jdhmnovel Chapter 260: So Bitter
Chapter 260: So Bitter
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case."
An Lingrong walked forward with a smile and bowed gracefully.
"Your Majesty is busy with government affairs. I, your concubine, remember that tea can clear the mind and brighten the eyes, so I have specially prepared a table of tea dishes. I hope Your Majesty will appreciate their presence and enjoy them."
"I appreciate Rong'er's kindness. Come, let's take a seat together."
The emperor felt a little itchy when he saw the wine on the table.
He opened the bottle and took a sniff, and knew it was his favorite lamb wine.
"Did you get this wine from the Imperial Household Department?"
"Your Majesty is wise. It was indeed I who ordered someone to go to the Imperial Household Department to retrieve it."
As An Lingrong replied, she placed the ink-colored horseshoe cup with a picture of drunken Taibai in front of him.
Ink and color painting of a drunken Li Bai with a horseshoe cup (online photo)
"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness to me. I offer you a toast."
Drinking too much alcohol can easily make one sleepy, and she can't let the emperor drink alone.
There was a bowl in the small medicine cabinet, and An Lingrong smuggled half of the wine in the jug into it.
The emperor, who was craving for alcohol, drank a few glasses and found that the bottle was empty. He signaled Su Peisheng to bring another small pot.
This time, after finishing the wine, he didn't say anything.
An Lingrong quickly served him a bowl of refreshing and delicious white tea fish ball soup.
"Your Majesty, please try the soup specially made by the small kitchen."
She tasted it herself and found the fish balls tender and chewy, with the aroma of tea lingering around, bringing an ultimate enjoyment.
An Lingrong, who had been a vegetarian for a month, was very satisfied with every dish on the table.
Seeing how relishing her meal, the emperor also had a great appetite and inadvertently used a lot of tea leaves as a side dish.
As expected, the two of them ate too much again.
An Lingrong took the opportunity to invite the emperor to take a walk in the backyard.
"Rong'er, I remember you had poultry in your backyard, but why are they gone now?"
The emperor, who had always been on guard against the big goose, felt very strange.
"Your Majesty, the children are growing up, and we need to make some space in the backyard."
An Lingrong explained softly.
In fact, it is because it howls as soon as it gets dark, scaring the poultry so much that they stop laying eggs.
It is futile to keep it if it only consumes food but has no output. It would be better to replenish the Yonghe Palace with oil and water.
"Your Majesty, I heard that grapes can be used to make wine, so I asked for grape vines from the flower and herb room and planted them in the palace."
"When the snow falls next year, I will treat Your Majesty to some wine."
"Okay, okay! I'm waiting for Rong'er's wine."
Because of wine, the emperor was very interested in the grown grapes. He took An Lingrong by the hand and walked around the palace to look at the grape racks that were left with only bare vines.
"Honghui! Mother's Honghui..."
An Lingrong clearly felt the sharp howl and the hand connected to her trembled violently.
The emperor looked towards the source of the sound with a dark face.
"Rong'er, does the deposed queen often make such a commotion?"
"Your Majesty, there are indeed occasional noises coming from Jingren Palace. Hongzhan and I are used to it."
"After a while, Qiu promised to lead everyone back to rest."
The deposed queen has always been thinking about her eldest son Honghui, and this has become her obsession.
An Lingrong simply added some insane medicinal powder to the flowers and plants in Jingren Palace through Chang Xi.
Compared with the killing of other people by the deposed queen, this is still a bit restrained.
"Rong'er, will Ulanara's howling disturb Hongzhan and the others' rest?"
Yongshou Palace is still under renovation, so Su Peisheng has to go and urge them to finish it quickly.
"Your Majesty, Hongzhan and Zhaohua follow Eunuch Wu in martial arts training and fall asleep as soon as they hit the bed. Only Hongyao, who is a little weaker, often has trouble sleeping."
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask you to keep Eunuch Wu here to continue teaching Hongzhan and the others, so that the children can have a good sleep."
An Lingrong took the opportunity to express her request.
The emperor stopped and politely declined.
"When you are old enough, you will have good teachers to teach you martial arts."
"I will send someone to Jingren Palace to warn Concubine Li to keep quiet."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
An Lingrong had long guessed that the emperor would not give in easily, so she was not too disappointed.
She ignored the deposed queen's howling and instead talked about the changes in Hongzhan and Zhaohua after they practiced martial arts.
"Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Wei said that both of them are in better health than before."
"I intend to let Hongzhan and Zhaohua continue to lay the foundation, so as not to tarnish your majesty's prestige."
"Rong'er, you can make all the arrangements as you see fit. But Zhaohua is a woman after all, so she should practice martial arts in moderation."
Although his ancestors conquered the country on horseback, the emperor believed that being virtuous and kind was the nature of women.
A virtuous wife like Rouze is the model of a good match for a man in the world.
"I understand that practicing martial arts is only for Zhaohua to strengthen her body, and I have no other expectations for her."
An Lingrong noticed the emperor's low mood, so she tactfully kept silent and walked around the yard with him.
As the night deepened, the Jingren Palace received a warning, and the deposed queen's voice was never heard again.
While washing and dressing, An Lingrong gave Baoque a wink, and then went to help the emperor go to bed.
The emperor, with something on his mind, lay straight on the bed. Soon he noticed the sound of even breathing coming from his side.
The emperor also closed his eyes. He had to attend the morning court tomorrow and could not think about Rouze anymore.
But he couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned. He wanted to get up and go out for a walk, but he was afraid of waking up the sleeping person.
I stared like this for a long time before I slowly started to feel a little sleepy.
The emperor had just closed his eyes when he was awakened by a sharp sound.
“…bitch…it’s so painful!”
He sat up and listened attentively, but he no longer heard the sound.
The emperor was secretly annoyed. How could this dog slave Su Peisheng do his job?
The Concubine Li was still howling in the middle of the night!
He waited for a while and fell asleep again in a daze.
"...You bitch, you've caused me so much pain!"
The questioning voices rang in his ears over and over again, and the emperor suddenly opened his eyes.
He listened to the even breathing beside him and pushed the person hard.
"Rong'er, did you hear any sound just now?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I barely slept last night, so I slept more deeply tonight."
After An Lingrong finished speaking, she yawned inelegantly to prove her point.
The emperor was about to speak when Baoque's voice came from behind the curtain.
"Master, are you awake?"
"What happened?"
The unhappy emperor spoke before An Lingrong.
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince was frightened and is crying and looking for the Empress."
Baoque nervously told the reason.
"Your Majesty, my concubine..."
"Rong'er, go take a look."
The dazed emperor waved her through and followed behind.
The emperor walked around the front yard and found that Concubine Shu was indeed not lying. Hongzhan and Zhaohua, who practiced martial arts, were sleeping soundly.
Quarter of an hour later, An Lingrong coaxed the Eighth Prince to sleep, and the two returned to the bedroom.
Not long after, the emperor was awakened by the familiar questioning voice again.
"Rong'er, did you hear clearly what I just said?"
"Your Majesty, I heard someone say that she was being treated very badly."
An Lingrong, who was familiar with the content, rephrased what she heard in a different way.
When Baoque's voice was heard outside, the emperor realized that Hongyao had been woken up again.
"Rong'er, before Hongyao goes to the Shangshufang, Xiao Wuzi should stay in Yonghe Palace."
"You go and coax him, I'm going to Jingren Palace."