The Emperor took his morning meal before the fifth watch in the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility, with relatively simple dishes. The more elaborate main meals were served at the si hour and the you hour, and were taken in the Hall of Brightness.
The Hall of Brightness was opposite the eastern corridor gate tower of the imperial city, beneath which were the Six Bureaus of the Palace Administration and the imperial kitchens. Whenever a meal was served, a eunuch would stand on the gate tower, calling out the names of each dish in a drawn-out voice—a practice known as "announcing the dishes." Following these announcements, a line of imperial kitchen attendants known as "courtyard stewards," dressed in purple robes and wearing coiled-foot turbans, would enter the hall. Each carried a food box draped in a yellow embroidered dragon cover in their right hand and a red silk embroidered hand towel in their left. After more than ten boxes were presented, another dozen or so attendants would enter, each carrying a food box shaped like a golden melon. Once the boxes reached the hall, the dishes were passed one by one through the hands of the eunuchs and palace attendants of the Bureau of Palace Provisions to the Emperor’s table. The palace attendants would then take out the dishes, serving a small portion first for Pei Shangshi or Zhenzhen to taste. If they detected any flaw in the flavor or experienced discomfort after eating, the dish would be immediately removed. Only if no issues were found would the Emperor be invited to eat.
Pei Shangshi explained that due to her advanced age, the imperial physicians had advised her to avoid many foods. With the Emperor’s approval, most of the imperial meals were now tasted first by Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen was delighted with this task. During the first meal, she sampled over twenty exquisite dishes. Although each portion was small, the entire experience was a feast for the senses, leaving her thoroughly satisfied. After the meal, she felt that the role of food taster was remarkably easy—receiving a salary to eat the Emperor’s meals without having to prepare them herself seemed like the greatest bargain in the world. She couldn’t help but chuckle to herself in secret.
However, this joy did not last long. After the si-hour meal on the first day, Pei Shangshi asked Zhenzhen, "Of today’s imperial dishes, which ones did you find most delicious?"
Zhenzhen replied with a smile, "The wine-braised lamb, spicy shrimp soup, and lotus duck rolls were all excellent."
"Good. Now go to the kitchen of the Bureau of Palace Provisions and prepare these three dishes," Pei Shangshi commanded.
"What?" Zhenzhen asked in astonishment. "Is there a recipe for me to follow?"
"No."
"Can I ask someone to teach me?"
"No. After you prepare them, ask the female officials of the Bureau of Palace Provisions or the kitchen staff to taste them. They might offer some suggestions."
"But I only took one bite of each dish..."
"Then recreate them based on the impression that one bite left you with."
Zhenzhen soon felt the greatest pressure she had experienced since entering the palace. Recreating a dish based solely on the fleeting impression of a single bite, with no assistance whatsoever, and having to guess the ingredients and procedures blindly, proved to be an immense challenge. Her first attempt was a complete disaster—the flavors she produced bore no resemblance to what she had tasted. When she asked the female officials and kitchen staff for their opinions, the feedback was varied and contradictory, leaving her unsure whose advice to trust.
From then on, Zhenzhen approached each tasting with utmost seriousness. With every bite of food, as her tongue savored the flavors, she would silently analyze the ingredients and cooking methods in her mind. After the meal, she would return to the kitchen, recreate the dishes that intrigued her the most, and then seek feedback from anyone she could find.Gradually, she discovered that there were intricacies in seeking opinions: some who had tasted these dishes would offer sincere feedback; others who hadn't tried them would carelessly pass off their own conjectures as recipes to Zhenzhen; and still others, though knowing the true methods, refused to share them honestly—either remaining silent or deliberately pointing her in the wrong direction. This was especially common among the cooks in the imperial kitchen. Thus, learning how to manage relationships with them and earn their willing cooperation became another challenge for Zhenzhen to master.
"The Bureau of Palace Provisions and the imperial kitchen should complement each other, but in reality, they are mutually wary," Pei Shangshi later explained to Zhenzhen. "The more skilled the cooks become, the more they look down on the female officials of the Bureau of Palace Provisions, believing we merely reap the benefits of their labor while constantly nitpicking and disparaging them. Therefore, we must diligently hone our culinary skills, ensuring our expertise is no less than theirs. When drafting the Emperor's menus or critiquing the imperial kitchen's dishes, we must be able to articulate clear and reasoned explanations if they question us."
Not long after, Zhenzhen faced open hostility from the imperial kitchen.
The Emperor's daily menus were typically drafted by Pei Shangshi. One day, when Pei Shangshi fell ill and took two days' leave, she instructed Zhenzhen to plan the next day's dishes based on the menus she had recently prepared. Outside the Hening Gate on the northern side of the palace, beneath the red railings, there was a morning market offering all kinds of fish, meat, vegetables, and fruits. Palace consorts and attendants often sent eunuchs to purchase fresh delicacies there. Seeing the pork bought by one of the Bureau of Palace Provisions attendants was particularly fresh, Zhenzhen suddenly recalled that the red meat in imperial meals was almost exclusively mutton, with beef rarely seen and pork entirely absent. An idea struck her, and she added a dish of Dongpo Pork to the menu.
When the menu was sent to the imperial kitchen, it wasn't long before Li Dahong, the head cook known as "Li Shishou," stormed into the Bureau of Palace Provisions in a rage to confront Zhenzhen.
Slamming the menu onto the table in front of Zhenzhen, Li Dahong exclaimed loudly, "The imperial kitchen does not serve pork. Doesn't Manager Wu know this?"
Zhenzhen remained composed. "Just because it hasn't been done before, does that mean it cannot be added? Must imperial cuisine remain bound by tradition, limited to only a few types of meat?"
"This is part of the ancestral rules. The emperors of our dynasty have never eaten pork. How can it be changed so casually?" Li Dahong retorted angrily, continuing to berate Zhenzhen for her lack of understanding and questioning how she had even become a manager.
The commotion reached the Emperor, who was still drinking tea in the Jiaming Hall. He summoned both of them and inquired about the cause of the dispute. After Zhenzhen explained the situation, she added, "Although mutton is excellent, consuming it daily can easily lead to internal heat. Pork, on the other hand, is mild in nature and sweet in taste. It can moisten the intestines and stomach, nourish kidney energy, and clear heat toxins. Alternating between pork and mutton is highly beneficial for replenishing deficiencies and moistening dryness. Moreover, because the nobility in the palace favor mutton, its price in the common market has become excessively inflated. If Your Majesty were to try pork, the people might follow suit, which could help slightly suppress the price of mutton."
The Emperor smiled and said, "Your reasoning is quite sound. As for Dongpo Pork, I tried it once at a common tavern when I was still a prince, though I found it somewhat greasy and not to my liking."
Zhenzhen replied, "Pork can also be prepared in a non-greasy way. If Your Majesty is willing to try it, this humble servant will prepare a dish for you."With the Emperor's approval, the next day Zhenzhen had someone buy pork. She went to the kitchen, selected the lean meat and sliced it thinly, washed it with soy sauce, then took out her iron wok. She heated the wok until red-hot and stir-fried the meat slices. When they turned slightly white, she scooped them out, shredded them, and returned them to the wok. She added pickled cucumbers, pickled radish, garlic, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, tangerine peel, and sesame oil, stir-frying everything together with the shredded meat. After a short while, she plated it. When presenting it to the Emperor, she added a little vinegar and mixed it in.
After tasting it, the Emperor smiled. "The flavor is excellent. This method is quite different from imperial cuisine; it has a very earthly, homely charm."
"When I was little, my mother would fry shredded meat for me and mix in these seasonings," Zhenzhen said with a slight smile. "I never thought to learn how to make it back then. Later, when Pei Shangshi taught me to recreate dishes I had tasted, I prepared the seasonings based on my memory, but I switched to stir-frying in an iron wok. This makes the shredded meat more tender and allows it to absorb the flavors better."
The Emperor nodded. "Well done. I also never imagined pork could be prepared with such flavor. It shows that ingredients themselves are neither noble nor humble; what matters is the heart and intention the cook puts into the dish for the diner."
The Emperor ate a few more mouthfuls. While chatting idly with Zhenzhen, he suddenly heard an attendant announce that Consort Liu was requesting an audience outside the hall.
The Emperor immediately had her enter and greeted her with a smile. "Today, Chef Wu has prepared a rather novel dish. Come and try some."
Consort Liu responded and came over, sitting beside the Emperor. She smiled as she looked at the plate of shredded meat, but her smile quickly froze. "Is this pork?" she asked.
Zhenzhen confirmed it was. Consort Liu's expression changed dramatically. A wave of nausea rose in her chest, and she immediately covered her mouth with her sleeve, retching dryly several times.
"Your Majesty, the lady has never been able to eat pork..." explained Granny Yu, who had entered with her, looking troubled.
The Emperor suddenly understood. "Yes, pork is never used in the palace, so I didn't think of that."
The Emperor immediately ordered all the dishes to be cleared away. After comforting Consort Liu for a while and waiting for her to feel slightly better, he escorted her back to the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility.
Back in the inner chamber of the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility, the Emperor sat side by side with Consort Liu and said gently, "Now that you are with child, why did you walk such a long distance to see me?"
Consort Liu replied, "Your Majesty hasn't visited Furong Pavilion in so long. I think of you morning and night every day, but you never come. I had no choice but to swallow my pride and come find you myself."
"I was at Furong Pavilion just the day before yesterday, wasn't I?" the Emperor said with a laugh.
"That was two whole days ago! A day apart feels like three autumns; that makes six autumns already!" Consort Liu frowned and pouted.
The Emperor soothed her with kind words. "Right now, you should rest more. It's also not convenient for me to visit you every day. We have a long future ahead; we still have decades to spend together."
Consort Liu leaned over, wrapped her arms around the Emperor's waist, and nestled against his chest. "Now that I'm not the one attending to your meals, I'm always anxious. I worry that you might not eat well, and I also worry that you might eat too well and won't need me to serve you anymore."
The Emperor chuckled. "Don't worry. When it comes to culinary skill, who could compare to you? After you give birth, I'll undoubtedly keep you busy in the Hall of Splendor serving meals all day... Even now, if you don't mind the effort, you could occasionally make a dish and have it sent to me."
Consort Liu agreed with a smile. After a moment, she added wistfully, "You still find the novelty of a new person appealing. You were even willing to eat the pork she made."The Emperor laughed heartily and patted her shoulder. "Chef Wu grew up among common folk, so her choice of ingredients isn't overly refined. Eating her dishes can be considered understanding the people's condition, and listening to her talk helps learn about the hardships of the world. I see her as one would see a niece or nephew, so don't overthink it."
Consort Liu then asked, "Why didn't you choose Feng Jing back then? She has been promoted to Head Chef, and in terms of both talent and status, she would be more suitable to serve by Your Majesty's side."
The Emperor replied, "Although she has severed ties with the Crown Prince, forgetting such feelings is easier said than done. Being near me would inevitably lead to frequent encounters with the Crown Prince, which would likely make both of them uncomfortable."
"What was once a promising marriage has been ruined like this..." Consort Liu sighed softly before asking again, "Is Feng Jing still unwilling to participate in designing the Gathering Scenery Garden?"
The Emperor shook his head. "She feels content with her current situation, and I don't wish to force her."
"Has Your Majesty found a suitable person yet?" Consort Liu pressed further.
"Not yet," the Emperor said. "The Empress Dowager and I have reviewed proposals from people recommended by the Directorate of Palace Buildings, but none were satisfactory—they were either too rigid or too extravagant."
Consort Liu lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes sparkling like clear ripples as she gazed at him and whispered, "I do have someone in mind who might satisfy both Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager."
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