Wanru pursed her lips and subconsciously replied:
"Tch, does she perhaps aspire to be a princess consort?"
The words had barely left her lips when Wanru froze, staring at Geng Youran in surprise:
"Sister, Yunhui wouldn't really want to?"
"I'm just guessing. Although she's an illegitimate child, if she accumulates enough favor, it's not impossible for the prince to help her gain a legitimate reputation. However, she also knows that her own power is not yet fully developed, and she still has to rely on the princess consort."
Wanru pondered for a moment, then shook her head:
“Even if the prince dotes on her, he wouldn’t do such a thing. The prince is not the kind of person who would let a woman affect his politics and connections. But in my opinion, this Yun Hui is ambitious and might become a concubine.”
"Speaking of which, didn't the Prince say when he would promote you to the rank of concubine?"
Wanru smiled:
"I don't care about those things. Life is good enough as it is now, why should I work as someone else's laborer?"
After the two had finished chatting, Geng Youran asked Qianxue to pack some snacks for Wanru to take with her.
At the end of the month, a sudden flash flood occurred in the Solon region, washing away people, livestock, houses, and land.
In recent years, the constant natural disasters and the war in Tibet have exhausted Emperor Kangxi both physically and mentally, but as an emperor, he responded quickly.
First, 10,000 taels of silver were allocated to help disaster victims who had no houses or clothes, and to help them rebuild their homes.
In addition, the imperial court ordered local county officials to provide farmers in the disaster area with seeds, farming tools and other production materials to help the disaster victims resume production.
At the same time, ministers were dispatched to handle the aftermath of the victims' deaths, such as promptly burying the bodies of the victims and comforting the relatives of the deceased.
Before the Double Ninth Festival, Yinzhen and Yinxiang had a meal at the Yongqin Prince's Mansion.
"Fourth Brother, Father Emperor seems to be a bit tired lately."
Yinzhen sighed.
"Yes, putting aside the struggles with Dzungardan in Tibet over the past few years, the losses caused by the tsunamis and earthquakes over the past few years have also exhausted the Emperor both physically and mentally. I heard from Eunuch Liang that the Emperor has been sleeping less lately."
"Fourth Brother, have you heard that Father Emperor is planning to station the Banner troops in Chengdu?"
"I don't have any information about that. Where did you hear that from?"
"I overheard it vaguely yesterday when I went to the palace to pay my respects to Father Emperor and was waiting to be summoned at the gate."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen nodded, indicating that implementation might not be far off.
“Since the outbreak of war in Tibet, the population of Sichuan and other places has dropped sharply due to conscription. Perhaps the Emperor also considered this reason, which is why he decided to transfer Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fara from his garrison in Jingzhou to lead 3,000 banner soldiers into Sichuan.”
Yinzhen and Yinxiang were discussing court affairs in the room, while Geng Youran and his men were busy in the small kitchen.
“Princess, why is it that every time the Thirteenth Prince comes, he eats in our courtyard? I’ve heard the cooks in the manor complain about it several times. They say that we always get the freshest ingredients first.”
"Let them talk to the Prince and his wife. If they agree, I'll tear down the small kitchen right away."
Geng Youran was already in a bad mood today, and then Yinzhen brought people to her place for dinner, which made her even more irritable.
Despite being irritable, my hands moved very quickly.
First, blanch the chopped pork belly pieces. Then, pour some oil into a pot, add sugar and stir-fry over low heat to caramelize the sugar. When the sugar melts and turns golden brown, add the blanched pork belly pieces and stir-fry to coat the meat pieces evenly with the caramelized sugar.
Add scallion segments and ginger slices and continue stir-frying. Add cooking wine to remove any fishy smell and enhance the aroma.
Pour in an appropriate amount of soy sauce and stir-fry evenly.
Add enough water to cover the meat pieces, bring to a boil over high heat, and skim off any foam.
Simmer over low heat for half an hour.
When the meat is about 70-80% cooked, add the chopped white radish chunks and continue to simmer over low heat.
Stew the radish chunks until they are soft and flavorful, and let them blend with the meat chunks. Add salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste.
Finally, reduce the sauce over high heat.
Geng Youran was busy with her hands, but she didn't forget to keep an eye on Qianxue.
Now, Qianxue has been with her for many years and has learned about 70-80% of the skills. She has always been Geng Youran's helper.
"Qianxue, how are the 'Steamed Pork with Lily Bulbs' and 'Braised Pork with Taro' you made?"
"Princess, don't worry, I'm fine."
Qianxue put the chopped minced meat into a bowl, added soy sauce, salt, pepper, cooking wine and other seasonings, and stirred it in one direction to marinate.
Next, take a lily petal, place an appropriate amount of marinated minced meat on it, and gently wrap it up to form a lily meat roll. Repeat this step until all the lilies and minced meat are used up.
Add enough water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Place a steamer rack inside. Arrange the wrapped lily bulb and meat rolls neatly on a plate and put it in the steamer. Steam until the meat filling is cooked through and the lily bulbs are soft.
After steaming, remove the plate and pour the broth from the plate into a pot. Add an appropriate amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth.
Pour the thickened sauce evenly over the lily bulb and meat rolls, and sprinkle with chopped green onions as a garnish.
The next step is to make 'taro with braised pork'.
Peel and wash the taro, then slice it. Slice the pork belly and marinate it with soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, and other seasonings to allow the flavors to penetrate.
Pour an appropriate amount of oil into a pot and heat it to 60% of its maximum temperature. Place the marinated pork belly slices skin-side down into the oil and fry over low heat until the skin blisters and turns golden brown. Remove the pork and immediately soak it in cold water until the skin wrinkles.
Next, put the taro slices into the oil and fry them until they turn slightly yellow. Remove them and set them aside.
Prepare a deep dish and arrange the fried pork belly slices and taro slices alternately in a steaming bowl, with the pork skin facing down.
Pour the remaining marinade over the arranged meat and taro slices, then sprinkle with some minced garlic.
Add enough water to the steamer, bring it to a boil, then place the steaming bowl into the steamer and steam over high heat for half an hour.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
