The people Su Wan met were none other than Wei Jun and others from the Imperial Household Department.
Usually, Wei Jun would go through the Lingtai Gate on the west side and rarely go through the Dong'anli Gate on the east side. But recently it was different, as the Imperial Household Department was helping the prince move.
When moving, of course the current Palace of Heavenly Purity must be cleaned and the location and arrangement of everything changed.
If there is a crown prince who is particular about it, it is not too much to renovate it. Most of the time, the money is paid from the king's own treasury, and the Ministry of Revenue only needs to subsidize a small part, so any amount of renovation is fine, as long as the Ministry of Revenue does not take too much money. The Ministry of Revenue is very poor and has no money.
Why does the Minister of Revenue always talk like this every day? Su Wan can imagine how the Minister of Revenue would say he has no money even with her eyes closed.
But Wei Jun boasted: "I went to see my master during the Chinese New Year, and he said that when Emperor Huaizong was alive, it took a lot of effort and nearly a year of repairs to vacate the Palace of Heavenly Purity."
"I didn't expect that our prince is not so particular. He just said that we should remove all the Buddha statues and beads and anything related to Buddha in the Palace of Heavenly Purity and arrange them in the style of Chonghua Palace."
"If you do the math this way, we can move in on the 15th."
We started packing up after Emperor Huaizong was buried a year ago and finished moving on the 15th. It took less than two months, which was really fast.
In fact, such a big thing could be completed in a year or two, but Xie Pei was obviously not that kind of person.
The Imperial Household Department and Wei Jun in the Imperial Household Department really like this kind of prince.
Who wouldn't like someone who is easy to serve?
Besides, the prince is busy with official duties every day and doesn't interfere much in the affairs of the palace. As long as nothing goes wrong, he won't nitpick at all.
Wei Jun praised him again and again, and it was obvious that he admired His Royal Highness the Crown Prince very much.
However, Su Wan still said: "He probably meant to remove all religious-related patterns, as it is difficult to clearly define the saint's preferences."
If it were someone else, Su Wan would definitely not say it so directly, except to Wei Jun.
It is not a good thing that Huai Zong left behind too many religious things. Many remote areas are still suffering from it.
Xie Pei couldn't go on any longer.
Wei Jun couldn't help but slap his thigh: "You said exactly the same thing as my master. This time, I and the current manager are in charge. We are cleaning it up urgently."
Su Wan nodded. Wei Jun’s current job was important, and it was also earned by his hard work over the years.
After entering the palace, both sides went about their business. Wei Jun still called for dinner together in the evening, and invited Zhuo Hui from the Imperial Household Department, as well as Yu Shu and the others. It had been a long time since they had gathered together.
The construction in the palace has not officially started yet, so there is still time.
Su Wan nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Just go to the small kitchen at the far end of the Imperial Household Department. Just bring your stomachs with you. I'll cook for you."
"Okay, I haven't eaten your cooking for a long time." Wei Jun immediately raised both hands in agreement.
Thinking of the food Su Wan cooked, it smells so good.
Su Wan actually felt that she hadn’t cooked a good meal for a long time. She had to trace it back to the calming soup she made for Huai Zong before the New Year?
Then he made some spicy stir-fried bamboo shoots for Xie Pei?
It was also because it was still the mourning period at that time and it was not convenient to cook meat.
Fortunately, during the Chinese New Year, it had been a month since Huaizong's death and people were allowed to eat and drink. Otherwise, people would have cursed Huaizong for the New Year.
It's already after the New Year, and it's time to eat meat in the palace, so there's basically nothing to do.
Except for Huaizong's close relatives, such as Xie Pei, the eldest prince, Concubine Jiang and others, they all ate vegetarian food.
Su Wan returned to the Shangshenjian and took a look around. Seeing that everything was normal, she went to the small kitchen to cook. However, before she finished, Wei Jun sent someone to pass on the message that the two stewards of the Shangbaojian, one civil and one military, were coming to the palace to inspect the work. When they heard about this, they insisted on coming to have dinner.
Su Wan naturally agreed, it was just two more people.
It’s been a long time since we last had dinner together, but we still keep in touch and discuss many things.
But they were lazy before, so why did they come to the palace during the New Year? I guess they will tell me about it when we meet without asking.
Although it’s dinner, if you want to prepare a decent meal during the New Year, you have to start working from the morning or even early morning.
There are only five or six people on Su Wan's side. Even if two more come, there will only be seven or eight people. She is good at cooking, so it's okay to start now.
But unexpectedly, just as she was about to do it, Yu Shu and Chun Xiang came over. They also couldn't leave the palace for the New Year, but Su Wan helped Chun Xiang pass the letter and also helped deliver things. There was no need to mention Yu Shu, her family knew that she was a senior palace maid, and Yu Shu herself was not that cowardly. Now she was just balancing her relationship with her family, and she was too lazy to visit them during the New Year.
Yu Shu now said calmly: "Actually, thinking about what happened back then, it's not a big deal. As long as I make up my mind, no one can do anything to me."
"I want to continue working in the palace now. If that doesn't work out, I can go to the Sweets Department. There are maids there who never leave the palace. I can stay there for the rest of my life."
Who knew that as soon as she finished speaking, Chunxiang laughed and said, "If you don't leave the palace, what about Guard Chai Huan?"
"Chai Huan?" Su Wan immediately became interested when she heard the gossip.
"Chai Huan!" Chunxiang emphasized.
When Yu Shu met Chai Huan for the first time, Su Wan was also there.
At that time, Lingtai Gate guard Chai Huan helped to rescue Yu Shu, probably because he saw Yu Shu's predicament. Afterwards, Su Wan and Yu Shu specially prepared food and sent it to express their gratitude.
After that, Chai Huan went there for dinner a few times, but he and Yu Shu had little interaction with each other.
After that, Su Wan was no longer in the West Kitchen, but came to the Shangshenjian. At that time, Yu Shu had already followed the West Right to take charge of Aunt Feng Ping, and she felt a little bolder.
Anyway, when facing her mother who came to visit her, she tried to remain calm and express her attitude.
But she didn't dare to say all her thoughts at that time, and could only try her best to say what she had prepared in her mind.
Faced with her mother's aggressiveness, Yu Shu thought she could not bear it and would agree to give out all the money every month.
Chai Huan came over and said that the visiting time was over and asked her mother to leave.
Obviously, all the palace people around were still reminiscing with their families, except her.
After Su Wan's reminder last time, Yu Shu knew that it was the guards who were helping her, so she was naturally very grateful.
The two became familiar with each other after a few interactions.
So Chunxiang couldn't help but tease.
Yu Shu was a little embarrassed: "Don't talk nonsense, we are different, and now the prince uses Lingtaisi, he has to use it too, and it seems that he is also helping the prince's important people to do errands. This is the same."
Su Wan, the important person, was silent for a moment. She shouldn't listen to such gossip, but she still said, "If he is sincere and you are sincere, there is nothing wrong."
Su Wan added, "As for identity, if you two let it go, it's just that. Wang Mang once said that kings, dukes, generals and ministers are all of different species, let alone you and me."
In other words, Su Wan relied on the fact that they were all family, so she didn't care about what she said, but she did think so.
People only have one life. No, she has two lives. She was less than 20 years old in her previous life, and she has only been here for three years in this life. If she cannot live the life she wants, then this trip will be in vain.
Yu Shu looked at Su Wan and seemed to have noticed something, but when she saw that she stopped talking, she knew it was not a good idea to continue, so the three of them changed the topic and gossiped while cooking.
In the past, Yu Shu often assisted Su Wan. Although she has become a senior palace maid now, she is still skilled in this job.
Chunxiang was working hard on steaming buns. Now she really knows how to steam buns and the whole western kitchen praises her.
Since it is a meal to be eaten during the Chinese New Year, it must include fish and meat.
Su Wan prepared a chicken, a fish, two large pork elbows, a few pounds of mutton, as well as fresh small yellow croaker and clams to make a soup.
I took a few more apples from the room and prepared to make candied apples.
Chunxiang was still curious: "Where do such good apples come from?"
Given by Xie Pei.
Su Wan said: "I bought it."
Make more and send some to Xie Pei. This is the only vegetarian dish she makes.
The remaining vegetarian dishes were prepared by Yu Shu, and she is now capable of taking charge of the cooking.
The first thing Su Wan dealt with was the two big elbows. They had to be boiled, fried, and steamed in advance so that they would be soft and tender by the evening.
But it cannot be boiled, fried or steamed too much. It must be mushy but not so tender that the bones fall off. This is the best stage for the heat. After this stage, cut it into slices and it will have a unique taste.
At the end, frying the elbow is also very important. First of all, this pot-roasted elbow is evolved from pot-roasted meat. The elbow meat is oilier and more fragrant.
Until now, it is still an important dish in many banquets. It looks golden in color, dry and fragrant without juice.
When Su Wan was cooking, she also asked Chunxiang to help make lotus leaf cakes, which she would then eat with the lotus leaf cakes. The unique sweet wheat aroma of northern flour, coupled with the rich aroma of meat, is definitely a must-have dish for a banquet.
If you feel greasy, you can spread some sweet bean sauce in the middle of the lotus leaf pancake, and then put some chopped green onions in it to enhance the taste.
Yu Shu was so drooling at what she said.
"Then hurry up and we'll eat it first."
"Yes, we must try it."
While Su Wan was talking, they were processing the pork elbow. They deboned the fresh pork elbow and then began to carefully scrape off the remaining hair and stains. They could also burn it with fire, but Su Wan was afraid of ruining the taste of the surface, so she didn't do that.
When removing the bones, follow the curvature of the bones and you don't need to use too much force to remove them completely.
But when Su Wan left, Yu Shu suddenly said, "I suddenly remembered that when you came to the palace, you still had to wait for me to cook. Now you don't have to."
If Yu Shu hadn't said that, Su Wan would have almost forgotten about it.
Now I don't have to stand on a stool anymore! At that time, my original body didn't have enough food or warm clothes in the Su family. I was obviously twelve years old, but I looked skinny and small.
Three years have passed. Although she is still very thin, she has grown taller and looks very girlish. She is still the smart and lively girl.
"It's good that you've grown taller." Su Wan said with a smile, saying that the pork elbow has been processed and can be put into a pot of boiling water and cooked until it is 80% cooked before being taken out.
After taking it out, you can put it aside to cool.
It’s winter now, but even such a big pork elbow needs to be kept for a while.
After it cools down, you can cut it into large slices of fat and lean meat. The large slices of meat look greasy, but the lean meat is beautiful red. No wonder it is called red meat, it is really beautiful. These are pork elbow slices cooked only in water, and they look so beautiful.
Next, put the large slices of meat into the steaming bowl, filling the bowl with three or four slices.
There is a prepared sauce at the bottom of the steaming bowl, which includes soy sauce, vinegar, onion, ginger, pepper, star anise and salt, which are the most commonly used seasonings.
After the steaming bowl, commonly known as the upside-down bowl, is placed, cover it lightly with a layer of cotton gauze to allow more steam inside, and then you can steam it.
The charcoal fire pot should be boiled in advance, and the steam can reach the roof. For this kind of hot steaming pot, you must put the steaming bowl in the steamer, and then hold the steamer on both sides, otherwise your hands will be burned.
After being steamed for half an hour with such a strong steam, it has become soft and mushy.
During this half hour, Su Wan had already cleaned and stored the black goat meat nearby. Since it was particularly fresh, it did not require any special processing.
Compared with ordinary mutton, the meat yield of black goat is relatively low, that is, it is fed more but grows less meat. However, the fibers of this mutton are relatively small, and the meat is usually more tender than other mutton.
This is fresh lamb, and the color is very beautiful.
This dish is stir-fried black goat, made with chili and pickled peppers, and has a spicy taste. Lamb is suitable for eating in winter, so stir-frying it well makes it spicy and delicious. After eating it, you will sweat and be immune to all diseases.
Although it was a bit exaggerated, Su Wan still processed the mutton first and put it aside. When it was almost time to eat, she sliced it, mixed it with sauce and egg liquid, fried it first, then stir-fried it with chili peppers, and finally added a little celery. The taste was beyond words.
Seeing that it was still early, the whole chicken next to it also needed to be cut into pieces. The chicken must be a young but plump chicken. This kind of chicken is hard to buy, let alone during the Chinese New Year. So when Su Wan asked someone to buy it, the person went to several places before he bought it.
Fatty chicken means it is high in fat, and fatty chicken is a perfect match with peeled chestnuts.
Chop the fat chicken into chicken pieces and set aside.
At this time, the elbow in the pot has been steamed. It is now very soft, but lacks the chewy texture.
On the other side, prepare an egg starch batter, add a little water and soy sauce, and add flour if it is not thick enough.
Pour the batter onto a flat plate, then place the steamed pork elbow slices in the batter and turn them over on the plate.
While Su Wan was making the batter, Yu Shu stopped preparing the food and heated up the oil in the wok.
When the oil pan is about 60% to 70% hot, you can put the pork elbow slices in to fry.
This pot of oil can be used for more than just this purpose. How can we not eat fried dishes during the New Year's Eve dinner?
The pork elbow has been fried, and there are the fatty chicken pieces just now, as well as fried lotus root, fried eggplant boxes, fried meatballs, and fried fish. These are all the dishes for tonight!
The explosion lasted until the afternoon.
But the three of them did not treat themselves badly at noon. They each had a steamed white bun, some fish fillet porridge, and a bowl of steamed pork elbow. Although the pot-roasted pork elbow was not ready yet, the steamed ones were all ready to eat.
With lotus root and eggplant boxes and some stir-fried vegetables, this meal is also a very sumptuous one.
As I was eating, I realized that what was steamed were not steamed buns, but sweet date buns with candied dates inside, which made them even more fragrant.
After dinner, continue frying the rest.
The three of them didn't feel tired at all, and they even felt like they were celebrating the New Year at home.
During the Chinese New Year, the whole family gets together to fry food and chat about gossip.
The gossips the three of them talked about ranged from the Crown Prince to the palace ladies, from the palace to outside the palace, and they even mentioned Kong Zhang Sheren many times, but Su Wan didn't dare to say a word.
But what was talked about most was the opening of shops by various departments in the palace.
Because people would be released in May this year, and judging from the prince's attitude, he would not want so many people to serve him. The imperial kitchen with two or three thousand people left by Huaizong was given to the ministers one after another, which shows his character.
So many palace people were thinking about how to get out.
However, many of the companies’ stores outside the city already have fixed staffs, so it’s not realistic to move there, unless those stores expand in size?
This is not something they can consider.
Another point to talk about was the envoys from foreign tribes from all directions. I heard that those envoys had quite a few complaints. They were supposed to come to pay tribute to Emperor Huaizong around the 15th, but from what many people said, they felt that Tianxiang Kingdom was enthroning a prince, then the saint passed away, and then the prince ascended the throne again, which was too frequent, so they were unhappy. Therefore, they planned to stay in Tianxiang Kingdom and leave after the prince ascended the throne.
Su Wan frowned slightly when she heard this.
To be honest, there are indeed a lot of things to do, but it only happens once a year.
If you feel something is not good, you can report it. Several things can be combined into one. These can all be discussed as long as your attitude is right.
The attitudes of these small countries today only show that there are many countries like the Ujiyoshi clan that have disloyal intentions.
To say that Tianxiang Kingdom is not so controlling requires them to be respectful, and this represents an attitude. If they are afraid of Tianxiang Kingdom, they will not violate the border, and their border residents will have an easier life.
If you are not afraid, who can stand three days of robbing and ten days of raiding? By then, when your appetite gets bigger, it will not be as simple as robbing and raiding.
For the safety of all the people in Tianxiang Kingdom, this disrespectful attitude must be suppressed.
But Yu Shu and the others still knew too little, so they had to go back to Chonghua Palace to learn how to write a memorial.
The last thing they talked about made the three of them a little silent.
That's Xiaoyue.
Some people used to envy Xiaoyue for moving from the west kitchen to Concubine Jiang, but now no one has such thoughts at all.
Concubine Jiang was confined to the palace and was basically not allowed to go out. The expenses were also reduced by half, not to mention the manpower.
The prince doesn't need so many imperial chefs. Imperial Concubine Jiang and Concubine Chu naturally cannot have more than the crown prince. The number of his subordinates must be reduced again and again. It would be okay if the relationship is good, but with their relationship, they have to be cautious.
Moreover, Concubine Jiang had been conferred the title of Concubine Dowager, and Concubine Chu had been conferred the title of Concubine Tai.
Normally, when a saint dies, their statuses would be raised, but it is enough to give them a decent status now. After the fifteenth day, they will move to the West Courtyard, not to the well-equipped Wanshou Palace where Queen Ding lived, but to the more remote Qingfu Palace, where the two of them will live together.
Qingfu Hall, neither name is auspicious.
The remaining three law-abiding beauties can continue to live in the Yanx Palace where they are, and their status will be promoted to imperial concubines. The princesses can also be brought with them, and their allowances will be provided according to their status.
The palace was deserted this year, and the prince did not hold any family banquets. He just let everyone eat in the palace. I heard that it was quite lively over in the Yanx Palace. The prince was sympathetic, and the lives of these imperial concubines and their two palace maids were actually better.
Having said so much, let’s get back to Xiaoyue.
Imperial Concubine Jiang reduced the number of palace servants, and Xiaoyue, who had no one to rely on, was naturally sent away. I heard that she was sent to the laundry department.
The laundry department is almost the hardest job in the palace. Generally, only those who have made mistakes and are being punished in various palaces will be sent there. Working there is nothing comparable to working in the inner palace.
Compared with the current Shangshisi, there is a world of difference.
No matter where the palace servants of the Shangshi Division go, they will always smile and behave in a gentle manner.
Who made the chief of the Imperial Food Department so powerful? The female officials were given important positions, and even if they opened a shop, they would be the first ones, and the money they would earn would be much more.
Every young palace maid would be eager to enter such a Shangshisi, believing that they would have a good life inside.
It is no exaggeration to say that there is a world of difference between the Laundry Bureau and the Imperial Food Bureau.
Yu Shuchunxiang wanted to go and see, but then she thought about what Xiaoyue had done. If she had succeeded in reporting it, what would happen to Su Wan?
Didn't Su Wan follow the palace rules? At least she would be severely slapped.
After all, not being in the palace when on duty is a crime, and sneaking out of the palace is another crime.
This is too cruel.
After all, they entered the palace at the same time and lived together. Even if they were jealous, they could not climb up by stepping on the corpses of others.
But think about it, Concubine Jiang was at the peak of her career at that time, so it was normal for her to have such thoughts.
Although Chunxiang and Yu Shu couldn't understand.
Su Wan finally said, "She will be leaving the palace in a few years. Just keep an eye on her and don't let anything happen to her."
As for helping, Su Wan wasn't in the mood, but she would just let it go if they asked her to.
If you don't die, you can leave the palace and find a new way to make a living, and start a new life.
Chunxiang saw that the atmosphere was not good, so she quickly pinched a little rabbit and used chili peppers to make the rabbit's eyes. She smiled and said, "Look, you are a rabbit. Isn't that cute?"
It's really cute.
Su Wan pinched it to make sure it was not broken before putting it in the steamer.
The three continued cooking.
After they had their meal they took a break, chatted and laughed. It was already afternoon, almost four o'clock, so they had to hurry and prepare the meal.
Wait until you are six o'clock in the evening, and those who want to eat for free will come over!
These ingredients are basically ready and can be put into the pot.
The first thing to do is to get the pot and roast the pork elbow.
This dish is boiled first, sliced and steamed, coated with egg batter and deep-fried, and finally fryed before being served.
The fried pork elbow slices are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the egg liquid is even more fragrant.
When eating, put it in a lotus leaf pancake, add a little sweet bean sauce and chopped green onions, and it will have all the flavors.
When the pork elbow is cooked, place it in an insulated food box to ensure it doesn’t get cold.
The second dish is braised chestnut chicken. The fat chicken used in this dish has been fried and looks shiny.
What's left is to stir-fry the base ingredients, add the fried chicken pieces and simmer over low heat. After 15 minutes or half an hour, add the peeled chestnuts.
The sweetness of chestnuts and chicken blend very well. The chicken is tender because it is cooked in a short time, but it is fat and tastes fragrant. The braised chicken is something you never get tired of.
I feel this even more now.
The third dish is stir-fried black goat. The mutton is sliced and coated with the mixed dry ingredients and egg liquid and dry starch, and then it can be fried directly in the pan.
The chili pepper should also be added, and drizzled with sesame oil when serving. The dish is then ready.
The fourth dish is fish. The fish must be eaten fresh, so it is slaughtered and scaled just when it is almost time to cook. Sea bass is hard to find at this time of year.
Although these meats are not cheap today, they are still the most fine and precious.
Since this is a sea bass, and because when eating this fish only the fish meat from both sides is taken, cut into fingertip-length cubes, add salt and coat with dry starch.
On the other side, use broth to thicken the sauce, add sesame oil, rice wine, sugar, salt and starch.
Then you can heat oil in a pan. The oil temperature does not need to be too hot or too much, otherwise it will be fried fish fillets. Pour a small amount of low-temperature oil into the sea bass fillets, stir-fry for a few times and remove immediately, otherwise it will be overcooked.
Use the oil in the pan to fry the scallions and ginger, then add the carrot slices and green vegetables that have been blanched in boiling water. After stir-frying, add the sea bass slices immediately, and finally pour in the thickening sauce.
The fragrant and smooth sea bass fillets are served directly out of the pan.
Needless to say, the final candied apple is made by cutting the apple into pieces, soaking them in water and coating them with starch, then frying them in a pan. On the other side, simmer the syrup with water over low heat until small bubbles appear. Then add the apple pieces and sprinkle with sesame seeds to make it more fragrant.
However, when eating candied food, you need to brush a thin layer of oil on the plate, otherwise it will easily stick to the food. When eating, dip it in a bowl of cold boiled water.
When the sugar-coated apples were ready, two stewards, Wei Jun and Shangbaojian, came, one was the eunuch steward and the other was the guard steward. They walked towards the kitchen as soon as they entered the door, without noticing anything was wrong.
Smelling the fragrance filling the room, I couldn't help but say, "This is the smell. I haven't tasted it for a long time!"
There have been a lot of things happening in the past few years, and everyone has changed a lot. The place I’m on duty is so far away, so it’s normal that I can’t eat.
Su Wan said, "Wait a moment, there is one last serving of soup, we can start the meal once it's ready."
"Okay, okay, we'll bring the food over first and we'll definitely be waiting for you." The two stewards said with a smile.
The last dish was a clam and yellow croaker soup. The yellow croaker was boned, skinned and cut into cubes. The water of the clams was changed several times early in the morning to ensure that all the sand was spit out, and then the clam meat was taken out.
Heat the pork and stir-fry the shallots. Then fry the fish first, then pour in the bone broth, add a small amount of rice wine and salt to remove the fishy smell. If the bone broth is clear, ignore it. If it is not clear enough, skim off the foam, thicken with starch and add clam meat, finally pour in the egg liquid and beat the egg.
In the final soup, the eggs are in a flocculent state to enhance the taste, and the clams and fish are easily cooked and can be served in the soup bowl.
The vegetarian dishes for Yu Shu and the staple foods for Chunxiang are all ready.
It’s time to eat!
After they took all the dishes to the side hall to eat, Guard Xiao Song left with an extra portion of candied apple.
Look at their tacit understanding.
No, it should be to see the tacit understanding between Miss Su Wan and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really pitiful. He has been a vegetarian for three months and can only continue to eat meat on February 12th.
The same was true for the guards around them. The more they thought about it, the more miserable they felt.
Fortunately, Miss Su Wan took special care to make a sweet candied apple dish.
Ten dishes were served, all of them were delicious. The eggplant boxes and lotus root dumplings made by Yu Shu were also very good, and the stir-fried vegetarian dishes were also delicious.
It seems that he really learned it in the western kitchen.
The cooking skills in the western kitchen have also entered a positive cycle. With people teaching and learning, the food will definitely be delicious.
But compared with meat dishes, it is naturally inferior, especially the braised chestnut chicken. The chicken is so fat and delicious, with a mouthful of oil and the fragrance of chestnuts.
Then there is the fresh black goat meat, which is so tender. It has the taste of lamb and is very tender and smooth. The chili pepper adds to the flavor.
The pan-roasted pork elbow has a strong aroma, and the stir-fried sea bass fillet is fragrant and smooth.
There are also candied apples and clam and yellow croaker soup.
Each dish creates a different atmosphere and carries the flavor of the Chinese New Year. Eating these dishes at a Chinese New Year banquet would definitely be very satisfying.
The two stewards brought Wei Jun with them and ate without even looking up, as if they were eager to grab the food.
Those who know them are all capable people in the palace, while those who don’t know them might think they have been hungry for many days.
"The fish is so tender. It's a bit of a luxury to cook sea bass this way, but it's delicious!"
"This is pork elbow, which is chewy and tender. The lotus leaf pancake on top is also delicious."
"It's complicated to make? No wonder it tastes so good."
"The eggplant boxes are also fried well, fried first and then stir-fried. I think they are also delicious when steamed."
"Eat slowly! Don't snatch it from me."
"This is the last piece of chicken. Anyone who doesn't grab it is a fool!"
But you have to grab it. Who wouldn’t want to eat more after seeing the food made by Su Wan?
Only Yu Shuchun, who had eaten at noon, was a little better, but it was more delicious when everyone ate together, and even they ate a lot more.
After we had almost finished eating, we chatted while eating. The sugar-coated apples were delicious, fragrant and sweet.
It was similar to what Su Wan thought. The two stewards indeed talked about why they had to come over during the New Year holiday.
It was said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had assigned them new tasks and that some less important cards were placed in their hands, which was equivalent to restoring some of their duties.
It is no longer like before when everyone was under the control of Concubine Jiang, and their Shangbaojian became a decoration.
"You said that the prince really values us, but we are also working hard. We have to come over during the New Year to check on us and prevent any problems."
"It's just, it's too hard."
Su Wan saw how hard they were talking about, but she actually looked quite happy.
Who doesn’t want to do something useful? Even though it’s hard work, it’s worth it. They are no longer the empty shell of Shangbao Prison.
But according to what the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, a lot of their people will also have to be dismissed.
Those who have been blessed by their ancestors basically have to go back home.
In fact, it was nothing to them. It was just an unskillful job in the palace. Besides, the crown prince practiced frugality in the palace. Although he had not yet ascended the throne, everyone knew it.
Even if I stay now, I will have to do my job well just like these two managers.
When they heard that they had to do their job well, some people left without waiting for anything to happen. Some who wanted to make trouble wanted to see if they could outdo these two managers.
"You say that Sheren Kongzhang came up with this idea. If you say he is good, then he is indeed good. But if you say he is bad, then he is also a bit bad." The chief eunuch of Shangbaojian couldn't help but say.
"But it's true. We have been in the palace for many years. Even Su Wan and the other three have been here for three years. We know how extravagant the palace is. It's pretty good now."
"Otherwise, those tribes outside will start to show off their might again."
"Showing off?" Su Wan, who was feeling guilty just now, asked this question.
In fact, it was Su Wan's idea to let the idle people leave. Generally, those who came from well-off families and just came to collect salaries would be sent back, while those who came from average families and couldn't even afford to eat would be given a job. The latter would start after the New Year, but Xie Pei had already asked people to do the former.
But the latter one also made her curious.
The chief guard said angrily, "Just this morning, a few foreigners who came to pay tribute to Emperor Huaizong got into a fight with the owner of a restaurant. They said that the soup noodles were too hot and injured the nobles, and they wanted the owner to kowtow and apologize."
"The boss must have mocked them, saying that barbarians don't make fine soup noodles. He also said that only barbarians would make people kneel on the ground and kowtow. He kneels to the sky, the earth, and his parents, but not to the barbarians."
"Who knew those nobles would actually beat people in the street? Fortunately, people from the patrol camp came and separated the people. Now the matter has become serious and needs to be dealt with."
Soup noodles are actually noodles, and many shops outside still retain the old name for them.
What it means is that foreigners cannot eat fine noodles, which is indeed quite mean, but these people were the ones who started the trouble and often made people kneel down and apologize, so each side has its own right and wrong.
Moreover, it would be better to say that both sides fought each other rather than beating people. Those who can open restaurants in Kyoto are not particularly well-fed and well-clothed, and they are physically strong.
On the contrary, the wind and sun on the opposite side make it look a little short.
However, Tianxiang Kingdom must protect its own people.
"What a bastard, coming to our place and looking for trouble. If it were more than ten years ago, General Ding and the late emperor were still alive." The eunuch chief just said, and his tone fell silent again.
The late emperor he was referring to was naturally Yuanzong, not Huaizong who had just died.
In fact, Su Wan discovered that now no one is willing to call the one who just died the late emperor.
In their hearts, the late emperor was someone else.
But now he has fallen silent, probably because he knows in his heart that Tianxiang Kingdom is not as strong as before.
Being in the palace, even if you don't like to ask about what's going on around you, you still have these feelings.
Wei Jun and Su Wan were all young and didn’t really know much about what happened back then, but these two stewards had experienced it.
The chief guard said: "I wanted to be a guard because the guards around him were all so majestic, so my family found a job for me. Although the late emperor never saw me, I always took a few more glances at me during every celebration."
"The past cannot be recalled, but we can still work hard in the future." Su Wan broke the silence and said seriously, "Don't we already have a crown prince? There will be a new emperor soon. Do you trust him?"
The two stewards didn't say anything, but finally murmured, "At least it's better than that one."
That person was naturally the dead Huaizong.
In fact, it would be fine if everyone had never seen what a good emperor is, but if they have seen one, they will not have any respect for him.
Finally, everyone finished eating the clam and yellow croaker soup, and went back with their belts loosened, just in time to walk from the East Outer Palace to the West Outer Palace to digest the food.
But when they left, they were still talking about how to deal with the matter of foreigners beating people in the street. It was related to the dignity of Tianxiang Kingdom and the harmony with friendly countries.
Anyway, they were all locked up by the officials of the Honglu Temple, the restaurants were temporarily closed, and the foreigners were confined to the post station.
The specific punishment will depend on the above meaning and how to deal with the matter.
The restaurant owner was a little scared.
The foreigners still refused to give in.
Punishing the former would inevitably be a loss of face and would make the people of Tianxiang Kingdom unhappy. It is really not good for the prince to have such a shameful thing happen before he even ascends the throne.
The foreign tribe that punished the latter was quite powerful. The people knew their own business, and the Honglu Temple, which was in charge of foreign affairs, also knew that the border defense of Tianxiang Kingdom was just an empty shell. If a conflict broke out now, it would probably not end well.
Although since the prince took over the government affairs, he has been summoning his old subordinates, as well as the generals and lieutenants who had returned home before, and also summoned their sons and nephews.
But border defense is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two.
Can the border defense gap of more than ten years be made up within a month or two?
Only gods can do this.
According to the estimates of several important officials, recovery within five years is already fast enough.
After all, if you want to have a good border defense, the treasury must have money and food. Where does the money and food come from? The people of the world provide it.
How do we provide for the people of the world? At least we can have enough to eat.
Ultimately it’s about people’s livelihood.
This is not something that happens overnight.
Therefore, Kyoto restaurants and foreigners seem to be somewhat sensitive about the soup noodle incident.
If the punishment is too lenient, the other party will not respect them. After all, they are not fools and are obviously trying to test us. Even if they don't test us, there are other foreign delegations that are testing us.
If the punishment is too severe, no one will be able to save face.
Xie Pei must be busy with this matter.
No wonder he hasn't been around lately.
However, he will not be busy with only this matter. The succession of the throne is far more complicated than imagined.
A few days later, I heard that the matter had been resolved satisfactorily.
It seemed that during the period of house arrest for foreigners, the Honglu Temple sent meals every day. There were more than a dozen different meals for four or five days in a row, and everything was very good and detailed.
When they were released, they couldn't help wanting to eat these foods, thinking they would be hard to buy. But they were actually available in every restaurant in Kyoto. They were really rare and common items.
I heard from passers-by that what others thought was surprising was very common to the people of Tianxiang Kingdom.
This sentence made their faces change, and when the Honglu Temple asked them to apologize to the restaurant owner, the two sides resolved the issue neatly and then became disgusted with each other.
The way this matter was resolved was both clever and unintentional.
When the news came out again, it was still found out that it was done by Kong Zhang Sheren.
Su Wan is almost used to it.
No matter what she said to Xie Pei, he would attribute everything to Kong Zhang Sheren.
I heard that some people are starting to write a book based on Kong Zhang Sheren’s stories.
However, Xie Pei was very busy recently, and she also knew that recruiting soldiers was not such an easy task, and his former subordinates in the court would not obey him immediately.
To be honest, Xie Pei did no less than her, and his work was also very important.
However, these things must be done in secret and without alerting the enemy. This hole must be filled before more alien races realize the weakness of Tianxiang’s national defense.
There's a feeling that one is bright and the other is dark between the two of them.
By the time the matter was resolved, the court had officially returned from vacation.
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