In the evening, Su Wan enjoyed the hot pot meal very much. After all, it was a rare flavor and she could accept most tastes.
Just when he came out of Chunzhuo Tower, a gray-clad guard came to Xie Pei and whispered something in his ear.
Xie Pei looked over immediately: "Return to the palace."
Return to the palace?
Of course I have to reply, but it is rare to see Xie Pei so serious.
It was not until she got on the carriage that Su Wan realized what had happened. Imperial Concubine Jiang in the inner palace suddenly wanted to check the duty status of the personnel in various places in the inner and outer palaces for some unknown reason.
It is said that people tend to slack off on New Year's Eve, so we must be careful and cautious.
It’s Chinese New Year?
It's miserable enough to stay on guard in the palace, and there are also random inspections?
Su Wan looked at Xie Pei's eyes and said in shock, "Are you coming for the Imperial Cuisine?"
Although the Shangshisi is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, it is located in the outer city of the imperial palace and is now one of the inner departments, so she cannot escape the spot check.
As for why they didn't say they were targeting her, it was naturally because she didn't have that much face. At most, they could use her as an excuse to cause trouble for the Shangshi Division.
If she could find fault with the Imperial Kitchen, it would naturally be good for her. After all, it was because of the Imperial Kitchen that she lost power in the inner palace for so long.
Concubine Chu found an opportunity again and refused to return the golden seal of power.
But who could have thought that she would check it on New Year's Eve?
If that was the case, then who knew that she was not in the palace?
As soon as Su Wan looked up, Xie Pei naturally had an explanation: "There is a traitor in the West Kitchen. Don't worry, they haven't left Zhongcui Palace yet. It's just right for us to go back now."
Good man, you have a spy in Zhongcui Palace too, right?
With Xie Pei saying this, Su Wan naturally felt more at ease.
The carriage entered from Dong'an Gate and then returned to the Shangshenjian's residence through a small path in the palace. The journey was smooth and unobstructed.
It seems that Xie Pei brought her back as soon as there was movement in Zhongcui Palace.
It seems that the "ghost" in Zhongcui Palace is quite powerful.
No, Xie Pei’s people are quite powerful.
The two didn't say much. Su Wan also changed her clothes and washed herself with some hot water to wash off the hot pot smell.
Everything was done quickly. When she had changed into the dark blue clothes of a palace maid and was sitting on duty in the Shangshenjian, there was a knock on the door outside.
Because it was New Year's Eve, Su Wan originally planned to be on duty by herself and let the other palace maids rest. However, she did not expect the accident of Xie Pei. So, it was Xie Pei's people who were here in the first half, and now it would be her turn.
In other words, there is only Su Wan in the entire Shangshenjian.
But from the sound of footsteps coming outside to investigate, there was more than one person.
First, the door of the Guanglu Temple opposite was knocked, and then hers.
Su Wan packed her clothes and opened the door of the Shangshenjian directly.
Su Wan also recognized the person standing in front of her.
It was Jiang Hongye who was beside Concubine Jiang.
They had met a long time ago, when Su Wan came to the palace for the first time and entered the Imperial Kitchen, and Jiang Hongye was complacent about going to the inner palace to serve the imperial concubine.
Now that we meet here, I can’t describe the feeling.
When Jiang Hongye saw Su Wan, she was immediately shocked, and Su Wan saw it.
Su Wan smiled: "Today is New Year's Eve, why are there still people coming?"
The officer on duty at the Guanglu Temple opposite complained and answered in advance: "That's right, we are not allowed to celebrate New Year's Eve. What are you investigating? You can't control our Guanglu Temple and Shangshisi."
I can't control it, but they are all in the palace, so I have to give them some face.
Besides, they have no evil intentions.
Jiang Hongye looked around in disbelief.
Didn’t they say that there was no one on duty at the Shangshenjian?
Isn't it said that we can find the fault of Shangshenjian now?
But the Su Wan in front of him was the best proof. She did not sneak out of the palace as the secret rumors said, but was on duty here.
Jiang Hongye stared at Su Wan and saw that her expression was indifferent.
Originally, she thought she was just an ignorant palace maid, but unexpectedly, Su Wan looked at her and said, "If you hadn't entered the inner palace, you would probably be a fifth-rank or fifth-rank female official now."
What?
Su Wan smiled again: "Female officials can leave the palace to accompany their families on New Year's Eve, and can attend the grand court meeting together in the morning."
"No matter what, you don't have to be someone's dog on New Year's Eve."
"Jiang Hongye, don't you think so?"
These words aroused Jiang Hongye's thoughts that she didn't want to think about anyway.
She didn't dare to think about it.
I dare not imagine what life would be like if I stayed in Shangshisi.
I also dare not wonder why so many of my colleagues in the Shangshi Department have been promoted to higher positions.
They are all women, and they all work in the kitchen.
Imperial Concubine Jiang said at the beginning that if they worked harder, they could reach the fifth rank of the Shangshi Department.
But now, there are so many fifth-rank officials in the Shangshi Department, and the chief officer has even been promoted to the fourth rank. As long as he does not make any mistakes, he will be able to reach the fourth rank in four or five years, and it is not impossible for him to retire as a third-rank official in the end.
She knew it in her heart, but she didn't dare to think about it.
Because she gave up all these and entered the inner palace, thinking that by being closer to the nobles, she would have a life of luxury.
It turned out that when she entered the inner palace, she was just a slave, just an ordinary maid.
Now even the young palace maid in the Imperial Kitchen could be easily mocked and could see what she was thinking.
Su Wan smiled: "But it's too late. You chose your own path, right?"
Yes, why not?
Jiang Hongye took a step forward, but was stopped by the Guanglu Temple people behind him: "It's just a child, why do you want to hit him? Are people from our Ministry of Rites so easy to bully?"
Su Wan really wanted to laugh this time.
How come one day, someone still uses the fact that she is just a child to help defend herself?
Isn’t this a kind of social death!
The two officials on duty at the Guanglu Temple and the people following behind them also said, "Let's go after the inspection. We still have to stay up to celebrate the New Year."
"That's right. You must have somewhere else to go."
They are all from the Ministry of Rites, so of course they have to be protected.
Besides, what the little palace maid said was right. It was she who chose to go to the inner palace to be a maid and gave up her position as the sixth-rank official.
Although everyone has their own choices, it is still despised to show off in the old employer's place. There is no literary spirit at all.
What?
Where does the literati spirit of the Shangshi Bureau come from?
Aren’t you as good at handwriting and writing as their superiors?
Everyone admires knowledgeable people, and everyone also admires capable people.
Jiang Hongye left angrily.
Who knows how angry Concubine Jiang will be when she returns this time.
Jiang Hongye took one last look at the Shangshenjian. She was originally here too. There were some intrigues here, but compared with the inner palace, they were child's play.
As long as everyone does good things, the superiors will be very friendly.
She has good skills, and her superiors will focus on training her. Even when they knew that Deputy Nan Cheng's niece was coming, the superiors told her not to worry and that they would not be partial to her or engage in corruption. As long as she did her job well, she would have a good future.
At that time, she ignored it.
But now I realize that these words were actually in her ears and had long been remembered in her heart.
But the superior also said that once she left the Imperial Kitchen, there was nothing that could be done, and she couldn't get her back.
No wonder the inner palace asked for Deputy Prime Minister Li, Deputy Prime Minister Bei and several officials many times, but most of them were unwilling to leave.
Especially the Zaliku, the maids and palace servants inside wished they could stay there forever.
When I passed by just now, I heard that they were gathering together to celebrate the New Year, and they were very happy.
After these people left, Su Wan looked at the officials of Guanglu Temple and said, "Our female officials brought a lot of shrimp dumplings this morning, as well as pork and cabbage dumplings made by the western kitchen. Do you want to eat them? It's hard to be on duty, so we'll just give them to you."
"Okay! I've been hungry for a long time!"
"Didn't you have dinner tonight?"
"Evening is evening, and midnight snack is midnight snack. It's different! Don't you want to eat?"
"Will I give it to you even if I don't eat it?"
The officials of Guanglu Temple were arguing and immediately came over to help.
In the past, the two offices were close, but they were not so familiar with each other. It was only after they were transferred to the same department that the relationship between the two sides became better.
Su Wan was grateful for their help in speaking up, but also felt that it was indeed tiring at night.
But she herself couldn't eat any more.
We have eaten enough today, especially the Tom Yum Goong hotpot, which made us very full. The shrimps and crabs in the hotpot are not in season, so they tasted especially delicious.
But this reminded Su Wan of something else. Although they were not very related, both of them were boiled food before eating, which was very suitable for winter.
That’s Malatang!
In this cold winter, have a bowl of spicy hot pot. Not to mention being on duty alone, even if I am here alone every day, I won’t feel bored.
Su Wan was cooking dumplings for everyone while making the dipping sauce.
I can still be thinking about how to make some meatballs and cook spicy hot pot tomorrow.
The people from Guanglu Temple saw Su Wan doing three things at once, with her other hand still writing down the ingredients, so they asked casually, "What are you writing down?"
As he was talking, he happened to see Su Wan's handwriting and subconsciously widened his eyes: "Your handwriting style is quite unique."
Not only is she not as beautiful as other women, she also has a unique style.
This word is easy to write, but its style is hard to find.
It is even more rare to have your own style.
There are many people who have spent most of their lives writing, but they are just copying and imitating.
Su Wan told the truth directly: "I just wrote it casually, probably because it doesn't look good."
"How can this not look good? Although my writing skills are not good enough, it is only because I have not practiced enough. If I write more, maybe I can become a master of my own."
Su Wan almost laughed out loud.
Why are you praising them so much? I just cooked some dumplings for them, you shouldn't be praising them against your conscience, right?
Su Wan said: "I want to make spicy hot pot tomorrow, just one kind of food, I will think about what dish to eat now."
The dumplings had just been served. The Guanglu Temple people ate two large dumplings. When they heard Su Wan say there was something new to eat, they immediately said, "Would it be convenient for you to take us? We are still on duty tomorrow and we can't go home. We can only make do with one bite for the meal."
"That's convenient. You can come over tomorrow at noon. You can write down any ingredients you like and I will make them together tomorrow."
This kind of thing is very simple, Su Wan naturally would not refuse: "Also, do you eat onions, ginger, garlic, spicy food, and do you have any dietary restrictions."
It’s fine if you say it later, but what you say at the beginning is that you can write down any ingredients you like?
How can this be possible?
There are so many things they like to eat, and I can’t write them all down at once, so I’d have to make one or two hundred dishes.
The two officials on duty at the Guanglu Temple were just being polite and didn't write anything exaggerated. Su Wan could tell it at a glance.
But how can you be more than just polite about something like Malatang? Malatang tastes better when it has rich ingredients!
Everyone's mouths were drooling over the dumplings.
As expected of a Shangshi restaurant, the dumplings they make are exceptionally delicious.
Neither the Imperial Household Department nor the Imperial Household Department took the sudden inspection of the inner palace's guard situation seriously, but there were omissions in several other places.
Either the person on duty neglected his duty, or someone drank some alcohol.
Some places were even empty.
After all, it’s New Year’s Eve, and many places are relatively relaxed.
But what was unexpected was that the most lax defense was the Chengtian Gate. There should have been ten visible guards, twenty secret guards, and a hundred soldiers on duty at the back.
Unexpectedly, not only were the number of people reduced by half, but the people at the seats were even drunk.
Drinking while on duty is a serious crime. He was drunk and almost got into a fight with someone. If it hadn't been checked in time, there would have been an oversight in the palace.
And what is this Chengtian Gate?
It is the main entrance to the palace, also known as the South Gate, and it is also the most majestic gate in the entire palace.
Entering from this gate, you will reach the Outer Palace of the Imperial Palace. Going straight ahead, you will reach the Taimiao and Sheji Altar mentioned earlier. Continue walking south and you will reach the Wumen Gate of the Inner Palace of the Imperial Palace. Going further ahead, you will reach the Huangji Hall where court is held.
In other words, this road was used by ministers to go to court in the past, which shows its importance.
Now there are omissions in Chengtian Gate, the facade of the imperial palace. Isn't it infuriating?
Fortunately, Concubine Jiang ordered an investigation at the last minute. Otherwise, if something went wrong and a bad guy sneaked in, what would happen to the safety of the saint? What would happen to the country?
When Su Wan woke up on the first day of the Lunar New Year, she heard all this gossip.
The story gets more and more exaggerated, as if a few palace maids had a few drinks on New Year's Eve, and the Tianxiang Kingdom was about to be destroyed.
In fact, it is not uncommon for soldiers and guards to drink alcohol. Of course, the situation at Chengtian Gate is a bit excessive.
But New Year's Eve is indeed different. Every palace servant who cannot go home feels sad.
As long as you don't make a serious mistake, you will basically not be blamed, but this is a situation that is not discovered.
Now that the truth has been uncovered, even the commander of the Chengtian Gate guards, who had been spending the New Year at home, rushed over on New Year's Day to ask for apology from the Saint.
But in this case, there must be resentment towards Concubine Jiang.
Why should she do this?
Wait a moment.
Chengtian Gate.
If I remember correctly, yesterday on New Year's Eve, it was Concubine Chu's son, the Second Prince, who arranged for the palace marriage officials to be at Chengtian Gate, and for the soldiers to dress up as generals to drive away evil spirits?
In other words, Chengtianmen’s dereliction of duty might be related to the Second Prince?
From this perspective, it seems understandable why Concubine Jiang suddenly checked the guard status of the inner and outer cities of the imperial palace.
She is just here by the way, the big fish is at Chengtian Gate!
And she actually caught him!
Su Wan handled the official business of the Shangshenjian in the morning. Someone came to report the news from various departments. Su Wan also wrote a note and asked someone to hand it to the deputy prime minister of Xi to exchange information.
It’s not all about gossip nowadays, but we must be aware of these situations so that we can handle various things better.
The crimes committed by the various departments inside and outside the palace were minor matters, only the crime committed by Chengtian Gate was serious.
The result was also found out in the morning. It was because the Second Prince was very kind to the soldiers. After the marriage officer and the soldiers "drove away the evil spirits", he rewarded the Chengtian Gate with some fine wine and delicious food, and mingled with the guards.
Unexpectedly, these people let down the Second Prince's kindness and got drunk.
When the matter was traced back to the second prince.
According to the sage's question, as a prince, don't you know that the guards on duty cannot drink alcohol? What is your intention?
Are you so anxious to please these soldiers? What does this mean?
What he meant was not important. What was important was that the Second Prince made a mistake, that is, Concubine Chu made a mistake.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the fourteenth year of Tianze, Concubine Jiang became the most powerful noble in the harem.
However, Su Wan was more curious about whether Xie Pei knew about this. When he was having dinner with her, he even glanced towards Chengtian Gate. Could it be that he had known about it a long time ago?
This is even less surprising, as he knew everything that Zhongcui Palace did.
But taking her out to eat hotpot in this situation is a bit too risky, isn't it?
I don’t understand Xie Pei’s thoughts. He looks steady, but why does he seem a little weird?
But given Xie Pei's character, he must be well prepared.
After finishing the work here, Su Wan changed her clothes and prepared to make the meatballs for the spicy hot pot, and asked someone to prepare the other ingredients.
She starts to cook the base soup in the morning, using the white and tender bone soup as the base. This spicy hot pot is absolutely delicious.
When she got up, news came from the west kitchen.
The letter sent by Deputy Prime Minister Xi expressed shock, and she had already begun investigating which palace servant in the West Kitchen was colluding with the inner palace.
There must not be such a person in the western kitchen.
At noon, when Su Wan had finally finished making several kinds of meatballs, she heard a little palace maid from the west kitchen being sent to the inner palace to see Concubine Jiang.
And that palace maid was Xiaoyue.
She left willingly, as if she had been prepared for it for a long time, and it seemed that this was also her own idea.
Su Wan sighed, not quite surprised.
Just as she fished out the last meatball, she heard the voice of the official on duty at the Guanglu Temple outside.
“What a nice smell!”
“Is this how you make spicy hot pot?”
"Oh my god! There are hundreds of ingredients here?! How do I eat them?"
It doesn’t matter if there are hundreds of ingredients in Malatang, as long as they all taste good!
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