The bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest were gradually sprouting, and Aunt Sun took Fuling to dig for bamboo shoots again.
Bamboo shoots are best eaten freshly dug, and the required quantity is not large, so we didn't bring anyone else. We just dug one basketful, enough for one meal.
Gu Yun lived not far from the Hou Mansion's bamboo grove, and saw the two of them digging bamboo shoots.
Dongmei quickly called her old woman out to help, and also brought a pot of hot tea.
After digging up the bamboo shoots, Granny Sun thanked Gu Yun outside the courtyard, and the two of them, carrying two baskets of Fuling, went back home.
Today I dug up these newly sprouted bamboo shoots just to make an elegant dish—boiled jade.
The "Zhu Yu" dish can only be eaten once a year, and it requires freshly sprouted bamboo shoots.
Bring the spring water to a boil, then blanch the fresh bamboo shoots directly in the pot for a few moments, then quickly remove them and slice them into cubes.
Soak the rice in oil for half an hour, then heat it in a separate pot to extract the rice oil, and add the blanched and chopped bamboo shoots.
After simmering for 15 minutes, remove it from the pot, place it in a jade bowl, and enjoy its original flavor.
This porridge was known as "boiled jade" and was hailed as the "number one vegetarian dish".
The accompanying dish is scallion pancakes, made with a thin batter and oil.
Grind almonds and Sichuan peppercorns into a fine powder with salt, then add ground wheat flour and water to make a batter.
Spring bamboo shoots cut into cubes are coated with batter and pan-fried until golden brown on both sides. They are sweet, crisp, and delicious, with a delicate fragrance that doesn't overpower the other flavors.
When paired with boiled jade, the flavors complement each other perfectly, making it a rare delicacy that allows you to taste the original flavor and explore its essence.
Wang Yan nodded repeatedly as she ate, which was probably due to the lower levels of pollution in ancient times.
Everything here tastes much fresher and more delicious than anything she's had in modern times.
We've had hand-peeled bamboo shoots with simple seasonings in modern times, but their sweet, juicy, and fragrant flavor is a hundred times inferior to this bamboo shoot.
You really do feel that way; just blanching it in water removes the slight bitterness, and the bamboo shoots are very fragrant when eaten with porridge.
After Aunt Sun finished cooking and took the food to the main room, she informed Qingqian that she had just returned from picking bamboo shoots and had run into Miss Yun.
So all the second-class maids were mobilized: those who delivered porridge to the old lady, those who delivered porridge to the young master, those who delivered porridge to the second master and the young master, and Zhiliu herself who took a food box to the young lady's place.
The porridge was fragrant and easy to digest, and the elderly people were very satisfied with it after it was delivered.
He praised her highly and bestowed gifts upon her. Zhiju went to visit the Second Master.
He received a considerable reward, but he wanted to keep it for himself and not give it to Granny Sun.
Seeing that everyone else had received a share, he reluctantly sent his own.
Aunt Sun could tell from the slightest touch that her purse was short, and she wasn't even sure if the second master would really give such a small reward, only a dozen or so copper coins.
So she tried to trick her, "Miss Zhiju, what is this...?" Aunt Sun pulled at her face and looked at Zhiju with an unfriendly expression.
Without even a stumble, Zhiju took out three more silver coins.
Sigh! Aunt Sun didn't make a fuss, sighed, and took it directly.
………………………………………………
After finishing their meal of braised gold and jade in the Jianjia Courtyard, Dongmei couldn't wait to discuss with her young mistress whether they should take this opportunity to meet the Lady of the Marquis.
Gu Yun was also a little anxious. They had been here for several days, and her grandparents didn't seem to have mentioned it at all.
She let out a sigh of relief and instructed Dongmei, "No, it's inappropriate to go to see the Lady of the Marquis behind our grandparents' backs. Let's wait a little longer."
Dongmei had no choice but to give up and dejectedly cleared away the dishes.
On the other hand, the second master and his wife hesitated for several days, and even the old marquis could see that something was wrong.
Have someone call them over to discuss what happened.
His younger brother was weak-willed and indecisive, but he still didn't believe he had actually done anything wrong.
Therefore, it's more likely that they've encountered some kind of difficulty.
In Ronghua Garden, after listening to their story, the old Marquis smashed a cup, and the old Madam also looked at her younger brother and sister-in-law with disappointment.
How could they be so incompetent? No wonder their father-in-law sent them to their hometown to manage the estate and oversee the ancestral fields.
It turned out that the elderly couple had come to the capital with their grandchildren because they were fleeing a murder plot.
A while ago, the clan's sacrificial site was smashed by rolling rocks, wasn't it?
When they went to make repairs, the two old masters glanced at the account book and realized something was wrong.
The money collected from this farm every year doesn't match the accounts.
It should be noted that their clan's ancestral lands comprised ten qing (1000 mu). Yet, their accounts showed an annual income of less than 150 taels of silver?
This is absurd! The gifts that the second master sent to the capital every year were all taken from the profits of his own estates.
Clan ancestral fields are public land belonging to the clan. They are not subject to taxes, and the income from them is used to worship ancestors, support impoverished clan members, and establish clan schools.
Of the ten acres the clan now owns, six were purchased by the Marquis of the capital's lineage.
Logically speaking, the second patriarch also had the right to supervise and investigate, but the clan chief simply dealt with him perfunctorily.
However, this fool thought that the clan chief was just unwilling to relinquish power, and after visiting the clan school and clan center on weekdays, he found nothing wrong.
So for almost 20 years, no discrepancies were found in the accounts.
This time, it was the clan chief's grandson, Sha, who personally brought the account book. The two old masters were shocked when they saw it.
Nearly 1,000 mu of land that is exempt from taxes yields a total of less than 150 taels of silver from three harvests a year.
How could the accounts be so empty? Keep in mind that the Marquis's mansion in the capital still allocates three thousand taels of silver back to them every year!
After inspecting the site, the second patriarch went to the sacrificial site and found that the rocks had fallen and hit the monument, which could be erected, were made of poor-quality materials.
I was shocked to find that even the stone tablet erected for our ancestors was made of inferior materials.
What about the clan school, which concerns the clan's members? Were the children sent there truly taught by good teachers? Were there any shortages of writing materials?
Also, are the poor relatives in the clan able to receive adequate assistance and subsidies?
After realizing what had happened, the two old men sent their son down to investigate.
The relatives within the clan haven't noticed anything amiss yet, but the problems within the clan school are far more serious.
When his son Gu Feng returned, he reported, "It's too strange. There are only students under the age of ten studying in the clan school."
There wasn't a single child over ten years old. The books looked new, but that was precisely why something was wrong. With so many classes of students coming and going, why were these 20 books still new?
Have the books actually been distributed to anyone? I suspect that these 20 sets of books have never been distributed at all, and are only displayed as a formality when you visit each year.
The professor's teacher was merely a student who had only completed a preliminary study! His own knowledge was rudimentary; how could he possibly teach children? He wasn't even qualified to give them their first lessons!
After discussing it, the family planned to send a letter to the Marquis's residence the next day, but unexpectedly, a fire broke out in their house in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, Gu Yun was alert and woke up the whole family. The old steward, Zhongbo, was a shrewd man and one of the servants who used to serve Master Hou.
He ordered his servants to continue burning the offerings, thus misleading the clan chief and sending the offerings to the master's family.
Gu Feng took his wife to his wife's family in Jingyang for help, and the elderly couple brought their grandchildren to the Marquis's residence.
Gu Yun knew the truth; she guessed it. Gu Chang, however, was a bookworm who never looked into the garden; he knew nothing.
It was just dawn when they left. After the fire was extinguished, their grandparents and Uncle Zhong led them out through the back door, without going to the front door.
Gu Yun was observant; why did they have to leave through the back door? And why did the coachman's clothes look so blackened? She'd noticed the fire wasn't very big yesterday.
On the way, carrying his grandfather on his back, he repeatedly questioned his grandmother until he finally got the answer.
But the two old masters, being so indecisive, were worried that the Marquis wouldn't believe them, so they didn't speak for a full three days!
How could the old Marquis not be angry? He smashed a cup, sent someone to call the Marquis back, and while waiting, he pointed at the two of them and cursed them.
He then ordered the Marquis to send a team of men to summon Gu Jing back from the training ground. He personally led the team back to the clan to investigate and see if what the second patriarch had said was true!
But it's been more than half a month, is it still possible to find any clues?
Thinking of this, the old Marquis sighed. Gu Che also came and asked his father for permission to go back with his younger brother.
After some thought, the Marquis realized that Gu Jing, despite his martial prowess, was prone to intrigue and backstabbing; someone else would have to accompany him. He decided to send Gu Che.
With that thought in mind, he immediately nodded in agreement! After organizing their men that day, Gu Che and Gu Jing took leave and hurried back to their hometown in Qizhou.
After seeing the people off that very night, the old Marquis found a wooden stick and chased the second old master around the courtyard.
The other servants looked on with worry, but Gu Yun felt relieved. If she didn't say anything today, she would have to visit her great-grandmother first thing tomorrow morning.
I really can't wait any longer! I wonder if things are going well with my parents?
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