"You were thrown into the cold palace at the age of fourteen. How will you live in the future?" Wang Xu felt a little sympathetic when he thought that a fourteen-year-old girl would have to stay in the cold palace for the rest of her life.
You must know that Concubine Wen's father, Suk Saha, was executed on the pretext of an unpardonable crime. Although it was Obai who framed him, it was Kangxi who issued the decree.
Even if Obai falls in the future, Kangxi will not be able to take back his life. After all, he has no joke, so Suk Saha can only commit an unpardonable crime.
As for Concubine Wen, the palace is a place that is easily forgotten. The emperor cannot pamper her with so many beauties every day. After three to five months, who will still remember who Concubine Wen is? She will end up alone and lonely in the palace.
"What a pity!" Wang Xu asked no more questions, walked forward and started to prepare food.
The eunuchs in the imperial kitchen were responsible for preparing meals. There were three of them, and each of them had a wooden bucket in front of him.
Wang Xu took a closer look and saw that one barrel contained cabbage stewed with tofu, another barrel contained potatoes stewed with beans, and another barrel contained rice.
The meals prepared for the young eunuchs and maids were not placed in the imperial kitchen, but were placed outside the courtyard.
The food cooks came in a long line, entering through the south gate and exiting through the north gate, each one in a completely different order.
When it was Wang Xu's turn, the little eunuch serving the meal saw that Wang Xu was relatively unfamiliar and asked casually: "Boy, are you new here? Which father-in-law are you with?"
"Hai Dafu, Eunuch Hai." Wang Xu answered truthfully, and then added: "I also want to take back Eunuch Hai's share."
When he heard that it was Eunuch Hai, the little eunuch knew the rules. He turned around and shouted: "Bring out Eunuch Hai's food and let this little brother take it back."
Hai Dafu is a senior eunuch, so of course he cannot eat the same food as a junior eunuch.
Wang Xu raised his head and looked into the imperial dining room, and found that the meal prepared for Hai Dafu had been prepared by the chef inside, and someone brought it out with a shout.
There are two food boxes in total, each with four layers, stacked one on top of another, looking elegant and high-end.
Wang Xu opened the food box and saw that fried meat with bamboo shoots, fried meat with fungus, pine nuts and corn, and fried lotus root were all relatively light dishes.
In another food box, there was shredded chicken, a small plate of grilled lamb chops, four steamed buns, and a cup of carp soup.
"Eunuch Hai has a light taste and doesn't like dishes that are too strong. These are prepared specially for him by the master chefs in the imperial dining room." The little eunuch saw Wang Xu checking the food box and warned him in a low voice.
Then he lowered his voice and said: "Newcomer, I heard that the people in your office are going to die. Can anyone tell you about our rules?"
"What rules?" Wang Xu didn't have a guide. He knew the rules, but he didn't know the rules.
The little eunuch understood what he said as soon as he heard this. He hooked his fingers at Wang Xu and whispered: "The food here can make you look like a bird. Do you want to eat something good? One tael of silver, I will give you three more
A meat dish, two vegetarian dishes, rice and steamed buns as you like. Three taels of silver, five meat dishes + five vegetarian dishes, and a bottle of wine. Ten taels of silver, haha, whatever the nobles in the palace eat, you can eat it today
What."
"Is there still such an operation?" Wang Xu became more energetic after hearing this. He didn't expect that there were so many secrets hidden in the small imperial dining room.
The little eunuch smiled and said nothing. He relied on the mountain to eat the mountain, and the sea to eat the sea. Of course, the one eating from the imperial dining room was the imperial dining room.
There are not many other things in the Imperial Dining Room, things that fly in the sky, things that walk on the ground, things that swim in the sea, there are only things that you have never heard of, and there is nothing that has not been done here.
According to the rules, there is a quota for whoever eats what.
But rules are dead and people are alive, so there will be no flexibility.
For example, Concubine Wen was relegated to the cold palace, but her rank was still that of a concubine, and a meal consisted of at least twelve dishes.
But in fact, Concubine Wen in the cold palace had the same food as the eunuchs and palace maids, and the treatment she deserved had long been withheld.
Through this kind of secret operation, the imperial dining room has an income of 1,800 taels of silver every day. This is why the imperial dining room has little power, but the little eunuchs are trying to get in.
"Sure enough, it's the way of mongooses and cats. Rats have their own way. Everyone has his own way!" Wang Xu quietly stretched out his hand, stuffed a piece of silver into the little eunuch, and whispered: "Go..."
The little eunuch retracted his hands in his sleeves, weighed it twice, and entered the royal dining room calmly.
Wang Xu waited outside for a few minutes. The young eunuch came out with a boy carrying a food box and whispered: "Twelve dishes, including meat and vegetables, and a pot of royal wine. This boy will help you put the food in
I'll take the box with me, and I'll come back with the food box later. My name is Pang Dahai. Please contact me next time if this happens."
Wang Xu didn't speak, just looked at the handyman.
The handyman was an acquaintance. Standing aside and winking, he could be someone other than Wei Xiaobao.
It seems that Wei Xiaobao did not enter the cleansing room by mistake. Under the arrangement of the Tiandihui, Wei Xiaobao entered the palace to do some errands. As soon as he arrived, he arrived in the imperial dining room, a place where he was rich and well-oiled and could deal with anyone.
From this point of view, the Tiandihui also has power in the palace. No wonder it dared to shout slogans to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, and it really blossomed everywhere.
"Father, can I have more tofu soup? My mistress is sick, and I want to bring her some hot soup back." Wang Xu was about to leave when Wen Xing, who was queuing on the other side, started talking to the little eunuch who was serving the meal.
Discussed.
The little eunuch is not easy to impress. There are so many poor people in the palace, and those who have sympathy have been eaten away. He just sneered and said: "There are many people who want to drink tofu soup, what are the rules?"
"
There is only one rule in the Imperial Kitchen. If you have money, you have everything. If you don't have money, let's stop talking.
Wen Xing's face turned slightly red. It had been a month since Concubine Wen was banished to the cold palace. The rewards she had received had long been taken away by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. How could the two of them have any money?
Although tofu soup was not expensive, a bowl cost only two copper coins, but she didn't have even that kind of money.
"The fourteen-year-old little Luoli is in need of care, so I'd better offer some warmth." Wang Xu felt a little sympathetic to Concubine Wen's plight, and turned to Wei Xiaobao and said, "Put down a food box for them."
"Okay..." Wei Xiaobao hated girls being wronged the most. After hearing Wang Xu's words, he couldn't help but place a food box on the ground.
Wen Xing had a panic look on her face, and she was flattered and said: "No, Master and I have nothing to repay you."
"There is no need to repay. If you can help, it can be considered a meritorious deed." Wang Xu didn't care about Wen Xing's attitude and quickly left with Wei Xiaobao.
Wen Xing watched his leaving figure until the little eunuch who was cooking muttered: "This boy is a person who does big things."
"Why?" Wen Xing asked subconsciously.
The little eunuch chuckled, pointed at the food box and said, "Think about it, who can be so easy on someone who does small things?"
Wang Xu who left didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, so he took Wei Xiaobao out of the imperial dining room.
Wei Xiaobao has a lively personality. He had never spoken before because his status was not high and the people in the imperial kitchen warned him not to talk nonsense.
Now that there was no one around, Wei Xiaobao couldn't help it. He picked up a food box and trotted up to catch up, asking: "Brother, thank you for reminding me before, otherwise I would have entered the palace and become a eunuch. No, I'm not
It’s not good to be an eunuch, but it’s good to be an eunuch. Think about Zhao Gao, think about Wei Zhongxian, think about Liu Jin..."
"The fate of these people is not very good!" Wang Xu glanced at Wei Xiaobao and frowned: "What exactly do you want to say?"
"I just think the two of us are quite destined. The younger brother's surname is Wei Xiaobao. He lives in Lichun Courtyard in Hualiu Hutong in the capital. I wonder what your eldest brother's surname is?" Wei Xiaobao is an undercover agent of the Tiandi Society. The purpose of entering the palace is to get the hidden treasure.
In the forty-two chapters of the Manchu Treasures, making friends is of course the first priority.
Wang Xu didn't know what Wei Xiaobao was thinking, but he could see that Wei Xiaobao was trying to get close to him again, so he said, "There are many old eunuchs who sweep the floors who are deaf and mute. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because they talk too much and hear too much. Not listening or speaking is the way to behave here."