“Moon Lady, no! That heartless man will absolutely not agree. He might even take the opportunity to make unreasonable demands. With you worrying about me, my injuries don’t seem to hurt so much anymore.”
Nangong Zeyue's mushy words gave Cangyun goosebumps.
He cupped his hands and said, "I will go down first. If Miss has any instructions, please send someone to summon me."
Seeing Cang Yun flee in panic, Nangong Zeyue shrugged innocently, "I'm telling the truth, Yue Niang, you have to believe me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't dare go to the Military Affairs Camp today."
Nangong Zeyue is right. If it were any other soldier who had entered the military camp without permission, he would have been punished without hesitation.
He was personally sent by Xiang Song, and the two commanders wouldn't make things difficult for him out of respect for the monk.
"Moon Maiden, all I want is to stay by your and Sui Sui's side, through thick and thin, to be together forever. Even if that heartless bastard tries to fight me to the death, I will fight him to the death."
Nangong Zeyue's seemingly nonchalant words were all heartfelt.
It would be a lie to say that Jiang Shuyue wasn't moved. In this era of imperial power, if anyone else knew Sui Sui's background, they would absolutely not dare to reveal their feelings to her.
"Please allow me to think about it some more."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough for Nangong Zeyue to hear.
Nangong Zeyue's fox-like eyes immediately filled with tears.
He finally waited for this day. Yue Niang no longer ran away. Whether she lived or died, she finally gave him a quick end.
Hearing footsteps approaching behind her, Qiuju coughed and said, "Miss, lunch has been brought over."
Qiuju pretended not to hear anything and went in to help set out the dishes.
Jiang Shuyue breathed a sigh of relief after hearing from Qiuju that the New Year's gift delivery went smoothly.
After Qiuju and Lan'er left, only Nangong Zeyue and Yueniang remained in the warm pavilion.
Smelling the aroma of smoked meat, Nangong Zeyue served Jiang Shuyue a piece of food. "Yue Niang, eat your fill before you think about it. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes."
“You’ve suffered in the military camp. It’s not easy for you to come back. Eat more.”
She may not have understood Nangong Zeyue's feelings before, but with Qiuju's reminder, she gradually realized that Nangong Zeyue was in love with her.
Jiang Shuyue blushed as she recalled the half-joking, half-serious things Nangong Zeyue had said to her in the past.
She looked up and saw a gentle and refined man before her. As long as he put away his unruly demeanor, he would still have a touch of warm and gentle elegance about him.
Especially when he spoke sweet nothings in a serious tone while being coquettish and shameless, he even had a bit of a little wolf cub vibe.
Spending my life with him would probably be interesting.
Before she knew it, that devilishly handsome, icy face popped into Jiang Shuyue's mind again.
"Moon Lady, do you think I've lost weight too?" Nangong Zeyue asked playfully, leaning his handsome face closer to Jiang Shuyue, who was staring at him in a daze.
Jiang Shuyue was slightly taken aback, then quickly picked up her chopsticks and haphazardly grabbed some food from the plate and put it in her mouth.
He mumbled an unclear "hmm".
Seeing the faint blush on Jiang Shuyue's face, Nangong Zeyue pretended not to notice.
Tonight he's going to Huanhua Street to see his senior brother and ask the woman if blushing when she sees him means she's fallen for him.
The barrier between the two was broken, and the atmosphere in the room became slightly strange.
The meal ended in silence. Jiang Shuyue told Nangong Zeyue to go back to the courtyard to rest, while she went to check on the lantern preparations.
Sui Sui loves strings of big red lanterns, and Jiang Shuyue has drawn various patterns on the lanterns.
Jiang Shuyue walked to the corridor and saw a servant climbing a bamboo ladder in the distance, hanging the lanterns she had painted down to the corridor.
Looking around, the side that has been hung up is already filled with a festive atmosphere.
As another year draws to a close, Jiang Shuyue is filled with worries.
Has that world changed drastically? Have her family members recovered from the grief of losing her?
During festivals, one misses their loved ones even more, and this is precisely when she feels most lonely. No one can understand that feeling, and there is nowhere to confide in her.
A gust of cold wind swept by, forcibly pulling her wandering thoughts back.
"Miss, it's getting windy. Go back to the warm pavilion and rest. Gao Mu has nothing else to do today, so I've put him in charge of the chores in the courtyard."
Qiu Ju's voice sounded from behind. Jiang Shuyue turned around and pulled her cloak tighter.
Qiuju was very perceptive and immediately noticed the sadness in her eyes.
Qiuju assumed that her young mistress was thinking about the madam again.
She stepped forward and said gently, "Miss, you seem to miss Madam again. Shall we go to Qinglian Temple to pay our respects another day?"
Jiang Shuyue shook her head slightly, "There are too many things to do before the New Year. With Lunar New Year's Eve just around the corner, we'll go to the mountain to pay our respects after the New Year."
Jiang Shuyue has already given a large sum of money for incense offerings, and the next time she will go will be during the Qingming Festival.
Inside the palace, when Eunuch Ma learned that Hu Qing had delivered New Year's gifts, he hurriedly ran out.
Looking at the several baskets of fresh vegetables and the bamboo basket of dark, unsightly things.
I lowered my head and took a sniff; an enticing smoky aroma mixed with the scent of meat made my mouth water.
"Why is there only one copy here? The Emperor's copy..."
Hu Qing shook his head, "No, just one for the princess."
"This meat smells so good, could you share some with His Majesty?" Eunuch Ma asked, his voice lacking confidence.
Anyone who knew that the Emperor had intercepted his sister's New Year's gifts would laugh at him behind his back.
However, the things Miss Jiang sent to the palace were all novelties, and Eunuch Ma wanted to please the Emperor.
Hu Qing understood perfectly well what Eunuch Ma was thinking.
He took a piece of cured meat and two sausages from the bamboo basket and wrapped them in oil paper.
"These are cured pork and sausages made by the girl. After washing off the smoky color, boil them in water, slice them, and plate them for serving."
As Hu Qing spoke, he handed the oil paper package to Eunuch Ma, and then added, "If His Majesty likes it, the Chief Steward can send someone to the restaurant to pick it up."
"Did Miss Jiang say these words?" Eunuch Ma was overjoyed. He had just sent the silver notes to the Jiang residence, and the young lady had not forgotten the Emperor's kindness.
Hu Qing's next words shattered his illusions.
"No, Miss gave me the recipe for curing bacon, and I had a lot made. It should be enough to sell until March next year."
Hu Qing originally planned to sell the product until June. However, the new product was launched just a few days ago, and customers have already tasted its deliciousness. Yesterday, every table of diners at the restaurant ordered a serving of cured pork and a serving of sausage.
Hu Qing estimates that it would be good if sales could last until March.
Eunuch Ma ordered someone to deliver the vegetables to the Imperial Kitchen and the gift boxes and bamboo baskets containing cured meat and sausages to Yonghe Palace.
Yonghe Palace has a small kitchen for making pastries.
When Yonghe received the New Year's gift, he found a letter inside that described how to eat cured meat and sausages.
That evening, she ordered someone to cook some for her to try, and then sent a palace maid to call Lin Ruyin and Chang Le to dine together.
The three of them were full of praise, and they ate the whole plate of cured meat and sausage.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xiao Jingzhao looked at the golden, glistening food in front of him and asked, "Did Miss Jiang send this again?"
"Your Majesty, please try it first. This is a long story." Eunuch Ma's eyes darted around, and he changed the subject.
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