the original brew. With some slight adjustments to the fruit wines, the flavor could be elevated even further.

After hearing this, Tao Ke began making plans.

“I’ll give it a try. When you come back next time, I’ll let you taste it.”

Tao Ke understood the principle of getting paid for a job. Earning a manager’s wage meant he should take some initiative to ease Qin Xia’s burdens rather than act like an ordinary overseer.

Satisfied with Tao Ke’s reliability, Qin Xia had a simple meal with him before returning to Qinan.

As his carriage entered the city, it hadn’t even stopped when someone blocked its way.

A familiar-looking servant bowed and said that his master wished to invite Qin Xia to his residence to cook.

It was Qin Xia’s first time being invited to cater a banquet right on the street, which struck him as odd. He was about to politely decline when, after taking a closer look, he swallowed his words.

This servant was the one who worked by Liang Tianqi’s side.

“Lead the way.”

Qin Xia dismounted, handed the coachman some coins, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and after walking a few steps, climbed into a modest-looking sedan.

He was taken to a courtyard, which clearly didn’t look like the county magistrate’s residence.

Qin Xia took a step back to look up at the house and then glanced at the servant, starting to doubt whether he had mistaken him for someone else.

Luckily, after walking inside for a short distance, he spotted Liang Tianqi. Seated with him was an elderly man, whom Qin Xia did not recognize.

Before Qin Xia could finish bowing, he was told to dispense with formalities. The elderly man nodded at him and then, without lingering, leisurely got up and didn’t forget to take the birdcage hanging beside him.

“I’ll take my leave now. You two have a good chat.”

This left Qin Xia completely puzzled.

Seeing Liang Tianqi rise to send the elder off with a bow, Qin Xia followed suit. However, he noticed that Liang Tianqi was performing the respectful bow of a disciple.

“Master Liang, that gentleman is…?”

It was improper for him to be in someone else’s home without knowing the host’s identity.

Liang Tianqi invited him to sit and explained, “That was Elder Yu, who used to be a Hanlin scholar before retiring. The bookstore across from your restaurant was opened by him to benefit the many students in Qinan County.”

Qin Xia suddenly understood.

Back when he had first rented his current shop, he had learned that the bookstore’s owner was a retired official from the capital, someone who had once seemed distant but was now right before him.

Given such a status, it was no wonder that Liang Tianqi treated him with the respect of a disciple.

Today, Liang Tianqi had borrowed the Yu residence to quietly pass on some news to Qin Xia.

Yu Jiuque had risen quickly in the palace ranks, becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. If anyone were to investigate, they might trace it back to Qinan County and eventually to Qin Xia.

With the grand plans approaching fruition, it wouldn’t do to involve innocent people at the last moment.

Moreover, Qin Xia was both an “innocent civilian” and part of Yu Jiuque’s household.

Recalling Qin Xia’s cooking skills, Liang Tianqi mused that perhaps one day the dishes made by this chef might be served on the emperor’s table.

He waved his hand, and a man who appeared ordinary and dressed as a servant stepped forward.

“Master Qin, this is Ding Peng. From today onward, he will be your new personal attendant, purchased from the human broker.”

To prevent Qin Xia from doubting, he added, “He was sent by Lord Yu.”

Ding Peng came from the Western Depot, and Yu Jiuque had written in his letter that he owed this man a great debt of gratitude, vouching for his absolute loyalty and reliability.

“Ding Peng is highly skilled. Whether at home or outside, you must have him accompany you.”

Liang Tianqi gave a pointed reminder, “In these turbulent times, Master Qin, please don’t take any chances.”

When Qin Xia first heard these words, he didn’t fully grasp the deeper meaning.

But it wasn’t long before he found out.

The emperor of Dayong, the “imperial grandfather” of the novel’s male protagonist, just as the book described, did not survive what was a relatively mild winter.

Within three days, news of the emperor’s death had spread across the empire.

Overnight, the entire city of Qinan was draped in white mourning attire.