Chapter 51

In fact, the Fourth Prince did not want to enter the backyard again, but there was nothing important today, so he returned from the palace early.

It was the New Year, and there was really nothing to do. The Fourth Prince first met the wet nurses of the eldest princess and the youngest prince, and asked some questions such as "Is the eldest princess enjoying her meals?" and "How is the youngest prince doing recently?" Then he sat at the table and read a book.

During the New Year, such a family reunion day, it must be very lively.

Su Peisheng quietly served hot tea, and saw that the master was staring at the martial arts field outside, and knew that he must be thinking about the eldest prince again.

The three great sorrows in life are losing one's mother in childhood, losing one's husband in middle age, and losing one's son in old age.

Although the master didn't lose his mother, he was not with his biological mother, and he lost his adoptive mother. Now he is almost thirty and has lost his eldest son. He has no children, and Fu Jin is so indifferent.

The master is a prince, who knows that he has no close friends around him? It's better for him to have Xiao Quanzi around him who can ask about his well-being.

Su Peisheng sighed and planned to be nicer to Xiao Quanzi when he returned.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Xiao Quanzi coming in from outside, "Master, what time did you call the master for today?"

Su Peisheng took back what he had just said. This poor kid, how come he only grows taller but not smarter? What can the master eat? Isn't it still those vegetarian foods?

However, he almost lost his appetite after eating these things with the master every day. He could eat three bowls of rice with the smell of meat he smelled at Li Fujin's place a few days ago. It's just that the front yard is under the master's nose, and Xiao Quanzi, who is so unruly, will not steal food, let alone him who follows the master every day.

In fact, when Xiao Quanzi came from a distance along the wall, the Fourth Prince saw him. However, from a distance, he looked a bit like Yu Jinzhong from the Lanyuan.

If he was only going to use the time later, it would not be a problem for Geng.

Anyway, it was just a time later.

The Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief, lifted the corner of his robe, and left the study.

Su Peisheng took a look and it seemed to be the direction of the Lanyuan. He followed quickly, and Xiao Quanzi behind him also ran. The people in the yard were busy with the lights and the way.

Not to mention, compared with just now, there was indeed a little more fireworks, and it was no longer so quiet and scary.

The Orchid Courtyard was not far away, and the group hurriedly arrived in a moment. However, before entering the house, a faint fresh fragrance could be smelled in the yard.

Something went wrong.

Su Peisheng's heart skipped a beat. How could Master Geng not learn good things but bad things? Instead of following Li Fujin's example of inviting people, he learned Li Fujin's bad habits.

The little palace maid only had time to shout auspiciousness, and the Fourth Prince opened the curtain and went in. Not only Geng was in the room, but even Nanny Chen was there. The two of them were busy picking food from the pot.

Nanny Chen reacted faster. She knelt on the ground and immediately apologized, "I shouldn't eat with the master. Please punish me, master."

Geng Qingning also squatted down in a hurry, "Don't blame Nanny Chen, I ordered her to do this."

Nanny Chen looked at the people around her deeply. The people in Lanyuan met a good master. There were not many masters willing to protect their servants in this mansion.

The Fourth Prince said nothing, sat down on the couch, and picked up the tea bowl on the table.

Geng Qingning squatted for a long time and no one helped her up, so she stood up with a smile. Anyway, as long as she didn't feel embarrassed, the Fourth Prince couldn't do anything to her. Besides, the Fourth Prince's petty mind was known to all generations. His old father's evaluation was "moody" and "mean and ungrateful".

It's not unreasonable. She just asked Nanny Chen to sit with her for dinner. As for being sullen, she was so easily angry. No wonder she was called the Black-faced Fourth Master.

However, complaints are complaints. The boss is angry. These office workers can't argue with him. They can only coax him.

Geng Qingning asked Grape to bring some fruit tea. She smiled and squeezed to the side of the Fourth Prince and sat next to him.

The Fourth Prince was squeezed and glared at the person who was still secretly winking at Nanny Chen.

Geng Qingning meant to let her go down first. The ground was cold in winter, so she shouldn't get hurt by kneeling. But Nanny Chen didn't move. She was still lying on the ground waiting for the master to punish her.

After all, she had nursed him before, and they had a bond since childhood. The Fourth Prince could not bear to see her lose face in front of everyone, so he waved his hand and let her leave.

Geng Qingning breathed a sigh of relief. Nanny Chen had been badly hurt by her this time. She didn't eat well, but she did eat a lot of food. Now she just hoped that the Fourth Prince would not be angry and hold a grudge, and forget about it as soon as possible.

"Fourth Master, try my new fruit tea." Geng Qingning felt that her voice was even sweeter than the fruit tea. "I guarantee you have never tasted anything like this."

The Fourth Prince had never seen such a shameless person. How come Geng couldn't even read her expression now? And why did the voice squeezed out of her throat sound weird? Was Geng sick? Could it be that he had just arrived and made the naturally strong Geng sick?

Alas, it is better not to get close to Geng.

Seeing that the Fourth Prince was in a daze as soon as he came in, Geng Qingning hurriedly put the cup to his mouth.

She had seen a scientific experiment in modern times before, in which people would accept almost everything given by others when they were unconscious. She wanted to try it today to see if the Fourth Prince would do the same.

Before the Fourth Prince could react, he tasted the sour and sweet taste on the tip of his tongue, and it seemed that there was also some fruit fragrance. These flavors were all integrated into the tea, not abrupt, but highlighting the aroma of black tea.

It should be Qimen black tea. Khan Ama had rewarded him with a few kilograms before. He had evened out some and asked Li Huairen to bring it when he delivered the charcoal.

Geng was so greedy for food and drink, I'm afraid she didn't want to drink tea, but missed the person who sent tea.

The fourth prince sighed, she was always like this, making people not know how to treat her for a while.

"Don't do this again next time," the fourth prince said with a stern face, but after all, she did something wrong, and it was related to Honghui, so she should be punished, "As for today, you can copy some Buddhist scriptures to offer in front of the Buddha, which can be regarded as atonement."

Geng Qingning agreed obediently, the social animal has this self-knowledge. Anyway, if the boss is wrong, then it is wrong. As for whether to change or not, we will talk about it later.

However, this punishment is weird, why is it copying Buddhist scriptures?

Seeing Geng Qingning's honest look, the Fourth Prince's heart softened a little, but he couldn't let Geng go. He waved his hand slightly, and Su Peisheng took a few eunuchs to clear the table. However, the fragrance still penetrated his nose, and Su Peisheng couldn't help but quietly inhaled twice.

If you can't eat meat, it's good to smell some fragrance.

Geng Qingning looked at the vegetarian pot that she hadn't eaten enough with reluctance. She hadn't eaten enough, and the dipping sauce hadn't been used in time. The scallions and garlic sprouts in winter are very fragrant, and they should be reused, but don't waste them.

However, it makes sense. How could the Fourth Prince eat something that she and Nanny Chen had eaten?

Geng Qingning refilled the Fourth Prince's cup and asked in a servile manner, "How about you drink tea first and then order a vegetarian pot for you?"

It was natural for her to accompany the Fourth Prince when he ate, so it wouldn't be too much to eat more, right? After all, she was still growing up, and gaining weight was also to store energy for winter and development.

Seeing her correct her mistakes, the Fourth Prince was satisfied in his heart and relaxed a lot. After all, it was hard to refuse the kindness. After nodding slightly, he picked up the teacup at hand and drank a few sips.

Not to mention, this strange tea has a different taste.

Geng Qingning was very proud, and she said that no one could escape the clutches of fruit tea, no one! Not even the Fourth Prince.

Yu Jinzhong went to the kitchen with a smile on his face, and ordered the same worthless things as before. Eunuch Liu would not say anything, and rolled up his sleeves to prepare them. Anyway, the things were ready and not troublesome.

Chen Dehai next to him stopped him with his hand, "Why, is your Lanyuan more expensive than other places, and you need two copies later?"

Before, the Fourth Prince often went to the Lanyuan, and he did not dare to do anything, but now he was flattering Li Fujin, who had the only son in the mansion, so he was not afraid of a small Lanyuan.

Besides, Li Fujin had promised him the position of the chief steward of the kitchen. The situation has changed. This year, he came to his house, and the old thing next to him should give way to him.

When Yu Jinzhong saw him, he was very happy. He had heard Grape mention this person before. When the master was in power, he had to pay two taels of silver for a pastry.

Later, seeing that the master was treated well by the master, he presented some tribute every now and then. Now that the master did not enter the inner courtyard, he was the first to jump out and make trouble.

It was him last time, and it was him again this time.

It was really pitiful for him. He bumped into the master every time.

Yu Jinzhong was not angry, and even smiled and said, "What we want are common things, and they are all within the quota of the princess. Why can't Lanyuan eat sea cucumber and abalone, and now they don't even give us a vegetarian pot?"

Seeing his neither humble nor arrogant look, Chen Dehai felt a nameless anger rushing to his head. He thought he was a scholar, but he was a rootless eunuch. I don't know what this little boy has to be proud of.

Let's not talk about Lanyuan's favor in the past, but what is the situation of Lanyuan now? Birds fly over and despise the remote place. Instead of paying more money, he started to fight.

"We have served the Prince's Mansion for so many years, and we have never heard of the rule of ordering two meals," Chen Dehai said in a sinister tone, not even planning to take the money, "Geng Gege's stomach is too small, I'm afraid it can't hold these things."

All the people around who flattered Li Fujin laughed along. Geng Gege had never been pregnant or had a child, but her stomach was small.

Although the eunuchs did not have two taels of meat, they were all men. The powerful eunuchs in the palace even had daughters outside, so Yu Jinzhong immediately understood what they meant.

Yu Jinzhong smiled and narrowed his eyes. He imitated Su Peisheng, flicked his sleeves, and then continued slowly, "We are not in a hurry. Anyway, we missed the master's meal. With everyone's company on the road to the underworld, we are not alone."

Master?

Who in the Manchu mansion dares to make fun of the master? Since Yu Jinzhong dared to say that, it means that the master must be in the Lanyuan at this moment.

It turned out that this late hour was called by the master, and they were still shouting here without knowing whether to live or die.

The people around him scattered like birds, leaving only Chen Dehai with a red and white face. After a while, he forced a smile, rolled up his sleeves and said that he wanted to help Eunuch Liu.

He was flexible, but Eunuch Liu was not polite and directly ordered Chen Dehai to wash vegetables. These people had been jumping up and down recently, taking advantage of Li Fujin's bad habits. Now they could finally vent their anger.

Seeing Chen Dehai's unwilling expression but having to do it, Eunuch Liu felt even happier. Washing vegetables in winter is not an easy job. The water is cold and icy. It's not only painful, but also embarrassing. Usually only the lowest eunuchs are assigned to do this.

"You kid," Eunuch Liu smiled and patted Yu Jinzhong on the shoulder, "you are so mean."

He could have said it when he came, but he had to say it when Chen Dehai was in trouble. I'm afraid he did it on purpose.

Yu Jinzhong smiled and accepted the evaluation.

The kitchen has been too perfunctory recently. He was just thinking about how to help the master establish his authority when Chen Dehai bumped into him.

However, even if Chen Dehai was not there today, there might be Zhang Dehai and Li Dehai. Since Li Fujin has already taken action, these people will only increase in number. In this case, don't blame Lanyuan for fighting back.

Although there was a lot of talk, the people in the kitchen immediately moved more than three times faster. In a moment, the eunuchs filled the dining table like a stream of water.

Su Peisheng took a deep breath. Why is it still so delicious? He didn't hear it wrong just now. Master Geng seemed to be talking about a vegetarian pot. Could it be that the people in the kitchen were not careful and served the wrong thing?

Geng Qingning served the Fourth Prince to the table and saw that the Fourth Prince stared at the food mysteriously, but still had no intention of eating.

What? He was not hungry after scolding others, but she, who was scolded, was not full yet.

Geng Qingning could only greet politely, "Is this pot too plain? How about calling someone to order more of your favorite food?"

Too plain?

The Fourth Prince carefully distinguished the things in the pot. The green ones were green vegetables, the white ones were tofu, and the yellow ones were bean sprouts. There was no fishy smell anywhere he looked. They were all common vegetarian dishes in winter.

But the aroma of this vegetarian pot was too tempting, which made people a little suspicious.

Su Peisheng had just smelled the smell, so he asked Xiao Quanzi to go to the kitchen to bring Eunuch Liu over.

Because he was speaking in front of his master, Eunuch Liu was so excited that he could hardly speak straight. However, he remembered the well digger and said, "Actually, it was Master Geng's idea. I only added secret dried mushroom powder to the soup made of kelp, white radish and bean sprouts to enhance the flavor. As for those fishy things, I always remembered Master Geng's instructions and dared not add any."

No wonder the famously suspicious Emperor Yongzheng suspected that she had done something here.

Geng Qingning rolled his eyes in his heart. In modern times, braised beef noodles may not have beef in them, and there is no wife in wife cakes. Things that smell good do not necessarily have to be meat. This is just an imitation of modern oden.

I still remember that when I was leaving school, the oden and spicy barbecue at the school gate were so delicious that they could be smelled for ten miles and attracted countless students. However, those were all technology in the past. Although the fragrance is slightly worse now, the freshness is all natural, and it tastes both healthy and delicious.

Geng Qingning personally picked up a piece of frozen tofu for the fourth prince, "Try it quickly. It's cold in winter. Eat some 'vegetarian' hot pot to warm your body."

She even deliberately emphasized the word "vegetarian". The Fourth Prince was a stingy guy. Humph, if you have the guts, don't eat these delicious foods and leave them all for her.

The Fourth Prince nodded without comment. The pot was bubbling on the charcoal fire. The dishes in the bowl were still steaming. Before he put them in his mouth, he could smell the tempting aroma. He slowly picked up the tofu in the bowl and tasted it carefully. It was fresh, sweet, tender and fragrant.

It turned out that vegetarian food in Lanyuan could be so different.

Now that I think about it, he must have misunderstood just now. Geng and Nanny Chen were just using a vegetarian pot.

Not only that, he looked up at the person next to him. She was wearing a plain green cheongsam, the leather used was also white, and there was no other decoration on her wrists or hair, only a plain silver hairpin loosely tied up her hair.

And the Buddhist scriptures just now, she knew that she was wronged, but she did not argue, and was willing to copy the Buddhist scriptures to pray for Honghui.

Alas, the Fourth Prince could not help but sigh from his chest.

How could one not feel a little numb and a little hot in the heart when all these things happened?

In this case, what if he favored her a little more?

Geng Qingning, who was standing aside, was concentrating on fighting with the frozen tofu in the bowl. The frozen tofu, which was full of soup, was rolled in the dipping sauce, and then coated with the fragrant green garlic sprouts and sauce. It burst with juice immediately after taking a bite. Geng Qingning was so hot that she couldn't bear to spit it out.

As for the garlic sprouts, although it tasted bad in the mouth, the Fourth Prince would not stay overnight after mourning, so she didn't need to care too much about her image.

Moreover, probably because they knew that the Fourth Prince was in Lanyuan, the kitchen had received many rare dishes, such as morels and bamboo fungus, which added a lot of flavor to the pot, and it tasted more like a mushroom soup pot.

In modern times, she liked this taste. Usually, when she ate hot pot, it was either three-fresh quail or mushroom soup quail. Now, the mushroom soup pot was filled with wild mushrooms, which tasted more flavorful and more fresh. Even if it was just a boiled vegetarian dish, it was delicious.

Geng Qingning was eating seriously, and she heard a sigh from her side. She put down the bamboo shoots she had just picked out, and looked around. It turned out that the Fourth Prince was staring at her and sighing.

Quietly protecting the few pieces of green bamboo shoots left in the bowl, Geng Qingning smiled and picked up another piece of cabbage for the Fourth Prince. The main reason was that green bamboo shoots were a bit rare. She didn't have them in her daily share. Moreover, the green bamboo shoots were cooked in the mushroom soup pot and tasted very nice. She really didn't want to give them to others.

Cabbage is good. It is mild in nature and sweet in taste. It can clear away heat and relieve irritability, clear the intestines and stomach, and nourish the stomach and help digestion... Anyway, the benefits of cabbage are endless. It's right for him to eat more cabbage.

It was originally the time to digest food in the tent, but under the special circumstances, the two of them went to the study room tacitly, one stood to write, and the other leaned on the imperial concubine couch to read the reader. The two did their own things, did not disturb each other, but were very harmonious.

The room was quiet, only the sound of turning pages could be heard, the charcoal fire in the brazier burned quietly, and a small flame gently licked the bottom of the purple clay pot. The room was full of the aroma of fruit and black tea.

Everything is so wonderful, the fourth prince looked at the person on the imperial concubine couch next to him, fruit and tea were originally two unrelated objects, but now they are very appropriate and even complement each other.

The fate between people is also very strange. Geng is such a lazy person, and his personality is obviously very different, but they are very comfortable with each other. Aren't they just like this fruit and tea?

The fourth prince imitated her and used a strange silver fork to pick up the fruit at the bottom of the cup and eat it.

Hmm, sweet and juicy, refreshing.

Just like people.

Geng Qingning threw down the reading device in his hand and moved to the fourth prince in two steps. How could he drink so fast? He hadn't even read half of the novel, but the fruit tea was almost finished.

Seeing that she didn't even read the book, but moved to his side, the fourth prince felt a little warm in his heart. They were indeed people who had a tacit understanding.

However, the teapot was empty before he knew it, and the hands of the western clock had gone around many times. When Su Peisheng came to remind him of the time, the Fourth Prince was still a little reluctant.

For the first time, he felt a kind of reluctance to leave this place.

He really didn't want to leave.

Chapter 52

As if she had noticed the Fourth Prince's gaze, Geng Qingning raised her head and smiled at him.

Perhaps it was the Feng Shui of the Prince's Mansion that made Geng seem even more beautiful, with bright eyes, fair skin, and a face so beautiful that the candlelight beside her was eclipsed.

But the Fourth Prince felt that the most eye-catching thing was the special energy that emanated from her body.

It seemed that she was always so lively.

The Fourth Prince looked at her for a while, and even though he was reluctant to let her go, he got up and went to the front yard. Such a lively and healthy person should not be harmed because of him, a person who was hated by God. It would be better for her to stay with him for a long time.

Seeing that the Fourth Prince had finally left, Geng Qingning was able to yawn and wash her feet. The Emperor was here to ask her, the concubine, for help. It was almost eleven o'clock, but the Emperor still had the energy to study. Although she was extremely sleepy, she could only sacrifice her life to accompany the gentleman.

Fortunately, she knew the necessary skill of fishing - the art of slacking off.

It was strange to say that reading novels seemed to be more interesting when reading with the Fourth Prince. Could this be the legendary happiness of slacking off with pay?

Yes, it was paid. Just before the lockdown, Eunuch Quan brought a group of eunuchs to deliver a lot of cloth and leather, all of which were plain and beautiful in color. Whether used to make clothes or rewarded to servants, they were quite decent.

The most important thing is that the Fourth Prince actually sent someone to deliver a small box of silver coins in various auspicious shapes such as peanuts, gourds, and goldfish. It is both decent and practical to use it as a reward.

Geng Qingning immediately decided that the year-end bonus of Lanyuan this year would come from this box. As long as they served in Lanyuan, everyone would get one, including Xiaoguizi's master Cheng Taijian and Yu Jinzhong's brother Zhang Defu. Everyone would get one.

Apart from anything else, Lanyuan would definitely have a good year this year.

Grape happily put the things into the storeroom, while Su Peisheng followed the Fourth Prince with his sleeves rolled up. He still couldn't figure out why the master didn't just stay in Lanyuan if he couldn't bear to leave Master Geng. If he couldn't get over it, he could just not do it.

Master Geng was the same. He didn't know to keep one person and wait for three years to have two big fat boys. Wouldn't that make the master forget about the eldest prince? Although it was a bit harsh to say this, it was really the truth. People always have to look forward and can't always think about the people below. Otherwise, how can the eldest prince, who is being waited for by the living, pass away?

However, it was common sense that he, a servant, couldn't understand the master's affairs. Su Peisheng bent his waist and followed more closely.

The New Year was getting closer and closer. The Fourth Prince and Fu Jin began to frequently attend banquets in the palace. However, anyone who saw the Fourth Prince Fu Jin had to say "take care". It was because he was too thin.

In the carriage, the Fourth Prince stared at his wife who had been with him for many years. It seemed that he could no longer remember what she looked like when she entered the palace. He could only see a skeleton swaying in the solemn and stable Prince Fu Jin's formal clothes. Her eyes seemed to have lost their luster. If no one talked to her, she would stare at one place. After looking at it for a long time, it was a bit scary.

The Fourth Prince knew why she was like this, but his throat was also very sour and he was choked for a while. He lifted the curtain to look outside.

It snowed all night last night, and now the ground is full of white. Although it is early, the streets are bustling because the New Year is coming soon. Many families are reunited, chatting and laughing while buying New Year's goods.

But in this huge carriage for the princes, only he and Fu Jin are alone.

This is fate.

The fourth prince sighed, and didn't know what to say for a while, so he could only pat Fu Jin's hand to comfort him.

The cold hand felt a little warmth from the outside world, and Fu Jin's eyes moved. In previous winters, when he went to the palace, Honghui always held her hand intimately, saying that in ancient times, people fanned the pillow to warm the quilt and lay on the ice to seek carp. Today, Honghui also imitated the ancients and warmed his mother's hands.

Fu Jin calmed down and saw the people around him clearly. His upright body collapsed immediately.

The Fourth Prince also froze for a moment. The carriage was silent for a while. Only the sound of wheels pressing snow could be heard.

After entering the palace gate, the carriages split into two groups. The Fourth Prince followed the Emperor and the Crown Prince to the Baohe Hall in front to attend the banquet. Fu Jin took Li Ce Fu Jin and the eldest princess and went straight to the Yonghe Palace.

The Fourth Prince arrived early. The young palace maids and eunuchs were still sweeping the snow in the yard. Their fingers were frozen like carrots, but they were still carefully sweeping the snow under their feet.

They were lucky. Although it snowed all night last night, the wind stopped and the sun came out. They could even feel a little warmth on their bodies.

Si Fujin stretched out his hand to block the brilliant light reflected by the glazed tiles. Yonghe Palace was really lively. There were two adult princes.

Nanny Yun beside Empress Defei personally led her and the eldest princess into the main hall, while Li Fujin went to the side hall.

A young palace maid had been waiting in the hall with her eyebrows lowered and her eyes lowered. She gently helped her and the eldest princess to untie their hoods.

This cloak is made of a whole piece of fox skin, which is the best for blocking wind and keeping warm. However, because the material is solid, it is quite heavy. After it was untied, not only did the eldest princess feel relieved, but the fourth concubine also breathed a sigh of relief.

The Empress Defei and the Fourteenth Concubine had not arrived yet, so the fourth concubine sat on the chair by herself. She reached out to touch the hot tea on the table, which was just slightly hot in her mouth.

Madam Yun also arranged for the young palace maids to get some white sugar cakes and almond cakes that the eldest princess liked to eat. Then she bowed and turned around to go out. There was a lot of snow on the road, and she was still a little worried about the work done by these young palace maids and eunuchs, so she decided to go out and check it out.

After all, the eldest son of the Fourteenth Master is only two years old now, and the Fourteenth Lady is pregnant now, so it is not too careful.

In the main hall, the Fourteenth Lady stared at the tea silently until there was no trace of heat, and then she heard a hearty voice coming from outside. It was the Fourteenth Lady Wanyan who brought the eldest prince from their house.

The Fourteenth Lady looked up and saw that Madam Yun seemed to smile more sincerely. Her words were not only respectful, but also intimate, and she reminded her from time to time.

However, what did these have to do with her? Turning back, she continued to stare at the cup of cool tea on the table.

Concubine De was just coming out of the inner palace. Seeing this scene, her pretty eyebrows frowned. It had been so long, how could the Fourth Prince's family still behave like this? It was New Year's Day, and they were full of bad luck.

So what if their own child was gone? Everyone in the palace had lost a child. Not to mention others, she had also survived. The Fourth Prince was taken to Chengqian Palace when he was just born, the Sixth Prince did not live past three years old, the Seventh Prince died at two months old, and the Ninth Prince was given to the Empress Dowager when he was just born. He finally lived to get married, but he died again after two years, and her Twelve Prince.

Concubine De swallowed the sigh on her lips. It was not auspicious to sigh at New Year's Day.

Forget it, for Honghui's sake, let her stop slowly.

Although Empress Defei was reluctant to blame Si Fujin, she also lost interest in talking to her. She told Madam Yun a few words and took the eldest princess and the eldest prince to the inner hall.

It is better to turn a blind eye to such a useless person.

Madam Yun served her master and waved to a quick eunuch. After a while, he went straight to Baohe Hall.

Baohe Hall was very lively. No matter what everyone thought, they were all warm and friendly.

It is not surprising that the prince gained face because of the river affairs this time. Although the work was done by the fourth prince and the arrangements were also made by the fourth prince, the fourth prince was his man, and the achievements made by the fourth prince were naturally his achievements. Look, all the people who flattered and congratulated him swarmed to the prince.

The Fourth Prince was just in a quiet place. He didn't want to join in the excitement. The loyal ministers that Han Ama and the Crown Prince wanted didn't need to get too close to others. Besides, there was only wine on the table in Baohe Hall. If someone came to toast, it would be a bit troublesome.

Soon, the Lord Wansui said that he couldn't hold his liquor and called the Eighth Prince to come out and toast for him.

The hall was silent for a moment. Toasting was nothing, but "acting as a father" was more subtle. Generally speaking, everything the "acting as a father" did should be the Crown Prince's, such as acting as a supervisor of the country, acting as a father, etc.

The prince's smile was still bright and it seemed that there was no change. He was just playing with the wine glass in his hand, as if he had not noticed what happened. The palace became lively again. Some people said that the Eighth Prince was considerate and meticulous, while others praised the Eighth Prince for being flexible and gentle.

The Fourth Prince sneered. Gentle and considerate? When they both lived with the Empress of Chengqian Palace, the Eighth Prince was not like this now.

The Fourth Prince still remembered the dispute between the eldest prince and the youngest prince. He was a few years older than the Eighth Prince and had stayed in the Qianqing Palace for a few more years. Although he was still called by the order of seniority in other places, everyone in the Qianqing Palace called him the eldest prince and the Eighth Prince the youngest prince, and was a little more intimate with him than the Eighth Prince.

Perhaps it was for this reason that the Eighth Prince took it to heart. He would deliberately fight for anything that had the name of the eldest prince written on it. Even if it was a hat made in winter that no longer fit him, he would only want the one with the name of the eldest prince written on it.

At that time, the Fourth Prince was a little more sensible, so he naturally gave in to his younger brother. The Eighth Prince proudly wore the inappropriate hat and walked around in the Qianqing Palace. The Empress watched the little boy with half of his face almost blocked by the hat and couldn't stop laughing. He sat aside and could only laugh along.

You can tell a person's future by looking at him at the age of three. He doesn't believe that a person with such a temperament can be gentle and polite now.

At this moment, the Eighth Prince had already walked to the Fourth Prince's desk with a wine pot, "Fourth Brother, I'll toast you a glass. You've done a really good job, this", the Eighth Prince said, raising his thumb and pretending to pour wine for him.

The Fourth Prince blocked the wine glass with a cold face, saying that it was all arranged by the Lord, and he was just following orders, etc., and said that he was a little uncomfortable because of the cold wind today, so he would not drink the cold wine. When the weather gets warmer, he will invite the Eighth Brother to his house for a drink.

The two of them live next to each other, and they live closest to each other among the brothers. I'm afraid that if the Fourth Prince sneezes here, the Eighth Prince can feel the wind there, so it seems reasonable to drink a little in the future.

The Eighth Prince was clear-headed. The Fourth Prince still looked down on him. He had been behaving like this since he was little. He was obviously not the daughter of Empress Chengqian Palace, but the Fourth Prince was favored by the Empress, and the servants were much more polite to him than to the Fourth Prince.

He just tried to make the Empress happy, but the Fourth Prince looked at him with a condescending look and did not forget to make fun of him. Not only that, the Tong family also recognized the Fourth Prince who was of someone else's bloodline, and Longkodo even called himself his uncle. They were obviously adopted, so why was the Fourth Prince superior?

Is it because the Fourth Prince is better at pretending than him? It's really disgusting that Honghui has been gone for more than half a year, and the Fourth Prince is still so sad.

The Eighth Prince rolled his eyes and whispered a few words to the eunuch beside him. Soon, the eunuch came back with a wine pot.

"This is the wine that my brother boiled for you." The Eighth Prince found another silver wine cup with eight treasures pattern and filled it up, and personally handed it to the Fourth Prince, "Fourth brother, please give me a favor."

Is this the Eighth Prince that everyone praises? What gentle and jade-like, what considerate and meticulous, the Fourth Prince snorted coldly, and he said that the Eighth Prince's temperament would not change, but he just learned a pair of clumsy pretending skills.

Although others gave the Eighth Prince this face, he really didn't intend to give it to him.

The Fourth Prince stood up, his face as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

Chapter 53

It just so happened that at this moment, Su Peisheng came quietly and whispered a few words in his ear.

The Queen of Yonghe Palace is looking for him? The Fourth Prince estimated the time and it was still too early to return home. Could it be that Fu Jin was in trouble?

Thinking of Fu Jin's appearance of only a pile of bones, the Fourth Prince frowned. He glared at the Eighth Prince and turned to look for Liang Jiugong.

Seeing that he looked hurried, the Eighth Prince was afraid that he was indeed in trouble, so he could only touch his nose and look for the next one.

Perhaps because it was the New Year, Liang Jiugong looked more festive than usual. He kept smiling on his fat round face, looking like a Buddha in the temple, but no one in the palace dared to underestimate this man who stood firm beside the Wansui Ye.

Liang Jiugong listened to the words of the Fourth Prince with a smile, and then turned to find the Emperor. When the Fourth Prince saw that the Emperor had heard something, he looked at him and smiled at him.

This was permission.

The Yonghe Palace was very lively. The little prince in the Fourteenth Prince's house was making trouble. He was only two years old, but he refused to let anyone hold him in his arms and made a strong request.

Wanyan Fujin originally did not agree, but he could not stand his noise, so he went to see the Empress sitting at the top with hesitation.

Empress Defei smiled and asked everyone to look at the Fourteenth Fujin, "Look at this mud monkey in the past, now it has been subdued by such a little monkey."

The master was making fun of the servants, so the servants naturally followed suit. For a while, the palace was filled with happy laughter. Madam Yun was also making fun of the servants, "Your Majesty cares for both the older and the younger ones, and now you are in a dilemma."

Madam Defei laughed, "What's the difficulty?"

She pointed to a few smart eunuchs to follow the young prince, saying that if the prince fell or got hurt, they would be held responsible.

The eunuchs agreed quickly, and a group of them spread out to follow the young prince, ensuring that the young prince could walk happily in the yard, and also making it convenient for them to cushion the young prince when he was about to fall.

The young prince didn't quite understand at first, but after falling twice, he discovered this new 'game' and staggered and fell intentionally. When he saw the young eunuchs falling on him, he burst into laughter.

Empress Defei almost laughed her belly off, praising the young prince's intelligence.

Madam Yun thought for a moment and said, "I think the young prince's style is exactly the same as the fourteenth prince. I still remember the fourteenth prince's arrogant look when he was eight years old and said he wanted to be Batulu."

That year, the fourteenth prince was just eight years old. He took a small wooden sword and said he was Batulu of the Qing Dynasty, and killed all the young eunuchs in the yard.

*

When the Fourth Prince came, he saw this lively scene.

Everyone in the palace was surrounding the little prince. Empress Defei, Fourteenth Concubine Jin, Madam Yun and others were reminiscing about the interesting things that happened to the Fourteenth Prince in the past. The Fourth Concubine Jin only stared at the tea bowl, as if he didn't notice the lively scene around him. The eldest princess ate cakes and sat quietly on the chair.

Their family seemed to be separated by the lively scene in front of them.

Fourteenth Concubine Jin was a smart person. Seeing that the Fourth Prince had come early, she knew that the Empress had summoned him or had something to report, so she found an excuse to take the little prince away.

Nanny Yun coaxed the eldest princess to rest. Although the eldest princess was reluctant to leave her father, she was well-behaved and sensible. As Nanny Yun left, the palace maids and eunuchs left in a clean manner. The main hall suddenly became quiet. After the bustle, it was suddenly quiet. I don't know why it seemed a little sad.

The fourth prince seemed to be accustomed to what was happening in front of him. The Empress of Yonghe Palace and him had always been in this way. Although they were not far away, they could not be very close.

This was also something that could not be helped. The gratitude for birth and the gratitude for raising have been a difficult problem that cannot be solved since ancient times.

The Empress cared about him in her heart, and he also cared about the Empress, which was very good.

Although there was no one around, Concubine De still had a smile on her face. She was like a wife from an ordinary family, chatting with her son and daughter-in-law with a smile, "It's the New Year, is there anything unhappy in your Prince's Mansion?"

It's the New Year, and it's in the palace, who dares to be unhappy? The Fourth Prince and Fu Jin both stood up and said they didn't dare.

Concubine De pointed to the chairs and asked them to sit down, "Since there is nothing wrong, then be happy."

Don't make people look unlucky.

Because it is taboo to say these things during the New Year, although the Concubine didn't say the latter sentence, the Fourth Prince and Fu Jin understood her unfinished meaning.

The Fourth Prince recalled that the Eighth Prince had just poured wine. The Eighth Prince had noticed it. The banquet was full of smart people. Maybe everyone had already noticed it. Maybe His Majesty also knew about it, so Liang Jiugong nodded as soon as he arrived.

Thinking about it, the Fourth Prince actually broke out in a cold sweat.

Unlike the Fourth Prince, Fu Jin was nervous and resentful. Are all the people in this palace heartless? The Fourteenth Fu Jin had just shown off intentionally or unintentionally, and now the Queen still blamed her. Could it be that Honghui's death did not leave any trace in their hearts?

Having been immersed in the harem for many years, Concubine De could guess the two's thoughts just by looking at their faces. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard to persuade a ghost who wanted to die with kind words, and she was impatient to talk to these fools, "You go down and rest first, I still have something to say to the fourth prince."

Although the fourth prince's son was a fool, at least the fourth prince could be saved. After being beaten, he would surely be more cautious.

Regardless of what he thought in his heart, Si Fujin retreated respectfully.

There were only mother and son in the room. Concubine De finally took off the smiling mask. The corners of her mouth drooped, and she asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness now has 18 sons, but before the eldest prince, do you know how many babies who were not born in the order of teeth?"

She didn't mean to ask the fourth prince's answer, "Four younger princes are gone, and there are countless little princesses."

Before she finished her words, she heard the sound of a whip coming from outside the palace. It was the sound of the emperor going out to warn the surroundings.

His Majesty is here.

The main hall, which had just been empty, became busy in an instant. Concubine De hurriedly checked her body to see if there was anything wrong with it, tidied up her appearance, and hurried out to greet him.

This was a great honor. You know, although she was beautiful, she was older after all, not as bright as those young concubines. Fortunately, His Majesty was a person who missed the past. He could come to Yonghe Palace once or twice a month, and this time he came during the Chinese New Year, which was definitely the first time in the palace.

Concubine De carefully waited for the Emperor to sit at the top, and personally served him hot tea, which was neither cold nor hot, just the warmth that the Emperor liked.

The Fourth Prince, who had wanted to avoid him, was also sitting nearby, and the imperial physician was examining his pulse.

Kangxi took only one sip and put down the tea bowl, and asked the doctor concernedly, "How is it?"

There are many taboos in the palace, and the doctor cannot be called during the New Year. Now, the Lord has personally brought the doctor over. The Fourth Prince was a little confused, but he dared not move since the Lord had spoken the truth. He only explained, "Khan Ama, I am fine."

Kangxi said disapprovingly, "You were tired from traveling all year last year, and not long after you came back, you encountered Honghui's matter. Recently, there are so many reports on river affairs. I see that you look bad, and I can't help but worry. It's better to ask the doctor to take a look."

The Fourth Prince was somewhat stunned, remembering that when he was about seven years old, Khan Ama seemed to be like this. Although he was worried about the war outside, he still came back to take care of him in person, and even left again after he recovered.

Empress Defei was moved to tears, and hurriedly pleaded guilty, "Your Majesty's love for his son is so touching, I am unruly, please punish me."

The beauty was in tears, and it was out of love, how could she be guilty.

Kangxi personally helped Defei up, and patted her hand as a comfort, causing Empress Defei's white face to blush.

Doctor Xu stared at the wrist of the Fourth Prince without looking away, thinking deeply, and after a while he said, "The Fourth Prince is just a little too sad. Although he is fine now, he may be hurt in the long run."

The Empress Defei on the side covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and tears fell like beads.

The Emperor had a stern face and seemed a little angry. Everyone in the room, including the Empress Defei, the Fourth Prince, the doctors, etc., knelt down.

After a while, a sentence came from the head, "The body is from the parents, and it should not be damaged lightly."

This was a warning. The Fourth Prince kowtowed respectfully to accept the warning, and then heard the Emperor say, "The love of parents for their children is the same for you and me. Don't do this again."

There was some moisture in the eyes of the Fourth Prince. Whether it was Khan Ama, his mother, or even the Eighth Prince, everyone was reminding and comforting him in a roundabout way.

Perhaps, it was time.

"Yinzhen obeyed Khan Ama's order," he kowtowed, and a few drops of water fell on the bluestone bricks, which disappeared in an instant.

*

Before it got dark, the Fourth Prince led Fu Jin and his party out of Yonghe Palace. Although the sun was still hanging in the sky, the wind had begun to bite. He picked up the eldest princess with his cloak and held her in his arms. He rushed all the way and stuffed the eldest princess directly into the carriage.

Su Peisheng had already placed several sleeve warmers in each carriage. The one for the eldest princess was particularly delicate and small, and it was just warm enough to hold in her little hands.

Not only that, each carriage also had a bag of milk tea, both salty and sweet. Drinking a hot cup almost drove away the bone-chilling cold outside.

The fourth prince poured a cup of sweet milk tea for the eldest princess and handed another cup to Fu Jin. For a while, no one spoke in the carriage, only the aroma of milk tea.

The eldest princess took only one sip and her eyes lit up, "Ama, it's so sweet, this milk tea is sweet?"

It was Geng's clever idea. The fourth prince smiled and said gently, "If you like it, Ama will train you a good hand at making milk tea, so that you can drink enough every day."

The eldest princess happily agreed and happily stuck to Ama, "Ama is so nice."

Fu Jin drank the sweet milk tea, but her mouth was bitter. Now the only people who care about Honghui are probably her and Kang Mama.

The fourth prince was also immersed in this sorrow before, so he naturally didn't think Fu Jin's approach was good. Now he was awakened by the Lord and the Concubine De. After jumping out, he saw that everything was inappropriate.

After all, the eldest princess is a child and needs to be taken care of. Let alone the fact that she is in the carriage now, when she was in Yonghe Palace just now, Fu Jin, as the elder, had to take care of her no matter what. He actually let the eldest princess eat snacks alone. Wouldn't she feel neglected?

The ancients said that you should teach your son in front of others and your wife behind others. The fourth prince secretly thought about whether he should do something.

Chapter 54

Since returning from the palace, the Fourth Prince has been observing Fu Jin on purpose. He has seen that she often looks listless or sad, and sometimes confused. She seems to be immersed in her own little world and indifferent to everything in the outside world.

Not only that, the affairs of the inner court are also in a mess, and many people gather around Li and obey her orders.

And many of the servants who used to be well-behaved have started to become active. After all, when it is better to flatter than to work hard, everyone is willing to take shortcuts.

The more the Fourth Prince looks at her, the more he is shocked. Could it be that he was like Fu Jin some time ago?

No wonder Han Ama saw through him at a glance.

No matter what, the backyard was in such a state because of his inaction, the Fourth Prince thought, and went to the main courtyard.

But as he walked, he found that the road was a little different. The road from the front courtyard to the inner courtyard was easy to walk on, but there was snow on the fork road to the main courtyard. Although there was not much snow, it was trampled into black mud and looked very dirty.

Su Peisheng followed behind and asked Xiao Quanzi to clear the road ahead.

When he got close to the main courtyard, he saw even more desolate. The main courtyard, which was crowded with people in the past, now had only a little eunuch guarding the gate. When he saw the master coming, he wanted to kneel down and kowtow, and wanted to go in to report, but how could he do both by himself? He froze for a while.

Where did this idiot come from? He is not even skilled at the job of gatekeeper. Eunuch Quan complained in his heart. He went forward and pushed open the gate. He saw several palace maids and eunuchs basking in the sun and chatting quietly under the wall of the courtyard.

Eunuch Quan's heart skipped a beat. They are so brave.

These people are not so brave. It's just that Fu Jin doesn't let others serve her. Only Madam Kang is busy coming and going. Naturally, they are free.

Madam Kang is old. After serving Fu Jin, she naturally has no energy to discipline these girls.

Secondly, this was also tacitly approved by Madam Kang. There was no sound in the empty courtyard all day long, and the silence was frightening. These little palace maids and eunuchs chatting and playing could add some liveliness.

When Fu Jin looked out the window every day, he didn't see all sadness.

However, seeing the Fourth Prince coming, they were still afraid and knelt down at the wall obediently.

The Fourth Prince frowned more and more.

Eunuch Quan hurriedly trotted forward to open the curtain. There was no one in the huge hall, and it looked cold and deserted. He looked around and found that the brazier in the middle was also extinguished. This room felt even colder than outside.

He was more or less tactful, and quickly poured water and tea. After a while, the hot tea was placed on the table, and the re-lit brazier was brought up, and the room was somewhat warmer.

Perhaps she heard the noise outside, and Nanny Kang came out of the study. She was about to scold someone with a frown, but she found that it was the master sitting on the couch. Her body softened and she knelt on the ground.

"Where is Fu Jin?" The Fourth Prince looked at everything in front of him, and it seemed like he was looking at himself a few days ago. For a moment, he felt a little disappointed.

Nanny Kang carefully looked at the Fourth Prince's face and said hesitantly, "Fu Jin is in the study."

Worried that Fu Jin's sorrowful look would anger the Fourth Prince, Nanny Kang added another sentence, trying to arouse the master's sympathy, "Fu Jin is reading the old homework of the eldest prince."

The Fourth Prince was indeed silent for a moment, but he could not indulge in the past, so he went to the study.

In the study, Fu Jin still looked sick and could not muster the energy to do anything, as if he had lost his soul. He only held a book in his hand, and seemed to recall something through the book.

The Fourth Prince didn't know whether he was angry with Fu Jin or himself. He grabbed the book and wanted to tear it up, but he couldn't bear to do it, so he could only open his mouth and question the two people at the same time.

"Look at your appearance in the mirror. Are you just Honghui's mother? You are also the fourth Fujin of the Qing Dynasty, the mistress of the Beile Mansion."

Fujin was stunned for a moment, and seemed to know what happened outside. She reached out to grab the book in the hands of the fourth prince, but she was too thin and weak. After a long time of effort, it was in vain.

For a moment, she even hated the person in front of her.

"Me? Oh, yes, I am not like you. After losing Honghui, there are other princes and the eldest princess."

"But what do I have? I only have Honghui, he is my life."

Fu Jin sneered as he spoke, "You Aixinjueluo family members are all cold-hearted. You must have forgotten him long ago. If I forget Honghui again, I'm afraid there will be no one else in the world who can remember Honghui."

Nanny Kang rushed over and tried to cover Fu Jin's mouth.

She knew that Fu Jin didn't want to live anymore, so he spoke so rudely and even committed a crime of disrespect, but how could she watch her own child die.

"Master, Fu Jin didn't mean it," Nanny Kang knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously. Soon, the silver hairpin on her head slipped off with the movement, revealing the white hair that she had carefully hidden.

Unknowingly, she also got old, and she didn't know how long she could accompany Fu Jin, but Fu Jin's appearance made people worry anyway.

The forehead soon turned red, swollen and blue under the heavy blow. Kang Mama didn't seem to notice it. She continued to knock on the bluestone bricks again and again, stumbling and trying to find some excuses to explain, "Fu Jin is possessed. Yes, she is possessed, so she said such words. Please, for the sake of the eldest prince, please, forgive Fu Jin this time."

All living beings suffer...

The manual in the hands of the fourth prince fell to the ground. Fu Jin didn't seem to notice Kang Mama's suffering. There was only the thin book in her eyes. She fell to the ground, carefully wiped off the non-existent dust on it, and held it in her arms with cherishment. She sat on the ground blankly, and I don't know what she was thinking.

All living beings suffer.

The Fourth Prince turned around and looked at the lonely sky outside, "If your master continues to be in this state, I'm afraid she will never get better."

What the Beile Mansion needs is a head Fu Jin, not a crazy mother.

Nanny Kang raised her head, revealing an old face with tears streaming down her face, looking at the figure of her master going away.

Is this to spare Fu Jin?

She didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief, she knelt to the side of Fu Jin who was still sitting on the ground, hugged Fu Jin in her arms like when she was a child, and hummed the songs she often used to coax her to sleep when she was a child.

The warm embrace calmed Fu Jin down, and she fell asleep peacefully.

When Fu Jin woke up again, Nanny Kang no longer held her like before, but handed Honghui's previous homework to Fu Jin.

Seeing that it was Honghui's stuff, Fu Jin felt some strength in her body, and no longer just lay down like usual, but sat up, and even got out of bed and walked.

Fu Jin focused on organizing these papers every day, arranging these homework carefully according to the year, month and day, but the closer she got to the end, the heavier her hands became, and she could hardly lift this thick stack of papers.

"Nanny, you said there are so many homeworks, how long will my son finish writing?" Fu Jin looked straight at Nanny Kang, trying to find an answer, "Did I harm him?"

Her voice was faint, like a sob from the underworld.

Nanny Kang did not comfort her, but asked seriously, "Fu Jin, don't you find something strange here?"

Strange? What strange?

Fu Jin's heart skipped a beat, and she thought of a very terrible possibility. She trembled like a sieve, and trembled to turn over the homework on the table, and searched carefully inch by inch.

When you look at something with suspicion, there will be doubts everywhere.

Honghui started coughing badly on March 18th, and before that his handwriting was already weak, and he was not sick at that time.

Also, Doctor Chen's medicine was very effective at the beginning, why did the treatment become more and more effective after changing the imperial physician?

And, the eunuch who changed the medicine bowl, the people who served Honghui were all experienced, how could he make such a simple mistake.

Could it be...

With strength from nowhere, the frail Fu Jin pushed the solid wood table in front of him and walked around the room.

Who was it? Who harmed Honghui?

Maybe it was Li Fu Jin, she must have disliked the eldest prince for a long time, now all the children in the mansion are born by her, let alone other things, she is indeed the one who benefited the most from the mansion after Honghui's death, now even the affairs of the mansion are in her hands, with the style of Fu Jin who is the master of the house, it must be her.

However, it is not impossible for Song Gege to do this. The little princess in Song Gege's courtyard was born at the same time as Honghui, but only Honghui was lucky enough to survive. Maybe she had already regarded Honghui as a thorn in her side.

There are also the newly arrived Geng and Niu Hulu. They have no children, so they must be very jealous.

For a moment, Fu Jin felt that everyone in the Manchu Mansion could be the one who harmed Honghui. She bit her lips and tasted a hint of blood.

If she was asked to find out who had done it, she would make that person pay with blood, even if it cost her life.

*

After the Chinese New Year, Geng Qingning found that Fu Jin was in good health. Although he still looked frail, he was in high spirits, with a fire in his eyes.

Paying respects became a monthly ritual, and every time he had to sit for a whole afternoon, which was quite unusual. However, despite all the complaints, Geng Qingning still arrived on time every time. There was nothing he could do. The instinct of a social animal was to clock in, and such a job that required clocking in once a month was already very rare, and the treatment was so good, what else was there to complain about.

Besides, Fu Jin's coming out might have another meaning, indicating that the matter of Prince Honghui was really over this time.

Geng Qingning didn't care about anything else, but as long as he didn't submit to the death, could he eat meat?

That's delicious meat.

To be honest, no matter how delicious vegetarian food is, it's unbearable to eat it every day.

However, Geng Qingning was still cautious and sent people to the kitchen to watch and see what the meals in the other courtyards were like. The first mistake of social animals is to make mistakes. If everyone makes a mistake, then it's not a mistake.

Yu Jinzhong became more and more clever and reported the lunch in various places in a short time.

In Li Cefujin's yard, there was scallion roasted lamb, duck pot, and various side dishes. Song Gege was still the same, still eating vegetarian food for thousands of years. Needless to say, Niu Hulu Gege only ate the standard dishes in the kitchen.

Moreover, the most important main courtyard actually requested a bowl of pheasant, cordyceps and grass soup for health.

The role of leaders as role models cannot be underestimated. Geng Qingning immediately decided that everyone in the Lan Courtyard would have a good meal today.

Chapter 55

The first day of the cooking.

It is so important and crucial.

Geng Qingning thought for a long time and decided on today's lunch. Everything else was put aside. The first priority must be the fragrant Dongpo pork, and the whole pork elbow stewed with sauerkraut and tofu, with less sauerkraut and tofu, and more pork elbow.

Forget about the wine for now, just some mutton bone and offal soup to moisten your throat. No vegetarian dishes, just make sure every dish is full of meat.

Don't joke, the child is really hungry for meat and crying.

These dishes take a long time to prepare. Although Geng Qingning has the patience to wait, she still plans to find something to fill the time in between.

It's up to you, fry the chicken legs.

Yu Jinzhong followed Geng Qingning's instructions and said, "Use a knife to cut the chicken legs to the bone, marinate them with rice wine and fine salt, wrap them with batter and fry them until crispy."

Liu Taijian listened to Geng Qingning's instructions without any sign of impatience. The masters were only responsible for telling them what they wanted to eat, and the rest was definitely the work of the kitchen.

For example, if the chicken legs were only marinated with rice wine and fine salt, they would definitely have a chickeny smell. It would be better to add some pepper, bay leaves, cinnamon and other spices to marinate them. And the batter, how to mix it so that it can be fried crispy and fall apart at the mouth, these are all things that the kitchen should consider. Anyway, the masters just have to wait to eat.

When the fried chicken legs were served, they were exactly as Geng Qingning had imagined. Eunuch Liu even ordered two different flavors. One was sprinkled with red ground chili powder, which was spicy at first glance, and the other smelled a bit sour. Geng Qingning took a bite out of curiosity and found that it tasted like sweet plum.

She kept one and asked Grape and the others to share the rest. When she ordered fried chicken legs just now, she deliberately ordered more, just in time for the people serving around her to get one each.

As the second most important person among the eunuchs in the yard, Xiaoguizi naturally got one.

In ancient times, because the yield of oil crops was low, fried food was always the most precious. Many ordinary people could only eat fried food during the Chinese New Year. On weekdays, they would wipe the bottom of the pot with an oilcloth, which was considered to be oily.

The little noble first smelled it, and the smell was a bit strange, a sour plum smell. That's not right. Generally, fried fish and meat should be salty. Could it be bad?

Impossible. This is not their servants' stuff. This is a good thing that only the master can get in his share. How could it be bad?

The little noble carefully broke off a piece. The dough was very crispy, and a lot of crumbs fell off, which made him feel a little sad. The dough and oil are both good things.

As soon as he put it in his mouth, he didn't have time to think about these things. It was so delicious. The crispy shell was full of oil and fragrance, and the meat inside was still soft and tender. Even the hot juice flowed out when he bit it.

The little noble felt that the tip of his tongue should be burned, but even so, he was reluctant to open his mouth. Such a delicious thing might have used some rare spices, so he didn't want to waste a penny.

He ate the whole chicken leg like a whirlwind. The little noble even picked up the crumbs on the table with his fingers and licked them. He also chewed the bones with his back molars and put them in his mouth to suck the fragrance of the marrow.

I have seen such good things in the cat and dog house before, with plenty of oil and taste. Thinking of the past, the little noble couldn't help but talk about the master.

Why is he so greedy? It's so unfilial. Why didn't he think of leaving half of this rare thing for the master? I'm afraid the master has been very frugal during this period. Besides, no matter how bad the food in Lanyuan is, it is still much better than the cat and dog house.

Just as he was regretting, there was a knock on the door outside, "Eunuch Gui, it's me, Xiao Quangui".

The little noble reluctantly spat out the bone residue in his mouth, wiped the corner of his mouth, and thought that there should be nothing wrong, then he straightened his face and opened the door, "Come in, what do you want from me?"

Quan Gui only took two steps in and stood still on the ground, carefully taking out an oil paper bag from his arms, "It's the 'fried chicken leg' that the master gave me. I don't have enough oil in my stomach, how can I use such a good thing, maybe I will have diarrhea, so I come to ask you for help."

The little noble's eyes lit up, and he wanted to reach out his hand but held back. He coughed lightly, "This, it's not good, after all, it was given by the master."

"Look at what you said, but it is indeed a bit abrupt to ask you for help," Quan Gui looked embarrassed, "but in this yard, apart from the two cat masters, I am the closest to you, and I can't find anyone else for a while."

The little nobleman's heart was like a mirror. Quan Gui showed his face once when the master just came back that time. He thought this kid was going to soar to the sky, but his luck was too bad. He was stopped by the eldest prince's incident halfway.

The master saw that it was impossible to do it there, and Sister Grape locked the house like an iron barrel. The kid couldn't get in at all, and could only be gradually forgotten by the master.

"Forget it," the little nobleman pointed to the table, "Then I will help you this time."

Quan Gui put the chicken in the oil paper bag and went out with many thanks. When Xiao Guizi saw that there was no one outside, he stuffed the still warm oil paper bag into his arms and went to the cat and dog room to find Master Cheng Taijian.

Not to mention how happy Cheng Taijian was and how much the people in Lanyuan cherished this fried chicken leg, Geng Qingning felt a little sick of it.

The beauty of fried food is often in the first bite. After eating two fried chicken legs in a row, Geng Qingning missed the modern ice cola, the best choice to relieve the greasiness.

But in the Qing Dynasty, milk tea had to be made by yourself, so where can you find ice cola? After thinking about it, Geng Qingning really thought of a substitute.

Pick the pine needles from the pine tree, wash them, remove the heads and tails, and soak them in boiled and cooled sugar water for three days. Geng Qingning had seen the process of making this "homemade Sprite" on the Internet before. It was said that the natural yeast on the pine needles could produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, which filled the water with bubbles, which is the so-called sparkling water.

Worried that it would not taste good, Geng Qingning only made a small can and planned to try a little bit in three days, which could be regarded as a gluttony relief. Anyway, those bloggers on the Internet are still fine and have not been hospitalized, so they should be fine.

But this can only be drunk after three days. In order to match her luxurious lunch, Geng Qingning specifically asked the kitchen for a jar of sour plum soup. This is sweet and sour, and it is also good for relieving greasiness. Adding ice cubes can also pretend to be ice cola.

After doing all this, Geng Qingning even strolled around the yard for a quarter of an hour, making sure to fill his stomach with the two chicken legs.

The rest of the people in the yard were also looking forward to it. Not only would they have the master's lunch, but they would also have their own goodies. That was the feast that the master had specially ordered for them. After being vegetarian for so long, they could also benefit from the master's kindness this time.

White Gloves and Snow Tuan'er also buried their heads in the special cat bowl, snoring as they ate their feast - two steamed fish.

If Geng Qingning turned into a cat, he would probably snort with happiness, because it was just too delicious.

The pork belly with fat and lean parts is cut into square pieces, without adding a drop of water, adding the best light soy sauce and aged Shaoxing wine, and seasoning with only rock sugar and green onion and ginger. Cover the pot and simmer for more than half an hour on low heat. After turning the meat over, cover it and seal it and continue to simmer until it is crispy. At this point, it is a bowl of good meat that is fat but not greasy and lean but not dry.

Liu Taijian had an idea and put it into a small pottery pot and steamed it on high heat for a quarter of an hour. At this time, the skin of the meat is almost gelatinous. When you touch it lightly with a spoon, the whole piece of meat trembles. It melts in your mouth and leaves a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth.

Geng Qingning first ate a piece of rice without any food, and then mixed the soup into the rice. The crystal clear rice was covered with a red and shiny coat. At this time, she had to change to a big spoon, scoop up a full bowl of rice, put a piece of trembling pork belly on it, and stuff it into her mouth all at once. The taste of this kind of carbohydrates mixed with oil can make people fly to the sky with happiness.

After eating a whole bowl of rice in one breath, Geng Qingning turned the chopsticks and aimed at the pork elbow and sauerkraut pot next to her.

In fact, she was already full, but as the sauerkraut in the charcoal fire exuded a faint and tempting smell, the sour taste of natural fermentation made people want to stop as long as they took a bite. Geng Qingning swallowed another bowl of rice unconsciously.

It was so satisfying.

Geng Qingning stroked her satisfied stomach and sipped the sour plum soup in the tea bowl. No wonder it was the legendary "elbow with pickled cabbage, even gods would be upset". Her stomach was originally 256G in size, and now it was filled with 521G of food.

But the blood rushed to her stomach, making her feel sleepy. She yawned, grabbed the blanket on the rocking chair and covered herself with it, and fell asleep while swaying.

*

Geng Qingning was awakened by the pain.

She was indeed very wanton and unrestrained when eating, but she was also very sloppy when she went to the bathroom.

It was all because of this greedy mouth. Geng Qingning wanted to slap herself. Anyway, she had already been released, so she could just enjoy it slowly in the future. But she just couldn't help it. She ate so many greasy things and drank half a pot of sour plum soup. Even with +2 physical strength, her stomach couldn't bear it.

Now, her stomach started to rebel.

Geng Qingning lay back on the rocking chair weakly. She was really dying.

Grape looked at her master's pale face and turned around anxiously, "Princess, how about we go and ask Doctor Chen to come and see you?"

"Don't do that," Geng Qingning hurriedly stopped her. This kind of embarrassing thing would be fine if only her own hospital knew about it. If she called the palace doctor, wouldn't the whole palace know about her greed?

Besides, family members know their own business. She just hadn't eaten such greasy food for a long time, and drank half a pot of sour plum soup that was soaked in well water. Her stomach couldn't bear it for a while. It was not a serious problem. She would be fine after drinking two bowls of porridge. There was no need to waste medical resources.

The master insisted, and the servants had no choice. So later in the evening, Lanyuan only ordered a bowl of porridge and two side dishes.

Although the master only ordered porridge, the kitchen must not only serve one porridge. Eunuch Liu thought about the hard dishes made at noon and made arrangements in his mind.

The common eight-treasure porridge was served, and the porridge that the master wanted had to be served, but Eunuch Liu spent all his efforts on the last porridge.

After washing the millet, put it in a clay pot and stir-fry it over low heat until it is dry. When you smell the burnt aroma, add water and red dates immediately. After boiling over high heat, simmer slowly over low heat. In addition, yam is added to nourish the qi and stomach.

The side dishes are also very light, a plate of fried yam slices with black fungus and a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots, which are both light and easy to digest.

Although Geng Qingning's stomach is empty, she still doesn't feel hungry. Seeing this table of refreshing dishes, she finds it pleasing to the eye and has a slight appetite. However, she didn't drink the porridge she ordered, but took a fancy to the extra red dates, millet and yam porridge.

The yellow millet porridge tasted sweet, soft and glutinous, with a smooth texture. It could also nourish the spleen and stomach, and calm the mind. Geng Qingning drank two small bowls of it hot, and finally felt that the rumbling in her stomach was not so severe, and she felt much more comfortable.

But the porridge was still tasteless when she drank it alone, so she picked up a chopstick of bamboo shoots and ate them one by one. She didn't dare to eat too much, just to taste the salty taste to deceive her mouth.

When the Fourth Prince came, he saw her so listless, and this person who always paid attention to the desire for food and drink was not interested in the food on the table at all.

His body froze. Could it be that he was in trouble with her this time?