Chapter 73 Chapter 73 They really want to stay in Chang every day...

How did Li Shuyao know how Concubine Tong and the others got here?

She kept saying things like "everyone in the palace knows about it" and "it's spread all over the palace"...

Doesn't this "entire palace" include Changchun Palace?

On the other side, Qingyao was still angry. After she shouted at Li Shuyao, she turned her head and walked straight inside to pay her respects to Concubine Tong and all the concubines.

Concubine Tong pulled her to sit on the couch affectionately.

It was as if he was completely oblivious to the empty chair next to Li Shuyao.

Li Shuyao pouted a little aggrievedly and followed Qingyao with focused eyes.

On her other side, the little prince was still persistently tugging at her sleeve and shaking it back and forth, while the eldest prince had already climbed down from the chair impatiently, put on his shoes by himself, and ran out.

Seeing this, Huipin hurriedly followed.

Rongpin sat in Huipin's seat and talked and laughed with Tong Guifei and Qingyao.

The little prince was a little anxious when he saw his brother running away. He didn't even think about seeking Li Shuyao's consent. He let go of her sleeve, turned around and knelt on the chair, and crawled down with his round little butt sticking out. His little feet in snow-white socks moved down little by little, but he couldn't reach the boots placed on the ground.

He was so anxious that his cheeks turned red. Finally, he exerted force with his other foot and got it stuck in the gap of the chair handle, splitting Li Shuyao about 120 degrees on the spot.

Li Shuyao didn't bother to explain to Qingyao. With a sad and aggrieved expression, she reached out and held the little prince on her knees. She took the boots handed to her by Nanny Yan, carefully helped the little prince put them on, and then put him on the ground.

The little prince was caught off guard by being so close to her and even sitting on her.

The anxiety on his face disappeared in an instant, and he just stared at Li Shuyao's pretty face with a dizzy head.

He felt that Concubine Ling smelled very good.

There is a smell of the Empress Dowager.

Seeing him standing still on the ground, Li Shuyao poked his shoulder with a weak poke, "Your Highness, aren't you going out to play hopscotch?"

The little prince suddenly came to his senses, smiled at her shyly, walked up to Concubine Tong, bowed, and rushed outside to find his brother without looking back.

Li Shuyao stood up and said, "I, your concubine, will go out and take a look."

There were too many people in the small room. Except for Qingyao and Concubine Tong, she had never spoken to anyone else before. Now, seeing them sitting in her Changchun Palace, chatting about one topic after another in a very familiar manner, she was about to have a social anxiety attack!

After Li Shuyao finished speaking, she quickly added, "Qingyao, come with me. Let's go and see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Before Qingyao could say anything, Concubine Tong stood up leisurely. "Nothing, I just want to see what those carbon threads outside are, and what the hopscotch that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mentioned just now is. I'll go out with you."

After she finished speaking, she turned to the other concubines and said, "The snacks here at Lingpin are always exquisite and delicious. Sisters, why don't you try them carefully?"

After Concubine Tong said this, the other concubines felt embarrassed to follow her out.

They could only stand up and bow to Concubine Tong, say "yes", and then sit back in their seats.

Li Shuyao glanced at Qingyao, but Qingyao ignored her and turned her head to talk to Rongpin.

Li Shuyao had no choice but to follow Concubine Tong out dejectedly.

Outside, the little prince and the eldest prince were "discussing" who should start first. The little prince had not played enough and wanted to play more, while the eldest prince had never played once and felt that he should start first.

Huipin was originally speaking to her son in a gentle voice, but when she saw the little prince coming out, she immediately fell silent and stood aside. Now, watching the two children arguing, her expression was full of worry for her son.

Seeing Li Shuyao coming out from behind the screen, her eyes lit up instantly, as if she had seen a savior. She walked over, took Li Shuyao's hand, and said to her with a smile: "My dear sister, go and persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Baoqing."

After saying that, he pushed Li Shuyao, who was still in a daze, towards the little prince and the eldest prince.

Concubine Tong found a place to sit down and looked at Li Shuyao leisurely.

Li Shuyao:?

She didn't even know how she ended up in this Shura field.

When she came to her senses, the little prince and the eldest prince had each held one of her hands. Their chubby little faces were full of dissatisfaction with each other, and they chattered incessantly in their baby voices.

The young prince said that his eldest brother lacked the demeanor of an older brother.

The eldest prince said that the young prince did not know how to respect the elderly.

Li Shuyao heard this and said, "Respected elder, what do you mean by old? Big brother, you are only five years old, how old are you?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The eldest prince suddenly turned his head and stared at her with his bright eyes.

Li Shuyao immediately became timid, "Okay, okay, you are a five-year-old old man, okay?"

The eldest prince nodded and was about to continue confronting his younger brother, the crown prince, when he suddenly realized that something seemed to be wrong.

He was just pondering when the little prince suddenly said, "Then I am also five years old, no, I am a three-year-old old man!"

"Okay, okay, you are both old men. So, may I ask the two young grandfathers, have you decided who goes first?"

Li Shuyao had given up the idea of continuing to argue with the two little guys, and no longer wanted to try to reason with them or present facts.

She just wanted to quickly resolve the conflict between the two little guys, then go out to the backyard to see how Grandpa Dai roasted the lamb...

She seemed to faintly smell the smell of burning firewood...

Has Eunuch Dai already started?

Hearing her words, the eldest prince suddenly pulled himself out of his thoughts, "I'll go first!"

The young prince said, "No, I am the prince, I must come first!"

Li Shuyao thought for a moment and said, "How about you play rock-paper-scissors?"

"What is rock-paper-scissors?" the two little balls asked in unison.

Li Shuyao gestured to them, "This is scissors, this is paper, and this is rock."

"Scissors can cut paper, paper can cover rock, rock can break scissors..."

She explained it briefly, and the two little ones understood it quickly.

I also asked Li Shuyao if the winner is decided in one try or if she can warm up several times.

Li Shuyao let them decide for themselves.

The eldest prince took the little prince's hand and went aside to discuss.

Huipin immediately followed with concern.

Li Shuyao looked left and right, and it seemed that there was no room for her to perform in the Shura Field. So she picked up the cloak on the chair beside her, put it on, and said to Concubine Tong: "Your Majesty, there are too many people in here. I want to go out for some fresh air."

By the way, think about how this bizarre day has developed to this point step by step.

Isn't it just eating a roasted whole lamb? How did it suddenly turn into a harem group building?

Moreover, these concubines in the harem look different from what are described in novels.

In the novel, Huipin's character should be decisive and tough. In order to eliminate the enemies hiding in the dark, she can even use her own son as bait.

In reality, I heard that Huipin would feel uncomfortable and anxious if she didn't see the eldest prince for a day, otherwise she wouldn't follow the eldest prince so closely. Even if the eldest prince didn't talk to her, she was happy to follow him, and her whole body was filled with the aura of a loving mother.

And there is Concubine Tong. Doesn’t Concubine Tong in the novel always regard Qingyao as her mortal enemy?

Why was he holding Qingyao's hand and sitting on the same couch with her without any disgust?

Qingyao...

Oh, and there’s Qingyao.

She just made Qingyao angry, and Qingyao still doesn't want to talk to her.

So how should she explain to Qingyao...

She had originally planned to wait until Eunuch Dai had roasted the whole lamb before sending someone next door to invite her over.

But who could have thought that the eldest prince and the little prince would suddenly come to visit?

Li Shuyao felt like she was about to die unjustly.

Now she really needs a gust of cold wind to blow on her head so that she can calm down and think about what to do next.

Concubine Tong was originally sitting nearby watching the fun, but suddenly she noticed that something was not right with Li Shuyao. She quickly stood up, took her hand, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Li Shuyao shook her head gloomily and said that she wanted to go to the back hall to see how Eunuch Dai's roasted whole lamb was going.

Concubine Tong was worried about letting her go out alone, so she quickly put on her cloak and took Li Shuyao's hand and walked to the backyard.

Eunuch Dai and several young eunuchs were busy around the barbecue grill.

Seeing the two masters coming out, he hurriedly put down the seasonings in his hands and came over to pay his respects.

Concubine Tong waved at them, indicating that they should just focus on roasting the whole lamb and not pay any attention to them. They just took a look and left.

After a while, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is this the only roasted whole lamb we have today?"

This is not enough for so many of them to share.

Li Shuyao stood behind Concubine Tong, holding a silk handkerchief tightly in her hand, blinking her watery apricot eyes, and silently saying goodbye to the roasted whole lamb in her heart.

...Looking at how Concubine Tong was worried about the baby in her belly, no matter how many people came today, she dared to bet that Concubine Tong would probably only let her eat five bites, oh no, three bites, or maybe just one bite.

Then she could only eat other dishes miserably and watch other concubines feasting in her Changchun Palace.

Is there anyone in the entire Forbidden City who is more miserable than her?

No!

*

——Actually, there are.

Palace of Heavenly Purity, Imperial Study.

Upon receiving the news from the harem, the emperor raised his head from the memorial with a slight shock, and looked at Liang Jiugong with some disbelief, "What did you say?"

Liang Jiugong bent down and repeated what he had said before word for word.

After hearing this, the emperor pondered for a moment, and then his expression suddenly became a little playful.

At present, almost all the high-ranking concubines in his harem, except the queen, have gathered in Changchun Palace.

A whole roasted lamb... probably isn't enough for them to share.

That girl Li Shuyao must be feeling very aggrieved now, right?

She also has to think about how to protect the food and maintain the harmony in the harem. If she can't eat her favorite roasted whole lamb, she's afraid she won't be able to sleep well at night.

Thinking of this, the emperor suddenly felt a little distressed.

So he knocked on the table and said to Liang Jiugong, "I remember there were two cooks in the imperial kitchen. Are they from Jiangnan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liang Jiugong replied respectfully.

The Emperor said: "Then have those two chefs prepare some more dishes from Jiangnan and send them to Changchun Palace."

"Get two more roast ducks, some pig's trotters and braised pork, and send them all to her."

"She just moved to Changchun Palace not long ago. I guess there aren't many good things in the palace except for snacks. Plus, she's young and has never interacted with Huipin and the others before. Even with Nanny Yan's guidance, it's probably difficult for her to take care of and entertain Rou'er and the others."

Rou'er is the nickname of Concubine Tong.

When the emperor said this, he stood up from behind the desk with some concern.

"No, I'd better go and take a look myself."

Liang Jiugong was standing on the other side of the study. When he heard the emperor's words, he looked up at him speechlessly.

Your Majesty, you know clearly whether to go and help or to join in the fun.

He secretly complained, but his face showed no sign of it. He just bowed slightly and said, "Then I will go and call for the sedan chair."

Unexpectedly, just as he walked outside the Imperial Study, he saw several ministers walking towards the Imperial Study together, including Lord Tong, Lord Suo'etu, and Lord Mingzhu...

Hiss, did something big happen outside the palace?

Liang Jiugong did not dare to delay at all and hurried to meet them. After hearing that they had important matters to report to the emperor, he ran back to the imperial study without thinking.

"Your Majesty, several gentlemen outside are seeking an audience. They say they've discovered traces of the White Lotus Cult in the capital..."

The emperor was startled when he heard this and said in a deep voice: "Send it!"

…

So the emperor, who had wanted to join in the fun, was kept in the imperial study by several officials in the name of reporting on state affairs.

After discussing the hunt for the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, Mingzhu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have received news that Wu Sangui in Hengzhou is planning to become emperor..."

Ministers who had received the news rushed over to the imperial study one after another.

The discussion lasted from dawn till dusk.

By the time the emperor finally had some free time, the banquet in Changchun Palace had already ended.

*

Let’s talk about Changchun Palace.

Concubine Tong and Li Shuyao stood in the open space in the back hall and watched Eunuch Dai roast the lamb for a while.

As the flames surged up and down and various seasonings were added, the aroma of meat with the scent of firewood gradually filled the air.

Li Shuyao tilted her head back, sniffed a few times with a longing expression, and she couldn't finish saying goodbye in her heart.

She regretted not getting pregnant with this baby.

But... without this baby, she would not be able to get Eunuch Dai from the Queen Mother.

This matter has fallen into a vicious circle.

Concubine Tong saw that her face looked a little strange, so she quietly came over and asked her, "What's wrong?"

I was unhappy when I was hiding in the house, but after I came out, I saw the roasted whole lamb. Why am I still unhappy?

...Is it because Li Shuyao is a delicate person, or are all pregnant women in the world so moody?

Concubine Tong was a little confused.

Li Shuyao sniffed and replied in a muffled voice, "It's nothing, I'm just wondering when this roasted whole lamb will be ready."

Eunuch Dai heard this and quickly turned around and replied, "Your Majesty, it will be healed in about half an hour."

"Oh, I see." Li Shuyao nodded.

Eunuch Dai then explained to her with a smile, such as the outside temperature, the temperature of the flame, what kind of sauce to use, and what seasonings were needed...

Li Shuyao was a little confused after hearing this.

Seeing that Eunuch Dai couldn't concentrate even though she was here, she reached out and took Concubine Tong's hand, took two steps back, and said to Eunuch Dai, "You go ahead and do your work. We'll go back to the palace and wait. When it's done, you can take it to the side hall."

In the side hall, Tian Jiarou was leading people to set up the dining table and decorations.

Almost all the palace maids in Changchun Palace went to help, even the maids serving the young prince and the eldest prince were sent over. Only the people around Concubine Tong and the others...

Thinking of this, Li Shuyao looked at Concubine Tong who was walking beside her and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, how many people did you bring with you when you came here today?"

Concubine Tong said, "About four or five, what's the matter?"

Li Shuyao pointed to the side hall not far away and said, "Can you ask them to go over there and help Jiarou and Yueshu?"

Concubine Tong nodded and was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something and said awkwardly, "But there's only one person with me now. I've sent the others to the imperial kitchen to order food. Why don't we go back and ask the palace maids around Concubine Hui and the others for help?"

Li Shuyao said okay obediently.

After returning to the main hall, they asked and found out that they all thought Li Shuyao had only prepared a roasted whole lamb, so before entering, they all sent the palace servants around them to the imperial kitchen to order dishes...

"All of them went?" Li Shuyao was shocked. "So many people, all of them went?"

"Then the chefs in the imperial kitchen must be extremely busy, right?"

Concubine Tong also realized that something was wrong and suddenly whispered, "I just sent someone to the imperial kitchen to order two roast ducks and eight dishes. What about you?"

Huipin said, "I, I also ordered two roast ducks and six dishes, mostly meat dishes..."

Rongpin clutched her handkerchief, her expression somewhat apprehensive as she said, "I heard Lingpin wanted to eat roast lamb, and I thought roast lamb and roast duck are similar, so I ordered two roast ducks as well. I figured that if Lingpin could only eat a few bites of roast lamb, at least she could still have two roast ducks to satisfy her craving..."

When they arrived at the gate of Changchun Palace and saw so many people coming, they naturally worried that only one roasted whole lamb would not be enough.

So they privately instructed their maids to pay out of their own pockets and order a few dishes from the imperial kitchen to make up the number.

——After all, today is the first time that Concubine Ling is entertaining guests in Changchun Palace. She is young and cannot think so thoroughly. If she is not well prepared, won’t she lose face in front of all the palace people for no reason?

It wouldn't sound good if it gets out...

But they didn't expect that everyone would be so in sync.

Li Shuyao listened attentively from the side. She was too shocked to even react. She started counting on her fingers. "Empress Tong ordered two roast ducks and eight dishes; Concubine Hui also ordered two roast ducks and six meat dishes; Concubine Rong ordered the same as Concubine Hui..."

After counting, not including her and Qingyao, there were nine concubines present, and they ordered a total of fourteen ducks and fifty-two dishes!

When the imperial kitchen received the menu and learned that they were orders from different concubines for Changchun Palace, they certainly did not dare to be negligent or lazy and use the same dishes to make up the number.

So, in other words, although she missed out on a roasted whole lamb today, she was able to obtain fourteen Peking ducks and fifty-two different palace dishes.

The Manchu-Han Banquet is just like this!

Thinking of this, Li Shuyao suddenly became happy again.

There was a glint in her apricot blossom eyes, without a trace of sympathy for the eunuch who was the chef in the imperial kitchen!

She blinked twice, then bowed solemnly to the concubines in the room who were still looking at each other in confusion, and said to them in a sweet voice: "Shu Yao thanks all the sisters, you are so kind!"

Concubine Tong and the other concubines: "?"

What's good about it? Let's talk about it in detail.

…

Concubine Tong quickly brought people to surround Li Shuyao, vowing to find out what happened to them.

Li Shuyao could only rack her brains to think of all kinds of adjectives, "The Imperial Concubine is graceful, dignified and elegant, just like the beautiful and holy snow lotus on the snow-capped mountains!"

"Empress Hui's face is as rosy as a peach, and her skin is as bright as ice..."

"Empress Rong has a gentle temperament, as bright as the moon..."

"Empress An..."

"And Concubine Duan... Concubine Jing... Concubine Xi..."

She used up almost every adjective she had learned in her life.

Only then did the concubines leave her side with satisfied expressions and sit back in their chairs.

Then the next moment, Qingyao came over quietly.

Li Shuyao's face flushed red as she looked at her with a sharp expression.

Qingyao paused, and very considerately did not ask her to praise herself. Instead, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Li Shuyao's forehead.

After a while, he lowered his head and whispered in Li Shuyao's ear, "I misunderstood you just now."

Yes, yes! She really didn't take the initiative to invite Concubine Tong and the others to come over.

The only person who really wanted to invite her was Qingyao.

I'm glad Qingyao understands!

Li Shuyao cried in her heart, thinking that her life was now clear!

A little smile appeared in Qingyao's eyes. She placed the handkerchief on her forehead and pressed it for a long time. Then she sat down next to Li Shuyao and pointed outside and asked, "Why is that thing outside different from the hopscotch you and I played before?"

Li Shuyao said, "We are all adults now. We have good coordination and balance. What's so difficult about hopscotch for us? It's just for exercise, sweating, and killing time."

"The one outside is different. It's designed specifically for children."

As she spoke, she pulled Qingyao to the door, pointed at the little prince and the eldest prince who were already sweating profusely while playing outside, and said, "Qingyao, look, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first learned to play hopscotch, couldn't he even jump into the squares?"

"Now it can jump wherever you point it. How can this not be considered progress?"

"And there, aren't there two circles and a cross drawn there? The circles represent putting your feet down, and the crosses mean you should put your hands down. At first, Your Highness the Crown Prince forgot the next step was to jump after putting his hands down, but now he can tell the difference very quickly."

"The most intuitive thing to tell is how long it takes them to complete the jump. At the beginning, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was jumping all over the place, and it took him a full stick of incense to jump from the starting point to the end point. Now, in just one stick of incense, he can jump back and forth seven or eight times!"

Qingyao squinted her eyes and looked carefully, and found that it was indeed the case.

Li Shuyao then pulled her out.

The little prince and the eldest prince were dancing happily. When they saw the two girls coming out, they quickly stopped and greeted them.

Li Shuyao responded with a smile and told them to just have fun by themselves.

The little prince and the eldest prince nodded.

Li Shuyao pulled Qingyao and whispered to her, "Look, when we came out just now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood on one leg so well!"

She was wobbling at first, but now she can stand on one leg without changing her expression, and even pinched a few little fingers to bow and greet Li Shuyao.

"Is this really so magical?" Rongpin's voice suddenly came from behind Li Shuyao.

Li Shuyao turned around and found that there were several concubines with children standing behind the screen.

Perhaps because he had heard the conversation between Li Shuyao and Qingyao before, he also became interested in the carbon bars on the ground outside.

Concubine Rong quickly sent people back to her Zhongcui Palace to bring her second brother and little Prince Changsheng over, while Concubine Nara and Concubine Bu also sent people back one after another.

Soon, there were a few more little rascals in Changchun Palace.

The second princess born to Rongpin is now four years old. She is a very quiet and shy little girl. She is wearing a pink flag dress, with her hair tied up and a few pink hairpins decorating her bun.

Little Changsheng is now almost two years old. Perhaps because he has been in poor health since childhood, when he is put together with Wan Fu, who is only one and a half years old, the two look almost the same size.

The Third Princess and the Fourth Princess are now about three years old and were born in the same year as the little prince.

The third lady was born to concubine Zhang. When the imperial edict was issued at the end of August, her name was not on the list. So until now she has been relegated to the position of concubine, living in Qixiang Palace with concubine Jing, Wang Jia. She is used to staying at home and rarely goes out. She did not come with concubine Jing today.

The Fourth Princess was born to Concubine Bu Zhaojia. She lived with Concubine Rong in Zhongcui Palace. Perhaps because there were only two little girls in Zhongcui Palace, the Fourth Princess liked to play with her second sister since she was a child.

After being brought in by Concubine Bu, the shy Fourth Princess saw so many concubines in the room and hid behind the Second Princess, with only a small section of her light yellow skirt and clothes corners showing.

Then the next second, she was dragged out hand in hand by the Second Princess.

The Second Princess taught her with a serious expression: "Put your hands here, then press your knees down slightly and salute me, okay?"

The Fourth Princess nodded timidly, then turned to Li Shuyao and the others. She was as delicate and cute as a little figurine. She imitated the Second Princess's movements and saluted all the ladies present in a very formal manner.

Li Shuyao felt that her heart was about to be melted by the cuteness of the two little girls.

There can’t be no girls in this world!

After accepting the greetings from the two little girls, Li Shuyao happily turned around and went back to her bedroom. She fumbled in a small box on the dressing table for a long time, and finally took out a few small purses embroidered with small animals and put eighty-eight taels of silver into each purse.

Seven hundred and ninety-two taels were spent at once.

However, there was no trace of unhappiness or reluctance in her expression.

He excitedly picked up six of the purses and rushed to the outer room. He stuffed a purse into each of the six little kids' hands and said to them in a very excited tone, "Here, this is my gift to you."

After saying that, he didn't wait for the little ones to react.

He quickly walked back to his bedroom and came out with the remaining three small purses. He put one into Jingpin's hand and asked her to give it to the third daughter of Concubine Zhang.

She stuffed another purse into Rongpin's hand, saying that Yinzhi didn't come today and couldn't see it, and she felt a little sorry, so she could only trouble Rongpin, her mother, to hand it over to Yinzhi personally.

She stuffed the last purse into Nanny Yan's hands.

When Nanny Yan received the purse, she was a little surprised. "Your Majesty?"

"This old slave is not a child."

Li Shuyao said, "I know, I know, but isn't it because the eldest princess is in Shoukang Palace and I can't get in?"

"Madame Yan is from the Cining Palace after all, so she must know a few people from the Shoukang Palace, right? I'd like to trouble you to help me pass on my little gift to the eldest princess."

The concubines in the room stared at her in amazement as she walked from the bedroom to the outer room like a happy butterfly, then ran back to the bedroom from the outer room, took out a few purses and distributed them everywhere like a boy giving away money.

After she finished speaking, Concubine Tong came over curiously to take a look. She reached out and squeezed the purse in Nanny Yan's hand. She could vaguely feel the shape of broken silver coins, so she asked Li Shuyao, "How much taels did you put in?"

Li Shuyao pointed with her fingers and said, "Each one contains eighty-eight taels."

Concubine Tong counted the number of imperial heirs in the Forbidden City and found that there were seven hundred and ninety-two, which was not a lot.

Then, with a generous wave of his hand, he said to the maidservant beside him, "Huanying, please prepare nine purses for me. Just put one hundred and eighty-eight taels in each. No need for more."

Li Shuyao's eyes suddenly widened. One hundred and eighty-eight taels, nine purses, isn't that a lot?

Wait, how much is it in total?

Seventy-two, seventy-two, seven hundred and two plus seventy-two...

Because the number exceeded three digits, Li Shuyao was a little confused for a moment.

At this time, Concubine Jing and Concubine An also came over. Although they didn't understand why, they wanted to maintain harmony in the harem, so they imitated Li Shuyao's actions without thinking.

Based on the amount of money in Li Shuyao's purse, each person made a total of nine purses as a small token of their appreciation.

So this day, for many years to come, suddenly became an unforgettable happy time in the memories of the little ones.

There is no such joy in the Chinese New Year - I can play hopscotch, eat roasted whole lamb, and there are dozens of exquisite dishes and roast duck provided by the concubines out of their own pockets... In the end, I can even receive gifts from the concubines' pockets.

They really want to stay in Changchun Palace every day!