Fried chicken, French fries and lemonade, no one can resist it.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Xi, who didn't get to eat it, raised his eyebrows.
Not only did she not get to eat it, but the other female officials of the Imperial Kitchen who followed her to eat roast duck last time also did not get to eat it.
There was actually some resentment in the look he gave Deputy Prime Minister Xi.
"I've been listening to those two people from the Shangbaojian praising it for many days, but I still can't get over how delicious the fried chicken is."
"Thinking about how the roast duck tasted last time, I know the fried chicken must be good."
"The key is that I heard that the fried chicken made by Su Wan is not dry at all. How is she doing this?"
"Deputy Xi Cheng, can't you call Su Wan over? Can't we ask her?"
The rest of the words were fine, since they were all compliments, but when it came to the last one, Deputy Prime Minister Xi directly said, "Our commander has already said that Su Wan cannot be disturbed. Have you forgotten?"
I haven't forgotten this. If I had forgotten, Su Wan would have been called over long ago.
Su Wan certainly didn't know that the chief of the Imperial Food Department had instructed her to stay in the small kitchen of the west kitchen without being disturbed before she left for the palace.
Don't let others disturb you, and if they do, stop them.
Otherwise, with Su Wan's fame in the West Outer Palace, there would definitely be many officials who would ask her to cook.
What do you do if you are not here? What should you do if something happens?
The Northern Deputy Prime Minister tried to dissuade him, "You are not unaware of the officials in our northern and southern kitchens. You only vaguely know that there is a maid in the western kitchen who cooks delicious meals, so that's all."
"If she really tastes the delicacy, she will definitely find ways to get there. She will either be sent to the inner palace or to a minister's house. What will she do in the future?"
What the Deputy Northern Prime Minister said made sense, and the rest of the female officials understood it.
Before Su Wan became the head maid in the palace and had complete say in the Imperial Food Bureau, she could not become too famous.
Others may not listen to the opinion of a senior palace maid, let alone a junior palace maid.
When she is young and has little experience, she must be protected.
So everyone could only envy Su Wan for cooking, and it was not convenient to call her over to ask more questions or chat with her.
Su Wan’s craftsmanship is definitely impeccable.
The recipe for black plum juice she sent to the inner palace last time was praised by the saint again and again, and she would go to Concubine Jiang to drink a cup of it every day.
The letter sent back by the superior said that the saint was like this even when he was in the palace. Some ministers thought that the saint was a heavy drinker, but they didn't expect that after taking a sip, they also liked it and now drink the black plum juice every day.
Even in this situation, Concubine Jiang still insisted on not mentioning the Shangshisi, let alone the name of the Western Kitchen.
Who said the March appointment hasn’t arrived yet?
Deputy Prime Minister Bei looked at the budget list in his hand. Now most of June had passed and it was June 27th, but their food quota for next month had not been released yet.
In previous years, when the nobles in the inner palace went to the temporary palace to escape the summer heat, they would always leave a queen to take charge of official business temporarily, but this year all the people in the inner palace who could take charge of affairs went to the temporary palace.
We then found Concubine Jiang's Zhongcui Palace, where they just said they didn't know the situation. When we asked again, they said they were waiting for Concubine Jiang to send the list over.
Anyway, it only takes four days to go back and forth, so the people from the Imperial Food Bureau don't need to be anxious.
The previous ten days or so were spent leisurely. If I had made a special trip to deliver the letter, it would have been faster.
Today is June 27th, which is also the day when people from Zhongcui Palace said that the letter had arrived.
They will go there again in the afternoon.
Now thinking about it, the payment time of the regular payment has been delayed since last month.
Normally, the schedule for next month should be set in the middle of the month, but last month it was set on the 23rd or 24th, and this month it was set directly on the 27th.
I don’t know what Concubine Jiang is up to.
Fortunately, I found out in the afternoon, so there is no need to worry.
In the small kitchen of the west kitchen, Su Wan happily accepted another sum of money.
Commander Qi also liked the tiger skin chicken feet I made last time and ate more than anyone else. This time he no longer asked why everyone was obsessed with the tiger skin chicken feet made by Su Wan.
So this time we asked Su Wan to do it again.
But it can't always be like this, she is really tired of making it. Why doesn't anyone come to buy the recipe for tiger skin chicken feet? What's wrong with everyone? They don't have any idea of getting rich. If they come to her to buy the recipe, there must be no problem!
The weather has been too hot these days and she doesn't want to go to the kitchen, so she just drinks some honey lemon water to cool off.
There is a place that is hotter than the summer heat outside.
The inner palace is Zhongcui Palace.
The head maid of Zhongcui Palace said expressionlessly, "If I say I forget, then I forget. This is not targeting you, the Shangshi Division. Give me another four days, and your Shangshushi list will definitely be delivered."
Isn't this targeted?
The list of official documents for various departments in the inner and outer palaces is all there, except for the Imperial Food Department. Isn't this intentional?
Seeing them frowning, the head maid of Zhongcui Palace said, "Perhaps the Imperial Concubine has already discovered that she has omitted your Imperial Food Department, and the list is already on the way."
Deputy Prime Minister Xi couldn't help but say, "It's already June 27th. Even if the fastest time is four days, what about July 1st? Are we going to leave the palace staff to starve?"
"It's only one day. Can't you save some money for June? As soon as the imperial concubine's order arrives, you can go get the ingredients right away. It will only take a day or two."
These words were said lightly, and even the low-key Deputy Prime Minister Bei was a little angry.
Delay a day or two?
Summer ingredients spoil easily, and they need larger quantities, so basically they only need one card per day. Everyone has a redemption card for the entire month, so you can get one card per day or every two days.
But in July, a new card will be needed, and the redemption of the card requires a warrant from the powerful.
Judging from the current situation, on the first day of July, their entire Shangshisi will no longer be able to go to the Imperial Household Department to receive even a single thing.
The Imperial Food Department is in charge of the meals for □□ thousand people. Even if one or two thousand are taken to the imperial palace, there are still more than 6,000 people.
Can these more than 6,000 people starve?
They are spread across the inner and outer cities of the palace, and they do not only serve as servants, but also have responsibilities in different departments. How could they let them go hungry for a day?
If this matter gets out, the Shangshisi will be replaced from inside to outside.
This is not an exaggeration.
Even if they knew that it was Concubine Jiang who did not send the warrant, they would still be the first to bear the brunt of the consequences.
Several female officials from the Imperial Food Department glared at her. Sure enough, this person would not give up. She insisted on not mentioning the appointment in March because she felt that things could still turn around for her.
Taking advantage of the summer vacation in the palace and the inconvenience of correspondence, I want to torment them.
On June 27th, I told them that the warrant might not arrive for four days, and they could only go to Shangbaojian to exchange the license plate after the warrant arrived.
You can get the ingredients only after exchanging the redemption card.
This time difference is really good.
The senior palace maids in Zhongcui Palace knew nothing about anything. Anyway, they couldn't make the decision and were just left to guard the palace. There was no point in looking for them.
Seeing this, the other directors of various departments could not help but frown.
Shangshisi is a place for dining. If there is a problem here, other places will be affected.
It would be a lie to say that I wasn't angry at Concubine Jiang, but the most important thing at the moment was how to solve the problem of food.
Many managers are already thinking about how to solve the meal problem.
Food is the most important thing for people, and the palace people also rely on food to replenish their energy.
Since ancient times, if you don’t eat well, something serious will happen.
Because it is a big deal, Concubine Jiang deliberately manipulates it.
Negotiations at Zhongcui Palace were fruitless, so Deputy Prime Ministers West and North had to withdraw. They knew in their hearts that today's incident must have been planned long ago.
It just makes them feel helpless.
Deputy Prime Minister Bei closed her eyes. She had felt that something was wrong before.
The chief also mentioned this matter.
It turns out that this is what is wrong.
June gave them too much and too good ingredients, which made them a little lax. They didn't expect that they were waiting here.
Deputy Xi Cheng asked: "How much food do you have left? Will it be enough for a few days?"
Deputy Bei Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back to the Imperial Kitchen first."
There are four departments in the Shangshi Department, namely the North, South and West Kitchens and the Miscellaneous Food Store. The Miscellaneous Food Store can protect itself as they don't have to be responsible for food in other places, and they can also ensure the supply of ice to other places.
But the wine and sweets in the miscellaneous storehouse must be cut off. It is not easy to give away wine casually, as it is a special thing.
Desserts don’t matter, otherwise Su Wan wouldn’t be able to get ketchup, but the ingredients on hand are used up, so she has to stop.
The remaining north, south and west kitchens were unable to take care of themselves.
There are still four days left this month including today, and there are only enough food for these four days. After this month, you can no longer get anything.
Even if the food for four days was distributed evenly, it could only supply more than 6,000 palace servants in the north, south and west kitchens until the fifth day of July.
After the fifth day of July, we will run out of food.
After the fifth day of July comes the seventh day of July. It is customary to have extra meals during the festival, and then comes the Ghost Festival, which is also extremely important.
Even some sacrificial supplies need to be prepared.
Although the noble ladies in the inner palace are not here, the Guanglu Temple will definitely want it.
Not to mention that the Ghost Festival on July 15th is so late.
Just talking about the past few days, it’s been embarrassing.
Under normal circumstances, if the 27th discovered today that the imperial concubine's warrant was missing, he would immediately go to the palace to retrieve it, and the round trip would take four days.
That was no problem for the Shangshisi. It was only the first day of July in four days and they could handle it.
These four days are four days in which nothing will be delayed.
But can it be done without delay?
Not to mention the Deputy Prime Minister of the North, even the Deputy Prime Minister of the West didn't believe it.
Because they didn't believe that Concubine Jiang could deliver the order in time, they considered what to do when the food ran out.
The food we have now will only last until July 5th if we use it sparingly. If the imperial concubine's order is not delivered on July 5th, we will really run out of food.
The cafeteria really needs a skylight.
Right now, the Chief of the Imperial Household Department, Deputy Prime Minister Nan, and Deputy Prime Minister Li of the Miscellaneous Department are not in the palace, and most of their capable subordinates have also been taken away.
Recently, he has been the deputy to the Western Prime Minister, in charge of the Western Kitchen and the Miscellaneous Warehouse.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Bei is in charge of the north and south kitchens.
There is a shortage of staff and insufficient food.
Here we go again.
But this move is particularly fatal to the canteen.
It is different from before. Before, the Western Kitchen experienced a shortage of staff.
But this time, they cut off the source of the trouble. No one who could do the work was around, and the food was withheld.
It is almost July, but any female official would feel uneasy if she has not received the warrant or the exchange card.
Not to mention that the powerful noble who can issue the warrant is far away in the palace. The journey is inconvenient and troublesome. If she were in Zhongcui Palace, she would not have so many problems.
The Shangshisi is discussing what to do next. It is definitely not possible for the Shangshisi to advance the money. It is difficult for them to use up all their family savings to feed more than 6,000 people.
Moreover, transporting such a large amount of supplies in from outside the palace caused problems everywhere.
Go to the Censorate to report?
The Censorate was also in the palace, and they were powerless, so they could only pass the message to the female official of the Imperial Food Department and ask her to coordinate.
But that is all a matter for the future. What we have to face now is the problem of food for more than 6,000 people.
Not to mention that it is not July yet, it is already June 27th, and as soon as the news came out, many people from various palace departments came to inquire about the situation.
Asked if the food would be cut off starting from July.
This question was asked very carefully and with great uneasiness.
Eating is a big matter, and it is a matter of life and death.
More than 6,000 people might not have enough food to eat, and when everyone is extremely hungry, I'm afraid the office of the Imperial Kitchen will be trampled into pieces.
Not to mention more than 6,000, if there are two or three hundred irrational people among them, that would be a problem.
For a time, before July even arrived, uneasy news had already spread.
Not to mention they just had a pretty comfortable June.
Needless to say, in June, we could eat meat at every meal. Although sometimes not much, it was there at least.
As soon as July came, everything was gone. Who wouldn't feel sad due to such a huge gap?
When Su Wan heard these words, palace servants from the Imperial Household Department and the Treasury Department also came over to inquire about the situation.
Fortunately, the Deputy Prime Minister of the West and the Deputy Prime Minister of the North had already spread the news that Concubine Jiang's warrant had not been obtained. It would take some time, but there is no need to worry about food recently. The Imperial Food Department has made preparations and we can take advantage of it for a while.
We just need to wait for Concubine Jiang to send the order.
Every word mentioned Concubine Jiang's name, and said that there were enough ingredients recently, so everyone could rest assured.
These words finally calmed the palace ladies down, and when they saw that there was no problem with the dinner, they were no longer so panicked.
But this incident still disrupted the originally peaceful Xiwai Palace.
This makes many people feel worried.
Su Wan looked in the direction of the palace.
It turns out to be like this.
They will use the excuse that they forgot to bring the imperial concubine's warrant. Even if there is a problem, it will be the fault of those who forgot to bring the warrant, not Imperial Concubine Jiang.
This plan was so seamless that no one could find any loopholes.
In the future, the most she will be punished for is carelessness and failure to supervise properly.
But the Imperial Food Bureau, which had left more than 6,000 palace servants without food, was about to be finished.
This move is cruel and vicious enough.
Su Wan also went to order some of the things that were still available in the western kitchen.
There are indeed not many. Even if the ingredients that have not been taken out of the warehouse are included, they can only last until the fifth day of July at most.
What about after July 5th?
Su Wan didn't think that Concubine Jiang would send the warrant on time.
So now, we have to start thinking about meals after the fifth day of the New Year.
Should I continue to cut down on my food intake in the next few days? Should I delay the time as much as possible?
If Su Wan had some dislike for Concubine Jiang before, now she completely dislikes her.
People who abuse their power usually don't have a good ending. Even if they are fighting against the Shangshisi, the people in the palace are innocent.
Let’s put these things aside for now. What’s important is what to do in the future to ensure that everyone has food to eat.
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