Tender, juicy, and fragrant with a hint of spice.
More importantly, the spiciness lacked the bitter undertone of evodia, making it even more flavorful than the carefully crafted dishes of the imperial kitchens.
Before he realized it, Emperor Xuanwu had finished the entire small bowl Yun Shu had served him.
"Not bad."
For someone who rarely concerned himself with matters of the palate, it was a rare thing for Emperor Xuanwu to offer praise.
"What was it that We just ate?"
Yun Shu: "…"
She quietly took a step back and glanced at him twice, her gaze flickering.
"You must promise not to be angry, or I won't dare tell you."
Emperor Xuanwu: "?"
What now? Did she not only use his favorite incense burner for hotpot, but also throw some other priceless treasure into the pot without his knowledge?
Surely she didn't toss in that one and only thousand-year ginseng from his private treasury to stew?!
A wave of foreboding rose in Emperor Xuanwu's chest. He braced himself mentally again and again, and after a long pause, finally opened his mouth.
"Speak."
He wanted to see just how much trouble this little rascal could cause.
"But you must agree first!"
Yun Shu blinked at him with an expression full of pitiful charm.
"Didn't you say it tasted good? I swear to you, the ingredients I used are actually very good. It's just that most people don't know how to prepare them properly, which is why they've developed a strange prejudice..."
Very good ingredients?
Wait—could it be he had misunderstood?
Had she not used something extremely precious, but something extremely lowly instead?
Emperor Xuanwu narrowed his eyes and turned to Yun Chuhuan, who could never keep a secret.
"You. Speak."
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, Yun Chuhuan froze.
"I don't know either!"
Emperor Xuanwu: "?"
"You were eating so happily just now!"
"Fine, We shall not be angry."
With a sideways glance at Yun Shu's guilty yet innocent expression, Emperor Xuanwu finally relented.
"Now tell Us—what was it?"
"Um… duck intestines."
"Duck intestines, is it?"
Yun Chuhuan's eyes lit up in sudden understanding, only to darken just as quickly.
"Duck intestines… wait, duck intestines?! You mean that thing I'm thinking of?!"
His once-glowing eyes widened in horror. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he stared at the now-empty porcelain plate on the table, face contorting in disbelief.
"I ate almost the entire plate by myself…"
"Well, it was quite delicious."
Under the heavy stares from both father and son, Yun Shu looked everywhere except at them—sky, ground, her own fingernails—anywhere but their eyes.
In this era, people still viewed animal organs with disgust, believing them to be unclean and only suitable for feeding to dogs.
To be blunt, if someone wanted to accuse her of treating the Emperor and the Sixth Prince like dogs… it wouldn't even be considered slander.
"I ate quite a lot myself," Yun Shu muttered, trying to defend herself. "Actually, aside from duck intestines, duck blood, duck tongues, pig liver, chicken hearts… they're all really tasty. I've eaten them all."
"How could those things possibly…"
Yun Chuhuan trailed off as he recalled the flavor just moments ago, the words "possibly be good" dying in his throat. After a beat, he muttered instead, "How could you have eaten all of them…
Who just randomly decides to eat stuff like that?"
Yun Shu: "…"
Well, because in the world she came from, all of those were perfectly normal ingredients!
But how could she explain that?
Emperor Xuanwu: "…"
Surely not. Surely his daughter had not fallen into such dire straits while he was neglecting her, so much so that she had to scavenge those things for food?
Silence fell between the three of them, with Emperor Xuanwu sinking into a strange mood of regret and self-recrimination born of his own imagination.
After a long moment, it was Yun Shu who finally broke the quiet.
"Actually… this might even be a good thing."
She straightened up a little and said seriously, "I've heard that most common households can scarcely afford to eat meat throughout the year. But these ingredients were always discarded as waste. If we could spread the proper cooking methods, perhaps the people would have more food on their tables."
"Hmm?"
Until now, Emperor Xuanwu had been too caught up in his shock over having eaten duck intestines and in his guilt over Yun Shu's supposed hardship. He hadn't considered that point.
The current state of the Tian Sheng Dynasty was far from prosperous. Many commoners still struggled to have enough to eat. Grain remained precious.
If animal offal and even blood could be turned into edible, flavorful food, would that not help alleviate hunger for many?
As that thought settled in his mind, Emperor Xuanwu's once-indifferent gaze turned bright and eager as he looked at the table again.
"The items you mentioned just now… are there more?"
"Yes!"
Yun Shu could tell right away that the matter had been resolved. Gone was her timid demeanor. She deftly placed a portion of each ingredient into the bubbling pot, her smile bright as ever.
"To prevent bias, I mixed these ingredients with more common ones. You should try them all together. That way, you can judge for yourself!"
"…Do we really have to eat it?"
Now that even the mighty Emperor Xuanwu had no objections, it was Yun Chuhuan who suddenly hesitated, still feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Maybe I should—"
"Maybe you should stop eating."
Yun Shu cut him off, already guessing what he wanted to say.
"We're almost out of ingredients anyway. You eat so much, I was worried there wouldn't be enough left!"
Yun Chuhuan: "?"
"What do you mean I can't eat?!"
Even though he hadn't exactly wanted to eat it before, now that she was denying him, Yun Chuhuan couldn't help but bristle.
With a huff, he plopped himself down next to Yun Shu and deliberately leaned in close to grumble, "I want to eat! I will eat!"
Yun Shu: "…"
Emperor Xuanwu: "…"
Is this foolish child really his son?
Emperor Xuanwu began to doubt himself.
Thankfully, hotpot ingredients cooked quickly, giving him no time to dwell on such matters. Before long, Yun Shu served another bowl, filled to the brim, and placed it in front of him.
"Since this is hotpot, the individual ingredients haven't quite shown their full potential. The flavor is a little mixed because of the broth. But Father Emperor, please try this first. If you find no problem with it, I'll send the palace kitchens a few proper recipes later. The taste, once prepared separately, will be even better than in hotpot."
"Even better?"
Yun Chuhuan, who had just taken a bite of pig intestine, was now completely convinced.
"Then I want some too!"