Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Xin Heng didn't have time to be amazed and immediately scooped up another piece of tofu.

The tofu was covered in red oil, and a peppercorn or two were embedded in its folds. As it was picked up with chopsticks, the tofu trembled, and the layer of red oil on its surface swayed and dripped down little by little.

Xin Heng was already craving it so badly that he put the whole piece of tofu into his mouth.

The first thing you notice is the spicy and numbing appearance, but with just one bite, the heat rushes to your tongue like an electric current.

"Hot, hot, hot!!!"

"hiss--"

"It's so hot!!"

It was so hot that he wanted to spit it out, but he couldn't bear to.

The tofu rolled around on his tongue, and Xin Heng's eyes stung and he grimaced from the heat.

"Hahahaha!" Yan Wenli laughed unkindly. "Haste makes waste, doesn't Lord Xin know that saying?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

But Xinheng didn't have time to answer; he was only focused on enjoying the tofu in his mouth.

The tofu gradually cooled down, and the spicy flavor mixed with the tofu's natural sweetness made it soft, tender, and delicious.

It smells so good, so delicious!

Still wanting more, I couldn't resist reaching out with my chopsticks to pick out the last few green vegetables from the pot.

The spinach has a smooth texture and a slightly sweet taste, but it's coated in chili oil. After one bite, all that's left in your throat is the rich, mellow flavor of the chili oil.

The stems of the garland chrysanthemum are still crisp; with a crunch, the unique flavor of the garland chrysanthemum bursts in your mouth.

Xin Heng was getting happier and happier as he ate. His forehead was already covered with sweat, his face was bright red, his mouth was full of oil, and there were a few red chili peppers stuck to his teeth.

"...No...that's all..."

When he reached for his chopsticks again, the pot was empty; there was no meat or vegetables, only spices, chili peppers, and other seasonings.

He was just getting into it, how come it's over already?

"Without Lord Xin, just cook for yourself. Pick whatever you want to eat," Yan Wenli said while eating.

He simply couldn't believe that Xin Heng could resist such a delicious hot pot.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "These shiitake mushrooms are delicious, as are the shredded tofu and the tender lamb."

"These wood ear mushrooms are absolutely amazing! The pea shoots are so tender and fragrant!" Madam Yan said as she ate, a satisfied smile on her face.

Xin Heng's mouth watered even more upon hearing this.

My mouth was watering, and my brain was screaming with cravings: Mushrooms, mushrooms are delicious!

Lamb is definitely delicious!

Wood ear mushrooms should be crunchy and have a satisfying crunch when you eat them.

greedy.

want to eat.

Thinking this, Xin Heng had completely lost control of his hands.

Long chopsticks were extended, and several slices of mutton were put into the pot.

I also added some shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, shredded tofu, pea shoots, and so on.

The small copper pots were all filled to the brim.

"Oh~" Yan Wenli said with a sly grin, "Don't some people insist on saying that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen? Don't they refuse to lift a finger?"

Yan Wenli was extremely pleased with himself.

Xin Heng glared at Yan Wenli through the steam: "I'm not a gentleman."

"Besides, Madam Shen already said that this saying means that people should have a compassionate heart, and it has nothing to do with cooking."

"So what if I just cooked vegetables and meat?"

As he spoke, he added several more slices of meat to the pot, looking quite pleased with himself.

Yan Wenli looked and, good heavens, almost all the meat had been taken away.

He quickly scooped a few slices into his own pot, exclaiming, "Xin Heng, you're so shameless!"

"So what if it's thick? Being able to eat meat is the important thing!"

"This is meat from my own home!"

"You're the one who dragged me here to eat!"

"..."

The two of them started arguing again, just like children bickering.

Clearly, they probably had quite a few arguments in the imperial court.

Guo Tiancheng nudged Situ Liang: "Apprentice, go cut the meat!"

"Huh? Me?" Situ Liang's mouth was full, and he looked at a loss.

"I can't possibly make you, your master, go, can I? You go quickly, I'll watch the pot for you, and I'll take it out for you when it's cooked."

We really can't let Master go.

Situ Liang looked around and realized that the remaining people were even less likely to go.

Only he went.

"Master, you'll have to watch the pot for me!"

"Okay!" Guo Tiancheng readily agreed.

Situ Liang hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

He swiftly sliced ​​through the air with his knife, then hurriedly ran out.

Just as he put down the meat, Guo Tiancheng said again, "Apprentice, make some shredded tofu and shiitake mushrooms. See what else you can cook in the kitchen, and get it all!"

Situ Liang's hand trembled.

"Master, let me eat for a while first."

"Oh dear, hurry up and finish cooking before you eat in peace. Don't worry, I'll put something in the pot for you!"

"I......"

"Ah Liang, hurry up!" Yan Wenli called out, "I'll watch the pot for you too."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Situ."

"Troublesome, troublesome."

The others chimed in.

Helpless, Situ Liang went to the kitchen again.

Inside the pavilion, Shen Qing and the others ate and chatted.

"Madam Shen, this stuff is so delicious! What's it called?" Guo Tiancheng couldn't help but ask.

He thought it should be called "cooking vegetables," but "cooking vegetables" sounded too lame.

Shen Qing smiled; she had forgotten to introduce herself.

"This is called hot pot. You need to put ingredients into the pot while eating. It's not just spicy; you can also make other flavors."

"Actually, the weather is already a bit warm now, so this is the best thing to eat in winter."

Although it's not yet the height of summer, it's coming soon.

The weather wasn't too hot, just right, the kind of weather that's very comfortable.

Therefore, eating hot pot at this time will not be too hot.

Xin Heng's eyes lit up: "Now that you mention it, Madam Shen, I'm starting to look forward to it."

"I can't imagine how warm and cozy it would be to eat a pot of this in the cold winter."

"I can't wait for winter to come!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his expression one of deep satisfaction and delight.

"Tch, don't you say you can't cook for yourself? What does eating hot pot in winter have to do with you?" Yan Wenli couldn't help but retort.

Xin Heng snorted, "Are you ever going to stop?"

"I'll let it slide since we had hotpot today!"

He loves this food, so he should eat more of it in the future!

As the group chatted, they didn't realize that there wasn't much food or meat left on the table.

Situ Liang rushed over again, chopped up the ingredients, and quickly sat down in his seat.

"Oh my, I'm so hungry! Finally, I can eat!"

When I looked at it, good heavens, my pot was empty, and the plate in front of me was also empty.

"Master? Where's my meat? And my vegetables, my mushrooms and tofu skin?"

"..."

A look of guilt flashed across Guo Tiancheng's face.

He had a good time chatting and eating, and without realizing it, he ate some of what was on Situ Liang's plate.

I was planning to download it for him later.

But he was so happy that he forgot...

"Ah Liang, Master is worried that it will get cold after being taken out of the water, and it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"So what? You ate mine too?!?!"

"I'm here to help you..."

"Old Guo!!!" Situ Liang was so angry that he stopped calling him master.

Guo Tiancheng quickly pointed to his pot: "This is freshly cooked, you can have it, you can have it..."

We can't bully our apprentices too much.