How difficult it is to transport lychees.

It takes at least three or four thousand miles to transport fresh lychees from Lingnan, and even if you rush at full speed, it will take at least more than a month.

This is when everything goes well.

We cannot use modern road conditions to imagine ancient roads. It’s okay for official roads, but if it’s a small road, it’s doomed to fail. It’s difficult to walk on rainy, snowy, or even windy days.

In addition to roads, there are also various bridges, some easy to walk on and some difficult to walk on, all of which are troublesome.

Even if modern people travel three or four thousand miles by plane or high-speed rail, they will feel a little tired during the journey, let alone riding a horse in ancient times.

Therefore, lychees were more valuable than gold from Lingnan to Kyoto.

Su Wan suddenly had ten more lychees at hand. Although they looked a little stale, their preciousness was undoubtedly obvious.

After all, with modern cold chain transportation, food will not be very fresh if the distance is a little far, not to mention in ancient times.

"Are they really lychees?" Su Wan just picked it up and didn't notice Xie Pei's slightly puzzled look.

This is a southern fruit. Why did Su Wan react subconsciously as soon as she got it?

It's a bit strange.

But there was more strange things about Su Wan, and Xie Pei pretended not to know.

"It's lychees." Xie Pei smiled, "It's a pity that I couldn't bring back many. They were transported on ice all the way, and a lot of them got spoiled along the way."

As for transporting lychee jam, that’s easy.

There were so many kinds of sauces in ancient times because they were easy to seal and preserve.

But this is completely different from fresh lychees.

Su Wan played with it in her hand for a few moments, then put it back.

She knew what was going on and would definitely not take such a valuable thing casually.

Seeing this, Xie Pei pushed it towards her: "Bring it here, it's for you, try it."

"This is too expensive." Su Wan had just said this when Xie Pei spoke.

"My grandparents have a garden in Lingnan. They send account books every three months. They also send a lot of fruits at this time every year. This is just some of them. The other apricots, pears, plums, tangerines and oranges are nothing." Xie Pei said, "More fruits will be sent later. You can pick some and take them back to the Shangshi Division for use."

Good job!

There is a big orchard at home!

However, this was also the first time Su Wan heard Xie Pei mention his maternal grandfather.

In fact, just from those rumors, we know that Xie Pei's grandfather was an extremely powerful person, and he was deeply trusted by the late emperor, and he was a close friend of the heroic late emperor.

The late emperor who was given the title of Yingwu must not be an ordinary person.

This shows that the friendship of the previous generation is deep.

I heard that tomatoes, corn, and peanuts were all discovered by their generation. I believe that the peace and prosperity we enjoy today is also the result of the foundation laid in those years.

He not only fought against foreign enemies on the battlefield, but also took care of the people and showed sympathy to all the people.

In fact, Su Wan secretly thought that it was no wonder that the old ministers looked down on the current emperor, there were reasons for it.

After all, having seen such powerful monarchs and famous ministers, it is normal to look down on this one.

Xie Pei’s grandfather and grandfather-in-law were both such powerful people.

Is he like these two?

Seeing that she was just playing with it, Xie Pei smiled and peeled one for her. This lychee was as ripe as possible, the skin was still red, and the flesh inside was crystal clear and slightly translucent, looking very juicy.

In that case, you won’t be polite?

The taste of lychees is so good that it is worth sending them so far!

The sweet and refreshing taste, as well as the unique fruity aroma of lychee, this sweetness penetrates into the heart.

Considering that lychees ripen in June, and now that they are delivered in mid-July, they should be the first batch of fruits, and they are really delicious!

In fact, many people know the delicious taste of lychees, so Kyoto has more than just lychee jam that is easy to transport.

There is also something called lychee paste that has nothing to do with lychees.

If people in Kyoto want to taste lychees, they can buy a dessert called lychee paste. This dessert is recorded in many books, and the recipe is also described.

It includes black plum, cinnamon, lactose, ginger, musk, etc. Six or seven ingredients are first boiled and then the residue is removed, and then dissolved with sugar and many other steps.

Finally, a thick paste-like juice is obtained.

This thing is called lychee paste because it tastes similar to lychee, just like wife cake without wife and fish-flavored shredded pork without fish.

Many of the lychee-flavored desserts I made before also used this ingredient.

After all, real lychee jam is still very expensive.

Processed lychees that taste like lychees are so precious, not to mention the relatively fresh lychees on hand.

Su Wan didn't eat it herself, so she naturally shared it with Xie Pei.

Xie Pei saw her wrapping her nails with a handkerchief, and then gently opened the gap in the litchi shell. The litchi shell cracked and peeled off completely. Not only was the flesh very intact, but even the shell was divided into two complete halves. The fruit stem at the bottom was still connected, just enough to peel out the fruit stem at the bottom.

The movements are too natural.

Even how he eats Lingnan fruits was taught by his maternal grandfather. Su Wan grew up in Chongnanfang, Kyoto, and was an unfavored concubine's daughter in the family. Even if she occasionally got one, could she eat it so skillfully?

Xie Pei said: "Have the oranges arrived? Bring up two."

After saying that, he winked and asked for the complete one to be brought over.

Oranges are also difficult to peel.

Sure enough, Su Wan did not peel the orange first, but rubbed it twice.

But after Su Wan rubbed it a few times, she immediately thought of something and said, "This thing is so hard to peel, do I have to cut it with a knife?"

Xie Pei looked at her and smiled: "Well, I'll help you, but there's a trick."

As he spoke, Xie Pei rubbed the orange peel, and the peel indeed became soft. Then he could easily peel off the tight peel without damaging the flesh.

This was also taught by his maternal grandfather.

There are many fruits in the south that most people in the north have never even seen.

Su Wan saw that Xie Pei looked normal and could not tell what was happening for a moment. However, while he was peeling the orange carefully, the shell of the lychee next to it became less complete.

It’s a pity actually.

If the lychee shells are dried and ground into powder, they can be used as incense and are also a precious spice.

The two were silent for a moment. Xie Pei wiped his juicy hands and placed the peeled and divided orange in front of Su Wan.

Apparently nothing happened.

There was nothing wrong, it just made him more curious. He never had any doubts about Su Wan.

If Su Wan wanted to harm him, she already had thousands of ways to do it.

Su Wan also felt relieved and concentrated on eating the orange in front of her.

But after eating lychees, eating oranges is too sour, but the fragrance of oranges is very nice.

After eating, the two of them rinsed their mouths again. No matter how sweet the lychees were or how sour the oranges were, if they stayed in the mouth for a long time, they would feel a sore throat.

Many people get irritated after eating lychees. In fact, all you need to do is rinse your mouth to clear out the remaining sugar in your mouth.

In the next few days, Su Wan felt more like she was on summer vacation. With nothing to do, she cooked, ate fruits from the south, and listened to gossip.

The main thing is that the eldest prince and the second prince are about to fight.

It seems that the Second Prince directly called the First Prince an idiot for trying to show off for others. Now everyone knows that the recipe for the tomato feast that the Saint praised so highly came from Xie Pei.

Isn't it to help him get attention?

Anyway, when the quarrel was going on in the imperial palace, tomatoes were already selling like crazy in Kyoto!

The prescription given by the Third Prince was praised by the Saint!

And everyone can afford it!

Why not try it now?

In fact, they have known about red fruit for a long time, but it is considered an uncommon food. Even if they eat it, they mostly eat it raw.

Another thing is how to eat the spring Qionglin Banquet. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prepare and many people don’t know how to do it.

So the red fruit was only popular in Kyoto for a while, but now even saints are eating it! And it’s a red fruit feast, also called a tomato feast!

The method is relatively simple, and the Third Prince even provided a recipe, and tomatoes immediately became popular in Kyoto.

I used to grow spring tomatoes and made a lot of money!

The more angry things got in Kyoto, the angrier people in the palace got. The Saint, the Eldest Prince, and the Second Prince were all angry in different situations.

The latter two tripped each other and looked at Xie Pei coldly.

Why can he keep his seat? Why does it have nothing to do with him?

It's a pity that he is really very stable. Every day he either reads official documents or eats the delicious food written by Su Wan. When he has nothing to do, he also helps Su Wan find books.

The two of them felt so comfortable in the icy pavilion.

It was not until the end of July, when the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was about to be prepared, that the eldest prince became quiet. After all, the banquet was co-organized by Concubine Jiang, and she must not cause any trouble.

The banquet was held a month in advance, and there is only half a month left, so there can be no mistakes.

So we must also be careful about any problems with Concubine Chu.

In addition to the busy people in the inner palace, the Guanglu Temple is definitely the main force in such a large banquet, and the Shangshisi is also cooperating.

All parties must work together to get things done perfectly.

But Su Wan thought that she had to return to Beijing after the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, and it would probably be the same this year.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather is getting cooler. It's getting colder here, but the temperature in Beijing is just right.

I guess the return trip will be more comfortable than the way here.

However, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is about to begin, and Su Wan must go back to help.

As for mooncakes, the fillings of snow skin mooncakes are much richer, which is also eye-opening.

The ice cream made by Su Wan is also used directly as the filling of the snow skin mooncakes.

Food is ever-changing, as long as it tastes good, everyone will like it.

Snow skin ice cream mooncakes are sure to please everyone.

In addition, the meals also had to be carefully prepared. Someone in the Guanglu Temple originally wanted to prepare some tomato dishes, but was afraid of bringing bad luck, so in the end they only chose tomato noodles to serve, and the rest of the meals were still prepared according to the usual portions.

Although it is not new, it is safe enough.

When the saints are angry, it is enough to be safe.

So Su Wan just followed suit and helped out, occasionally cooking a few dishes, and other things had already been arranged.

However, this time when he went back to the Shangshisi, he really went back and basically did not go to the side hall again. The meals from the side hall were also delivered to him.

When August comes, it feels like time flies by so fast.

Everyone was mainly busy preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, but from Su Wan's perspective, no one seemed to be in the mood.

But the banquet still has to be held.

As expected, on the evening of August 15th, the sage did not even finish watching the singing and dancing and went straight back to rest, while the ministers enjoyed themselves.

The next day, it was announced that the saint was preparing to return to Kyoto.

In Kyoto, Xie Pei's reputation is getting better and better.

Sometimes it is about eradicating the treacherous and sometimes it is about benefiting the people. Naturally, the more the saint heard these words, the angrier he became.

There hasn't been a smooth day since he came to the palace.

The two princes have also been quiet recently, and they seem to have a sense of solidarity against a common enemy.

It seemed that they both recognized that Xie Pei was their common enemy and were ready to join forces to deal with Xie Pei.

Su Wan originally just had this feeling, but when she was about to return to the palace, she heard some ministers say that there were still many things to be finished at the palace.

It would be better to ask the most capable of the three princes to take over, so that the Saint can leave the capital with peace of mind.

As soon as these words were spoken, whether it was the eldest prince's faction, the second prince's faction, or even those loyal to the saint, they all almost raised their hands in agreement.

It seemed like it would be a great thing to throw Xie Pei here immediately and not let him return to Beijing.

Very good indeed.

Wherever the saint is, there is the center of power.

Now that the saint is gone, the palace is just an empty shell and no government affairs will be sent here. They say it is there to handle the remaining affairs, but in fact it is just to keep him away from the political center.

But I have to say, this trick is really clever.

At least we can use your reputation as a capable person. Didn’t you like to show off before? So we will give you something to do.

As for when it will be completed, it depends on when the saint gives the nod.

For a while, there was endless debate in the small court meeting.

In the end, Xie Pei's power alone was no match for the subordinates of those three men, and it was inevitable that Xie Pei would stay in the palace.

After all, the scene was like a siege from three sides. Although they seemed to be friendly and trying to lift up Xie Pei, everyone knew what they were thinking.

Xie Pei didn't say much and agreed directly.

Who knew that when he agreed, the other three were quite surprised and hesitated.

Seeing this scene, Xie Pei sneered out loud, and was so angry that the emperor ordered that he could only do his job in Yuhua Palace and was not allowed to step out of the palace without the emperor's order.

Once these words were spoken, his thoughts were clearly visible.

Those who originally wanted to side with Xie Pei immediately dared not speak.

No matter what, no matter how the civil and military officials in the court treat the saint, he is still the emperor, the current emperor.

Once he got angry, the matter was settled.

All we can say is that there is no father and son in the royal family, and we don’t know whether Xie Pei is the son of a saint, so he is even more moody.

Many people have distanced themselves from Xie Pei, and dare not praise him.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that in the saint's mind, the next crown prince will only be the eldest prince and the second prince.

Your Highness?

No matter how powerful he is, he probably won't be able to find anything.

For a moment, before returning to the palace, the situation in the court changed again.

Yes, those previous incidents were just minor ones and didn’t count at all.

Su Wan was naturally worried when she heard the gossip, but before she could ask, Xie Pei asked the guards to quietly deliver several kinds of Lingnan fruits to her hands.

Li Rongrong, who was in the same room with Su Wan, looked at them and asked curiously, "Where did these Lingnan fruits come from? They must be very expensive, right?"

Su Wan only shared some of the fruits that Xie Pei gave her with her superior. After all, only her superior knew about the things that Xie Pei was familiar with.

So Li Rongrong didn't know, and only now did she find the fruits from Lingnan a little strange.

Su Wan was also wondering why he suddenly sent these things and asked her to guess what they meant?

While sharing the fruit with Li Rongrong, Su Wan suddenly thought of something.

Such a wide variety of fruits must come from a very large garden, and the fruits must be delivered across the mountains and rivers. It would be unrealistic to just send the fruits.

Last time, Xie Pei also said that it was delivered while delivering a letter.

Could it be that Xie Pei has contacted his maternal grandfather's old subordinates?

This is not just fruit, it is clearly evidence of a connection.

Is this also the real reason why the saint insisted on keeping him in the remote palace?

If the previous incidents were just minor incidents.

But if he really gets in touch with his maternal ancestors, the meaning will be completely different.

It has been mentioned before that Xie Pei’s grandfather, General Ding, was very powerful. His subordinates were not ordinary people and they might even have connections with the late emperor.

Judging from the harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subjects of the previous generation, I am afraid that General Ding’s former subordinates also have a close connection with the former subordinates of the late emperor.

If Xie Peiruo can really get in touch with her, that would be of more than just a little help.

etc.

Xie Pei didn't think that he could guess it by just sending some fruits over?

Or am I overthinking it?

No matter which one it was, Su Wan decided not to think too much about it. Seeing the guard who delivered the fruit so calm, she knew that nothing would happen.

Is this considered reporting safety?

In fact, if these things have nothing to do with you, they are still quite interesting?

On August 16, the inner palace said that they would set off for the journey back, and officially depart on August 20. I really want to go back quickly, because if I go back quickly I won’t be able to see Xie Pei anymore.

Su Wan did not comment on what kind of emperor he was, but she always felt that it was a pity that the family business of the previous generation would be ruined by such a person.

However, throughout history, there is no example that if the father is an emperor, his son will definitely be powerful as well.

So this is also normal.

Su Wan naturally followed the team back to the palace. She didn't see Xie Pei before she left. She only heard that he was dealing with trivial matters in the palace.

You can go back only after you have finished processing.

Anyway, the eldest prince and the second prince seem to be quite arrogant.

It was hot when we came to the palace, and we walked for more than twenty days. This time the return journey only took half a month, but most people in the team complained bitterly.

After all, the saints have cars to drive, and they also have to carry things, which is naturally hard work.

The Shangshi Division had already made preparations, so it's okay.

After returning to the palace, Su Wan felt as if a long time had passed and she had experienced a lot of things.

But overall, it was quite enjoyable to visit the palace.

It's no different than a summer vacation.

If it's the same tomorrow, that would be great too, right?

Anyway, every day is just eating, drinking, playing and having fun.

Oh, except for the assassination right after I got there, everything else was fine.

Now Su Wan's wounds have long been healed, and the medicine used was of top quality, so there are no scars left. However, Su Wan is now obviously taller and taller.

I don’t know if it’s because life in the palace is too comfortable.

Except for the fact that she felt that she wasted a lot of clothes, everything else about Su Wan was fine.

However, the clothes she took off were not wasted. She had a little fan who was very willing to wear her clothes. The little fan was young, but the clothes could just be altered.

This little fan girl is naturally Wei Jun’s sister.

Sister Wei was muttering in the spicy hot pot restaurant when she had nothing to do, saying that she hadn't seen Sister Su Wan for a long time and missed her very much.

At first Wei Jun tried to comfort her, but in the end he just rolled his eyes. What's wrong with his sister? She doesn't worship him, she only worships Su Wan!

Although I admire him too, this is different!

As soon as Su Wan came back from the palace, Wei Jun came over almost immediately, one to talk about the matters of the two stores, and the other to reminisce about the past.

The third one is more important and will be discussed later.

Everyone in the palace has become accustomed to going to the temporary palace to escape the summer heat every year.

So after returning from the palace, everything was arranged step by step, and each palace quickly continued to work on its previous tasks.

When Wei Jun came over, Su Wan was checking the ingredients required from various places and then going to the Ministry of Rites to report, so she was not very busy at that time.

When I came to the Malatang restaurant in the summer, the business was completely gone because it was too hot. Only the spicy mixed dish was okay and many people came to eat it.

But the best-selling item is still sour plum soup.

Su Wan’s secret sour plum soup is definitely delicious.

The Malatang business was average, but the stinky tofu business next door was so good that Aunt Gui hired another person and was able to handle the business.

Especially in the evening, there is almost a long line of people coming to eat stinky tofu.

After all, it’s not appropriate to eat at noon. I still have to work in the afternoon and I can’t have a bad smell on my body. It’s just right to wash after eating at night! You can even add coriander!

A serving of fried stinky tofu and a bowl of sour plum soup, how comfortable it is.

This store has been open for a few months now, and business has been good, and it looks like it will continue to do well.

And the guests all said that the stinky tofu seemed to be getting more and more delicious.

"You don't even know that the father of the Dali Temple Minister, also known as the Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary, asked someone to buy stinky tofu as soon as you returned to Beijing. It's now famous."

"Some people originally thought that the taste was vulgar, but now they are silent, after all, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion said it was good."

"And they also said that it tastes better now than before."

The reason is simple, that is, the longer the marinade is kept, the more fragrant it will be.

You won’t get tired of it after a long time.

However, Su Wan, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, also knew that when he was in the palace this time, he was also a loyal fan of frogs.

I also became a fan of egg waffle ice cream later.

So the two stores are doing well now, and Wei Jun also told Su Wan not to worry, and the baking soda he asked him to give to Mr. Su was also not wrong.

Su Wan felt relieved after hearing this, knowing that there would be no problem with Wei Jun's work.

"Aunt Gui knows you're back and misses you very much, but she is relieved to know that you are safe and sound."

"Master Su asked me where you were going, so I said I was working for the government and that they valued me very much. That's right, isn't it?"

Su Wan nodded: "Of course you are right, thank you very much this time."

"Why should you thank me? I have so many things to thank you for. If my master, Deputy Chief Chai, had not repaid the money in time after leaving the palace, he would not have been able to live such a leisurely life. Now he watches operas in Kyoto every day, and many old eunuchs are envious of him." Wei Jun said with a somewhat cordial tone, and it was obvious that he had deep feelings for his master.

It is naturally good that Master Wei Jun does not have to worry about his life in his later years.

"But I want to thank you for more than just this one thing." Wei Jun's tone became serious at this time, "Do you still remember that I lost something at the beginning of the year?"

"It was also because of this incident that Master almost ruined his good days after retirement."

"Many people in the palace went to the temporary palace this time. You asked me to take good care of the storehouse before you left, so I was extra careful. I didn't expect that I almost caught the thief!" Wei Jun said in a faster tone, "Nothing was lost in the Imperial Household Department under its supervision, but I guess all the storehouses of the various departments will have to be re-inspected."

What?

Do we need to check all the storerooms of various departments?

"In other words, those thieves took advantage of the lack of manpower in the palace to steal?" Su Wan was not surprised. She had been in the palace for more than a year and had figured out many of the rules.

The best time to take action is when the palace goes to the temporary palace to escape the summer heat.

It is common for people in the palace to be lazy.

There are few people in the palace, and the weather is so hot that everyone is resting whenever they can.

Even when Su Wan was in the west kitchen, she felt that the absence of the nobles made everyone feel much more relaxed.

The thieves would certainly take this opportunity to steal things, sell them directly to the black market outside the palace, and then sell them directly.

Basically no one will find out.

But Su Wan thought about it and said, "What about the investigation by various officials? Did everyone find out?"

"No, it was the chief steward of our Imperial Household Department who heard about this and told Concubine Jiang about it when he met her in the inner palace. So all the departments checked to see who was missing something. If the items were lost recently, they can be found as soon as possible," Wei Jun explained.

Unexpectedly, he reminded Wei Jun, who kept the items in the Imperial Household Department, and the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department reported the matter.

Su Wan immediately said, "You didn't mention me?"

"No, you have explained this matter, and everyone knows that your Shangshisi and the inner palace are not on good terms." Wei Jun was a little embarrassed, "But you don't admit this, and I will get the advantage."

"Then I'll give you a good deal. You should be rewarded for preventing the Imperial Household from being stolen." Su Wan didn't care about these things at all. She instinctively didn't want to show her face in front of the inner palace and the various officials.

The more you show your face, the more trouble you will get into.

Besides, she was just a reminder. It was Wei Jun himself who was really cautious and cautious, so he didn't need to be too grateful.

Su Wan said so, but Wei Jun just felt that everything seemed to be getting better since he met Su Wan.

The food in the western kitchen is better, I have saved money, and I am in a better mood.

There is no need to talk about what happened afterwards.

Now, just because of Su Wan's words, he is going to be the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department.

If Su Wan hadn't reminded him, not only would he not have been promoted, he would have had to pay compensation of several hundred taels next year. He was simply being taken advantage of.

After Su Wan congratulated Wei Jun, she watched him leave.

But looking at his happy steps, he was obviously still excited.

Yes, it’s already very good to be the eunuch in charge.

Su Wan felt that this was related to preventing the Imperial Household Department from being stolen, and also to his master's connections.

Anyway, Su Wan was genuinely happy for Wei Jun.

After Wei Jun said this, news came from the inner palace that a thorough investigation of the treasuries of various departments was to be conducted.

But Su Wan didn't expect that even a thorough inspection of the warehouse would be fraught with difficulties for Concubine Jiang.

Just like the court took stock of the tax situation this year, it was heard that several county governments had some problems, but nothing could be found.

It’s a headache for both the harem and the former dynasty.

The prosperous court went from bad to worse under the leadership of the saint.

The situation in the harem was similar. Concubine Jiang knew that it would be difficult to thoroughly check the warehouse, but she didn't expect there would be so much resistance.

From Su Wanla's perspective, she always felt that although the current palace looked bright and beautiful, it was probably very fragile inside and would break at the slightest touch.

It would be fine if each department had its own ideas, but they wanted to lay off employees but failed and instead took kickbacks. They wanted to check the warehouse but were not allowed either, as each department only wanted to check itself.

Although such a palace will not be in trouble for a while.

But it's fine under normal circumstances. If there is any disturbance, these internal problems will definitely show up very quickly.

However, this is not something that happens in just one or two years. It may take five or ten years to develop into this stubborn problem.

Su Wan now only hopes that Concubine Jiang can barely hold up the harem. She will be out of the palace in three or four years! At least she won't be a little maid!

So no matter what you do, you can't find her.

But to be honest, this kind of problem will not occur at the first time. Just like cancer, most illnesses accumulate little by little.

So you don’t have to worry about it for now.

Su Wan put the matter behind her and while delivering something to the Ministry of Revenue, she went to a fried stinky tofu shop.

Looking at my aunt, I felt that she was getting better and better, and she was getting along well with Jing Ju.

The Su family is still the same, but Su's wife's only daughter is getting married. She seems a little nervous, as if her son-in-law will take the autumn examination next year. If he passes the examination, he will be a juren, and a juren can take the imperial examination to become an official, etc.

I guess before my son-in-law passes the exam, I will feel safe for my daughter.

Instead, it was the Second Aunt who was worrying about the marriage of the Su family's eldest son. However, given the current situation of the Su family, it was probably difficult to choose a good family, so the marriage was delayed again and again.

Master Su was the same as before, drinking and listening to music when he had nothing to do, and he was also the most skilled pastry chef in Qingfeng Tower.

Seeing that everyone had something to do, Su Wan felt relieved.

However, she couldn't stay outside the palace for too long, and soon returned to the Imperial Kitchen.

But after a while, they heard the bad news that a craftsman's apprentice in the Dongwai Palace Porcelain Warehouse had jumped into a well and died.

When he was found, his body was extremely swollen and he had obviously been dead for at least two days.

How could he die out of the blue?

The porcelain warehouse is located not far from the Shangshenjian.

From the Shangshenjian to the south is the Guanglu Temple, followed by the Medical School, and then after crossing an east-west palace road, you will reach the Chonghua Palace for the Third Prince.

The porcelain warehouse where the accident occurred was located to the east of Chonghua Palace, where craftsmen from all over the country, even foreigners, worked to make porcelain for the imperial palace.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is imperial porcelain.

The porcelain produced in this place was basically only supplied to the nobles in the inner palace or rewarded to meritorious officials.

So it is still quite important.

Normally, everyone respects him, but the apprentice craftsman here died?!

Su Wan heard the news on September 15th, but she didn't expect that early the next morning, news came again that another apprentice had died.

He also committed suicide by jumping into a well. It was another well that had been abandoned for a long time. The well was usually covered with a heavy stone cover. No one expected that this person would choose to die here.

Many people are discussing this matter, and the two most popular things they say are:

"He must be desperate to die, otherwise he would move such a heavy stone cover and then jump into the well."

"If you ask me, someone should have thrown it down. Why would a person who wants to die push the lid like that?"

Su Wan was just listening in the Shangshenjian, but after all, two people died, and they were apprentices in the palace's porcelain warehouse, so the Dali Temple still sent people to investigate.

The Dali Temple and the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau jointly handled the case.

As mentioned before, the Internal Affairs Bureau is in charge of all matters in the palace. All of them are royal relatives, so they are in charge of some palace affairs.

There is no need to talk about the Dali Temple, which handles various criminal cases.

Normally it was a private matter in the palace, so the Eunuchs could handle it. But now people came from the Dali Temple, and they were obviously worried that the two people died in vain, so they conducted a routine investigation.

The people in the Dali Temple looked at this inhumanely and investigated carefully for a day before leaving.

But the result is definitely unknown, and the investigation cannot be completed in one day.

After two or three days, the results finally came out.

It is said that the two apprentices stole items from the porcelain warehouse and sold them. This time, Imperial Concubine Jiang in the inner palace ordered all officials to conduct a thorough investigation of the warehouse. The two apprentices could not bear the pressure, so they committed suicide by jumping into a well.

I heard that several thousand taels of silver were found in their two rooms, all earned from selling imperial porcelain, and there was also an account book inside.

Unfortunately, the account book was burned to pieces and basically nothing can be seen, but judging from the scribbled handwriting, one accomplice jumped into the well, and the other was under greater pressure, so he also jumped into the well.

This incident caused an uproar in the palace.

How could they find several thousand taels of silver in every room of an apprentice in a porcelain warehouse?

This amount is really not small, but who did they sell it to? They are just ordinary palace servants, how dare they do such a treasonous thing.

And even if the imperial porcelain is valuable, several thousand taels of silver were found during the search. Who knows how much they earned before that? Could an ordinary palace maid sell so many porcelains?

So, were the two dead people silenced? Was there some bigger backer behind the scenes?

While the court was arguing endlessly about this matter, Su Wan was helping the old man in the Ministry of Rites library to make pear soup.

It is dry in winter, and the library is exceptionally dry. The last time I went there, the old man's lips were chapped.

So this time she started making pear soup more than an hour in advance.

The ingredients needed are also simple, autumn pears and clean lily petals.

Soak the lilies in advance for 15 minutes to half an hour to remove the bitterness, then blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes and take them out.

Then boil the rock sugar. The rock sugar should be of the best quality, which is pure and can relieve internal heat.

Put rock sugar in the pot, add water and simmer until boiling, then put the cored and diced pears in, and simmer over low heat for half an hour. The lily and pear soup not only tastes good, but also clears away heat and dryness, making it very suitable for autumn.

If Xie Pei were here, she would definitely make an extra portion.

But he is still in the palace now, and I heard that he has countless miscellaneous matters to deal with.

When Su Wan put the lily and pear soup into the lunch box, her hand suddenly stopped.

If I remember correctly, the Porcelain Warehouse is just to the east of Chonghua Palace?

The two places are only separated by a courtyard wall and a palace road?

The incident at the Porcelain Warehouse shouldn’t have anything to do with Xie Pei, right?

He was still in Yuhua Palace, a hundred miles away, so it had nothing to do with him.

But when Su Wan walked out of the palace and arrived at the Ministry of Rites, her heart was becoming increasingly heavy.

How can it be related? It was obvious that they took advantage of Xie Pei's absence from the palace. You can throw all kinds of dirty water on him, after all, two people died.

Moreover, it was Xie Pei himself who wanted to move from Xiting and chose Chonghua Palace himself.

If that's the case, then everything connects.

Su Wan went to the library and her expression changed immediately. The rare solemnity just now seemed to be non-existent, and she looked the same as usual.

When the old man in the library saw Su Wan coming over with a food box, he smiled and asked, "What delicious food did you make this time?"

"It's just pear soup. The air in the library is dry, so you need to drink more soup." Su Wan said with a smile, and returned the book she had borrowed before.

The old man in the library looked at the clear snow pear soup and felt better. He took a bite and said, "I have a recipe for a tomato feast. Can you research some tomato chicken meatballs for me to try? If you make it, it will definitely be better."

This is also a recipe specially found for Su Wan. The old man is thinking about Su Wan.

But he didn't know that this recipe was written by Su Wan.

Su Wan smiled: "Okay, I'll make it for you later, it will definitely taste good."

After drinking only half a bowl of the pear soup, the old man felt that his autumn restlessness seemed to be less. Su Wan's cooking skills were indeed good.

No wonder the Shangshu was planning to have Su Wan come to the Ministry of Rites’ Kitchen Department.

But this matter has not been finalized yet, so I can’t say anything for now.

Su Wan didn't see the old man's hesitant expression. She looked at the tomato feast recipe handed over, thought for a moment and said, "My lord, have you heard that this recipe came from the Third Prince? He is really good. He asked his men to make such an exquisite recipe."

After that, Su Wan subconsciously added: "I heard that he thought tomatoes, corn and other things were found by the late emperor, so he didn't want them to be lost in the dust, so he took the trouble to create a new recipe to promote the good ingredients found by the late emperor."

What he just said was fine, but when the late emperor was mentioned, the old man drank his pear soup a little slower, and after a while he said, "He is the only one who has some of the spirit of the past."

"People's hearts are not the same as they used to be. They have changed a long time ago."

These words should not have been said, but there were only two of them in the library, and the old man trusted Su Wan, so he sighed and said, "We found more ingredients than these back then. The tomato sauce noodles you made last time have doubled the value of Hong Guo. It's hard to believe that anyone can still think of the grand event of the late emperor."

"The late emperor's character is as bright as the sun, and his knowledge is as vast as the sea and mountains."

"If he were still here, Tianxiang Country would be a hundred times stronger!"

Sure enough, the old ministers in the court had reached a certain level of respect for the late emperor.

Yes, just by listening to the deeds of the late emperor and Xie Pei's grandfather, you can know how powerful these two people are.

Su Wan added: "So that's the case. It's a pity that I don't have the luck to see the late emperor."

“You are so young, but you are lucky enough to eat the lambs raised in the Great Wall and the ingredients found by the late emperor and General Ding.” The old man seldom talked so much, and he did so only when he mentioned the late emperor.

He is like a miniature of the old officials in the court.

The lambs raised on the frontier mentioned just now are worth it to expel the ancestors and take back the ancestral heritage, so that we can herd sheep with peace of mind.

Needless to say, everyone knows the ingredients.

Su Wan finally said, "It seems that the Third Prince is really thinking about the late emperor, otherwise there would not be this list."

“But I heard