The work in Chuxiu Palace was not as difficult as Gu Yunxi imagined. As Madam Du said, Concubine Xu was cold-spirited and short-spoken, and she was never fastidious.

Born in a scholarly family, Concubine Xu was so elegant and she played the zither and painted in the Palace every day. Gu Yunxi would light the sandalwood incense burner just before she played the zither and put it on the zither case.

After Concubine Xu wrote and sang poems, Gu Yunxi had to put the manuscripts of the poems into the brocade box in chronological order and placed it on the cabinet.

Concubine Xu would get out of a large plain robe after painting every time, and Gu Yunxi would take it for washing.

Because Concubine Xu looked beautiful and she was never harsh on the servants, nobody thought she was affected to have such exquisite life preferences.

The days passed extremely fast out of the busy work, and in a blink of an eye, Gu Yunxi had been in the Palace for four days.

Three days later, it would be the annual Girl's Day.

Country of Dayi played no less attention to Girl's Day than the Double Ninth Festival. Both inside and outside the Palace, there must be a grand celebration on that day.

According to the rules of the Palace, the gate of divine prowess of the Palace would open on the night of Girl's Day. According to the time sequence, people in the Palace could get out of the Palace in batches to make wishes, set river lanterns, and stroll around the night market for half an hour.

Lanxin had been looking forward to Girl's Day since the early days. She had a lover in the Palace, a soldier of the Honour Guards.

Every year on Girl's Day, Lanxin met with the soldier to go to the night market.

She told Gu Yunxi that if the governor arranged for them to leave the Palace at the same time this year, Gu Yunxi could join them and they three could play together.

Gu Yunxi looked enviously at Lanxin's happy face full of expectation and longing, and couldn't help thinking about where Master Leng was and what he was doing.

Would he be missing her somewhere just like her?

Every year two days before Girl's Day, the concubines in the imperial harem would gather together to weave colorful ropes, embroider purses and have fun together, and they called it "Girl's Meeting".

In the past, the traditional entertainment was always held in Kunning Palace of the Empress. After the crown prince died, the Empress caught an illness, and the Imperial Noble Concubine Wan Yuyao was in charge of the event then.

In the past two years, although the Empress cheered up and appeared in the imperial harem sometimes, she did not propose to preside over the Girl's Meeting but just left the concubines to have fun themselves.

In the early morning of this day, Concubine Xu got up early, put on a gorgeous palace costume after seeing the little prince, and prepared to go to the annual Girl's Meeting in the imperial harem.

When she was combing her hair, she thought of something, and called to the mirror.

"Muxue. Come here."

When Gu Yunxi heard it, she walked to her in quick short steps, lowering her eyebrows and nodding.

"Your Grace, what can I do for you?"

"Go to the small kitchen to see if the snacks prepared for the Imperial Noble Concubine are ready. Tell them again, the Imperial Noble Concubine likes to eat the goat cheese in the Palace. Tell them to make the cheese pastries carefully."

"Yes, Your Grace. I'll go now."

Gu Yunxi finished her answering cautiously, and then walked quickly out of the main hall into the small kitchen in the side hall through the winding corridor.

Before she entered the kitchen, she heard the chef's clamor.

"Boiling milk is the key to extracting cheese. You can't keep it sloppy! But what you have done to the pot of goat milk? How can I extract cheese now? These are the pastries to be given to Noble Concubine Wan..."

Lanxin's sobbing came out from the kitchen.

"It's my fault. Madam, please speak for me before Your Grace then! Don't let her punish me!"

Hearing that Lanxin was in trouble, Gu Yunxi couldn't settle down.

She didn't enter the Palace for long, and she had been taken care of by Lanxin all the time. That little girl worked in the small kitchen. Although she was a little careless, she was not a bad girl!

Gu Yunxi walked into the kitchen and saw two cooks standing by the side. In front of the stove was the angry chef Madam Liao, and Lanxin, who was crying and trembling at a loss.

When Madam Liao saw Gu Yunxi, she knew that Concubine Xu had sent someone to remind her of the pastries. She put on an anxious face just like the ants on a hot pan.

It was almost time for Concubine Xu to set off, but the pastries had not yet been made. In case Concubine Xu missed the time out of them and Noble Concubine Wan got angry with that, even if Concubine Xu had a good temper, she wouldn't forgive the people in the small kitchen easily when she came back.

"Madam, what's wrong?"

Gu Yunxi's eyes flashed slightly, and she leaned forward to ask carefully.

Madam Liao shook her head and stomped her feet, pulling Gu Yunxi to the pot.

"Girl, look at the goat milk cooked by this stupid girl! People in the kitchen are so busy today out of the meeting in the imperial harem. I was so busy that I asked her to take care of the goat milk for me. But I didn't expect her to destroy the whole pot of goat milk!"

Gu Yunxi squinted her eyes and looked into the pot. The pot of goat milk was almost boiled, and only a thick skin was left, lying on the bottom of the pot.

Gu Yunxi had ever made goat cheese, and she knew the difference between steamed cheese and boiled cheese.

It would take a long time to make steamed cheese, and the finished cheese would be watery, smooth, and clear. When she made Jiaozhu Pear Curd before, she used the method of steaming cheese.

While it would not only take a long time to make boiled cheese, but also would have to make someone stay in front of the stove to stir the pot with a wooden spoon from time to time, and more importantly, pay attention to the fire in the stove. If the fire was too strong, the cheese would be boiled dry quickly.

At this time, a thick skin had formed, and the goat milk was basically useless.

Goat milk was precious, and it would take some time to make cheese pastries after re-making the cheese. Time was too late.

"Girl, please go and ask Your Grace whether the pastries can be changed. After getting through today, no matter how she punishes me, I will accept it voluntarily."

There was nothing Madam Liao could do then, and she sat down on a low stool, looking downcast.

Gu Yunxi frowned slightly, and lifted the milk skin with chopsticks.

Under the milk skin, there were some unformed goat cheeses shaped like shredded tofu residues, which was really disgusting to look at.

Gu Yunxi glanced at Lanxin beside her, and whispered.

"Why you added cold water into it halfway?"

Lanxin wiped her tears and answered her in a low voice.

"I, I was lost in thought about the night market in the day after tomorrow, and the pot just boiled dry in a blink of an eye. I was so scared that I poured some water into the goat milk. But cheeses never form then but only the milk skin..."

"Water can dilute the milk fat of goat milk, so it won't be curdled naturally. Especially what you added was cold water."

Gu Yunxi shook her head resignedly.

"What should I do now?"

Lanxin was so flustered that she cried again, grabbing Gu Yunxi's arm firmly.

"Muxue, help me. Speak for me before Your Grace. I don't want to be locked into the Violent Room!"

"It's okay. Leave it to me. Go get a piece of ghee for me."

After saying to Lanxin, Gu Yunxi turned to look at Madam Liao.

"Madam, I need some ice cubes. Let's process the cheese and make some fresh food. I promise the Imperial Noble Concubine will like it!"

"It's...Okay!"

Madam Liao hesitated, but since there was no better way, she got up from the stool and bit the bullet to order a cook to go to the icehouse to fetch some ice cubes.

Gu Yunxi started the fire again, took the ghee that Lanxin handed over, cut a piece of it, and threw it into the pot. Then she sprinkled a handful of icing sugar into it.

Although the ghee had been melting for a while, Gu Yunxi didn't stir the pot. She took the ice cubes and mashed them in stride, put them into the food container, and made a thick layer.

The remaining trash ice was put around the rim of the dish carved with lotus leaf, and then she went to see the pot.

The boiling ghee and goat milk had thickened. Gu Yunxi ordered someone to turn off the heat.

When the milk was slightly cold, Gu Yunxi took a spoonful and poured it into the lotus-leaf dish.

The milk condensed and solidified on ice. Then Gu Yunxi poured another spoonful of it, and it gradually accumulated into a sharp snow-white hill in this way.

She put a slice of fresh mint on the top with a gorgeous pitted cherry on it.

Gu Yunxi asked someone to pluck a few bright flowers and place them on the trash ice. She unbent her eyebrows and walked to Madam Liao with the dish in her hands, and said with a smile.

"Madam, you can put this dish called 'ghee hill' in the food box. Your Grace will bring it to the Girl's Meeting and present it to Noble Concubine Wan."

Looking at the dish in Gu Yunxi's hands, the bright brilliance in Madam Liao's eyes flashed away. She frowned again, looking at the white snowy hill on the green dish, asking without confidence.

"It... Will it work?"

"Madam, just take this to Your Grace. If anything bad happened after Your Grance presents it to Noble Concubine Wan, I would bear the punishment for you."

"Well, okay. Let's try it!"

Madam Liao nodded and agreed, put "ghee hill" into the iced food box, and asked Gu Yunxi to send it to the main hall.

When Concubine Xu saw this dish, she turned obviously displeased. Her beautiful eyebrows were raised immediately, and she said angrily.

"On that day when I went to Yongning Palace, in front of so many concubines, Noble Concubine Wan praised the pastries our palace made."

"Now, these stupid slaves in the kitchen want me to take this shapeless thing to see the Imperial Noble Concubine. They really want me to be blamed so much?"

"Your Grace..."

Gu Yunxi was about to explain, but then she heard the noise of hitting the table. Concubine Xu ordered sternly.

"Jinzhu, go call Madam Liao here!"

Jinzhu hurriedly obeyed her order to go for Madam Liao. She came back after a short time followed by the restless Madam Liao.

"Let's talk about it. I seldom ask you to do anything, but you should have become so clumsy! And now you even dare to fool me with this thing!"

Gu Yunxi stood aside and watched sneakily. Fortunately, the furious Concubine Xu only raised her eyebrows, as if she had been trying her best to endure her emotional outburst, and she hadn't lost her mind so much to raise her hand to break the dish.

Otherwise, Gu Yunxi really wouldn't have the ability to turn the tide again.

Madam Liao was so scared that her legs became weak. Since she could not stand firmly, she just fell down in front of Concubine Xu.

Jinzhu yelled at her, "How dare you!"

Madam Liao was drenched in sweat. She hurriedly adjusted her posture and prostrated herself, kowtowing again and again.

"Your Grace, spare me please. Spare me please! I'm guilty! The maid destroyed the goat milk, and after Muxue saw that, she told me to change the recipe and she made the 'ghee hill'. We didn't have enough time then, and I was really helpless. Your Grace, please spare us!"

"Ghee hill?"

After hearing what she said, Concubine Xu raised her eyebrows slightly, and her anger was mostly gone.

She turned her eyes to look at the white hill on the green dish again. Her lips suddenly curled up slightly, showing a smile.

"Well, the shape is interesting, and the colors are proper... Ghee hill. The name of the dessert is also novel. Muxue, is this your idea?"

Gu Yunxi lowered her head and knelt, saying with a respectful voice.

"I took the liberty to make the decision. Your Grace, please punish me."

"Tell me, what is the characteristic of this dessert?"

"Yes."

After bowing to the ground, Gu Yunxi straightened her upper body. She nodded and said.

"This dessert was inspired by the ancient poem 'Red hand fine, brown rice wine. Town, court willows, a spring sign', and one of the main ingredients of the dessert is cow ghee, so I took it and named the dessert 'ghee hill'."

"This dessert tastes cold and soft, and it will just melt in the mouth with the fragrance of milk. It's more an ice-dessert than a snack."

"Today's Girl's Meeting will be held in the Imperial Garden. Your Grace, please imagine the scene. Under the bright sun, the Imperial Noble Concubine and other sisters sit in the pavilion, enjoying flowers and pottery, tasting the 'ghee hill', while feeling the artistic conception of 'Town, court willows, a spring sign". What a great thing it will be."

After hearing this, Concubine Xu paused. Her eyes shone, revealing a hint of joy. She said with a light smile then.

"Get up. Come here."

Gu Yunxi stood up obediently, her drooping eyelashes covering her unclear eyes.

Seeing Concubine Xu's stretching arm, she hurriedly strode forward.

Concubine Xu held up Gu Yunxi's hands and looked at them closely, smiling slightly.

"Red hand fine... Great words. Have you studied before?"

"Your Grace, I've studied for a few years at home."

"Great. I like your composure and tactics. You can follow me to the meeting then."

Concubine Xu intended to take Gu Yunxi to the Girl's Meeting. Her sudden decision made Gu Yunxi feel flattered and freeze for a while.

Jinzhu's urging words sounded in her ears then.

"Kneel down and thank Your Grace!"

When Gu Yunxi was about to bend her knees, she was stopped by Concubine Xu.

"Forget that. It's not early. Let's set off. If we delay any longer, the ice-dessert in the food box is about to melt."

Concubine Xu glanced at Madam Liao with stern eyes who was kneeling, and then got up from the rose chair, walking out of the hall like the moon surrounded by stars.

When the hall got empty and there was no one else then, Madam Liao dared to stand up. She looked aggrievedly at the door, and stroked the cold sweat on her forehead silently.