Inside the kitchen, while Qingyan and the others were out, Fifth Prince Consort and Ninth Prince Consort prepared a lot of pastries, but they found that the flavors were a bit too monotonous.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, the pastries after the meal are all sweet. Is it alright to use them for the Emperor's taste?" Fifth Princess asked Qingyan.
After she finished speaking, the sisters-in-law stopped what they were doing and looked at the Fifth Princess Consort.
"Wait, Ninth Sister-in-law, I remember you can make egg tarts. Can you make them here?" Qingyan remembered that she had bought a lot of fruit. If she used fruit to make egg tarts, anyone could eat them.
“Yes!” Ninth Princess nodded. “Fourth Sister-in-law, egg tarts only come in one flavor.”
"There's fruit here. If we put some fruit on top of the egg tarts, we can have several flavors of pastries." Qingyan still remembered those very good egg tarts that were available in modern times.
Ninth Princess's eyes suddenly lit up; what Qingyan said was indeed true.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, why don't we give it a try?" Ninth Princess Consort really couldn't guarantee that the taste would be good this time.
Qingyan specially began selecting fruits, and then the First and Tenth Princesses began preparing vegetables. The three of them started working hard in the kitchen to make delicious egg tarts.
"You guys have a taste first!" The first box of egg tarts was ready, and Qingyan personally prepared some of the fruit that had been stored away, so that the people nearby could try some!
Everyone sang about the different flavors of egg tarts, and to be honest, they were all really delicious. Some of them even tasted like fruit while you were eating them.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, your idea is really good. I'll help you with this later!" Ninth Princess's eyes were really sparkling.
When they returned to the mansion, they made it especially for Yin Shi, who really enjoyed the taste.
"Alright, you've all seen it. In a bit, prepare fruit for all the Tinas. Sulan, go over there and ask who likes which fruit, and make an ice bowl first," Qingyan said directly.
Su Lan hurried off to prepare things, but Ninth Princess Consort was busy the whole time. The oven here was obviously not as good as the one at the Ninth Prince's residence, so she had to prepare some of everything.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I still don't feel comfortable using these. How about we pick some from these?" Qingyan said directly.
Qingyan looked at the items on the tray. Some of them were obviously flawed, but most of them were quite good.
"We'll eat the ones with minor flaws ourselves, and send the rest directly to Father Emperor." After looking at them, Ninth Princess Consort still felt that it would be better to keep the slightly flawed ones.
In front of Emperor Kangxi, everyone wanted to show their best side, so they would rather suffer a loss than show their bad side.
The sisters-in-law nodded in agreement. They had been busy all afternoon and there was definitely still a lot to do.
"You all go and rest first. Everything's done. I'll just finish cooking the meal quickly." Qingyan noticed that her sisters-in-law looked tired and quickly told them to leave.
The sisters-in-law knew in their hearts that Qingyan was the most tired person today.
"Fourth Sister-in-law... let's all stay and help you," Ninth Princess Consort said directly.
Qingyan shook her head: "The kitchen is too small. If you're all here, it will be difficult for me to turn around while I'm cooking."
The kitchen was now two-thirds full of servants. She felt it was too crowded, which made it harder to guard against anyone making a move.
The sisters-in-law weren't stupid; they understood Qingyan's meaning perfectly well. If someone made a move against them, none of them would be able to escape.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, you've really worked hard!" Except for Lady Yin Genjue Luo, all the other wives expressed their gratitude.
Yin Genjueluo had always been helping Qingyan in the kitchen. The two of them were the two most senior sisters-in-law, and if anything happened, they would definitely be the first to rush to the front.
"Sister-in-law, you've worked hard too," Qingyan said gratefully to Yin Genjue Luo Shi.
"Sisters-in-law, go back and rest quickly. We still have a lot to take care of at lunchtime!" said Madam Yingenjueluo gently.
After the sisters-in-law left, Yingenjueluo and Qingyan stayed in the kitchen with their own people. The two worked together as if they had returned to the newly established military port.
"Sister-in-law, let's do it the same way as before. You cook the stir-fries, and I'll make the cold dishes!" During that period, Yin Genjue Luo Shi really learned a lot.
Pfft!
Qingyan laughed: "Sister-in-law, I really have to trouble you this time. I definitely don't have time to make all of this, so I'll leave the appetizers to you!"
Inside the kitchen, the two worked together and, an hour before lunch, finally managed to prepare a table of dishes as a filial offering from their daughter-in-law for Emperor Kangxi, as requested.
After washing their hands, the two were about to go back when they saw Li Dequan standing at the door, bowing to them.
"Anda, you've arrived?" Qingyan said with a smile.
"Fourth Princess Consort, this servant has personally brought people to deliver the lunch!" Li Dequan knew that Kangxi was in a rare good mood and hoped that all three meals would be perfect.
The princes and their wives had put in a lot of effort, so Li Dequan truly appreciated their affection.
"Thank you, Anda. There are five large food boxes on the far side. Those are for the people on duty. The one on the far left is for you!" Qingyan would always prepare a portion for Li Dequan whenever Emperor Kangxi was about to eat.
"Thank you, Fourth Princess Consort!" A smile appeared on Li Dequan's face. Qingyan's behavior was very similar to Yiken'e's. How many people were watching Li Dequan around Kangxi, even offering large sums of money to get information from him? Li Dequan had never been soft-hearted.
When Qingyan entered the royal palace, she prepared food boxes for Emperor Kangxi and even prepared pastries for him to use when he rested. Li Dequan felt that the Fourth Prince's wife was really thoughtful.
The two left the courtyard of the kitchen, and Yin Genjue Luo turned to look at Qingyan.
"Every time you prepare something for Father Emperor, do you also prepare food for Anda?" asked Lady Yingenjueluo.
Qingyan nodded: "Of course, we can't let Anda go hungry, can we?"
After speaking, Lady Yin Genjue Luo fell silent. Qingyan's words made Lady Yin Genjue Luo reflect on herself. No wonder many people said that Qingyan was very thoughtful, which is why many people in the palace liked Qingyan.
When Qingyan visited Chengqian Palace, he would bring small gifts for the people around Consort Tong. In Yangxin Hall, Li Dequan had even bought gifts for Qingyan.
"Little darling, what do you always send as gifts?" Yin Genjue Luo asked curiously.
“Serving by the Emperor’s side will definitely involve a lot of concerns. Sending some pastries would be best, unlike meals which always need to be heated up before use!” Qingyan said softly.
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