"These meat skewers smell strange, a bit pungent, but they're so tempting! They make my mouth water," Empress Dowager Dong couldn't help but say. She actually wanted to try them, but couldn't bring herself to ask; she had to maintain a certain air of propriety.
"Anmin, quickly bring them up for me and the Empress Dowager to try," Emperor Ling said impatiently. Zhao Zhong had just told him they were incredibly delicious, a hundred times better than anything an ordinary cook could make!
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there weren't many gourmet dishes. Even if there were, they were complicated to prepare.
They couldn't be mass-produced, and they couldn't be widely distributed.
Although Emperor Ling didn't have much power, as emperor, Empress Yuan still treated him with great respect, and he ate plenty of delicacies.
However, due to the limited ingredients and cooking methods, he couldn't enjoy many truly delicious meals.
Compared to ordinary people, they were only more refined, not particularly delicious.
This was the truth. Even with the same chicken, without the right ingredients, the imperial chefs could at most refine the dish, but couldn't create anything truly delicious.
When Zhang Rang brought it over, Emperor Ling couldn't wait any longer and grabbed a skewer of mutton, stuffing it into his mouth. He bit into the mutton, pulled it apart, and chewed vigorously. "Mmm! Incredibly delicious! Hiss! So spicy! Whew! So satisfying! Good! Very good! Excellent! Anmin, you've done a great job!"
Empress Dowager Dong also picked up a skewer to taste. Unlike Emperor Ling's impulsiveness, she chewed very elegantly, though she occasionally frowned, then showed a pleased expression.
"Not bad, indeed a delicious dish."
"Zhao Hou, you should try some too. It's really delicious, not bad, not bad. Anmin, you've done a great job. Give the recipe to the Imperial Kitchen. What reward do you want?" Emperor Ling seemed to enjoy rewarding his ministers when he was happy; for him, enjoying life to the fullest was paramount.
If it weren't for his health issues, and the fact that General He Jin had already sided with the Yuan family, he wouldn't have thought about what would happen after his death.
Zhao Hou, having smelled the aroma, felt a little tempted, but since it was for the Emperor, he needed to be mindful of his boundaries, no matter how close he was to him.
Upon hearing this, he didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a skewer of lamb and began to eat.
"Indeed delicious!"
Lu Ming was quite confident in the system's blueprint. Although the system couldn't grant him superhuman abilities, it could transform seemingly insignificant things into tangible benefits—that was the application of wisdom.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Any gift from Your Majesty is a divine favor. Originally, I planned to have a servant open a shop selling these lamb skewers. However, being unfamiliar with the area, I decided against it."
"Haha, excellent! Brilliant! Let Father take charge of this matter. Help me open a lamb skewer shop so that everyone in the world can taste it." Emperor Ling's eyes lit up; to some extent, this was also a way to show off.
Watching the Emperor's absurdity, Empress Dowager Dong, as the Empress Dowager, could say nothing. She too was fond of money. "Your Majesty is quite adept at business. Since it's in Luoyang, why not send the General of the Cavalry to help oversee it?"
"Very well, it's settled then." Emperor Ling frowned, displeased with his mother's arrangement.
The Empress Dowager still wielded considerable power; a single edict carried the weight of an imperial decree.
However, doing too much of this could be detrimental to her.
"Empress Dowager, what do you think should be rewarded to Lu Ming?"
"A jade pendant, Anmin. This jade pendant was crafted by exquisite artisans, with a long and distinguished history. I now bestow it upon you. From now on, you must serve His Majesty diligently." Empress Dowager Dong took a jade pendant from her waist and handed it to a palace maid. The pendant was quite nice, but she had better ones, so she didn't mind.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager." Lu Ming respectfully accepted the pendant. It was engraved with the character "Dong," clearly the Empress Dowager's name.
Regardless, this is a blessing.
This jade pendant may not seem like much, but it might be somewhat useful against the harassment from the Yuan family.
The only family capable of rivaling the Yuan family is the equally powerful Yang family.
After handing over the prescription, Lu Ming chatted for a while longer before taking his leave.
He was busy day and night, barely having time to breathe.
But there was no other way; this was the rising phase of his career. If he didn't work hard now, it would be much more difficult to achieve later.
Besides, before things devolved into a power struggle among warlords, he needed to quickly acquire what he wanted and recruit the talent he needed.
Back at the Zhaohou residence, Lady Zhaohou and Lady Zhang were chatting in the courtyard, drinking tea and enjoying fine pastries.
The garden of this wealthy family was truly a garden—ponds, stone bridges, willows, lawns, artificial hills—an atmosphere of being enveloped by nature was palpable.
Here, one feels a greater sense of peace and tranquility.
"Greetings, Lady Marquis, Lady Grand Commandant." Lu Ming bowed slightly, performing the proper etiquette. With maids present, he couldn't be too overly formal.
"Thank you for your trouble, Commandant Lu. Lately, I've been feeling rather down, and occasionally dizzy. Could you please take a look at me?" Lady Zhao's complexion wasn't good. Even though she came from a wealthy family, and her husband was the powerful Marquis Zhao, her beauty was fading, and she wasn't as attractive as younger women.
"Lady, please place your hands on the prayer mat." Lu Ming removed the mat, then sat down, placed his fingers on her pulse points, closed his eyes, and began his examination.
No one dared to disturb him. Although Lu Ming hadn't yet made a name for himself as a physician, being valued by the Marquis Zhao and the Emperor Ling was enough proof of his ability.
Those who are merely sycophantic and flattering will never be valued or given important positions, especially someone of humble origins, practically the lowest rung of the social ladder.
After a long pause, Lu Ming slowly opened his tightly closed eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing across them.
This expression made Lady Zhaohou's heart skip a beat; an ominous premonition began to spread.
"Madam, do you feel any pain in your chest? If you touch it, can you feel a lump?"
This private matter was somewhat difficult to discuss. Lady Zhaohou was surprised, and her face turned ashamed and angry. Not all women were willing to discuss this issue, especially those from wealthy families.
They needed to consider the consequences of infidelity. If discovered, it would mean divorce, and all wealth and status would be irrelevant to them. Therefore, they were very sensitive to this.
Those who could commit adultery were ultimately a minority; not everyone was so open-minded.