Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Make Your Own Decision
"Send it to the imperial kitchen?"
In the small kitchen of Xianfu Palace, the person in charge, Madam Zhao, thought she had misheard.
"Yes, that's what the Second Prince ordered. The remaining cooked food and raw food sauces should be packed separately." Ma Rui said.
Nanny Zhao was even more confused. The Second Prince was only a little kid of six or seven years old. How could he be involved in such trouble?
"Don't worry, the Emperor has given his approval." Ma Rui said, "If the Emperor doesn't agree, can the Second Prince command the Imperial Kitchen?"
Nanny Zhao thought so too and agreed with a smile.
The Xianfu Palace is currently occupied by the Imperial Concubine Gao. The lady is in poor health and is lucky enough to eat half a bowl of rice at each meal. She hardly touches the standard dishes, and she still can't finish the rewards from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
This was a good thing for these servants, as they had chicken, duck, fish and meat every day, as well as all kinds of exquisite snacks.
Occasionally, Aunt Zhao would bring some snacks for her family to try.
Who would have thought that the palace would not even let go of the leftovers from other palaces.
Nanny Zhao never thought that this was the Second Prince's idea, she just thought he was helping the Empress to pass on the message.
The Empress has always advocated frugality. When she lived in the West Four Residences, she wore no makeup and rarely wore silk and satin. Now, she is even frugal with her food.
How could the palace be so poor?
When the palace maid beside the imperial concubine came to order food, Zhao Ma told her what the second prince had asked someone to do.
"We should send a lot over, so that the emperor won't find out and say that we are wasting in the palace," asked Zhao Ma.
The palace maid also knew that a lot of food was wasted in Xianfu Palace, including some nourishing medicinal foods. The imperial concubine would only eat a bite or two and the rest would be left over. The servants would pick up the chicken, duck, and fish to eat, and no one liked to eat these medicinal foods. In the end, they benefited the little beasts in the cat and dog room, who could eat medicinal herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus every now and then.
"Everything else is fine, but the medicinal food cannot be left over. You can divide it up later."
After all, the Emperor and the Empress ordered the kitchen to prepare the medicinal food because they saw that their master was in poor health. The leftovers from their master were not good to begin with, and sending them to cats and dogs would make the Emperor and the Empress more likely to be angry.
Nanny Zhao agreed, saying that it was a good thing the weather was cold, so if they couldn't finish the food today, they could heat it up and eat it tomorrow.
The nanny in Qixiang Palace had the same idea as Zhao Ma, where Concubine Jia lived. Although Concubine Jia did not hold a high position, the emperor cared about her very much and would occasionally reward her with imperial meals.
In addition, there were few servants in Qixiang Palace, and even if the nobles distributed the leftover food to the servants, they still couldn't finish it. So it was normal to have two or three plates of snacks left over every day.
We can't let the emperor know that there are so many left in Qixiang Palace. Today, everyone should work hard and eat a few more snacks. We can send the remaining three or five pieces to the imperial kitchen.
When Hai Changzai and Chen Changzai were there, there was nothing left. The small kitchen in their palace did not have to worry about these things.
Qianlong was more concerned about the progress of the imperial kitchen than Yonglian, and summoned people from the imperial kitchen to question them at the end of the 3:00-5:00 pm period.
"Your Majesty, the leftover food from breakfast and dinner in each palace has been delivered. Shoukang Palace has a plate of pork slices, half a pot of bone soup, half a pot of mutton soup, and two duck legs..."
Qianlong frowned. Shoukang Palace was indeed the largest. Ningshou Palace had many people and servants, so there wouldn't be much left after all the rewards were given.
Then, a plate of stir-fried pork with leeks and half a steamed duck were sent from Zhongcui Palace. This was because Xiao Yongzhang's mourning period was over and there was meat in his ration.
Apart from these three palaces, the rest sent snacks and some vegetable scraps, with the most coming from Yikun Palace.
Qianlong frowned: Why is Nara so wasteful?
As a concubine, she had more leftover food than the queen or the imperial concubine.
I won’t give Yiku Palace any more food from now on, since she can’t finish it anyway.
Qianlong ordered the imperial kitchen to send some of the food it made to Changchun Palace.
He went to Changchun Palace first and waited.
After school, Yonglian took Yonghuang and Mingrui straight to Changchun Palace.
Because it was too cold in winter, the queen wanted Mingrui to go home early, so she exempted him from the daily ritual of paying respects after school.
Today Yonglian brought his little friend along so that he could also taste the dishes made in the imperial kitchen.
He had previously asked Mingrui and Erdeng'e to help him find out the price of stewed vegetables outside. The two children didn't have time themselves, but they could ask their family to go.
Mingrui directly asked his uncle Fu Heng to help him find out. When Fu Heng heard that it was the second prince's order, he paid extra attention.
I asked around at restaurants, stalls, and even hawkers carrying loads on their shoulders in the inner and outer cities, and found out the prices ranged from thirty cents to three cents.
Mingrui wrote it neatly on a piece of paper and handed it to Yonglian.
Yonglian thought that his little friend was very reliable, so he shared his snacks with Xiao Mingrui as a reward.
When the three children arrived at Changchun Palace, the imperial kitchen had just delivered the prepared food.
When Qianlong saw Xiao Mingrui coming along, he teased him, "There's no lotus root to eat today."
The others all laughed when they heard this, and Xiao Mingrui felt embarrassed and his face turned red.
Qianlong asked him to sit next to him and said that he seemed to be eating well recently and his little face had gained some weight.
Yonglian and Niu Lun couldn't wait to taste the dishes sent from the imperial kitchen.
Qianlong ordered people to bring bowls and chopsticks, and the imperial kitchen sent four dishes, two of which were fried dough balls made with leftover flour and sugar, one was radish and cabbage cooked with vinegar, and the other was a stew.
This stew contains not only lamb, pork, and duck, but also various vegetables.
Qianlong and the Empress could not eat stewed dishes, so they tried the other two. Of course, they tasted worse than their usual meals, but they were enough to fill the stomachs of the people.
The remaining children each had a bowl of stew. Niu Lun frowned as soon as he took a bite and said, "It's not tasty!"
Mingrui and Yonghuang also thought it was not tasty. Mingrui did not dare to comment on the palace dishes. Yonghuang said, "Perhaps it would be better if the mutton was not used."
Yonglian also quickly tasted it and said, "Yes, the taste of mutton is too strong, and mutton cannot be put together with pork and duck. The soup also lacks a bit of salt." Because he had instructed not to use other seasonings as much as possible, the chef probably only added sauce.
It would be great if there were chili peppers. These dishes could be made into maocai malatang, which would definitely be very popular.
But there is no chili pepper in the palace now.
I must make arrangements for it later, for now I can only use this stew.
"These radishes and cabbages can also be put into the stew, why do they have to be separated out separately?" Niu Lun was puzzled.
"Maybe he wants to use up the remaining vinegar," the queen guessed.
"These people are so stubborn. If they can't use up all the vinegar, they can just put it aside and use it later." Qianlong frowned and muttered.
"It was my son's fault for not being considerate enough and not giving detailed instructions." Yonglian hurriedly spoke for the people in the small kitchen.
Qianlong sighed in his heart. This kid was too kind-hearted. Sooner or later, he would be fooled by those people in the Imperial Household Department.
Selling leftovers to the people was too much trouble, so why not just forget it? Qianlong couldn't help but hesitate and asked, "Do you think you can ask the people for money for these things?"
"That's a shame!" Yonglian said, "I know the Khan is considerate of the people and doesn't want them to pay, but this isn't something that can be done overnight; it's a long-term endeavor. The cooks in the imperial kitchen, the people who deliver the food, and the people who distribute the food all need to be paid. Furthermore, it's difficult to count the food delivered. If the delivery person falsely reports the food, we won't be able to investigate. At least we can reconcile the fees. Although false reporting is difficult to avoid, it can still be detected through careful inspection."
Upon hearing this, Qianlong stared at Yonglian and did not speak for a long time.
The Queen was a little surprised. How did her own Yonglian know all this? She was actually a little convinced.
"Khan Ama, is what my second brother said right?" Niu Lun asked on behalf of his second brother when he saw Khan Ama's serious expression.
Qianlong didn't say it was right or wrong, but asked directly: "How much should these three items be priced at?"
"We haven't checked the noodles and the stir-fried radish and cabbage yet. This stew is probably..." Yonglian looked at Mingrui, "Two or three cents?"
Mingrui said, "My uncle said that the stew sold by street vendors costs two cents a bowl, and there's only one meatball or piece of meat in it. There's plenty of meat in the palace, so it can be sold for three cents." Yonglian said, "Then three cents will do. If you can't afford it, you can buy it from the vendors. That way you won't steal their business."
Qianlong looked at the queen and said, "Look, these two children even knew to ask Fu Heng for help."
The Queen said, "It would be more convenient to ask my tenth brother."
Yonglian felt a little nervous when he saw Khan Ama looking at him with that strange look again. Couldn't he ask someone outside for help?
Or was he unhappy because Fuheng did not report to Khan Ama in time?
Yonglian knew that his instructions to Chen Fu and Ma Rui would both tell the Khan. He could only sigh inwardly; this was unavoidable. Unless the Khan was completely disappointed in him and replaced the imperial edict appointing him as the crown prince, he would not care about his actions.
But Fu Heng was just helping to ask for a price.
Yonglian sighed inwardly and rubbed against Qianlong's side, "Khan Ama, this is my first time on a mission, and I don't understand many things. I just thought of doing it in a convenient way. If I can't ask Mingrui and my uncle to help, please tell me, and I won't ask them next time."
He didn't want to implicate his uncle, as his uncle would become Khan Ama's most trusted minister in the future.
Qianlong glanced at him and asked, "If not them, who do you want to find?"
Yonglian said obediently, "I'll listen to Khan Ama."
Qianlong: "I have given you the task, and you are still bothering me?"
Yonglian: “……?”
Qianlong took a noodle from the plate and stuffed it into Yonglian's hand, "Eat it all, don't waste it."
Yonglian took the noodle fruit and ate it obediently, stealing a glance at Khan Ama's expression, who didn't seem angry.
Qianlong was not angry at all. He was extremely relieved. His precious prince was so thoughtful at such a young age. He knew how to be on guard against the people from the Imperial Household Department without being taught by him, and he even knew to ask someone to inquire about the price.
...This is not surprising. The children of himself and the queen are naturally very intelligent.
Qianlong said to Mingrui, "Since Fuheng has been troubled by this matter, let him make two more trips to check the prices of noodles and stir-fried vegetables."
Mingrui quickly took orders on behalf of his uncle.
Fu Heng seldom went to the outer city before, but recently, after receiving this assignment, he ran to the outer city every day. When dealing with street vendors, he specially changed into a coarse cloth robe and pretended that he was a poor scholar who came to the capital to take the imperial examination.
After a few visits, I got to know some street vendors.
Those who can set up stalls in a fixed place all have good skills and have connections with the local tycoons on this street.
Because the tables, chairs, dishes and chopsticks of the stalls all cost money, the food is sold at a higher price.
Street vendors carrying shoulder poles and selling things do not need these costs, so the things they sell are cheaper, and many people prefer to buy food from vendors.
If the taste is not good, you can take it home and cook it, like the stew sold on the street, add some rice or noodles at home and share it with the family. For most ordinary people, it is already a good dish.
After all, oil is expensive these days, and many families are reluctant to cook.
But the hawkers' business is not easy either. They also have to pay the local tyrants on the street. Although they pay less than those who set up stalls, because they go from street to street, they have to pay more than one person.
If they don't pay, officials will come to chase them away.
When business was bad, their net profit was only twenty or thirty cents a month, and they couldn't even afford a pound of pork.
Fu Heng inquired in detail about the origins of those local tyrants, and found out that some of them were bannermen who had moved to the outer city and were bullying the streets by relying on their relationship with officials.
Fu Heng thought that this matter was more important than asking the price, so he went directly to the palace to report to the emperor's brother-in-law.
The phenomenon of local tyrants extorting street vendors has existed throughout the dynasties. Although Qianlong was angry, he did not take it as a serious matter and asked the Infantry Commander's Office to investigate.
It wasn't until he heard Fuheng say that most of them were bannermen who had moved out of the city, or their bondsers, that Qianlong's anger really flared up.
After he ascended the throne, he specially ordered people to investigate the bannermen in each banner who had no houses to live in and allocated houses to them. He also distributed money and food to those who were poor.
Who could have imagined that these people would not live in the houses given by the court, but move to the outer city to oppress the people?
Fu Heng wrote down the names of the local tyrants on several streets. Some of the officials who were familiar with them could find out their names, but some of the vendors didn't know either.
"These are just a few streets and alleys in South City. There may be other places as well."
Fu Heng had heard of many conflicts between the bannermen and the common people. When the common people mentioned the bannermen, they treated them like a flood or a beast, feeling both disgusted and afraid. He couldn't understand it before, but this time he finally understood it.
It would be strange for the people to have a good impression of the Bannermen since they were so lawless and reckless.
Qianlong liked the culture and art of the Han people, but he also paid attention to the differences between Manchus and the Han. It was right for the Bannermen to be treated preferentially, and there was nothing wrong with their status being higher than that of the common people. But at the same time, the Bannermen should have the character and bearing of the Bannermen. How could they become landlords who bully small vendors?
This is a disgrace to the people and the imperial court!
"You don't have to worry about this matter. I will take care of it myself." Qianlong said and ordered the eunuch to summon the infantry commander E Shan.
During the Chinese New Year, other ministries and government offices are closed, but the Infantry Commander's Office is not.
Fu Heng had no official position, so it was naturally difficult for him to interfere in this matter. After writing down the addresses of several vendors, he wanted to take his leave and pay his respects to the queen.
Qianlong nodded and said, "Don't tell the Queen and Yonglian about this." Such a thing happening under the emperor's feet made him seem incompetent. Qianlong didn't want his wife and children to know about this.
Fu Heng agreed. When he met his sister, he just said that he was helping the Second Prince to inquire about prices. Not only did he meet people from all walks of life, but he also ate a lot of food.
"If someone else were to do this, they might not be so careful," said the queen.
She later asked Yonglian why he didn't send someone from the Imperial Household Department. Yonglian said that it was normal for the Imperial Household Department to inflate the price. They knew that the palace was going to sell things outside, and in order to make money later, they might have lied from the beginning.
The empress thought her son knew the Imperial Household Department's practices so well that he was taught by the late emperor and the new emperor.
Yonglian could not contact other foreign ministers, so it was most appropriate to let Mingrui ask Fuheng for help.
Fu Heng said, "I heard that the emperor ordered the second prince and Prince Zhuang to work together on this matter. I am honored to help, so I will naturally do my best." This is the first time for his nephew to be on duty. If he does a good job, the people will be grateful to him. If he does not do a good job, he will surely be laughed at.
When little Niu Lun heard that his uncle was coming, he ran over to talk to him.
"Is the stew here delicious? The Imperial Kitchen has improved it several times, and the stew served yesterday tasted much better."
Last time, everyone agreed that mutton should not be added to the stew, so the imperial kitchen used mutton and mutton soup to make mutton noodles separately, and only put pork and various vegetables in the stew.
"The stews sold by small vendors are too reluctant to add seasoning, so they have no flavor." Fu Heng said, "The stews in restaurants use broth, so they are naturally delicious."
Niu Lun told his uncle to stay a little longer, as the imperial kitchen would deliver more food tonight.
Yonglian asked the imperial kitchen to conduct experiments for three consecutive days. One purpose was to try out the most appropriate side dishes, and the other was to estimate how much leftovers could be used each day.
These days, the food prepared by the imperial kitchen has been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for them to take home and share.
Little Niulun also felt very involved. When her second brother asked her to help taste the food, she gave serious comments.
Every day I sit and wait for food to be delivered from the imperial kitchen.
Fu Heng also wanted to try what the food made from the leftovers in the palace tasted like, so he stayed to talk with the queen.
The Queen sent someone to the Shangshufang to pass on a message, asking Mingrui to go to Changchun Palace first after school and go back with Fuheng.
In today's horseback archery class, we were learning to shoot at fixed targets. Except for Erden'e who could easily draw the bow, the other three children had to put in a lot of effort.
Yonglian never laughed at Huang Mafa's bow of four and a half strength again, because he couldn't even pull a bow of four strength.
But thinking that I was only seven years old, I decisively forgave myself.
When he is ten years old, he will definitely be on par with Huang Mafa.
At the age of fifteen, he surpassed the imperial Mafa and was satisfied with pulling a bow of five powers.
Yonglian never thought of competing with Khan Ama, who was skilled in riding and shooting.
After the horseback archery class, all four children had sore arms.
Celeng didn't have to go to the Ganqing Palace on duty today, so he left the palace and went home with Erdeng'e, and by the way, he went to Dong'e's house to have a drink with Yongchang.
The remaining three children skipped and jumped towards Changchun Palace. Yonghuang said that his arms were sore because he had not practiced enough, and he could practice bow drawing after finishing his homework in the evening.
Mingrui also said that he would practice more when he returned home, since he could practice archery indoors anyway.
Yonglian looked at his elder brother with complicated eyes. Mingrui is going to be a famous general in the future, so it is normal for him to be a little bit competitive. What's wrong with you, elder brother?
Yonglian hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll practice it in class tomorrow. I have to go to bed on time tonight."
Yonghuang and Mingrui were not surprised by this. Even the emperor's punishment of copying could not stop the second prince from going to bed on time, so other things were even more impossible.
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