Secrets of Yuqing Palace

Yuqing Palace fell into a busy yet peaceful atmosphere.

The master and mistress seemed very busy.

Wanyu was busy taking over the affairs of the entire Yuqing Palace in the backyard.

After returning from court every day, Yinreng would stay in the study in the front yard all day.

Then when it’s time for dinner, the two masters will dine together in the backyard, and the atmosphere is very harmonious and warm.

This kind of life did not last for a few days.

That night, the two had just finished a love affair, and Yinreng held Wanyu in his arms.

He whispered to Wanyu.

"You are now almost in control of the affairs of the Eastern Palace."

"Tomorrow I will invite my brothers to have lunch at our palace the day after tomorrow, and let them meet you, their sister-in-law."

"You can also start making arrangements a day in advance so you don't have to rush around when the time comes."

Wanyu's eyes lit up, and she looked up and stared at Yinreng with sparkling eyes.

"You figured it out?"

Yinreng sighed and said with some emotion: "Perhaps you are right."

"It's hard work for you to prepare meals for more than a dozen brothers."

"And the wives of the eldest and fourth sons."

Wanyu shook her head. "All I have to do is move my mouth."

"The ones who are really busy are Nanny Sun and the others."

She rubbed her head against Yinreng's chest with a deep look in her eyes.

“Although I don’t know what the future holds, I always feel that a single tree cannot make a forest.”

"Now the eldest prince is showing signs of competing with you. We can recruit a few more brothers to stand on your side."

"You are not only the elder brother, but also the crown prince. It is perfectly legitimate for you to be on good terms with the brothers."

"They haven't grown up yet. Most of them are still studying in the upper study room, so they don't have such big ambitions. This is the time for you to win them over."

"Even if Khan Ama knew about this, he would only be happy and think you are a friendly brother."

Yinreng replied softly, "Yes, I understand."

"By the way, should we ask the Fourth Master to bring his concubine along as well?"

Wanyu shook her head.

"Forget it."

"Big brother doesn't have a concubine in the backyard. Except for the fourth brother, starting from the third brother, the younger brothers below are still unmarried."

"By then, my eldest sister-in-law, my fourth brother's wife, and I will all be concubines, and my second sister will be the only concubine around. She will feel very uncomfortable."

Yinreng: "Okay, I'll listen to you then."

Nothing happened that night, and the next day Yinreng went to court early.

Wanyu was busy in Yuqing Palace.

Wanyu thought that it was already early October and the weather was getting colder, which was a good time to eat hotpot.

So she asked someone to call Nanny Lin Jia from the front yard, the eunuch Kong Youfu from the back yard, and Nanny Nala to the main yard.

"Your servant Lin Jia pays homage to the Master."

"The servant Kong Youfu pays homage to the mistress."

"This servant, Nara, pays homage to the Master."

Wanyu raised her hand: "Well, everyone get up."

After the three of them stood still, Wanyu's voice was soft but carried unquestionable strength.

"Last night, the master said that he would invite all the princes, as well as the first and fourth wives, to dine in our Yuqing Palace tomorrow."

"So tomorrow's banquet is extraordinary. My master and I both attach great importance to this banquet."

"You must prepare this banquet to perfection and not slack off in the slightest."

"Those under your charge must also exercise restraint and complete the tasks assigned to you."

"Otherwise, if something goes wrong, the prince and I will only cause trouble for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, the three of them all looked serious, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

He responded with cautious respect.

"I understand."

"Master, please give your orders."

Wanyu nodded with satisfaction and then began to assign tasks to the three people in detail.

"There will be quite a few people this time. All the princes, the first wife, and the fourth wife will be present."

"Men and women will sit separately. Aunt Lin Jia has been managing the front yard."

"Clean up the side halls of the Dun Palace and rearrange the interior."

"By then, all the princes and the crown prince will have their meal in the front yard."

Aunt Lin Jia squatted down and saluted, saying, "Yes."

Wanyu continued to instruct: "Now that the temperature has begun to drop, the meal I prepared is a pot."

"But this time I prepared a different pot."

"Kong Youfu, you have always been in charge of procurement for our Eastern Palace."

"I've drawn two new pot styles. Take them to the Imperial Household Department later."

"Tell the people at the Imperial Household Department to make me fifteen of these pots each."

Kong Youfu said with some embarrassment: "My Lady, it won't be a problem to ask the Imperial Household Department to make the pots."

"I'm worried that the people at the Imperial Household Department won't be able to do it, or that they'll need some time to figure it out, and I'm worried that there won't be enough time."

Wanyu shook her head with a look of certainty.

"Don't worry, this pot is simple in style and not complicated."

"And I have all the standard specifications and sizes, so they just need to make it according to the style."

"Xia He, give the blueprint to Eunuch Kong."

Kong Youfu took the pot and looked at it. It was indeed simple in style.

There are two types of pots, one round and one square.

The round one is not much different from the usual pot, except that the bottom of the piece in the middle where the charcoal is placed is sealed and flush with the edge of the pot.

The entire bottom of the pot is sealed, so there is no place to put charcoal underneath.

It's a big pot with a small pot in the middle.

The square one is an ordinary square pot, divided into two areas in the middle.

These two pots look simpler than the usual pots for hot pot.

After seeing the drawing style, he felt relieved.

He immediately made a promise.

"Master, don't worry. I will go to the Imperial Household Department in a moment."

"I must urge them to make the pot that the master needs today."

Wanyu nodded with satisfaction.

"Besides the pot, there are also the ingredients needed for hot pot."

She looked at Nala Ma, who was in charge of the kitchen.

"Nara Mama, there will be many guests dining tomorrow."

"Especially you gentlemen, you are all at the age of growing up."

"You must prepare enough ingredients so that you don't run out of food halfway through the meal."

"Then our entire East Palace will be ashamed."

"Kong Youfu is in charge of purchasing. If the kitchen runs out of ingredients, please communicate with Kong Youfu immediately."

"Kong Youfu, you should also take the initiative to ask Nala Ma about the situation in a timely manner."

"If there's not enough food, go to the Imperial Kitchen as soon as possible to order it and have it delivered directly back!"

The two men responded respectfully: "Yes, I understand."

After explaining the general direction, Wanyu gave more detailed requirements.

For example, when decorating a dining room, how can you make it elegant yet grand?

There are also many guests dining here, so it would be more appropriate to set up several dining tables.

You should prepare the appropriate amount of charcoal fire and charcoal basin for burning the pot.

What ingredients should be prepared for hot pot in more detail, and what style of cutting is more suitable?

What kind of base flavor should be prepared for the soup base of the pot?

Wanyu also specially asked the kitchen staff to prepare the base for the spicy hot pot and tomato hot pot.

At this time of year, peppers and tomatoes are considered ornamental plants by many people.

I didn't know peppers and tomatoes were edible.

But Wanyu had known about peppers and tomatoes for a long time. The people in Guwaljia Prefecture had eaten them with Wanyu, so these two foods were not new to them.

When we were researching the seasoning for instant noodles, we added chili powder.

Xia He is responsible for Wanyu's diet and daily life. She is familiar with Wanyu's eating habits and the use of peppers and tomatoes.

So Wanyu asked Xia He to follow Nanny Nala to the kitchen.

Instruct the people in the kitchen to use chili peppers, peppercorns and other spices to make some beef tallow soup base.

Then I used tomatoes to make a thick tomato sauce and a thick tomato soup base.

The dining hall in the main courtyard of Yuqing Palace was responsible for Wanyu entertaining the two female relatives.

Wanyu instructed Nanny Sun to decorate the dining room and the dining table.

Under her arrangement, the three persons in charge were clear about their tasks and assigned each task in detail to the people below.

The entire Yuqing Palace became busy and orderly.