jdhmnovel Chapter 259 Tea and Vegetables
Chapter 259 Tea and Vegetables
"So good!"
An Lingrong praised with satisfaction.
"Hongzhan, it seems your efforts these days have not been in vain."
"The road to martial arts is long and arduous. You must never give up halfway."
She warned gently.
"Your son will remember my mother's teachings!"
"Mother, Eunuch Wu said that my eighth brother has excellent physique and is a good candidate for martial arts training."
Hongzhan suspected that Eunuch Wu's willingness to stay might be related to this.
"What? Hongyao is a good candidate for martial arts?"
An Lingrong raised her eyebrows in surprise and resisted the indecent urge to pick her ears.
She really couldn't imagine that Hongyao, who would take a detour when he saw Xiao Wuzi, actually had such talent.
Under his mother's surprised gaze, Hongzhan nodded vigorously, gritted his teeth, and told the truth directly.
"Mother, Eunuch Wu said that among the three of us, Hongyao has the best bones, followed by Zhaohua. I, your son, will strengthen my body by diligently practicing martial arts."
"Hongzhan, everything has its strengths and weaknesses, and so do people." (Source: Lüshi Chunqiu, "Using the People")
"You are very talented, far more so than your brothers and sisters."
An Lingrong was afraid that he couldn't come to his senses, so she tried to persuade him patiently.
"Mother, I understand this principle."
Hongzhan would not dwell on this matter. The emperor had never mentioned in front of him that he was proficient in martial arts.
It's not normal for him to be lacking in this aspect. Hongzhan just can't stand seeing his talented younger brothers and sisters slacking off.
Hongyao and Zhaohua, who were eating minced meat and egg custard not far away, sneezed at the same time, making the maids think that they had caught a cold. They wondered whether to report to the master and call for the imperial physician.
Hongzhan, who was being clever, saw that his mother was lost in thought, and reminded her before leaving.
"Mother, please don't forget what you promised me. You must help me keep Eunuch Wu."
"Good boy, wait here for your mother."
"Don't worry, mother won't forget."
An Lingrong finally reacted and responded with a smile.
"The Guillotine" is the emperor's secret guard, and it is difficult to get the emperor to give him up.
Going directly to the Yangxin Palace to ask for someone would definitely not work, so An Lingrong carefully considered what to do.
As the night deepened, the faint howling coming from Jingren Palace gave her a flash of inspiration.
The next morning, Baoque saw the dark circles under the empress's eyes and asked worriedly.
"Master, is it too noisy over there that you can't rest well?"
"Bao Que, there's nothing we can do about this. Go and see how the Sixth Prince and the others slept last night."
An Lingrong had no psychological burden about taking advantage of the deposed queen.
After a while, Baoque brought the news.
The Sixth Prince and Princess Zhaohua slept very soundly, only the Eighth Prince tossed and turned in bed, yawning with his eyes closed.
"There was no movement over there during the day. Please inform Madam later and let the Eighth Prince sleep a little longer."
Hongyao must follow Xiao Wuzi to lay the foundation, and An Lingrong feels that she should feel sorry for him for a day.
After breakfast, she took out the almost finished Ruyi hat and put the finishing touches on it.
Hongzhan and Hongyao's Ruyi hats had been sewn long ago, but the emperor's hat required more materials and complicated patterns, so it took more time.
An Lingrong worked hard and finally finished the hat at the beginning of the Si hour.
"Xiao Linzi, send this Ruyi hat to the Yangxin Palace."
"Master, do you need to say something?"
Xiao Linzi heard that other concubines had other intentions when they sent things to the Yangxin Palace.
An Lingrong shook her head. "I made this hat to express my gratitude, it has no other meaning."
Xiao Xia Zi once said that there was a tattered Ruyi hat in the emperor's box.
The young palace maid who was cleaning the palace mentioned the style of the hat in private. A few days later, she was found guilty and not only was she beaten with a stick, but she was also sent back to the laundry department.
The hat she had made was somewhat similar to the one the emperor treasured.
When the emperor, who was reviewing memorials in the Yangxin Palace, saw the hat on the tray, he stood up excitedly.
"Xiao Linzi, was this hat sewn by Concubine Shu herself?"
"Your Majesty, this was sewn by the Empress herself, not a single stitch was sewed by anyone else."
Xiao Linzi noticed the urgency in the emperor's tone and quickly spoke well of his master.
Anyway, he didn't hear from Bao Ge that they helped, so it was done by the master alone.
The emperor felt warm in his heart when he heard this.
Back then, his wife Rouze also sewed a Ruyi hat for him stitch by stitch.
"Shu Guifei is very thoughtful. Go back and tell her that I will have dinner in Yonghe Palace today."
As soon as An Lingrong got the news, she ordered Bao Ge to prepare tea and snacks in advance.
"The emperor doesn't like things that are too sweet, so you can use honey instead of sugar."
There was also tea in the prince and princess's rations, and there was a lot of it stored in Yonghe Palace. After thinking about it, she decided to use tea to prepare meals.
Therefore, the dinner dishes were tentatively decided to include Longjing shrimp, tea-flavored chicken, tea tofu, camphor tea duck, white tea fish ball soup and white tea wontons.
An Lingrong was afraid that it was not safe, so she ground some powder for backup.
Hongzhan, Hongyao and Zhaohua were still young and could only eat light meals. An Lingrong had plans in mind and did not plan to let them eat with her.
When the palace servants learned that the emperor was coming for dinner, they all became busy.
Hearing the silver bell-like laughter coming from the yard, Nanny Suo went to the main hall.
"Master, I heard that the emperor loves wine. Why don't you prepare some?"
Nanny Suo took great care of Zhaohua and even made various kinds of shoes for her in private. She treated Zhaohua almost like a junior.
An Lingrong understood that she was giving her a reminder and quickly responded.
"It was my oversight. Please ask Madam Suo to go to the storehouse and pick out some wine. If there's nothing suitable, you can ask Xiao Linzi to go to the Imperial Household Department and get some."
"Old slave, go now."
Nanny Suo smiled and was about to leave.
"Madam, please take a seat. I have something to ask you."
An Lingrong raised her hand to signal her to sit on the stool below. Nanny Suo had also been called in to ask about Princess Zhaohua, and she sat obediently on the edge of the stool.
"I would like Princess Zhaohua to learn some martial arts. What do you think, Madam Suo?"
After seeing how dignified and elegant Princess Shuhe and Princess Wenyi were in Shoukang Palace, An Lingrong was afraid that her idea might violate taboos.
"Master, you are a visionary. Princess Zhaohua is blessed to have a mother like you."
When it came to matters concerning the royal family, Nanny Suo didn't dare to say much, but she expressed her support.
"You are so kind, Madam. I will find an opportunity to speak to the Emperor about this."
The imperial court has always advocated that Manchuria and Mongolia should be one family. In order to strengthen the relationship between the two sides, marriage is the most reliable way.
It was precisely because the relationship between the two sides was too close that it was impossible to use someone else as a substitute during the marriage.
The late emperor lived a long life, and An Lingrong guessed that the emperor would definitely not die young.
For Zhaohua's own good, she must be allowed to stand on her own feet.
Nanny Suo occasionally gave An Lingrong advice on the Emperor's preferences, probably out of the desire to not let Princess Zhaohua suffer.
Everything was ready in Yonghe Palace. The emperor walked in with his men and asked with a smile.
"Rong'er, are you going to treat me with a 'tea and food banquet'?"