In ancient times, when Zhu Yuanzhang led the heroic rebel army to overthrow the decadent Yuan Dynasty and establish a new Ming Dynasty, the world at that time was not peaceful. Natural disasters are still frequent, and the people are living in dire straits, without food and clothing. However, those high-ranking officials and nobles still live a luxurious and corrupt life, as if the suffering of this world has nothing to do with them.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in poverty, is well aware of the people's suffering, and he is determined to rectify this rotten officialdom from top to bottom. His queen, the virtuous woman, saw that her husband was so worried, and offered a plan. She proposed that on her birthday, she would only cook a meal of coarse vegetables and light rice, and feast civil and military officials as an example of frugality.
On the queen's birthday, there are no lanterns in the palace, and there are no delicacies from the mountains and seas, only a few simple dishes. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the dishes to be served, first of all, a large bowl of fried radish, which was verdant and dripping, exuding a faint fragrance; then fried leeks, the green leeks were stir-fried in the pot, exuding an attractive aroma; then two bowls of green vegetables, the green vegetables were tender and delicious, as if with the breath of the field; finally, there was a large bowl of green onion and tofu soup, the soup was crystal clear, the tofu was white and tender like jade, and the green onions were dotted with green onions, which was mouth-watering.
Those civil and military officials who are accustomed to eating delicacies from the mountains and seas on weekdays, although they are a little reluctant in the face of these four simple dishes, they have to pretend to be delicious in front of the emperor. They carefully savor each dish, as if they were savoring the ups and downs of life.
After the banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and announced in a loud voice: "Starting from me, in the future, no matter who you entertain, you can only have four dishes and one soup at most." Today's Queen's Birthday Feast is an example, and no one is allowed to violate it, otherwise it will be severely punished. His voice echoed through the palace, as if it were a solemn promise and an expectation for the future.
Since then, the rule of four dishes and one soup has spread throughout the palace and gradually spread to the people. People have followed suit, and both rich and poor families have taken this as an example and advocated frugality.
Later, someone compiled this story into four ballads and sang them in the streets and alleys: "The emperor invited four dishes and one soup, and the radish and leeks were stable for a long time." Shallot tofu is green and white, and the people of Taizu are liked. The ballad is concise, bright and catchy, not only telling the origin of the four dishes and one soup, but also expressing people's praise for Zhu Yuanzhang's honest government, love for the people, and thrifty governance.
Nowadays, although time flies and time flies, the rule of four dishes and one soup is still spread among the people. It is not only a inheritance of food culture, but also a symbol of spiritual strength. It reminds people that no matter how life changes, the virtues of frugality, simplicity, and incorruptibility should always be remembered.