If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"What, were you just bragging?"

"Your Majesty, just wait and see."

Li Tiancheng and his group returned to the teahouse, but this time there was one more person: Zhou Wu. The entire royal family was waiting for Zhou Wu's lunch on the second floor, but clearly no one had high hopes for him, and even Li Tiancheng was only trying his luck.

Zhou Wu was busy in the kitchen, while Si Dezi and several guards stood by his side. This was the rule; the food of the royal family was subject to strict requirements, let alone the emperor. Just standing by to supervise was already giving them enough face.

However, seeing Zhou Wu's skillful handling of the fish, how he separated the flesh from the bones with just a few swift strokes, and how he dealt with other strange seafood with ease, Si Dezi felt that he was getting the hang of it.

"Father-in-law, the dishes can be served now."

"it is good."

Si Dezi clapped his hands, and the palace maids who had been waiting outside filed in, each carrying a plate, and went upstairs.

"You and I will wait on the second floor."

Zhou Wu had finished his work and was about to take a break when Si Dezi called him back.

"If His Majesty asks about the dishes later, who will know if you're not there?"

Si Dezi spent some time with Zhou Wu in the kitchen and found that Zhou Wu was not as rude as she had imagined a martial artist, which greatly changed her impression of him.

"I'll go in first, don't wander off."

Zhou Wu thought to himself that with so many guards, he could easily escape even if he wanted to.

Inside the room, the emperor and his family looked at the dazzling array of delicacies on the table and were reluctant to touch their chopsticks. Although the imperial chefs took care of their meals on a daily basis, the ingredients and cooking methods were monotonous, and they were used to nothing more than roasted whole lamb, boiled vegetables, roast chicken, and the like. They had never seen anything like what was in front of them before.

Where is Zhou Wu?

Although Li Tiancheng was already starving, he forced himself to endure it and summoned Zhou Wu in. After all, while the food was delicious, it was also important to know the stories behind it.

"They're waiting outside the door."

"Let him in."

"Yes, sir~"

Si Dezi turned around and went out to call Zhou Wu in. When Zhou Wu came in, all the members of the royal family stared at him expectantly, as if they couldn't eat without him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Crown Prince, Noble Lady..."

"Alright, alright, no need for formalities. I didn't realize you were so capable. This looks pretty good, but none of my concubines, princes, or princesses have ever tried it. Could you give them a brief explanation?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

. . . .

"Your Majesty, the dish before you is blanched squid, also known as sea hare, which belongs to the squid family. There are many varieties of squid in the ocean, large and small, and squid is a small type. Its meat is tender and delicious. After blanching, it can be eaten directly or dipped in the sauce on the side. Don't underestimate this thing because of its small size; it is not easy to preserve. If it weren't for the cold weather now, it probably wouldn't have been able to be transported to the capital at all."

After Zhou Wu finished his introduction, Si Dezi took the initiative to pick up one, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it all.

"How about it?"

One of the princes couldn't help but ask.

"It's so delicious."

To be honest, Si Dezi felt that this thing was indeed as Zhou Wu had said, exceptionally delicious.

"Try them all."

Li Tiancheng picked up one chopstick, and only then did the others dare to pick up their chopsticks.

"Really delicious."

"The texture is absolutely amazing."

"So fresh, so incredibly fresh."

Unsurprisingly, the burnt pen tubes have consistently received high praise from the royal family.

"Commander Zhou, what is this?"

"Eating one or two pen tubes won't alleviate my hunger at all," Princess Li Xixue asked, pointing to a plate of prawns on the table.

"This dish for Princess Jiu is called Braised Prawns in Oil, and it uses black tiger prawns."

"Wow, just hearing the name makes it sound amazing."

A young prince looked surprised. Black Tiger, what an awesome name.

“Princess, you have a good eye. These black tiger prawns are top-quality in the sea. They are absolutely gigantic among sea prawns. The meat is plump and sweet. Please try them.”

The Ninth Princess was quite obedient; she picked up a shrimp and was about to put it in her mouth when Zhou Wu quickly stopped her.

"Princess, wait a moment. This shrimp needs to have its shell removed."

Zhou Wu picked one up himself and taught everyone how to peel it. Of course, the princes and princesses didn't have to do it themselves; their maids would take the initiative to peel it for their masters.

After peeling the shrimp, there was still a large chunk of shrimp meat left. Dipping it in the sauce on the plate, everyone had a satisfied expression on their face.

"This tastes completely different from the sea hare we just had."

"Father, I prefer this braised prawns."

"Your Majesty, I actually thought that sea hare was more delicious."

Children prefer the rich and flavorful braised shrimp, while the concubines preferred the fresh and sweet sea hare.

"Zhou Wu, what's that dish called?"

Li Tiancheng pointed to the plate in the middle of the round table and asked.

"Your Majesty, this is steamed lobster with garlic."

Zhou Wu originally planned to make steamed lobster with garlic and vermicelli, but unexpectedly, vermicelli didn't exist in this world, so he could only make steamed lobster with garlic.

"It's another lobster, but it's so much bigger than the last one, isn't it?"

"Your Majesty, although the black tiger prawns and this lobster are both lobsters, they are not the same species. The lobster on the table is also a rare delicacy, weighing ten pounds."

"Ten pounds?"

"No wonder it's so big."

Everyone was amazed at how tender and juicy the lobster meat was, and how it could grow to ten pounds – it was simply incredible.

Zhou Wu explained each dish on the table in detail, not only how to cook them, but also gave the royal family a lesson on seafood. Before they knew it, the royal family was captivated by Zhou Wu's extensive knowledge of the ocean and his culinary skills. The Ninth Princess, in particular, was completely in awe of Zhou Wu.

"Your Majesty, there is one last dish. Please allow me to present it."

"Oh, there are other dishes too. Why weren't they served together earlier?"

"Your Majesty, because this dish is somewhat special, in order to ensure the freshness and taste of the ingredients, I need to prepare it on the spot."

"Oh, approved."

Amidst everyone's expectant gazes, Zhou Wu, accompanied by four guards, came up carrying a covered object. From their strained expressions, it was clear that the object was very heavy.

The group placed the heavy object on a large table nearby. When Zhou Wu lifted the cover, everyone was shocked, and even several members of the royal family stood up in surprise.

"Your Majesty, this is a bluefin tuna, the heaviest of the cargo this time, weighing 660 jin."

"My God, there are fish weighing 600 pounds in the world."

Li Tiancheng couldn't help but step forward, wanting to get a closer look at the 600-pound fish. The fish's eyes alone were the size of an adult's fist. He couldn't imagine how Zhou Wu and the others had managed to catch such a large fish.

"Your Majesty, this bluefin tuna is the finest of all sea fish. It is very easy to prepare, yet it brings out the true flavor of the fish."