Gift

After Shen Xiujin finished speaking, seeing that Zhao Fanghua hadn't responded for a long time, he asked with some confusion: "Your Highness?"

Zhao Fanghua smiled, but didn't break the silence: "Is there anything else Shen Xiujin wants to ask?"

Shen Xiujin paused and said, "Your Highness, why should you be so distant with me? Just call me Xiujin."

Seeing that Zhao Fanghua didn't respond again, Shen Xiujin had no choice but to patiently say, "I heard that the lotus flowers in Fenghe Garden in the suburbs are in full bloom, and Your Highness loves lotus flowers very much. If you have nothing to do this afternoon, would you be willing to go with me to see them?"

After saying that, Shen Xiujin moved closer to Zhao Fanghua and said in a low voice, "It's just the two of us."

Zhao Fanghua looked up at Shen Xiujin. They were so close that she could even feel the entanglement of their breaths. Looking at Shen Xiujin's handsome face so close to her, Zhao Fanghua was a little stunned.

Shen Xiujin was very satisfied with Zhao Fanghua's reaction. He knew from a young age that he had a good appearance. At a young age, he attracted the girls in the neighborhood to throw handkerchiefs to him. However, at that time, he was focused on the imperial examination and was very annoyed by this. He even despised these short-sighted people.

But now it seems that if he could use this body properly, his career would be much smoother and he would take fewer detours.

Shen Xiujin decided to add fuel to the fire. He reached out and held Zhao Fanghua's hand, looking at her with what he thought was the most affectionate look: "It's just the two of us."

Zhao Fanghua stared at the pair of hands that suddenly appeared. For some reason, she suddenly thought of Ruan Jiaojiao's delicate hands. She also remembered that Ruan Jiaojiao was pregnant. The scene of the two of them making love in bed involuntarily emerged in her mind, and she suddenly felt nauseous.

Zhao Fanghua quickly pulled his hand away and took a step back: "I'm busy, I'm not going."

Shen Xiujin didn't miss the flash of disgust in Zhao Fanghua's eyes. His patience was also worn out by Zhao Fanghua's repeated defensive replies. His tone couldn't help but become stiff: "Then what exactly does Your Highness want?"

Zhao Fanghua: "Huh?"

Shen Xiujin suppressed his anger and panted, "I've already begged you so humbly, what else do you want from me? Do you really want my mother, who is so old, to come and apologize to you in person? Or do you want me to kneel down and kowtow to you?"

Shen Xiujin's voice grew louder and louder, and in the end he even started to point fingers at Zhao Fanghua.

Zhao Fanghua was full of questions. She even didn't understand why Shen Xiujin, a good person, suddenly went crazy. It was such a waste of his good looks.

Zhao Fanghua quickly waved her hand to drive them away: "Get out, get out, dirty thing, don't come here to get in my way again."

In the end, he even started pushing people out.

Shen Xiujin finally couldn't help it, pointing at Zhao Fanghua and glaring, "You will regret it later!"

Zhao Fanghua sneered repeatedly. She didn't know whether she would regret it in the future, but Shen Xiujin would definitely regret what he did today.

Zhao Fanghua returned to her room, growing increasingly angry. But then she began to feel a sense of dread. She worried that this move would completely rupture her relationship with Shen Xiujin. She also felt that Shen Xiujin, despite appearing to be a bright and cheerful figure, was actually a mean-spirited person. If Ruan Shi and Ruan Jiaojiao continued to plot, her situation would become even more difficult. But if she really married Shen Xiujin, and had to spend time alone with someone she disliked, even hated, and even do that kind of thing—no, no, absolutely not. Zhao Fanghua herself couldn't get over the psychological barrier.

If the moment really came to an end, she would rather go to the palace and throw a tantrum on the floor under Zhao Qinglan's nose. She didn't believe that Zhao Qinglan would leave her alone. After all, Shuyu could speak of their deep sisterly love.

Even if divorce is not possible, living in the palace or in some other villa is better than suffering in the mansion.

Speaking of Zhao Qinglan, Zhao Fanghua wanted to fly into the palace right now and ask him to issue an imperial decree to cancel her engagement and pack up the three annoying guys in the mansion and throw them out.

No, no, absolutely not.

Zhao Fanghua rejected this idea again. He decided to proceed step by step. More haste makes waste. He had not yet figured out Zhao Qinglan's temperament, but he seemed like a kind and good person.

When she was surfing the Internet to learn how to interact with adults, she saw many people saying that the most annoying thing was people who didn't contact them on a regular basis but only came when they had something important, and who came with a bag of cheap fruit and wanted to make others worry about them.

But Zhao Qinglan was the emperor, he had everything he wanted, so what could she possibly give him? The gold, silver, and jewelry in her treasury all came from the imperial palace, and Zhao Qinglan must have grown tired of seeing them. Today, she sent him some delicious food from Tianxianglou, but Zhao Qinglan didn't seem particularly satisfied. Alas, a man's heart is like a needle in the sea.

At this moment, Zhao Fanghua misses the days when he had a mobile phone by his side. At least he could post a message to ask netizens, "What gift should I give to the emperor? Waiting online, urgent."

As expected, the days without a mobile phone become particularly difficult, and it is another day when I miss my mobile phone.

Zhao Fanghua leaned against the Luohan bed, sighing uncontrollably. Peihuan Yingluo, who was standing nearby fanning herself, exchanged glances. Yingluo tentatively asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Zhao Fanghua replied casually: "I'm thinking about what to send to the emperor tomorrow."

The two maids fell into deep thought upon hearing this. After a moment, Yingluo suddenly had an idea and said, "Didn't His Highness bring back bayberries from the palace today? How about making some candied bayberries for His Majesty myself? The sweet and sour flavor is perfect for this season, and the recipe is simple and you can't fail."

Zhao Fanghua's eyes lit up. That's right, gifts should be handmade. The gift may be small but the thought is great. Anyway, he was free anyway and didn't have a cell phone to kill time.

Yingluo's words also gave Zhao Fanghua inspiration. Everyone in the capital knew that the food at Tianxianglou was delicious. It seemed a bit careless to return the favor by giving it to the common people, and it would also seem like cheating. In the future, even if he wanted to send food to the common people, it would be best to send gourmet-approved delicacies hidden in the alleys, which were not particularly famous but were indeed good.

They started working right away, and it was best to chill the candied bayberries overnight. Zhao Fanghua immediately asked the maids to start working.

First, soak the bayberries in salt water for a quarter of an hour to kill any fruit fly larvae hiding inside. Then rinse the bayberries, drain, and set aside. Place cold water and rock sugar in a pot and simmer over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour in the bayberries and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer until the broth gradually turns a rose-red. Skim off any foam, turn off the heat, and let cool. Finally, place the bayberries and syrup into a sealed container and refrigerate. (Note)

Zhao Fanghua had never been so attentive even when eating bayberries herself.

This was also the first time that Zhao Fanghua had a direct experience of the ice cellars of wealthy families in ancient times. With so much ice stored, at least after a while when the temperature rose, he would not be scorched to death by the heat, and he could also make some iced drinks to cool down.

Yingluo, who was standing by, saw Zhao Fanghua staring at the ice in a daze and asked curiously, "Your Highness, do you want to use ice now?"

Zhao Fanghua shook his head: "Not yet."

She stood on tiptoe to look at the size and capacity of the ice cellar, and estimated that if she started using all the ice now, it might not last through the summer.

Zhao Fanghua asked thoughtfully, "What if the ice runs out but summer isn't over yet?"

Yingluo covered her mouth and chuckled, "Your Highness, what nonsense are you talking about? Doesn't every household have ice? The ones in the Princess' Mansion are all used up, and there are plenty of them sent here. Even if Your Highness doesn't value their favor of a few pieces of ice, our Princess' Mansion can also purchase ice on its own."

Zhao Fanghua nodded and felt relieved. As long as he could buy it, it was fine.

"Besides," Yingluo continued, "Every year during the hottest season, Your Highness always goes to Penglai Villa with the Queen Mother to escape the heat. We've never run out of ice in our mansion."

Oh, that's good! Zhao Fanghua was completely relieved.

After all, Zhao Fanghua couldn't even imagine how she would get through the summer without air conditioning or electric fans.