Chapter 92 (Spicy Grilled Fish...)
Because Yan Qiushu's honest advice yesterday was unpleasant to the ears.
Hong Chufu, who originally planned to play here for two days, could not stay any longer.
It's not that I hate her, but no one can calmly continue to get along with someone who says bad things about their lover. After all, she is not her best friend. She didn't feel comfortable living here, so she left early in the morning.
She didn't even say goodbye to Yan Qiushu in person.
But Fu Mingwan said goodbye to Yan Qiushu and actually thanked her before going back with her.
Hong's parents originally thought that if their daughter was unhappy, she could just stay there.
Who knew you would come back so soon.
Father Hong was both delighted and puzzled. Looking at his daughter's listless expression, he said helplessly, "Dad is doing this for your own good. Calm down for a while and think carefully. Prince Huai is really not suitable for you."
Hong Chufu pursed her lips, but rarely refuted. She might not listen to her parents, but she could still listen to outsiders. So she nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. Let's wait a little longer. I'm only fifteen anyway. In two years, I'll be seventeen. It won't be too late to get married then."
With her father being the Minister of War, she will never have trouble finding a husband.
Father Hong was overjoyed: "Really?! Are you willing to wait?"
Why was he getting angry with me when I said I disagreed with this before I went to Zhuangzi, but why did he agree now?
Hong Chufu glared at her father in embarrassment. His actions made her feel even more that her previous clamor for an engagement was unreasonable. She said angrily, "Anyway, just wait. Our family won't get involved in these matters for now. Let's talk about it once everything is settled."
After saying that, she picked up her skirt and ran away.
"Hey--" Mr. Hong wanted to say something, but his daughter ran so fast that he couldn't catch up with her, so he had to give up.
Mother Hong watched the father and daughter arguing for a long time and chuckled: "Forget it, the little girl is thin-skinned. It's good that she figured it out."
Mr. Hong was a loving father, while Mrs. Hong was the one who played the role of the good guy in the family. His daughter had been close to him since childhood. He hadn't thought about it for a moment, but when Mrs. Hong reminded him, he gave up and said angrily, "I just wondered how she could figure it out so easily?"
Mother Hong suppressed her smile and said in a deep voice, "She's not stupid. Anyone who listens to what I say is not stupid. She figured it out. I guess it's because of what Xiao Liulang's fiancée said. Otherwise, how could there be such a change? The Xiao family probably has more favorable evidence. Otherwise, how many times has Ah Fu met Prince Huai? How could she be so devoted to him? There's something wrong!"
When Mr. Hong heard this, his face darkened.
As a father who loves his children, he wouldn't be so angry if someone plotted against him, but when someone plotted against Hong Chufu, he was truly furious. He said darkly, "I thought he was a good person, but it turns out he has evil intentions! He must have already obtained the potatoes, but he was just thinking that while the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman will benefit. Unfortunately, Prince Chang showed up and ruined his plan!"
Mother Hong nodded in agreement, but they didn't need to think about this matter anymore. As long as their daughter didn't like King Huai, they had nothing to fear.
Yan Qiushu didn't know what Hong's father was imagining, otherwise she would definitely praise him.
Isn't this the case that the fisherman benefits?
In the plot, King Huai last appeared when the other princes were fighting to the death. He suddenly appeared and, together with the Xiao family army, defeated them.
A man who can do this will not be defeated so easily.
Although Yan Qiushu was not in Kyoto, someone had been asking for information these past two days. Xiao's mother came to see her again and brought some news to let her know the general situation.
She felt that King Huai should be fine.
As expected, in early June, the Dali Temple announced the results of the investigation - Prince Huai was innocent, but the fact that the third prince poisoned Prince Chang, who was still imprisoned at the time, was an ironclad fact.
As for feeding poisoned potatoes to Prince Chang's Mansion, it was Concubine Lu who sent people to put the blame on Prince Huai.
Because on the first day potatoes appeared, Concubine Lu got a lot of them. When she gave them to the palace maids as rewards, they were reluctant to waste them and ate the potato sprouts as well, which caused her to suffer from unbearable abdominal pain. This was recorded in the medical records of the Imperial Hospital.
This is enough to show that Concubine Lu knew that sprouted potatoes were poisonous, and this was not the first time that Concubine Lu had her hands in Prince Chang's Mansion. A little investigation would reveal it.
With this, and a little effort, King Huai easily escaped.
Concubine Lu was dragged into the incident and refused to plead guilty no matter what. Even when the person who did it pointed out that the palace maid around her was responsible, she still refused to plead guilty.
But even though he didn't plead guilty, the evidence was solid, so he still had to take the blame.
After all, she was the most favored woman in the harem for nearly twenty years. She held a great position in the emperor's heart and gave birth to an outstanding son, the fifth prince, and a lively and lovely fifteenth princess. Therefore, she was only confined to her house for three months and fined for half a year.
Such a light punishment made many people who thought they could see Concubine Lu fall furious.
The most serious crime was collusion with Wuta. The third prince and the sixth prince, King Xuan, shared the blame. In order to give the third prince an opportunity to rebel, King Xuan leaked some information, and the third prince did the same.
When the testimony appeared in the court, the emperor was so angry that he vomited blood, and the palace was shaken again.
But this time, the ministers' accusations were directed at the Third Prince and Prince Xuan. If it weren't for these two, how could His Majesty be so cruel? They must be severely punished!
On June 3, the emperor, despite his illness, wrote down the final verdict on the two men - the third prince was beheaded, King Xuan was removed from all his posts, given thirty lashes with the cane, and sent to his fiefdom, and his title could not be inherited. Once he was gone, his son would be just an ordinary royal family member.
Because the third prince could not be punished enough, he had already been imprisoned for rebellion and had nothing, so no matter how much punishment he received, it would not hurt him. However, collusion with foreign forces was not something that could be easily dealt with. Under the pressure of a group of ministers, the emperor compromised and sentenced him to beheading.
This was the first time the old emperor had executed his son. After the imperial edict was issued, he became even more dejected.
The situation in Kyoto is becoming increasingly serious.
Even the most patient ministers began to get anxious. News requesting the appointment of a crown prince appeared again and again in the court. Even when the emperor was recuperating, there were still ministers nagging in his ears.
If the emperor dies without appointing a crown prince, the world will be in chaos!
But who should be made the crown prince? This triggered another round of debate. Some people said that Prince Chang was narrow-minded and could not tolerate the glory of his brothers, so he wronged Prince Huai and could not be the crown prince. Prince Huai should be made the crown prince.
Some people also said that the crown prince had done a good job before King Chang, and now he has done several things well, has political achievements and reputation, and should be the crown prince.
On the contrary, the support for the fifth prince, Prince Shun, was much smaller. Only the Lu family and related in-laws, who had been supported in recent years, gave their full support.
There was a lot of noise in the court, but undercurrents were surging outside the court.
But this is something that the big guys need to consider. As a rookie, Yan Qiushu just needs to be responsible for eating and drinking.
On the day the third prince was beheaded, all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital stayed by the old emperor's side, fearing that he would vomit blood again due to the stimulation. On the same day, she was also invited back to the Xiao family for dinner.
One died.
It's so satisfying, we have to celebrate!
Of course, the Xiao family did not set off firecrackers to celebrate, nor did they make a big fuss about it. They just happily ate together as a family, just like before.
The emperor's son died, and the whole city was in a state of panic.
But the Xiao family sent all kinds of dishes to the mansion early in the morning, and the two military generals Xiao Huaiting and Xiao Huaiwu also rushed home early. Even though they were low-key, many people noticed the clues. They bowed their heads in admiration and murmured, no wonder the old emperor always disliked the Xiao family, they were too arrogant!
Yan Qiushu was welcomed into the mansion. Looking at the happy expressions on the faces of the housekeeper and the Xiao family, she felt that they were too arrogant!
How strange.
Shouldn't the Xiao family be so arrogant?
But she just thought about it in her mind and didn't say anything. When she arrived, the dishes were already prepared. They had grilled fish with hot pot base, spicy and mushroom hot pot, and various other dishes.
Yan Qiushu arrived quite early, and the grilled fish had just been served. The hot pot had not yet boiled, and only some appetizers were served.
Seeing her arrive, Madam Xiao smiled and waved, "Come here quickly. I'm in a good mood today. What do you want to eat? Tell us quickly and let the kitchen make it."
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "It's so rich, you can't think of anything else?"
Turning around, Dongdong rushed over and handed over a fried pork rib: "Sister Shu, this is for you."
Xiao Huaiwu, who had just finished gnawing on a sparerib, came over, pinched her son's cheeks with both hands, and said with a grin, "Stinky boy, your mother hasn't even seen you give her food."
Dongdong struggled to avoid it, but his cheeks were already smeared with a layer of greasy marks. He pouted and said unhappily, "Aren't you eating? Sister Shu hasn't been home for several days!"
Yan Qiushu wiped Dongdong's face with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "It's delicious, thank you Dongdong~"
After saying this, she looked at the handkerchief in her hand and felt funny in her heart. She used to forget to bring even tissues when she went out, but now she always brings a handkerchief with her when she goes out. The environment really changes people.
"You're welcome!" Dongdong said in a crisp voice, in high spirits: "Uncle said I can eat as much as I want today!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huaiqi said anxiously, "Oh, are you hungry during normal times?"
Dongdong immediately hid in Yan Qiushu's arms and dared not speak.
I wasn't hungry, but I wasn't like before, where I could eat until I was full and eat snacks anytime and anywhere.
Yan Qiushu also subconsciously protected him and touched his face: "You are a little thinner, Dongdong, you have worked hard."
She was happy but also heartbroken. Being too fat is certainly not good, but it was still very uncomfortable to lose the fat that she had grown with her own hands.
Dongdong said pitifully, "Yeah! It's very hard, Sister Shu, please take me with you when you go back."
Yan Qiushu smiled, but did not agree.
Dongdong acted like a cricket pupa in her arms and acted coquettishly.
The big and the small, so close, made Xiao Huaiwu, who was standing by, feel jealous. She had been practicing martial arts diligently over the years, going out early and coming back late, wanting to avenge her husband. Now that she has succeeded, her son is still much more distant from her.
When she was feeling a little sad, the two of them whispered something to each other. Dongdong suddenly left Yan Qiushu's arms, jumped to the dining table, took a rib and put it to his mother's mouth: "Mom, this is for you."
Xiao Huaiwu was speechless, and the sense of loss disappeared: "Well, thank you Dongdong."
Dongdong chuckled and patted her hands sensibly: "Mom, don't be jealous. Sister Shu hasn't been here for a long time."
Xiao Huaiwu's eyes curved: "I know, is mother such a stingy person?"
Dongdong: “Yes.”
Xiao Huaiwu: "... Brat, come here and pinch me again!"
Dongdong ran away quickly.
At this time, Wan'er and Xiao Huaiyu with red eyes also came, with the fragrance of burning paper on their bodies. When Wan'er saw Yan Qiushu, she also rushed over happily. The two of them were intimate for a while, and Xiao Huaiting finally arrived.
Yan Qiushu saw him and had something to say.
However, there were too many people around, so she didn't feel comfortable saying anything. In addition, given their current relationship, they decided to just ignore each other.
She looked away.
However, she didn't notice that Xiao Huaiting had just noticed something and looked over. Their eyes just met. After the young man's eyes fell on her hair for two seconds, his eyes dimmed a lot.
Mrs. Xiao saw that the time was almost up, and she stood up with a satisfied smile: "Everyone is here, we are a family, there is no need to be polite, sit down!"
The Xiao family members all agreed with a smile and found a place to sit down.
Because there were a lot of dishes and many people, the table was made up of two square tables. A group of people sat around it, and Yan Qiushu was also pulled to sit down. Then a figure seemed to be pushed, staggered two steps, and sat down.
It was Xiao Huaiting who had been silent just now.
The two looked at each other, and the nanny moved away in tacit understanding.
"Eat! Oh, I've been craving this spicy grilled fish for ages, it's so delicious." Xie Qingyun retracted her hand from pushing him away, looked at the table full of dishes, and said with a smile, "This chili tastes really good!"
Madam Xiao smiled and said, "Today is a good day, shouldn't we eat something good?"
Everyone at the table also smiled happily.
The servants were all dismissed. They were all family, so there was no need to be shy about what they said. Madam Xiao looked at the group of people, feeling extremely pleased. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't bear to ruin the atmosphere. In the end, she just smiled with relief: "Forget it, let's not talk about it. It's enough for us to know it among ourselves. Just eat well. Your father, the second son, the third son, and the fourth son-in-law will also be happy if they are still alive."
"Of course I'm happy, mother, please eat!" Xie Qingyun hurriedly picked up some dishes for Mrs. Xiao and comforted her softly.
The others also picked up their chopsticks and joked around to prevent Madam Xiao from feeling sad when she thought about those things. After eating for a while, they became more interested: "Wow! It turns out that the peppers that Lao Liu brought back are so delicious!"
"Ashu is really amazing, she uses chili peppers so well!"
Xiao Huaiwu nodded vigorously: "I used to think this thing looked good but didn't taste good, I didn't expect it to taste like this!"
The grilled fish with dried chili peppers and chili rings had a bright red soup and a more pungent aroma than usual. Fortunately, the chef was merciful and did not use too many chili peppers. He also added some sugar and other seasonings to neutralize the taste.
The resulting grilled fish tasted similar to the medium-spicy fish of later generations, with a hint of sweetness in the spiciness.
Especially since this period happened to be the time when lychees were on the market, the Xiao family naturally had some as well, so they put four on the grilled fish. The white lychee flesh was pitted and placed on the grilled fish. The bright red soup was bubbling as it cooked, dyeing the bottom of the lychees red.
"I'm glad you like it, but this is not my invention. I read it in a book." Yan Qiushu smiled shyly, but her hand quickly and accurately picked up a lychee from the grilled fish.
Obviously, eating lychees directly is also delicious, but the lychees cooked on grilled fish are warm and sweet, but also salty and spicy. The taste is actually a bit contradictory, but she always thinks it is particularly delicious!
Is it because you don’t have to peel the skin and spit out the core?
Yan Qiushu ate the rationality in her mouth, swallowed it in a few bites, and added a piece of fish. The fish soaked in the salty and spicy soup was tender and fragrant, so delicious!
Mrs. Xiao ate her favorite hot pot and praised it, "Ah Shu, your hot pot is really delicious. When I ate it for the first time two days ago, it was so spicy that I broke out in a sweat. It was so comfortable. If I could eat it in winter, it would be so blissful!"
Yan Qiushu took two bites of the grilled fish and wanted to eat hot pot.
I made it once before, but the meat was not processed properly. It was not as thin as the lamb rolls and beef rolls, so the taste was not as good. Now the Xiao family was ready, and all kinds of meat rolls were piled up into a mountain.
She wasn't shy and said as she put the meat in, "Yes, it's the best thing to eat this winter. If you like the hot pot base, you can use it in the army. One bowl of hot pot base can make a whole pot of soup. The vegetables are delicious when dipped in it. You can also add noodles..."
The thin slices of meat swayed in the gurgling spicy pot, and in the time it took to speak, they changed color and were cooked!
Yan Qiushu dipped the seasoning in the bowl, which was a dry chili dish with sesame seeds, peppercorns and other condiments added to it. She then dipped the hot mutton slices in it and put them into her mouth.
The delicious broth and spicy taste burst on the tip of the tongue. The meat slices are thin and tender, easier to chew than a piece of meat. It is really soft, juicy, spicy and fragrant.
Exciting and delicious!
After taking a few bites, Yan Qiushu thought about what she had just said casually.
Hot pot noodles!
Yan Qiushu wanted to laugh. She had just said that she didn’t want to eat any other dishes, but now she was thinking about it. If she put it in there, how delicious it would be!
There is alkaline water in the palace, and it is usually used to make fried sauce.
Yan Qiushu subconsciously stood up to get it.
Just now when we were having dinner, in order to avoid saying something inappropriate in the heat of the moment, we sent all the maids and servants away. There were no outsiders here, so if you wanted to get something, you had to get it yourself.
Yan Qiushu said something to Mrs. Xiao, left her seat and went out. As soon as she walked out, she saw Xiao Huaiting following her out.
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