She wanted a whole vat of milk, but what she brought back was at most a third of it...
It was said that there was a shortage of silver during the New Year, and the palace was also experiencing an economic crisis. Hua Pangpang, Consort Jing, and Sister Mei were all busy trying to fill the gap.
However, Sun Miaoqing let it go after hearing it, since Consort Hua in the drama managed to organize the New Year's Eve palace banquet in a proper and respectable manner all by herself.
Most importantly, her quality of life was not affected by the lack of money; she still sent the best of everything.
She's so stupid, really...
Sun Miaoqing frowned, "Why is there so little? How many candies can this make?"
"Is the palace so poor that it can't even produce enough milk?"
Rose said, "The people in the Imperial Kitchen said that a lot of the desserts used at the palace banquet were used, and Consort Hua also asked for some. The rest are here."
"Please use these first, Your Highness. We will send you another jar when the new ones are delivered to the palace tomorrow."
It seems the imperial kitchen's reserves are also running low; it's rare for her to be so interested in doing something serious...
In the past, when watching dramas or reading novels, if the emperor, empress, or favorite concubine wanted something, they would always get it in the end, regardless of whether they actually had it or not.
Sure enough, all the literary works were just a lie to her...
"If we don't have any, we don't have any. Let's try these first and see how many we can make."
Linglan and Liuli brought everything up. On the large round table in the hall, there was a small stove and a clay pot the size of a melon next to it.
On the plate next to it were five or six spoons of different sizes, and a piece of wood about a foot square.
The wooden block has rows of round holes about the size of a thumb, and each hole has been coated with a layer of soybean oil.
Liuli said, "Your Majesty, everything is ready."
"As you instructed, the hawthorns have been diced, and some pitted candied fruit has also been prepared. Do you think this is enough?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "That's enough. Put the casserole on the stove and add some milk. Not too much, about a third of the way up the pot."
"After boiling, add the maltose, about the same amount as the milk. Once boiling, don't use too high a heat; simmer over low heat until the liquid thickens."
"This servant understands."
Following Sun Miaoqing's instructions, Liuli stayed by the stove, not daring to leave for even a moment.
Rose and Lily of the Valley watched the changes in the pot with curiosity, and soon the whole house was filled with the sweet aroma of milk.
After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the maltose in the clay pot turned a yellowish-white color and became viscous.
"Your Majesty, do you think this is about right?"
"Let me take a look."
Sun Miaoqing walked over, and Liuli continued to stir the maltose in the pot to prevent it from burning.
I picked up a chopstick, coated it with maltose, and after it cooled down, I put it in my mouth and chewed it a few times.
Sun Miaoqing said, "The milk flavor isn't strong enough, add some more."
Upon hearing this, Lily of the Valley added another third. After a while, when the syrup in the pot thickened again and the maltose turned a bit whiter, it was still somewhat yellowish.
After adding milk twice more, Sun Miaoqing picked up her chopsticks and tasted it again. The rich milky aroma made her feel like she was back in her childhood, when she would clamor for White Rabbit milk candy.
"That's the taste! Put it on the wooden plate."
Sun Miaoqing and Liuli, along with a few others, each held a spoon and poured syrup into a wooden plate to wait for the sugar to solidify.
Linglan, holding the clay pot, asked, "Your Majesty, there's still a little over half left in the pot. What should we do with it?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Put the hawthorns in, add some milk and continue cooking. Make candy just like before."
"The remaining maltose and milk, after adding candied fruit, are also prepared in the same way."
Linglan nodded with a smile. She had just tasted it herself, and it was completely different from what she usually ate.
Neither the Manchus nor the Han Chinese drink milk, as they consider it to have a fishy smell and only use it to make pastries.
"I never imagined that milk could be made into such delicious candy. Your Majesty's skills surpass even those of the imperial chefs in the palace."
Sun Miaoqing was pleased, even though there was no butter or anything like that. Maltose, after being boiled and cooled, would be harder to chew.
But if they are all natural and additive-free, and they all become like Meng Dan, then Sun Miaoqing will be the number one beauty in the harem!
After finishing all that, it was already late at night. The milk was all used up, but half of the maltose was still left.
The group stared at the seven or eight bowls filled with milk candies the size of pearls from the South China Sea, and felt that their efforts over the past few hours had not been in vain.
Sun Miaoqing said, "The palace banquet should be over by now. We'll send some to each palace tomorrow morning as a New Year's greeting."
Liuli said, "But Your Highness, we only made this much in one night. Although it looks like a lot, it's not enough for so many people to share."
Sun Miaoqing said nonchalantly, "Didn't the Imperial Kitchen say they would deliver the milk tomorrow morning? After they arrive, have them send over more."
"Send these that are ready to the Emperor and Empress Dowager first. The others can wait a little longer; it won't make a difference."
Liuli smiled and said, "How about I go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation tomorrow and invite the Emperor over? Such good food would be perfect if Your Highness ate it with the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Rose and Lily of the Valley smiled in a rather ambiguous way.
Sun Miaoqing was indeed somewhat tempted; she had desires too. Although the chubby orange-haired man's figure didn't fit her aesthetic, well, men are all the same after the candles are blown out...
Unfortunately, the big, fat orange is all show and no substance, and An Lingrong's Dew Fragrance hasn't been developed yet. It's better not to come at all than to be neither here nor there.
Sun Miaoqing said listlessly, "Tomorrow is a big day, but I'm still two days away from arriving. Let's talk about it after the New Year."
"I'm tired, you should all get some rest too."
Rose said, "Your Majesty has forgotten that we must stay up all night tonight. Fireworks and firecrackers will be set off at midnight to drive away the Nian beast. If you go to sleep now, you might be woken up later."
"How about we play with you a little longer?"
Liuli's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "How about we play mahjong?"
(Mahjong can be traced back three or four thousand years, roughly from the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, and it evolved into the mahjong we play today.)
Mahjong tiles?
It looks like an ancient version of mahjong!
Upon hearing this, Sun Miaoqing felt wide awake!
Sun Miaoqing asked, "Do you have mahjong tiles?"
Liuli smiled awkwardly, "This is my only hobby. Although it's not convenient to play these games in the palace, I still saved up some money and secretly bought a set of mahjong tiles."
"When my hands itch, I take it out and touch it. Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have never taken it out to play with."
The palace forbade eunuchs and palace maids from gambling in groups, but many of them did it in secret.
Liuli used to place a bet, gambling on whose concubine the emperor would choose.
But ever since Sun Miaoqing gained favor, Liuli has been worried that her carelessness might give others leverage against her and cause trouble for Sun Miaoqing, so she hasn't gone there for a long time.
The reason I made this suggestion was twofold: firstly, because I was really itching to try it myself, and secondly, because I discovered that Sun Miaoqing also had a great interest in these things.
Money isn't important at all; what's important is that as a servant, you have to find all sorts of ways to please your master! (ˊωˋ*)
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