After Changchun got married, Shangguan Wan became the eldest female official of Weiyang Palace, accompanying the empress every day, relying on her ingenuity, but it was no less than the favor that Changchun received when she was there.

Approaching the Dragon Boat Festival, a family banquet will be held in the palace, and the princes and nobles and respected ministers will be entertained.

Shangguan Wan was combing the empress's hair, and the empress looked at Shangguan Wan in the mirror and said: "Wan'er, before Changchun got married, you asked me for a will to do it in the imperial garden, but it spread in the palace, and they all said that you have a clever mind, and you can also organize this Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet."

Shangguan Wan stopped what she was doing, knelt down and said, "The slave maid is short-sighted, I'm afraid that such a big banquet will not be able to be managed."

The empress picked up a pearl-style hairpin in her hand, inserted it into her hair bun and said to herself: "Don't shirk it, I will order the six bureaus and twenty-four divisions in the palace to cooperate with you, this year is the same, I am tired of watching, it is better for you to handle it this year, so that the ministers can be refreshed."

Shangguan Wan heard the empress say this, and knew that she could no longer shirk it, so she had to kneel down and kowtow and admit: "Yes, the slave and maid will handle it well."

Although Shangguan Wan is now the eldest female official next to the empress, the Shang Palace has been in the palace for many years, and it has long been handy to hold banquets, although it is not a wonderful layout, it is not a wonderful layout, but it will not exceed the rules.

Since the empress wants to be creative, she can only think of more unique ideas.

Qi Xin and Shangguan Wan lived together, and the courtyard was refreshing at night, and Shangguan Wan thought in the courtyard that she should go to the Shanggong Bureau and the Shangshi Bureau tomorrow to discuss with the two Shanggong. Qi Xin sat beside her with a bowl of wine-stuffed balls.

"Young Pavilion Master, the six bureaus and twenty-four divisions, every Lord Shanggong and all the Sizhen Supervisors are not easy to mess with, although you have the will of the empress, but those people are all old and refusing to innovate, I'm afraid it will be difficult to communicate."

Shangguan Wan put down the drawing she had just drawn in her hand: "If I have the trust of the empress, these things must be done to her heart." There are our people in the six bureaus and twenty-four divisions, I just came out of the court, and I have never personally delivered the news, but I learned from the letter of my great-grandfather that there are our people in each palace, and there are also a few Sizhen supervisors in the six bureaus of the harem who are our people. ”

Qi Xin nodded: "I specially asked for a bowl of wine-stuffed balls from the small kitchen, and the young pavilion master can also taste it."

Shangguan Wan leaned next to Qi Xin: "Sister Qi Xin, no one in front of or behind you doesn't need to call me the young pavilion master, just call me Wan'er, if you can't change your mouth in front of others for a while, I'm afraid you will have bad luck."

Qi Xin fed her a mouthful of wine-stuffed balls, and then said sweetly: "Got it, my good Wan'er"

On the second day, Shangguan Wan took the two female envoys, Qi Xin and Qi Qing, to the Shang Food Bureau and the Shang Yi Bureau. Shangguan Wan both took the empress's will, and they all agreed, thinking of some fresh dishes for the Dragon Boat Palace banquet.

It's just that Cui Shangyi of the Shangyi Bureau is a character who doesn't let go of his mouth.

Shangguan Wan only said: "The empress personally ordered this year's Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet to have some new tricks, I know that Cui Shangyi is a person who understands etiquette, and several female officials under him are also everyone's demeanor, this Dragon Boat Festival family banquet is set in the Lancang Pavilion in the imperial garden, there are both flowing water and flowers, and I ask Cui Shangyi to help a lot"

Cui Shangyi was not busy answering and just said: "Since the Shangguan female envoy has the will of the empress, we will definitely obey the dispatch, but if this palace banquet is set up in the imperial garden, it will not show the royal style, although the Lancang Pavilion is quite large, it can't accommodate so many noble ministers." ”

Shangguan Wan smiled: "What Cui Shangyi said is very true, but Cao Huan's father-in-law Cao has already gone to the Shanggong Bureau and asked Liu Shanggong to help arrange the venue, and Cui Shangyi also asked Cui Shangyi to help in this etiquette."

Cui Shangyi didn't speak, but nodded slightly reluctantly.

Coming out of the Shangyi Bureau, Qi Qing then spoke: "That Cui Shangyi was originally a lady of everyone, and she was selected by the first emperor to enter the palace, and she is also expected to be a concubine, but then she somehow entered the Shangyi Bureau. ”

Shangguan Wan nodded: "If that's the case, then this Cui Shangyi is still very interesting."

Qi Qing said loudly that he felt something was wrong and whispered: "Interesting? I think she's a tigress."

Zhen Xin slapped her before she retracted her voice. Stuck out his tongue.

When I returned to Weiyang Palace, I saw Cao Huanzhi also entering the door. Cao Huanzhi saw that he bowed his waist slightly and said, "Can the three female envoys do this thing properly?" ”

Before Shangguan could reply, Qi Qing was impatient: "Li Shangshi is a cheerful person, but Cui Shangyi is a little twisted."

Cao Huanzhi said: "Ouch, the three female envoys must not be angry with the lord who is not easy to mess with, otherwise there may be something wrong with our errand."

Shangguan nodded and then asked: "Gonggong Cao went to Shanggong Bureau, but it went well."

Cao Huanzhi pinched an orchid finger and smiled: "Wan'er, your picture is really wonderful, Liu Shanggong praises your ingenuity, but you still have to discuss with her in person, what kind of fabric and size are used for this decoration venue, you have to negotiate here."

Shangguan saluted: "Thank you Gonggong Cao for walking for us."

In the past few days, Shangguan Wan has been running around in six rounds every day, and the empress rarely sees her.

Cao Huanzhi was waiting, and the empress asked, "What has Wan'er's girl been busy with these days, and I have found that I haven't seen her for several days."

Cao Huanzhi said: "The Shangguan female envoy has been busy arranging the scene of the Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet these days."

The empress took a sip of tea and put down the fold in her hand before saying, "That girl is a person with a seven-trick exquisite heart."

At this time, in the Imperial Garden, the people of the Shanggong Bureau were busy, Shangguan Wan took the drawings and said: "Liu Shanggong, our arrangement this time can be regarded as a makeover of the entire Imperial Garden, although it can lead a stream of water from this pond into this Lancang Pavilion, and also let us put food in this river and float to each guest's seat, the water attracted from the inside of this Lancang Pavilion, paved with pebbles below, and then brought in a few koi fish, it can be regarded as adding some joy"

Liu Shanggong nodded: "Just do what the female envoy said, your mind is ingenious, exactly the same as your mother." ”

Shangguan Wan's eyes widened: "You, you know my mother"

Liu Shanggong said: "Now I also have to call the female envoy a young pavilion master in private."

Shangguan Wan was taken aback.

Liu Shanggong saw that there were a lot of people in the palace around him, and he just lowered his voice: "Don't be surprised, now I haven't worked for the cabinet for a long time, I just got the news of Yangzhou some time ago, I heard that you also placed Mama Chang outside the palace, the young pavilion master is so resourceful"

Shangguan Wan: "Liu Shanggong praised it falsely, Mama Chang has been in the court for many years, I really can't bear her to be affected in the palace, although she is a discipline grandmother, in the end she is not as good as other places in the court." ”

Liu Shanggong nodded, and the palace people came to ask how to set up a roof outside the Lancang Pavilion, and the two stopped talking.

Shangguan Wan went to the garden and stayed in the air of the imperial garden with the measured red silk cloth and the palace people, fortunately, there were no towering trees around the Lancang Pavilion, they were all flowers and roots. After the erection, the palace people began to marvel.

After the sun shines, there are many unique patterns in the center of the red silk cloth, there are animals, patterns, famous mountains and rivers, and passers-by, just like a unique pattern.

Qi Qing rushed over and asked, "Wan'er, how did you do this?" ”

In front of all the palace people, Wan'er said: "The red silk cloth and the oil cloth, Liu Shanggong and I used two layers, because I don't know what the weather is like on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, this banquet is selected in the open air of the imperial garden, the weather is unpredictable, but it will ruin this palace banquet." The tarpaulin can shelter the rain, and if the sun and moon stars are sparse and the weather is sunny and it looks bulky, I cut some patterns and put them between the two layers of cloth, the silk and the tarpaulin are already transparent, and when the light comes in, it naturally looks unique."

Everyone nodded their heads.

Although Cui Shangyi was unhappy, she couldn't find any mistakes or omissions in the layout of the venue, so she had to order the people from the Shangyi Bureau to familiarize herself with the venue.

A few days later, the Dragon Boat Festival Palace feast.

The breeze is light, the sky is full of stars, the ministers enter the imperial garden, but their eyes are bright, Shangguan Wanzhi palace people will be hanging in the red silk shed of the palace lamp to light up, the pattern of the roof of the shed, is to make many noble ministers stop to watch.

Entering the pavilion, a small river with a unique path is zigzag in the pavilion, there are a few koi swimming in the river, the lotus lantern is placed on each seat, the fragrance that comes to the face, everyone is surprised to realize that this is the real flower to fix the candle with silk thread.

The empress sat down, and everyone saluted.

Shangguan Wan asked, "Your Majesty, can you prepare a banquet now?" ”

The empress agreed, and Shangguan ordered the palace people to put the prepared meals into a wooden plate and float through the small river in the pavilion, and the palace maids beside the noble minister held up the wooden plate from the river. Everyone had never seen this way of eating, but they were amazed.

The empress asked Shangguan Wan beside her: "You girl is a ghost."

Shangguan Wan smiled: "Your Majesty praised it falsely"

When all the dishes were ready, the empress spoke: "Now at the Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet, all the people sitting are relatives and noble ministers, so there is no need to be polite."

When the ministers looked at the dishes, they realized that many of them had never been seen before.

The empress smiled: "This Dragon Boat Festival Palace banquet is the will of the female envoy next to me, but it is a little ingenious, these new dishes, if they are not with the appetite, the Qing family should not be surprised, Wan'er, you will introduce to everyone, what is the name of the new dishes on this banquet." ”

Shangguan Wan saluted slightly and said: "This palace banquet is only due to the cooperation of the slave maid and the adults of the six palaces and twenty-four divisions, if the new dish is also Li Shangshi, Lord Li has the most credit." I just put forward some ideas, if I make it, I have to go to Li Shangshi's craftsmanship. ”

Several adults in the Sixth Palace and Twenty-Four Divisions looked at Shangguan Wan with satisfaction, and they were quite satisfied that she did not take the credit alone, but Cui Shangyi still looked disdainful.

Shangguan Wan continued: "The Dragon Boat Palace banquet was originally a family banquet for His Majesty and the ministers and nobles, and the new dishes were also made with the appropriate ingredients. The Dragon Boat Festival is the summer fire, the lotus leaf chicken soup on the table uses fresh lotus leaves and pheasant, the pheasant is carefully cleaned and massaged with the dew collected in the morning and a little salt before entering the soup cup, so that the meat becomes more tender. And although it is a bland soup, there is a hole in the belly of the pheasant, which contains shredded radish and fungus and white fungus in the cool summer fire, and the taste is endless. And in the small dish next to this soup, there is rice noodles made of rice, and it is also delicious when dipped in the chicken broth. As for other dishes wrapped in lotus leaves, they are either fried or dregated, and then wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed, sprinkled with spice soup. It is not only delicious, but also refreshing and hot, which is the most suitable. In addition to the common glutinous rice, the zongzi also added grains, which are sweet in taste, symbolizing our dynasty, abundant grains, and smooth wind and rain. ”

The empress nodded with satisfaction: "Then what new tricks do you have for this banquet performance?"

Shangguan Wan bowed slightly: "Your Majesty wants to watch the show now?" ”

The empress smiled: "Your girl's thoughts, but I can't wait, while eating and watching, isn't it beautiful" The ministers below are also in line.

Shangguan Wan just clapped her hands, the lights in the pavilion dimmed, and everyone was noisy, but she looked at the palace maid in the pavilion holding fireworks, the fireworks burned out, the lights gradually brightened, and a woman dressed in a dance dress spiraled down from the air along a rope, and there was gold leaf sprinkled in the air, which looked beautiful.

The graceful dance posture danced, and when the dance was over, I realized that the woman was Qi Xin next to the empress.

The empress laughed: "Yes, yes, this novelty is something I have never seen before, in terms of meritorious deeds, six bureaus and twenty-four divisions must be discussed." ”

The banquet ended, and the Empress rejoiced.

It's just that the two princes in the hall just stared at Shangguan Wan, and Shangguan Wan glanced at him, so he looked away.

The corners of her mouth smiled slightly, this girl was extremely interesting.

On the seat, another young man looked at Shangguan Wan and didn't say a word. Until the little guy next to him said, "Young master, the seat is gone, and we should go back to the house." He came to his senses.