Top Scholar

Chapter 347 Reward
Passing the blue brick screen wall, a wide-open space suddenly appears before you. A covered walkway surrounds the large courtyard, with blue bricks paving the courtyard floor, which is spotless.

The front hall porch is adorned with a plaque that reads "Luzhou Clubhouse," and the pillars are decorated with wooden couplets that read "Travelers in Jiangyang are all fellow countrymen, and in Jinli we meet in spring and share our feelings," creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

In reality, like county offices, prefectural offices were not open to the public. Apart from the government officials, only fellow villagers who were worthy of "communicating friendship" could stay there with a note approved by the prefectural government.

At this moment, a familiar figure strode out of the hall to greet him; it was Mr. You, the former advisor to Prefect Lu.

"Oh dear, gentlemen, your arrival is a great honor. Please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner." Life in the provincial capital must be quite comfortable, as Mr. You's face has become noticeably rounder.

"Not at all, it's a pleasant surprise to meet Mr. You in the provincial capital," Su Lu said happily, bowing in return.

"Haha, isn't this just to wait in the provincial capital to entertain the young master?" Steward You replied humorously, showing no trace of his former reserve, clearly having adapted to his current task.

"Gentlemen, please come in quickly." Steward You hurriedly invited everyone inside, and said with a smile, "Our ancestor specially wrote a letter instructing us to take good care of all of you who are participating in the provincial examination. There are a total of seventy scholars in Luzhou, and you are the first to arrive. I have reserved the best courtyard for you, and we are just checking for any omissions."

"Thank you for your trouble." The scholars naturally expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

"Come on, let me show you around." Steward You then led them through the halls and courtyards to the east wing of the government office.

Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, one finds a winding cobblestone path, flanked by bamboo fences covered in pale purple morning glories, a sight to behold while also providing privacy.

Upon entering, everyone saw three main rooms in the courtyard, and two rooms each in the east and west wings. The courtyard was also paved with blue bricks, and a lush camphor tree was planted in the courtyard. Under the shade of the tree, there was a stone table and a circle of stone benches for resting.

"This environment is really nice." The scholars praised it highly, as the county government office back then didn't have such good conditions.

"The bedding and furnishings in the room are all brand new. If you need anything, please let me know," Steward You said with a smile. "At home, you rely on your parents; when you're out, you rely on your friends. Don't be shy."

"Thank you so much!" the scholars said, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

"Then please rest for a while, gentlemen, and then we'll have lunch," Steward You said with a smile. "Today, we'll have 'three soups and five cuts' to welcome you all!"

"This is too much trouble." The scholars were deeply moved, realizing that their ancestor truly cared about them.

~~
The so-called "three soups and five cuts" simply means three soups and five cuts, which are hearty dishes that need to be cut with a knife, such as roast goose, roast duck, roast lamb, roast pork, and roast chicken. These were the top-tier dishes for banquets for both officials and commoners in those days.

Steward You spared no expense in entertaining Su Lu and the scholars from his hometown.

In the main hall, everyone was enjoying a sumptuous meal of three soups and five cuts when the doorman suddenly ran in and whispered a few words in You Muyou's ear.

"Huh?!" You Muyou looked at the doorman in surprise and asked, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"The people from the Prince's mansion are all at the gate, how could I possibly make a mistake?" the gatekeeper hurriedly replied.

"Young Master, and gentlemen as well," You Muyou quickly stood up and said, "Let's stop eating for now. The Prince's Mansion has sent gifts. Come with me to greet them."

"Ah?" the scholars exclaimed in surprise, "Sending invitations isn't enough, there's also a reward?"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!" Deng Dengying had served as a dormitory head, and his organizational discipline was much better than others.

Everyone had no choice but to put down their bowls and chopsticks, quickly straighten their clothes, wipe their greasy mouths, and follow You Muyou to the front yard to greet them.

Then a white-faced, beardless eunuch in his thirties, dressed in a purple silk robe and wearing a steel fork hat, was seen leading a group of people standing in the front yard.

"Father-in-law, I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly." You Muyou quickly bowed and said humbly.

"Hmm." The eunuch flicked his whisk and asked in a shrill voice, "Which one of you is Young Master Su?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Su Lu hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Oh, not bad, not bad at all, he really is a handsome young man, it's not in vain..." The eunuch carefully examined Su Lu for a while, then said seriously, "Young Master Su, you have come a long way and have had a hard time. I have come to reward you on the orders of the Prince."

With a wave of his hand, the little fire-bringers behind him, dressed in blue cloth robes, stepped forward carrying gold-lacquered food boxes, opening the lids one by one to show them to everyone.

"The first delicacy, the signature dish of the Shu Mansion—Steamed Crab with Egg White!" the head eunuch announced in a drawn-out tone.

Everyone then looked at the first food box, which was lined with cloud-patterned brocade. In the center was a large, white-glazed plate, as thin as a cicada's wing and as white as snow. On the plate were six plump crabs, cut in half, their bodies covered with creamy egg liquid and decorated with pink and white hibiscus petals, making it as beautiful as a work of art.

The old eunuch continued, "This crab is made with the finest river crab, stuffed with shrimp and mushrooms, covered with egg white and steamed over a high flame. The aroma of flowers permeates the meat, and the crab roe is as creamy as cream. It is the top dish at the Prince's banquet this season!"

The servant lifted the lid of the second box, and the old eunuch announced the dishes again: "The second course—roasted lamb with lychees!"

Inside the box, lotus leaves formed the bottom, and sixteen skewers of roasted mutton were neatly arranged on a black lacquered and gold-painted tray. Each skewer was made of red willow branches, with mutton meat as thin as cicada wings, and the outer skin was crispy and glossy with an amber color.

"The mutton is marinated with lychee juice, honey, and Sichuan peppercorns, and then roasted over an open flame made of lychee wood. The fruity aroma permeates the meat, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich and numbing fragrance!"

"The third dish is braised abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin..."

"The fourth dish is Three Delicacies: Scallops and Deer Tendon..."

"The fifth dish is duck tongue stewed with cordyceps..."

"The sixth dish, Crystal Amber Abalone..." The scholars were all dumbfounded. Among them were many scions of noble families who had tasted and seen many dishes, but the dishes that followed were completely unfamiliar to them, let alone those they had ever seen or tasted!
"The last dish is Osmanthus Sugar Dew Silver Thread Rolls!"

The head eunuch rattled off a total of thirty-six dishes, including noodles, snacks, and fruits, without breaking his voice.

"The silver thread rolls are as fluffy as snow, and the osmanthus syrup is clear and fragrant, satisfying the appetite and refreshing the palate. This entire feast is presented for your enjoyment, Young Master Su and all of you!"

"This humble subject kowtows to thank Your Highness for your generous gift." Su Lu was flattered, but still remained humble and dignified, saying, "However, one cannot accept a reward without merit. This gift is far too precious for a commoner like me to bear."

"Oh, my master knew you would say that, so he specifically instructed that the banquet be held as usual. Young Master Su, please enjoy it without worry." The eunuch laughed, "If you're not used to it, you'll get used to it after a few more meals."

"..." Su Lu wanted to refuse, but he pulled a long face and said, "Have you heard that thunder and rain are both blessings from heaven? The same goes for the rewards from the Prince's Mansion. If they are given to you, you should accept them. Refusing them is disrespectful."

"Young master, please accept this for now," You Muyou said softly. "Perhaps the prince is just expressing his concern, and it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse."

"Alright then." Su Lu could only clasp his hands in thanks and say, "Please convey my gratitude to Your Highness. I will never forget your generous reward."

"Hehe, young master, you misunderstand. This is not a gift from the prince..." the eunuch said with a chuckle.

"What is that?" Su Lu asked hurriedly.

"I can't tell you now, but you'll find out when the time is right." The eunuch kept everyone in suspense, shaking his head and smiling. "Alright, young master and everyone, please enjoy your meal. I'll head back now."

"See the father-in-law off," Su Lu said respectfully.

“That’s right, our family name is Song.” Eunuch Song smiled sweetly.

"Really? What a coincidence!" Su Lu chuckled.

After seeing Eunuch Song and his party to the door, Steward Tian hurriedly took out ten taels of silver and stuffed it into his sleeve.

"Father-in-law, have some tea."

"Hehe, this is interesting." Eunuch Song weighed the silver in his hand and smiled at Steward Tian, ​​"You'd better prepare more silver for this."

"Of course." Steward Tian thought to himself, "They're coming again?" But his smile remained unchanged as he asked in a low voice, "Could you tell us a thing or two about which esteemed person bestowed this gift? Our young master will know who to thank."

"As I just said, you'll know when the time is right..." Eunuch Song kept his mouth shut and said calmly, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't know."

"Ah, thank you for your guidance, sir." Steward Tian bowed slightly and watched as Eunuch Song got into the sedan chair and shakily left, surrounded by a group of servants.

Only after the sedan chair disappeared from sight did he turn around and meet Su Lu's eyes, both of them completely bewildered.

"Who could it be?" he muttered to himself. "I heard that the old king had difficulty conceiving, and the current Prince of Shu has no brothers, only a sister."

"Could it be that Her Highness the Princess intends to recruit the young master as her consort?" he couldn't help but tease.

"A fine horse? I'm a thoroughbred..." Su Lu chuckled. "Stop daydreaming. Do you think those noble ladies would even look at some kind of mountain wormwood like us? They've never even seen it before..."

"That's true." Steward Tian nodded; it was indeed highly unlikely.

As they walked further in, they continued to ponder.

"Could it be that you want to buy my 'The Difficulty of Finding Beauty'?" Su Lu thought and thought, and this was the only possibility. "But that has already been handed in as an exam paper, so it's no longer mine."

"That should be the case," Steward Tian said with a smile. "To exchange a calligraphy piece for a grand banquet at the Prince's mansion, young master, your calligraphy is truly valuable."

"It's a pity I can't write often..." Su Lu chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Uncle, you're finally back!" Li Qiyu and the others had been waiting impatiently. When Su Lu came in, they hurriedly said, "What are we going to do with all this delicious food? It'll get cold if we leave it any longer."

"What else can we do but eat!" Su Lu laughed.

"We've been waiting for you to say that!" The classmates were overjoyed and immediately picked up their chopsticks, but then hesitated to put them down.

"Such beautiful dishes, it feels like a sin to even take a bite," Lin Zhihong sighed.

"Eat up, it'll be even more of a waste if it gets cold." Su Lu picked up a piece of steamed crab with egg white, took a bite, and exclaimed with his eyebrows twitching, "Wow, it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off!"

"Really? I'll try it too!" The classmates all put down their chopsticks and quickly finished the dish.

If you start eating too late, there will only be one crab leg left.

"Mmm, delicious, delicious! This taste is absolutely amazing!" The scholars praised it highly and then gritted their teeth and enjoyed this unexpectedly extravagant feast at the royal palace.

P.S.: The next chapter should be coming soon.

(End of this chapter)