Chapter 124 The Gourmet Emperor

"The ancestors were right. It is precisely because we must attach importance to agriculture that we must better develop commerce. Only in this way can we reduce the tax burden on the common people. Once the people have enough to eat, they will not think of rebelling," Zhao Huan said calmly.

Xiying was hearing this logic for the first time. As a woman of the ancient era, she did not fully grasp the intricacies of what Zhao Huan was saying, but her intuition told her that he was right.

The next day, Zhao Huan held a grand banquet for his officials at the Zuixian Pavilion as scheduled.

The area around the Zuixian Pavilion was already packed tight. Following Zhao Huan’s instructions, the Imperial Guards maintained order but did not forbid the common people from watching. This made the Imperial Guards nervous; ever since the last assassination attempt on Zhao Huan, they were on edge every time he left the palace.

At the entrance of the Zuixian Pavilion, a giant wok was set up, filled with specially prepared rapeseed oil.

When the time was right, Zhang Erke came down from the pavilion and shouted, "Ignite the fire!"

Attendants who had been waiting nearby immediately threw torches into the pile of firewood beneath the wok. As the dry wood met the flames, a roaring fire erupted. As the fire grew, the rapeseed oil in the iron wok began to heat up, bubbling continuously.

"Oh, it smells so good!" As the oil heated up, it released waves of fragrance. The surrounding onlookers could not help but inhale deeply, their faces filled with satisfaction.

"Behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat go to waste, while out on the road lie the bones of the frozen." That was the sentiment held by many commoners. The people of the Shu region were still struggling to get enough to eat, yet these officials were here feasting and drinking. A restless stir rippled through the crowd.

"Pah!" Someone who could not contain their indignation spat in the direction of the pavilion through the crowd. Fortunately, the Imperial Guards had kept the people far enough away that the spit could not reach the wok. Nevertheless, the mood of the crowd was poor.

Seeing this, Zhang Erke announced to the crowd, "By the Emperor's decree, His Majesty is sharing this joy with the people today. He has ordered the Zuixian Pavilion to host this banquet to treat you all. Please do not be impatient; the delicious food will be ready to eat soon."

"What? There is a share for us too?" This was the only thought in the minds of the commoners. So, the Emperor intended to share his joy with the people! All the dissatisfaction they had previously harbored toward the Emperor vanished instantly. In truth, the common people of the Heavenly Empire are the easiest to satisfy; if you show them even a shred of kindness, they will surely exhaust themselves to repay you tenfold.

As the temperature rose, oil began to splatter. Zhang Erke picked up a massive skimmer with one hand and dumped half a bag of locusts into the boiling oil with the other.

The oil hissed and splashed!

The onlookers were stunned. Was the Emperor actually asking them to eat deep-fried locusts? The crowd erupted again.

"I knew this old Emperor wouldn't be so kind as to treat us to a meal and 'share the joy' with us. Look at this! He's asking us to eat these things—locusts!" one man exclaimed indignantly.

"Exactly. They sit inside eating delicacies, while they make us eat these bugs. His Majesty certainly has a devious plan," another added.

The oil was very hot, and since the locusts were small, they cooked in an instant. Ignoring the murmuring crowd, Zhang Erke scooped the fried locusts out with the skimmer and placed them onto a tray. Attendants immediately sprinkled pre-prepared spices over the insects and began serving them to the onlookers.

"We are supposed to eat this?" Everyone looked bewildered. Even though the locusts were fried, their appearance remained unchanged, and everyone felt a natural resistance to eating such things.

At that moment, Zhao Huan appeared at the window of the top floor. He held a fried locust in his hand, and seeing the expressions of the crowd, he knew they were reluctant.

"My people, this is a great delicacy. Do you not wish to taste it?" Zhao Huan called down to the crowd in a resonant voice.

No one answered, but their meaning was clear: they had no desire to eat them. Zhao Huan sighed inwardly. Sometimes, it is quite difficult to get people to accept something new.

"I will demonstrate for you all to prove that this is edible, and delicious," Zhao Huan paused, then continued, "But you cannot eat too much, as I did not prepare a large quantity of locusts. If each of you gets one, that will be quite enough."

Zhao Huan placed the locust into his mouth. Seeing the Emperor actually eat the locust, the crowd grew hesitant. Eventually, the brave ones among them thought, *If the Emperor has already eaten it, what is there to fear?* They suppressed their psychological discomfort and picked up a locust to eat.

*Hmm? It's crispy and fragrant, oily but not greasy. It's just as Zhao Huan said—these fried locusts really are a rare delicacy!* This was the thought running through the mind of the first person to eat one.

"Hey, you said you weren't going to eat it, right? Then I'll have yours!" the man said to his neighbor. The neighbor, not being a fool, realized how delicious the locusts must be. Seeing the man reach for his share, he quickly grabbed his own and said, "Who said I wasn't going to eat it? I want it!" He immediately popped it into his mouth. *These locusts are way too small, they're not nearly enough to satisfy me!* was the unanimous thought of everyone present.

Seeing the crowd accept the delicious locusts, Zhao Huan smiled and returned to his seat. He said to his officials, "Come, let us eat as well. This is truly a delicacy."

What could the officials say? Although they felt some internal resistance, the Emperor had already eaten, and they could hardly act more fastidious than he was. However, after the first bite, the officials realized they were wrong. The Emperor wasn't forcing them to eat locusts; they were genuinely delicious.

Having tasted the flavor, the officials no longer needed encouragement from Zhao Huan and began to feast. In truth, the locusts were not necessarily extraordinary, but because it was their first time eating them, they felt different from anything they had tasted before, making the experience psychologically even more satisfying.

"Report! Eight-hundred-li emergency dispatch! Report..." Just then, the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from afar, and the voice of a messenger rang out across the distance.