The dish in the plate was white, cut into large pieces, appearing freshly made, with a faint warmth rising from its surface. Judging by the way it was to be eaten, one should take a piece, dip it into the sauce dish beside it, and then eat it.
The eunuch who had come to report said, "Master Li Ni said that this dish is called 'doushu,' and Master Li Ni made it today. After he tasted it, he presented it to the king. Master Li Ni also said that there are many ways to make tofu, but it is not suitable now. This doushu is slightly more appropriate."
The bean curd jelly that Master Li Ni sent to Ying Zheng is different from the bean curd, although both are soy products and have similar methods of preparation.
This was something he had spent several days making, and of course, that time was not solely for the act of making bean curd; it also included the time spent on making the tools, and it was not something he was engaged in continuously.
Bean curd jelly, or tofu, is said to have been created by King Liu An of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, according to some historical records. This king was a plotter against the Emperor Wu and committed suicide after being caught. In the TV series "The Great Emperor," he was captured by the young horseback rider Huo Qubai.
According to the legend, King Liu An's mother enjoyed eating soybeans. One day, she was ill and could not eat whole soybeans. Therefore, King Liu An had them ground into powder. He worried that the powder was too dry, so he added some water and boiled it into a bean milk. He then put in some salt to add flavor and inadvertently made it into a blocky substance known as "doushu," which translates to "bean curd jelly" or "bean curd."
King Liu An's mother was delighted after eating it, and her illness improved, so the tofu spread and has been passed down ever since.
In this era, soybeans and other legumes were called "shu," and "shuofan" was a meal made from legumes, which was one of the common staple foods among the low-status and poor families.
The purpose of Master Li Ni making tofu was mainly to meet his own living needs. After all, he always wants to find a way to make himself more comfortable in this era, doesn't he?
Looking at the plate of bean curd, Ying Zheng said to Meng Yi who stood by his side, "I am devoting all my efforts to state affairs, and this young fellow is busy with food. I wonder if he knows about my troubles?"
Although the words were in reprimand, Meng Yi did not perceive any dissatisfaction from Ying Zheng's tone. He looked at the small green onion and bean curd dish and said, "Master Li Ni is doing this to ease the king's worries."
Ying Zheng said upon hearing this, "Alright, let me taste what this green onion bean curd is like."
Picking up the chopsticks from the tray, Ying Zheng picked up a piece of what was called "tofu." To his surprise, the "tofu" was spoiled; it was so soft and easily broken.
Aware of the tenderness and fragility of the "tofu," Ying Zheng exerted more effort and tried to pick up another piece. This time, it was successful, and he placed the "tofu" into the sauce dish to be dipped, then put it into his mouth. An unusual taste immediately surged into his taste buds.
It was light, smooth, yet mixed with the spicy flavor of the dipping sauce. It gave Ying Zheng an experience he had never tasted before. He could taste that it was made from soybeans, but it had a taste different from that of soybeans. However, he always felt that the taste of this dish was not complete enough.
Ying Zheng thought it over and realized that it must be the absence of some later inventions that caused this dish, though it could be made, had not reached the flavor that it should have in later times.
At this time, he also knew what the other dish on the tray was. It was a sauce made by Wu Yu, which included some ingredients such as scallions and ginger, to enhance the delicate and smooth taste of the "bean curd."
After taking a bite of the "tofu," Ying Zheng didn't immediately continue. He threw the few scrolls of bamboo slips he had just seen to Meng Yi, "Meng Yin, please have a look. After you're done, share your thoughts with me!"
Due to the relationship with Li Ni, Meng Yi's status beside Ying Zheng was higher than that in the original history. This is because Li Ni's identity as a visitor from a later era was known to only a few people. The others were either eunuchs, guards, or palace attendants; only Meng Yi was a minister.
In the meantime, when Ying Zheng did not want to reveal Li Ni's identity as a later-coming visitor, he could only discuss and explore matters with Meng Yi. It would not be appropriate to ask the eunuchs or palace attendants for advice on how to govern the country.
Meng Yi took the bamboo slips. These bamboo slips were the ones he had delivered to the palace today and given to Ying Zheng. However, he had not read their contents before, and this was his first time doing so.
Opening the first scroll, upon reading the recorded words on it, Meng Yi quickly understood Ying Zheng's purpose in asking him to look at the bamboo slips.
During this time, he listened to Li Ni's explanations with Ying Zheng and gained a lot of knowledge. He found some of the things Li Ni spoke about to be quite reasonable.
Meng Yi was looking at the bamboo slips, while Ying Zheng took up the chopsticks to continue eating the bean curd. However, with his other hand, he picked up a scroll sent by Li Ni to read.
As he had expected, the scroll contained the method for making tofu. It had a single purpose, to find an opportunity to spread this tofu-making method throughout the kingdom.
'This young fellow is quite considerate. This dish made from soybeans is much easier to swallow than the soybean porridge, and this method must be able to spread throughout the kingdom. The person who made it will be remembered by all. This young fellow didn't hesitate at all and directly presented it to me, not worried that I would take credit for it?'
Ying Zheng was eating and reading the method of making tofu at the same time. Although he didn't cook, he could tell that making tofu was quite simple and that its flavor was better than soybean porridge. This would surely be loved by people all over the world. How much reputation would the person who "created" this method of making tofu gain?
"Perhaps this young fellow never thought about it at all. He just thought that presenting it would make it better for people to eat, so he brought it out. Maybe he thought it was unimportant, just a food preparation, nothing more than that. He has so much more like that."
"But regardless of his intention, I would never claim credit for your accomplishments."
Ying Zheng could see the benefits of spreading the tofu-making method in his name, which would help remove some of the fear and hatred people have towards him, gain some love and adoration, but he would not do so.
Putting down the scroll with the tofu-making method, Ying Zheng picked up another scroll. The previous scroll contained the method for making tofu; what would this scroll contain?
Upon flipping through it, Ying Zheng furrowed his brow. The bamboo slip wrote about one thing: he should not execute all of the eunuchs and attendants who had been involved in the production of "the elixir of immortality." Instead, they should be left alive.
In the bamboo slips, Li Ni mentioned some terms that were not easy to understand, such as "science" and "chemistry," but overall, Ying Zheng understood the general meaning. The eunuchs could indeed create the elixir of immortality, which was a hoax. However, they could create other things that would be of significant help to the Grand Qin state.
The bamboo slips listed several benefits, but the one that most attracted Ying Zheng was: it could enhance the military strength of the Great Qin state, and the reason why the military in later times was powerful was due to the development of gunpowder.
With the current army of the Great Qin state, it is difficult to maintain control over the seven countries. He wants to occupy more land and even territories beyond the nine provinces, making the Great Qin state the first solar empire in Chinese history.
Therefore, if the number of troops cannot be changed, then we can only increase the fighting strength of the troops themselves. Originally, it took a thousand Qin troops to occupy a place, but now only one hundred Qin troops are needed. Naturally, we can occupy nine more places.
Initially, Ying Zheng had intended to kill all the alchemists after the chickens and rats that had ingested the substances they had concocted died, in order to vent his anger over being deceived. However, after seeing the bamboo slips presented by Li Ni, he decided to change his mind and not kill any of the alchemists except for Hou Sheng, Lu Sheng, and Xu Fu.
'Alright, then let them live!'
