Not to mention the children, even the servants and Geng Youran around them were surprised and curious about when the prince had become so kind.
Hongzhou was quite bold; he stepped forward, picked up the seal, and examined it closely. Besides his own name, it was engraved with other patterns.
"It looks beautiful. Thank you, Father."
Afterwards, Yinzhen and Yinxiang returned to Geng Youran's courtyard.
"My lord, then I'll trouble you and the thirteenth prince to take Hongzhou with you for a while longer. I'll go and prepare the meal."
Yinzhen lowered his head, took a sip of tea, looked up at his thirteenth brother Yinxiang and Hongzhou playing around, and then waved his hand and said:
"Go ahead. Don't make it too complicated, just be casual."
After Geng Youran and Qianxue took their leave, they went to the small kitchen:
"Princess, we don't have much here. What are you planning to do?"
“I remember yesterday the prince sent water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, along with some salted pork and shad. That should be enough. But remember to tell the steward here to send us some more seasonal fruits and vegetables, so that the prince has nothing to eat and we have nothing to cook.”
"good."
"Qianxue, soak the salted meat in warm water for a while, and call a few maids in to pick all the vegetables."
"yes."
Geng Youran then personally handled the eels. Normally, this was something Xiao Anzi did, since she had entrusted Xiao Anzi with looking after the house.
After the salted meat had soaked for a while, Qianxue scraped and washed it clean.
Next, put water in a clean pot, add a small amount of rice wine, put in the salted meat, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about half an hour, until the salted meat is cooked.
After cooking, Qianxue took the salted pork out and cut it into small rectangular pieces on a diagonal.
"Xiang'er, have you finished peeling the bamboo shoots I asked you to peel?"
"You're here, Sister Qianxue."
A young maidservant handed Qianxue a few peeled bamboo shoots. Qianxue then washed the bamboo shoots, cut them into chunks, and blanched them in boiling water.
Next, put an appropriate amount of water and the original broth of the salted meat into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Then add the chopped salted pork and bamboo shoots, along with a suitable amount of rice wine. Simmer over low heat until the bamboo shoots are fully cooked.
Once the bamboo shoots are fully cooked, add a small amount of shiitake mushroom powder to enhance the flavor.
Then drizzle with cooked chicken oil to add shine and aroma.
Finally, arrange the blanched leafy greens on the side or in the center of the plate as a garnish, and then serve the stewed pork belly and bamboo shoots.
"Xiang'er, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and serve the dishes."
"This servant will go right away."
While Qianxue was busy, Geng Youran was also busy with her own things.
After deboning and shredding the eel, she marinated it with rice wine, salt and other seasonings, and also cut the peeled water bamboo into thin strips.
Next, add an appropriate amount of lard to the pot and heat it to medium-high heat. Then add scallions, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Then add the marinated eel shreds and stir-fry quickly until they change color.
Add the shredded water bamboo shoots to the pot and stir-fry them evenly with the shredded eel.
Finally, add seasonings to taste. After the water bamboo shoots and eel are cooked, sprinkle with chopped green onions for garnish.
"Qianxue, cook the water spinach last. Go and cut the cleaned water chestnuts into chunks, cut the sugarcane into sections, and then put them in a pot with the water spinach to cook."
"yes."
While giving instructions methodically, Geng Youran's hands didn't stop working.
She explained how to remove the scales, entrails, and gills from the shad, clean it thoroughly, and then marinate it with salt, rice wine, and white pepper. After that, she peeled the bamboo shoots, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and then put them into boiling water.
After the fish has been marinated for a while, put an appropriate amount of lard in a pot and heat it to medium-high heat. Then, put in the marinated shad and fry until both sides are golden brown.
Leave some oil in the pan, then add scallions, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Then add the blanched bamboo shoot pieces and stir-fry evenly.
Add an appropriate amount of broth to a pot, along with appropriate amounts of rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, mushroom powder, and other seasonings. Bring to a boil after seasoning.
Place the pan-fried shad into a pot and simmer over medium-low heat.
"Qianxue, finish cooking the water spinach. I've already started stewing the fish. Remember to sprinkle some chopped green onions on top when it's done. Don't serve the water chestnut soup yet; it needs to simmer a little longer. I'm going to check on Hongzhou first."
"Understood, Princess."
Once the dishes were almost ready, Geng Youran returned to the main room with peace of mind, only to find Yinzhen and Yinxiang helping Hongzhou practice calligraphy.
"Your Highness, please have your meal with the Thirteenth Prince first. I will take Hongzhou to play in the courtyard."
"No need, let him eat with us."
Hearing this, Hongzhou also raised his little head and stared at Geng Youran, seemingly reluctant to leave his father.
"Alright, then Hongzhou must be obedient and not cause trouble for your father and Uncle Thirteen."
Okay~
The Thirteenth Prince smiled:
"Don't worry, Hongzhou is being good."
Geng Youran then returned to the small kitchen:
"Princess, why are you back again?"
“Hongzhou insists on staying at the Prince’s place, so I thought I’d come in and cook some lentil porridge so we don’t run out of food.”
The group rushed around and finally finished preparing the meal.
"Your Highness, Thirteenth Prince, please try these dishes and see if they suit your taste."
"Gege, your cooking is quite good."
Geng Youran smiled and said:
"You're too kind, Thirteenth Prince. My cooking skills are just so-so. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal."
Two adult men and a child finished off all the dishes on the table before Geng Youran had the soup brought out.
"Gentlemen, this is 'Chunxiu Soup,' a sweet soup made with water chestnuts and sugarcane. Please have a taste."
After finishing a bowl of sweet soup, the group was truly full and satisfied.
"Fourth Brother, you are so lucky to be able to eat such delicious food every day."
"If you like it, Thirteenth Brother, feel free to come over."
They were all members of the royal family; they could enjoy any delicacy they wanted. It was just that Yinxiang really liked the atmosphere here.
"Alright, your master and thirteenth brother will go back to the study first. You should eat something too."
"yes."
After Yinzhen and Yinxiang left, Hongzhou was also a little sleepy. He asked the nanny to carry him to the bed and coax him to sleep. Only then did Geng Youran and Qianxue have a proper meal.
"Princess, don't you think the Prince is a little different?"
Geng Youran glanced sideways, indicating that there were still nannies behind her, and Qianxue quickly shut up.
It wasn't until the evening, when only the two of them were left in the inner room, that Qianxue brought up the matter again.
"Princess, the Prince is acting very strangely today. He's been laughing so much that even I'm scared."
"You little rascal, when did you become so timid?"
Qianxue rubbed her forehead where Geng Youran had tapped her:
"Princess, it's true. When have you ever seen the Prince laugh so many times? It's terrifying!"
Geng Youran did not answer Qianxue's question, but closed her eyes and pretended to be getting ready to sleep.
But she also had her doubts; Yinzhen's behavior today was indeed very unusual.
The next day, which happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival, Yinzhen went to the palace early in the morning to pay his respects.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed."
"It's the fourth brother."
Recently, Emperor Kangxi often felt powerless. Just as he was taking a short rest with his eyes closed, Yinzhen arrived.
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