Chapter 33: Palace Front Cooking (Part 2)

  A loud crash, the yak was slammed to the ground by the big man, making a heavy thud and a painful moo. Afterwards, the big man had a pleased expression, proudly looking around. Only then did he kowtow in the direction of the emperor.

  The mighty Han's performance did indeed startle some of the literary officials and certain hidden edicts behind the light gauze, but the true military generals all snorted in derision. If one wanted to show off a strongman here, they still fell far short. Not to mention others, at least two of the current dynasty's fierce generals could do the same thing with ease, and even more effortlessly than this mighty Han.

  It's just that, to let a few top-ranking generals go and compete with a barbarian in strength, even if they win, it's not glorious. Everyone is ridiculing, but no one jumps out to say anything, waiting to see what these barbarian envoys will do next.

  It was the lead foreign envoy who stepped forward and said, "The 'Master of Nourishing Life' once recorded that a skilled chef's technique in dissecting an ox is akin to the Tao. Today, I shall recreate this technique for Your Majesty!"

  Everyone present, except for some ignorant and unrefined people, had read about the legendary butcher Ding's skill in carving an ox. They all marveled at his incredible technique. However, despite their admiration, no one had ever seen such a skill in real life. This foreigner's claim to recreate such a skill was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

  Before long, under the explanation of the enlightened person, everyone understood what these envoys were going to do this time. Even those imperial concubines who had always claimed to be afraid of bloodshed showed some excitement. When cutting up the cow, no mournful lowing was heard, only the pleasant sound of the knife, and Cook Ding's skill had reached a state of complete mastery. If it really were done as described in Cook Ding Cuts Up an Ox, then it wouldn't be a bloody scene at all, but rather an enjoyable pleasure.

  Now, in the eyes of those who care, the purpose of these barbarian envoys is clear. They found a master butcher from somewhere, perhaps he was a butcher himself, to show off his ancient skills here. As long as no one in our dynasty can do it, then in their eyes, even the skills of our ancestors have not been preserved, and we are not even comparable to these barbarians.

  Although they were aware of the plot, they were frustrated by the short time and could not quickly find a skilled butcher or cook, so they had to watch these barbarians perform without being able to do anything. At this point, it was no longer possible to stop them, and since nothing was done at the beginning, there was even less reason to do something now.

  But everyone was still excited to watch the upcoming performance, and some unclear imperial edicts were just treated as an ordinary show, and they crowded behind the light gauze, wanting to see clearly.

  It was not the turn of the performer to perform, after the big Han pressed the Tibetan cow well, a butcher dressed as a Tibetan nationality came out with a butcher knife. This guy was very careful and even took the initiative to hand over the butcher knife in his hand to the guards responsible for safety for inspection, and only entered the field without any problems. Coming in, he didn't do anything, first respectfully saluting the emperor, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with him.

  There were already people on the side who had prepared some racks and wooden basins, which were placed on both sides of the yaks. In the middle stood the big man and the butcher, who bowed in the direction of the emperor again before nodding to indicate the start.

  There was already a prepared program, and everyone only heard a sound: "Play the music!" Afterwards, the scene responded with a lingering Shangxiang flute sound, matching the Huqin's unique foreign melody, and the banquet had a bit of an exotic flavor.

  The butcher began to take action as soon as the music started, and the gentle and polite image he had just shown was instantly abandoned. The long and thin butcher knife in his hand swung up, bringing a faint killing intent, which made the guards around him tense. If they hadn't known earlier that he was only going to slaughter cows, those people might have rushed forward to capture him.

  Wielding the butcher's knife as if performing a unique dance, his attire perfectly showcased his thick exotic flavor. Around the bound four hooves of the yak, the butcher began to sing a ditty. The long melody was desolate and unutterable, yet it also seemed expansive and leisurely. After circling once, he surprisingly started by untying the ropes binding the four hooves before beginning to cut.

  "Hsss", the butcher's knife flashed across the cow's neck, severing a major blood vessel. The big man had already prepared a large wooden basin, and the fresh blood flowed down like a small stream. But the yak seemed to feel no pain at all, standing still in its original position. It didn't matter if the knife was sharp or not, just looking at where this one cut was made, such precision, it was an old hand who had been immersed in this profession for many years.

  It's also true that if they weren't masters, they wouldn't have been specially selected to perform at this banquet and awe the Central Plains. I don't know what kind of trickery they used on the ox, or whether the butcher's skills had really reached such a level, but when he made the cut to bleed and kill the ox, it didn't struggle in pain, which was very strange.

  Just as the bloodletting was about to begin, the butcher had already changed positions. One foot lightly hooked around the cow's leg, while his shoulder gave a gentle nudge, with just the right amount of force. The ox had lost a lot of blood and couldn't withstand this push, and it fell to the ground, unable to maintain its standing posture. The big man beside him was holding a large wooden basin to catch the cow's blood, changing positions as needed, and except for a few drops of blood that accidentally splashed out, the floor was spotless.

  Singing a gentle tune, the butcher's hands didn't stop moving. The blade tilted slightly, along the edge of the knife, quickly cutting towards the cow's abdomen. Upon closer inspection, the blade hadn't penetrated deep into the abdomen, but had only just pierced the cowhide. Such a long cut was merely opening up a long slit in the cowhide. The familiar butcher knife flashed across the cow's body, and the skin on all four hooves was also cut open.

  The butcher's knife was like a small paring knife, quickly and nimbly dancing in the cut-open parts, with an indescribably beautiful posture. As the butcher moved his hands, the cowhide had already been stripped from the four legs, revealing the bright red cow legs. Next, the abdominal skin was also peeled off, and in less than a moment, except for the head of the cow, the entire cowhide was spread out on the ground, with the stripped bare body of the cow exposed, its bright red muscles visible.

  At this moment, the yak had long been unable to move, and the blood had almost all flowed out. The butcher's knife flashed again at the neck, and the skin on the yak's head was quickly peeled off like a sheet of paper being lifted off. Thus, a complete and intact yak hide was effortlessly stripped off, from the first cut to the completion of the skinning, it took less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The butcher's ditty had only just finished humming a long tune.

  Got your vote, thank you!