Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

The Kitchen is next to the east wall of the East Palace, to the west is the Courtyard for Officials, and not far to the north is the Yichun Gate, which is the east gate leading from the front hall to the back hall.

Therefore, it was a suitable position for Zhang Zhu to enter the back hall from here.

Wang Xifeng followed Changying into the front hall from the Yi Qiu Gate, then walked eastward along the palace wall, carefully looking at the buildings along the way.

When he saw the back of Guangtian Hall, he saw two young eunuchs standing at the foot of the wall. As they were basking in the sun and feeling sleepy, he suddenly remembered the person Qiaogui had contacted.

I guess, the person who bribed Qiaogui these days can't stand it anymore?

In the kitchen, the chef Li Dashao had a gloomy and unhappy look on his face.

He racked his brains to prepare the meal, and the prince didn't say he didn't want to eat it, but because of a word from that little bastard Qinghai, he could only wait for the little girl who could only observe mourning and eat vegetarian food to prepare the menu!

He wanted to see what kind of trouble that yellow-haired girl could make without the help of the people in the kitchen!

What's the point of being able to make a menu? She should cook it herself!

He was smoking his pipe in a sullen mood when a young eunuch suddenly ran in from outside, panting and ordering him, "Li Dianshan, tell all the men in the kitchen to leave! Wang Chenghui is here to look for you!"

Li Dashao was suddenly furious!

It turns out that not only does he want to dictate the menu, he also plans to come to the kitchen to teach him how to cook!

Li Dashao knocked his pipe hard on the ground, sneered, and said in a thunderous voice: "I'm the first outsider in the kitchen, so what? I'm leaving?!"

The young eunuch froze.

Yup!

How can this be good?!

There has never been a precedent where the women from the back palace would go to the front palace to ask about the meals in person!

He was scratching his head and sweating anxiously when Wang Xifeng strode in: "It's just a discussion of a menu, why are you being so pretentious!?"

Upon hearing this sharp and bold voice, Li Dashao's depression was relieved a little.

When I stood up and looked up, I saw a young girl wearing neat men's clothing. Her hair was tied like a man's, neat and tidy. Except for the veil on her face, she looked like a capable person.

"Are you the chef Li Dashao?" Wang Xifeng looked at him.

Li Dashao then realized that his previous daze was rude, and he felt even more confused. He knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings to Cheng Hui."

"Forget it. Since it's for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's dinner, there's no time to waste. I'll go into the kitchen and take a look. Can the chef tell me what the forbidden ingredients are given by the imperial physician?"

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she strode into the kitchen.

Xia Shouzhong had already pulled Changying in ahead of her, and with a wave of his hand, he drove out the vegetable washers and the waiters from the back door, leaving only Li Dashao.

Food ingredients are limited in winter. Although the Imperial Household Department has greenhouses and grows some vegetables, they are precious after all and the supply is very limited.

When Wang Xifeng walked in, she saw that on the shelves, chopping boards, and sinks, 70% were meat, 20% were pickled vegetables, and only 10% were fresh vegetables, most of which were radishes and cabbages.

With just one glance, Wang Xifeng had a rough guess as to why the prince felt tired.

He then asked for the imperial physician's recommended food menu and dietary restrictions for today, and nodded in understanding.

I asked Li Dashao for the dinner menu: "What did you plan to cook today?"

Sure enough, there was another string of meat and two side dishes. Li Dashao said confidently: "Since you are tired, your body must be weak. How can you not replenish it?"

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes and said, "You are right! This is because Your Highness is frugal, so Li Dian can only use these ordinary meats. This is why Your Highness can eat a lot."

Yin asked kindly, "Why not try making some sea cucumbers, abalone and other seafood?"

Li Dashao heard this and scratched the back of his head helplessly: "There are some dry ones. It's just too late to send them out now. There are four sea cucumbers and a handful of scallops. They are for the Crown Princess to cook for the young prince."

"That's enough." Wang Xifeng said with a smile, "Make some thick porridge!

"My family used to have a chef from Guangzhou. He made seafood porridge with sea cucumber, dried scallops, and dried shrimp, and shredded ginger to remove the fishy smell. It tasted so delicious that it would make you fall head over heels!"

Li Dashao's eyes lit up: "That makes sense!"

It saves trouble! The same porridge can be used as both a dish and a staple food, and it can also provide for three masters on both sides!

"In fact, if you eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer, you don't need a doctor's prescription. Radishes are good, but there are few ways to eat them. If people eat them every day, they will get tired of it."

Wang Xifeng deliberately took a big radish and weighed it in her hand.

"That's true! The imperial physician also told His Highness to eat more radishes. In this cold weather, only stewed meat soups are good to eat, but they are greasy."

Li Dashao sighed, "We can't just cook a plate of minced meat and a big pot of shredded radish like the people out there, right?"

Wang Xifeng immediately acted bewildered: "Why is it cold? It's so warm in Cheng'en Hall that I sweat as soon as I enter. Lizheng Hall is okay, but there are two or three charcoal basins around His Highness, and there is a fire wall burning in that hall.

"I understand! Li Dianshan, you are still not cruel enough!

"If it were me, I would let them eat the way the common people outside eat! Anyway, there are so many servants to continue eating if they can't finish it!

"——I love to eat it that way! If there's any minced meat and shredded radish left tomorrow, please send me a big bowl!

"And there is——"

Wang Xifeng smiled wickedly and picked up a radish flower from the bowl beside the table: "This is for your apprentice to practice knife skills, right?"

Li Dashao was stunned: "Yes."

"How delicious! Pick the crispy and sweet ones, carve a big bowl of them, pour some osmanthus honey or rose jam on them, and I guarantee that no matter whether it's the prince or the young prince, they will finish a bowl!

"Eating this raw and crispy radish in front of a dry charcoal basin, wow, just thinking about it makes me drool!" Wang Xifeng shook her head and took the purple-red radish flower with her slender jade fingers, which made it look like a red plum blossom in the snow!

Li Dashao's eyes lit up: "Yes! Yes! Absolutely!"

Radishes can be carved, and so can cabbages!

As long as you can coax the masters to eat it, it doesn’t matter how it is cooked, as long as it looks good and tastes good, they will definitely eat it!

Wang Xifeng winked at him quickly: "Li Dianshan should prepare a bowl of radish flowers for dinner tonight? We and He Ke have not eaten much vegetables recently. Can we also have a bowl for our princess?"

Li Dashao immediately understood: "With so much seafood, there won't be a shortage of porridge. How about sending a bowl to the princess to try?"

"Excellent! Excellent! Thank you, Li Dianshan!" Wang Xifeng clapped her hands happily.

Therefore, this was not about changing the dinner menu for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, this was clearly about finding delicious food for herself and the little princess - where could the small kitchen in Yi Qiu Palace find so many high-quality dried seafood?

Since he was not here to steal the limelight or seize power, Li Dashao instantly understood the greedy man's thoughts and no longer resisted. The two of them exchanged glances and understood each other.

However, in front of a group of "outsiders", the regular task must be done first.

So, holding the menu that had been prepared long ago, the two of them discussed and revised it seriously, and finally decided on two kinds of porridge, two kinds of dim sum, two cold dishes, two hot dishes, and a soup as dinner for Lizheng Hall and Cheng'en Hall.

Among them, a bowl of porridge, a dessert, a cold dish and a hot dish will also be sent to the East Hall of Yi Qiu Palace for the princess to "try".