Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the second day was a day without classes.
In the past few days, Ye Jingchen has thought of some good places to go. Although they cannot leave the palace, he can let these royal princes who have been pampered since childhood know what life is like.
After school, he specifically told them that they should wear simple, darker-colored clothes the next day.
Although they didn't have to attend classes, Ye Jingshu and the others arrived even earlier than usual the next day. Only Xie Chang'an, who was always unhurried, made his grand entrance at the very last moment.
Instead of going for a morning run, Ye Jingchen took them to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers.
As dawn breaks and the dew has yet to evaporate, the flowers are at their most beautiful.
Although the four companions had been in the Eastern Palace for some time, they had never been to the Imperial Garden. Even Ye Jingchen and his companions rarely had time to visit the Imperial Garden, except for occasionally passing by.
The Imperial Garden was a riot of color, with flowers of all kinds vying for attention.
Accompanying them were two gardeners responsible for tending the flowers and plants in the royal garden, and two lecturers.
For each type of flower they see, the florist will explain its name, blooming time, color, and growing environment.
The instructors were responsible for explaining ancient poems and famous stories about this flower to them.
In this way, they not only enjoyed the flowers, but also learned common knowledge about flowers and gained literary knowledge, achieving three goals at once.
The Imperial Garden was vast, and an hour passed in the blink of an eye; they had only explored a small portion of it.
Everyone showed great interest in this learning method.
"Brother, shall we admire the flowers again after breakfast? I think we could enjoy them all day!"
After morning classes, on their way back to the East Palace for lunch, Ye Jingshu asked excitedly.
Girls tend to be more interested in flowers and plants, whether it's appreciating the flowers themselves, how to care for them, or the poems and allusions related to flowers. Ye Jingshu is particularly fond of all of these.
She even thought that once she returned to Chaoyang Palace, she would grow flowers herself.
"Let's continue admiring the flowers on this morning next month. I have other plans for today," Ye Jingchen said.
Ye Jingshu was somewhat disappointed, but at the same time, she was full of anticipation for the upcoming arrangements.
After breakfast, Ye Jingchen led them to the small kitchen in the East Palace.
Ye Jingchen didn't have any concept of "a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen." He only knew that food is the most important thing for people, and if he didn't go into the kitchen, he would starve to death!
After all, they cannot guarantee that they will live a life of luxury and never have to worry about food.
They don't have to cook meals themselves, and they don't have to step into the kitchen easily, but at least they have to know how to cook rice and how to make dishes, so that if they ever find themselves in dire straits, they won't starve to death while guarding the kitchen.
The kitchen was bustling with activity as people cleaned and swept after cooking.
Led by the head of catering, they first visited the kitchen's storage room.
Starting with their daily staple foods, the steward introduced them to grains, various vegetables, and meats.
Apart from Xie Chang'an, the other children probably don't even know what rice looks like before it's cooked.
Ye Jingchen felt it was very necessary to understand these things. In a person's life, of all things, including food, clothing, shelter, transportation, entertainment, and more, 'eating' is always the most important. The desire for food is also the most basic human desire.
As key advisors to the future Great Abyss, they should at least know how rice and wheat are grown, how grains are turned into rice, and how rice is cooked into fragrant rice.
This is not just about understanding 'eating'; it's about understanding people's livelihoods.
After visiting the storage room, the small kitchen was already preparing the lunch for the Eastern Palace.
So they learned how to start a fire, how to cook, and how to use various seasonings.
Whether it's starting a fire or cooking, there's a lot to learn, and it's no simpler than reading books.
"Brother Crown Prince, can I try cooking?" Ye Jingyu asked eagerly as he watched the chef skillfully toss the wok from afar.
"No way!" Ye Jingchen refused outright.
"But it looks so fun!" Ye Jingyu wanted to get closer to Ye Jingchen and act cute, but Ye Jinghe pulled her back.
"Third brother, a good child should listen to his elder brother," Ye Jinghe said seriously.
"Jingyu, do you see the sizzling hot oil in the pan?" Ye Jingchen asked.
Ye Jingyu nodded.
"With skin as delicate as yours, it would hurt a lot if a drop of hot oil splashed on it. At best, it would cause blisters and suppuration; at worst, it would leave a scar that would never go away!" Ye Jingchen walked past Ye Jinghe, reached out and poked Ye Jingyu's smooth and elastic little face with his finger, deliberately trying to scare him.
Hearing him say that, Ye Jingyu was so frightened that he covered his face with his hands and took several steps back.
He doesn't want his face to get infected or scarred; that would make him look like an ugly monster.
"Fire and oil are both very dangerous, and the knife used for cutting vegetables is also very sharp and can easily cut your hands. Children should not touch them," Ye Jingchen warned.
They spent the entire morning in the kitchen, learning about the basics of cooking and witnessing firsthand how the meals they eat are prepared.
When it was time for lunch, they ate with great relish as they looked at the familiar dishes and pastries.
After lunch and a 15-minute rest, Ye Jingchen led them out of the East Palace and to the Imperial Wardrobe.
Of the four basic necessities of life—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—besides food, clothing is the most important.
People's pursuit of clothing is no less than their desire for food.
Accompanied by the head of the Imperial Clothing Bureau, they first learned about various types of fabrics, visited the weaving process, watched how fabrics were dyed, and finally observed the garment-making process.
After watching the entire process, they realized that sewing a single garment could take so much time.
However, in reality, if we start from the raw materials for making cloth, such as silkworm rearing and mulberry and hemp cultivation, the production of a single piece of cloth requires much more time and effort.
Taking silk as an example, Ye Jingchen also specially guided the head of the Imperial Clothing Bureau to explain to them the whole process from raising silkworms to drawing silk and then making clothes. The various procedures involved and the complicated process were more shocking to them than witnessing the birth of a dish.
After visiting the Imperial Clothing Bureau, Ye Jingchen announced that school was over, an hour earlier than usual.
On this day, their little minds received a lot of knowledge, and it was their first time experiencing real life. Ye Jingchen felt that they needed time to digest what they had seen and heard today.
Although they didn't have classes today, the knowledge they gained is something that cannot be learned from books.
Even Xie Chang'an was more serious than usual.
Before leaving the East Palace, Xie Chang'an leaned close to Ye Jingchen and whispered in his ear, "Half an hour from now, there's a teahouse, the same private room as last time."
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