Some smelled the aroma and couldn't help but salivate, shamelessly asking for a bite to taste.
Shen Yun glanced at the people crowding around and secretly assessed the situation. The dishes on the plates should be enough to share.
He wasn't stingy and invited them to come forward one by one to try the flavors.
"Oh, this dish tastes good."
"It's so delicious, this Mapo Tofu, it truly lives up to its reputation from Bashu. You must have put Sichuan peppercorns in it, I haven't had it in years."
"Mmm, I think this twice-cooked pork is the most delightful. Look, this green one, what do you call it? Why haven't I eaten it before?"
"Yes, yes, it seems to have a bit of a spicy taste, and it's very fragrant. Oh, just smelling it makes my mouth water."
Several people among them were from the Bashu region, and they spoke animatedly.
Among them, Chang Wanqing was the most proactive. Relying on his familiarity with Shen Yun, he ate and commented without reservation.
He even forgot the dishes he and Xi Jianzhi had bought from the restaurant, focusing only on Shen Yun's food.
When someone noticed and reminded him, he chuckled and said that after living in the capital for so long, the food there lacked flavor.
He still preferred the vibrant taste of Bashu.
Especially that twice-cooked pork, it was simply superb.
"This is chili, grown on my wife's farm, specially brought from Bashu. You might not find it elsewhere."
Seeing everyone's interest in the chili in the twice-cooked pork, Shen Yun explained gently.
"Ah, my old mother loves this kind of strong flavor the most..." someone sighed.
Shen Yun looked at the speaker and, seeing it was Li Hui, a Hanlin Academy reader, made a mental note of it.
He immediately said to him, "Lord Li, if you don't mind, I'll have my attendant go back and tell my wife to spare some chili for you, so that your elderly mother can try it."
Li Hui was overjoyed. He was straightforward and didn't stand on ceremony, readily agreeing.
Just then, a figure flashed at the entrance. Someone saw it and hissed to the others, "Don't talk so loudly, Lord Zhong is back."
Lord Zhong, Zhong Liqi, was nearing forty and was the Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, holding a rank of third-grade.
He was a true confidant of the Emperor, the most senior in the Hanlin Academy, and was poised to take a position in the Grand Secretariat as soon as one became available.
"Speaking of which, Lord Zhong is also from Bashu, perhaps he'll like this flavor too." Li Hui, having received Shen Yun's promise to send chili, kindly offered Shen Yun this reminder.
Shen Yun noted it all without comment.
In fact, he knew it even without Li Hui's reminder.
He was a person who never fought a battle he wasn't prepared for.
When he learned he was assigned to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler, he had already sent Zhang Lei to gather information.
He had investigated the family backgrounds and preferences of all the officials in the Hanlin Academy, regardless of their rank or position.
At this moment, Shen Yun enthusiastically greeted everyone, creating a lively atmosphere.
On the other side, Xi Jianzhi appeared much lonelier.
Unlike Chang Wanqing, he wasn't boisterous and shamelessly approached Shen Yun's dishes without regard for others' attitudes.
Xi Jianzhi had always been proud and arrogant, how could he compromise his dignity for a taste of food and approach Shen Yun?
Since Xi Jianzhi didn't come, and Shen Yun, who was very displeased with him always staring at his wife, was unwilling to invite him, there were clearly two factions in the side room.
Xi Jianzhi sat alone, slowly eating the four dishes.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun's side was bustling with activity.
This scene was observed by another passerby – Qin Yunpu, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy.
He cast a cold glance at Shen Yun, who was surrounded by people, and then shifted his gaze to Xi Jianzhi, who sat alone, seemingly eating with composure. He asked the junior scholar beside him, "Who is that?"
The junior scholar, thinking he was asking about Shen Yun, who was surrounded by people, replied softly, "It's Shen Yun, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, from Bashu."
"I wasn't asking about him." Qin Yunpu glared at him. He wasn't foolish; compilers in the Hanlin Academy had always been selected from the top scholars.
Since Shen Yun was appointed as a compiler upon arrival, who else could he be but the new top scholar?
His gaze fell on Xi Jianzhi in the corner.
"Oh, forgive me, Lord Qin. That is Xi Jianzhi, a junior scholar and the first-ranked candidate from the second class."
As the person spoke, he looked around and leaned closer to Qin Yunpu, whispering cautiously:
"I heard that when His Majesty was selecting the top scholar, he hesitated between them, but ultimately chose Scholar Shen..."
Qin Yunpu said sternly, "Silence! How can you speak of His Majesty's affairs so casually? Be careful if this reaches His Majesty's ears; you could be accused of great disrespect."
"Yes, my lord, forgive me. Lin will not dare again."
The sun shone brightly outside, and while the Hanlin Academy appeared harmonious on the surface, in unseen corners, conflicts had already erupted.
As Su Xiaoqi returned home, the attendant Shen Yun had sent back for chili arrived.
He explained Shen Yun's request, and Su Xiaoqi became curious, asking about the situation at the time.
The attendant was one of two purchased when they first arrived in the capital. Shen Yun renamed them Liuyun and Liuxing after he accepted them.
The one who returned was Liuxing.
He was eloquent and knew how to please.
Seeing Su Xiaoqi's interest, he recounted the scene vividly.
He even mimicked Li Hui's exaggerated demeanor to perfection.
Su Xiaoqi laughed, "Alright, I'll prepare them now. You first go to the Li family to deliver the items, and then go to Lord Zhong's residence."
Liuxing acknowledged and left.
Granny Zhao came forward and reminded, "Madam, I've just finished preparing gifts for all the adults in the Hanlin Academy. We can send them along with this chili."
Su Xiaoqi nodded, appreciative of Granny Zhao's thoughtfulness.
She hadn't initially thought of preparing gifts for everyone in the Hanlin Academy, assuming it would be enough to send to a few people Shen Yun knew.
However, Granny Zhao suggested it was best to send gifts to everyone.
Otherwise, the flow of information was interconnected, and not sending gifts to some while sending to others could create unnecessary conflict.
"Alright, it's always right to listen to Granny. Your experience is far greater than ours," Su Xiaoqi said flatteringly, making Granny Zhao beam with joy. She then went to organize the storeroom.
Su Xiaoqi took the opportunity to clear her chili stock in the spatial dimension and quickly planted a new batch of chili during her lunch break.
This was a new variety unlocked in her spatial dimension.
She hadn't had a chance to popularize it yet.
She had only brought it out for her own family's consumption.
With the chili, she had Ziling make chili sauce, cooked oil chili, and bean paste. Adding these to dishes, Su Xiaoqi felt her happiness had returned.
Shen Yun, having grown up in Bashu, also really enjoyed this taste.
Su Xiaoqi busily prepared five hundred jin of chili, and sent ten jin each to everyone from Bashu in the Hanlin Academy.
Li Hui alone received twenty jin.
Chancellor Zhong Liqi received thirty jin.
In addition, each person was gifted a bottle of cooked oil chili and a packet of chili seeds.
Su Xiaoqi didn't think there was any issue with her introducing chili seeds first.
She believed that her arrival and possession of a farming spatial dimension was likely meant for her to propagate new seeds.
However, she couldn't understand why her spatial dimension's upgrades seemed to have slowed down considerably recently.
Although she and Shen Yun were intimate, her spatial dimension seemed to have stagnated after reaching level eighteen.
Furthermore, even after the spatial dimension upgraded, the acreage hadn't expanded, but the yield had increased significantly.
The mountain peak that had been shrouded in mist also revealed half of its appearance.
Looking at its outline, Su Xiaoqi was shocked to realize that it was a place she was most familiar with.