Chapter 71 Can you make aromatherapy with pears?
Zijuan's words piqued the little dumpling's interest.
"Are there many delicious foods at the palace banquet?"
Zijuan helped her take down her hair bun, combed it neatly, and then tucked the little dumpling into the quilt.
"Of course, besides the empresses and princes, many princes and ministers will also be attending the palace banquet, so the food will be the best." Zijuan tucked her in, speaking softly as she patted the blanket to lull her to sleep.
"The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Wensi Tofu, and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth were all carefully prepared by the imperial chefs."
He listened to the sounds in a daze, and soon fell asleep to Zijuan's gentle coaxing.
As I drifted off to sleep, I could still hear the rustling sound of things swaying outside.
Sheng Sheng thought to herself, "New Year's Day is so lively, what's the point of reading alone in the house?"
She wanted to take Pei Ji along to join in the fun...
...
Sheng Sheng was a woman of action; the very next morning, she went to Jingyue Pavilion to find Pei Ji.
The little dumpling was jumping around and called out several times at the gate of the yard, but no one came out, so they had to go inside to look for someone.
"Huh, isn't he here?"
Zijuan looked around and asked, "Princess, could it be that Young Master Pei has gone out?"
The little dumpling scratched her head in confusion at the door, wondering whether to go back or look around, when Afu rushed over with a sickle in hand: "Princess, Princess, we're here!"
Zijuan noticed that he was still rolling up his sleeves in the dead of winter and asked curiously, "Afu, aren't you cold? Why are you rolling up your sleeves in such cold weather?"
Sheng Sheng looked at him curiously.
"Oh, oh, I'm harvesting vegetables with you in the garden, young master. That's why we rolled up our sleeves so we can get to work."
"Harvesting vegetables? Is Brother Pei Ji here too?"
The little girl's face lit up with a smile, and she lifted her skirt and ran towards the vegetable garden.
Upon closer inspection, Pei Ji was indeed in the vegetable garden, holding a sickle and diligently cutting spinach from the ground.
There were two wooden buckets next to it, filled with white radishes covered in mud, which must have been freshly pulled out.
Pei Ji was dressed in black, and even the simplest style made him look noble.
A handsome young man, holding a sickle and cutting vegetables, made Sheng Sheng feel that the scene was quite interesting.
Upon seeing her arrive, Pei Ji stopped what he was doing and chuckled, "Princess."
The little dumpling smiled and replied, "Brother Pei Ji!"
Pei Ji calmly washed his hands and picked up the two buckets of radishes: "Let's go in and sit down."
"good."
Shengsheng obediently followed him into the house, and only then did she ask him, "Why did you suddenly harvest all the vegetables? Are you going to plant new ones?"
"Yes." Pei Ji nodded with a smile. "I got some seeds, and since Wenhua Hall is on holiday, I thought I'd plant them."
"Seeds? What seeds?"
Afu quickly answered, "They are seeds from winter pears. Young Master is planning to clear a small plot of vegetable garden to see if he can plant a few pear trees. He should thank the princess for this; at this time of year, only nobles can afford to eat pears. The Imperial Kitchen must have given us a few because of the princess. The seeds inside the pears can be processed and used as seeds. If we can grow them, we won't lack pears in a few years!"
Sheng Sheng suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. When the pear seeds are ready, can Sheng Sheng try some?"
“Of course.” Pei Ji instructed Afu to wash the pears and bring them over. “Perfect timing, Princess, please take out the seeds for me.”
Pei Ji personally peeled and cut the fruit for her, but apologized that there was no fruit fork: "I don't have a fruit fork here, so Princess will have to wash her hands in a bit."
Whether in Yuqing Palace or Jinxiu Palace, there are plenty of pears. Sheng Sheng doesn't like eating fruit and gets tired of the smell of pears.
But perhaps because it was given to him by Pei Ji, Sheng Sheng ate a lot, which was unusual for her.
This made Zijuan extremely jealous: "Princess, you usually won't eat even when I put food right in front of you, so why did you eat quite a bit after Young Master Pei mentioned it?"
The little dumpling grinned, showing no sign of guilt: "Brother Pei Ji, the pears here smell so good!"
Zijuan feigned sadness: "In my opinion, it's clearly because of Young Master Pei, not because of any pear fragrance. No matter how fragrant the pear is, it can't compare to your favorite Yi'ai fragrance!"
Yi Ai Xiang is Sheng Sheng's favorite incense. It is made from agarwood, musk, sandalwood and other spices, mixed with white honey. The scent is light but sweet without being cloying. This incense is always burned in the palace.
Zijuan only meant to tease Shengsheng that she wasn't eating the pears here because they smelled better than her own, but she didn't expect Afu to actually start discussing it with her in a serious manner.
"Oh, Miss Zijuan, you're mistaken. This pear scent might actually be more fragrant than other incense. Do you know of a fragrance called 'Goose Pear Tent Incense'?"
"Huh?" Zijuan shook her head blankly, not knowing what kind of fragrance it was, nor why Afu had brought up this topic so seriously. "No, I don't know."
"Hey, it's understandable that you don't know. This is a very special fragrance from our Song Kingdom. Only the wealthy and noble know about it. As you know, although our Song Kingdom can grow vegetables, it doesn't have a lot of fruit, especially pears. Let alone winter, even in summer, only the rich can afford to eat them. As for this pear tent fragrance, you can tell from the name that it requires pears, right? Because pears are scarce, fragrance made from pears is even more expensive. Therefore, very few people can afford this fragrance, and even fewer know about it. Even many ordinary people in the Song Kingdom don't know about it, so it's normal that you don't know about it either."
Afu first boasted about his extensive knowledge, then explained, "This so-called 'Goose Pear Tent Incense' is made by preparing one ounce of agarwood powder, one mace of sandalwood powder, and ten pears. The pears should ideally be juicy and sweet, as this will make the incense spread its fragrance better. Remove the cores from the pears, fill them with the incense powder, cover them, and steam them three times. After that, remove the pear skins, grind the pear flesh and incense powder together, and let it sit in the cellar for a long time before it's ready."
This fragrance is incredibly sweet and refreshing, with a pear scent tempered by a rich woody aroma—it smells wonderful. It also has calming and sleep-inducing properties, soothes the mind, and has warming and diaphoretic effects, as well as the ability to clear the mind and refresh the spirit.
Zijuan listened in astonishment: "So amazing? This is the first time I've heard of such a thing."
"Of course," Afu said proudly, head held high.
As Sheng Sheng took small bites of the pear, after hearing Afu's description of the "Fragrance of Goose Pears in the Tent," she felt something flash through her mind, as if she had missed some very important information.
The fragrance of pear blossoms fills the tent...
What does it taste like?
Seeing that the little girl was staring at Afu absentmindedly, Pei Ji silently peeled another pear and placed it in her hand.
Sheng Sheng snapped out of her daze and smiled at him, "Thank you, Brother Pei Ji. You should eat too; I can't eat all by myself."
Pei Ji nodded and said, "Do you like this fragrance?"
"Hmm?" Sheng Sheng was taken aback, then shook her head. "No, it's just that this is the first time I've heard of pears being made into incense, and I find it quite novel."
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