Zi Shou personally dismantled a bronze pillar and carried it over to the wine pool.
The ministers frowned slightly. Why show off his strength now? There were no rebels here. Could he possibly smash them all to death with that pillar?
Zi Shou remained oblivious. He laid the bronze pillar flat on the ground and instructed Yin Pobai and the others, "Coat it with grease, then burn charcoal beneath it."
Yin Pobai and the others covered the pillar in grease, placed charcoal stands at both ends, and lit the fires to heat it.
None of the officials understood what he was doing.
Smiling, Zi Shou told You Hun, "Bring the meat."
Several carts of meat were then brought over, the slices already threaded onto sharpened bamboo skewers.
By then, the bronze pillar was scorching hot. It conducted heat remarkably well.
Zi Shou picked up a few skewers and laid them on the pillar. As the bright red meat touched the hot, greasy bronze, it shrank and curled slightly, slowly turning golden brown as fat seeped out and danced on its surface.
After a good while, once the meat was cooked, Zi Shou lifted off the steaming skewers, sprinkled them with salt, and took a bite. A tender, smooth texture, soft without being mushy, burst across his tongue. The meat had a crisp bite, with a little springy chewiness.
Zi Shou picked up a skewer and handed it to Shang Rong. "This is a method of roasting meat on a bronze pillar. I call it Pao Luo. I thought of it after watching ants tumble into a sea of flames when a burning tree fell. Minister Shang, as the foremost of my officials, you may taste it first."
Cooking food on heated stones was the oldest method of "roasting grain on