"What good idea?" Grandma Li asked curiously. Her granddaughter's little head always managed to come up with many unexpected good ideas.
Jiayin waved her hand, grinning and teasing, "It's a secret for now. I'll show it to Grandma when I'm ready. I guarantee it will have a good meaning, be novel, and save money."
Grandma Li couldn't help but laugh, "You, you used to laugh at your second uncle for being stingy, but now you're doing everything you can to save money."
"Grandma, making money is not easy. Being able to do things perfectly without spending any money is a skill in itself!"
Jiayin shook her grandmother's arm and acted coquettishly, which made Grandma Li quickly beg for mercy, "Alright, alright, you raised her, so you can say whatever you want. Anyway, the Emperor treats you like a niece, so just don't disappoint him."
"No, no, I know what I'm doing." Jiayin proudly raised her chin, then hugged her grandmother and rubbed her stomach. "Grandma, I'm hungry."
"You little glutton, didn't you just eat grapes?" Grandma Li tapped her granddaughter's forehead, but still got up without complaint. "Come on, Grandma will steam some egg custard for you, and also bring two portions for my sister-in-law and aunt. They're pregnant and get hungry easily."
"Grandma, my second sister-in-law is definitely carrying a little nephew. She used to be able to fall asleep while walking, and now she wants to eat seven or eight meals a day. When the baby is born, will he weigh ten pounds?!"
"Sigh, boys and girls are both fine, but I didn't expect Wenjuan to give birth to a chubby, beautiful girl right away... Our family is large, and you have seven boys in your generation, but only one girl. By the time your nephew's generation comes around, who knows how many boys they'll have before they can finally have a daughter..."
The grandfather and grandson chatted as they returned to the front yard, and soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen…
The cold north wind carried the fragrance, which drifted leisurely into the air, then over the high walls to the palace, by which time the fragrance had long since dissipated along the way.
The cold wind was uninteresting, swirling around the half-withered shrubs in the courtyard of Zhilan Palace, making the swaying dry leaves rustle.
A palace maid carrying a tray was almost squinting in the wind, so she quickly turned her back, afraid that the contents of the tray would get dusty.
Another palace maid under the eaves saw this and stepped forward to help take the tray, whispering, "You've finally arrived. If you wait any longer, the princess will get impatient and might throw a tantrum."
The palace maid, whose clothes were being blown by the wind, quickly straightened her dress and couldn't help but complain, "What on earth has gone wrong with the Third Princess? She usually acts as if needles and thread are poisoned, and she feels uncomfortable no matter what she touches."
"What's going on? They actually stayed up half the night practicing acupuncture? I stayed up half the night taking care of them, and I was on duty again this morning. I almost fell asleep while walking!"
"Shh!" The maid who took over quickly signaled her to shut up and said in a low voice, "Miss Bao from the Princess's residence is here again. She's talking and doing needlework with the princess."
"Listen, this girl is persuading the princess to change her clothes and embroider a longevity character as a birthday gift, and she also wants to bake some longevity character pastries. In short, the princess listens to her every word. You should be careful not to upset the princess at this time."
After exchanging a few words, the two entered the house, respectfully served tea and snacks, and then quietly retreated to the outer room.
Inside the room, the princess, her neck aching from exhaustion, threw down her needlework and began to eat some snacks. She complained to Bao Lei across from her, "Lei Lei, I sent you embroidery and snacks, will Father really like them?"
“Of course he likes it,” Bao Lei said with a gentle smile. “I heard that His Majesty loves to eat pastries. Even the Marquis of Xinting often brings Baiyun cakes from outside the palace to present to His Majesty. Moreover, the shop that sells Baiyun cakes even has a plaque bestowed by His Majesty. This Baiyun cake was also named by His Majesty…”
"What shop? What white cloud cake?" The Third Princess immediately put down the pastry in her hand and said angrily, "How come I don't know anything about it?"
Bao Lei was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up in alarm and begged for forgiveness, "Princess, please forgive me, I just blurted it out..."
"I'm asking you, explain yourself clearly, I'm not going to punish you!" The Third Princess tugged at her and asked, "Whose shop is this? How dare they ask Father Emperor to name it?"
Bao Lei hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I heard it's a pastry shop opened by Princess Kangle, selling a kind of soft, cloud-like pastry. The business is booming, and everyone in Xindu is flocking to it."
The third princess frowned, suddenly remembering that when she once brought snacks to her father, he seemed to be eating this kind of snack.
That country bumpkin girl, she started currying favor with the Emperor back then, trying to get benefits for her shop?!
But Father Emperor still thinks that country bumpkin is well-behaved. How come he didn't see how cunning she is?!
On the contrary, the Emperor would never eat the pastries that he painstakingly baked himself, but he preferred the ones made by that country bumpkin girl!
The third princess grew angrier and angrier, and she overturned the table in a fit of rage. "I'm so angry!"
Bao Lei quickly knelt down, and the two palace maids outside the door also rushed in, quickly picked up the things and the broken teacups and plates, and left.
Soon, the room returned to calm.
The Third Princess pointed at Bao Lei and demanded, "Explain yourself! What exactly happened? When did that country bumpkin open his shop? Where did he get his pastry recipes? Is his business really that good?"
Bao Lei seemed to be forced into a corner, and then said in a low voice, "Princess, you know that my family also has a pastry shop, so I know more than others."
"It seems that this white cloud cake was invented by Princess Kang Le. It tastes sweet and soft, like clouds in the sky. There is also a birthday cake that can only be eaten on the birthday. It is very expensive, but it has a good gimmick and everyone in Xindu is talking about it."
"The shop has been open for almost two months. On the opening day, Steward Yi led a group to deliver the plaque and brought back a lot of things to the palace. As a result, it has attracted many customers who want to taste what the Emperor likes to eat."
"Moreover, the sign on the plaque reads 'Red Dust Guest,' which is the Emperor's personal seal. If that were all, it would be fine, but I heard... I heard that the Emperor also owns half of this shop, so it's considered that Princess Kangle and the Emperor are partners."
"We just don't know if it's true or not. Maybe Princess Kang Le is just using her power to steal everyone's business. Our pastry shop and the other shops in the same industry are all angry but dare not speak out..."
"Father Emperor and that country bumpkin girl jointly opened a pastry shop?" The Third Princess's eyes turned red with anger.
"What makes her so special? She's just a lowly maid! Father Emperor never gives me a kind look, yet he dotes on this lowly maid so much?"
"Father is biased! Who is his biological son?"
The third princess was furious and wanted to smash things, but the table and dishes had already been cleared away.
Bao Lei quickly stood up, stepped forward, and took her hand, comforting her, "Princess, please calm down. These are all just guesses, and they may not be true. Besides, even if they were true, so what?"
"For His Majesty's birthday this year, Princess, please prepare a good birthday gift for him. Perhaps His Majesty will be so pleased that he will give this shop to Princess to run and enjoy, since Princess loves baking so much."
"Besides, Princess Kang Le is just a young girl, even younger than the princess. If she can manage it, of course the princess can do it even better!"
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