The rise of the poor

The emperor is far away! This saying does not apply to the eunuchs and palace maids of the Western Garden. Compared to the millions of people of the Ming Dynasty, they were lucky because the Jiajing Emperor was right in front of them, and they could see his face every day. But they were also unlucky because the Jiajing Emperor was right in front of them. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. This is not just a saying.

If the Jiajing Emperor sneezes, they're really going to catch a cold!

When the Jiajing Emperor was displeased, they lived in constant fear. Today, the Jiajing Emperor threw down several memorials, clearly in a bad mood. The atmosphere in the West Garden rose accordingly, and the Imperial Kitchen was shrouded in gloom.

When the Jiajing Emperor was in a bad mood, his appetite was poor, and when his appetite was poor, the imperial kitchen was in serious trouble.

If the Jiajing Emperor didn't eat well, it meant the imperial kitchen hadn't done its job properly! They were in for a bad job.

Furthermore, if the Jiajing Emperor is in a bad mood, the Imperial Kitchen might suffer collateral damage.

For example, some time ago, Chef Zhang made a duck dish that the Jiajing Emperor and his Zhu family loved to eat – Eight Treasure Duck.

On a side note, duck is indeed a traditional delicacy of the Zhu family. When Emperor Hongwu established the Ming Dynasty and made Nanjing the capital, Nanjing was a place where people were obsessed with eating duck. The rivers and lakes that dotted the city provided a large number of ducks, which made the people of Nanjing develop the habit of eating duck. As the saying goes, no duck can leave Nanjing alive.

The Zhu family established their capital in Nanjing, a city renowned for its love of duck, and thus developed a habit of eating duck there. Although Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, the Zhu family's habit of eating duck not only persisted but flourished. Peking duck was invented and popularized by a chef surnamed Sun in the imperial kitchen.

Getting back to the point, Chef Zhang's skills were truly superb. As soon as it came out of the pot, the rich aroma filled the imperial kitchen. Topped with shrimp and green peas seasoned with the original braising liquid from the steamed duck, it was incredibly fragrant. When this dish was served, everyone felt they could simply wait to be appreciated.

Instead of receiving a reward, Zhang Yuchu was beaten so badly he was nearly killed.

When asked why, guess what? It turned out that a heavy snowfall in Liaodong had caused a snow disaster, collapsing houses and displacing people. A hot-headed censor wrote a memorial claiming it was a divine intervention, a warning from heaven, and requested that the religious ceremonies be reduced to save money for disaster relief.
The Jiajing Emperor was furious. "How much does my religious ceremony cost? And it's all from my own imperial treasury! It's not like I don't provide disaster relief; the Ministry of Revenue has special funds for disaster relief! I'm already frugal enough normally! And you're still criticizing me for being extravagant!"

Heavy snow in Liaoning, and you blame me?! Heavy rain in the south caused flooding, and you blame me too?! An earthquake struck the west, and you blame me again?! You can't find the cause, so you blame me?! This is outrageous!

At this moment, the Eight Treasure Duck was served!
When the Jiajing Emperor saw that a single duck dish used eight different ingredients, he thought it was extravagant and wasteful, and that this would only give the hot-headed censor something to criticize!
Immediately, the Eight Treasure Duck was removed, and the eunuchs were ordered to drag the imperial chef who made it away and give him ten lashes as a warning to others.

Tell me, isn't this an undeserved disaster?
Therefore, whenever the Jiajing Emperor was displeased, it was a time of tribulation for the Imperial Kitchen, and today was no exception.

"Godfather, Godfather, Linzi, who serves in the Emperor's court, has sent word. Besides Zhang Jing's memorial, there are two more obtuse memorials that have enraged His Majesty."

A young eunuch trotted over and whispered something in the ear of Han, the eunuch in the imperial kitchen.

"Oh dear, these damned foreign officials are truly incompetent, always making His Majesty angry!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Han's blood pressure immediately soared. The Emperor was furious. Their Imperial Kitchen was in for a tough time.

Lunch is almost here, what should we do?

"Please have Chef Wang and the others start cooking, and try to be as safe and steady as possible. As long as they don't offend anyone or implicate our Imperial Kitchen, I'll be eternally grateful," Eunuch Han instructed anxiously.

"Godfather, please sit down. I'll be right there," the little eunuch said, accepting the order.

"How can I sit still? You should go now." Eunuch Han patted the young eunuch's shoulder anxiously and urged him on.

"I'll go right now." The little eunuch immediately ran off to deliver the message.

However, the little eunuch had only run out a short while before he came running back, "Godfather, Godfather, something terrible has happened! Chef Wang says his mother has suddenly fallen seriously ill and he needs to go back to care for her. Chef Zhang says his old injury has flared up and he needs to go back to apply medicine."

"Damn it, everyone knows what they're thinking! They think they can just hide at a time like this? No way! Tell them everyone has to do it, and no one can take leave for any reason! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Eunuch Han was furious and started cursing, issuing a strict order to assign cooking duties.

When Eunuch Han got angry, the imperial chefs in the imperial kitchen dared not make excuses to shirk their duties and had no choice but to do as he said.

Just as the imperial kitchen was shrouded in gloom and filled with anxiety as people prepared the imperial meals, a young eunuch came running in with a burst of speed.

"Eunuch Lin, what's wrong? Are you in a panic, or being chased by a dog?" The young eunuch saw Eunuch Lin rushing over and went up to greet him, teasing him.

The two of them had a good relationship and often joked around.

"I was pursued by you. Come on, bark like a dog. If it makes me happy, I'll tell you some amazing news."

Eunuch Lin, leaning on the table, caught his breath and, with a mischievous smile on his face, spoke to the young eunuch.

"You want me to bark like a dog?! You must be dreaming!" The little eunuch shook his head immediately upon hearing that he was to bark like a dog.

"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and bark like a dog, make it sound nice. Come, Eunuch Lin, please sit down, serve tea, serve the best tea, hurry up."

Eunuch Han came up and lightly slapped the back of the little eunuch's head. Then, with a smile, he moved a chair for Eunuch Lin and asked him to sit down. He then turned to the eunuch and ordered someone to quickly serve Eunuch Lin some good tea.

"Steward Han, you flatter me greatly." Eunuch Lin was flattered.

"My dear Eunuch Lin, your presence is an honor for us. Your arrival makes our Imperial Kitchen even more distinguished, and the dishes taste even better," Eunuch Han said with a smile. After speaking, he turned and glared at the little eunuch, "Hurry up and bark like a dog. If you can't, I will."

"No, no, no, godfather, how could I let you come? I'll bark like a dog right now," the little eunuch said hastily.

As he spoke, he began to bark like a dog.

"Oh dear, Little Li, I was just teasing you." Eunuch Lin waved his hand to stop the little eunuch from barking like a dog and said with a smile.

"Young Master Lin, come, have some tea. What was that amazing news you just mentioned?" Young Master Han took the tea from the servant and eagerly offered it to Young Master Lin, asking him with great enthusiasm.

"Lord Zhu has sent someone to present auspicious omens to His Majesty. My goodness, you didn't see them! Two white turtles and a bowl-sized piece of ambergris. His Majesty was overjoyed upon seeing them!" Eunuch Lin didn't keep them in suspense and told Eunuch Han and the others the good news.

"Really?! Thank God, thank you so much, Lord Zhu!!! This is truly wonderful news!"

"Great!"

"Great! Woof woof woof, Little Lin, I have to bark like a dog for you a few times!"

The imperial kitchen erupted in celebration. Even the usually composed Eunuch Han couldn't help but stomp his foot in excitement, while the junior eunuchs and others jumped up and down with jubilation. (End of Chapter)