Shaohua is Junqing

"Cai Die, come with me to find the noodle chef in the kitchen. I want to ask him something."

"My princess, please go to Qiu Shuang Pavilion and wait for me. I will go and ask Master Zhuang to come over."

"Okay, you go ahead."

Siyu brought some sour plum soup to Qiushuang Pavilion and waited. After a while, Caidie came with a middle-aged man who was slightly overweight but had a kind face.

"Princess, this is the noodle chef in the kitchen, Master Zhuang."

"I kowtow to the princess."

"Master Zhuang, please stand up. This princess has something to ask you."

"Why dare I ask for your advice? I will just follow your orders, my lady."

“How can we make steamed buns soft and fluffy without collapsing?”

"Steaming buns may seem simple, but there are actually many steps involved. The ratio of flour to water and yeast must be correct, the temperature and time for the dough to ferment must be appropriate, and the time for kneading, resting and steaming must be well controlled to produce buns that are both soft and well-shaped."

“There’s a lot of knowledge involved.”

"Based on my years of experience, the ratio of flour to water to yeast is usually one hundred to five hundred to one. The dough will ferment until it is twice its original size. It will take one to two incense sticks of time to steam it after the steam starts to form."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Master Zhuang. You can go ahead and do your work."

"Yes, please excuse me."

"Princess, do you want steamed buns?"

"No, I want to make something else. My previous attempt failed, so I was thinking if I could learn some experience from steaming buns."

"Has the princess been inspired?"

"There is a little bit of that. You and Pony will come and help me tomorrow."

"no problem."

Changchun Palace, Xinxue Garden, Fang Qingyan, the daughter of the president of the Hanlin Academy, was canonized as a concubine and granted the right to live in this palace.

"The Emperor has arrived." The eunuch in charge at the door shouted loudly.

Surrounded by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, the emperor stepped into the gate of Xinxue Garden.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Fang Qingyan knelt on the ground.

"No need to pay tribute."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I heard from Princess Shaohua that you performed very well in the selection and left a deep impression on her."

"My princess has a keen eye, and I am terrified."

"If it is true as the princess said, that you are a well-educated, gentle and virtuous person, then there is no need to belittle yourself."

"Yes, I will keep it in mind."

The emperor sat down on the couch and Fang Qingyan came forward to serve him tea.

"It's hot, I prepared some iced mung bean soup, Your Majesty, would you like a bowl?"

"it is good."

Fang Qingyan ordered her maid to bring a bowl of iced mung bean soup. After drinking it, the emperor said, "It's cool and refreshing. It's really a good drink to cool off in the summer."

"As long as the emperor likes it."

"You have been in the palace for some time. Are you used to living here?"

"I read books and take care of flowers every day. It's not much different from when I was at home, so I'm still used to it."

"That's good. If you feel bored, you can hang out with other concubines. Since you have entered the palace, you will be isolated from the outside world. You should be mentally prepared for this."

"I understand."

"The Queen Mother's birthday will be in a few days. You are the most senior among all the concubines. When you lead the other concubines to congratulate the Queen Mother, you must pay attention to etiquette and not make any mistakes."

"Yes, I have been leading the sisters in training these days, and I will never make any mistakes and embarrass the emperor."

"very good."

"Your Majesty, I see that you look tired. Why don't you go to the inner room and rest for a while?"

"Okay." Concubine Fang offered to stay overnight, and the emperor did not refuse.

The emperor entered the inner room and asked about a faint fragrance, "What is it that smells so fragrant?"

"It is a kind of orange silver grass incense that I burn. It has the effect of soothing the mood and calming the mind."

"Yeah, that's good. Do you have any more? Prepare some for me, too."

"Yes, I will prepare it for Your Majesty later."

"No hurry, take a break first."

"Yes."