"Ma'am, would you allow me to prepare two snacks myself? It's just a small token of my gratitude," Li Ying said with a beaming smile. Her fingers were as slender as scallions, looking like someone who had never done any menial work. The old maidservant looked at her with a skeptical expression.
"You?"
Li Ying guessed what was on her mind and nodded firmly. "Ma'am, please rest assured. If the princess blames anyone, I'll take all the responsibility. I won't let you get into trouble."
Convinced by her assurance, the old maidservant led her to the table and let her do as she pleased.
A few young maidservants huddled together, whispering about Li Ying's cooking skills. She just smiled it off and didn't take it to heart.
Li Ying washed her hands and picked up a bunch of fresh wisteria flowers. The delicate fragrance wafted towards her, refreshing her senses.
She carefully plucked all the wisteria flowers, removed the light - green calyxes, rinsed them clean, and placed them on a bamboo basket to drain the water.
The cleaned wisteria flowers were sweet and free of bitterness. She sprinkled some brown sugar on them and gently kneaded them to bring out the fragrance. Then she added a pinch of sea salt. The saltiness enhanced the sweetness of the sugared wisteria flowers.
When the petals were fully infused with the sweetness of the brown sugar, the dough for the crust and the oil pastry had also risen. She made the flaky crust using the small - bun method and then started to wrap the filling.
She mixed the pickled wisteria flower paste with the steamed and mashed purple sweet potato puree, creating a soft purple color. Then she added roasted pine nuts, almonds, and various dried fruits, kneading the filling until it was oily. She gathered the dough gently with her thumb and forefinger, wrapped it up, brushed a thin layer of egg yolk on it, and dotted some sesame seeds in the middle.
Following the same method, Li Ying made another batch of pink begonia flower pastries. The filling was made of candied begonia fruits prepared in the autumn of last year.
When the pastries came out of the oven, the sweet aroma filled the room. Their delicate shapes attracted all the maids and servants in the room, who came over curiously to take a look.
Under the layers of flaky crust as thin as cicada wings, the carefully - prepared, sweet - and - sour filling with a strong floral fragrance neutralized the cloying sweetness perfectly. It was most elegant when paired with a cup of tea.
Li Ying took another glass bowl. For the bottom half, she mixed milk with wisteria sweet sauce and fish glue boiled into a paste. Chilled with ice cubes, it solidified into a smooth and delicate jelly.
For the top half, she used fresh, un - pickled wisteria flower buds, also solidified with fish glue. When inverted onto a white jade plate, the crystal - clear and delicate wisteria cake, drizzled with a layer of honey, looked like fresh flower buds frozen in crystal, extremely elegant.
Li Ying calmly arranged the pastries on the plates and then confidently presented them to the head maidservant. "Thank you, ma'am," she said softly.
The old maidservant watched Li Ying's smooth and skillful movements in astonishment. She never expected that this delicate girl would be so proficient in making pastries.
She put aside her initial doubts and gave Li Ying a rare appreciative smile before picking up the plate and presenting it.
Li Ying found a quiet place and sat down leisurely, waiting for the princess's response.
She didn't want to cause any trouble, but a few young maidservants who had previously looked down on her came over with disdainful looks.
The leading maid turned up her nose and sneered at Li Ying. "Just any Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to climb up to our princess's mansion. That commoner surnamed Hu is already pestering us every day. Today, she even sent in a clumsy servant girl. She just made a couple of fancy - looking snacks. Does she really think she can catch our princess's eye?"
The two maids behind her echoed her words, squeezing and taunting Li Ying at every turn.
"That's right. Our princess hates cloying food the most. Presenting such vulgar mountain snacks, just wait for the scolding later!"
Li Ying didn't want to cause trouble. She just smiled it off and didn't care much.
Not long after, they heard a senior maidservant's voice from outside. "Who made today's snacks?"
The person's tone was very serious. The maids who had been surrounding Li Ying showed smug expressions and quickly pushed her forward. "It's her!"
The senior maidservant sized Li Ying up and recognized her as the servant girl following Hu Qinzhu. She just nodded and said in a deep voice, "Your snacks today are very good. The princess even had a few extra pieces. Come with me to receive your reward."
Li Ying had already guessed this result and was well - prepared. She bowed gracefully and calmly followed the senior maidservant.
The maids were left gaping, staring at Li Ying's back in shock, their faces turning pale and red in turn.
The princess didn't like to be served by others during meals, so there were only Hu Qinzhu and the princess in the room.
The head maidservant led Li Ying to the door, bowed, and quietly left.
Li Ying lowered her head and stood modestly in front of the two of them. She felt the princess's scrutinizing gaze on her.
"Qinzhu, your personal servant girl has quite a skillful hand," the princess said casually as she sipped her tea.
Hu Qinzhu didn't know how to introduce Li Ying's identity to the princess. Seeing the princess's unfathomable expression, she was in a dilemma. Just then, the princess picked up a wisteria pastry, broke it into pieces in her hand, but didn't put it in her mouth. Instead, she continued calmly, "Using flowers as filling, the taste of this pastry is really interesting. However, it seems to me that the way of making these snacks is quite similar to that of the famous Li's Pastries. Qinzhu, when did you manage to poach such a wonderful person from Boss Li?"
Although she had her eyes down, it was obvious that she had seen through Li Ying's identity.
Hu Qinzhu's heart tightened. She quickly pulled Li Ying's corner of the clothes and was about to kneel down to perform a grand salute.
"Your Highness, it's not that I meant to hide it. It's just..."
Before she could finish her words, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li Ying standing there like a straight wooden stake. A cold sweat broke out on her back immediately.
Accompanying the princess was like accompanying a tiger. Although the princess was amiable, she was of royal blood. A single mistake could lead to a fatal disaster!
Ignoring Hu Qinzhu's looks, Li Ying stared directly into the princess's eyes and smiled. "Your Highness is really perceptive. My rough disguise must have been seen through by you at a glance, right?"
She admitted her identity frankly. The princess wasn't angry. She just looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.