Chapter 85: Irresistible
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, “Honorable ministers of the Ministry of Rites... the God of Cuisine Competition gathers all the chefs from across the land. Every delicacy imaginable is here before us. You must taste and select carefully, and finally determine who shall be named the God of Cuisine!”
“As you command!”
Dishes were brought to the table one after another.
The dozen or so officials from the Ministry of Rites responsible for judging sampled each dish, rinsed their mouths with clear water, and then continued tasting the rest. This was to ensure their palates remained unbiased.
“Master, what ingredients did you use?” Cheng Chubi pulled Li Zhi aside.
Up until now, he still hadn’t detected any trace of earth.
“Heh heh! I’m not telling you!”
“Master... please tell me. I’m your only disciple!”
“Hmph!”
Li Zhi curled his lips.
Trying to pry information out of me? Maybe in your next life.
Li Lizhi, too, was extremely curious. “Brother Zhi, I’ve been learning from you for so long, yet I still don’t know what this thing called chocolate is. When Lord Wen brought the plate over just now, I could smell it from afar—it was delicious!”
“So what is it made of?”
...
Both Cheng Chubi and Li Lizhi were keenly interested in the ingredients for the chocolate, determined not to let the matter rest until they found out.
Li Zhi was exasperated. “Do you really have to know?”
“Just tell us!”
“Fine! I can tell you. But... until the God of Cuisine is officially named, you mustn’t spread the word. Otherwise, I won’t teach you another thing about cooking!” Li Zhi said sternly.
Both nodded in agreement.
Li Zhi leaned in close and whispered, “I’ll tell you... the main ingredient in chocolate is the yellow clay from the Nan Ni tribe! I asked Li Nan for some, and it finally came in handy!”
“What!”
Both of them stared in shock, mouths agape.
“Master, are you serious?”
“What would I lie to you for?”
Clay—edible?
And used in a competition, no less!
Cheng Chubi shut his eyes, clenched his fists, and said with composure, “Master, is it too late to regret? I want to enter the God of Cuisine Competition!”
“Get lost!” Li Zhi kicked him squarely in the backside.
“Brother Zhi, you’re terrible... If I’d known you were using clay as an ingredient, I never would have backed out of the contest—maybe I’d be the God of Cuisine now!”
“I don’t care, I want to compete!” Li Lizhi was on the verge of tears.
She ran toward Li Shimin.
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She intended to request for another round.
“Get back here!” Li Zhi grabbed her. “If you stir up trouble again, I’ll never teach you to cook again. And you, you rascal, dare show off to your master?”
“Boo hoo... all right!” Cheng Chubi gave up.
He went to his father, Cheng Yaojin, and told him what happened.
Cheng Yaojin had just eaten a piece of chocolate and was savoring it happily. Upon hearing that the main ingredient was clay, he nearly gagged.
“Swallow it, swallow it...” Li Zhi, oblivious to decorum, lunged at Cheng Yaojin and clapped a hand over his mouth. At such a moment, the truth absolutely could not come out.
“Ahem... Your Highness, you’ve done me a great disservice! I trusted you—I even ate a big piece of chocolate. If I’d known it was made of clay, I’d never have touched it!” Cheng Yaojin grumbled angrily.
Just then, Wen Daya announced, “After our assessment, the Ministry of Rites has determined that the winner of this God of Cuisine Competition is... the Ninth Prince, Li Zhi!”
“He shall receive the official title of God of Cuisine from the court, as well as a reward of fifty thousand coins!”
Li Zhi hurried onto the stage to accept his prize.
At just three years old, with his small stature, his appearance on the stage naturally roused the discontent of the other chefs.
“Hmph!”
“What kind of God of Cuisine Competition is this? There’s no fairness at all!”
“Wasn’t the winner decided beforehand?”
...
Rather than suspecting the Ministry of Rites of partiality, it was more that they couldn’t accept being bested by a three-year-old child. After all, anyone who made it here was no ordinary cook.
“Silence!” Wen Daya snapped. “The Ministry of Rites has always been impartial and upright, never engaging in deception. Your commotion is an insult to our integrity!”
Intimidated by Wen Daya’s sternness, everyone fell silent.
Li Zhi strode to the front of the stage and declared boldly, “My dish—there should still be some left. If anyone doubts my victory, you’re welcome to try it yourselves and see if I deserve the title!”
At Li Zhi’s signal, a palace maid brought down the remaining half-plate of chocolate.
After tasting it, everyone was full of praise.
“To think the Ninth Prince possesses such culinary skills—it puts us all to shame!”
“No one but His Highness deserves the title of God of Cuisine!” Though they were reluctant to admit it, the chocolate was simply exquisite.
“Thank you all for your recognition. You must keep working hard! I hope that next time, one of you will earn the title of God of Cuisine!” Li Zhi said with a sheepish grin.
A wave of excited shouts rose from the crowd.
In the distance.
Cheng Yaojin was nearly sick with disgust. “If they ever find out the chocolate was made from clay, they’ll probably die of rage!”
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“Father, did His Highness trick us?” Cheng Chubi recalled how Li Zhi had repeatedly stopped him from entering the contest recently.
It seemed Li Zhi had already decided on using clay as his ingredient.
If he had competed, he might well have taken the title himself.
“Obviously!” Cheng Yaojin sighed. “That little rascal is deeper than the sea—even I fell into his trap!”
“Hmph!” Li Lizhi sat on the ground in a huff. “Just wait until the contest is over—then I’ll settle the score with him!”
...
...
Li Zhi received his fifty thousand coin reward and the title of God of Cuisine.
The system also issued a reward: “Congratulations, host. You have completed the main task, received the title of God of Cuisine, and your culinary mastery has reached twenty percent!”
Li Zhi checked his status screen.
Host: Li Zhi
Gender: Male
Age: 3 years
Martial Strength: 15
Intellect: 129 (Sage state)
Speed: 41
Politics: 66
Charisma: 72
System Function: Infinite Healing
Title: God of Cuisine (culinary mastery increased by 20%)
...
After the title of King of Chefs comes God of Cuisine, and his culinary mastery had reached a terrifying twenty percent. From now on, whatever dish he made, as long as he used the title to enhance it, it would become even more delicious.
“Zhi’er, you truly haven’t let your Imperial Father down!” Li Shimin smiled, patting Li Zhi’s little head. “I really wish I could peek inside your mind—how can you be so clever?”
“Ah? Father, you’re not planning to open up my head, are you?” Li Zhi feigned alarm.
“Hahaha...” Li Shimin laughed. “I’m only joking. From now on, you must work even harder. Not only must your culinary skills improve, but your studies mustn’t fall behind!”
“Yes, sir!”
Li Zhi gave a comical military salute.
The contest ended.
Everyone gradually dispersed.
Still curious, Li Shimin took Li Zhi to the imperial study and asked, “Zhi’er, what exactly did you use to make your chocolate? How could it be so delicious? There’s no one else here—can you tell your father?”