Chapter 86: Want to steal the credit
For the Dowager Madame’s birthday, Cheng Shi swiftly arranged her own share of duties.
The menu was finalized and, as usual, submitted to Huan Qingtang for review.
There were eighteen dishes, four of which were vegetarian, as the Dowager Madame observed a vegetarian diet for religious reasons.
Cheng Shi selected Braised Vegetarian Chicken, Arhat’s Delight, Vegetarian Ham, and Lotus Cream Soup.
“Arhat’s Delight and Lotus Cream Soup are the grand dishes among the vegetarian offerings; the Braised Vegetarian Chicken and Vegetarian Ham are simpler,” Huan Qingtang remarked approvingly. “Sister-in-law, the Lotus Cream Soup is no easy task. Grandmother once had it at Jin’an Temple. If it’s not done well, it might be better to replace it with something else.”
Lotus Cream Soup, also known as Snow-Clearing Sunset, requires picking lotus flowers, removing the pistils and bases, then boiling them with tofu. The petals must not lose their color, and the tofu must be tender without falling apart.
It seems like a simple dish, but it is actually extremely difficult, testing one’s mastery of heat-control and skill.
Yet it is beautiful, like sunset clouds resting on petals after snow—vivid and brilliant.
If it could be made successfully, it would surely add luster to the birthday banquet.
After speaking, Huan Qingtang waited for Cheng Shi to ask for her help.
The kitchen of Jin’an Temple had a chef skilled in this dish, and it was also a signature vegetarian offering at the temple. He could be invited down from the mountain under the name of the Marquis of Chen’s Mansion.
Of course, neither Cheng Shi’s nor Huan Qingtang’s status sufficed—they would need the Dowager Madame’s involvement.
Cheng Shi was in charge of the main kitchen, and naturally she wanted to shine. She certainly wouldn’t want to replace this dish.
Huan Qingtang could persuade the Dowager Madame to help.
“...Sister-in-law, without the Lotus Cream Soup, these vegetarian dishes would be plain and unremarkable. Grandmother’s such a special occasion—how could we make do?” Cheng Shi said.
Huan Qingtang replied, “That’s true.”
“Rest assured, I’ve already asked my mother to send a letter to Jin’an Temple. They will send the head chef of their kitchen to the mansion,” Cheng Shi said with a smile.
Huan Qingtang was speechless for a moment.
She said nothing, but nodded with a smile. “Excellent, then.”
The menus and guest lists were drawn up and sent to the Dowager Madame for approval.
The Dowager Madame immediately noticed the Lotus Cream Soup among the vegetarian dishes.
“This dish is hard to make well. I’ve never seen it done properly anywhere except at Jin’an Temple,” the Dowager Madame said with a laugh.
“If the lotus petals aren’t discolored, they’re either steamed to mush.”
She then looked at Huan Qingtang. “Didn’t you warn Cheng Shi?”
“Cheng Shi said her family knows someone at Jin’an Temple and can invite the chef,” Huan Qingtang replied with a smile.
The Dowager Madame chuckled. “The Cheng family has such connections?”
The reserves of the Cheng clan were, in truth, far deeper than the Dowager Madame had imagined.
She had thought the Chengs were at most on par with the Huans, slightly more respectable than the Marquis of Changling’s House, the Song family.
Now it seemed that the combined resources of the Huans and Songs could barely match the Chengs.
“Grandmother, Sister-in-law said she can handle it. We can trust her,” Huan Qingtang said.
The Dowager Madame nodded. “Then let her manage it.”
After Huan Qingtang left, the Dowager Madame gazed at the dish list, lost in thought.
Her trusted steward, Nanny Sun, who knew her thoughts and intentions best, asked quietly, “Dowager Madame, aren’t you worried that Cheng Shi might outshine the eldest young mistress? I am a bit concerned.”
If Cheng Shi succeeded in bringing in Jin’an Temple’s head chef, she would indeed shine at the birthday banquet.
And Cheng Shi was exceptionally skilled at seizing opportunities, almost grasping in her ambition. This streak of competitiveness, Huan Qingtang lacked entirely.
“Don’t worry,” the Dowager Madame said with a smile. “Everything at the banquet will be credited to Huan Qingtang’s arrangements.”
Nanny Sun was taken aback.
Then she understood: as long as the Dowager Madame willed it, no matter how much Cheng Shi did, it would only add to Huan Qingtang’s glory.
No one would ask about the chef. As long as the Dowager Madame praised the Lotus Cream Soup in front of the guests and expressed satisfaction with Huan Qingtang’s handling of affairs, the honor would belong to Huan Qingtang.
“You’re right. Cheng Shi is too eager for advancement. She caught me off guard for a moment,” Nanny Sun said.
The Dowager Madame smiled faintly.
Indeed, Cheng Shi, though so young, proved far more troublesome than she had imagined.
The Dowager Madame was used to having the final say, yet Cheng Shi repeatedly crossed her boundaries.
On the second day after entering the household, during the morning tea ceremony, she had threatened the Dowager Madame. Then came a series of incidents that left the Dowager Madame deeply displeased.
Moreover, she had been married into the family by imperial decree from Empress Guo.
The Guo family and the emperor were in a state of mutual restraint, and the Dowager Madame stood on the emperor’s side. As a result, she also resisted anyone granted by Empress Guo.
If Cheng Shi wanted to shine, well, it would depend on whether the Dowager Madame gave her that opportunity.
The Marquis of Chen’s Mansion was bustling day and night. All other matters took a back seat, everything centered on the Dowager Madame’s birthday.
Soon, the day of the birthday arrived. Cheng Shi rose at dawn.
One round of guests was expected at noon, and even more distinguished guests in the evening. Cheng Shi would have to work from morning till late.
Throughout the entire year, the Marquis of Chen’s Mansion held night banquets only three times: on Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year’s Eve, and Lantern Festival, all for clan members.
But this time, a night banquet was specially held for the Dowager Madame’s birthday. Besides clan members, close friends and long-standing family acquaintances were also invited. Special caution was needed regarding fire hazards and security.
“...I heard there will be a crane dance show and fireworks tonight?” Cheng Shi’s maid Suyue asked.
“The cranes were tribute birds, normally raised in the imperial gardens. They’ve been borrowed specifically for the Dowager Madame’s birthday,” Cheng Shi said.
Suyue replied, “Then we’ll all get to witness something extraordinary.”
“That crane dance was Sister-in-law’s idea,” Cheng Shi added.
Suyue immediately said, “This servant won’t watch!”
Cheng Shi laughed.
Mu Jiang had also heard about the banquet.
A few days ago, at the Shou’an Courtyard, she had narrowly escaped being confined to her room again, so she had been keeping out of trouble.
But she felt bitter.
She was carrying his child, so why was Third Brother still so cold to her?
Thus, she suspected that Cheng Shi was behind the falling-out.
“Do you think Third Brother could ever come to like Cheng Shi?” Mu Jiang asked the old matron beside her.
The matron, originally from the palace, had expected a life of comfort in the marquis’ mansion, thinking she would enjoy the perks of being with a favored concubine. But instead, the marquis had ignored even the emperor’s goodwill and had directly placed Mu Jiang under house arrest.
The matron quickly understood the reality: regardless of how the outside world called Mu Jiang a “Princess in all but name,” inside the marquis’ mansion, she was nothing more than a concubine.
If the marquis doted on her, she could soar on sheer background and the Dowager Madame’s influence. But if the marquis decided to suppress her, it was well within his rights.
When Mu Jiang pressed her about the marquis, the matron did not dare stir trouble and only said, “Cheng Shi was granted by Empress Dowager Guo’s decree.
With the Guo family currently so powerful at court, the marquis must at least keep up appearances. In terms of beauty, she can’t match you, Madam. And besides, you are with child.”
Mu Jiang beamed, gently caressing her belly. “I carry Third Brother’s child.”
Then she lowered her voice, “Now that the pregnancy is stable, can Third Brother spend the night at the Lijing Courtyard?”
“It might be better to wait another month or two for greater safety,” the matron advised.
Mu Jiang pouted.
Soon, she heard that Huan Qingtang was hosting the birthday banquet and that Cheng Shi was helping.
“They’re just trying to show off,” Mu Jiang said. “Maybe Grandmother doesn’t even want to celebrate—she’s never liked grand occasions. It’s just Huan Qingtang and Cheng Shi using her birthday for their own glory.”
The matron did not reply.
Mu Jiang had already heard various rumors about the banquet from the outside.
She sent the matron away and called in her trusted maid, whispering instructions before telling her to act.
“But—”
“Just do as I say,” Mu Jiang said. “Even if something goes slightly wrong, it won’t harm Grandmother’s prestige. It just can’t let Huan Qingtang and Cheng Shi have all the credit.”
The maid steeled herself, thinking that the Secondary Wife knew the Dowager Madame well and wouldn’t dare offend her outright, and so she left to carry out the task.