Chapter 204.1

Chapter 204.1

“You mean to say that mother should make some other dishes and send them to Qianqing Palace? But the Emperor Emeritus has the Imperial Kitchen, and the chefs there are so skilled. If mother were to cook, wouldn’t it be a joke?” After hearing Xiaobao’s words, Yaoniang felt a bit uneasy.

“Ever since Grandfather Emperor fell ill, his appetite hasn’t been great. The food from the Imperial Kitchen is indeed delicious, but this son noticed that Grandfather Emperor doesn’t enjoy them much, so this son is worried about Grandfather Emperor. This son also noticed that Grandfather Emperor enjoys the soups mother sends every time. Maybe mother’s cooking suits Grandfather Emperor’s taste, so that’s why...”

Naturally, Xiaobao couldn’t tell Yaoniang that Li Dequan had specifically come to see him and expressed the Emperor Emeritus’s meaning in a subtle way. Although Xiaobao was still young, he could understand things implicitly. That’s why he decided to give some guidance to his mother when he returned.

Yaoniang affectionately patted Xiaobao’s head and said, “Xiaobao, you’re a filial child. Since you want mother to give it a try, mother will. Even if the Emperor Emeritus doesn’t like it, it’s alright. Worst comes to worst, we can just eat it ourselves for dinner.”

At that moment, she realized that Xiaobao should be in the imperial study right now, so she asked, “Why don’t you have lessons in the afternoon?”

“The teacher let me rest for a while, so this son secretly came back. It’s time for this son to return.”UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

After Xiaobao left, Yaoniang shook her head and sighed. Children always act on their own whims, but it just proved that Xiaobao still had some childlike innocence. As Xiaobao grew older, Yaoniang gradually had the feeling that her son wasn’t as cute as before. But when she thought about it, growing up, experiencing more, and learning more would naturally make one more like an adult.

Mother Xue, who used to work in Jin Wang Manor’s small kitchen, had also entered the palace and become the housekeeper of Yongxin Hall’s small kitchen. Mother Xue was skilled and had been serving Yaoniang for a long time. She knew the tastes of her various masters very well. When she heard Yaoniang wanted to send some food to the Emperor Emeritus, she became spirited and offered various ideas.

Yaoniang washed the small yellow millet and added water to the pot. She simmered it slowly over low heat. The pumpkin would be added later; otherwise, it would disintegrate. Then, she started kneading the dough to make pancakes. Then more inspiration struck, and she had someone steam slices of pumpkin on the steaming tray. Later, she could make some pumpkin corn cakes. They would be soft, crispy, fragrant, and sweet.

She also had someone bring a bowl of sheep’s milk. It was a customary drink in the palace, and some people liked it while others didn’t. Yaoniang enjoyed it quite a bit. But besides being a drink, sheep’s milk had another use—she could use it for face cleansing and skincare. It was excellent for moisturizing the skin.

Yaoniang had someone boil the sheep’s milk and add some almonds to remove any unpleasant smell. At the same time, she had someone wash and slice the vegetables she would need later. For the dishes, she planned to make a small chicken stew with mushrooms, a popular home-cooked dish in Jinzhou, and stir-fry some preserved vegetables.

She also prepared a pot of stewed lamb, which she intended to have for dinner with Emperor Jin’an and the two children. Since she was making it, she might as well make it all together to avoid having to spend more efforts to make it again.

After the dough was kneaded, it needed time to rise. In fact, cornmeal can be used to make pancakes without rising, but the resulting pancake wouldn’t be as soft and fluffy. Since the weather was cold, Yaoniang deliberately wrapped the dough in a white cloth and had someone prepare a pot of warm water, which was placed on a steamer to warm up. This way, the dough would rise well in a short time.

The people in the small kitchen all bustled around under her command. This was the more common scene now because Yaoniang’s status had changed. Every time she tried to personally go to the small kitchen to cook, it would always cause a huge wave of panic.

Once everything was ready, Yaoniang checked the time and felt it was about right to start cooking.