Top Scholar

Chapter 450 Joint Text (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Wear two layers of thick cotton socks to keep warm and dry. Choose thick-soled yukata shoes; the outside is thick leather, and the inside is stuffed with soft, fluffy ula grass... Don't underestimate this grass; it's one of the three treasures of Liaodong, incredibly warm!" Zhu Zhishan said with experience.

"Also, put a felt mat under your feet to keep out the cold. But if you sit still for a long time, even the best insulation will be useless. So every half hour, get up and stomp your feet and massage them to get the blood flowing. Don't think it's too much trouble, otherwise your toes will get frostbite, it will be itchy and painful, and you won't be able to take the exam at all... Don't ask me how I know."

Hmm, another valuable lesson learned from failure...

"Wear a felt hat to protect your ears. Keep a hand warmer and a pair of fingerless cotton gloves on hand... Wear them while writing to prevent your fingers from freezing and being unable to hold the pen. The advice is to copy articles at noon on the last two days, when the temperature is high enough to write well."

"Why can't we bring enough charcoal and keep the stove burning from morning till night?" Su Youcai asked.

"Because the regulations of the examination hall stipulated that fires could only be started after dark and had to be extinguished at dawn," Zhu Zhishan replied.

"Why is that? There's no time limit for lighting the stove during the provincial examination," Su Man said softly.

"This was because during the first examination of the spring imperial examination in the seventh year of the Tianshun reign, a terrible fire broke out at night, burning nearly a hundred candidates to death. It was later discovered that the fire was caused by candidates using fire to keep warm, so the use of fire was directly prohibited for the next examination, resulting in several more freezing to death..." Zhu Zhishan explained.
"In the end, the imperial court could only compromise and stipulated that fires could be used for heating at night, but must be extinguished at dawn."

“No,” Su Lu said speechlessly, “the fire happened at night, so why is it forbidden to use fire during the day?”

"Because it's the turtle's butt—the rule," Zhu Zhishan laughed. "When an accident happens, the authorities always have to do something to prove they've tried. As for whether it's effective, we'll have to wait and see what happens next."

“Alright…” Su Lu nodded. It’s true that bureaucrats throughout history and across the world are all taught by the same master.

"So you have to cook in the morning and evening, and then you can only eat cold food at noon. Therefore, you must bring a large thermos so that you can have hot water to drink during the day." Zhu Zhishan then took out a small copper hand warmer with a grin and handed it to Su Lu, saying, "Don't forget to add enough fine charcoal to this thing after you finish cooking. It can keep you warm for half a day."

Then, Zhu Zhishan shared his experience with Su Lu on all aspects of taking the exam in winter, adding up to nearly a hundred tips...

"These are all based on experience!" Su Youcai said with gratitude and emotion.

“That is…” Zhu Zhishan said with a smug smile, “If I had missed even one exam, I wouldn’t have accumulated so much experience.”

"Thank you so much, Brother Zhishan, for sharing your knowledge so generously!" Su Lu also bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Why be so polite with us brothers? Besides, you only need my help this once. You'll understand everything next time you take the exam," Zhu Zhishan said with a grin.

"Mr. Zhishan, the exam is the day after tomorrow. Can we say something auspicious?" Su Youcai said with a wry smile.

"Alright, best of luck in your high school entrance exams." Zhu Zhishan readily agreed, "I'll head back to the guild hall now; my son isn't ready yet..."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhishan." The four members of the Su family then saw Zhu Zhishan off.

Watching his retreating figure, Su Youcai asked in a low voice, "He wasn't taking advantage of you just now, was he?"

“No, it’s true that he and his son entered the examination hall together.” Su Lu shook his head.

"Okay, as long as I didn't mean to take advantage of you," Su Youcai said.

"Hard to say," Su Man shook her head.

The family was talking and packing up their exam supplies inside when they heard Zhu Shou's familiar, hoarse voice coming from outside.

"Su Lu, Su Lu, come out quickly and see what good things I've brought!"

Su Lu pushed open the door and went out, asking with a smile, "What's that's making you so excited?"

"This!" Zhu Shou then pulled an oil paper bag from his sleeve and handed it to him like a treasure.

A familiar, rich aroma wafted over, spicy yet with a hint of medicinal fragrance. Su Lu's eyes lit up: "You actually found it?"

"Of course!" Zhu Shou said arrogantly, sticking out his neck. "Looking across the entire Ming Dynasty, is there anything this eunuch can't find?"

"Let's try... cumin-roasted meat today. Is it as amazing as you say?" He turned and pointed to Zhang Yong behind him. "See? I even brought you the meat!"

"It's not grilling our own meat!" Zhang Yong quickly waved his hand, picked up the oil paper bag in his hand and shook it, revealing skewered meat sticks at the opening: "Ready-made lamb skewers, all skewered."

"I'm taking the exam the day after tomorrow. Is it really appropriate for me to grill lamb skewers with you right now?" Su Lu couldn't help but smile wryly, giving a frantic hint.

"That's what you call strolling leisurely and handling heavy tasks with ease!" Zhu Shou patted his shoulder and promised, "If you can grill these meat skewers to the taste you described, I guarantee you'll pass the imperial examination!"

"You should have said so earlier!" Su Lu immediately laughed. "I'm the legendary barbecue expert!"

Zhu Shou also brought a charcoal stove and top-quality smokeless silver bone charcoal, so the meat was obviously going to have to be roasted.

Su Lu asked Zhang Yong to help start a fire, and went to the kitchen to get all the barbecue seasoning... He divided the cumin seeds in half and ground them into a fine powder, and also ground the salt and peppercorns into powder. He then took a small pot of sesame oil, and that was it!
When he brought out the materials, the charcoal fire was already burning brightly, with red flames licking the grate, and there was indeed not a trace of smoke.

Su Lu then placed the fresh meat skewers directly on the grill to start grilling. This was top-quality imperial mutton, fresh and without any gamey smell; marinating it would be a waste of its quality.

He certainly wasn't exaggerating when it came to grilling skewers; with a light twist of his wrist, he ensured that each piece of lamb was heated evenly.

Before long, the surface of the meat turned slightly white, and fine juices seeped out. Su Lu then picked up a new brush, dipped it in a little cooked sesame oil, and gently brushed it on. The oil instantly soaked into the meat skewers, and with a sizzling sound, the mutton fat slowly melted and dripped down the skewers.

Su Lu grabbed a handful of cumin seeds and sprinkled them evenly. The charcoal fire instantly brought out the aroma of the cumin, a spicy and dry fragrance mixed with the aroma of meat that filled the nostrils. Zhu Shou stood to the side, unable to resist sniffing—it was indeed a unique aroma he had never smelled before, making him stomp his feet with envy!

"Are you done yet?" He started swallowing.

"Wait." Su Lu remained unhurried, grilling the meat skewers for a few more moments until the oil sizzled and the surface turned amber. Only then did he deftly sprinkle on fine salt and Sichuan peppercorns. Finally, he grabbed some cumin powder and lightly sprinkled it around the grill, instantly intensifying the aroma and filling the entire courtyard.

"Go ahead and eat." Su Lu then handed two skewers to Zhu Shou.

Zhu Shou couldn't wait any longer and took a bite. The crispy outside and tender inside meat, coated with the rich aroma of cumin, mixed with the slight numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns and the sweetness of mutton fat, melted on the tip of his tongue, blending together perfectly. It was a wonderful taste unlike anything he had ever experienced!
"It smells so good, it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off!" Zhu Shou exclaimed, beaming with delight and shaking his head. He was truly enjoying the food.

In the end, he ate fifteen out of the twenty large skewers by himself, while Su Lu and Zhang Yong only tasted them briefly, promising to grill more for him later.

"Ah, this is so comforting. I never thought barbecue could taste this good..." Zhu Shou leaned back in his soft chair, holding a slice of melon to cleanse his palate, and squinted his eyes contentedly.

He then instructed, "From now on, you must bake them like this."

"Don't worry, young master, I've noted down the recipe and the taste," Zhang Yong said with a smile. "Of course, it's definitely not as authentic as Young Master Su's."

"I just grilled it randomly, but the ingredients and meat were good. It definitely won't taste bad," Su Lu said modestly.

"Just roasting it with cumin is already like this, but if you add chili powder, wouldn't it be incredibly fragrant?" Zhu Shou was always looking for something better, enjoying only half of the experience before dreaming about the whole thing.

"Then you'll have to find it first," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I've already designed the 'Super Invincible Iron Treasure Ship'! After the test, you can start building it for...our Emperor!" Zhu Shou said excitedly.

"Let's talk about it after the exam," Su Lu said calmly.

"You don't need to point it out, I know what you mean." Zhu Shou laughed, "This eunuch keeps his word, look what this is!"

As he spoke, he slapped a piece of paper into Su Lu's palm. Su Lu took it and saw four characters on it: "若兹丕休".

These four characters are two words, both from the Book of Documents (Shangshu). The former is a demonstrative pronoun, meaning "such" or "like this." The latter is a compound interjection, meaning "great beauty" or "great virtue."

At this moment, given two words, Su Lu naturally understood what they meant, but still pretended not to understand as he looked at Zhu Shou.

Then he said mysteriously, "Remember, write these two words in the same article in the first performance, and you'll win!"

"Hey, I thought it was something important." Su Lu smiled nonchalantly, tossing the piece of paper into the stove, where it was instantly consumed by the embers.
"Hey, don't burn it!" Zhu Shou hurriedly sat up.

“I appreciate your kindness,” Su Lu shook his head and said, “but I don’t need this kind of thing.”

"Do you think this is a fake?" Zhu Shou still lowered his voice and said, "Let me tell you, it's guaranteed to be genuine!"

“That’s what scammers always say,” Su Lu chuckled. “Otherwise, why would they get your money?”

“I didn’t pay,” Zhu Shou said.

“That’s even less reliable,” Su Lu said.

"Damn it!" Zhu Shou was so angry his nose almost twisted. He beckoned Su Lu over and whispered, "This was given to me by Eunuch Liu..."

"Which Eunuch Liu?" Su Lu asked knowingly.

"Tsk, Liu Jin, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial!" Zhu Shou shook Su Lu's head vigorously, saying, "Do you believe me now?!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Su Lu quickly broke free from him.

"If you believe it, use it; if you use it, it will work!" Zhu Shou said in a deep voice.

"I won't use it." Su Lu shook his head again and said, "We scholars cannot deceive ourselves. I would rather not pass the imperial examination than use such methods to become a scholar!"

"You're usually quite quick-witted, so why are you so stubborn at crucial moments?" Zhu Shou said, exasperated.

"Don't be too concerned about small things, but don't compromise on important matters!" Su Lu said calmly. "I appreciate your kindness, brother, but if I accept this kind of help, I wouldn't deserve to be your friend."

"Fine, fine, you're so high and mighty, so great!" Zhu Shou finally gave up, saying, "I'm just meddling in other people's business, okay?"

“I’m not a rat,” Su Lu said in a muffled voice.

"I'm not a dog either!" Zhu Shou also said in a muffled voice.

The two couldn't help but laugh again...

P.S. This is a post I'll edit later. Please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)