Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Ruyi Peach

News of the banquet spread like wildfire, with every listener forming their own interpretation.

However, no matter how much they discussed it, they knew better than to gossip in front of the people involved. Behind closed doors and windows, they indulged in private conversations, satisfying their craving for gossip.

Just like Dong Yuting and Xue Yi at this very moment.

Fruits and tea were laid out before them, untouched. Dong Yuting was too engrossed in listening to Xue Yi recount the events of the banquet.

"Do you think His Majesty truly intends to betroth my younger sister to Prince Qihui? Otherwise, why would the princess treat her so kindly?" Xue Yi mused.

Despite her reserved demeanor in public, she harbored a keen interest in gossip.

Dong Yuting couldn’t recall such minor details and shook her head. "How would I know? But even if it’s not her, it’ll likely be Miss Song. The others are merely going through the motions."

Xue Yi sighed, "I truly hope it’s not her."

Dong Yuting asked with interest, "Why? Do you have some history with her?" After all, Miss Xue was still from Xue Yi’s own family.

Dong Yuting imagined scenes of Xue Yi being bullied by Xue Jiayan during her time at home.

Xue Yi replied earnestly, "Not exactly. At home, she’s from the eldest branch, and I’m from the third. I’m older than her, so we didn’t have much in common and rarely interacted. But since she’s still part of the Xue family, and her aunt has spoiled her to the point of arrogance, I’m afraid that if she marries Prince Qihui, they might… not get along. I think Miss Song is much more suited to be the Princess Consort. Although I’ve only met her a few times, I can tell she’s level-headed and gentle—far superior to my younger sister. Truly worthy of being Grand Tutor Song’s granddaughter."

"I see," Dong Yuting said. "Well, don't worry about it. There’s nothing you can do anyway. Lady Xue and Master Xue are resourceful people; they’ll find a way to handle it."

Xue Yi considered this and smiled with relief. "You’re right."

Though people in the palace couldn’t leave, it didn’t mean news from outside couldn’t get in. With enough influence and connections, sending a message inside was always possible.

Liang Fu went to the pastry bureau, where the head eunuch immediately approached him with a flattering smile.

"What brings you here, sir? Does Prince Qihui desire something to eat?" the head eunuch of the pastry bureau asked cheerfully, bowing and scraping to Liang Fu, who was young enough to be his grandson.

Liang Fu had once been overlooked in the palace, but after Prince Qihui gained the emperor’s favor, he and the other servants around the Prince saw their status rise, receiving deference wherever they went.

Suddenly elevated to such heights, Liang Fu became arrogant, but after being reprimanded by Liang Zhong, he returned to his former self—though not as submissive as before.

"His Highness wishes to eat Ruyi Peach. Do you have any available now?" Liang Fu asked.

Ruyi Peach was made from glutinous rice flour, shaped like a peach, but with a delightful surprise inside—filled with rich white custard made from goat’s milk. The outer skin was soft and chewy, and with one bite, the slightly yellowish white custard would ooze out. Paired with a cup of tea to cut the richness, it lifted one’s spirits.

After speaking, Liang Fu smacked his lips.

He had never known such a delicious treat existed before, but after trying it once, he couldn’t forget it.

Though it looked small, it was quite filling—one piece was as satisfying as half a bowl of rice. The first time Prince Qihui tried it, he ate four in one go but couldn’t finish the fifth, leaving one and a half for Liang Zhong.

Liang Zhong then gave Prince Qihui’s half-eaten piece to Liang Fu.

Before it even reached his mouth, the sweet aroma made his mouth water. After taking a bite, Liang Fu was so moved he almost got teary-eyed.

The flavor was unlike anything he had ever tasted—so fragrant, so sweet, smoother than the skin that forms on milk, melting in the mouth. The outer skin was soft and chewy, and because it had been chilled in the ice chest, it was also refreshing.

"Well..." The head eunuch peeked outside. The sun had already set, and dinner had been delivered to the various palaces. For Prince Qihui to request this now was truly a real pain.

"What, you don’t have any?" Liang Fu said unhappily.

Since Prince Qihui had become the object of everyone’s flattery in the palace, his servants found it much easier to get things done—almost without obstruction. It was unthinkable that they would be denied food.

No sooner had he spoken than the head eunuch fawned with a grin. "We have it, we have it. It’ll just take a moment."

There was none ready-made, so it had to be prepared on the spot. Fortunately, as the palace pastry bureau, all ingredients were readily available, so no additional preparation was needed.

Liang Fu nodded with pretended dignity. "Don’t take too long. His Highness isn't big on waiting."

"Of course, of course. Why don’t you rest in the tea room? It’s hot here. Baoquan, go see to Eunuch Liang."

Baoquan was his apprentice, young and clever. He bowed and stood by Liang Fu’s side, his back slightly bent in a humble posture.

The pastry bureau had stoves, making it very hot in the summer. The adjacent tea room was where eunuchs and maids serving nobles could wait while picking up pastries.

Liang Fu grinned but said, "Who's ‘Eunuch Liang’? I’m not important enough for titles. Just call me Liang Fu."

Remembering Liang Zhong’s lectures, Liang Fu didn’t dare act arrogantly again. He added, "I’ll wait over there. Just call me when it’s ready."

"Sure, sure," the head eunuch replied with a smile before heading to the kitchen.

As the head eunuch of the pastry bureau, he was in charge of all the servants there but was no pastry chef himself—that was left to the masters.

However, after years in the pastry bureau, he was familiar with dozens of pastries, even if he couldn’t make them all.

For example, this Ruyi Peach wasn’t difficult to make, but it didn’t have much shelf life. If left from morning to evening, it would spoil—first, the freshly made white custard inside would turn sour, not the pleasant tang of fresh fruit but the sourness of spoiled food.

Then the outer glutinous rice skin, soft and elastic when freshly made, would harden over time, greatly reducing its texture.

Those who came to the pastry bureau to order treats were not people to be slighted. Serving spoiled or stale pastries to nobles was unthinkable.

Thus, unless specifically requested, the pastry bureau avoided making Ruyi Peach, fearing that if a noble got sick from it, they would be punished.

When the head eunuch passed along Prince Qihui’s order, the pastry master asked in surprise, "Now?"

The head eunuch replied, "Yes, now. Hurry up and make it. Don’t keep Prince Qihui waiting." He emphasized "Prince Qihui" to drive home the urgency to the pastry master.

As eunuchs in the palace, they were lowest on the totem pole. If a noble wanted something even in the middle of the night, they had to get up and make it.

Especially since it was Prince Qihui making the request—no one would dare oppose him now. That would be unwise.

The pastry master nodded and immediately got his apprentices moving.

The outer skin of Ruyi Peach required glutinous rice flour. While the flour itself was ready, making the skin involved steaming.

A young eunuch brought kindling and lit the stove. The pastry master sifted through the glutinous rice flour until it was fine, then placed it in a steamer. He lined the steamer with peach leaves and steamed the flour once before kneading the dough, adding honey to the water used.

He had the process down pat; he could do it blindfolded. However, making the glutinous rice skin required an additional step: pounding the dough in a stone mortar with a wooden mallet. Another person, with clean hands smeared with rendered lard, would flip the dough with each strike. Initially, the dough would be shiny with oil, and it was only ready when the dough and oil were fully integrated.

The pastry master was getting old and could no longer handle the strenuous task of pounding the dough. His old arms and legs were better suited to working the dough than lifting a mallet, which would exhaust him.

So, he assigned the task to an apprentice.

Meanwhile, he worked on the white custard, skimming off the cream from goat’s milk, mixing it with fresh milk and honey, and whipping it vigorously. Though it didn’t require pounding, it still demanded effort. The white custard had to be smooth; the slightest graininess would wreck the texture.

After whipping for a while, he handed this task to an apprentice as well.

Using his skilled hands, he formed the glutinous rice dough into peach shapes, added fresh peach pieces and white custard, and filled them into the soft, chewy skins until they were plump and perfectly round, resembling ripe peaches. He then placed them in the ice chest.

The ice chest was used for chilling, with a specially designed compartment in the center forming a layer between the ice and the pastries. Ice was placed in the outer layer, while the Ruyi Peaches were stored in the center compartment, ensuring they were chilled without direct contact with the ice.

There was no ice left in the tea room. Ice was a scarce commodity, reserved for nobility in the palace and places where it was truly needed.

However, there were plenty of cold beverages here. Although no one could sneak ice from the ice chest to take back, using the ice chest to chill a drink for oneself seemed to have become common practice in the pastry kitchen.

Baoquan carefully handed a cup of chilled plum drink to Liang Fu.

"Master, please have a drink."

Liang Fu was amused by his words. There was a time when he, too, had bowed and scraped, addressing others as "Master." Now, he had become someone else's "Master."

Liang Fu laughed for a moment before composing himself and reaching out to take the plum drink.

Baoquan asked, "Master, why does the prince want pastries at this hour? Did he not eat enough at dinner? Or was the meal not to his liking?"

The Fifteenth Prince had been granted the title Prince Qihui, but he had not yet left the palace, as his own residence was still under construction. Some still referred to him as Prince Qihui, while others simply called him "the prince."

Liang Fu downed the drink in one gulp and gave him a sidelong glance. "Why are you asking this?"

Baoquan smiled sheepishly. "I was just curious, nothing more."

Prince Qihui was Liang Fu's master. His entire livelihood depended on Prince Qihui, and he guarded his affairs more closely than anyone else's. He treated his master's matters like treasures, unwilling to reveal even the slightest detail.

In the palace, a single piece of information could prove useful.

Baoquan could tell he didn't want to talk about it and wisely refrained from pressing further. Seeing Liang Fu's empty bowl, he quickly said, "Let me pour you another cup."

Liang Fu noticed that although Baoquan was young, he was quite perceptive. So, he chatted with him for a while longer, though it was mostly Liang Fu asking the questions. Baoquan was clever and only shared unimportant details with him.

Liang Fu could choose not to answer Baoquan, but Baoquan had no such luxury.

"You might not know this, but the last thing Liang Cairen ate before she was sent away was the apricot blossom pastry I delivered. She loved my master's apricot blossom pastries the most..."

The place he was referring to was the Cold Palace.

Liang Fu grew interested and widened his eyes. "Then do you know what she did to be demoted and imprisoned in the Cold Palace?"

Baoquan replied evasively, "How could someone of my station know? I was hoping you could tell me."

Liang Fu shot him a disapproving look. This guy was a bit too clever, to the point of being annoying. Why was he always trying to fish for information from him?

The matter remained a mystery in the palace. Some said Liang Cairen had harmed the imperial offspring, others claimed she had angered the emperor, and there were even rumors that she had administered poison to the emperor...

Baoquan understood the saying "the tongue brings trouble." What he told Liang Fu was the truth: on the day of the incident, he had indeed delivered apricot blossom pastries to Liang Cairen and had even plated them himself.