SFS Chapter 137 Ice Making
Chapter 137 Ice Making
Chapter 137 Ice Making
Once the news spread that the debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue would be handled by Zhi Beile and the Eighth Prince, all those who owed money felt relieved. Many of these families were members of the eldest prince's family, and it could be said that they had provided a lot of support to the eldest prince. Now that the eldest prince was in charge of collecting the debts, it would be easier to resolve the subsequent issues. After all, family members would never cheat family members, right?
Of course, there was a lot of traffic in front of Zhi Beile's house for a while, and even the Eighth Prince who was still in the palace received a lot of gifts. Even the Eighth Prince's mansion, which was originally planned to take two more months to complete, was completely completed after ten days. Not only that, all the furnishings inside were exquisite.
This time, the residence next to the Fourth Prince was no longer the Eighth Prince's, but the Ninth Prince's future new home. This made the Fourth Prince happy but also added some troubles.
Because they lived nearby, Jiu Beizi completely handed over his future mansion to Si Beilu, and even asked Si Beilu for help with the design drawings. He only focused on running the essential oil and milk tea business.
Yes, after Nianhulu Zhenhuan entered the palace, Yinzhen found a way to buy the recipe of milk tea and the shop. Now he is ambitiously thinking of monopolizing the market in the capital throughout the summer and then selling it to other provinces.
During this period, he also accidentally discovered another little secret of the Niuhulu family, which was ice making. This is why the emperor had given them a holiday recently, and Yinzhen was busy repairing the house and taking care of the internal affairs department, but Yinlu was always missing.
Making ice is now as attractive to Yinzhen as the title, so he doesn't want to be disturbed by anything else.
However, after a period of investigation, it was discovered that, unfortunately, the Niuhuru family no longer had the complete prescription, or rather, the prescription had been taken into the palace by the eldest daughter of the Niuhuru family, the newly promoted Fu Guiren.
This made Yinzhen a little hesitant. He was grown up now, and unless he reported to the emperor, he could not enter or leave the harem. Even if he could enter, he could only stay in his mother's Yiku Palace. If he really dared to run around, he would not only be punished, but his mother might also be implicated.
Although Xiaojiu was usually a bit of a jerk and always liked to do business, which made his mother angry, he was also very filial to Concubine Yi. Whenever he made money, he would buy something that Concubine Yi liked, regardless of food, jewelry, fabrics, etc. If he hurt Concubine Yi because of his impulsiveness, he would never allow it.
But that noble lady was just a small concubine in the harem, and he had no chance to talk to her, let alone get the method of making ice. Mother could have asked that noble lady to gather information for him, but he heard that Mother had asked that lady twice, but that noble lady did not show up.
That was the Emperor's new favorite, and it was not easy for my mother to target him, so the matter was put on hold.
That day, after Yinzhen came out of the Ministry of Revenue, he walked and stopped until he reached the gate of Yuqing Palace. After thinking about it, he entered Yuqing Palace and asked someone to notify Buerhe to come and visit.
At this time, Buerhe was discussing with Qier and Moer about sewing clothes for the unborn baby. When he heard the servant come to report that the Ninth Prince was coming to visit, he was confused for a moment and then went to the main courtyard to greet him in person.
When Buerhe arrived at the gate of the main courtyard, the chief eunuch Li Dehai was leading Yinzhen towards the main courtyard.
Buerhe then asked Shu'er beside him, "Is the Crown Prince in the palace today? If so, go and invite him to come along."
Xiaojiu was a man, so he didn't think much about it. He thought that he and she were friends and sister-in-law, so he came directly. In fact, if there were really only the two of them in the main courtyard today, even if the room was full of servants, there would be rumors circulating in the palace.
Before Shu'er could even tread away to the front courtyard, he saw Yinreng and He Zhu walking towards the main courtyard beside Yinzhen. Buerhe breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the Crown Prince was in Yuqing Palace today. He hadn't seen him all morning and thought he had gone out.
Yinreng laughed heartily and stepped forward to greet Yinzhen. "Ninth brother, how come you are free today? I heard from Fourth Brother that you have been so busy with business lately that you haven't even had time to visit the new mansion. I don't have anything to do today. I'll ask Fourth Brother to come over later. Let's have a drink together tonight, three brothers."
Yinzhen was also very happy to see his second brother, the Crown Prince: "Second brother, I don't know why you are here too. I didn't think of greeting you just now. I was negligent. I am free today and have nothing to do for the time being. If Fourth Brother comes over tonight, I must have a few more drinks. I wonder if you can ask Tenth Brother to come too? Tenth Brother has been quite free lately."
Yinreng: "Hahaha, since Xiaojiu has said so, there is no reason for Second Brother to disagree. I will send someone to inform Fourth Brother and Tenth Brother. Let's go and chat for a while. When they arrive, we brothers will have a good chat. We won't go home until we are drunk tonight."
Buerhe held the hand of the palace maid and came forward to greet them: "Ninth brother is here, come in quickly. Since you are going to get together, I will ask the small kitchen to make some special dishes of Yuqing Palace tonight. If you like it, please remember to give me a good review."
When he heard about the special dishes, Yin'er's eyes lit up: "Has Second Sister-in-law developed a new dish recently?"
Buerhe: "Well, it's not really a new dish. It's just that the weather has been getting hotter recently, and I'm tired of many dishes and want to change the taste. I've been spending all my free time thinking about these meals, and I just happened to have sorted out a few recently. You can try them tonight and see if they are suitable for hanging in the restaurant."
Yinzhen smiled widely, "Second sister-in-law, you are so modest. The recipes you gave me before were all excellent. Many of the dishes are still hot sellers in the restaurant. Who in the capital doesn't know about our Longyuan Restaurant now? All this is thanks to you, Second sister-in-law. Otherwise, our Longyuan Restaurant wouldn't have so many signature dishes."
Bu Erhe: "Okay, okay, I can't argue with you. If you want to thank my second sister-in-law, just go ahead. What's the matter that you came to see me today?" As she spoke, she welcomed Yin'er into the flower hall in the main courtyard, and Yinreng followed and took a seat.
Yinzhen touched his nose and said, "My brother has been busy running that milk tea shop recently. You know this, Second Sister-in-law."
Buerhe: "Yes, I heard that they have opened several stores in the capital. There is even one in the Ulanara Mansion. The Queen Mother has tried it and said it tastes good. If I hadn't given birth and couldn't eat sweets, I would have wanted to try the milk tea that so many people in the capital praised."
Yinzhen: "Well, that's nothing. If you like it, I'll write the recipe for you later. After your nephew is born, you can drink as much as you want."
Buerhe: "You are still so sweet-mouthed. It's a shame that Concubine Yi said you were her little sweet fruit. It seems that you are indeed the one."
Yin'er's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment: "Second sister-in-law" but he was thinking in his heart, why does mother tell everything to second sister-in-law? It's really embarrassing to call her "little sweet fruit".
Buerhe: "Okay, okay, I won't joke with you anymore. Try the sour plum soup in the Second Sister-in-law's Palace. It tastes lighter than the ones outside, with more of the fragrance of plums. Do you think this one will sell well?"
Yinzhen obediently picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip. "It's fragrant, sweet, and a little sour. It's just right for this summer. But isn't the taste a little too bland, Second Sister-in-law?"
Buerhe: "This is something I asked the imperial physician to adjust specially. Although the sour plum soup made with this recipe tastes lighter, the effect is no less, and you can drink it all day long without any problems."
When Yin'er heard Buerhe say this, he couldn't help but pick up the cup and take another sip. This time, he tasted a different flavor, the fruity aroma of plums. "Second sister-in-law, if it's really as you say, then this sour plum soup would be perfect for selling in the lobby on the first floor of the restaurant. We'd be able to sell it cheaper, and the quantity would be large enough to satisfy our hunger. If that happens, the first floor will attract more customers to listen to the storytelling, and business on the second and third floors will be strong, even in the summer."
Buerhe nodded repeatedly after hearing this. As a businessman, he understood it immediately.
Then Yinzhen sighed directly. Yinreng looked at Yinzhen, who had just been talking to the Crown Princess about the restaurant with great joy, and now looked so strange. He couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you acting so strange? You were fine just now."
Yinzhen no longer felt the same rejection of the Crown Prince as he did a few months ago. They were all family, so there was nothing wrong with showing some of his true nature: "Second brother, you don't know how worried I am. Summer is almost here, and we have all the new dishes and drinks, but the cost of ice is too high.
What did your younger brother do the other day? He knew the Niuhulu Mansion had the ice-making skills, so he wanted to buy them. But the recipes Ling Zhu and his son had were defective and couldn't make ice at all. The real recipe was in the hands of the eldest princess of the Niuhulu Mansion."
Buerhe: "Then you can consult this big princess. If she is willing to sell it, you can buy it."
Yinreng: "He can't find this princess, nor can he buy her."
Bull was curious: "How could that be? Don't we already know the person? We know where he is and what he wants. We can just bargain. How complicated can it be?"
Yinreng smiled and explained to Buerhe: "The eldest princess of the Niuhulu family is the newly-appointed Fuguiren by the emperor some time ago, and she is also his new favorite recently."
As soon as Yinreng finished speaking, Buerhe knew who he was talking about. It can be said that this Fuguiren is a popular figure in the palace now. As the daughter of a fourth-rank official, she was directly given a title of noble lady when she entered the palace, and she also occupied a back hall of the palace alone. Since entering the palace, the emperor often went to her to rest. It can be said that among this group of newcomers, only this Fuguiren has made a name for herself. Many people say that she may be the next Defei.
After knowing who it was, Buerhe finally understood why Yinreng said he couldn't buy it. This was true. Firstly, she was the new favorite now, so she wasn't afraid of your threats. Secondly, she was now the favorite concubine in the palace and didn't need that much money. If she really needed it, she could just act coquettishly in front of the emperor and get the money easily.
But, "Do you really want a recipe for making ice that badly?" Bull and his companion were curious. Hadn't they discovered this in their time? Wasn't this a simple physical reaction? Wasn't that how they made their summer ice?
Seeing Buerhe's curiosity, Yinzhen carefully explained the origin of the use of ice in summer. He knew the source of ice because he wanted to reduce the cost of ice in his business. A noble lady like his second sister-in-law might not know the source.
Yinzhen: "The ice we use in the summer is collected from the Songhua River north of Shengjing during the coldest time of winter. At that time, the ice harvesters would transport the cut ice blocks from the Songhua River back to the capital and store them in cellars that had been prepared long ago. All that was left was to wait. These ice cellars would be opened in the summer, and then the ice would be taken out and used for cooling."
I didn't expect Xia Ting to use ice so complicatedly. Buerhe felt a headache after hearing so many complicated steps. No wonder people always say that ice is expensive in summer. It turns out that it is because the cost is too high.
Thinking of this, Buerhe raised an eyebrow at Yinzhen: "Ninth brother, do you remember what my second sister-in-law told you during the Chinese New Year last year, about the new recipe we would collaborate on this summer?"
Yinzhen: "I remember, but didn't you say at that time, Second Sister-in-law, that this recipe would only be effective in the summer? Why...Second Sister-in-law...you..."
Seeing Yin'er's face full of disbelief, Bu'erhe smiled and nodded. Seeing Bu'erhe's affirmation, Yin'er jumped up and said, "Wow, really? Second sister-in-law? Is this true? Wow!"
Looking at Yin'er's childish appearance with amusement, Yinreng couldn't bear to watch beside him: "Alright, alright, your second sister-in-law said it was true, then it must be true. Do you still want to know what this recipe is? If you delay any longer, your fourth and tenth brothers will be here soon."
After hearing Yinreng's words, Yinzhen quickly calmed down and said, "Second sister-in-law, is that recipe difficult? Is it expensive?"
Bu Erhe did not say anything, but asked Qi'er to take out an envelope from her dowry box and then handed it to Yinzhen.
After Yinzhen took it, he opened it in no time and saw that it said to put saltpeter directly into a basin of water, let it sit for a quarter of an hour, and then take it out to get ice.
Yinzhen read the paper over and over again, and then turned it over and over to check it several times. Then he looked at Buerhe with disbelief: "That's it? That's it!"
Buerhe covered his mouth and chuckled, "How much more difficult could it be otherwise? However, this thing can't be drunk directly. If people want to eat it, it's best to use something to separate it. You understand this, right?"
Yinzhen nodded quickly. He was not stupid. His second sister-in-law had already explained everything to him. If he still didn't understand, he would be a fool. He just didn't expect that the ice-making recipe he had been thinking about was so simple.
But saltpeter is really hard to buy. Currently, it is only available in pharmacies. Thinking of this, Yinzhen directly asked his personal servant to go to the Imperial Hospital to get some saltpeter.
Seeing Yin'er's excitement, Bu'erhe quickly ordered Mo'er to prepare water and a glass bottle for use when the time comes.
Soon, the saltpeter arrived, as did the basin and glass bottle. Then, under the watchful eyes of the three, in less than five minutes, the basin of water turned into a solid block of ice. Even the water in the glass bottle froze, hard and brittle. Who had made Yinzhen so naive as to place a large piece of saltpeter directly in the basin?
Seeing the ice truly forming before him, even Yinreng couldn't help but be amazed. His own Crown Princess truly knew so much. Looking at Yin'er, he saw piles of gold ingots materializing before his eyes. If Buerhe and Yinreng weren't around, he'd probably hug the saltpeter and kiss it.