Su Wan prepared to make porridge in the afternoon.
Although this thing is called dim sum, the afternoon panso is more than just dim sum. Even porridge is fine. As long as it is not a main meal, it can be called dim sum.
In fact, eating some warm porridge in the winter afternoon is a good choice.
Well, the main thing is that we are going to have boiled chicken for lunch today, and the internal organs of the two chickens are still there. If we leave them overnight and eat them tomorrow, they will not be fresh. It is better to make chicken porridge this afternoon.
Chicken offal porridge can not only regulate the spleen and stomach, but also replenish qi and improve eyesight. Eating it in the afternoon will not add burden to the stomach and intestines, so it is very suitable to be eaten as a pan-soy.
After lunch, not only the four palace maids brought by the Imperial Kitchen, but also the cooks from the Ministry of Rites were convinced.
We all cook, and we all know that it is not easy to make simple dishes delicious.
Besides, they all know that everyone wants Su Wan to be a judge and try the dishes made by various restaurants.
If those restaurants knew that the palace maid who made the pine nut corn was in their Ministry of Rites, they would probably all be looking around in front of the door of the Ministry of Rites, right?
So naturally no one objected to the chicken offal porridge made by Su Wan. Instead, they wanted to see how Su Wan made it. Seeing that she did not refuse, everyone felt grateful for her kindness.
Although they are all simple meals, many people have family traditions and are unwilling to let others see it. After all, this is their livelihood.
Otherwise, why would the chef who goes back to attend his master's funeral be surrounded by his apprentices? This is also to prevent others from learning from him secretly.
Su Wan found it hard to understand this approach. In ancient times, the relationship between master and apprentice was like that between father and son, and what they taught was how to make a living.
In this case, it must be kept secret; this is normal.
After lunch, Su Wan and others started to prepare the afternoon porridge.
If you want the chicken offal to taste good, you must clean it thoroughly, especially the blood inside. Don't be afraid of spending time and effort, just clean it bit by bit. If conditions permit, rubbing it with salt is a great method.
Salt can wash away most of the odor and blood stains. If it is not washed clean, then this bowl of chicken offal porridge will be ruined from the beginning and will definitely taste extremely fishy.
Because if it is braised normally, you can use spices to cover up the taste, but this is a white and clean porridge, and you can taste any strange smell.
Wash the chicken offal, cut it into thin slices, then marinate it with sugar, rice wine, light soy sauce and salt. Don’t add too much of anything so as not to cover up the flavor of the chicken offal.
On the other side, start cooking rice porridge. Wash the rice and put it in the pot and boil it first. After the water in the pot boils, pour in the chicken giblets and shredded ginger.
The rice porridge already has some flavor at this time. After boiling, turn to low heat and simmer slowly. Stir constantly during the simmering process, and keep it in one direction.
After boiling for fifteen minutes or half an hour, it can be served. The rice porridge is soft and mushy when it is served. It is very suitable for middle-aged and elderly people because it uses chicken offal, which has a meaty taste and is not greasy.
Finally, sprinkle some chives on the thick chicken offal porridge, white porridge, brown chicken offal, and tender green chives.
This bowl of porridge makes me salivate just by looking at it.
It tastes refreshing and light, fresh and delicious.
Su Wan's craftsmanship was proven once again.
Several adults also discovered that Su Wan could cook both main dishes and light porridge and side dishes. There was no one more versatile than her.
The old man in the library who got to eat the porridge must be feeling so happy.
It’s great that I can eat Su Wan’s meals every day. I can also check her homework from time to time, which is also great.
The old man in the library discovered that Su Wan had her own way of studying.
As the saying goes, if you read a book a hundred times you will understand its meaning, but Su Wan first understood it and then summarized and formed her own ideas.
It is amazing that one can read and study well in this way.
As I said, I always feel that if Su Wan were to take the scientific examination, she would be no less than others.
The Minister of Rites had heard about it, and when he thought about the notes Su Wan made last time, he felt that they were indeed interesting.
Su Wan was not the only one who finished her work and went to the library to study. There was also the young man from the Ministry of Rites whom she had met last year, a non-staff member of the Ministry of Rites who passed on information everywhere.
Su Wan has known him for nearly a year. He will take part in the Autumn Examination next year, which is the examination for Juren. So after the winter solstice this year, he will not come to the Ministry of Rites anymore and will go home to concentrate on preparing for the exam.
He was able to finish the chicken porridge made by Su Wan at this moment, all because of their good relationship.
This young man is called Wang Yibin. He is very gentle and polite in his work. He becomes more and more nervous as the time approaches for the imperial examination. In fact, there is still nearly a year before the examination, so there is no need to worry so much.
But when I think about how hard ancient students worked for the imperial examinations, it seems that it’s okay to start getting nervous now.
But Wang Yibin was not thinking about the imperial examination, but Su Wan. After he finished his porridge, he solemnly put down his bowl and chopsticks.
"Su Wan, when will you come out of the palace? It will take a few more years."
Su Wan hesitated when she heard this, but still said, "More than four years left? It feels like time is passing very quickly."
"Ah? More than four years?" Wang Yibin couldn't help but ask, "It's been too long."
The two of them didn't notice that at this time, someone Su Wan was familiar with came to the door of the library.
"What's wrong? I'm not in a hurry." Su Wan raised her eyebrows.
"I was thinking, if you come out of the palace, I will spend all my money to invite you to my home. If I can eat the meals you cook every day, I don't need to be an official!" Wang Yibin's words were exaggerated, but they were sincere.
"No, I'll note down when you leave the palace and make an appointment in advance. How about that? Then you can come to my house as a private chef and cook only for my family. How about that?"
"If I pass the exam and am sent out, I will take you out and guarantee you a generous reward."
As they listened, the nonsense became more and more outrageous. The old man at the library at the door couldn't help but cough lightly to remind them.
However, seeing that his old friend's grandson Wang Yibin is now seventeen, and Su Wan will be fourteen next year, they are indeed old enough to discuss marriage.
It’s just that although Su Wan is good in everything, her family background is not very good.
This is such a pity.
It’s better for them to study separately in the future and not be together.
It’s not that the old man in the library doesn’t like Su Wan, but Wang Yibin’s grandfather was an official before he died, and now his father and brother are also officials in the court.
Given Wang Yibin’s knowledge, it’s estimated that he isn’t much different.
This identity is still too far away.
If anything happens in the future, Su Wan will most likely be the one in trouble.
The old man in the library was only thinking about how to "break up the couple", but he didn't notice that the Third Prince beside him had a unhappy expression on his face.
Fortunately, Su Wan and Wang Yibin had already stood up and saluted the two of them.
Xie Pei hummed softly and asked, "Where is the book?"
The old man in the library led the way and winked at the two men, asking them to step back first.
For some unknown reason today, the Third Prince passed by the Ministry of Rites and said that he wanted to check the previous books, and he also said that these books were only available in the Ministry of Rites.
Because it came so suddenly, the old man didn't expect it.
But fortunately it’s not a big deal.
Everyone who has come into contact with the Third Prince knows that he basically doesn't care about such trivial matters. As long as he is not provoked, everything will be fine.
Unexpectedly, the Third Prince stood in front of Su Wan, looked her up and down and asked, "Who is she? Why is she in the library?"
???
I'm in the library, don't you know?
The old man in the library smiled and said, "She is a maid in the Imperial Food Department. She was recently transferred to the Ministry of Rites to help out. She will come over to deliver some porridge."
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it. After he finished speaking, Xie Pei looked at the dishes and chopsticks that were obviously used by the person next to him, and frowned subconsciously.
His frown made him look even more moody.
Xie Pei looked at Su Wan again and then nodded.
That night, Su Wan placed a string of candied haws on the table in her residence in the Ministry of Rites. There was still no syrup, only candied haws made from sour hawthorns.
???
Su Wan almost laughed out loud.
How could there be such a person?
The people who lived in the same room with Su Wan were very curious about who put the hawthorns here. They looked like they were strung together, but why were there no syrup on them?
Or why it’s natural is because it wants to highlight the acid.
For snack on the second afternoon, Su Wan simply used the hawthorns to make hawthorn cake rolls.
It looks soft, and the sour taste is neutralized by cream, turning the pure sour taste of hawthorn into a sour, sweet and gentle taste.
It is not easy to make. First, boil the hawthorns into hawthorn jam and then make it into soft rolls.
This is the Swiss roll that everyone eats.
Mix egg yolks, butter, corn oil, milk and low-gluten flour to make a batter.
Then beat the remaining egg whites. It is easier to beat egg whites with vinegar. Add powdered sugar during the process.
The bread rolls made in this way are very soft. After baking, let them cool for a while, roll up part of them while they are still warm, and then wait for them to cool completely.
Then spread the prepared cream and hawthorn jam inside the bread roll, and finally roll it into a beautiful long strip.
When the long strips are cut one by one, they become the Swiss rolls that we usually see, or bread rolls.
Normally, just add cream to it, but Su Wan added sweet and sour hawthorn jam to it, which added another layer of flavor.
When making the hawthorn jam, powdered sugar is also added. Even the sourest hawthorn jam will become sweet after going through this process.
The acid is used to adjust the taste.
This hawthorn cake roll is soft and non-sticky, and is very suitable for placing on the desk. After finishing your work, you can eat a bite and then drink a sip of tea, and your stomach will feel satisfied.
Many people in the Ministry of Rites felt that transferring people from the Imperial Food Bureau over here was the most correct choice.
If only they could stay here forever.
We’ll talk about whether it’s good or not later. Anyway, Xie Pei also tasted the hawthorn cake roll and even smiled.
It seems that he also understands the significance of Su Wan doing this.
It was not difficult for Su Wan to work in the Ministry of Rites. After she became familiar with the affairs there, she could go and see her aunt by just telling the official in charge of the kitchen.
My aunt's shop was still busy. Knowing that Su Wan could come out at any time until the New Year, my aunt was very happy. She stopped doing business for the moment and wanted to measure Su Wan's height so that she could make clothes for her in advance.
But the store is busy now, and my aunt is too busy to do it. However, she is prepared to "spend a huge amount of money" to go to a satin shop in Kyoto to have it tailored. The inner clothes will still be made by my aunt herself, and the outer clothes will be made by a master chef.
The aunt was actually a little embarrassed, and said, "The last time I went to the satin shop with someone, I realized how good their craftsmanship was. It's a relief that you didn't despise me."
Well, everyone has their own expertise, and the craftsmanship of those satin shop masters is naturally very impressive. Not only are the stitches dense, but the styles are also beautiful.
So after much thought, my aunt decided that it would be better to spend money to do it.
But after all, it was not made by myself, so it seems not sincere enough.
Su Wan smiled: "You're making money now, firstly you don't have time, and secondly we don't lack that, right?"
That’s right. The business of the stinky tofu shop is much better than anyone imagined, and the profit is also substantial enough. Now my aunt has indeed saved some money.
Originally, all of them were to be given to Su Wan, but she didn't want them and asked her aunt to keep them for herself.
When it was time to order clothes, Su Wan persuaded her aunt to make one for her as well. Finally, she bought some good charcoal and told her aunt not to save on these things on winter nights.
If it were in the past, my aunt would have refused, but now she has money and can earn money, so after a slight inner struggle, she gave in and didn't refuse.
Seeing that the work was done, Su Wan packed up a few more portions of stinky tofu and shared them with the kitchen staff.
Seeing the stinky tofu, everyone was immediately surprised and asked, "You went out to buy stinky tofu. You waited in line for a long time, didn't you?"
Not bad?
It’s my own, I didn’t even pay for it.
Seeing Su Wan smile, everyone just thought she agreed and couldn't help but say, "You still think about us when you go out. If I go out later, I will bring you some delicious food."
"Okay, we still have to stay in the Ministry of Rites for a while anyway." Su Wan calculated the days and estimated that they would not be able to return to the Imperial Kitchen until the Chinese New Year.
But the work is the same everywhere.
However, we must definitely experience the winter festival during this period.
Su Wan got a headache whenever she thought of last year’s winter festival. She didn’t know what the rules would be this time, but she would definitely have to get up early in the morning.
Without the monks this year, the process may be slightly modified, but it will not change basically. It is nothing more than offering sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors.
Su Wan originally thought that things would be calm recently, and even if there was any trouble, it would be Xie Pei who caused it.
It is now October 20th and his birthday is November 6th.
If he were to be made the crown prince on his birthday now, there would definitely be trouble.
But I didn't expect that the one who wanted to cause trouble was not him, but a saint.
The saint finally got up from his sickbed, and the first thing he said was that he wanted to establish a new queen.
And you have to choose one from Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu.
When these words were spoken, the whole court was shocked.
Establish a queen?
Or should the concubine who has children be made queen?
Don’t you understand what this means?
Isn’t it because Xie Pei is about to turn fifteen, and if he doesn’t appoint a queen or raise a new heir, then the position of crown prince will belong to Xie Pei!
Therefore, the sage must re-establish a queen before Xie Pei turns fifteen!
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar immediately broke out in the court.
To establish a queen with offspring means that whichever concubine becomes the queen, her son will definitely become the crown prince.
For a moment, the calm that came with winter suddenly became restless.
Even though Imperial Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu were incompatible before, they only joined forces reluctantly because they wanted to deal with Xie Pei together.
But now the already fragile front collapsed in an instant.
It was okay in the past.
Now there is only one queen, and the two of them, including their children, will surely fight to the death without any mercy.
If you succeed, you will be second to none. If you fail, the result is self-evident.
When Su Wan heard the news, she felt that the emperor was too cruel.
Forcing the concubines to fight Xie Pei to the death. You want the throne, right? You want to be the crown prince, right? Then go ahead and fight.
No one expected the saint to do this.
For a time, the court was in turmoil and was directly divided into two factions. One side supported the new queen, that is, the saint, Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Chu.
The other side does not support the enthronement of a queen. There are not many people in this faction, but one of them is worth ten, and they are the old ministers in the court, and their reasons are also very sufficient.
What did you say when you married the late queen?
Have you forgotten?
You told General Ding that there would only be one queen, Ding Yingwan, in this life, and no two others. Only after you said this did General Ding agree to marry his beloved daughter.
Of course, this is also to ensure Ding Yingwan's absolute status.
So even though the late queen had passed away for so long, no one brought up the issue of appointing a new queen.
Only Concubine Jiang mentioned it several times, but the saint did not respond.
When he made this promise, he said it in front of many people, so it's hard to go back on it.
At that time, he also felt that Xie Pei was not a threat and that he had no ability to seize the position of crown prince.
But at this point, in order to prevent Xie Pei from becoming the crown prince and to determine a new eldest son before he turns fifteen, the saint went back on his word and said he wanted to establish a queen.
Anyway, after he talked about establishing a new emperor, the most excited people were Imperial Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu.
Since they both want to make their sons the crown prince, it's easy.
Go and fight, and the reward you win is the position of crown prince!
In this way, the saint does not need to face the gossips at all, as there will naturally be people to defend him, and he doesn't even need to think of the reasons.
It's really not a very decent thing to do.
But being respectable is actually of no use.
Everyone knows how he ascended the throne, but so what? He still served as emperor steadily for more than ten years.
Everything was going fine until Xie Pei suddenly showed up, disrupting his peaceful life and uncovering the scars of the past.
How could he not hate Xie Pei?
In fact, the saint also thought that such an outstanding prince might really be his son.
But it doesn't matter. He feels irritated just looking at Xie Pei.
Every time he saw Xie Pei being calm and measured, and doing things with miraculous results, he couldn't help but think of the late emperor.
If the late emperor were still alive, he would certainly praise Xie Pei.
Even just thinking about it can make a saint feel jealous.
Think about it, among the princes back then, which one could get praise from their father?
Even if I was asked one more question, I would be extremely happy and become the object of everyone's resentment.
But he didn't. Not to mention praising her, he didn't even give her a glance.
The prince that my father likes must be both civil and military, and have quick wit, but he has none of those qualities.
But what does it matter?
In the end, he became the emperor.
So when he mentioned the matter of re-establishing the queen, he felt no guilt at all. All he felt was revenge against the Ding family and Ding Yingwan.
And revenge on his father.
If someone was here, they would notice that there was madness in the saint's eyes. Only the eunuch next to him was not surprised, but he was still afraid in his heart.
Even though they had seen the saint many times, the saint's appearance still frightened them.
This situation has been going on for six or seven years.
Some people said that letting a saint recite Buddhist scriptures might help him calm his mind, which gave the people in Tianbei Hall an opportunity to take advantage of them.
Those people did have some methods, at least they could comfort the saint from time to time, and they also had specially prepared decoctions and medicines so that the saint could sleep peacefully.
Who knew those people were actually liars, and no one knew what those medicines were made of. Anyway, it seems now that they are definitely not good things.
After they were exposed, the herbs were carefully examined by the imperial doctors, who found out that these decoctions did have a calming effect, but they were also highly toxic.
It’s okay to eat for a while, but if you eat for a long time, your body will collapse.
But as soon as the body becomes deteriorating, the saint himself will increase the dosage and continue the cycle.
So they have become accustomed to the saints being like this.
But even Concubine Jiang was unaware of this, and only the eunuchs around her knew a thing or two.
Their lives and property are in the hands of the saint, so they naturally keep their mouths shut.
As for appointing a queen this time, I am afraid that even the saint feels that he has no future, and even if he gets a reputation of not keeping his promise, he must pull Xie Pei down and will never let him sit on the throne of the crown prince.
I heard that he went to the Ministry of Rites a few days ago to borrow the ceremony for enthroning the crown prince, and the Ministry actually let him borrow it.
When the news came, the saint's spirit became worse and worse. He stayed in bed for several days before he came up with this idea.
I remembered what the imperial doctors said, that the saint should not be made to worry too much, but who dares to say that?
This is not the first time that the saint has been worried and anxious.
At this time, the quieter the emperor's palace was, the more turbulent the court was inside and outside.
Anyway, according to what Su Wan heard, Imperial Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu were having a lot of fun, taking turns to perform.
Su Wan felt terrified when she heard this, not to mention the disputes in the court.
Fortunately, Su Wan and the others were not in the palace. I heard that everyone inside and outside the palace was terrified and did not dare to take a wrong step, otherwise who knows what they would be implicated in.
By early November, Li Rongrong was also sent to the Ministry of Rites, saying that she was transferred there to help.
But looking at Li Rongrong's frightened expression, you can tell that this is not the case.
There is no shortage of people at the Ministry of Rites headquarters right now, so there is no need to transfer another capable palace maid over.
Because Li Rongrong came, another room was allocated to them.
But as soon as she said this, Li Rongrong immediately grabbed Su Wan and said, "Wan Wan, let's live together."
This is naturally a small matter.
But when Su Wan put the things in the room, she saw Li Rongrong immediately close the door and whispered, "Someone has died in the palace."
"There was another one who died near the Shangshenjian!"
Another one?
Su Wan frowned: "More than one person died?"
"More than that, I don't know the inside story, I only heard that the person who died was a maid of Concubine Chu. For some reason, she ran from the inner palace to the outer palace and was shot to death by the guards."
Breaking out of the inner palace by force is no different from the crime of assassination.
It was evening then, and now in winter it gets dark early, so the scenery looks even more different.
When the guards realized that scolding was useless, they just shot her to death with arrows. After she died, they asked someone in the palace to claim her. Only then did they realize that she was a maid from Concubine Chu's side.
Li Rongrong didn't know the specific reason, but she witnessed the whole process, so she was a little trembling now and made many mistakes in the palace.
Under the arrangement of the superiors, she left the palace for a period of time, but she could not say that she left due to illness, otherwise she would be convicted, which would not be good for the Li family.
It just so happened that there was an assignment at the Ministry of Rites, so I was transferred over.
I guess the Minister of Rites also knew about it and tacitly approved of it.
"The palace is in chaos, too much chaos." Li Rongrong said, tears already falling from her eyes.
Although Li Rongrong is already seventeen years old this year, she is spoiled at home and doesn't do much else except cooking.
Seeing someone die in front of you, no matter how old you are, you would still be scared even if they were seventeen.
I want to have someone to accompany me after moving out now, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep at night.
Su Wan specially prepared a bowl of sleeping soup for Li Rongrong, so that she could calm down and have a good sleep.
"Now that you've left the palace and this is the Ministry of Rites, nothing will happen." Su Wan comforted and let Li Rongrong go to sleep first.
After she fell asleep, her expression gradually became serious.
The palace was in chaos, and the reason was the dispute over the position of queen.
Both sides hoped that the other side would make a big mistake. At the same time, they had to face the accusations from the old ministers. After all, it was agreed that there would not be another queen.
Under pressure from all sides, deaths are commonplace.
When will there be no chaos when power is changed?
But this chaos is excessive and obviously abnormal.
It would be fine if I died in my own palace, in the inner palace.
He ran out of the door and found his body in the outer palace.
However, Su Wan and the others would not know about this matter, and it only caused a big fuss at the small court meeting the next day.
Even the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace came out and said a few words, asking them to stop making trouble.
But how could they listen?
It is now October 28th, and there are still seven or eight days until Xie Pei's fifteenth birthday.
If the decision cannot be made before this, who can defeat Xie Pei, the crown prince?
You have to know that the identities of the crown prince and the prince are only one level apart, but their treatment is very different.
Not to mention anything else, if an ordinary prince makes friends with ministers, it is considered forming a clique for personal gain, but it is normal for a prince to make friends with ministers.
The prince can even have his own small court meetings, as well as his own internal affairs and six ministries, which basically simulates the configuration of a formal court.
Even his clothes and accessories are only slightly inferior to those of a saint.
If someone with poor eyesight looks at them, they will think that the clothes are basically the same.
That's the difference.
When a prince handles government affairs, it is not interfering in politics, but fulfilling his duty.
Everyone can see Xie Pei's abilities.
As a prince, he poses a great threat. Recently, he has even brought his grandfather’s close followers around him and recruited many of his old subordinates.
If he becomes the prince.
Even saints are afraid of it.
This is why we have the current situation.
The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace looked at Xie Pei who said nothing.
This was not his fault, but it was caused by him.
Even without him doing anything, these people were already behaving in an ugly way.
But think about it, it has been less than a year since Xie Pei took office, but what he has done is something that many people cannot do in several years.
In this situation, everyone would panic.
But Xie Pei still threatened them with the issue of appointing a crown prince.
So the current situation was actually completely predictable, but no one expected it to get to this point today.
But Xie Pei didn't care, he was sure to win.
The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace pressed his violently beating heart.
Few of those in power are truly merciful, nor do they care much about any conspiracies or intrigues. Most people believe in ability.
The strength of ability and courage.
It represents whether subordinates are loyal and whether they can create a prosperous era.
At this moment, the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace already had a plan in mind.
He only said: "The saint said that there would be no other queen except Queen Ding."
"In this case, even if we must establish a queen, the eldest son of Tianxiang Kingdom will only be the Third Prince."
"In less than ten days, the Third Prince's birthday will arrive. According to the laws of Tianxiang Country, it is time to prepare for the appointment of a crown prince."
The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall usually keeps silent.
These words spoken at this time are frightening.
Others are still arguing about whether to establish a queen or not, and you directly say to establish a crown prince?
Upon hearing this, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge immediately followed up and said, "Yes, we can discuss whether to establish a queen or not slowly. In my opinion, it is better to establish a crown prince as soon as possible."
"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, nor can it be without a crown prince for a day."
"The tragedy of the late emperor's death must not happen again."
It was the end of October when these words reached Su Wan from the Ministry of Rites.
She was eating the crispy meatballs fried by her aunt in the stinky tofu shop when she suddenly heard the customers talking. She was so scared that her hands shook.
Aunt Gui thought that the crispy meatballs she made were not tasty, and she was a little worried: "Not to your taste? I was going to sell more crispy meatballs in the store, but it seems that's not going to work."
"No, no, how can pork and chopped lotus root, fried together, not taste good? I think it's feasible." Su Wan explained immediately.
Aunt Gui felt that selling stinky tofu was a bit monotonous, so she simply made crispy meatballs, which tasted extremely delicious. Anyway, the name of the store is called Fried Food Shop, which is just right.
Although there is more lotus root in these meatballs, they are cheap and taste good, so it is definitely okay to sell them.
The food in this small shop can be gradually increased in the future.
Moreover, the malatang restaurant business is also improving. Business naturally improves when the weather gets cold, and black plum soup is naturally not sold since it is not in season.
The two stores have become the most popular restaurants in the area.
Su Wan came here today to try the crispy meatballs and see if they were delicious. Her aunt’s cooking skills are really good.
But she thought of the news she had just heard and said, "I can't be out for too long, I'll go back now."
The aunt nodded, and when she left, she brought Su Wan a lot of meatballs she had made. Su Wan did not refuse. Although the officials did not eat at the Ministry of Rites headquarters in the evening, they wanted to have it.
The fried meatballs can be steamed and become a perfect steamed dish, or they can be made into meatball soup.
Looking at the weight of the concubine's outfit, Su Wan suddenly felt that she could even do both at the same time.
However, she was still anxious to return to the Ministry of Rites, as the chaos in the palace was known to everyone inside and outside the palace.
We must be careful and cautious. The words of the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace will only make the situation more chaotic. I'm afraid the six ministries will also have to take sides. We must not run around at this time, otherwise who knows what we will encounter.
Even Li Rongrong encountered a palace maid being shot to death by arrows, so who outside the palace knows about this.
When Su Wan returned to the vicinity of Liubu, she clearly felt that the atmosphere in the area was not right. Liubu was very close to the neighborhood, and on weekdays, there was not only a lot of traffic in front of the door, but there were also people passing by frequently. However, today it seemed a bit empty.
Fortunately, she had the token from the Ministry of Rites and had changed into a palace maid's clothes on the way back in the carriage, so no one stopped her when she entered the side door of the Ministry of Rites.
When the gatekeeper saw Su Wan coming, he immediately whispered, "Go to your residence and take shelter. Someone is coming from the palace. Take the side roads and be careful. If you see a noble from the inner palace, you must give way."
Inner palace?
What are the people from the inner palace doing in the Ministry of Rites?
Su Wan said, "Thank you for your advice, sir. I will make you steamed meatballs after this is over."
The clerk nodded and told her to go back quickly through the small path.
Fortunately, she didn't meet anyone on the way. When she returned to the room, Li Rongrong and several other palace maids immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"You are finally back."
"Don't say that. Su Wan didn't know someone came from the palace right after she left."
"I know. I'm not complaining. I'm just worried."
Li Rongrong pulled Su Wan aside and whispered, "Some people from the palace came to check old books. One of them checked the rules for establishing a queen, and some checked the rules for establishing a crown prince."
This is a direct challenge to the Ministry of Rites.
Has the fight in the palace reached this point?
The Ministry of Rites was also miserable, but the classics on these events were indeed collected in the Ministry of Rites, and Su Wan had seen them before.
The rules for establishing a queen are actually not that complicated. They are said to be strict, but to put it bluntly, it only matters if the saint likes it.
But it is different when it comes to appointing a crown prince. The crown prince is the heir to the throne of the country, so the rules may not be strict enough. There are regulations for each one, or you can look for how things were done before and find some patterns from them.
If you think about it, you will know that there will be endless arguments in the library right now.
Fortunately, in the evening, the group of people went back to the palace with the books they had found.
The Minister of Rites and the Vice Minister of Rites naturally followed him. It is estimated that the ministers of the six ministries have already entered the palace.
It was another sleepless night.
The Ministry of Rites temporarily returned to calm. Many officials had not experienced such things. Instead, the old and retired library manager came out and asked everyone to tidy up the library and resume their normal duties. They could rest when it was time to rest and eat when it was time to eat.
Knowing that everything was normal and the old man was taken away by his family, the Ministry of Rites felt stabilized.
The four palace maids from the Imperial Food Department decided to eat some cakes in the room and then take a rest.
Su Wan accompanied Li Rongrong, who was frightened again. She was so frightened that her palms were a little cold.
Upon seeing this, Su Wan asked several palace maids to help take care of her, while she went to make some wolfberry and radish soup for Li Rongrong, and also cooked some meals for everyone.
I was afraid that if I didn't eat, my spirits would get worse.
The wolfberry and radish soup is easy to make, and the rice is steamed crispy meatballs, neither of which requires much effort.
Su Wan was distracted while looking at the fire. Fortunately, although the weather was cold, she was next to the stove, so it was still warm.
However, when she heard some noise at the kitchen door, Su Wan looked up and found someone she had never expected.
What Xie Pei was holding in his hand at this moment was a real candied haws with a thick coating of sugar. The amber coating was very beautiful and looked sweet.
Su Wan was surprised and asked, "Why are you here?"
Shouldn't it be in the palace?
Xie Pei shook his head, then nodded: "I'll go in a moment."
Looking at Xie Pei's expression, Su Wan seemed to realize something. She looked at Xie Pei with snow falling on his shoulders and suddenly realized that after tonight, everything might be different.
Whether it is success or failure, everything becomes different.
"Can I have a bowl of rice?" Xie Pei walked over to Su Wan and squatted down, snuggling with her by the stove. Looking at her like this, it seemed like they were back to the past.
Su Wan naturally would not refuse.
The crispy meatballs were easily cooked in the steaming pot. Xie Pei asked Su Wan to hold the candied haws while he took out the portion for both of them.
The meal was eaten in silence. After the meal, Xie Pei stuffed a purse into Su Wan's pocket, which was full of money.
"If it succeeds, it goes without saying."
"If that doesn't work, you can take these property deeds and have Lingnan fruits delivered to you every year."
"There are also some shops in Kyoto, which will be enough for you to live on after you leave the palace."
Su Wan was about to refuse, but Xie Pei said, "If things don't work out, it's useless for me to have these, so I might as well give them to you."
"If it works."
Xie Pei chuckled: "Then I'll come back to ask for it."
This was said simply, but both of them knew what it actually meant.
Xie Pei actually felt like he was entrusting some of his last wishes to him.
But why should I tell her? Is she Xie Pei’s only friend?
In other words, we met as friends when we were both in obscurity, although he was not that insignificant at that time, he was just temporarily silent.
She would not covet these things, but the feeling of having them in her hands was different after all.
This purse is even a bit heavy, after all, all the land deeds in Lingnan are here.
Su Wan nodded slightly: "Then you must come back to get it."
I don't know what Xie Pei heard, but he smiled and nodded: "I will definitely marry him."
Xie Pei left in the wind and snow, which made Su Wan's heart tremble. Such a young man actually had to go through all this.
But the guards around Xie Pei had strange expressions on their faces, and they didn’t dare to speak until they were almost at the palace: “Your Highness, with that thing in your hand, how could this fail?”
Xie Pei had a blank expression on his face. He untied his cloak and threw it over. It was obvious that he wanted to compete with the people in the Qinzheng Palace. He said casually, "You don't understand."
He definitely doesn’t understand!
Obviously nothing will happen, why act like you're entrusting your child to someone else's care?
You clearly have the late emperor’s will in your hand!
This thing is hidden very deeply, but as long as you take it out, you will definitely win. Why did you lie to a little girl and give her all the real estate left by your grandfather?
When the group arrived at the Qinzheng Hall, the guard suddenly reacted and his expression became even stranger.
But he subconsciously said, "She is so smart, aren't you afraid that he will guess what you mean, then it will be all over."
In order to protect Su Wan, the guard didn't even say his name, for fear that someone might hear it.
Xie Pei paused.
He seemed to have forgotten this?
If Su Wan knew that he deliberately entrusted his son to the care of others even though he had a clear chance of winning, then he would be finished.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
