On the third day after the beginning of winter, the leaden clouds finally cracked, letting in golden sunlight that shone through, illuminating the maple leaves in the imperial garden. Su Jinli followed the maiden who led the way across the Nine-Curve Bridge, her wooden clogs making a resonant sound as they trod on the frost-covered flagstones. The water beneath the bridge rippled gently, reflecting the crimson maples and vermilion verandas on the shore. It felt as if she were stepping onto a moving painting of autumn mountains. The chili powder wrapped in oil paper in her sleeve pricked her palm, and she remembered the warmth of the black jade bracelet on her wrist when Jiang Yan had slipped the paper package into her sleeve that morning. He had said, "The dishes in the palace's imperial kitchen are always lacking in flavor. If you don't like them, just sprinkle some on them."
A few fallen maple leaves clung to the glazed tiles of the waterside pavilion. The iron eaves rustled softly in the wind, mingling with the sounds of stringed instruments from within. The musicians from the Imperial Music Bureau were playing "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat." The flute's melodious sound, though deliberately measured, lacked the carefree quality of "Fisherman and Woodcutter's Dialogue" that Jiang Yan played at home in his spare time. A palace maid lifted a cotton curtain embroidered with lotus flowers, and a warm fragrance mingled with ambergris filled the air. The empress sat upright on a carved rosewood chair at the head of the table. The pearl curtains on her phoenix crown flickered as she leaned slightly, casting a fine light that blurred even her makeup.
"Madam Su is here?" The Queen's voice seemed to contain ice, and the tail tone was extremely long. "I heard that when you were in Jiangnan, you once taught the victims to weave straw sandals. Your hands are quite dexterous." She raised her hand to signal, and the palace maids beside her immediately moved an eight-immortal table inlaid with marble to the center of the waterside pavilion. Fresh ingredients were placed on the white porcelain plates on the table - finely chopped pork leg with a pink hue, mung bean vermicelli gleaming in the sun, a handful of Hanyuan peppercorns were green and shiny, and next to it was a plate of chopped green onion and ginger. Even the small pot for soy sauce was made of Ding kiln white porcelain.
Princess Shou'an emerged from the crowd and quietly tugged at the hem of Su Jinli's sleeve. The girl, wearing a pomegranate-red palace gown embroidered with gold, her hairpin adorned with red gold and kingfisher feathers tilted askew, had clearly just slipped out of a banquet. "Sister Su," she said, tilting her head upwards, her voice lowered to a whisper, "The Empress said she wants to test your culinary skills. She just told Consort Shu that she wants to see if your hand, used to holding an abacus, can handle a kitchen knife." The princess's fingertips were so cold that they wrinkled the lotus pattern on Su Jinli's sleeve.
Su Jinli bent down to straighten her step-shaking ornaments. Touching the cool, jade-inlaid feathers, she suddenly recalled autumn days at the Yangzhou docks. Back then, she'd followed her wet nurse to buy snacks. The boatmen on the docks gathered around the woks, frying lotus root dumplings to a golden, crispy consistency. Nearby, an old woman squatted on a small stool, weaving straw sandals with her withered fingers. The grass fluttered between her fingers, a stark reminder of the cold glint in the empress's eyes. She looked up at the empress, who was tapping the edge of the table with a gold-inlaid, jade-inlaid spoon. The ruby inlaid on the handle shone an eerie red in the sunlight.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment," Su Jinli bowed, the chili powder in her sleeves rubbing against the lining as she moved, making a slight rustling sound. "Weaving straw sandals is just a rough job, nothing compared to the fine craftsmanship in the palace. I just wonder what Your Majesty would like to try today?" She glanced at the ingredients on the table and saw that the vermicelli was soaked just right, each strand clearly lying in the white porcelain plate, just like the kind used by the proprietress in the Yangzhou snack stalls to make "ants climbing a tree."
"Oh?" The Queen raised an eyebrow, her pearl curtains swaying even more rapidly. "Madam Su is quite forthright. Let's have...a simple meal." She picked up a spoonful of Sichuan peppercorns, the green seeds rolling in the white jade spoon. "So I can see if the storytellers who can captivate the Emperor are as skilled in cooking as described in the storybooks."
The surrounding concubines let out a suppressed chuckle. Concubine Shu sat below the Empress, dressed in a goose-yellow palace dress with gold accents. The pearl hairpin on her head swayed gently with her movements. "I've heard Madam Su is not only a brilliant storyteller, but also an expert with the abacus. I wonder how well she handles the kitchen knife? It looks like she's cut the pork belly into chess pieces, not like misplaced abacus beads," she said, covering her mouth with a brocade handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers, but glancing at Su Jinli's hand from the corner of her eye.
Su Jinli rolled up her azure sleeves, revealing the black jade bracelet on her wrist. Jiang Yan had gone to Liulichang specifically to find it after winning the Spring Examination, claiming black jade nourishes and complements her complexion. The jade beads felt cool to the touch, reminding her of Jiang Yan proofreading the "Kaogong Ji" at his desk before leaving this morning. His hand, gripping the wolf-hair brush, hovered in mid-air. Suddenly, he turned and said, "Today, at the Imperial Garden Banquet, if the Empress is bothered, I'll make your best dish. I'm sure they haven't tasted it before."
She picked up the kitchen knife from the counter. It was a newly forged fine steel kitchen knife, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight filtering through the window. The blade was neither light nor heavy, fitting perfectly in her hand, reminding her of the polished, well-worn knife her mother often used in the kitchens of Jiangnan. "Since Her Majesty wishes to see some home cooking," Su Jinli's voice, soft but clear, echoed throughout the pavilion, "I will present my humble offering. This dish is called 'Ants Climbing a Tree,' a Sichuanese dish that requires slow cooking over low heat to ensure the ground meat is tightly coated with vermicelli..."
Before she finished her words, Concubine Shu chuckled, "Ants climbing a tree? Are you frying ants in the dish? Madam Su, that's a rather unusual name for a dish." Concubine Xian, who was standing beside her, nodded, "Even I've never heard of such a dish before. Did you learn it in Jiangnan?"
Su Jinli ignored the discussion, her gaze fixed on the pot. The eunuchs in the imperial kitchen had already lit the silver charcoal stove, and the rapeseed oil in the copper pot was emitting a faint smoke. She grabbed a handful of chopped green onions and ginger and sprinkled them into the pot. A sizzling sound erupted, and a rich aroma instantly spread, overwhelming the ambergris in the palace. Princess Shou'an leaned over to the pot and sniffed hard. "What a nice smell! It smells like the braised pork in the imperial kitchen."
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