Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 54 53. Elegant and Quiet
Fu Cai didn't know the secret, but she felt that the small mirror in her hand seemed particularly light and transparent compared to the bronze mirror.

But it would be impossible to put it back as it was, as bronze mirrors are most afraid of being scratched by grinding. Although Qin Jun said that it was not the case, she still carefully wiped it with silk cloth and wrapped it.

Qin Shi saw from the mirror that she really liked these, so he said, "When I have some free time, I will teach you how to make rouge."

Fu Cai was surprised: "Is it really like this?"

Qin Shi thought about it: It would take another thousand years for Roselle and Cochineal to be introduced. Even the red and blue flowers commonly used to make light powder rouge would have to wait for the Silk Road.

So he shook his head: "It's not as strong and useful as this one, but it's better than what we have now."

That’s great too!
The joy of wearing colorful clothes is endless.

At this moment, Qin Shi looked up and saw the newly-dressed noble lady from Qin in the mirror, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

Because she was going to wear the Winter Goddess Crown, she did not put her hair in a bun today. Her hair was parted in the middle and combed smoothly. The golden crown was pinned on the top of her head, decorated with pearls and jade strings, pressing on her forehead like a crescent moon.

Then comes the makeup.

The popular makeup nowadays is just like what Mrs. Chu wore yesterday.

Apply powder on the face to make it white and delicate.

The eyebrows are drawn with stone ink, making them thin, long and curved.

There was a small cherry-like red dot on her lips.

Elegant and quiet.

With her brows lowered and eyes closed, she exudes a strong air of elegance and scholarliness.

However, Qin Shi chuckled, and the atmosphere disappeared.

She ordered Fu Cai to take out the lip brush and reapply the lipstick. Then she smiled and said, "A cherry-like mouth doesn't suit me."

She looked at her makeup again - she still felt a pity about the color: "Mr. Qin's makeup is fine and smooth, but the color is not white enough."

But she was also a little puzzled: "Even so, when I look at Qin Jun, I feel that she is even more naturally beautiful. On the contrary, the longer I look at her, the more beautiful she becomes."

Therefore, at most her entire face was covered with powder, and her skin was smooth and flawless, which was very different from the rich whiteness of lead powder.

After all, foundation should be naturally white.

Then she picked out a light gold necklace - the kind with only a jade pendant.

Qin Shi then stood up and was finally dressed up!
But when she looked back at the bronze mirror before leaving, she regretted it again:

"I forgot I was going to the palace kitchen today."

Why do you need such a full set of makeup?

Chi Nu suggested, "Why don't you go meet the king and express your gratitude first, and then go to the palace kitchen?"

Qin Shi shook his head: It’s true that she wants to improve her workaholic favorability, but disturbing people early in the morning when they are most energetic and most likely to work, isn’t that just asking for trouble?

Then I thought that even if I went to the palace kitchen, I wouldn't be cooking and it wouldn't get too hot. I could just give a few pointers and my clothes wouldn't necessarily be stained with smell.

That's it.

"Let's go." She ordered, and at the same time thought: I asked someone to grind soy milk yesterday. Considering the attentiveness of the palace chef, it must have been ground by now.

If you don't go now, the raw water will probably go bad in this hot summer.

……

She was right.

Last night, after receiving the notice, Taiguan Cheng Zhu Kui not only diligently conveyed Qin Jun's preferences, but also memorized her instructions one by one. Qin Jun said she wanted to soak the beans, and she soaked them overnight.

Qin Jun said he wanted to grind beans, so he picked out the beans early in the morning under bright lights and then quickly took them to grind.

If she doesn't come soon, the last jar of soaked beans will have to be ground.

Even though Qin Shi had already guessed it, he was still shocked by the sight of jar after jar of raw soy milk. If she hadn't come today, no one would have dared to rush her, and all this would have been wasted.

So he quickly said, "Filter the soy milk with linen first, and then boil it."

"Just scoop off the foam while cooking, and cook for a while longer after it boils."

There are enough beans now. Don't grind the last jar of beans. Let them sprout. When they sprout, stir-fry them with vinegar. It's very appetizing in summer.

At her command, the entire palace kitchen was divided into several groups and quickly started to work.

Qin Shi also met Jiumai, the cook who could make koji and brew wine.

The other party was looking at her attentively, obviously hoping to be reused again.

Qin Shi lived up to his high expectations and beckoned him forward: "Is the Polygonum odoratum wine yeast ready?"

"My lord, I have obtained fifty of them! They are all white and fluffy, and are not damaged. They are suitable for use!"

Experienced people have a higher success rate, so Qin Shi nodded: "Then, take one and dissolve it in warm water, then scoop a few scoops of wheat flour and add the warm water in different amounts."

Jiu Mai was stunned: "Mr. Qin, are you going to make soup noodles? The cook Huo Shan makes soup noodles."

The cook Huo was a woman in her twenties or thirties.

Her hair was wrapped in a scarf, she was short and had a slight hunchback, and her wrists were thin and not strong, which was quite fitting for her name, Huo, meaning bean sprout.

But the only thing that remained was a pair of hands, which were black and yellow, but were trimmed very neatly and cleanly, with broad palms and bulging veins on the backs of the hands, which seemed to indicate that they were very strong.

Huo was preparing to cook soy milk, but when he heard the nobleman calling him, he came over immediately.

Seeing her reservedness, Qin Shi couldn't help but smile, then said: "Just knead the wheat flour as usual. Just divide it into different wheat cakes. After kneading, put them in a large bowl and cover them with a wet cloth."

"Remember the amount of koji you use. After half an hour, if one of the dough pieces is about twice as big as the previous one, use that amount the next time."

If it were anything else, Huo might not be very good at it. But she had been kneading wheat flour since she was a child, and the king had made soup noodles with her own hands many times, so she solemnly accepted the offer.

He also tried hard to remember what Qin Shi said about making steamed buns and dumplings. When he realized that they were new foods, he felt the same joy as Jiumai.

Zhu Kui, the Imperial Household Minister, was listening at the side, and his eyebrows were beaming with joy, with a particularly lively expression on his increasingly plump and tense face.

While carefully taking note of what Qin Jun said about boiling soy milk and adding honey, he hurriedly ordered people to prepare gypsum and brine in preparation for "making tofu" later.

Looking at Lady Qin again, she was wearing fine silk clothes, a jade pendant on her chest, and a golden crown of the God of Winter on her head. She looked like a noble lady!
Especially the pair of pearl shoes on her feet. When she walked, the huge and lustrous pearls were faintly visible at the hem of her skirt - those were the biggest pearls that no lady in the palace had ever had!
He served sincerely, as if he could see that one day he would be promoted to the position of Imperial Household Officer, in charge of the entire Xianyang Palace kitchen...

Oh! I can’t even imagine it!

I had no choice but to work harder and carry out the task meticulously.

Qin Shi watched for a while and found that in order to please the king, the chefs were racking their brains and were very good at learning from one example to another. So after raising a few key points, she took everyone away.

Chi Nu was also relieved and said, "It's good that Lord Qin is like this. If there are any secret methods, just let the palace chefs study them. There is no need to explain every detail. It is really too tiring."

Qin Shi also nodded, thinking that he was afraid that they would be conservative and stick to the old ways, so if he didn't explain it thoroughly, they wouldn't dare to take risks.

But now...

All I can say is that she underestimated the diligence and wisdom of the ancients.

[The details of making tofu, etc., have just been written by Song Tanli next door, so I will not repeat them here.]