Two generations ago, the two previous emperors didn't care much about food, clothing and expenses, and the previous empresses were also frugal, but in the current dynasty, the emperor likes luxury. Qiu A came back to rest on the day, saying that he would hold a family banquet in Linde Hall. The only people attending the banquet were concubines and a few princes and princesses, but there were many dishes served, and the eunuchs and palace maids who served the food lined up in a row that could stretch all the way to Taiye Lake.
Li Qishen was a moment late as usual, and walked slowly past. He wore an indigo-colored round-necked robe, with a black veil on the outside to hold it down, and his long hair was draped, with the thin braid swaying in front of his shoulders.
This outfit looks good, but it is also eye-catching. As soon as he sat down, Li Chengjing couldn't stand it anymore and coughed, "A Shen, even though it's a family dinner, you still have to pay attention to your appearance."
"It's comfortable this way." Li Qishen was too lazy to pay attention to him and picked up a piece of vinegar celery with chopsticks.
Li Chengjing was choked and wanted to explode immediately, but he couldn't jump up and hit his son in front of all the concubines, so he suppressed his anger and said, "Look at your brother, he was very sensible when he was your age. Be more humble and learn more from him."
Li Taoqi, who was sitting next to him, stood up immediately and bowed politely: "I dare not."
The ceremony went smoothly. Li Chengjing nodded and motioned Li Taoqi to sit down, then looked at Li Qishen.
Li Qishen didn't look at him, his eyes fell on Li Taoqi who was standing opposite him. The royal family of Li was born with good looks, and Li Taoqi was not bad looking, but he looked more like the late Queen Cui, which made him look less attractive. His etiquette was impeccable, but he was made the crown prince since he was young, and he was afraid of making mistakes, so he was so tense at the family banquet that he looked like a fake person.
Li Qishen wanted to laugh, but his face was tense. He lowered his eyes and said obediently, "I will. Please teach me more, brother."
"A Shen has his own talent, and he is a student of Master Xu, so I dare not compare myself with him." Li Taoqi quickly refused.
After several rounds of back and forth, Li Qishen was fed up, but Li Chengjin was very satisfied. He was a peaceful emperor, his father and grandfather were too outstanding, he just had to maintain the status quo, there was no room for him to show his ability in state affairs, so he could only show his ability in family affairs. Seeing his two sons being friendly and respectful to each other, and also respectful to him, he felt comfortable and sincerely felt the comfort of being a father.
He could not manipulate the empire according to his will, but he could manipulate his two sons like clay figures, molding them into whatever shape he wanted.
Concubine Xiao beside him guessed his intention and leaned on Li Chengjin's shoulder at the right time, saying in a coquettish manner: "Your Majesty, please bring some snacks. I want to eat something sweet."
This statement was actually a bit abrupt. Li Taoqi glanced at Concubine Xiao, but before he could make eye contact with her, he immediately retracted his gaze and stared at the vegetarian dishes in front of him politely.
Fortunately, there was a Crown Princess, who was born to the same mother as Concubine Xiao and was very good at dealing with people. She quickly asked, "What do you like to eat, Your Majesty? I have learned a few new dishes recently. I heard that they are made in the Arab world. How about you do me a favor and try them next time?"
Then, the two women who were both sisters and actually the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came and went several times. One said, "I can't bother you enough," and the other said, "It's not a bother. It's a great honor to cook some food for the queen." Li Qishen felt a little uncomfortable in his throat after hearing this.
The dishes in front of him were all carefully prepared by the Shangshi Bureau. Each one was more complex and exquisite than the other, as if they were afraid that their superiors would not be able to see how much effort they put in. However, Li Qishen had no appetite and for no reason he thought of the young lady who could make salty snacks.
If Xie Wangzhi wanted to give someone something to eat, he would just roll up his sleeves and make it. After he was done, he would stuff the food into the person's mouth, and then wait for comments with an expectant look and shining eyes.
… No, what does he want her for
Li Qishen raised his hand and knocked his head. Just as he put his hand down, the palace maids who were serving snacks came up and walked past him. One of them was holding a plate of familiar pastries, light pink in color and shaped like cherry blossoms.
His brain suddenly twitched, and before he could figure it out, a voice came out first: "Stop."
The maids in a row all stopped. The ones following behind looked at the leader, who looked at Li Chengjing, and then at Li Qishen: "... Your Highness?"
People have stopped him, what else can he do? Li Qishen coughed, pretending to be suddenly interested, and his eyes fell on the cherry blossom cake: "What is that pink one?"
"Your Highness, it is a cherry blossom cake. It is made by mixing flour and red bean paste, dyeing it with flower juice, and shaping it into the shape of cherry blossoms."
"Give it here." Li Qishen said.
"Ah Shen, are you short of food and drink in the palace?" Li Chengjing was annoyed again, "Why did they intercept you halfway?"
"Your Highness is still young, just let him eat whatever he wants. It's a family dinner, and there are so many rules and regulations that no one will be happy." Concubine Xiao was afraid of a quarrel, so she pulled Li Chengjin's sleeve. She just turned 20 this year, and with this pull, she looked a little bit cute like a young lady. "I'm eager to try the snacks, why is your majesty making such a fuss?"
Li Chengjing was so upset by Concubine Xiao's coquettish behavior that he couldn't say anything more about Li Qishen, lest people think that he was a petty father. He quickly put his arm around Concubine Xiao's waist and said, "You are the one who is anxious. Continue to present it."
Li Qishen clearly heard Chu Fangyi's sneer from the other table.
Emperors Zhaoxuan and Pingxing had empty harems throughout their lives, and only had one queen. When Li Chengjin came, he seemed to want to make up for his father and grandfather's share. He wanted to gather all the wives from the third wife to the eighty-one wives, and he could change three concubines a year. After Concubine Xiao entered the palace, he was quiet, but Li Chengjin is forty years old this year, and he can be Concubine Xiao's father. The two of them stick together, which is funny to think about.
Li Qishen suppressed his laughter and casually picked up a piece of cherry blossom cake. As soon as he took a bite, he immediately felt something was wrong.
The bean paste was fried, and was fully cooked, but the outer skin was half-cooked. It tasted like raw noodles mixed with the aroma of flower juice. It was not disgusting, but it was uncomfortable in the mouth. Li Qishen drank a sip of tea to suppress it.
Xie Wangzhi had said before that her cherry blossom cake was chosen. Firstly, she had no intention of harming anyone, and secondly, she did not want to cause trouble for herself, so she would never send up a half-cooked cake.
Li Qishen was slightly startled. Before he could figure it out, he heard a light cry from the imperial concubine above him, followed by the sound of a plate being knocked over.
The Linde Hall was paved with bricks. When the plate fell to the ground, there was a crisp sound, and the things inside rolled all over the floor.
It is a transparent flower rice cake. The white one can vaguely see the reddish bean paste inside, and the red one is bright and juicy. They are all molded into the shape of crabapple. The craftsmanship is very good and the color is also similar. At first glance, you might think it is a freshly picked crabapple.
The maids presenting the cakes had never seen such a scene before. They trembled and knelt down with their heads almost touching the ground. All they said was "Please forgive me, Imperial Concubine." The people who came to the banquet did not dare to speak and were all silent. Only the Crown Princess looked surprised and looked at Imperial Concubine Xiao with the same fear.
Concubine Xiao looked at the flower-shaped glutinous rice cake on the ground, her face full of horror, her plump chest heaving violently, and after a while, she trembled and said, "… Your Majesty, please forgive me, I have lost my manners."
Let alone knocking over a plate of flowery glutinous rice cakes, even if it was kicking over a palace servant, Li Chengjing didn't think Concubine Xiao had done anything wrong. He quickly stroked her back, frowning, "What's going on with the Imperial Food Bureau? Don't you know what the Concubine is taboo about?!"
**
To be fair, working in the Imperial Food Bureau doesn't require you to rush to serve people, but it's also hard work. It's not so bad to prepare meals on a regular basis. Even if a concubine suddenly wants to eat something, as long as it's not winter bamboo shoots in summer or cherries in winter, it can always be prepared. The most dreaded thing is a banquet, where dishes are presented endlessly. Even if you are an Imperial Food Bureau, you have to wait until the banquet is halfway through before you can eat something hot.
After all the hassle, no one wanted to touch the ingredients, no matter how fresh they were. Just having a cup of hot soup was enough. The little palace maids were exhausted. In the end, they cooked a big pot of noodles with chicken soup, added some minced meat and green leafy vegetables, and everyone held their bowls and buried their heads in the food. They had never thought noodles could be so delicious.
Although she was hungry, Shi Manqing had something on her mind and could not eat. She took a few mouthfuls of noodles and held the bowl, feeling flustered and confused, not knowing whether she was waiting for something or not.
Food is the most important thing for the people. If there is something wrong with the food presented, the person will at least be beaten with a stick. In serious cases, the person will be expelled from the palace or even killed. In such a huge Daming Palace, no one cares if a little palace maid from the common people dies.
Shi Manqing drank a mouthful of soup from the bowl and saw a group of people walking towards the rest room from afar.
Leading the way was the Shangshi, followed by several Si Shen and Dian Shen, and then the eunuchs. All of them had tense faces, as if something serious had happened and they came to call for punishment.
Shi Manqing was so startled that she couldn't hold the bowl steadily and almost spilled the soup.
The chef's surname was Yan, and his appearance matched his surname quite well, with a long face and narrow eyes, which made people feel scared. The chef Yan glanced at the little palace maids and said, "The eight people who are making cakes today, come out."
… and it really came.
Shi Manqing's heart was beating fast. She put down her bowl and followed the group out with the other maids. The maids beside her had no idea what was going on. They looked at each other in panic. Xie Wangzhi was fine, and looked at Yan Shangshi blankly.
When she arrived at the secluded courtyard, she was still confused. Suddenly, she heard Yan Shangshi ask, "Who made the cherry blossom cake?"
Hearing about this, Shi Manqing breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Xie Wangzhi who still didn't understand, she suddenly felt refreshed all over, as if she had finally stepped on an annoying bug.
I want you to have leisure time, to be proud, and to know so much!
With so many people coming, and the tall eunuchs, she would at least be beaten. Shi Manqing was satisfied, but what Yan Shangshi said was unexpected: "Your Highness likes it, it's well done."
Xie Wangzhi was puzzled, but it was always good to be praised, so he nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chef."
Shi Manqing was shocked. This could be praised. Could it be that the prince had such a strange taste that he liked to eat half-cooked pastries
She was startled, and then she heard the chef ask, "Who made the flower-shaped glutinous rice cake?"
With what happened before, and hearing that it was the imperial concubine's favorite food, Shi Manqing naturally thought it was a compliment and hurried forward.
The imperial concubine is favored, so she must be more generous than the prince with strange tastes. Not to mention praise and reward, maybe she will be transferred to the small kitchen of Hanxiang Hall. That means she will be promoted several levels, and will not be with the little palace maids in the Shangshi Bureau. When Xie Wangzhi sees her, he has to call himself a slave. Shi Manqing thought so, and her face was full of joy, waiting for Yan Shangshi to speak.
However, Yan Shangshi had a stern expression. He glanced at Shi Manqing and gave a look to the two eunuchs beside him: "It's her. Take her away."
Shi Manqing was shocked. Both of her shoulders had been clamped. She was so frightened that she even forgot to call herself: "What did I do wrong?!"