Chapter 3
"It's unacceptable!"
Before the princess could get angry, Wen Weili said, "Princess, please let me, your maid, go to the main courtyard kitchen and try it out. We'll know."
"Okay, I want to see what's the difference between you and me." The princess signaled Wang Po to take Zhiyun to the kitchen in the main courtyard. As for Wen Weili, she leisurely called a maid to bring a soft chair for her to sit on.
The maid glanced at the princess, and after getting her approval, she brought a soft chair covered with fur, and Wen Weili sat down next to the princess.
"Princess, this is unreasonable." A lady couldn't help but blame Wen Weili.
The princess's face darkened, but she said calmly, "It's alright, the prince has given instructions, Madam Li will do whatever she wants."
The moment these words were spoken, the faces of the concubines present turned grim. The lady who had spoken was practically furious, wishing she could tear Wen Weili apart. However, because of the princess' words, they dared not act rashly. The prince had already said it was up to her, so what else could they do?!
The one who stood out was severely beaten, and the remaining concubines were unwilling to try again. They just exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became silent for a while.
Half an hour passed in a flash, and Wang Po and Zhiyun still hadn't returned.
The princess glanced at Wen Weili and asked, "Madam Li, what rare item did you ask for? No wonder the main courtyard kitchen can't afford it."
"No, I only ordered one dish of crab, one dish of eggplant, and a few small snacks." Wen Weili said with a smile.
How is that possible?! Everyone didn't believe it, but if they were to brag, they would be exposed when the dishes were served. In this state of doubt, more than half an hour passed before Wang Po and Zhiyun, along with several kitchen maids, finally arrived.
As soon as they entered the room, the kitchen maid knelt down and apologized: "Please forgive me, Princess. The kitchen chef has put a lot of effort into making three dishes, and we are still researching the recipes for some snacks."
After that, he presented a crab dish first.
Zhiyun introduced the dish, "This is crab stuffed with orange. Take a plump, fresh orange, cut the top, and scoop out the flesh, leaving a little juice. Then, take fresh crab roe, remove the meat without damaging it, and place it inside the orange shell. Cover it with the cut orange top, and place it in a steamer. Add century-old wine and Xicheng aged vinegar to the water, and steam the orange crab. When eating, just add a little vinegar and salt for a refreshing and delicious taste."
Everyone gasped. None of the ingredients were particularly rare, yet they were hard to come by. Not to mention the skill of picking the crab without damaging the meat, which was even more challenging. The princess remained unmoved and asked the cook to serve the second dish.
The second dish was indeed an eggplant, but it was actually an eggplant jerky.
The princess couldn't help but ask, "It's just a dish of eggplant fish, why bother with it?"
Zhiyun smiled slightly and introduced, "It's indeed a dish of eggplant marinated fish, with some added ingredients. Take the eggplants freshly picked from the rack, remove the skin, and cut the flesh into small dices. Fry it in chicken oil. Then add chicken breast, fragrant mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms, five-spice dried tofu, and various dried fruits, all cut into dices. Simmer them in chicken broth until dry. Then, reduce the sesame oil and mix with the fried chicken."
Everyone's hands were shaking, and the princess was even holding her forehead weakly. No wonder Madam Li paid for the food herself, otherwise, how could she afford to run such a huge Prince Huai's Mansion?
Listen to Zhiyun's introduction to the third dessert: "This dessert is called Jade Pearl Fish. Wash the kernels of the Jade Pearl flower, grind them into powder, mix them with milk and cornstarch, and soak them in ancient well water. Then, filter them with a sachet, remove the water, and boil them in a cauldron. Boil briefly until they resemble the first blossoms of a chrysanthemum. Sprinkle some Xicheng aged vinegar on them, then press them into a sachet and press them into pieces. Spread the cornstarch in the steamer again, add milk, and steam until cooked. Sprinkle almond milk on top, simmer briefly, remove, and cut into fish fillets."
Everyone looked at each other. This dessert didn't seem difficult to make. Ancient well water, flour, milk, and almond milk were all common ingredients, but the Jade Flower kernels were a bit rare, though they could be found with careful searching.
Seeing that the masters seemed ready to move, the cook hurriedly knelt and pleaded, "Masters, you don't know, this tang fish is the most difficult to cook. Just boiling it in the pot until it is slightly boiling and adding vinegar to it is a step that has always failed. If Madam Li hadn't borrowed the cook from the small kitchen, I'm afraid the main courtyard kitchen wouldn't be able to make it in a day."
Seeing that everyone was silent, Wen Weili smiled faintly and said nothing, but everything was expressed without words.
Not long after, a maid whispered something to the princess, and the princess's face suddenly changed.
She looked at the dishes in disbelief, then looked at Wen Weili's calm demeanor, and coughed helplessly a few times: "Ahem, Madam Li, this princess has indeed seen that you are different from ordinary people. From now on, you should eat in your own courtyard." Don't come to Huo Huo's main courtyard kitchen for your share!
Since the princess said so, the concubines didn't dare to say anything. They looked at Wen Weili in admiration as she came and left in a graceful manner, and even took away the prepared dishes. They were even more depressed. Seeing the dishes but not being able to eat them made them even more salivating.
A certain lady's eyes flickered. Perhaps Wen Weili really had caught the prince's attention with the dishes from the small kitchen? If she could tell her family about it, her sister, who was about to come of age, might have a chance.
"Miss, this is so interesting! You don't know, when I first went to the kitchen, their eyes were about to look up to the sky. When I told them the methods one by one, they were dumbfounded. In the end, I had to ask our chef to help with the fish, otherwise, huh, they wouldn't be able to make it even if they were given ten days or half a month! And how about making that crab stuffed with orange..." Along the way, Zhiyun talked excitedly with a rare excitement.
Wen Weili smiled and nodded. When she heard the interesting part, she also laughed. "It's really interesting. I really hope they can come to visit me again in the future. Just don't try to use my small kitchen. I'm welcome to do that."
At night, Duanmu Huaixin returned to the palace. The princess immediately sent the butler to tell Duanmu Huaixin what happened today, exaggerating it. The focus was on how Wen Weili tortured people just for a bite of food.
Duanmu Huaixin hummed a few times after hearing this, then ran to Wen Weili's courtyard like a flash, excitedly shouting, "Sister Wen, what's delicious tonight?"
Wen Weili was cooking soup in the kitchen. Hearing this, she sighed, "You're still asking me for food? Your concubines are jealous of my small kitchen and want to take it away!"
"But I told Mrs. Niu not to disturb you." Duanmu Huaixin said bewilderedly.
Niu? So the princess's last name was Niu. It seemed like she had heard it somewhere before. Wen Weili stirred the copper spoon in her hand, trying hard to recall where she had heard this last name before.
"Sister Wen...are you listening to me?" Duanmu Huaixin expressed his loyalty to Wen Weili very seriously, "I will never let you suffer any injustice."
"I'm listening...Okay, okay, I made this soup especially for you. Do you like it?" Wen Weili pushed Duanmu Huaixin aside before he could even see the pot clearly. "Why don't you help me rub some peanuts when you have time? I'll fry some for you tonight."
"Good! Sister Wen is the best." At this moment, Duanmu Huaixin was as happy as a child. He sat happily on a small stool and rubbed peanut shells.
The chefs and servants watching from the side were terrified. They thought that their audacious master would be punished, but not only was he not punished, but he was even allowed to sit on a small stool and peel peanuts. What a wonderful thing! Their master was truly a god.
Duanmu Huaixin didn't feel anything at all. He happily peeled the peanuts, happily watched Wen Weili fry the peanuts, and happily waited for Wen Weili to serve the soup. However, his happy expression instantly turned into a crying face when he saw the soup in the porcelain bowl.
"Why? Sister Wen, I didn't do anything wrong today. I don't want to drink the water-soup." Duanmu Huaixin felt aggrieved like a hundred-pound dog. His originally sharp eyebrows drooped into semicircular puppy eyes, as if he was about to cry, and he looked at Wen Weili with tears in his eyes.
Wen Weili was not at all soft-hearted. Although what happened today was not entirely Duanmu Huaixin's responsibility, it was precisely because of his weak control over his own mansion that the princess found a loophole.
She didn't want to put on airs with those complicated and tedious dishes, but if she didn't take a firm stance today, whether she could have lunch or what kind of lunch she had would depend on others in the future. This was something she absolutely couldn't accept! So, Duanmu Huaixin, teach me a lesson!
Wen Weili smiled gently, "Xinxin, how can Bijian Soup be a punishment? It's a delicious dish, rich in nutrients, and will make you healthier after eating it."
"Okay qaq" Duanmu Huaixin finally finished eating all the Bijian soup slowly, spoonful by spoonful, under Sister Wen's death gaze.
"I'm done eating, Sister Wen... I want some fried peanuts..." He muttered, thinking of what Sister Wen had promised him in her dream that morning. "Sister Wen lied to me again. There's nothing good to eat tonight..."
"Stop nagging. I've prepared some snacks for you after dinner." Wen Weili not only brought fried peanuts to the table, but also several sweet dishes, including jujube and yam cake, golden thread rolls, and fried dough sticks.
Duanmu Huaixin immediately became happy and devoured all the desserts in a flash. He followed Wen Weili closely and said, "Sister Wen, I want to eat something delicious tomorrow..."
Wen Weili gently tapped her naughty brother's forehead and said softly, "You, still thinking about eating? I've already created an opportunity for you. Hurry up and send those spies and secret agents away. Now, except for my little courtyard, your palace is leaking like a sieve."
"Sieve? Are we going to dry the fruits?!" Duanmu Huaixin asked in a confused manner.
Wen Weili couldn't help laughing out loud: "Alright, alright, stop playing tricks, I still want to live comfortably in your Prince Huai's Mansion."
"Okay, Sister Wen, I promise to complete the task." Duanmu Huaixin left Wen Weili's courtyard with a smile. The closer he got to the courtyard gate, the uglier his expression became. Until he reached the courtyard gate, his face was completely gloomy, as if he was looking for someone to settle a score. He angrily called out the names of several ladies and asked the housekeeper to bring them to the main courtyard.
The concubines who received the tip-off were all terrified. They were angry that the new Madam Li had such a great influence on the prince, but some of them were secretly delighted that they had found Prince Huai's weakness.
After Duanmu Huaixin's outburst, the spies in his courtyard were temporarily cleared out. He also drove away the most inconspicuous concubine in the mansion. She seemed to have a clean background, but in fact she was the Fourth Prince's person.
At night, Duanmu Huaixin lay beside Wen Weili and sighed, "Sister Wen, thank you for your hard work."
"Xinxin, what nonsense are you talking about? I have food and drink in Prince Huai's Mansion, and I can even find someone to play games with tomorrow. How can it be hard?" Wen Weili touched her silly brother's forehead and continued to knock Duanmu Huaixin, "Don't try to pull out those nails and spies. If anything happens, I will cook you Bijian soup every day and make you vomit. Okay, stop looking at me and go to sleep."
"No, Sister Wen..." Duanmu Huaixin was silent for a long time. He called out Sister Wen in a low voice, but didn't hear Wen Weili's reply. Then he dared to say in a very low voice, "I will make you the most carefree person in the world. I swear."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
