The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Fu Yu entered the private room, and when he first saw Wang Xueli, he thought she looked much older than Liu Yici.

She was dressed in a black casual outfit, which made her complexion appear even darker, and her meticulously styled hair perfectly covered the sides of her cheeks, making her face look small, though her complexion was not great.

Liu Yici sat beside her, wearing a white crew-neck top; as someone who takes great care of herself, she almost seemed to glow white.

In comparison, if Liu Yici hadn’t said she brought her best friend today, Fu Yu would have thought Wang Xueli was at least five or six years older than Liu Yici.

Liu Yici cheerfully made the introductions: ”This is Chef Fu.”

Then she looked at Fu Yu: ”She is my best friend, Wang Xueli.”

Fu Yu greeted Wang Xueli with a smile: ”Hello, Miss Wang.”

Wang Xueli stood up, gave Fu Yu a once-over, and showed a satisfied smile: ”Chef Fu, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve always heard Sister Liu praising your culinary skills. Now that I’ve met you, I completely believe it, that not a word she said was exaggerated!”

Fu Yu: ”?”

Did he really have such a master chef vibe?

The waiter had already placed all the dishes on the table.

Fu Yu started promoting these medicinal dishes with a hint of showmanship.

”Having heard about your situation from Sister Liu, I’ve specially selected dishes with the main effects of boosting energy and blood, and improving skin and beauty.”

Upon hearing that these dishes mainly served to replenish qi and blood and were good for beauty and skincare,

not only did Wang Xueli’s eyes light up, but Liu Yici also showed an interested expression.

Fu Yu was determined to secure Wang Xueli as a long-term major client, so he was exceptionally dedicated in promoting this table of medicinal cuisine.

”Take this Pearls with Oyster Mushrooms dish, for instance. Its main effects are to nourish and activate blood, clear the liver and reduce heat, and improve skin and remove spots. It’s especially effective for liver qi stagnation and blood stasis type skin pigmentation, dark spots, acne, etc.”

Wang Xueli instinctively touched her face.

She originally had oily skin and had been troubled by acne. Plus, she suffered from nutritional imbalance due to excessive dieting, which rendered her skin terribly bad.

The dish Fu Yu introduced was practically a perfect remedy for her.

”And this Braised Bamboo Shoots with Sea Cucumber, a medicated dish specializing in enhancing skin and beauty.”

”This bowl of Ginseng, Jujube and Astragalus Essence Porridge is a medicinal recipe for boosting energy and vitality, using the finest herbs. Traditional Chinese medicine believes the spleen and stomach to be the postnatal foundation and the source of biochemistry for energy and blood. Consumed continuously for more than 15 days, its effects become noticeable.”

Wang Xueli and Liu Yici simultaneously looked at the bowl of steaming Ginseng, Jujube and Astragalus Essence Porridge, as it brimmed with essence!

”This Sweet Wormwood and Peach Flower Turtle Soup, using sweet wormwood, fresh peach blossoms, and astragalus boiled into a soup, is later simmered with the turtle in a clay pot and adjusted with authentic wild honey. It also requires more than 15 days of continuous consumption. This recipe nourishes yin, beautifies, and enriches the blood, rejuvenating a woman’s complexion.”

Wang Xueli pursed her lips—can it really rejuvenate the complexion?!

No matter what, she needed to drink a bowl first.

Fu Yu continued: ”And this Eight Treasures Cake, it’s a medicated pastry specifically consumed by Empress Dowager Cixi in her later years. Its inventor, the Ming Dynasty imperial physician Chen Shigong, claimed through personal experience: consume for a hundred days, and you’ll experience lightness and delay aging. Moreover, for young women, Eight Treasures Cake can eliminate spots and acne, improve complexion, and make the skin shiny and delicate, delivering remarkable results.”

”Is this Eight Treasures Cake really something Cixi ate?”

Liu Yici looked interestedly at the elaborately shaped pastry in front of her.

Fu Yu nodded seriously: ”Indeed, the Eight Treasures Cake is a traditional herbal product, divided into ’Male Eight Treasures’ and ’Female Eight Treasures.’ The one I’ve made is the ’Female Eight Treasures.’

”It’s well-known that Qianlong was a highly learned person who valued health preservation. The Eight Treasures Cake he used for daily maintenance was actually a little herb bonus. The basic formula includes poria, white hyacinth bean, lotus seeds, coix, Huai mountain yam, and euryale seeds. Qianlong’s youthful Eight Treasures Cake also included hawthorn and malt to aid digestion and resolve accumulation. In old age, these were replaced with ginseng and codonopsis to strengthen the body.”

”And this ’Female Eight Treasures’ was derived from Qianlong’s ’Male Eight Treasures,’ tailored specifically as a healthcare delicacy for Empress Dowager Cixi.”

Upon hearing that the Eight Treasures Cake was something Cixi and Qianlong consumed, Wang Xueli and Liu Yici were eager to try it.

At this moment, Fu Yu went on to say, ”Actually, dietary supplements are more effective than medicinal supplements; after all, medicine carries toxicity. The effects seen then are superficial; in reality, toxins have long accumulated in the body, inflicting damage over the years.”

Wang Xueli and Liu Yici nodded their agreement.

Fu Yu earnestly added, ”To truly nourish the body, the most crucial thing is to well-nourish the essence, qi, and spirit.”

”In ’The New Book on Longevity and Elderly Care,’ there’s a saying: ’People live by the qi, and the qi is sustained by the spirit. One gains the way by maintaining the spirit and qi.’”

”The book also summarizes some experiences of ancient people in qi nourishment: firstly, speak less to nurture qi and blood; secondly, restrain sexual desire to nurture essence and energy; thirdly, reduce rich flavors to nurture qi and blood; fourthly, swallow saliva to nurture organs and energy; fifthly, avoid anger to nurture liver energy; sixthly, enjoy food and drink to nurture stomach energy; seventhly, think less to nurture heart energy.”

”These seven points emphasize ’cautious nourishment.’ But since qi circulates throughout the body and is constantly moving, the body also needs appropriate exercise to promote the ascension and descent of visceral qi. This helps maintain the normal physiological functions of the body.”

Wang Xueli: ”!”

Oh my God!

What profound knowledge!

Such high-level insights!

Although she didn’t quite understand everything, it really made sense!

Truly a professional!

This is different!

After Fu Yu finished speaking, seeing Wang Xueli and Liu Yici’s attitudes and reactions, he felt reassured.

”This meal includes basic medicated dishes, soup, porridge, main course, and side dishes. You can taste a little first, and if there’s anything you dislike or are dissatisfied with, I can make appropriate adjustments.”

Wang Xueli nodded repeatedly: ”This is enough; it’s great already.”

”Then, take your time. I’ll go back to my work.”

Fu Yu retreated successfully.

The waiter considerately closed the private room door from outside.

Wang Xueli turned and looked at Liu Yici in surprise: ”Sis, you’re so considerate! You’ve brought me such a great chef without holding back!”

Liu Yici: ”...”

Wang Xueli picked up her chopsticks, eager to try the Eight Treasures Cake.

This was something Cixi ate often; she had to taste it first!

”Wait a minute!”

Wang Xueli paused, surprised and asked, ”What’s wrong?”

Liu Yici pulled out her phone, saying, ”Wait a moment before eating, let me take a photo first!”

Wang Xueli was suddenly enlightened, quickly putting down her chopsticks and laughingly said, ”Oops! I was so focused on eating that I forgot!”

The two of them picked up their phones and snapped pictures of the various medicinal dishes on the table.