Sure enough, there was a scolding from the mage, asking how the food manager could be so negligent as not to prepare food for them.
When the news reached the Ministry of Rites, the head of the Imperial Food Bureau naturally agreed, and everyone simply ignored the fact that the inner palace mages had their own small kitchen.
After a while, the small kitchen in the inner palace also sent someone over to talk. It was not them who urged the mages to come to the Shangshisi for dinner. It was really because the mages were really dissatisfied with the food in the small kitchen in the inner palace and said they were fed up with it. It happened that the famous Shangshisi was accompanying this winter festival, so someone suggested that they go to the Shangshisi to try it.
That's why this happened.
The chief of the Imperial Food Department would naturally not vent his anger on the small kitchen in the inner palace. After all, there were also palace servants from the Imperial Food Department in the small kitchen in the inner palace.
Except for people like Jiang Hongye who follow Concubine Jiang wholeheartedly, most of the others still have dealings with the Imperial Food Bureau, so they would not deliberately make things difficult, so they would not rush over to pass on the message.
He also said that Shangshisi would just need to prepare one or two dishes to deal with the problem, and they had actually already prepared delicious meals.
But it was useless to pass the message, as there was only half an hour left until noon, and the mages did not eat after noon, so delicious vegetarian food had to be prepared and delivered within this half hour.
Originally, we had enough time to rest at the Guandi Temple, but in order to avoid the Taoist temple, we walked forward for a distance and are still on the way.
After the people from the vegetarian kitchen left, the chief of the food department looked at Su Wan and nodded slightly to her.
Since it was such an important matter, why would she just sit there and wait for death?
While others were wondering how to cook vegetarian food while walking, Su Wan had already opened a lid on the charcoal train.
As soon as the lid was opened, a strange fragrance wafted to the face.
Such a delicious soup must not be made in a day.
Of course not. This bowl of soup with three fresh vegetables was prepared by Su Wan the day before.
The three delicacies here are mushrooms, asparagus and fried gluten.
The fragrant mushrooms and bamboo shoots are boiled in hot water in advance, then soaked in sesame oil overnight, and then simmered on low heat for a day. The soup that comes out will definitely taste extremely delicious.
Wait until last night to save the soup, and this morning blanch the mushrooms and bamboo shoots, cut them into thin strips, and chop the fried gluten into pieces and put them in a pan with oil. After frying, the delicious flavor has not yet dispersed completely, so add the delicious soup that has been stewed long ago, so that the rich flavor of the mushrooms and bamboo shoots can be fully integrated into the current dish.
Such a small pot can be placed directly on the charcoal train to keep it warm and can be taken out and used at any time.
The charcoal train is usually used to warm tea while moving. It is also a good choice to warm up soup and cook three fresh delicacies at this time.
Since you are going to use it now, just open the lid and pour a little soy sauce on it to adjust the color, then simmer over low heat until it is high, add a little sugar to enhance the flavor, stir in a little bit of starch to thicken it, and then put a little sesame oil when serving.
Although it is just a vegetarian dish, the steps involved are more complicated than many meat dishes.
The main reason is that vegetarian dishes are not rich enough in flavor and the ingredients are not that varied, so we have to work hard on the refinement.
Su Wan was secretly instructed by the head of the Imperial Food Department to prepare this dish in advance.
This small pot is enough for about four or five people, so it is directly served in an insulated food box and sent over.
Su Wan is young, but she is calm and steady in her actions. Her clear eyes make people realize that she is just a little girl, and one can't help but love her more.
The head of the Imperial Food Department saw that her sleeves were stained with dust and said, "Change your outer clothes first and sit on the charcoal train. You are small and don't weigh much, so you don't need to follow us."
Su Wan nodded, but the food boxes had already been delivered, so she thought they would have to stop for a meal.
It was not convenient to continue moving forward at lunch time.
Even for sacrifice, people still need to eat.
Thinking of eating, Su Wan naturally thought of Xie Pei's figure, wondering what he was doing at the moment.
The stewed three fresh vegetables in soup from the Imperial Food Department was sent over, and the eloquent young man from the Ministry of Rites was specially chosen to explain to the mages, "Time is tight, so we have prepared this stewed three fresh vegetables in soup. Please enjoy it."
Prepare a dish?
Still an ordinary name.
Before the mage's disciples could say anything, the lid was opened.
A strange fragrance comes, and people can't help but take a deep breath just to smell it.
The eunuch who was serving beside him immediately said, "How dare you! Don't you know that the mages only eat vegetarian food? You actually brought meat dishes up?!"
"How could it be? This is a vegetarian dish, made of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and fried tofu. It is soaked in sesame oil and stewed for a day. That's why it tastes so good." The young man from the Ministry of Rites still smiled and explained seriously, "It must be all vegetarian dishes and vegetarian oil. There is no meat or pungent food in it."
What this means is that there is nothing offensive and nothing that violates the precepts.
Eat with confidence!
Without him saying anything, the master's disciples were already wanting to pick up their chopsticks, but when they thought about their master, it seemed that it was not a good idea to do so.
But such tempting food really needs to be shared.
The three or four people looked at each other and thought, forget it, the masters must have better food, this little bit is nothing.
When the young man from the Ministry of Rites left, he looked at the magicians and their disciples who were eating with relish.
They are just a group of disciples, yet they dare to do this. It shows how arrogant their master has become.
Fortunately, the Shangshi Division was prepared, otherwise who knows how bad the situation would have gotten.
But it does smell delicious.
It is not easy to make delicious vegetarian food, and the Shangshisi is indeed quite powerful.
He heard from Cui Hucheng, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, that the food in the Imperial Kitchen was excellent, and the Western Kitchen was the best. This time he finally had the chance to try it.
Most of these young men in the Ministry of Rites were children of wealthy and aristocratic families. Although they only passed the imperial examinations to become scholars, they were able to be assigned to various departments for training and were not considered formal officials.
If I must say, it's almost like an intern.
If they perform well in the imperial examinations, they can become official officials.
This young man will take the imperial examination next year. His father and brother are both prefects in other places, so he has some family background.
He had never smelled such good vegetarian food, let alone anyone else.
Not only had this young man never seen this, but even the mages who often ate vegetarian meals, or even those who ate vegetarian meals in the palace, had never eaten it.
You can tell it’s something special just by smelling it, and when you taste it carefully, it’s really vegetarian?!
It’s so delicious?!
Shiitake mushrooms and asparagus are already delicious, and the aroma of sesame oil leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth.
By the time everyone realized what was happening, not even a drop of soup was left in the dish.
"Go quickly! Go ask the Imperial Food Department if they still have this dish! Bring it all over!"
The answer is of course no.
How can such exquisite food be available just as it is? Masters, please forgive me.
As for asking them to forgive me before, this group of people were very dissatisfied, so they asked the eunuch to come and scold them.
But you can forgive me now, is that okay?
The main thing is that the food tastes so good. Should we spare their lives and let them eat even better food later?
For a while, while others were thinking about how to hold winter sacrifices, the disciples of this group of wizards were thinking about how to get free vegetarian meals.
It’s not that the Shangshi Division can’t do it, but the carriage is still moving now, and it would be bad if something goes wrong.
It would be better to calm him down first and wait until we reach the palace near the sacrificial site.
The main hall of the Daxiang Palace alone can accommodate tens of thousands of people, not to mention other places.
Then you can cook with peace of mind.
These were all arranged in advance by the head of the Imperial Food Bureau, so there would basically be no problems.
For today's winter festival, the best option is to keep everything stable.
When the Minister of Rites learned of this little incident, he asked the young man one more question: "Are you saying that the one who made the delicious vegetarian meal was a palace maid?"
"Yes, it was a young palace maid who brought it down from the coal train." The young man replied, "I heard that she also prepared the vegetarian meal in advance according to instructions."
The Minister of Rites nodded slightly: "Don't say anything nonsense in front of the mages, just say that this is the joint achievement of the Imperial Food Department."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid they will take the person away."
A little palace maid was sent to the inner palace kitchen, along with a group of mages from unknown faction.
It is better to keep talented people around you.
The Minister of Rites was completely in favor of talented people, which coincided with the opinion of the Chief of the Imperial Food Department.
No matter from which perspective, entering the inner palace to be a professional cook is not a good choice now.
Going to the inner palace to be a cook means really being a cook.
After all, the rules in the small kitchen are basically different from those in the Shangshisi.
Su Wan naturally understood that if she had to choose, she would definitely not go to the inner palace. The outer palace was already restrictive enough. If she lived in the inner palace with its layers of buildings, it would probably be even more stuffy than living in the outer palace.
She would never live in the inner palace.
Therefore, he was very satisfied with the decision made by the Director of the Imperial Food Department and the Minister of Rites.
Seeing her like this, Li Rongrong couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid that others will take away your credit?"
After all, if we don't tell who did it, it always seems like something is missing.
Su Wan waved her hands: "Whoever wants to grab it can grab it. If she wants to enter the inner palace to serve those mages, then let her go. It's not an easy job."
In Suanwan's opinion, these side branches of religion that came from nowhere are always strange and bound to have some disputes.
They are supposed to be pure Buddhists, and should be calm and peaceful, but now they have evil thoughts and are even more evil.
There are only two words to describe Su Wan's situation.
That is, run!
Run as far as you can!
Just look at the Imperial Food Department and the Ministry of Rites, they basically don't like to pay attention to those mages, and you will understand.
Sure enough, after the meal, everything quieted down over there.
And we can keep quiet until tomorrow morning.
They do not eat after noon, and even when they go to the Daxiang Hall at night, they do not need rice or water, which saves them a lot of effort.
The winter festival team headed south and finally arrived near the sacrificial site.
The sacrificial site is divided by the central axis, with the Altar of Land and Grain on the left and the Temple of Heaven on the right. The Temple of Heaven is almost three times the size of the Altar of Land and Grain. The Daxiang Hall, where the winter sacrifice team will settle down tonight, is also in the northeast corner of the Temple of Heaven.
Stay here for the night, get up at five in the morning tomorrow and go to the Altar of Land and Grain next door to offer sacrifices.
But these are all the business of the saints. As the logistics department, the Shangshisi only needs to do their job well in the Daxiang Hall.
I just don’t know what kind of trouble Xie Pei will cause next.
Su Wan was not the only one who thought so. Many people were wondering what Xie Pei would come up with this time.
Who knew that by the time he moved into the Daxiang Palace and all the people were settled, there was nothing to worry about.
Anyway, the saint was relieved.
The Shangshisi is preparing breakfast for tomorrow.
Needless to say, the regular breakfast was prepared. The nobles in the inner palace had their own small kitchens. Those who did not have small kitchens were not of high status and could all eat with the Shangshisi.
The remaining royal relatives, civil and military ministers, and palace maids from various places were taken care of by the original palace maids from Guanglu Temple, Shangshisi, and Daxiang Hall.
These have been prepared before you come, and you can do them according to the previous arrangements.
The only extra people were the master's disciples. Just as they were settled in the Daxiang Hall, news came from there that the Shangshisi would be responsible for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch.
There were ten disciples in total, and originally only four of them had the chance to eat the stewed three fresh delicacies prepared by the Shangshi Division. However, a few monks who were on good terms with them had heard about it, so they naturally wanted to come along.
As for the two mages at the top, the two most trusted by the saint, there is not much to say. It is said that their meals are prepared by the saint's small kitchen, and they must taste very good.
No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I still couldn't avoid cooking for them.
However, since these were prepared in advance, the Shangshisi was not panicked. The chief directly appointed Su Wan, Li Rongrong, Xiyou to be the person in charge, and several young palace maids to be in charge.
Other female officials are responsible for so many meals, so assigning a few of them to these positions is already giving them enough face.
However, looking at the combination of these three people, people who are familiar with the Shangshi Division know that the boss has obviously given the important task to Su Wan, Xi Youzhi is in charge of helping with coordination, and Li Rongrong is assisting.
Although they didn't say it explicitly, people who know their cooking skills already have an idea of it.
Li Rongrong's aunt, Deputy Prime Minister Nan, took a look and was about to speak when she was pulled back by Deputy Prime Minister Li from the Miscellaneous Affairs Bureau.
They are all colleagues in the same government office. Deputy Prime Minister Li said, "Don't you think this is a bit of an experience?"
“Have you forgotten the snowy mooncakes?”
When she was in the palace, it was Su Wan's snowy mooncakes that made the Shangshisi shine during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This is Su Wan's ability.
How do we know that Li Rongrong helping Su Wan is not Li Rongrong taking advantage of her?
Deputy Prime Minister Li was considered to be kind except in front of the head of the western kitchen and Su Wan.
When in front of others, he basically doesn't give any face.
Even though Deputy Nan Cheng didn't want to admit it, he had to say: "Su Wan's cooking skills are good."
"It's just that Rongrong is better at making steamed red vegetables. Ordinary people only have to eat vegetarian food at night tomorrow. If she follows Su Wan to make vegetarian dishes for a whole day, she won't be able to show her talents."
Naturally, they avoided talking to the young palace maids while arguing here.
The head of the Imperial Food Department did not respond at first, but finally said, "She is not only your niece, but also a maid of the Imperial Food Department."
What this means is that we cannot maintain this way everywhere, and we just have to obey the arrangements.
The chief of the Imperial Food Department did not say the rest. Rongrong was an excellent girl, but she had always been under the protection of Deputy Nan Cheng, so he could not let her go.
If you want to go further, don't stop here, you have to see everything.
Of course, being a cook only requires being proficient in one thing. Since Li Rongrong is aiming to be a female official, she must not just be protected.
The head of the Imperial Food Department never disliked a palace maid who openly expressed her desire to become a court lady, so when he knew that Deputy Prime Minister Nan brought his niece Li Rongrong into the palace, he did not think there was anything wrong with it.
Anyone who is capable can be appointed.
She not only wants to cultivate Su Wan, but also wants to cultivate more girls.
It’s just that among this group, the most outstanding one is Su Wan.
Speaking of Su Wan.
I only heard from Deputy Prime Minister Nan when she first entered the palace that she wanted to be a female official and protect her biological mother.
Why are you so lazy now?
It’s not that I’m lazy about things, but I don’t have the desire to go further.
The officer couldn't help but hold his forehead.
Take your time, there is still a lot of time.
Since the vegetarian meal was handed over to Su Wan, it was natural that a clean kitchen should be allocated to her.
It would be best if all the pots and pans were not sticky with oil. This is easy to do. Since the previous dynasty, the Daxiang Hall has been the palace for offering sacrifices to heaven, so this kind of thing is still available.
The Shangshi Division has also been divided.
Today is November 27th. The monks do not eat after noon, but ordinary people still need to eat.
Moreover, since it was the first day, there was no restriction on eating vegetarian food, so most people naturally chose meat.
Tomorrow is the 28th. Ordinary people will eat breakfast and lunch as usual, and have vegetarian food in the evening.
The monks will have vegetarian breakfast and lunch, and continue not to eat after noon.
On the day after tomorrow, the 29th, we will only have two meals in the Daxiang Hall, but everyone will eat vegetarian food the whole day. In the afternoon, we will set off for the capital and go home at night. The Shangshisi will not have to take care of it.
It takes several meals, but there is also tea, fruit and seeds to be served in between.
Therefore, Deputy Prime Minister Nan, who was in charge of meals, and Deputy Prime Minister Li, who was in charge of tea, fruit and seeds, were both very busy.
Su Wan and her group of students who came out separately were also not idle. They were preparing food for tomorrow morning in advance.
It is not advisable to eat too much in the morning, but you have to eat well. The types of ingredients are limited, so it is not easy to cook.
In the past, Su Wan liked to add lard to the rice porridge in the west kitchen just to make it more fragrant.
But looking at the high-quality rice that the mages eat, there is no need to add any oil at all. The porridge cooked with such fresh rice is naturally sweet.
The reason why some oil was added before was because most of the rice eaten by the palace servants in the kitchen was old rice, so it needed extra flavor.
Rice porridge is one thing, but you can’t just eat rice porridge. Su Wan soaks rice, coix seeds and lotus seeds in advance so she can cook porridge early the next morning.
We can deal with the rest tomorrow morning. Breakfast doesn’t have to be too extravagant anyway.
As a result, Su Wan, Li Rongrong, and Xi Youzhi became the most idle people in the entire Shangshisi, no, in the entire Ministry of Rites.
Seeing this, Xiyou Zhizhang said, "You two have been busy for a long time. Take a good rest. I will go to the big kitchen to take a look."
Xi Youzhi was used to calling crowded places the big kitchen, which referred to the place where food was cooked for ordinary people.
When they arrived at the Daxiang Hall, others could take a break, but the Shangshi Division began a new round of busyness.
People need to eat!
Not to mention that we have been running for almost a whole day today, and it gets dark early today. Now the stars are in the sky, and no one can help but touch their stomachs. The winter festival is hard enough, and if we don’t eat well, everyone will complain.
For a moment, only Su Wan and Li Rongrong were left in the small kitchen.
Li Rongrong felt a little awkward.
When she came, she still felt that she was Su Wan's older sister, so she took extra care of her.
But the more he got along with Su Wan, the more he realized that she was cute, with clear eyes, but very smart, and didn't need him at all.
Li Rongrong left with an excuse, but Su Wan didn't mind. She finally had some time to rest, and according to her personality, she would definitely slack off.
Ever since she was transferred to the Shangshenjian at the beginning of the month to take care of the winter festival, she has been really tired!
But she was left alone in the empty little kitchen, and couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. No one had been here for a long time, and a gust of wind blew, making it seem a little eerie.
Su Wan wants to emphasize again that she is not afraid of ghosts! She is just a little afraid of the dark environment and the cold wind.
Su Wan hurried out of the small kitchen, and as soon as she closed the door, she looked towards the big kitchen. If nothing happened, then she might as well go back and have a rest.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he came out of the small kitchen, he had to go around the palace road of the Daxiang Palace to take a look at the big kitchen next door.
Usually, not many people come here, so every brick and tile looks particularly eerie.
Su Wan had just taken a few steps when she heard faint footsteps.
"Is the kitchenette over here?"
"Yes, put something in the ingredients. If the ritual fails tomorrow, we can find another opportunity to get closer."
Su Wan frowned and was pulled into the shadows by Xie Pei who came from behind.
I saw two sneaky figures climbing over the wall.
Xie Pei whispered, "Go to the big kitchen and don't look back. These people want to disrupt the winter festival, and it has nothing to do with you."
Disrupting the winter festival?
If it is not personal revenge, then it is directed against Tianxiang Kingdom?
Seeing her bright eyes, Xie Pei seemed to have thought of something. He said with amusement and helplessness: "Go ahead. Nothing will happen on the way."
"What about you?" Su Wangang said, his eyes brighter.
Foreign enemies are trying to disrupt the winter festival, and if they are caught by the Third Prince who has just taken office.
Even if you are a saint, you have to endure the discomfort and give a few words of praise.
Seeing her expression, Xie Pei wanted to explain a few words. This was not his plan. He just noticed something unusual, so he came out to investigate. He didn't expect to find the place of Shangshisi, so he came to take a look.
But now Su Wan pretends that she doesn’t know her identity, and I also pretend that she doesn’t know her identity.
This explanation is hard to put into words.
Suddenly feel like you're trapped in your own web?
Xie Pei was helpless, but still said: "I'm fine too, go to a crowded place first, this matter won't get out of hand."
It’s easy to imagine that it won’t become a big deal.
A solemn and dignified occasion like the Winter Festival must be foolproof. Even if there is something wrong, it must be suppressed and not known to the world.
Only then can we say that this winter festival was a success and next year will surely be good weather and good harvests, which will reassure the people.
So Su Wan just needs to pretend that she knows nothing and replace all the ingredients tomorrow. That's all.
You can temporarily change the ingredients or menu and you need to find a suitable excuse.
It's always trouble.
Su Wan looked at Xie Pei helplessly.
It turns out that something strange is waiting here! Why bother a little palace maid instead of a saint?
Although this matter has nothing to do with Xie Pei, I really want to pat him on the shoulder and ask him to work harder, work harder, so that the palace can be more stable!
Forget it, this matter has nothing to do with her.
I should think about it carefully. What menu should I change tomorrow? Anyway, the things I prepared in advance today will not be used.
Vegetarian food is really a headache.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
