in2ebook Chapter 171 A Carload of Goods
Chapter 171 A Carload of Goods
The Reunion Festival had barely passed when the rich aroma of harvest filled the land of Azure Kingdom. The fields were a sea of gold, the heavy ears of rice bending the stalks, and the fruit trees covering the hillsides were laden with fruit, a sight that brought joy to all. For the people of Azure Kingdom, the annual autumn harvest season had finally arrived!
At this very moment, in the Zhenguo Duke's mansion and the estate belonging to Su Nuannuan, people were busily harvesting corn. The golden corn cobs shimmered brightly under the warm autumn sun.
Su Nuannuan stood in the courtyard of her residence, Cuiwei Palace, gazing in the direction of the manor, her heart filled with longing.
This year, the Empress Dowager did not go to the imperial palace for rest as usual, so Su Nuannuan should have had ample opportunity to leave the palace and visit the estate. However, after racking her brains for a long time, she still couldn't find a suitable excuse to leave the palace legitimately. Helpless, she had to abandon the idea.
Fortunately, the corn stalks planted in the courtyard of Cuiwei Palace were ready for harvest! When Li Quan carefully presented a few freshly picked ears of corn to Su Nuannuan, she immediately perked up. She took the ears with both hands, first gently weighing them in her hands, nodding with satisfaction: "Hmm, the weight is not bad!" Then, she used her fingers to carefully examine a few kernels. These kernels were plump and round, with an enticing golden color. Although the quality wasn't as good as in her previous life, it was still acceptable.
Su Nuannuan smiled happily and then instructed, "Li Quan, take these corns and put them in the sun to dry thoroughly. Once they're completely dry, we'll thresh them. Oh, and remember to prepare a small stone mill for grinding flour later."
Li Quan understood immediately and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will take care of it right away." After saying that, he respectfully picked up the corn cobs, turned around and left, finding a spacious, sunny spot to begin drying them.
Afterwards, he rushed to the Imperial Household Department and, after much trouble, managed to obtain a small and exquisite stone mill, which he then brought back to Cuiwei Palace and handed over to Su Nuannuan.
"Your Highness, should we continue drying these vegetables?" Yaoqin asked softly as she walked into the house carrying a small, exquisite bamboo basket filled with tender, slender green beans.
Su Nuannuan, who was playing with her two children, looked up, smiled and nodded: "Of course we should continue. If we don't take advantage of this time to dry more vegetables, we won't be able to enjoy leafy greens in winter."
Upon receiving the reply, Yaoqin's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she cheerfully responded, "Alright! Then this servant will go and dry all these green beans right away." With that, she turned around and took light steps, happily carrying the basket of green beans towards the outside of the house, ready to begin the busy work of drying vegetables.
Recalling this past summer, the palace servants who remained in the palace had already dried a batch of vegetables, but due to the large quantity needed and the long winter, the drying process still needs to be continued. In this way, even in the freezing cold of winter when everything is withered, everyone can still enjoy some delicious dishes with a touch of summer flavor.
When the Emperor received the news that Su Nuannuan had started drying vegetables again, he smiled and said to Li Desheng, "Why does my Consort Zhuang like drying vegetables so much?"
"Your Majesty, this is the only little hobby of Consort Zhuang."
"Other concubines liked jewelry, fine clothes and rouge, but her tastes were different."
Go to the Imperial Household Department and have them collect some dried vegetables, any kind, and send them to Consort Zhuang.
"Yes, this servant will take care of it immediately." After bowing and leaving, Li Desheng called his apprentice Xiao Yuanzi over to serve the emperor, while he went to the Imperial Household Department.
To be honest, Chief Steward Qin of the Imperial Household Department had already made all the preparations and was just waiting for the Emperor's decree!
From the moment the dried vegetables began to be dried in the Cuiwei Palace during the sweltering summer, Chief Steward Qin set about collecting all sorts of dried vegetables. This included not only dried leafy greens, but also a large quantity of dried seafood!
It should be noted that although there were some dried seafood products in previous years, the quantity was really limited.
After all, a portion must be set aside for the imperial kitchen and for the masters of the palaces who have their own small kitchens, right?
However, things are different now. This year, Chief Steward Qin specially prepared a whole carriage full of various dried goods for Consort Zhuang, Su Nuannuan.
Let's see what they have! Besides the usual vegetables and seafood, there are all kinds of meats! There's fragrant ham, tempting smoked meat, uniquely flavored cured meat, savory cured chicken and duck, and even glossy red sausages!
Sure enough, when Chief Steward Qin received the Emperor's decree, he immediately ordered everyone to load these precious items onto carts and send them to Cuiwei Palace.
"Master Steward, are all these things going to Consort Zhuang?" A young eunuch asked in surprise, looking at the mountain of items piled up on the carriage.
With a smile on his face, Chief Eunuch Qin watched the young eunuchs who were still loading goods onto the carriage and replied cheerfully, "Indeed! Our Consort Zhuang is quite different from the other concubines. She has no interest in gold and silver jewels, nor in fine clothes and cosmetics. Instead, she is fond of these unique dried goods. She is truly a person of extraordinary character!"
After all the items were loaded, Steward Qin was still somewhat uneasy. He was worried that something might go wrong along the way, causing the precious dried goods to be damaged or lost.
Therefore, after a brief moment of consideration, Chief Steward Qin finally decided to personally escort the carriage loaded with dried goods to Cuiwei Palace.
When they finally arrived at Cuiwei Palace, the scene before them astonished everyone. Inside, numerous palace servants were busily engaged in their tasks, all drenched in sweat but full of energy.
It turned out that these palace servants were busy drying all sorts of vegetables! The scene was quite lively.
Just then, Jinse rushed over to report to Consort Zhuang: "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Qin from the Imperial Household Department has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. Then, she gestured to the two nannies beside her to take her two children to play aside so as not to interfere with her upcoming conversation with Steward Qin.
Before long, Chief Steward Qin strode up to Consort Zhuang, bowed respectfully, and said with a smile, "This servant, Qin Huai, Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department, greets Consort Zhuang." Consort Zhuang smiled slightly and asked softly, "Chief Steward Qin, what brings you here today?"
Chief Steward Qin quickly replied, "Your Majesty, it was His Majesty who specifically instructed me to deliver a cartload of dried goods to Your Majesty."