On the banks of the meandering stream, the tall trees are lush.

Under the shade of the leaves, several large and thick chuck tenon-foot nanmu banquet tables are placed together.

The guests and hosts sat on the silk mattress behind the table, in order: the host Wang Xu, the guests Zhao Ji, Huang Tingjian, Yan Jidao, Li Gefei, Su Yu, Zeng Wei, Yuwen Huang Zhong.

The two female guests, Zhang, the leading female official of the Shangyi Bureau in the palace, and Li Gefei's 12-year-old daughter Li Qingzhao sat on the Luohan couch a little further away from the men, and the wooden couch was half surrounded by a brocade tent with an apricot yellow dogwood pattern.

In the central space enclosed by the banquet table for the male guests, there was a right-angled lotus-foot table that was a few points lower, and a copper basin two feet wide was placed on it.

Wang Xu's concubine, Li Shuyue, first checked whether the snow-like incense ash in the copper basin was crushed and smoothed, and then called the maid to hand over a wooden model with complex lines.

Li placed the wooden fan on the incense ash, and then used a slender golden spoon to pick up the balm in the wooden box held by the maidservant little by little, carefully and meticulously filled the gaps in the wooden fan, filled a layer of compacting, and then filled another layer. After repeated three or four times, the balm was finally filled into the wooden fan, and the bottom should be firmly glued to the incense ash in the copper basin.

Then, Li's jade fingers were lightly twisted, and the wooden fan was slowly lifted with skill, but under the copper basin, the balm suddenly formed a pattern of stretching mountains and peaks.

This is the favorite item of the Song Dynasty family when they feast and drink distinguished guests-playing incense seals.

Today's visitors are all distinguished guests, so Wang Shu ordered the highest-ranking concubine in the mansion to come to play incense in person.

Li lit the fire and ignited one end of the incense seal, and after a while, the guests present smelled a fragrance that was both sweet and tranquil with citrus sweetness.

Yao Huan and her aunt stood a little farther away, worshipping the autumn breeze, and they also smelled this good smell.

"Just now, when you were still barbecuing meat in the pit, I came to Zhang Luo to eat snacks and soup, and I heard that today's balm was given by Mr. Lu Zhi. Oh, the one sitting next to Su Erlang is Mr. Lu Zhi. Shen Fuzhi whispered to Yao Huan.

"Lu Zhi" is Huang Tingjian's word.

This later recognized member of the top position of the Northern Song Dynasty literati circle, was also a victim of the old and new party disputes since Wang Anshi's reform. Especially in the "Wutai Poetry Case", because he was one of the four scholars of Sumen, he naturally did not escape the encirclement and suppression of several imperial history swordsmen. It's just that at that time, whether it was the Shenzong who reused the New Party, or Wang Anshi, the leader of the New Party, they were not considered irrational rulers, not to mention that the virtuous Empress Dowager Cao was still alive, and even the first offender Su Shi could save his life and be exiled to Huangzhou, and Huang Tingjian's punishment was not too serious.

Now in the second year of Shaosheng, Zhao Xu, a petty official, has just become pro-government, and although the New Party's counterattack has obvious momentum, Huang Tingjian has not been affected much because he is a governor in other places. After a little leisure before the autumn harvest, he took leave and returned to Beijing to visit old friends, just in time for Wang Xu's Xiyuan Yaji.

Among these guests, only Huang Tingjian was also the guest of honor at the West Garden Gathering during the Yuan You period. Before the banquet, he sent a servant with great interest to give Wang Shu a homemade ointment, and asked him to light up the banquet to help the fun.

Yao Huan, who is familiar with the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, of course, knows that although Huang Tingjian has a bumpy road to politics, he has made extraordinary achievements in literature and art, not only with outstanding poetry and calligraphy, but also as a veritable "incense idiot".

As early as more than ten years ago, Huang Tingjian, who was only in his thirties, wrote the "Prescription Post", which recorded in detail the recipe for making "baby incense".

"Infant incense" did not originate in the Song Dynasty. Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, the name of "baby incense" was recorded. Huang Tingjian didn't like the cruelty of the traditional baby incense recipe, so he improved it, took the smell of Qingyuan Jiaoshen, and removed the smell of sandalwood, so that when the synthesized incense pills were burned, the smell was much more elegant.

However, even a layman like Yao Huan can smell that the incense paste used to beat incense seals today is hot and plum-scented, so it should not be baby incense.

Sure enough, Huang Tingjian, who was dressed in gray silk yarn, said: "Revisiting the old place, it is inevitable to recall the situation during the Yuan You period. When Mr. Su was in the past, he loved a strong plum fragrance in the house of Han Weigong (that is, Han Qi, the famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty). Zhongyu, your father knew that I had a habit of incense, but he didn't tell me when he got a recipe with a strong plum fragrance, it must be because I laughed at his writing, which was flat and fat, like a stone pressing a toad. ”

On the left side of Huang Tingjian, Li Gefei, one of the four scholars after Su Men, sits, and on the right is Su Shi's second son, Su Yu and Su Zhongyu.

The friendship between Huang Tingjian and Su Shi is also a teacher and a friend, and everyone knows it. Therefore, in front of Su Yu, who can call a virtuous nephew, Huang Tingjian made a big joke about his father in front of all his friends, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Su Yi is no stranger to these uncles and uncles with a free and easy temperament and a good tongue, so he changed the gentleness when he talked to Yao Huan just now, and "fought back" happily: "Is there still this matter? The foolish nephew doesn't know. The foolish nephew remembered that his father's comments on Huang Gong's words were more like snakes hanging from the treetops. ”

Su Shi's calligraphy is broad and fat, and Huang Tingjian's calligraphy is thin and elegant.

Sure enough, one is a "stone-pressed toad", and the other is a "treetop hanging snake", which is a real image.

Yao Huan almost laughed out loud when he heard this.

Unexpectedly, these literati in the history books scolded each other in private, and they were so happy like kindergarten children bickering.

Just listen to the crowd at the banquet and laugh freely.

Wang Shu pursed his lips and teased: "Lu Zhi, you are really both Lu and straight." Is it any wonder that I have to burn the fragrance of plums in my garden once today, just to get a breath of air? ”

Huang Tingjian said: "Well, although I still got Han Weigong's thick plum fragrance recipe later, however, the plum fragrance you smell at this moment is not surnamed Han." I went to one or two flavors, and added one or two flavors, and there was orange before the plum fragrance, isn't it just the current season? ”

When he said this, he suddenly pointed to the two side dishes in front of him, and praised Wang Xu: "The delicious food that the prince has entertained us today is also quite interesting. This pork belly, pork loin and chicken feet, eat like the old man's incense, there are three flavors, the front taste is sweet and salty, the middle taste is clear and sour, and the taste is slightly spicy. Ahem, Princess, your mansion has finally changed cooks. ”

They are all old partners for many years, and they also have banquets and drinks, and the friendship between Wang Shu and Huang Tingjian is not inferior to that of Su Shi.

Wang Shu listened to Huang Tingjian's last sentence, and didn't laugh again: "Lu Zhi, could it be that the old man invited you to eat and drink in the past, and you have never eaten enough?" ”

Without waiting for Huang Tingjian to answer, Wang Zhao Ji of Suining County, who was sitting in Wang Xu's neighboring case, suddenly showed his youthful childishness, sniffed and said: "Uncle, what kind of meat, the aroma is so strong." ”

During the questioning, everyone saw that the little maidservants wearing red, yellow, blue, blue, and gold skirts, each holding a large plate with the warm luster of green bamboo, covered with large lotus leaves of dark blue color, walked to the side of the banquet table.

The servants first took the plates and gave them to the master Wang Shu in turn.

Wang Shu had previously heard Gao Yu give a general report on the Shen family's menu.

At first, he was quite puzzled when he heard that there were pigs in the water and chicken feet and feet, but Gao Yu was a fine person, and the guests mentioned were not only Sumen people like Huang Tingjian and Li Gefei, but also Su Shi's second son, and Su Shi was in Huangzhou when he was full of flavor of pork.

Gao Yu is so white, Wang Shu thinks about it and it makes sense, when he sees the first few dishes that came up today, the pork loin and chicken feet are not only marinated, but also the kidneys have no fascia, chicken feet have no fine bones, and they don't lose their sven taste, and they have won Huang Tingjian's praise. There are also vegetarian dishes such as lettuce, mushrooms, and soad white, which are divided into lard and soybean oil, which are cooked differently, which obviously fully takes into account Yan Jidao and Yuwen Huangzhong, the old and the young, two vegetarians.

Wang Shu already trusted Shen Fuzhi and Yao Huan's cooking skills and mental strength, and he didn't bother to take a closer look at what the meat vegetables in the bamboo basket were, but when he heard the cheers of Zhao Ji, the king of Suining County, Fang also became curious and looked at the chickens, fish, pigs and sheep in the basket.

Before Wang Shu could see the difference, Huang Tingjian had already spoken: "In these meat and vegetables, there are spices added to the big diners?" ”