Qing Dynasty: I Rely on Games To Fight For Favor - Chapter 151
Called Xiu and An to discuss the affairs of the palace together in the afternoon, Xia Mian still has one thing to do, and that is to send her to Sister Jane. Mother Jian was leaving Jingren Palace, but the mountains did not turn around. She was in the Qianqing Palace, and she was still the confidant of the big boss, and she might be useful to her in the future.
What’s more, Xia Mian really thanked her for doing these things for her these days.
So she specially set up a banquet to send her to Madam Jane.
Mother Jane was moved, and she even said she didn’t dare, she is a slave, how could she be worthy of the Concubine Empress.
Xia Mian didn’t hold her back in the end, but what she wanted to express was already here.
She also prepared many gifts for Mother Jane. After the two spoke for a while, Mother Jane took a nostalgic look at Jingren Palace and turned to leave.
These things happened in the palace recently, and with the training of Mother Jian, she had guessed that it was time for her to leave.
This actually doesn’t matter to her.
However, Baofei treated her this way, and the relaxing days she spent in Jingren Palace during this period are worth remembering.
Xia Mian breathed a sigh of relief as she sent her away, still so comfortable.
Wandering around pretty happily, after lunch, she waited for Annie to discuss the palace affairs with him.
Xia Mianxin came into contact with palace affairs. Kangxi saw that she was quite interested in eating, so he gave her palace affairs in this respect, which was regarded as an exercise for her.
Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the most basic requirements of a person. Regarding this aspect, including purchasing, the rules of each palace, the dishes, etc., it is actually quite complicated.
Moreover, it is easy to offend people if it is not done properly. After all, who hasn’t eaten for that point, if they eat well, they are naturally happy, and if they don’t eat well, they must have opinions.
Xia Mian, Anbi, and Xiu got together and discussed what to do for a long time.
Anbi advocates adding some meat dishes to the palaces, so that everyone is sure to recite Xia Mian well, not only can manage palace affairs, but also can buy people’s hearts.
She is wealthy, and of course she doesn’t care about the money.
But she disagrees. She is money skewers and meat dishes. How much? Add half a share for each person, and add it every three days. With so many people in this palace, it is a huge expense in one month. The emperor likes to be frugal, and he may be unpleasant at that time.
She thinks that the dishes should be made more delicate and delicious, mainly chefs, choose some good craftsman, the materials can be saved, but the taste is good, and everyone will not say anything.
This calculation can save a lot of money.
An Bin listened to it, but didn’t say anything, but in his heart there were some people who didn’t look down on him. It’s hard for a clever woman to cook without rice or meat. Even if you carve radishes and cabbage into flowers, who do you like?
Not to mention that cabbage can be made delicious. People who can smell the taste of cabbage have no appetite if there is no broth.
She didn’t look down on Xiu, and Xiu wasn’t satisfied with her. Finally, the two of them had to ask Xia Mian’s opinion.
Xia Mian… In fact, she can’t figure it out. The big boss likes to be frugal, yes, but if you don’t put meat, the food will definitely not be delicious. Especially, the concubines and slaves who were not favored by the palaces were already very bitter. She also came from that time and didn’t want to squeeze them anymore.
Xia Mian took out the account book for the consumption of ingredients in the palace every year, and found that the big boss was the consumption of the big boss, the queen mother, the queen mother and other nobles, which accounted for about 50% of all the proportions. This is shocking enough, they are only a few people, and they account for so much.
And like an ordinary concubine, a noble person, the annual law of pork is only more than 400 catties, which is not big enough for a toe of a bear paw of a big boss, and it is impossible for a big boss to only eat this dish for a meal, right?
Not to mention shad and other fresh goods that need 800 miles to be transported from all over the country, one piece is enough for a palace’s person to eat meat for a year.
She thinks it might be possible to save from here, of course, not the whole province, just quietly, every meal is as rare as the big boss can’t detect the kind, so you can save a lot of money, and then make up for the people below.
Robbing the rich and helping the poor!
An 嫔 was stunned with Xi 嫖嫔. Whoever is in charge of palace affairs would not dare to save money from the emperor. It is not all from the unfavorable concubines and slaves.
Xia Mian glared at them, rejecting wild animals. He should start with the big boss, otherwise he likes frugality. Isn’t Ye Gong good dragon?
You look at me, I look at you, I don’t know how to refute it. However, this kind of frugality is uncomfortable to whoever falls on it.
So go quietly, don’t let the big boss notice.
Xia Mian set the tone, and the rest was easy to handle. The money saved by the emperor was enough to add meat and vegetables to everyone, more than enough.
In addition, Xia Mian has a tricky way. This year is not a bumper harvest of sweet potatoes and corn, and some such dishes should be added to the palace. Sweet potato porridge, corn tortillas, candied sweet potatoes, corn grits, etc., save money and are novel.
This An and Xi are very in favor.
Soon, Xia Mian’s imperial orders were issued. One was to purchase a large amount of sweet potatoes and corn, and to add related dishes. The other was to add meat and vegetables to each person in the palace every three days. Those who violate the rules of favored concubines and slaves are severely punished.
As for saving money from the big boss, of course it is a quiet saving.
Soon, everyone in the palace discovered that there were more novel dishes in the recipe.
Sweet potato porridge, fragrant and sweet, is not inferior to chestnut porridge, but the price is more than half the price. The nobles are tired of chestnut porridge and just drink this sweet potato porridge. It is fresh and refreshing with two corn grits.
There are also crispy sweet potato crisps, baked sweet potato with egg yolk, candied sweet potato, sweet potato **** and other dishes, which are refreshing.
As for the people who are getting colder and colder, roasting two sweet potatoes, warm and sweet, is very happy, not to mention that the Baofei empress has added vegetables, and a meal of oily meat is enough to relieve most of the fatigue. Comfort the body and mind.
Especially those concubines who are not spoiled are extremely happy. In the past, the dining room always detained them, and every meal had soup and water, but now the treasure concubine is in charge of this area, and no one dares anymore. Their living standards have risen sharply.
Kangxi saw the new sweet potatoes and corn dishes added to the palace, and it was also Longyan Joy. Everyone should taste the things that can make the Qing Dynasty prosper.
He himself, after eating these two dishes for two days, saved a lot of money at once, Xia Mian calculated.
The empress dowager and the empress dowager were also curious about these two things, and they tasted them immediately. The cornmeal is finely ground, steamed in the pot, with the sweetness of new corn, eaten by the empress dowager, not inferior to the milk pastry, but save a lot of money than the milk pastry.
The empress dowager likes baked sweet potatoes with egg yolks, which are salty and sweet, which is really good.
In this way, the palace was very satisfied with the food from top to bottom, and at the end of the month, he saved 30% of the silver compared to the original, which is 3,400 taels, which is enough for a second-rank senior to pay ten years of salary.
Kangxi also took a look at Xia Mian’s account. Seeing this number, he was very shocked. How did Xia Mian do it?
For this reason, he carefully studied the account book, and adding corn and sweet potato dishes can save a lot of money, but the palace people added meat dishes… Later, he discovered a little secret of Xia Mian, she was saving money from him!
Kangxi felt so angry and funny, but he also discovered for the first time that he used so much money every day.
For example, all kinds of rare ingredients must be prepared for him every day to prevent him from suddenly wanting to eat them. But the winter is okay, the ingredients can be kept for a few days, and in summer, if you don’t eat it that day, you can only throw it away.
How much does it cost to throw away a bear paw?
How much does it cost to throw away a yellow-lipped fish?
Kangxi really thought that he was very frugal, and usually only ate a few dishes and a soup. Who would have thought that the big head is here!
It seemed that Xia Mian, the little butler, did a good job.
He immediately ordered that in the future, there is no need to prepare this precious ingredient every day, which can also save a lot of money.
As for Xia Mian, he asked Liang Jiugong to send her the big clock that had just paid tribute in the south, which was regarded as a reward for her, and let her continue to work hard.
Suddenly hearing the big boss’s order not to prepare precious ingredients every day, Xia Mian was really worried. The big boss gave this order. Did he find anything?
Even if he finds out, he shouldn’t blame her, he is a wise Lord.
When Liang Jiugong sent her the clock, she was overjoyed. It seemed that she was still thinking about it.
The kings of the Qing dynasty seemed to like clocks, and this kind of imported products somehow caught their eyes.
Xia Mian is not too cold with the clock, and thinks it is just a timing. But seeing the clock in front of her, she was really amazed.
This is a gilded bronze elephant carrying flower clock. It is half a meter high. The main shape is a marching elephant. It is surrounded by gold armored warriors and decorated with flowers. The shape is vivid and lifelike. It is a rare boutique at a glance. . Especially, when the clock is running, the flowers will turn, and there will be drum music, which is like the lively noise of returning from victory, magnificent and extremely delicate.
She now understands a little bit why the big boss and others like clocks. A good clock is indeed a work of art.
Look, Arudai and Yinyi are also good looking at the clock, they like it very much!
Immediately thank the boss, Xia Mian, the new official, was a good start.