This is the second time that Consort Tong has come.
Compared to their initial caution, this time the two even sat down and chatted for a while.
Of course, the atmosphere was still a bit tense.
After seeing Consort Tong off, Wan Anran stretched and twisted her head and neck, feeling much more comfortable.
It seems there's still a long way to go before Wan Anran can truly develop a close relationship with Consort Tong, but the current level is already enough to satisfy her.
I feel like eating when I'm relaxed.
Wan Anran casually picked up two pastries, chewing slowly while pondering lunch: "Hmm... a bowl of beef noodles? Or a bowl of mustard green buns? Or maybe some potstickers?"
Haitao smiled and said, "We just received some fresh fish today. Would you like to try some, Master?"
Wan Anran shook her head.
Lately, I've been dining with the Empress in turn, and I've tasted all sorts of strange and unusual delicacies. Now I'm craving something different... preferably something a bit more leisurely and enjoyable?
Wan Anran thought about it carefully.
Is there anything simple that can be a little fun? She thought and thought, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "In that case, how about a cup of rice with tea?"
"Tea-soaked rice?"
Hai Tao repeated it, then suddenly realized, "Does Master want to make it himself?"
"As for tea-soaked rice... it's definitely better to make it yourself, right?" Wan Anran nodded.
The ochazuke (rice with tea) made in the palace was not simple either.
The tea requires roasting the newly made tea cakes over a fire, then grinding and sifting them repeatedly with a stone mill until they resemble fine snowflakes falling. The water must be sourced from a spring or a well-preserved mountain spring. Even the process of brewing the tea involves numerous steps. Depending on preference, you can choose pickled plums or shrimp and fish cubes with a seafood flavor, along with finely diced vegetables, leaves, and nuts, and place them all on top of the rice.
Finally, add the brewed tea.
This bowl of elegant and delightful tea-soaked rice is now ready.
Preparing from scratch would indeed take some time... Wouldn't that be too troublesome? But in the short time Wan Anran was thinking about it, various items were delivered to the backyard under Hai Tao's direction.
Wan Anran: "...Speaking of which, our Chuxiu Palace kitchen really has everything."
Haitao's smile remained unchanged.
Indeed! The Chuxiu Palace is filled with countless kitchen utensils; in fact, it has everything that can be found in the imperial kitchen.
The noise from the backyard also caught the attention of the princes.
Yinzhen walked over with Yinqi and Yinyou. Yinqi and Yinyou looked around the stone mill in surprise for a long time: "What is this?"
"Used for grinding."
"Grinding?"
"It's used to grind tea cakes into powder, just like grinding medicine," Yinzhen replied carefully.
Yinqi and Yinyou exchanged a glance.
They all looked at Wan Anran: "Mother Qi, could you let us give it a try?"
Wan Anran was taken aback: "...Huh?"
She then frowned slightly: "It's possible, but it's not as delicious as you think."
Yinyou and Yinqi: (each)
Wan Anran said helplessly, "What Mother Consort said is true. Anyway, if you want to try it, then go ahead and try it."
Half an hour later.
Yinyou and Yinqi stuck out their tongues at the same time, their faces scrunched up: "This tastes awful!"
“Dried plums are so salty!!”
"The soup tastes bitter!"
Most importantly—
Yinqi and Yinyou roared in unison, "Why are Mother Qi and Fifth Brother able to eat so happily?"
Wan Anran blinked.
She cupped her cheeks and sighed softly, "Perhaps this is the unspoken understanding between mother and son?"
Yinqi and Yinyou's cheeks puffed out.
They were indignant: "We've never even heard of tacit understanding."
Wan Anran laughed heartily: "You two have great chemistry right now."
Yinzhen, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but laugh.
He picked up the bowl, took a small sip of the astringent tea, and savored the sweetness that followed the bitterness.
Well, if I had to say it myself—
This is a flavor that only adults can appreciate :)
With the sounds of his mother, Yinqi, and Yinyou arguing still ringing in his ears, Yinzhen basked in the afternoon sun, savoring his delicious food and enjoying the wonderful day...
"Fifth Brother! Don't sit there, come and play!"
"That's right, that's right. If you slack off, Fifth Brother won't get any later."
Yinzhen: …………
"I'm telling you, you were just arguing a moment ago, and now you're all making food together?" Seeing his younger brothers covered in flour and poking around with some unknown meat strips, Yinzhen could only stand up and join in: "Flour isn't for playing with, don't throw it around like that."
The marinated chicken strips are coated in flour and deep-fried. When they come out, they are sprinkled with special chili powder. Then, you take a bite and enjoy the crispy crust, tender and odorless chicken, and the savory and spicy dipping sauce. The taste is absolutely amazing!
Wan Anran cupped her cheeks.
Actually, this fried chicken strip dish is very ordinary and simple, and it is nowhere near as good as the special delicacies made in the imperial kitchen.
Long live deep-fried food!
Long live unhealth!
That's exactly the kind of oily, greasy flavor that others can't resist.
You absolutely cannot eat this kind of food in Kunning Palace recently.
Sure enough, when you're in Chuxiu Palace, you should definitely try to eat some random, unconventional things.
This is something that Yinzhen could not accept at all.
But his mother, Yinqi, and Yinyou were all enjoying their meal immensely. He stood to the side and sighed—they had been so elegant just moments before, but now…
The air was filled with the aroma of spices, and it had absolutely nothing to do with elegance anymore.
Wan Anran ate it with great satisfaction.
She turned around and saw Yinzhen still in a daze, so she quickly waved to him: "Yinzhen, if you don't eat soon, your portion will be stolen!"
Yinqi, who had secretly taken one, was startled.
He quickly put his hands behind his back and moved them away step by step, pretending not to notice that Fifth Brother's plate was mostly gone.
"Sixth Brother stole some food!"
"Seventh brother, you took some too, right?"
The noisy sounds rang out again in Chuxiu Palace, but Wan Anran couldn't enjoy such a leisurely life for more than a few days, because as the weather gradually warmed up, a major event of the year officially began.
That's the talent show.
This selection process was the largest since the reign of Emperor Kangxi. After the Imperial Household Department compared the list of candidates with the list and conducted the first round of preliminary selection, more than a hundred candidates entered the palace to begin a long period of evaluation.
Incidentally, the young ladies-in-waiting of this period returned home every day, so there were no scenarios where living together caused various problems, and they would not be summoned by the Empress or the concubines of the palace.
Not being summoned does not mean a lack of understanding.
For example, Kunning Palace is currently bustling with activity. From the Empress to the Imperial Concubine, and from Consort Qi to Consort Rong, all six are carefully reviewing the list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection.
The grand selection of concubines was not just for the emperor to fill his harem; there were also a large number of bachelors from the imperial clan waiting to marry a consort, a number that was astonishing.
The relationships among the various Manchu families are complex, and they don't want to create enmity when they marry. To choose a suitable marriage for them, it is necessary to understand the relationships between many families going back several generations...
Then came the assessment of the candidates' qualities.
Therefore, the roster was divided into several parts. One small pile contained petitions requesting marriage. Once these were confirmed, the list would be stacked with plaques or the marriage would be granted. The other part contained those who were not mentioned or who intended to participate in the selection. These were the key targets of observation for Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and others today.
Another part is different.
Most of these young ladies-in-waiting had younger sisters, either legitimate or illegitimate, who were several years younger than them. In short, they were the older sisters of the future Crown Prince and the First Prince's wives or even concubines. It was necessary to carefully observe their behavior and analyze their family situation from the side.
Wan Anran, however, had no interest in these matters.
She now has a main problem. Wan Anran looked to her left and saw the Empress and Consort Tong busy without stopping. Then she looked to her right and saw Consort Hui and Consort Rong exchanging glances, their eyes locked on the list of candidates for the imperial concubines on the table.
As for Consort Xuan...
She took a sip of tea and tilted her head at Wan Anran.
Wan Anran pondered for a moment.
She then leaned closer and asked a very important question in a low voice: "Sister Xuan, how did you connect these names and portraits? To be honest, I can't see any difference at all... right?"
"Hmm? I think there's a big difference?"
"No... exactly the same, exactly the same."
"Look, this one has big eyes, a pointed nose, and a mole at the corner of its eye."
Wan Anran: …………
I can't tell, I really can't tell.
This was just a side story.
After the initial verification by the palace, the palace maids would be invited over for a chat. The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager summoned many young women, almost all of whom were from the Mongol Eight Banners. It was common knowledge that the Emperor had no intention of having Mongol concubines, so these young women smiled brightly and were relaxed and at ease. Even when speaking to Wan Anran, they were generous, articulate, and neither arrogant nor humble.
Of course, some people also called their relatives over.
For example, the highest-ranking woman among this round of candidates was the Empress's own sister.
Wan Anran observed carefully.
This young lady from the Niohuru clan looks about 70% like the Empress. The main similarity is that they are both well-mannered, elegant and gentle.
Thinking about it carefully, could this person be the historical Consort Wenxi? Due to the change in the Empress's fate, she naturally did not enter the palace in advance, but waited for the present step by step.
Wan Anran stared intently at Niohuru Xiunu.
It would be strange if Niohuru Xiunü didn't feel such a burning gaze. She raised her head with a mixture of curiosity and shyness, and gave a sweet smile to Consort Qi, who often appeared in her sister's letters.
Wan Anran's eyes widened slightly.
Although she looks about 70% like the Empress, their personalities seem completely different.
Niohuru Xiunü is such a charming and adorable type!
Wan Anran's heart skipped a beat, and she gave Niu Gulu Xiunu a sweet smile.
The topic of conversation was, of course, books.
Niohuru Xiunü and the Empress had many similarities. For example, they were both well-read and could readily access knowledge from various books. What was even more surprising was that Niohuru Xiunü was also quite knowledgeable about astronomy, geography, and mathematical calculations, and could speak about them fluently and logically.
She even went along with some of Wan Anran's outlandish ideas. In the end, the Empress was shocked to find herself a mere bystander, while Consort Qi and her sister were holding hands and talking animatedly.
The two had a very pleasant chat.
It wasn't until they felt a bit hungry that Consort Qi and Lady Niohuru suddenly came to their senses.
The two couldn't help but smile at each other, agreeing to continue their conversation next time. Wan Anran stopped talking, turned around to look at the Empress, and was met with an expression that was rarely seen on the Empress.
The queen's cheeks were puffed up with anger.
She crossed her arms and glared at Consort Qi and her sister with displeasure: "You two really don't take me seriously?"
Wan Anran: ...
Niohuru Xiunu: ...
Their pupils dilated in shock.
Ah, so it seems they completely forgot about the Empress just now.
Hey! ?
Wan Anran decided to play dumb to get by.
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