Zhang Shangyi was right.

After Hao ordered the imperial kitchen ladies to take the meat of the mackerel and cook fish soup for Liu Jieyu, the people at the imperial restaurant did throw the remaining mackerel in the open-air courtyard.

At that time, Yao Huan stupidly asked if these mackerel were so fresh, could they continue to cook other dishes.

Immediately, a little cook took her words and said: "Yao Niangzi really doesn't know the rules of the palace, the ingredients used by a lady must not be used in the palace next to her, let alone teach us to eat, so after the palace is closed tomorrow, the people of the fish shop will take it away." ”

But at this moment, Yao Huan did not recklessly immediately pick up Zhang Shangyi's words.

It sounds like Zhang Shangyi is very dismissive of some behaviors, but is she really distressed and wasteful, or is it because she has some holiday with Hao Sui?

Moreover, the question that Yao Huan had as early as when he was in the West Garden Elegant Gathering also came up.

She vaguely remembered that in the historical materials, it was mentioned that Zeng Bu had an adopted daughter, Zhang, who was a female official with a very high grade in the inner court.

Moreover, Ye Shi also added a peachy stroke, saying that the difference between Zhang and Zeng Bu was thirty years old, but they became Zeng Bu's lover.

Now it seems that the age and age are matched, but the Zhang family in front of him, but the person in the historical data?

That day in the West Garden, I couldn't see any difference between Zeng Wei and this Zhang family.

Well, no, I'm so stupid.

Yao Huan whispered to himself.

If this Zhang family is really the eyes and ears that Zeng Bu sent to the palace, how could she show her familiarity with the children of the Zeng family in public.

I only heard Zhang Shangyi sigh, looked sideways at Yao Huan, and asked, "How is this tea?" ”

Yao Huan believes that in front of the big secretary of Zhongnanhai in this old Jianghu, don't pretend to do anything.

What's more, she doesn't even pretend to be like it.

Then he replied honestly: "Shang Yi, I'...... I don't know how to taste tea. ”

Zhang Shangyi's eyes flashed with a different color, put down the teacup, stared at Yao Huan for a moment, and said softly: "What you said reminds me of myself fifteen years ago." Yao Niangzi, at that time, I lived in Haizhou, my uncle's family had relatives who were in the tea business, and my cousin often sent tea cakes to me, fried them with me, and asked me how I was, and I replied to him like you. ”

She stood up, walked to the door, and sniffed a few times, as if enjoying the scent of osmanthus in the evening breeze.

"If his family hadn't lost their business capital, and if he hadn't fled north to avoid debts and starved to death in the famine, at this moment, I would probably be drinking tea with him under the osmanthus tree, and I wouldn't have said anything more about not knowing how to taste tea."

Well? What do you mean?

This cousin is Zhang Shangyi's former lover?

I only heard Zhang Shangyi say again: "A urn of wine, drunk for a night, a bucket of rice, ten mouthfuls." How much grain, if not used to make wine, can be stored in the warehouse, and thousands of lives can be saved in the event of famine. It's a good year, fish, sheep, shrimp and crabs, is it just so casually wasted? Look inside and outside Kaifeng City, where are the poor people missing......"

Her volume is naturally not loud, but there is clearly a depressed and helpless atmosphere.

Although Yao Huan was surprised that this person was a little shallow and profound, but after thinking about it, her sweetheart when she was a teenager died of famine, so it seemed that she reacted more violently to the extravagance of the imperial dining house in the palace, and it seemed that it was not strange.

Yao Huan then asked carefully, "Shang Yi is from Haizhou?" ”

Zhang Shangyi nodded: "Yuanfeng came to Kaifeng with his uncle and aunt in the fifth year, and later entered the palace. ”

Yao Huan counted the year and said with emotion, no wonder you have the posture of a captivating city, but you have not become a concubine.

In the last years of Yuanfeng, although Song Shenzong was only in his thirties, he was about to die, and soon his son Zhao Xu ascended the throne, only eight or nine years old.

However, in this way, this Zhang Shangyi seems to have nothing to do with the Zeng Bu family. Because, Zeng Bu's adopted daughter, according to historical records, was the daughter of a local petty official, and after her father's death, she was adopted by Zeng Bu and Mrs. Wei in the local area, and then came to Kaifeng.

Zhang Shangyi was also quietly observing Yao Huan.

From commenting on the affairs in the palace to talking about his own life experience and affairs, after a few rounds of temptation, the Yao family in front of him was not surprised or moved.

Either she doesn't know about my relationship with Zeng Fu at all, or she knows and is pretending to be stupid.

Zhang Shangyi has a godson like Liang Shicheng in Zhao Ji's mansion, and he knew early on that in order to sing the tune of advocating frugality, the Empress Dowager Xiang asked this little folk lady to come to the palace to cook some simple dishes.

But yesterday she went to accompany the Empress Dowager to chant, but heard the Empress Dowager say that this Yao Niangzi has a good character, looks clever, and is the righteous daughter recognized by the Zeng Mansion to the world, and the current famous Li Gefei in the literary world is a witness, and her mother's family is also Shen Kuo's clan, which is suitable to stay in the palace, and she is to stay with Queen Meng to serve.

Zhang Shangyi was surprised.

Then, she was too sensitive to realize, could it be that Zeng Bu had placed another person in?

But this person didn't react to being on the line with him at all.

So, didn't Zeng Bu plan to let her obey my Zhang Yuyan?

Zeng Shuxiang, do you have the idea of treating me as an outcast?

Zhang Shangyi's face was indifferent to see through the impermanence of life, but her heart was gradually filled with suspicion, panic and resentment, burning and burning, as if her entire chest was full of resentment.

There is a way that a suspect steals an axe, and the more Zhang Shangyi looks at Yao Huan, the more she feels that she is not a simple market cook.

……

Yao Huan's first two days in the imperial dining house can be said to be a mutual benefit from the teaching of the kitchen maids and maids.

After the chicken paw is taught, it is impossible for the pig's large intestine to appear in the palace, so teach the specialty dish passed on by the aunt - pork belly glutinous rice cake.

At this time, it is the time when the lotus seeds are newly beaten, so tender that they can pinch out the water, eat them raw and sweet, and cook them with grain and rice, which is even more fragrant and pleasant.

Yao Huan replaced the red dates in the pork belly glutinous rice cake with lotus seeds.

When washing the pork belly, she did not use alum, but used the fur prepared by the palace maid on the first day.

Tear off the white net oil on the outside of the stomach, cut open the belly, and sprinkle a few handfuls of bran on it, instantly covering the mucus in the stinky and whirring stomach.

Yao Huan rubbed back and forth, and waited for the chaff to snowball, and then asked the maids to ask for some sporadic coarse salt that usually washes sheep intestines, and rubbed it again before washing it.

The servants have also been from a bitter family since they were children, and they know that salt is a precious thing, even if they are now slaves to the Son of Heaven's family, seeing that Yao Huan knows not to waste salt, their good impression of her has also increased a little.

Because I saw that the pig's belly was washed, Yuezhou sweet wine was added, and after cooking with the chicken and duck racks, the soup was like milk, and the meat fragrance was unique, which made people seem to be happy when they smelled it.

One of the talkative maidservants praised it from the bottom of his heart: "Where do you usually cook pork in the palace, but I don't know that the things on this pig are so fragrant when cooked." ”