After transmigrating into the body of a widow, I became the richest man in the capital.

Chapter 166 Teaching Cooking in the Imperial Palace
A very solemn voice came from behind. Could it be the Emperor?
Su Xiaoxiao didn't dare to look up, and said with her head down, "Yes."

"The woman is here."

“Last time, Eunuch Li told me that the dishes you make are very delicious, but the dishes we make according to your method can’t match the taste of yours. I wonder if you would be willing to teach my imperial chefs?”

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao was surprised that even the Emperor was going to start asking her for advice.

When has the Emperor ever spoken so politely? Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, she really wanted to look up at the Emperor's face right away. She thought that this middle-aged man's words were actually quite pleasant to hear. After all, this was the Emperor, who was above all others, and his attitude was even more polite than that of his subordinates.

Actually, these are all illusions.

Since they are the ruling class, high and mighty people, why would they speak politely to those below them? They can still put on an act, and this applies everywhere in the world, even in primitive tribes.

Since he's already part of the ruling class, and his status is different from yours, why are you spouting nonsense about being approachable?

It doesn't exist at all.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly replied, "That would be an honor for me. I'm willing to teach."

"Hahaha..." The emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this, and immediately issued an imperial edict.

"Eunuch Li, take Lady Su to the Imperial Kitchen today and cook me a delicious meal. I want to eat now."

The Emperor is truly decisive in his words and actions; he is about to host a banquet for all the civil and military officials.

Su Xiaoxiao never expected that she would be given such a big job so soon after entering the palace.

The Imperial Kitchen truly lives up to its name; it has all sorts of fine things. The kitchen is actually quite large, but the quality of the dishes a chef can make has little to do with the size of the kitchen.

Standing in this vast imperial kitchen, Su Xiaoxiao looked at the dazzling array of seasonings and delicious foods, some of which she had never even seen before.

Eunuch Li also introduced Su Xiaoxiao to the other chefs in the imperial kitchen, and those chefs were actually quite proud of her.

When Eunuch Li said that they all had to cooperate with Su Xiaoxiao for today's meal, the imperial chefs were very unhappy.

They looked Su Xiaoxiao up and down.

She's just a young woman, what makes her so special?
Furthermore, Eunuch Li said that all the head chefs in the imperial kitchen must listen to Su Xiaoxiao today. What does that mean? Was she parachuted in?
They actually sent a skinny, scrawny young woman to teach them how to do things. What kind of nonsense is this?
One of the most senior imperial chefs, whose surname was Wang.

Chef Wang looked down on Su Xiaoxiao. He said to Eunuch Li, "If His Majesty wants to change his tastes, we can research new dishes according to his request. But to expect us all to take orders from a peasant woman is a joke!"

Su Xiaoxiao realized that her appearance probably threatened the status of the head chefs in the imperial kitchen, which was why they were so resistant to her.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled at them and said, "I am here today on the Emperor's orders. I dare not say that I am instructing you all. Please cooperate and let me have the kitchen for the time being. After I finish cooking this meal for the Emperor, I will not be here to get in the way again. Is that alright with you all?"

Those people wanted to put some pressure on Su Xiaoxiao and keep her in check, but she didn't care at all.

Su Xiaoxiao genuinely found her imperial chefs rather strange; she hadn't actually intended to take their jobs away. Finally, they suppressed their anger and sent a young eunuch, completely unfamiliar with the kitchen, to help Su Xiaoxiao.

Do you have soy sauce here?

When Su Xiaoxiao started cooking, she realized she didn't have any seasonings with her. She quickly told the young eunuch to go find Qian Musheng, since the soy sauce she had brought was placed next to Qian Musheng.

The young eunuch trusted Su Xiaoxiao quite a bit.

Before long, Su Xiaoxiao saw the little eunuch get soy sauce from Qian Musheng. This soy sauce was quite unexpected; it could immediately achieve such a cooking effect.

Now even Su Xiaoxiao is starting to observe the situation here with full confidence. This place is indeed the most suitable place in the entire harem to cook delicious braised dishes.

And he said that the dishes cooked here are just the tip of the iceberg, actually the little eunuch who follows Su Xiaoxiao.

He originally wanted to learn to cook with other master chefs, but everyone was very resistant to him. They had a strong aversion to newcomers and wouldn't allow this apprentice to join them.

Su Xiaoxiao could tell that he was risking being scolded by the other chefs in the imperial kitchen by going out to get her soy sauce, so she felt she should help this young apprentice.

"Would you like to learn to cook with me? So you can cook for the Emperor someday."

Upon hearing this, the young apprentice nodded hurriedly and said tremblingly, "Okay, I want to learn from you, madam."

Su Xiaoxiao smiled and said to him, "You don't need to be so polite. Just follow along with me. You just need to watch every step I take."

Because Su Xiaoxiao secretly asked her apprentice to get the soy sauce for her, the apprentice cleverly handed it to Su Xiaoxiao even though the person in charge of the imperial kitchen couldn't see him.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled at him. Today, Su Xiaoxiao thought she would make some dishes with strong flavors. At this time, the dishes tended to be more like those from Beijing, such as being sweeter.

Su Xiaoxiao made boiled fish, cold rabbit, boiled sliced ​​pork, and sweet and sour pork. She also made a fish head with chopped chili and braised pork ribs. These dishes were all on the sweeter side.

Therefore, it's best not to be too aggressive all at once. Su Xiaoxiao decided to proceed slowly and step by step, hoping that the Emperor could experience the flavor of this new soy sauce.

Su Xiaoxiao also learned that the Emperor loved to eat eel, so she specially made an eel soup for him, which was absolutely perfect.

The young apprentice was observing Chef Su Xiaoxiao cooking up close for the first time. He was full of admiration and secretly vowed to himself that he would become a chef like her someday, able to cook all the dishes perfectly and skillfully.

After Su Xiaoxiao made these dishes, she saw that many chefs, including those from the imperial kitchen, had already begun to regret their actions.

They felt they shouldn't be so arrogant and conceited; in fact, they should have felt they should have stayed by Su Xiaoxiao's side and studied together.

However, he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he naturally couldn't learn Su Xiaoxiao's true skills.

Su Xiaoxiao handed over all her recipes to this young apprentice without reservation, placing her hopes on him so that he could one day become a true pillar of the imperial kitchen.

(End of this chapter)