jdhmnovel Chapter 104 This cake is called "Mooncake".
Chapter 104 This cake is called "Mooncake".
After respectfully presenting the newly completed blueprints for the Ding'an Repeating Crossbow to the Emperor, Su Heng slowly took a few steps back, then turned around and returned to his seat, settling down steadily.
At the same time, Su Nuannuan's bright eyes first fell on Consort Su, who was still kneeling on the ground, and then quickly swept over the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager, who were sitting on high seats. Surprisingly, none of these three powerful figures paid any attention to Consort Su, who was still kneeling and begging for mercy.
The scene was quite intriguing. Then, Su Nuannuan's gaze shifted to where Chen Wang was not far away. With just this casual glance, Su Nuannuan almost burst out laughing, for no other reason than that she had the good fortune to catch a glimpse of Chen Wang's face, as black as the bottom of a pot.
At this moment, King Chen was staring intently at Consort Su, who was kneeling in the center of the hall, looking utterly disheveled. If a person's gaze could truly transform into a deadly blade, Consort Su would probably already be dead, her breath extinguished.
"Hehehe... I bet Prince Chen is regretting it to the core right now!" Su Nuannuan chuckled to herself as she thought to herself.
Thus, with no one paying any attention to the pitifully kneeling Su, she could only remain kneeling, not daring to move an inch. Time ticked by, and finally, the Empress, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up, ordering Su to rise. However, even so, there was absolutely no way she could remain in the bustling palace banquet. The Empress's face was ashen, and without hesitation, she ordered Su to be immediately escorted back to her residence and sentenced her to half a month of seclusion for reflection.
Consort Su was naturally dissatisfied with the punishment, but the Empress did not tolerate her and ordered two strong maids to drag her away.
The Empress Dowager sat on her high seat, watching everything unfold before her. She turned her head slightly, lowered her voice, and spoke to the Emperor beside her in a deep tone: "Your Majesty, you must know that there must be a limit to the favors bestowed upon others." After saying this, she sighed softly.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor quickly responded in a soft voice, "Your Majesty's words are absolutely right. Your son will certainly keep your teachings in mind." He nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.
At this moment, the Empress stood to the side, expressionless, as if she hadn't heard anything. She simply turned her gaze to the concubines, princes, and ministers seated below.
As time passed, the grand palace banquet gradually drew to a close. Just then, a group of palace maids dressed in uniform, carrying trays, filed in like a long dragon. Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to them, and they all curiously guessed what was on the trays.
As the palace maids approached, everyone discovered that the tray no longer held the delicacies and wines of before, but instead contained exquisitely shaped, uniquely patterned round pastries. These pastries were tempting in color and emitted a sweet aroma, making one's mouth water.
Upon seeing these pastries, the princes and ministers couldn't help but show expressions of surprise. One minister, A, even muttered to himself, "Isn't this the reunion cake that Huanxizhai recently launched?"
Upon hearing this, another minister, also lowered his voice and said, "It seems that's true, but this cake seems to have a special name, what is it again... Oh dear, look at my memory, I can't remember it for a moment."
Just as Minister B was racking his brains, Minister C quickly whispered a reminder: "This cake is called 'moon cake'."
"Yes, yes, that's the name!" Minister B exclaimed in realization, immediately echoing the sentiment. A soft murmur of discussion filled the hall; everyone was filled with curiosity and anticipation for the suddenly appearing mooncake.
"Tell me, what's the story behind Huanxizhai? How did they manage to get these mooncakes into the palace?" Another minister, full of curiosity, leaned over and asked the person next to him in a low voice.
Fortunately, the tables where these ministers were sitting were not too far apart; otherwise, with his soft voice, the person opposite him would probably not have been able to hear him at all.
Speaking of Huanxizhai, it was Su Nuannuan's dowry shop, and it is currently being managed by her third brother, Su Yuan.
After the mooncake was invented, Su Nuannuan immediately instructed her personal maid, Jinse, to send the unique recipe out of the palace to her third brother, Su Yuan. She also specifically instructed him to sell the mooncakes at Huanxizhai after they were made.
"Regardless of the background of Huanxizhai, in short, they are definitely not someone we can easily provoke," Minister A replied casually with a nonchalant expression.
At this moment, King Chen and King Qi, sitting not far away, were staring intently at the plate of golden, fragrant mooncakes in front of them, and both of them frowned deeply.
The reason for this was that this mooncake, once launched, emerged like a dark horse, instantly causing a huge sensation in the market, allowing Huanxizhai to make a fortune. Seeing such a lucrative opportunity, the wealthy and ambitious Prince Chen and Prince Qi naturally had their eyes on it, determined to take over the lucrative Huanxizhai.
However, after several attempts and contacts, the results were not satisfactory. Of course, they would not give up easily and secretly sent people to investigate who the real owner behind Huanxizhai was.
However, it must be admitted that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has kept the background of Huanxizhai extremely well concealed and mysterious, as if it were shrouded in a thick fog.
No matter how hard they tried and what methods they used to investigate, they ultimately found nothing and were unable to unveil the mystery or find out who was behind it all.
As a result, they actually found mooncakes produced by Huanxizhai in the palace!
At this moment, the emperor, high above all others, sat on his dragon throne, quietly listening to the hushed whispers of his ministers below. His sharp, deep eyes slowly swept over the crowd, finally settling on Su Nuannuan not far away. Su Nuannuan held a wine cup, a slight smile playing on her lips as she gently smiled at the emperor.