Su Wan didn't know that she had entered the probation period.
As long as she is doing well recently, she can serve as a liaison maid between the Ministry of Rites headquarters and the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor.
Although there is not even a formal title, this job will definitely make people envious if others tell them about it.
She was currently preparing breakfast on the third day of the Winter Festival, which was November 29th.
Although it is said to be in the morning, in fact, according to modern time, it is a little after one in the morning. After all, it is the third day of the winter festival, and the saints have to go to the sacrifice at two or three in the morning.
This is not a sacrifice to ancestors, it is clearly tormenting future generations.
However, Su Wan decided to make the same meal as yesterday, and everyone was more organized.
And if we get through today, it will be over! We can go back to the palace!
Su Wan never felt that returning to the palace was a happy thing.
November 29th is the official day of the winter solstice and the last day of worship.
A series of ceremonies will begin in the early morning, and in the afternoon we will set off back to Kyoto and the Imperial Palace.
Does this count as getting things done early?
Anyway, Su Wan was almost dozing off.
They were making the same meal as yesterday, and the taste of both the eggplant pancake and the lotus root porridge had not changed.
Do you think it tastes good?
That would definitely be delicious, but the surprise would be gone.
The ten monks were still speechless after eating this meal. They just asked, "Today's meal is the same as yesterday's? Could it be that the people in the Imperial Food Department are lazy?"
The palace servant who delivered the meal immediately said, "It's not that we're lazy, but these meals are time-consuming and labor-intensive. The Imperial Food Department learned it temporarily and can only make these few dishes. Lunch will be the same as yesterday."
It turns out to be like this.
The ten monks didn't say anything, but they were unhappy in their hearts.
I thought I had found a few good cooks in Zhongyuan, but I didn't expect that I would have to cram at the last minute.
Forget it, I only know these few dishes, it’s not worth disturbing the saint.
If you want to eat it next time, just ask Shangshisi to prepare it. I’m sure they will agree.
When Su Wan and the others heard the news, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Just don't ask the Shangshi Department for people.
In other places, some people might feel that being chosen by a new upstart favored by a saint would make them rise to the top easily.
But the people at the Shangshi Division, especially Su Wan and Li Rongrong, did not feel that this was an honor at all.
An outright refusal will definitely not work, so this is the only feasible method.
But a few monks were still cursing and were obviously very unhappy.
But after having breakfast so early, they still had a lot of rituals to perform, so they had to put this matter aside. It seemed that they would not bother Su Wan and the others anymore.
After the others left, Li Rongrong said to Su Wan: "Thanks to you this time, otherwise I don't know what to do."
When working for the monks in the inner palace, you cannot do your job too well, otherwise you will be targeted.
You can't do it too badly, otherwise you will be blamed.
It's so difficult to strike a balance.
Su Wan smiled: "Even if I'm not here, there's still the head of the Imperial Food Department. She will definitely not watch us being taken away."
This is the truth, Su Wan is not just saying it casually.
The task of cooking for the monks in the inner palace came to an end. The small vegetarian kitchen in the inner palace, which was responsible for their meals, also came over, asked for mushroom oil, and returned some gifts. When leaving, they thanked them profusely, and it was obvious that they had been tortured by those people for a long time.
It looks pitiful.
The vegetarian kitchen could only smile bitterly. This was just the beginning and this was just what they saw.
What you don’t see is even more painful.
By the time the kitchen was settled, the sacrifice in front had already begun.
On the third day of the winter festival, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven is held at the Temple of Heaven, which is the final process.
The sound of ritual music had not stopped since early morning. Su Wan also took a few glances from afar and felt that it was very majestic and there was a solemn atmosphere outside.
All the etiquette is very complicated.
If yesterday was the annual summary meeting, today was a complete sacrificial ceremony.
Ritual music, sacrificial dance, and sacrificial altar.
There were also military music and horsemanship, interspersed with saints worshiping heaven and earth, and ministers singing and offering wine. Each department had a performance, and the saint would ascend the altar several times.
There are also the second offering, the final offering, etc., followed by burning incense and praising, and the saint leads all the civil and military officials to worship the sky towards the north.
For a moment, the entire winter altar was filled with incense ash, looking very solemn.
There were just some minor disturbances during the final ceremony.
Originally, the highest point was where sacrificial texts were placed, and only the saint and the queen could go up there.
But this time, he actually brought left and right great wizards with him, and he had never told anyone about this. It seemed that the saint had only discussed it with the great wizards, and the Ministry of Rites was unable to stop it.
Fortunately, the other ceremonies went smoothly, and the Third Prince stood at the first place among the princes, and nothing went wrong.
But Su Wan knew that this so-called little turmoil was just suppressed. Didn’t you see that the people in the Ministry of Rites were all upset? The Sitianjian was not much better off.
What a wonderful ceremony that ended up with such an incident.
Besides, what was the point of letting the monk go on stage? I was afraid that after this incident, the monks would become more rampant in the inner palace and even in the front hall.
It looks like just ascending the stage, but it is actually trampling the etiquette and laws underfoot.
This happened on the day of the sacrifice, and no one said anything for fear of disrupting the sacrificial process.
It's not that these people are rigid, but it's such a big thing, if there is any mistake, it will affect so many people.
The saint has gradually taken control of his power in recent years and is no longer as cautious as before.
Instead, he became more and more reckless.
Once this incident happens, I'm afraid it will be a busy scene when I return to the palace.
Now the winter festival ceremony has not yet ended, and all parties are holding back.
Su Wan just thought that there would be a good show to watch. After all, the Outer Palace was far away from all these things. It was barely between the front court and the imperial palace, so many things could not be blamed on them.
However, being involved in the situation, Su Wan naturally hopes that things will be settled as soon as possible.
Moreover, if we blindly worship Buddhism, I am afraid that Confucianists and Taoists will not be so happy, because they always have things to do anyway.
After being busy from early morning to noon, the Winter Festival was almost over. Everyone in the Winter Festival team had lunch and did some final work before finally setting off back in the afternoon.
As they set off back home, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It's finally over!
Although Kyoto is not far from here, there are many things to do.
It was just three days, but I was exhausted.
Su Wan felt that the itinerary of the saint and the civil and military officials was tiring.
Not to mention the eunuchs and palace maids who accompanied them.
As soon as they talked about going back, the atmosphere in the Daxiang Hall became much better, adding some popularity to this hall which was only used for sacrifices throughout the year.
However, the journey back to Kyoto was not easy. Heavy snow began to fall just as we set out. We were supposed to say hello to the colorful tents set up on both sides of the road at various gates in Kyoto.
On the way back from the sacrifice, those with a little status would set up colorful tents with ritual music to celebrate the saint's return from the winter sacrifice, and sing some poems in praise of the saint to express their respect for the saint.
But now the wind and snow are blinding. Not only is the snow heavy, but the wind is also strong. The north wind is howling all around, and no hymns can be heard.
The saint had no choice but to give some rewards casually and went straight back to Kyoto. The return journey was not lively at all.
It is completely different from the imagined scene of people welcoming the Tao.
This made the saint and the two great wizards look unhappy.
But this is God's will, and no one else can stop it.
Except for those who were riding in cars or sedan chairs, everyone else was freezing cold on the road. Su Wan, on the other hand, received a thick piece of fleece and wore it directly under her coat, so it was not noticeable.
In addition to the fleece, there is also a pair of small leather boots. They look ordinary on the outside, but are actually sealed tightly inside, so water won't get in even if you step on snow.
The person delivering the item didn’t say his name, he just dropped the item off and left.
It was as if Su Wan definitely knew who sent it.
Why is he getting more and more arrogant when giving gifts? Doesn’t he try to hide it?
Su Wan, Li Rongrong, and several younger palace maids were arranged to sit on the miscellaneous items cart, so they didn't have to walk by themselves.
With these two things and the heater in her hand, she was actually the warmest person in the Imperial Food Department. She would now fill the small hand warmer with charcoal and let several young palace maids in the carriage who were about her age take turns using it.
If your hands are not cold, your body will feel much better.
This snow came at a really bad time, freezing people to the bone.
She could only get by with her velvet boots, but the others couldn't.
Su Wan looked at the hand warmer, then her boots, and then touched the thick fleece inside her clothes.
There are also Sanskrit gold beads in the pockets.
Why is something a little strange?
Fortunately, the return journey was much faster.
After all, everyone was eager to go back. Although there were only three days, they were very hard during these three days.
After entering the capital, the colorful tents on both sides of the road finally became lively, welcoming the saint back to the city and celebrating the success of the winter festival.
This bit of excitement and the sound of music finally dispelled a bit of the gloom.
After entering the outer city of the palace, Su Wan had never felt the palace could be so friendly.
I was on a business trip for three days! I felt so warm when I saw the outer city of the palace! After all, the Daxiang Palace was too deserted, and the road was too cold.
It is still their Shangshisi that is warm.
The chief of the Imperial Food Department didn't say anything either, just asked everyone to go back and rest and report back tomorrow afternoon.
Although the errand was completed, there was still some finishing work to do.
The younger ones can go and have a rest, but they can't. Besides, there is the matter of the saint asking the great wizard to go to the altar together, and everyone in the Ministry of Rites looks unhappy.
The chief of the Imperial Food Department must also go.
Su Wan watched the female officials continue to be busy, while they, the young palace maids, could go back to rest. She couldn't help but sigh that they were worthy of being female officials, their physical strength was unmatched by others.
We set out in the afternoon and returned from the Winter Festival at the Temple of Heaven. It was already dark.
Su Wan didn't eat either. She went back to her residence and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I was awakened by the fragrant dumplings.
There is also the familiar voice of my roommate next to me.
"I should have waited until Su Wan woke up before cooking."
"But after today it won't be the winter solstice anymore."
"Well, we should eat dumplings during the winter solstice. These dumplings were made by her aunt."
This sentence made Su Wan subconsciously open her eyes slowly, and she saw a large bowl of dumplings on the table in her residence.
Yu Shu saw Su Wan and said in surprise: "You finally woke up!"
"Well, what's wrong?" Su Wan said, but her eyes were on the dumplings.
"There's someone at the Guandi Temple. He said your aunt made some dumplings and asked him to deliver them to you," said Yu Shu.
Su Wan was stunned for a moment and asked, "What do the people in Guandi Temple look like?"
"He has a beard and looks to be in his thirties. Did you always ask him to deliver things for you before?" Yu Shu said casually.
She said, how could Xie Pei appear in front of other people.
But he is the only one who can make the dumplings in front of him.
It was taken from the concubine of the Su family, sent to the palace, and then handed to her roommate by someone, and finally cooked and served in front of her.
It’s over. Now I eat other people’s food, drink other people’s drinks, and take other people’s things. How am I going to pay them back?
This made her unable to get angry at Xie Pei for hiding his identity.
This is totally unacceptable!
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