The next morning.
Yan Qiushu got up early, and even earlier than her was Zhou Zhaoheng, who had been waiting all night.
For the past five years, he has been living with his parents, the three of them, day and night. Suddenly, on New Year's Eve, his father had an accident and his mother made a loud noise, which alarmed the outsiders. Then the three of them were taken away.
The palace was in chaos at that time. Everyone surrounded his father, and his mother knelt in front of the emperor and cried. He stood in the corner, as if he didn't fit in.
At this time, Xiao Huaiting kept him by his side and brought him back directly after the New Year's Eve dinner.
Although it made his troubled heart feel much more at ease, he still had trouble sleeping during the two days away from his parents. He wanted to go back, but he could only ask Nan Qi to go back and ask his parents. After all, his coming to the Xiao family had already disturbed the Xiao family a lot.
After being rejected, he didn't dare to do anything more.
During these five years of imprisonment, his temperament was completely different from that of other princes.
This was also the reason why Yan Qiushu didn't treat him as a prince at first.
After the two of them packed up, Xiao Huaiting sent someone over: "Miss Yan, the carriage is ready. It's cold, so hurry over."
"Yeah." Yan Qiushu took Zhou Zhaoheng's hand and came to the outer courtyard.
The young man, now dressed in dark official attire, looked much more mature. Seeing the two approaching, he nodded and opened the carriage door for them. He reminded them, "The carriage won't take you directly. You'll need to walk there. There are many rules in the palace. If anything happens, just stand behind me."
"I understand. General Xiao, don't worry. My luck shouldn't be that bad." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.
The young man raised an eyebrow and said casually, "It's actually quite unlucky. Otherwise, how could I have met this general?"
Yan Qiushu immediately remembered the original owner's misfortune of encountering bandits, and felt quite upset. This was the original owner, not her! However, it was difficult to explain this, and she didn't want to be outdone, so she blurted out: "It's still good, at least I met the general."
The girl's voice was crisp, but not as cold and distant as his second sister-in-law's. It was like the sound of jade beads colliding. When he heard it, he felt his ears tremble inexplicably. Then the young man's hand trembled, and the open door curtain fell down again.
Zhou Zhaoheng, who happened to be getting on the carriage, had his face covered by the curtain, and his body swayed.
Yan Qiushu quickly supported him: "Be careful."
Xiao Huaiting coughed lightly, then hurried over to pull open the door curtain again, his voice much more reserved: "Go up."
Yan Qiushu also realized that what she said was a bit inappropriate. Her cheeks turned slightly hot. She didn't dare to say anything more and quickly followed Zhou Zhaoheng.
Then the curtain was lowered, the carriage door closed, and the carriage began to move shakily.
Prince Chang was the crown prince before and lived in the East Palace, but now he has been crowned king and can live outside the palace. However, he was crowned king on New Year's Eve, so there is no suitable residence outside the palace. His health is not good either, so he is still living in the prince's residence.
Originally, five years ago, the other princes should have been made kings and granted fiefs, but at that critical juncture, the crown prince and the old emperor had a fierce dispute. Overnight, the crown prince was deposed, and the decrees to make the other princes kings were also suppressed.
The fifth and sixth princes, who are not married yet, are both in the prince's residence.
Now there is one more King Chang.
So Yan Qiushu entered the palace this time. There were many procedures for entering the palace, but with Xiao Huaiting leading the way, they didn't bring anything with them and went empty-handed, so the entry was very smooth.
The carriage stopped at the second palace gate, and the three of them walked to the prince's residence.
At the door, a woman with simple makeup was looking forward to it. She looked a little haggard, with red bloodshot eyes. She was staring at the door until she saw the little boy coming around the corner, and her eyes turned red.
Zhou Zhaoheng was also like this, tears came without warning, but much faster than when he faced Xiao Huaiting last night. He rushed over like a young swallow, knocking the woman back two steps. He rubbed the person in front of him with dependence: "Mom! I miss you so much!"
The woman rubbed his head with tears in her eyes, but still smiled bravely: "Well, Mom misses you too. Don't worry, Ah Heng. Mom is fine, and your father is fine too."
Zhou Zhaoheng sobbed, "Mom lied!"
The woman was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but her heart was soft. When she looked up, she noticed Xiao Huaiting and Yan Qiushu coming over. She quickly wiped away her tears and tried to calm down.
"Greetings, Princess." Xiao Huaiting bowed with Yan Qiushu.
Princess Chang nodded with a smile and looked at Yan Qiushu: "General Xiao, this is..."
Before Xiao Huaiting could speak, the child in her arms couldn't wait to look up, and said happily in a slightly hoarse voice, "This is Sister Shu! Mom, it's Sister Shu from Dongdong's family who's really good at cooking! Mom likes it too. I asked Sister Shu to teach me how to make sugar cakes, and I'll make some for Mom and Dad later."
"So it's Miss Yan." Princess Chang suddenly realized it. Looking at her chattering son, she apologized and said, "Ah Heng must be ignorant. I'm sorry to have troubled you with this trip."
Yan Qiushu quickly turned aside: "Princess, you are too polite..."
After the greetings, Princess Chang took them inside.
The prince's residence is quite large, and each prince has a separate courtyard. Although they live next to each other, they actually have everything.
As they walked along, they saw a little princess clamoring for her nurse to hold her up high. A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy was scolding her with a headache: "Zhou Lingyuan, if you keep making trouble like this, I won't bring you here to play next time."
The little princess immediately became timid, pouting and humming unhappily, kicking the wet nurse with her feet in annoyance.
The young man glanced over here and quickly bowed in greeting. After both sides exchanged greetings, they walked away.
They were the fifth prince and the fifteenth princess, siblings from the same mother.
The fifth prince, whose mother is Concubine Lu, is the most powerful person in the harem and the woman favored by the old emperor for seventeen years. Since she entered the palace, there has been no other grown-up prince in the harem except the sixth prince who was born at the same time as the fifth prince.
Ever since the Crown Prince was deposed, the Fifth Prince has become the most popular candidate for the Crown Prince. However, due to his young age and lack of real power, he was controlled by the Third Prince in many aspects. It was said that his literary talent and military strategy were slightly inferior to those of the Sixth Prince, so he was in an awkward situation.
When she got closer, Yan Qiushu could smell a strong smell of medicine.
Then they came to King Chang's residence, and further in was the inner room.
Prince Chang was a virgin, and Yan Qiushu's identity made it inconvenient for her to go in, so she waited outside. Zhou Zhaoheng and Xiao Huaiting went in, and Princess Chang stayed here to talk to Yan Qiushu.
Princess Chang was originally slated to be the Crown Princess. She was exceptionally talented and gentle, both in her knowledge and conversation. Although Yan Qiushu was not familiar with her, she was very frank with her, so the two of them had a very pleasant chat.
About a quarter of an hour later, Zhou Zhaoheng came out with red eyes.
Princess Chang's eyes softened and she waved her son over.
Zhou Zhaoheng didn't move. He tried to keep his eyes open, which were slightly swollen from crying, and said, "Mom, I can't cause trouble at home, so I want to go make some medicine and food for Dad. I hope Dad gets better soon."
Princess Chang nodded immediately: "Okay, then mother will accompany you?"
"Okay." Zhou Zhaoheng nodded and looked at Yan Qiushu.
Yan Qiushu had already stood up: "Let's go."
"Yeah!" He went over and took her hand, and they went to the kitchen together.
Generally, people in ancient times took medicine between breakfast and lunch. They arrived at the right time. The people in the kitchen were preparing to make medicine for King Chang. When they saw the three of them coming, they were shocked and greeted them one by one.
"Everyone, get up." Princess Chang restrained the gentleness on her face, and became more dignified. She said in a calm voice: "Prepare the herbs for His Highness's medicine, and leave the rest alone."
"Yes." The palace servants stood up and became busy again.
Those who are cleaning up are cleaning up, and those who are preparing food are preparing food.
Princess Chang smiled and said, "Ah Heng, do whatever you want to do yourself."
"Yeah!" Zhou Zhaoheng looked at the kitchen excitedly. He was about to cook for his father. He was quite nervous and counted on his fingers what he needed.
Then he scanned all the ingredients in the kitchen, and after making sure they were ready, he took a portion and placed it on the table. He didn't have enough to take the rest.
After hesitating for a while, he chose to run over and pull Yan Qiushu: "Sister Shu, can you help me get it?"
From childhood to adulthood, no one could order him around, and he didn't know how to order others around, so he could only seek help from people close to him.
The kitchen is Yan Qiushu's world, and the greatest sense of security here is given by Yan Qiushu.
Naturally I looked for her.
Yan Qiushu went over to get something for him. Princess Chang, who was watching with a smile on her face, froze in laughter. She then looked away with a look of dejection.
Although the Fifteenth Princess has a difficult personality, this is also due to the fact that the royal children are spoiled. Her son is obviously the grandson of the emperor, but now he can't even order the palace people around. When compared, she still feels guilty.
Yan Qiushu also felt sighing. After seeing children like the Fifteenth Princess and Zhou Zhaoqin, and then looking at Zhou Zhaoheng, he was simply a little angel on earth!
After getting everything, Zhou Zhaoheng started to work. He first sorted the prepared medicinal materials according to the doctor's instructions and added them in order.
Naturally, Yan Qiushu will have to help with this step.
This is also the reason why she came along.
If she takes action, the medicinal properties of this medicine will be brought into play to the maximum extent. If it is a detoxifying herb, King Chang's body will recover faster.
"Finally, it's Fangfeng..." The school-going child looked at the doctor's instructions carefully, following them one by one. Yan Qiushu followed his instructions and added the medicinal herb Fangfeng.
Then cover it with a lid, place it on the stove and wait for the cooking time to be up.
The medicine is ready, and next comes the sugar cakes.
This method is very simple. Add boiling water to the flour, stir it into cotton wool, then scoop it out and knead it into a smooth dough. Of course, Yan Qiushu has to take part in this kneading step. After kneading, cut it into small pieces.
The filling of the sugar cake is white sugar or brown sugar, mixed with a little flour and wrapped like a bun.
Because Zhou Zhaoheng was only seven years old and had small hands, the dough Yan Qiushu distributed to him was extra small. After wrapping it, it only looked like half the size of the palm.
Then it was Yan Qiushu's turn, but in order to wait for the medicine to be boiled, they did not start immediately.
When the medicine is almost done, start the last step, fry the prepared sugar cakes in the pan until both sides are golden brown and bulge in the middle, then they are done.
At this point, the medicine can be poured out. At this time, the kitchen is already filled with the bitter smell of medicine. Just smelling it makes the lips and tongue feel bitter. Many palace people who have nothing to do secretly retreat to a ventilated place.
Zhou Zhaoheng also smelled it and stuck out his tongue. His big eyes were full of sympathy for his father. It was really too miserable that he had to drink such bitter medicine.
Luckily, he had a sugar cake with lots of sugar in it, which was sure to make it so sweet that he couldn't even sing about the bitterness.
Inner Room
The pale-faced man half-lying on the bed was whispering, "Are you sure the Song family has had contact with Old Six?"
"Yes." The man in official attire lazily leaned against the couch, his posture as relaxed as if he were at home, and said in a calm voice, "It doesn't matter. This is not important."
"We are too arrogant, and they will attack us together!" King Chang smiled and spoke as if he was afraid, but there was no trace of timidity on his face. Instead, he was very expectant.
Xiao Huaiting glared at him: "You have been honest for too long and no one has noticed you. I believe that even if they come together, they can't be more evil than you."
Prince Chang shrugged noncommittally, lowered his eyes and said, "The Shen family..."
Xiao Huaiting's expression darkened a bit. "It's still the same as before. They live in peace and contentment. Even if they don't take up official posts, no one dares to provoke them. Pingyu is living very well over there, too. Don't worry."
Prince Chang shook his head regretfully: "I am sorry for (Chen) Ciyun."
Xiao Huaiting's eyes were slightly cold: "It's none of your business."
King Chang smiled bitterly. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, he was related to those people by blood. He took a deep breath.
At this time, the smell of medicine at the tip of my nose became stronger and stronger.
He sniffed it and exhaled slowly: "It's so tiring to be sick. I have to smell these smells all day long."
"Who told you to poison yourself so harshly? Even if the poison is now cured, you still need to take good care of your body." Xiao Huaiting said calmly, "That's the medicine the doctor prescribed for you to dispel dampness and cold. It will be beneficial to drink it. I have to leave in the next two days. Take care of yourself."
"I understand." Prince Chang nodded and curled his lips slightly to show his dislike for the medicine.
At this time, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Prince Chang said, and Xiao Huaiting also sat up straight. The two looked and found that the person who came in was a seven-year-old boy.
They smiled at the same time: "Ah Heng, what's wrong?"
Seeing that his biological father and Uncle Xiao were looking at him, Zhou Zhaoheng smiled embarrassedly and walked shyly to his biological father, with two palace servants behind him holding two things.
One portion was a soup with a strong bitter taste, and the other was a snack that looked only half the size of a palm.
"Dad, this is the medicine I brewed for you, and the sugar cakes I made. Sister A-Shu helped with the kneading of the dough and the pancakes, but everything else was made by me!" Zhou Zhaoheng carefully held the bowl of soup and handed it over, looking at him as if he were offering a treasure, coaxing him, "Drink it quickly, and I'll give you some sugar cakes. They're super sweet, and then you won't feel the bitterness anymore..."
The tone was as if he was the adult and Prince Chang was the child who needed to be coaxed into taking medicine.
But the fact is that King Chang really doesn't like taking medicine. He will only drink a little after being persuaded several times.
But at this moment, Prince Chang looked at his son's sincere little face and the black medicine that seemed to be so bitter that it was about to turn into substance. He wanted to drink it later, but he couldn't bear to do so. At the same time, he didn't want to drink it now against his own wishes, so he was very conflicted.
"Ahem..." Xiao Huaiting suppressed his laughter, shrugging his shoulders and quickly covering it up with a cough. He turned his head away, but did not forget to persuade, "Your Highness, the young prince is sincere to you. Drink it quickly, otherwise you will get cold."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhaoheng quickly handed the bowl of soup over again: "Dad, drink it quickly, otherwise it won't taste good if it gets cold!"
Prince Chang: “…”
Child, this medicine tastes worse when it is hot.
Hot and bitter!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
