Although one hundred taels of silver is nothing in the eyes of those who are in power in the palace, for people like Liuli and Linglan, their wealth would not be less than a thousand taels.
But for ordinary palace maids and eunuchs, as well as those skilled in weaving who were assigned there, it was equivalent to several years of their hard work.
Therefore, even though everyone was extremely busy these days except for the few hours spent eating and sleeping, the smiles on everyone's faces never stopped.
A few days later, Sun Miaoqing had a rocking chair brought over and lay down under the sycamore tree in the courtyard. She listened to the musicians playing the zither while enjoying the Tongzhou specialties that had been sent from afar.
There are several kinds of cakes, including Zhengchang smoked cake, Shigang smoked cake, coin radish cake, Xiting crispy cake, and Jinpen moon persimmon.
Linglan sat to the side and handed the brewed chrysanthemum tea to Sun Miaoqing.
"Your Majesty has eaten so many pastries, please have a cup of tea to cleanse your palate."
Sun Miaoqing took the tea, drank two cups in a row, and then said slowly,
"This Shigang rice cake is quite good; it melts in your mouth and is sweet but not cloying. Xiting crispy cake is fine to eat in small amounts, but eating too much can be a bit tough on your teeth."
Linglan said, "If Your Highness likes it, I will have someone bring in more rice. To make this rice cake well, you must use a late-season rice called 'Early Ten Days'."
"The rice is milled seven times, and only the finest white rice is taken. Then it is soaked in spring water for seven days, and washed seven times in between. Finally, it is ground into rice flour and steamed. Only then can the pastries made be white and soft, and not hard when cooled."
Sun Miaoqing asked, "Since it's late-season rice, why is it named 'ten days early'?"
Linglan said, "This servant doesn't know either. Perhaps it's because this rice ripens ten days earlier than other late-season rice?"
"As long as it tastes good, who cares what it's called!"
Sun Miaoqing said, "I remember my brother also sent over a few shad. We'll have a whole fish feast tonight, otherwise it would be a waste if such good fish died."
"Steamed, braised, sweet and sour, stewed soup, etc., as long as they know how to make the dishes, they'll make them all except for sashimi."
Linglan said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the people in the kitchen are the best at making these things, and they will definitely satisfy you."
Sun Miaoqing picked up the chrysanthemum tea with satisfaction and slowly began to drink it.
Shad is a delicate fish, and it's already quite rare for one to be delivered alive to the capital. In her previous life, she never managed to buy any live shad from the fish she farmed.
As for wild shad, they are a Class I protected animal in China. If you want to eat them, you have to go to the Philippine coast and wait until early summer when the fish enter the river; perhaps then you'll have the chance.
As for now, there are plenty of them in the Yangtze River. With the current fishing efforts, it's not even a drop in the ocean.
When it came time for dinner, several fish, each weighing about a pound, were prepared in fifteen different ways, much to Sun Miaoqing's delight.
"Only clear fish soup can bring out its unique umami flavor. Although the flavors of Sichuan peppercorn, chopped chili, and pickled cabbage are all good, they also mask the original taste of the fish."
Linglan said, "Your Highness doesn't know, the stew in the palace is quite different from what you get outside. Although it may seem like it only uses salt and ginger slices, there's actually a lot of knowledge involved."
"For example, this fish soup is marinated with wine, ginger slices, scallions, and about ten kinds of spices before it is made."
"Then the whole fish is deep-fried, and there's a trick to the oil used. The chefs in the kitchen said that it can't be touched by any animal fat, and even the vegetable oil is very particular; not just any oil will do."
One should not be too particular about the fineness of food, nor about the delicacy of its preparation.
This extravagant lifestyle... it's damn good!
Sun Miaoqing sighed inwardly. Although she had transmigrated into the Qing Dynasty and was forced to be a concubine, she was stuck with a man she disliked no matter how she looked at him, which made her feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.
But the original owner of this body came from an official family and had never experienced hardship. What if she were to transmigrate into the lives of ordinary people or in a remote mountain village?
At sixteen, she would probably have been married off long ago, living a life of hunger, cold, and endless chores.
She was treated like a slave to the whole family, constantly having children. Just like her grandmother's generation, five or six children were considered few, seven or eight were normal, and a dozen or more were considered heroic...
After the meal, Liuli came in carrying a box of fluffy white wool and said happily,
"Your Majesty is overjoyed! The weavers have been trying for the past few days and have finally figured out the formula!"
“Look at these combed wools. After they were dried, I took a comb and combed them for a whole hour, following the method you described.”
"Although it's not as soft as cotton, there's not much difference. As long as you dye it, twist it into thread, and weave it into fabric, it's done."
Sun Miaoqing touched the combed wool, which had become fluffy after being degreased at high temperature and combed manually.
"This is truly good news. I promised to give each of you a red envelope containing one hundred taels of silver. You can distribute them in a bit. The weavers have made great contributions, so each of them will receive an additional one hundred taels."
"Let everyone work hard for a few more days to finish the dyeing and weaving. The rewards will only increase, not decrease."
Liuli replied, "Yes, Your servant obeys."
"However, some of the female knitters said that the yarn spun from this wool would be thicker than cotton yarn. Although it is warm, it would also be heavy."
"The fabric woven in this way is perfect for making cloaks and blankets, but if it is made into clothes, it will be a bit heavy to wear."
Sun Miaoqing said, "It's nothing. We'll try to make whatever we can. Whether it's a blanket, a quilt, a cloak, or anything else."
"With so many people involved, we can figure it out later."
Liuli put down the box of wool, took the red envelope that Linglan took out, counted it roughly, and then took it away.
Several female weavers, holding two hundred taels of silver notes in their hands, kowtowed several times towards the direction of Sun Miaoqing's bedroom.
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