Soon, almost everyone received a piece of cake.
Of course, there were too many people, so apart from the main table, the cakes on the other tables were not very big; one bite per person was about right.
The adults were just curious to try it out and see what it tasted like, but the children were overjoyed.
The cream is sweet and soft; taking a bite is like biting into a cloud in the sky—it's truly magical!
Even little babies like twins eat until their mouths look like they've grown white beards, waving their arms and legs and constantly opening their mouths to grab food.
Just then, Steward Yi arrived with the Emperor's reward.
The Emperor had originally prepared jewelry, but because the Empress had mistreated Jiayin, he had already made amends.
This time, the Emperor, perhaps having heard that Jiayin was studying medicine, bestowed upon her two sets of gold needles, two sets of silver needles, two boxes of precious medicinal herbs, and some medicinal seed seeds.
Jiayin and the others quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude. They also invited Steward Yi to join them for a meal, but Steward Yi refused.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Princess, but this old servant must hurry back to serve His Majesty. I will definitely have the chance to drink some wedding wine next time."
Jiayin knew that everyone would feel uncomfortable if he stayed, so she asked the Marquis, "Father, may I bring a small cake for my Imperial Uncle?"
The Marquis nodded and replied, "Alright, please have Steward Yi take it back personally."
Chief Steward Yi didn't know what a cake was, but he figured it must be a new kind of dessert, so he smiled and said, "This is wonderful. His Majesty doesn't eat much for lunch. This old servant will take it back and serve His Majesty an afternoon snack."
Tao Hongying quickly led Steward Yi into the house. There were a few extra small cakes left in the house, for her own children to eat, and also for Old Master Liu to bring back a piece to try.
Manager Yi casually picked one, carefully placed it in the food box, and then took his leave with a smile.
When Li Lao Er saw him off, he couldn't help but slip him a little extra money as a token of his appreciation.
The Emperor himself delivered the congratulatory gift, which excited everyone for a while before they resumed drinking!
The meal lasted until the sun was setting before it finally ended.
With the front yard busy, Jiayin took her brothers to play in the backyard.
Jiaren took out a small dog made of pearls, about half the size of a palm, with a pale yellow tassel hanging from it, which was very delicate and cute.
He personally helped his sister hang it around her waist. "The pearl was brought back from the south by Jiayi. We pooled our money and sent it to a jewelry store to have this made. See if you like it?"
Jiayin was born in the Year of the Dog, and the gifts were from her older brothers, so how could she not like them!
She happily hugged each of her brothers, making Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er blush with embarrassment.
They were young and didn't plan their spending. They remembered that their younger sister's birthday was coming up, and they only had a few dozen coins left of their monthly allowance.
The gift was supposedly given by the eldest brother along with the two of them, but in reality, the eldest brother paid for most of it.
Zhimin and Xiujie also took out a pair of white kitten plush toys with smiles on their faces. They were made of some kind of fur and were very soft to hold.
Jiayin liked it very much and kept it by her side, but the little fox snatched it away in no time.
I wonder if it has taken me as a companion...
The Li family gets along well with the students at the academy, and it's easy for the children to ask for leave, but they have to consider the feelings of the other students and can't go home too often.
So, after playing for a while longer, Jiaren and the others decided to go back with Mr. Peng.
Li Laosan and Zhao Yuru could stay an extra night, since Aunt Wu and Dazhu's wife were already experienced and could easily stay for a day or two.
The guests had all taken their leave, and the Li family courtyard became quiet.
The family was chatting and laughing together when Jia Huan secretly gave his younger sister a piece of agate.
The stone is not big, about the size of Jiayin's palm, but what's rare is that this stone actually looks seven-tenths like braised pork.
Jiayin held the stone with the braised pork belly in her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Her image as a foodie is so deeply ingrained in people's minds...
Leaving aside the lively atmosphere at the Li family's residence, let's focus on the Imperial Study in the palace. After seeing off his last minister, the Emperor wearily rubbed his temples.
Steward Yi quickly poured some ginseng tea and carefully presented it to the elders.
Recalling what had happened before, the Emperor asked, "Have you been to the Li family?"
Chief Steward Yi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have been there. The Princess's birthday celebration was quite lively. However, the guests were mostly villagers from both inside and outside the village, veterans and wounded soldiers placed by the Marquis, as well as Lord Liu Zhiheng and his wife, and Imperial Censor Wen and his wife were also present."
"The Li family slaughtered pigs and sheep, and the courtyard was filled with the aroma of food. Even this old servant was tempted by the smell. If it weren't for the Emperor, this old servant would really have wanted to freeload a meal."
The Emperor couldn't help but laugh, "You old servant, I've kept you from eating! However, the Li family's food is indeed quite good. It's not as refined as the palace's, but it suits my taste."
“That’s right,” Steward Yi said with a smile, “The princess heard that His Majesty was very busy today, so she insisted that this old servant bring back a piece of cake for His Majesty, saying that if His Majesty gets hungry, he can have something to eat.”
"Oh? What kind of cake or dessert?" the Emperor asked curiously.
Chief Eunuch Yi quickly gestured for the young eunuch to bring up the cake box, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty guessed correctly. It is the new dessert that the Princess came up with. However, I heard that it can only be eaten on her birthday."
The emperor took the silver hairpin, scooped up a mouthful of cream, and it practically melted in his mouth.
He took another bite of the cake base, which was also soft and sweet, and he happily squinted his eyes.
As an emperor, he was indeed the most noble person in the world.
But there are also too many restrictions. For example, he has an extreme love for sweets, but he can't show it or let anyone know.
Because any hobby or preference can, at some point, become a weapon in someone else's hand!
Just like the cake in front of him, no matter how much he likes it, he can only eat a few bites...
Fortunately, Steward Yi had served his master for so many years that he quickly guessed what was going on.
So he said loudly, "Your Majesty, it's a waste to leave these. Give them to this old servant so he can have a sweet treat."
Having said that, he stepped forward and used his body to shield the emperor.
The eunuchs serving at the door dared not look up; even if they did, they would only see Steward Yi eating happily.
They had no idea that Steward Yi had been eating nothing but air, while the cake had all ended up in the Emperor's mouth.
The Emperor ate a small cake, about the size of his palm, with great satisfaction. "Fu Niu'er even said she wanted to report to me, her partner, about the accounts and share the silver at the end of the year. If the pastry shop sold this... white cloud cake, the business would probably be quite successful."
Steward Yi quickly bowed and replied, "This old servant thanks His Majesty for bestowing a name upon the princess. The princess will surely be very happy. When the princess earns money, she may even reward this old servant with some of the good fortune."
The Emperor laughed even harder, "You're quite the money-grubber too."
Just then, the Third Princess came to deliver some snacks again.
She made a special inquiry and found out that the court officials had left, and since her father wasn't busy at the moment, he would probably want to have some snacks. Perhaps, in a good mood, he might even send her back to Kunning Palace.
Little did she expect that, this unlucky girl would be robbed of the prize once again!
Seeing that her father's plate was empty, clearly indicating that he had just eaten some snacks, she could no longer contain her anger and yelled at Steward Yi, "You dog servant, how dare you bring snacks to Father?"
Here's the latest update. I typed on my phone while lying in bed this morning, got an injection this afternoon, and came back to update. I finally made it! Keep going! I'll get the MRI results on Tuesday; hopefully, it's nothing serious.
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