Chapter 17: Spicy Diced Chicken

Liu Li originally planned to do the cooking herself, but when she stood there, the stove was higher than her. There was no way, she could only stand on a platform and direct the palace maids to prepare the ingredients.

Garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns were already available in the Han Dynasty. The sugar in the Han Dynasty was not cane sugar, but maltose and honey, so for now, they could only use this as a substitute for white sugar.

After all the auxiliary ingredients were prepared, Liu Li put her hands on her hips and directed the palace maids in the kitchen to follow the steps. The other two palace maids were not idle either, one was adding firewood in the back, and the other was processing the chicken pieces.

The sizzling oil exploded in the pot. First, the prepared dry ingredients were fried in the oil. The meaty smell of the animal oil accompanied by the fragrance of the ingredients immediately came out. For a time, the entire room was filled with the spicy taste of sharp peppers, making people cough.

Liu Li hurriedly signaled the palace maid to open the windows of the kitchen so that the spicy smell could dissipate.

At this time, the chicken meat had also been boiled in hot water and washed clean. Putting these chicken pieces into the oil pan, after a while, the spicy smell that originally filled the air was covered by the meaty fragrance of the chicken.

Outside the kitchen, the palace maids who were attracted by the original spicy smell gathered together. Smelling this burst of meaty fragrance, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva. What kind of smell was this? It was too fragrant.

"What are they doing in the room?"

"I don't know, His Majesty and the Princess came over earlier, I don't know what they are doing."

"So fragrant, I have never smelled such a smell in my life." After saying that, she swallowed the saliva secreted in her mouth.

The fragrance coming from the kitchen had already attracted many palace maids to gather around. Although everyone was curious about what was being done in the kitchen, they didn't dare to enter rashly, after all, His Majesty and the Princess were both inside.

Huo Qubing avoided the patrolling guards around and slipped into the Jiaofang Hall. Because he didn't know the structure of the Jiaofang Hall very well, he ran around like a headless fly, and finally found that the palace maids here were all walking toward the back, so he followed them quietly.

Before he got close to the kitchen, he also smelled this fragrance that he couldn't name, but would make him drool.

This fragrance was a bit like the smell of wild chicken he caught in the fields with his uncle when he was a child. But the roasting back then wasn't as fragrant as this. Thinking this way, he swallowed his saliva again.

Huo Qubing was lost in thought when the back of his head was tapped. He turned his head abruptly to look at the person who came, was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly bowed: "Emp, Empress."

Liu Che was naturally attracted by the excitement outside.

Listening to the palace maids discussing that the Son of Heaven and the Princess were making delicious food, he just felt curious, so he came out to see what was going on. But he didn't expect to meet Huo Qubing, who was crouching in the corner, on the way.

Liu Che raised his eyebrows lightly: "Qubing, why are you in the Jiaofang Hall?"

Facing this question, Huo Qubing ignored the intimate address of the "Empress" to him. He couldn't answer for a while. He couldn't say he was here to steal a slingshot.

He scratched his head awkwardly, a flash of inspiration, and said: "I was attracted by this fragrance, I smelled this fragrance outside the hall."

"Oh?" Liu Che responded lightly, without asking any more questions. He obviously didn't believe Huo Qubing's lame statement, but he didn't expose him, just said: "Since that's the case, then follow me... follow me to see what exactly is being done."

Huo Qubing was stunned again, wondering in his heart, this Empress, who was vicious in his mother's mouth and had even kidnapped his uncle, didn't seem as bad as they said.

"Still not leaving?" Liu Che saw Huo Qubing still standing in place and reminded him.

Huo Qubing came back to his senses, lowered his head and replied: "Nuo."

In the kitchen, Liu Li actually saw peanuts in the corner, which was an unexpected surprise. She hurriedly asked the palace maid to shell and wash the peanuts.

It happened that at this time, the spicy diced chicken in the oil pan was out of the pan, and there was a little chili oil left. Liu Li asked the palace maid to pour the washed peanuts into the pot, and then stir-fry and deep-fry them constantly.

After a while, the originally white peanuts turned golden, and they smelled fragrant and crispy.

Liu Li picked up a peanut with chopsticks, blew it cool, and sent it to A Jiao: "Father Emperor, come and taste it."

A Jiao was

standing on the side, witnessing her daughter directing the palace maids to make this dish, and she was the first to smell the fragrance among everyone.

She opened her mouth and ate the peanut fed by her daughter, only feeling that the taste was crispy, and there was a numbing feeling, as if a fire was burning in her mouth.

This was a taste she couldn't describe, very novel.

Liu Li also tasted a peanut herself. The spicy taste was there, but it seemed to lack a bit of saltiness. She asked the palace maid to add some salt to the peanuts, and then poured the spicy diced chicken she had just made into the pot, and stir-fried the spicy diced chicken and peanuts together.

After the spicy diced chicken and peanuts were plated together, Liu Li sniffed the smell specially, swallowed her saliva, and handed the chopsticks to A Jiao: "The spicy diced chicken is done, Father Emperor, come and taste it."

This chicken meat looked golden, and the surface was still oily, which looked very appetizing. A Jiao was not polite, took the chopsticks from her daughter's hand, picked up a piece of chicken, and tasted it.

Liu Li looked at her expectantly: "Is it delicious?"

A Jiao gasped while eating: "Why does it feel fiery, like the taste of the small hot pot before, but it's delicious." She never knew that dry chicken meat could be made so fragrant.

Liu Li also tasted a piece herself. Because there was no cooking wine, the taste of this spicy diced chicken was still a bit different from the modern taste, but she didn't pick it, at least there was something to eat.

When Liu Che entered the kitchen, he saw A Jiao and Liu Li standing by the stove eating something. He only smelled the fragrance, but couldn't see what they were eating, so he couldn't help but cough.

This cough attracted the eyes of A Jiao and Liu Li. Liu Che walked over in big strides: "What are you doing?" He looked at the golden chicken meat on the stove, and his eyes lit up slightly.

"What is this?"

Liu Li deliberately didn't answer, but directed the palace maid: "Send this to the middle hall."

The palace maid responded, put the spicy diced chicken into the food box, and then carried the food box away from the kitchen. Afterward, Liu Li jumped down from the platform, bounced to Liu Che's side, and said with a smile: "Wait until we get to the middle hall, I will tell Mother Empress."

While speaking, Liu Li saw Huo Qubing following Liu Che, and she was surprised: "Hey, why are you here?"

A Jiao walked over from behind and naturally saw Huo Qubing. She frowned slightly: "Huo Qubing?" A Jiao had seen Huo Qubing before, because Liu Che seemed to like this child very much and allowed him to enter the palace frequently.

Huo Qubing didn't expect the Son of Heaven to be in this small kitchen, so he hurriedly bowed: "This little person pays respects to Your Majesty."

Why did Wei Zifu's nephew come to her Jiaofang Hall? A Jiao was puzzled, but didn't make things difficult for Huo Qubing, just waved her hand to let him be exempt from the ceremony.

Liu Che's mind had already followed the food box just now, he said: "Let's go to the middle hall together."

The Emperor and Empress walked out together, Liu Li followed behind her parents. When she walked to Huo Qubing's side, she stopped and asked in a low voice: "Are you here to ask me for the slingshot?"

Huo Qubing scratched his itchy ear, stretched out his hand to Liu Li, his expression pretending to be fierce: "Give me back the slingshot."

"You apologize to me first, and I will give you back the slingshot." Liu Li felt that she just wanted an apology, and this request was not excessive at all.

The boy pursed his lips tightly and stood stubbornly in place.

Seeing him like this, Liu Li just felt it was fun: "You don't want to apologize, is it because you feel you are not wrong?" He was really a child's temper.

As if he had been guessed, he looked at the little girl in front of him, not knowing what to say to refute for a while. He did feel that... he didn't seem to be wrong.

Liu Li tutted and walked past him: "Let's go to the middle hall together."

In the middle hall, the palace servants divided the large plate of spicy diced chicken into four portions and placed them on the masters' desks. Liu Li had already tasted the taste in the kitchen just now. Seeing Liu Che start to use his chopsticks, she waited for him to finish a piece and asked with a smile: "Mother Empress, how does it taste?"

This was a taste Liu Che had never eaten before. The chicken was crispy and fragrant, much better than the boiled one before. Especially at this time, the chicken pieces eaten into the mouth also carried a fiery pain, which was very satisfying. He wanted to eat another piece after eating one.

Liu Che praised:

"How did the kitchen make this unique taste?"

Liu Li said: "Because chili peppers were added here, this unique taste is the spicy taste."

"What is a chili pepper?" Liu Che was puzzled.

Liu Li picked up the sharp pepper in the plate and said: "It's this red one."

"Is this a chili pepper?" Liu Che had never seen this thing. He guessed that this chili pepper should also be bestowed upon his daughter by the Goddess.

Liu Li nodded, before she could speak, she noticed Huo Qubing on the side pick up the sharp pepper in the plate and send it directly into his mouth, chewing twice.

Liu Li looked at his behavior and was dumbfounded, secretly thinking that he was worthy of being the future General of the Cavalry, eating sharp peppers dry, he was a ruthless person!

As a result, in the next second, Huo Qubing directly flushed his face, spat out the remaining sharp pepper in his mouth, covered his mouth and made a "sizzle" gasping sound, and finally hurt so much that he lay on the ground.

Seeing Huo Qubing like this, Liu Che was stunned and hurriedly got up to care: "What happened to Qubing?"

Huo Qubing covered his throat, only feeling that breathing was difficult, and pointed his trembling hand to the plate of spicy diced chicken: "Poisonous..."

He should be poisoned, otherwise why would his mouth be so painful, so painful that he wanted to shed tears! (╥╯^╰╥)

Liu Che heard that it was poisonous, his face changed greatly. Before he could think about who poisoned it, he heard his daughter's laughter.

Liu Li couldn't stop laughing, holding her stomach and laughing: "Hahahaha, laugh to death! Who told you to eat sharp peppers dry?" In the end, her stomach hurt from laughing, and she fell to the ground like Huo Qubing, the difference was that she was holding her stomach.

Seeing Huo Qubing like this, A Jiao was nervous: "A Li, what's wrong with you?"

Liu Li waved her hand while laughing: "Ouch, I'm fine, I just think it's funny, hahahahaha, my mother..."

Huo Qubing, who was slightly adapted on the side, felt that he was laughed at: "..." **Chapter 18: Bear Child**