At the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, Wang Da arrived early with his men.
"Oh my, isn't this Master Wang? Why have you come back?" The steward of the kitchen hurried over to welcome him.
Wang Da had slimmed down considerably, though he was still chubby. Smiling, he replied, "You work in this yamen, yet your news is this slow? You didn't know His Excellency has already returned to the capital?"
"So His Excellency is coming to the yamen for a meal today?"
"His Excellency and Minister Hu are close friends. Having returned to the capital and met His Majesty, of course he'll be seeing Minister Hu next. All right, this is none of your concern. Clear out the space for me, and nobody touch anything carelessly. You know the situation too—quite a few people in this kitchen have died with their whole families."
The steward kept smiling placidly. "How could I not know? Tell me, His Excellency is such a good man, yet so many people still rack their brains trying to harm him. It's simply outrageous."
"Isn't that so?"
With a long sigh, Wang Da led his men into work, carefully preparing all manner of ingredients. Braised dishes had to be dealt with well in advance, while dishes requiring stock needed the broth prepared beforehand. Everything was done with utmost precision.
Wang Da was a naturally gifted man. In just a few short years, his already impressive culinary skills had risen to the level of making cooking into an art...
By noon, Wang Yan, having left the Grand Secretariat, arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture yamen and met the long-unseen Hu Zongxian. The two once again ate in the main hall of the Shuntian Prefecture yamen.
Wang Yan said with some disdain, "Your skills have gotten a little rusty."
"His Excellency