As the chrysanthemum feast approached, the palace maids in the catering division seemed to have crossed the sea and showed their abilities.

In addition to daily farming, everyone is desperately trying to squeeze out time and repeatedly practice their best cooking skills.

The sound of kitchen knives, the sound of boiling pot water, and the sound of hot oil cooking and frying are endless.

Bursts of all kinds of aromas wafted out from the courtyard of the catering department, making the pedestrians in the palace quietly bow their heads and sniff it, and the slightest hint of meat and coriander fragrance inadvertently penetrated into the nostrils, so annoying.

And this noisy sound fell on Min Sishan's heart, just like between the two armies, the drums under the battle flag were fierce, showing to the outside world all the time: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon here, no one can underestimate it.

However, for a few days, the chrysanthemum banquet of the Empress Dowager Xiaokang has not yet begun, and the dark tide between people's hearts is surging, as if it can add fuel to the fire, and all the topics related to the banquet are swaying and swaying to the blue waves in this deep palace, like the water ripples on the surface of Taiye Lake, one by one, slightly rippling around.

When people fold their fingers and calculate the remaining time, they seem to remember that it is August 15 every year, and the Mid-Autumn Festival of eating moon cakes is ushered in in a blink of an eye.

However, in this festival, due to the slight health of the Empress Dowager Xiaokang, Empress Yiren asked Emperor Kangxi for instructions, and the reply was that there would be no banquet during the festival, and everything would be simple.

Therefore, in addition to the busy food department and brewing department, which need to prepare moon cakes and chrysanthemum wine for the festival for the whole palace, the food department and the medicinal food department are as always.

No matter how busy the days are, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also going to be celebrated.

Seeing that everyone is working extremely hard for a while, Min Sishan has announced that all the palace maids are busy with lunch on this day, and everyone can receive a moon cake sent by the food division and enjoy a half-day holiday.

The palace maids were also smiling, discussing where to go to admire the moon together at night, and relaxing their tired body and mind.

At the same time, there was another crucial announcement.

That is, the catering department is scheduled to conduct the tasting and selection of the selected dishes for the chrysanthemum banquet tomorrow, and the adults of the fashion palace will also come to supervise it.

When the palace maids heard this, they couldn't help but smile bitterly from their hearts, this is really a relaxed and tense Mid-Autumn Festival.

Recently, Lianxin's eyes when he looked at Mu Lan were different from before.

At this moment, Mu Lan was concentrating on making the snacks in her hand, and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the lotus core on the side, and looked at herself fixedly, and couldn't help but smile: "Lotus core, don't look at me like this, I feel like a moon cake, do I look delicious?" ”

Lianxin blinked his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and said with a smile on his face: "Hehe, no." ”

Mu Lan was a little puzzled: "What are you thinking?" ”

Lianxin's eyes lit up, and he looked at Mu Lan and said, "Mu Lan, I think you are really amazing." In the past half a month, I have seen that the dishes you make are beautiful and fragrant, not inferior to Xia Qing at all! I've been thinking a long way ago, waiting until tomorrow, your dish will definitely be chosen! ”

When Mu Lan heard this, she couldn't help but smile slightly: "That's not necessarily, but I will definitely do my best tomorrow." ”

Lian Xin looked at Mu Lan and couldn't help but ask softly, "Mu Lan, Xia Qing and Chunhua will definitely participate in the competition tomorrow." If only one of them could win, who would you choose? ”

Mu Lan smiled and asked rhetorically, "If it were you, who would you choose?" ”

Lian Xin almost didn't hesitate to say: "Of course, it's Sister Chunhua." Sister Chunhua doesn't know how many times better than Xia Qingren. ”

Mu Lan looked at the lotus core and shook her head slightly.

Lian Xin was a little surprised and said, "Mu Lan, don't you want Sister Chunhua to win?" ”

Mu Lan's eyes were covered with a layer of deep meaning, looked at Lianxin, and said calmly: "It's not that I don't want Sister Chunhua to win. As far as I'm concerned, the two of them, no matter who wins, must rely on their own true skills. In my opinion, a real game must be based on fairness. If it is mixed with other things, then this event will not be interesting. ”

Lian Xin listened carefully and said thoughtfully: "Mu Lan, maybe what you said is right, but I still hope you can win......"

Mu Lan smiled noncommittally, picked up a few pieces of each of the eight treasures of dim sum that had just been made, wrapped them into two lotus leaf balls, and put them into a round food box that she usually uses, and smiled at the lotus core: "I'll go and send some snacks to the Queen Mother, and you can eat the rest." ”

Lianxin saw a plate of Bazhen pastries, and nodded happily: "Okay." You go early and come back early, let's go to the moon together in the evening! ”

Mu Lan smiled and nodded, walked out of the house with the food box, and walked all the way west towards the Cining Palace where the Queen Mother was located.

After walking for half an hour, I stayed at the gate of Cining Palace, and when I saw Mama Cao in gray, I realized that the Empress Dowager Xiaokang did not get enough sleep last night and was closed today.

Mu Lan took out a lotus leaf bag and handed it to Mama Cao, and Mama Tuo brought the words and left.

At this time, it is not easy to go out to the catering department, and she is not just here to visit the Queen Mother alone.

There is also a place that must be visited.

At the gate of the eunuch office of the Internal Affairs Bureau, two little eunuchs were on duty at the door.

From a distance, I saw a palace maid with a delicate face, holding a food box and walking close with a smile.

The person who came was Mu Lan who folded from the Cining Palace Trail to here.

"Hello two fathers-in-law." Mu Lan gave a salute and said with a smile: "Can you ask the two fathers-in-law about something?" ”

One of the eunuchs, led by the leader, was curious: "Which government are you from?" What do you want to inquire about? ”

"Back to this father-in-law, I am the catering director, and I just came back from Cining Palace to send snacks to the queen mother."

Mu Lan quickly glanced at the expressions of the two eunuchs in front of her as she spoke, took out another Bazhen Cake Lotus Leaf Round with residual warmth from the food box, handed it to the eunuch who was questioning, and said with a smile: "Father-in-law, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we made some Bazhen cakes in the dining room." One has just been sent to the Queen Mother, and there is one left, specially given to the two fathers-in-law for tasting, a little heart, and please ask the father-in-law to smile. ”

When the eunuch led by the leader heard the words "Eight Treasures Cake", his eyes couldn't help but light up.

"Bazhen Cake" is usually used by the masters above the concubines in the palace, which is not a food that ordinary people can eat.

Although I was really moved, after all, I was well-informed, so I had to ask this little palace maid first what she wanted to inquire.

If you eat other people's cakes but can't answer their questions, wouldn't it be a very shameless thing.

Therefore, the eunuch in front of him did not stretch out his hand to take it, but said with a slight face: "Tell me first, what do you want to inquire about?" ”

Mu Lan smiled and said, "Father-in-law, what I want to inquire about is actually not a big deal. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, I have just entered the palace not long ago, and I miss my mother far away from home. Recalling that when I was not in the palace, my mother carefully cultivated a lot of fragrant jasmine. Now, I haven't smelled the flowers in a long time. ”

"I've heard others say before that there is a lady in this palace who is the best at raising this kind of jasmine, so I want to ask the two fathers-in-law which one is raising it. When there is a chance to deliver food in the future, I beg my mother to help me cut a small branch, and I will take it back and plug it to see if I can feed it, so as to relieve the pain of missing my mother. ”

The eunuch at the head listened to Mu Lan's plea, and was a little moved in his heart, but he was still a little hesitant.

Seeing this, Mu Lan stepped forward, put the warm lotus leaf eight treasures cake in his hand, and gently stuffed it into the hand of the eunuch led by him, and said sincerely: "Please also ask my father-in-law to smile and help me with this." ”

The eunuch looked at the lotus leaf round that was stuffed into his hand and bulging, and he was also a little moved for a while, his eyes flashed, and he whispered to Mu Lan: "Then thank you little sister." To tell you the truth, for the sake of the fact that you have just entered the palace, I dare to tell you the truth. The jasmine you just talked about is now only raised by the master of Yonghe Palace, and there is no second one in the entire harem. But as long as you can listen to my brother's advice, don't think about what jasmine to raise in this palace, do the work in your hands steadfastly, and save more money to send back to your hometown to honor your old mother! ”

Mu Lan's clear eyes lit up, and the whole person seemed to be shocked, and he saluted the eunuch headed by him, and said, "Thank you father-in-law for your advice!" ”