This is not the first time that Cixi killed the cook in anger because she was dissatisfied with the raw materials of the dish. Cixi suffers from gastrointestinal diseases all the year round and uses various soups to nourish her stomach. Once a cook made yangwei decoction for Cixi to drink, and Cixi was full of praise after drinking it, so she drank the soup made by this cook all the year round, and her stomach gradually recovered.
After more than ten years, the chef is ready to quit his job and go back to his hometown to enjoy life. Before leaving, Cixi asked him what yangwei decoction was made of, and the cook replied that it was made of sheep. Sheep entering the water is what we call miscellaneous sheep. When Cixi heard this, she drank the soup for so many years, but it turned out that it was made of something that could not be used on the table. Isn't this sweeping my face? If this gets out, where shall I put the queen mother's face? So he ordered the chef to be killed.
Maybe only good food can be worthy of the queen mother. Cixi has a high demand for food. Every meal should have more than 100 dishes. She doesn't eat much food at all. She just put the noodles on the table and ate only one or two dishes. If she can't finish it, she will dump it or give it to the eunuchs and maids below. It is estimated that she spends about 62,000 yuan a day on food, which is equivalent to the living expenses of many people for several years. Therefore, the Qing dynasty was largely eaten by her, and the demise of the Qing dynasty could not be separated from her unrestrained extravagance.