Chapter 343: Wonderful Cook Chapter 345: Audience

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao hurried forward to receive the imperial edict.

The yellow-gate eunuch's attitude was very kind as he reminded her: "Young Lady, if you have no pressing business, come with this official now—the carriage is already waiting outside the alley!"

While Song Miao went to wash her hands and tidy up, Cheng Erniang and Zhang Siniang and the others couldn't help but quietly gather around, offering suggestions in low voices.

"Young Lady, Young Lady—should you change into new clothes?"

"Right! Right! Why not discuss it with that envoy and see if they can wait for us? We must primp and dress up—this is entering the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager!"

"Sigh! If I had known earlier, I would have made several bright outfits to choose from—greet Shen Niangzi, she surely has a way!"

"Is there any ready-made rouge and powder at home?"

Cheng Erniang hurriedly said: "There is! There is, but it hasn't been used for a long time, I don't know if the texture and color have changed!"

Xu Erlang had been standing to the side, wanting to help and show himself, fretting over how to start, when he heard the conversation here; his ears perked up, he was delighted inside, and hurried forward, pulling out from his bosom the cloth bundle he had kept for a long time, saying: "Song Xiaoniangzi! I happen to have newly bought rouge and powder here!"

Last night he heard the shop assistant introduce where this rouge and powder was produced, how it was processed, what materials were added, and how excellent its color and fragrance were; at this moment he very much wanted to recite it all, only hating his clumsy speech—the words reached his lips, but he couldn't remember them clearly.

Alas! Was it Xingzhou or Xinzhou's rouge?

Before he could figure it out, Song Miao was already smiling and waving her hand in thanks, saying: "No need for such trouble."

She had already washed her hands; at this moment she untied the mourning cloth around her waist and the head cloth, hanging what should be hung, putting away what should be put away; only after everything was ready did she say: "I am originally a cook who makes food and runs a food shop; I should properly enter the palace looking like a cook—besides, my family's mourning has lasted less than a year; although the capital usually doesn't pay so much attention to such things on ordinary days, now entering the palace, without rouge and powder, without bright clothing, the Empress Dowager will surely not blame me!"

The more one relies on hand and mouth to make a living, the less one can afford so many refinements.

Although mourning should be observed for three years, ordinary commoners mostly wear hemp for three days, substituting the sky for the years, and adding a rope for one month is enough; after a hundred days, clothing and adornment are not so taboo; thus, seeing the envoy arrive, the young ladies only thought about how to tidy themselves more properly and carefully, and for a moment didn't think of so much.

Hearing Song Miao's explanation at this moment, everyone came to their senses.

After speaking, Song Miao specially turned to Xu Erlang again, saying: "I don't need it here, Young Master Xu, please put it away quickly—truly, many thanks!"

But Xu Erlang's smile had not yet truly spread across his face before it froze; holding the cloth bundle in his hand, hearing these words, he felt that rouge, powder, comb—everything was scalding hot in his hand, simply unable to be given away.

He could only utter an "ai," and dejectedly put it away.

In a short while, Song Miao had finished tidying up.

Because once entering the palace, she couldn't be sure when she could return, she said to Cheng Erniang: "The food shop will be left to Er Niangzi for now; according to current purchasing, if the line outside never stops and can last until noon, you just watch the situation and estimate accordingly; although everyone must work urgently, they must also take turns resting—business isn't just for one day."

Such a good opportunity naturally requires advance preparation to seize it well, but one cannot think of earning all the money—money can never be fully earned.

Cheng Erniang said: "I understand, Young Lady, rest assured; looking at this manner, I fear there will be more and more people; I will certainly watch the big situation and not let anyone be worked to exhaustion!"

Song Miao nodded and said: "I calculated for a while just now; what sells best is grilled meat chashao steamed buns—this filling is unlike the others, very troublesome, and may not always be available; you think about how to handle it, best not to be perfunctory, for most outside are here for the buns His Majesty praised."

This kind of filling and dough are both unusual; pickling, roasting, kneading and fermenting all take time, and are the most laborious to make; unlike other fillings, where you just prepare the ingredients and can have a large basin ready in a short while.

But His Majesty yesterday tasted every kind of bun, and finally specially chose the grilled meat chashao bun to say those words; after the commoners outside heard about it, they definitely want "the bun His Majesty held up and praised"; since there isn't one, they will have no choice but to casually take a few other kinds.

Cheng Erniang didn't talk much; after agreeing, she immediately wrote it down.

After all instructions were finished, Song Miao exited the second gate, greeted several yellow-gate officials, and followed them together out of the alley.

Outside the gate, seeing the envoy personally arrive, there were clearly several long lines, yet each line was quiet as chickens; no one dared speak; all held their breath to watch and listen to the movements inside; each wished that among the twelve zodiac animals there could be one more old turtle at this moment, so they could quickly change their zodiac sign and grow a long neck to peer inside and see the situation.

But when the edict from the envoy's mouth came down, a commotion suddenly arose among the crowd; only the sound of inhaling was heard, one after another, along with humming sounds and low conversation.

"Why did the Empress Dowager issue an edict? What does she summon this young lady from the food shop to do?"

"You don't know? You don't know why you're lining up?"

"Ah? I saw a very long line here; I asked, and they said it was for buying buns; I thought it was some amazing bun, so everyone came to line up; I wasn't in a hurry this morning and was about to eat breakfast, but I joined the line too!"

—He was truly an extra who loved excitement and loved lining up.

But by the side, kind-hearted people had already helped carefully introduce the matter of His Majesty descending yesterday and the Taixue buns.

"... Precisely because His Majesty ate that bun and found it good this morning, he specially brought it back to the palace to offer to the Empress Dowager—judging by this, most likely the Empress Dowager also found it good; perhaps this is summoning someone into the palace to bestow a reward!"

"How could it not be that it tasted bad, and they were summoned into the palace to be scolded?"

"Hey! How does your brain grow? If it tasted bad, could the yellow-gate official speak so politely??"

"Exactly! If it wasn't good, why summon them into the palace? To summon them in to scold them—wouldn't that lose the Emperor's face to his face? Even a biological mother would have to weigh things a bit, let alone this isn't even a biological mother!"

Although a group of people were there to bask in the glory of the Emperor's golden words and jade speech, it didn't prevent them from lining up on one side while discussing the Zhao family's domestic affairs on the other.

"It must truly be delicious; if it weren't delicious, how would His Majesty be embarrassed to offer it up!"

"Oh my, then isn't this like a blind cat finding a dead mouse—just lining up in this queue, and we've lined up for buns that both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager think are delicious?"

The crowd again had impatient scolding voices.

"Don't make noise! All we hear is your toad croaking—how can those in front hear what's being said inside!"

Amidst the curious gazes of countless people, Song Miao was sent out of the shop by a group of long- and short-term hires, and followed the yellow-gate official out of the alley.

"So this is the cook who makes buns? It's actually a young lady! She's strangely pretty!"

Feeding soldiers for a thousand days, using them for one moment.

Immediately, the Taixue students lining up nearby chimed in to support: "The buns made by Song Xiaoniangzi are just as pretty!"

"Hey? Younger Brother, have you eaten them?"

"Of course; they are all Taixue students! We came along with them—people eat them every day! They are the 'scholars' raised by the Emperor!"

Thus, in the admiring gazes of everyone, a group of scholars hurriedly lifted their heads and puffed out their chests, fearing their bearing was poor or their line was not straight, losing face for Taixue.

Soon, those at the very front of the line had already bought Song Ji's buns.

The people received their buns; some stepped aside to eat them on the spot—immediately praising them.

Some, not afraid of blocking others' eyes, couldn't help but eat while walking—praising while walking.

And as soon as those who bought buns went out, there were questioning voices all along the way.

「What did you buy? Is there that grilled meat chashao Steamed Bun? 」

「Is it good? 」

「How many did you buy? 」

Song Ji's Steamed Bun had long been tested, their texture and taste hard to fault, otherwise they wouldn't have received orders from so many academies and government offices in such a short time, let alone now that there was the added hype of the Emperor personally praising them and the Empress Dowager granting an audience, making them all the more mysterious.

When asked at this moment, eight out of ten either praised or highly praised them, while others casually gave a perfunctory few words before clutching their bought Steamed Bun and lotus leaf wraps and hurrying back—seeing this, not only many Taixue students in the queue, but even ordinary customers showed regretful expressions, only hoping to pull the person back and have them eat on the spot to give a reaction.

But some had originally just come to join the excitement, buying one or two to taste, or taking them as proper breakfast, thinking it was over after eating, yet upon reaching halfway, the more they thought about it the more they savored the aftertaste, unable to resist turning back to rejoin the queue, lining up at the very end.

These several long queues originally only reached the middle of the alley, growing longer and longer as they lined up, until those coming behind could only trail out to the alley entrance.

And the more people bought, the more acquaintances they met on the road, inevitably being asked; after a round of answers, Song Ji's reputation was firmly tied to the Taixue Steamed Bun, almost growing wings and spreading through the streets and alleys of Jingcheng.

Seeing such a scene, everyone in the food shop, high and low, knew that although they had bought many ingredients today, they absolutely could not last until noon.

Cheng Erniang hastily arranged for people, while the time was still early, to quickly go buy more meat and vegetables, and also pre-ordered fresh meat from Shentu Hu for the afternoon to make grilled meat—the morning furnace had not stopped even once, yet even so, they often couldn't roast enough.

That day, the queue for buying Steamed Bun in Suanzao Alley almost never shortened; at its worst, it even stood on the main channel.

Cheng Erniang feared causing trouble and originally wanted to ask people to find the Patrol Soldiers, but Xu Niangzi said that even if the Patrol Soldiers came, they couldn't watch constantly, so she simply sent people to call some dart masters from the dart bureau to come maintain order.

Everyone was experienced; finally, by having those queuing line up into a fallen "bow" shape, counting numbers, and stipulating that no one could join after a certain position, they barely saved space without affecting the flow of people on the main channel.

When business at Song Ji's door was booming, Song Miao, though unable to watch and guard it, had fortunately bought several times the ingredients in the morning, and everything else had been arranged properly; as long as Cheng Erniang followed the established ways, she need not fear any trouble, let alone that after several months she could already handle things independently.

She sat in the carriage, glancing at the scenery outside several times along the way, finally reaching Yu Jie, entering the palace gate, and following a eunuch through layer upon layer of palace gates.

Only after the eunuch had examined the token three times did he take Song Miao to the outside of Ciming Palace.

After waiting only a few breaths, a palace servant came out from inside and took Song Miao in.

Upon entering, she naturally performed a salute first.

After Song Miao performed the salute and asked after her well-being, she heard the person opposite say: "Quickly, rise!"

She slightly raised her head, and with the corner of her eye indeed saw an old woman opposite, well-maintained and with a good complexion, wearing a Dragon Phoenix Crown on her head and also inserting a Pearl Hairpin, dressed in a Long Skirt and Jacket; at a glance one could tell she was the Empress Dowager.

Soon a palace servant came to arrange a seat and served tea.

Song Miao did not dare to lift her eyes, and could only look at people with the corner of her eye, while the person opposite examined her with all their might.

Empress Dowager Yang did not have the slightest intention of making things difficult; on the contrary, even before seeing Song Miao, she had already heard many stories about this Song Xiaoniangzi from Xin Feng, with an extremely good impression, and at this moment, in the booklet held by her trusted palace servant, Song Miao's name was also there, as a reminder for her.

It was just that she had presided over court from behind a curtain for a long time and was accustomed to seeing strangers, male or female, first looking at their face once.

When Empress Dowager Yang looked at a face, she naturally did not just look at appearance, but also at temperament, bearing, and conduct.

They say appearance arises from the heart; this saying is not entirely accurate, but it does have some basis.

Song Miao's appearance needs no further mention; besides being proper in bearing and neither arrogant nor humble, she also carried an affable temperament, and when speaking and interacting with people, the feeling she gave was simply the two words "comfort."

Through Xin Feng's account, and with Zhao Yu's supplement, the Song Miao in Empress Dowager Yang's heart was an image of intelligence, capability, and meticulousness, and she already liked her very much; now seeing the real person, in addition to those many abilities, she also had such a good personality, making her even happier.

She said: "This old body has long heard of the young lady's deeds in Huai Prefecture; in two major cases, you contributed greatly, and the food for the Huai Prefecture riverway was also made so good thanks to the work teams you led. Last time, when the Imperial City Office reported to His Majesty, the laborers from Huai Prefecture who went to Liu Ta He still kept thinking of you!"

"Your Highness flatters me; the cases relied entirely on the unity of the Capital Prefecture Office from top to bottom, and Censor Xin's painstaking and persistent investigation. This young girl merely happened to have the opportunity and gained a clue or two—but fundamentally, if not for the Emperor's sagacity and the Empress Dowager's wise and virtuous rule, how could the office be at ease to devote itself to solving cases?"

Although what she said were the usual flattering clichés, because her identity was special—neither rich nor noble, but truly of common market origin—and at this moment she wore plain, ordinary clothes, with only a wooden hairpin and no miscellaneous ornaments, this all the more showed her refined and simple temperament. Her response was so fluent and serious that it instead made Empress Dowager Yang feel the sincerity and credibility were even higher.

Empress Dowager Yang smiled and praised a few more words, saying: "This old body knows that the young lady's family has encountered one thing after another, and it is entirely through your hard work and skill that you have carved out a path. His Majesty previously said that the world should know that regardless of male or female, old or young, as long as there is merit, the Court will not slight them. It is a pity that your two cases here involve too broad a scope, and also for the sake of protection, it is not appropriate to give you too many public rewards. Today, this old body summoning you into the palace is merely borrowing another pretext, and it is no problem."

She paused and asked: "You have repeatedly earned merit, which cannot be erased in one stroke. Since His Majesty is not here today, this old body will step forward—do you still owe others money? I will bestow some gold to pay off your debts for you. How about it?"

Song Miao hurriedly expressed her thanks, but shook her head and said: "Your Highness's great kindness and virtue, but please forgive this young girl for being unable to accept."

Empress Dowager Yang was somewhat surprised and asked: "What is this? Why can you not accept?"

Song Miao said: "His Majesty sent Steamed Bun to the Empress Dowager as an act of filial piety. This young girl makes a living by her skill; when supplying Steamed Bun to Taixue, payment was made and the transaction was complete. Your Highness bestowing gold and a residence on Censor Xin is for his service to the country and people, his wholehearted dedication to public duty; when the world hears of it, it can serve as encouragement. But if today gold is also bestowed on this young girl just for a few Steamed Bun, and it spreads among the common people, everyone will think that by currying favor and indulging in gluttony, one can gain without labor—which is not a good thing for the country and the Court."

Empress Dowager Yang was accustomed to being known for her discernment. Hearing these words from Song Miao, although she was refused, she did not take offense, but rather appreciated it greatly, and only said: "Young lady, with such discernment, I am ashamed; it instead makes this old body seem rather hasty!"

She continued: "Originally I wanted to ask you when you would be convenient to come into the palace again, but unfortunately yesterday I ate the Gold Sand Buns and Pickled Leg Flaky Steamed Bun you made. When I woke up this morning, I kept thinking of them in my heart, and couldn't help but send someone to invite you. Hearing that these two kinds of Steamed Bun are even better when made fresh, right now, it instead makes this old body..."

Speaking to this point, she paused for a moment.

Song Miao hurriedly said: "If this young girl can make Steamed Bun for Your Highness, and it spreads abroad, I don't know how much benefit that would be! In this way, it can already be considered a great reward! Compared to bestowing gold, it is more suitable and more precious!"

Empress Dowager Yang laughed heartily and was about to speak, when a eunuch hurriedly entered the hall from outside, his complexion somewhat unpleasant, and replied: "Your Highness, His Majesty originally sent someone to say he would come over after noon to dine with Your Highness, but the Silver Platform Department suddenly sent a memorial—something has come up, and he cannot come for the time being."