Hearing the princess's scolding, the bowl in Li Yao's hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and the leftover rock sugar jelly fell to the ground, and the deep red syrup spread out.
Li Yao's face turned pale, and she stammered, "Mother, Mother..."
When the princess saw Li Yao, she was even more furious: "At this hour, you should be in the house learning how to make tea. Why are you here to disturb your brother's studies and ruin their future?"
Li Yao lowered her head in grievance: "Mother... My brother and younger brother have worked hard in their studies. Recently, there is a dessert shop in Yanjing that sells particularly delicious desserts... Yaoer asked the nanny to buy three portions and send them to my brother and younger brother..."
Li Yao missed her brother and younger brother, so she brought some desserts to visit them.
She hasn't had a meal with her brothers for a long time.
I thought the princess would be worshipping Buddha in the temple tonight, but she came suddenly and scared the three children.
The princess rubbed her brows and said, "Come here, take Yao'er back to her boudoir. The maid who bought her dessert without permission will be beaten with ten boards."
Li Yao's tears instantly fell, and she choked up and said, "Mother, please don't hit Nanny... It's all Yao'er's fault for being greedy."
The princess scolded him harshly, with a tone of disappointment: "You are the eldest daughter of the palace. You must be proficient in everything, such as music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine and tea. Otherwise, when you get married in the future, those concubines with all kinds of tricks will definitely take away your husband's favor. Your mother asked you to study more for your own good."
The princess herself had suffered and did not want her daughter to repeat the same mistakes. Liu Ruyan was good at poetry and calligraphy, Liu Qiaoer was good at playing the piano, Zhang Miaoyu was good at making tea, and those concubines also had many skills. These women, each with their own characteristics, divided the prince's favor.
Girls have to get married eventually.
Most men in the world are fickle. If Li Yao is proficient in "music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine and tea", she can get more love from her future husband.
The princess warned Li Yao in a cold tone: "If you cause trouble again, the nanny who serves you will be beaten. Eating sugar makes you fat, Yao'er, you should eat less sugar and keep your body slim. Mother is doing this for your own good."
Li Yao shed tears of grievance, looking at the brown sugar jelly on the ground, her heart ached uncomfortably.
The servant took Li Yao away, and the study became quiet again.
After sending her daughter away, the princess urged her two sons: "Yao'er is a girl. Girls are virtuous without talent. Your mother doesn't have high expectations for her. But you are men, bearing the legacy of the palace. How can you neglect your studies?"
Cheng Ke and Cheng Zhen lowered their heads, silently put down the brown sugar jelly, opened the classics and began to recite.
...
...
The next morning, King Yan got up and left refreshed, and Shen Wei jogged a few laps in the yard as usual.
"Master, is your mouth irritated?" Aunt Rong took out a towel to wipe the sweat and saw that the corners of Shen Wei's rosy mouth were broken and seemed to be swollen.
Aunt Rong couldn't help but worry.
Did you eat some food that caused inflammation?
Chen Wei waved her hands and rubbed her cheeks with despair: "It's not a sore throat. Find me some ice cubes and I'll apply it."
She needs to apply to the corners of her mouth and hands.
Shen Wei recalled the scenes of last night in her mind and couldn't bear to watch them. This man is so energetic!
She must protect her hands and be sure not to get "tenosynovitis" in her wrists during pregnancy.
After breakfast, Chen Wei saw that the weather was very good today, so she took Cai Lian and Cai Ping to go fishing in the palace garden.
The garden is lush and green, the lotus pond is wide, and the green lotus leaves are stretched out. Chen Wei was leaning leisurely on the chaise longue in the pavilion, with her fishing rod casually placed aside. She was holding the account book sent by Madam Rong in her hand, and there were several exquisite desserts on the small table.
This account book was sent by Ye Qiu Shuang. The dessert shop is expanding and there are many places to spend money. Shen Wei ate while looking through the account book.
“Master, there is news from the Confucian Temple.” Aunt Rong leaned over and told Shen Wei in a low voice, “A woman came to the Confucian Temple yesterday.”
Shen Wei raised her eyebrows: "Who?"
Aunt Rong: "It is said that it is your sister Shen Qiang. Old Madam Shen has placed her in the Confucian Temple."
Shen Wei fell into deep thought. Sister Shen Qiang?
As far as I can remember, her elder sister married a merchant in southwestern Shu a few years ago. Shu is a remote area, and it is said that Chen Qiang was bullied by her husband's family and had a very difficult life.
Unexpectedly, she came all the way to Yanjing and found Mother Shen. Shen Wei plans to visit Shen Qiang in a while to find out the character of this sister.
Shen Wei was looking through the account book carefully, occasionally using a small toothpick to poke a peeled lotus seed to taste. Occasionally looking up, Shen Wei inadvertently caught a glimpse of a small figure beside the lotus pond.
She was a little girl in a pink shirt. She was thin and had a pair of big watery eyes looking over curiously. She seemed to have been peeking at Shen Wei for a long time, with a confused look on her fair little face.
Shen Wei recognized her.
This is Li Yao, the eldest daughter of Prince Yan’s Mansion. She is eight years old this year. The little girl rarely showed up in front of outsiders. Shen Wei had been in the palace for several months, but she had seen Li Yao only a few times.
"Cai Ping, invite her over." Shen Wei ordered.
Caiping moved quickly and brought Li Yao to the pavilion in the lotus pond. Chen Wei put down the account book in her hand and said in a friendly manner: "Sister Yao, where is the old nanny who serves you? Why did you come to the garden alone?"
Li Yao recognized the beautiful woman in front of him. All the concubines in the backyard of the palace are lifeless, only Shen from Liuli Pavilion is the most lively.
"Mammy was sick, so I sneaked out alone." Li Yao replied. The stomach is uncontrollable and makes gurgling sounds.
Her little face flushed and she rubbed her belly silently.
I secretly gave brown sugar jelly to my brother and younger brother last night, and today I was punished by the princess and my lunch was cut in half. She was at the age of growing up, and that little bit of food was not enough for her to eat. Her stomach was growling with hunger.
"Can I have a bowl of jelly?" Li Yao looked at the osmanthus jelly eagerly.
Shen Wei did not agree immediately.
If the princess's daughter eats her food and has any health problems in the future, Shen Wei will be the first suspect.
But the little girl's eyes looked very pitiful.
Shen Wei thought for a moment and told Li Yao: "The cold cake on my desk is not fresh, please wait a moment."
As she spoke, Chen Wei instructed Cai Ping, "We still have a lot of jelly ingredients left in Liuli Pavilion. Cai Ping, ask the guards to bring all the remaining jelly ingredients here and make a fresh bowl for Sister Yao on the spot. Bring some more bowls."
Caiping gladly accepted the order.
After a while, the guards from Liuli Pavilion brought a large bucket of cold cakes. There was ice-cold well water in the wooden barrel, and a large piece of solidified jelly in it.
Shen Wei shook the silk fan in her hand and looked up at the clear and cloudless sky. It was a hot summer day, and even the lotus flowers in the pond were wilted by the sun. The maids and servants who were trimming the flowers and plants in the garden were sweating profusely from exhaustion.
Chen Wei gently waved her Luo fan and said calmly, "Picking apples and picking lotus, it would be a waste if there were too many ingredients left over for the jelly. Make a bowl of jelly for Sister Yao, and give the rest to the maids and guards in the palace."
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