Border Cook

Chapter 656 New Year's Eve Banquet (Part )

After seeing Ma Liu, Wen Liyan praised him with a big smile on his face, "Father has always mentioned that you are decisive and prudent in doing things. After this incident, it turns out that you are not wrong and have never let us down."

"I have sent people to take the servants you brought back to a banquet and receive their rewards. However, my father said that he would reward you well. I dare not neglect it, so I want to ask you what you want, so that I can give you a reward that will satisfy you."

"You are too polite, sir." Ma Liu smiled very flatteringly, "No matter what the reward is, it will bring honor and glory to us."

"You can't say that. We've done something so important. Just say whatever you want." Wen Liyan smiled and picked up a glass of wine, handing it to Ma Liu. "I think you don't dare to open your mouth, so drink a glass first. After drinking this wine, I think you will dare to speak."

The master invited him to drink, which was a great honor. If he told others about it, he would be able to brag about it for the rest of his life!
Ma Liu became more and more delighted. He quickly bowed and took the wine that Wen Liyan handed over. He drank it all in one breath and said, "Thank you, Master."

Seeing this, Wen Liyan raised the corner of his lips and said, "Since you have drunk the wine, can you talk about what you want?"

Ma Liu still clasped his hands together, "Master, I..."

Before he could finish his words, Ma Liu felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, which became more and more severe. It felt as if his entire abdomen was being cut by a knife and the pain was excruciating.

This wine is poisonous!

This is the Wen family's attempt to silence the witness!
Ma Liu immediately understood this, but at this point, he could not stand up because of the pain in his stomach. He could only curl up on the ground, groaning helplessly, and even reached out to grab the robe of Wen Liyan who was standing in front of him.

But before he could reach Wen Liyan, Ma Liu twitched, spat out a few mouthfuls of dark red blood, and was no longer alive.

Seeing this, Wen Liyan covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves in disgust, and then called people in to deal with Ma Liu's body.

"How are the others dealt with?" Wen Liyan asked.

The servant replied respectfully, "Don't worry, sir, we have already cleaned it up and not a single one is left alive."

"Yeah." Wen Liyan nodded casually, then walked out and came to Wen Yongze.

"Father, it has been taken care of."

"Yeah." Wen Yongze nodded. "Destroying the body and covering up all traces is indeed a good idea. This matter has come to an end."

No matter how fierce the rumor is, no matter how bad the Wen family is, without evidence, the rumor has no validity and is still slander.

"Yes, father." Wen Liyan smiled, "It's getting late. Father, eat some food and get ready. It's time to set off to the palace."

Although the New Year’s Eve banquet will not officially begin until dark, it is a rule to enter the palace early and preparations must be made as early as possible.

"Yeah." Wen Yongze stood up from his chair and caught a glimpse of the jade disk that he had just thrown aside on the table. He reached out and picked it up, tossed it to Wen Liyan, and said, "Put it in the warehouse carefully."

Logically speaking, this jade disk originally belonged to Xiao Luoan, and he shouldn't have kept it.

But many times, some things are not just things, they also carry many thoughts. If you check them occasionally, you can recall many interesting past events.

Especially since Xiao Luoan was a prince. Throughout history, the murder of princes and even the murder of emperors had happened in many aristocratic families, including his Wen family, whose hands were stained with royal blood. But for him, the head of the family, this was the first time.

If we talk about it in the future, wouldn’t it be a kind of honor?

Wen Yongze somewhat likes this feeling.

"Yes." Wen Liyan took the jade disk and went to the storeroom. After he entered alone and closed the door, he turned a blue and white porcelain vase on the rosewood bookshelf.

A creaking sound was heard, and the bookshelf on the wall turned, revealing a pitch-black entrance to a dark room.

Wen Liyan used a tinder to light a lantern, walked in with the lantern, put the jade disk in his hand into a steel box in the dark room, locked it, and then came out to prepare to enter the palace.

The sun gradually set from its highest point to the west, and the fiery red afterglow of the bright sunshine appeared in the western sky.

Carriages and sedan chairs kept heading towards the palace, but they stopped a mile away from the palace.

According to royal rules, civil officials had to get off their sedan chairs and military officials had to get off their horses. Even royal relatives had to walk to the palace.

Princes and important ministers naturally got off their sedan chairs or carriages only when they reached the last seat, while those with lower official positions naturally did not dare to be so arrogant and got off their sedan chairs early and walked forward. When they met their colleagues, they greeted them and walked together.

For a moment, the area near the palace was extremely lively, but at the same time it was not noisy and everything was in good order.

Xia Mingyue and Lu Qiyan rode in a carriage, while Xia Yunji rode a horse. The three of them arrived near the imperial palace together. Like everyone else, they got off the carriage and horses and followed others into the palace.

However, a young eunuch hurried over and bowed to the three people, saying, "Are you Marquis Dingyuan, Lord Anle, and General Shenhu?"

"That's right." Xia Mingyue and her group responded.

"Please, three of you servants, come forward." The young eunuch bowed and made a "please" gesture.

Although they were not sure what the little eunuch wanted, the three of them still followed him.

The young eunuch led the three people to the sedan chair and said, "This is the sedan chair that the emperor specially ordered to be prepared for you three. Please take the sedan chair."

From here to Chongyang Palace where the banquet is held, the distance outside and inside the palace is about three miles. If you walk, it will only take half an hour, which most people can bear.

But if there is a sedan chair, it will not only make things easier, but more importantly, it is a symbol of honor and face.

Xia Mingyue and the other two naturally did not refuse. After expressing their gratitude, they got into the sedan chair.

The sedan chair carrying three people started forward and backward and moved forward.

Those who still had to walk into the palace couldn't help but look away when they saw this scene.

Some expressed envy, some were jealous, and some were disdainful, but in the end they all sighed heavily.

If I could receive such preferential treatment in this life, I would have no regrets!

When Xia Mingyue and the other two arrived, they got off the sedan chair and walked into the side hall where everyone was waiting.

Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji entered the east wing where the officials were, while Xia Mingyue entered the west wing where the female members were.

As soon as she stepped into the palace, Xia Mingyue received a huge hug. This hug came from Fan Jinglan, who was going to perform at the banquet today, so she wore a red outfit, which made her look even more heroic and outstanding.

"Sister, you're finally here. The old lady and I have been waiting for you for a long time." Fan Jinglan said as she pulled Xia Mingyue to look for Old Lady He.

At this time, Madam He was sitting in the seat of honor in the side hall, drinking tea and eating snacks.

The snacks were not provided by the palace, but brought by Madam He herself. To be exact, they were brought from Jinqiu County.

Originally made by Xia Mingyue, they are taro cakes, cat ears and peach cakes that are easy to store and can be stored for a long time without affecting the taste.

Each one is made very small, one bite at a time, no residue will leak out, and the crispy fragrance can be kept in your mouth while chewing.

Old Madam He was eating happily. When she saw Xia Mingyue, she hurriedly asked her and Fan Jinglan to sit next to her.

Fan Jinglan took the opportunity to grab some cat ears and small peach cakes from the plate and ate them with relish. "Thanks to my sister, I can have some too."

"You say that, as if I, an old woman, have treated you unfairly. How could I not give you food? Didn't you grab two big handfuls just now?" Old Madam He joked.

"I did grab two handfuls, but the old lady's eyes seemed to be bleeding, which scared me so much that I quickly put one handful back." Fan Jinglan felt a little aggrieved.

"It can only mean that Yue girl's food is so delicious that I, an old woman, have started to protect it." Madam He lowered her voice and said to Fan Jinglan, "You should be content. Yesterday, the Queen Mother wanted to ask me for some, but I didn't give it to her. I am reluctant to give you some!"

After all, when it comes to food, if others eat more, she will eat less.

"Really?" Fan Jinglan laughed. "I am indeed different in front of the old lady? But don't worry, old lady. I won't talk about this in front of the empress dowager..."

"Yeah, but I dare not say it. If the Queen Mother knew, she would beat me!"

The two people were "plotting" loudly, which made Xia Mingyue laugh. She just smiled and said, "I will make some more food in the next two days, so that the old lady and Madam Fan won't always have enough to eat."

"I'm afraid this is difficult." Madam He patted the back of Xia Mingyue's hand. "This delicious food, no matter how much you eat, it's probably not enough. Just have a bite occasionally to satisfy your craving."

I said this out of sympathy for Xia Mingyue's hard work.

After all, this delicious food is a great enjoyment and extremely satisfying for the eaters, but for the people who prepare the food, it is smoky and busy.

Xia Mingyue is now the Lord of Anle Township. There is no reason for her to be greedy and keep Xia Mingyue busy all the time.

"Yes." Xia Mingyue responded with a smile.

Three people were talking here intimately and warmly, and the people around them looked over here from time to time.

The looks were mixed, there was a lot of envy, but more of jealousy.

Old Madam He and the Empress Dowager are close friends, and Fan Jinglan's status is needless to say. The status of these two people is incomparable to ordinary people.

On the contrary, Xia Mingyue, although she has now been awarded the title of village chief and is a favorite of the empress dowager and the queen, her husband is the Marquis of Dingyuan, and her brother is the General Shenhu. It can be said that she is now glorious, but if you trace it back to her roots, she is also born in the countryside and was a refugee before.

The reason why he caught the eyes of Madam He and Fan Jinglan was because of his excellent cooking skills, which fully captured the stomachs of both of them.

I heard that the reason why the emperor was so fond of Xia Mingyue was because the food Xia Mingyue had presented to her before was very much to the emperor's taste, and the emperor was very pleased.

Perhaps even the various contributions of Marquis Dingyuan and General Shenhu in the military camp may have a lot to do with Xia Mingyue's excellent cooking skills.

Xia Mingyue can overcome all difficulties with her cooking skills, so why can't they?
You know, considering Xia Mingyue's background and experience, even if she has excellent cooking skills, she can only cook country food that is not worthy of being served in a formal dining hall. On the contrary, the wives and daughters of wealthy families like them have to learn a few specialties on a daily basis, and the dishes they learn are all local specialties, and the ones who teach them are all highly experienced and skilled cooks.

If they wanted to steal Xia Mingyue's limelight, wouldn't that be an easy task?

This idea grew in their minds, and everyone was eager to try it out, and they came to Madam He and Fan Jinglan one after another.

"Old lady, Madam Fan."

He greeted her politely at first, and the visitor smiled with a lot of compliments, "The old lady is getting better and better, and Madam Fan is getting more and more beautiful, like a pearl, it's hard to take your eyes off her."

"Yes, the old lady is blessed with great fortune. She has white hair and a youthful face. You can tell at a glance that she is a long-lived person."

"Ms. Fan is pretty and generous, and looks more and more like a lady from a noble family. She is truly a role model for noble ladies in the capital..."

Such compliments could be heard a lot at every banquet. Madam He and Fan Jinglan were used to it and were not surprised. They smiled slightly and responded politely, maintaining the most basic courtesy.

But amidst the compliments, someone took the opportunity to say, "I heard that Madam He loves cakes and pastries. I am not talented and don't know how to cook, but my daughter is filial and likes to make cakes and pastries. The plum cakes and chestnut milk cakes she makes are extremely delicious, comparable to the skills of the imperial chef. If the old lady doesn't mind, we have brought some today. Would you be willing to taste them?"

Attending a banquet is a strenuous task. Not only does it take a long time to wait for the banquet to begin, but even after the banquet begins, as women, they will only taste the dishes on the table briefly to avoid being known as greedy and ignorant of etiquette. Therefore, everyone will prepare food and pastries in advance so that they can eat a few pieces to fill their stomachs when they are hungry.

After all, if you keep forcing yourself to eat and your stomach becomes too hungry and makes gurgling noises, people will criticize you and make comments about you, which will affect your reputation.

The food and snacks they brought, besides filling the stomach, were also a symbol of face, status, financial resources and even taste.

The cakes and pastries must be exquisite and delicious, which can show his ability to manage the inner house and his ability to select items in daily life.

It is also because of this that most of the food brought into the palace is exquisite in appearance, delicious in taste, and definitely presentable.

However, such pastries were naturally made by the cooks in the mansion, not by the owner himself.

The lady said that the pastries she brought were made by her daughter, and she wanted Mrs. He to taste them. Her purpose was self-evident.

Once someone took the lead, others followed suit and recommended themselves.

"Madam Fan, my husband's surname is Cheng. He is a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue and works under your brother. I usually like to make soups and stews, but I didn't bring any today. If you are free some other day, why don't you come to my house? If you are busy, I will personally deliver the food to you after I make it."

"Madam, I happened to make some pineapple cakes today. Why don't you give them a taste and see if they are to your liking?"

"Mrs. Fan..."

I wish you all a happy New Year's Eve~ Today's chapter title is very appropriate, hehehe~