In Chang Le Palace, besides Lady Cao who rushed over, Yuan Shao's mother and Lady Song were also summoned to the palace by Dou Miao.

Dou Miao looked at the ladies and said with a smile, "The Emperor said yesterday that he wants to host a banquet tomorrow night for all the officials, their wives, and children to come to the palace to celebrate the New Year together. The banquet will be handled by Chang Le Palace, which is why we invited you ladies here today to help out!"

Lady Cao said respectfully, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty. We will do our best to share your burdens!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please feel free to give us any instructions if there is anything we are needed!"

Madam Yuan and Madam Song also chimed in.

Dou Miao smiled and nodded, "That's good. You three are most familiar with the Emperor's tastes. During the banquet, the Emperor's dishes and the palace kitchen will be prepared by the three ladies!"

"We will obey the Empress Dowager's command!"

Just as everyone was talking, Xiao Hong suddenly walked in hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has brought a fresh food called dumplings to pay his respects to you and the Holy Mother!"

"Oh? Dumplings?"

Dou Miao and Dong Shi exchanged a glance; it was the first time they had ever heard of this thing.

Madam Dong chuckled lightly, "Hong'er must have come up with something new again, right?"

"His Majesty has arrived!!"

Just as the two were talking, Liu Hong slowly walked into Chang Le Palace with a shout from a eunuch, followed by Xiao Qiong, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and several others.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!"

The three ladies, Yuan, Cao, and Song, quickly rose and bowed to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong gestured to help her up, saying, "Ladies, you may rise without the formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the three ladies stood up, Liu Hong bowed to Dou Miao and Dong Shi respectively.

"Your son greets Your Majesty, Mother!"

"Hehe~, Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities. What brings you here today...?"

Dou Miao smiled, then looked curiously at the food boxes that Zhang Rang and the others were carrying.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, today I harvested some vegetables in the greenhouse, and a sudden inspiration struck me. I came up with a fresh and delicious dish, so I brought it here for Your Majesty and Mother to try!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong waved to Zhang Rang and the others behind him.

Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong hurriedly carried the food box to Dou Miao and Dong Shi's table, took out a plate of steaming dumplings and placed it on the table.

"Is this the 'dumplings' that Xiaohong just mentioned?"

Looking at the dish made of white flour, shaped like a moon and an ear, and quite beautiful, Dou Miao's eyes lit up slightly.

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Yes, Mother, this is the filling made by chopping various ingredients, mixing them together, wrapping them in dough, and then cooking them in boiling water!"

"Then what is the meaning behind these dumplings?" Madam Dong couldn't help but ask.

"Various ingredients represent the homesickness of relatives in different places, and the dough symbolizes home. Wrapping relatives in the dough symbolizes reunion and gathering! It should be eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve when the old year is over, hence the name 'dumpling'!"

Liu Hong explained the meaning of dumplings in detail and shamelessly claimed the invention of Zhang Zhongjing as his own.

(Legend has it that dumplings were originally called "jiao'er" and were invented by Zhang Zhongjing when he was the governor of Changsha. During the winter solstice, he saw that the ears of poor people were frostbitten, so he wrapped mutton and medicine to dispel the cold in the shape of an ear and then fed it to the people!)

After listening to Liu Hong's explanation, Dou Miao, Madam Dong, and the other ladies present had a slight glimmer of hope in their eyes and carefully examined the dumplings on the plate.

"Mother, Mother, please try this! I made it myself, it won't taste good if it gets cold!"

Seeing that the steam rising from the dumplings on the plate had weakened slightly, Liu Hong looked at his two mothers with anticipation.

"Oh? Since Hong'er made them himself, we must try them!"

Dou Miao's face was full of smiles. She even stopped calling him "Emperor" and started calling him by his nickname. She was clearly very happy.

After exchanging a glance with Dong, Dou Miao also picked up her chopsticks, took a dumpling, and gently bit it.

"Hmm, not bad, this is truly a rare delicacy!"

Savoring the delicious flavor of the dumpling filling, Dou Miao couldn't help but praise it, and then put the remaining half into her mouth.

"Yes! Hong'er has always loved to experiment with unusual foods since he was little. I never expected that these dumplings, which look simple, would be so delicious! They're really tasty!"

After eating, Madam Dong also praised Liu Hong lavishly.

Compared to the taste of dumplings, Liu Hong's filial piety made Dou Miao and Dong Shi feel that even the most exquisite delicacies couldn't compare to a meal cooked by their son.

"Since it's delicious, then Mother and Mother should eat more!"

Seeing the two mothers enjoying their meal, Liu Hong was overjoyed.

The three ladies standing to the side couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Holy Mother displaying such a loving and filial demeanor.

People often say that the most ruthless place is the imperial family, but the scene before them changed their minds. What they saw was clearly an ordinary, happy family, with no trace of royalty.

Soon, Dou Miao and Dong Shi finished off their respective plates of dumplings.

After bidding farewell to his two mothers, Liu Hong cheerfully led his men away from Chang Le Palace and returned to De Yang Palace.

Not long after returning to Deyang Palace, Xi Zhicai, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Zhou Yi, and others arrived together.

"You're here so early, have you eaten yet?"

Looking at the group of people in front of him, Liu Hong asked with a smile.

Xi Zhicai chuckled lightly and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, they don't know. Anyway, I haven't eaten yet!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!