Mu Xu poured himself a bowl of tea to moisten his throat, and then he was in the mood to joke around. He said, "Lord has people selling ice bricks on the street, and business is booming."
"One piece cost one coin, and almost every child on the streets and alleys had one. Many craftsmen and farmers who came to the city also bought them."
"Everyone says our family is kind-hearted. We sell such precious ice so cheaply, just to help everyone cool off in the summer."
Just as Jiayin was about to respond, the Third Princess arrived with her maids through the covered walkway.
Mu Xu leaped onto the roof beam.
Jiayin went out to greet them and asked, "It's so hot, how did you manage to find us?"
"I waited for ages and you still hadn't come over, so I came to check." The third princess's face was flushed from the heat. She peeked around, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Didn't you say you made ice cream?"
Jiayin found it amusing and opened the small wooden box on the table.
The wooden box was lined with thick cotton quilts, and hidden inside the quilts were two small glass bowls filled with five-colored scoops of ice cream, which looked incredibly delicious.
The third princess stomped her feet in delight, causing the golden phoenix hairpin on her head to jingle.
"Good news! Give me a bowl to eat first. Waaah, I'm so hot. I'm afraid I won't be able to get to the Imperial Study without a bowl of ice cream."
Jiayin found it amusing and immediately took out a bowl.
The third princess cheered, took the spoon from Shui Ling, took a big bite, and then smiled so hard her eyes narrowed.
"You have no idea, ever since you made this the other day, I've been drooling over it in my dreams. Oh, I can finally eat it again."
"Great news! Make this for me every day from now on, otherwise I won't be able to get through this summer."
As she spoke, she fed Jiayin another bite in a flattering manner.
Jiayin ate it, but it didn't satisfy her. She replied, "Women shouldn't eat too much cold food. Be careful, or you'll get a stomachache and regret it. From now on, eat one bowl every other day, no more."
The Third Princess knew Jiayin's temperament well; she was a woman of her word, and whining wouldn't work.
Although her younger sister was younger than her, she never dared to act like an older sister, and as for any princess-like airs, they were nowhere to be found...
"Okay, one bowl every other day is fine. Then the day after tomorrow I want strawberry flavor, a big bowl!" She had no choice but to compromise.
“Okay, that’s easy.” Jiayin readily agreed.
The two sat head to head, chatting and laughing as they ate ice cream. After tidying themselves up briefly, they carried their insulated boxes to the Imperial Study.
Before leaving, Jiayin glanced at the roof beam and saw Mu Xu looking pitiful, his eyes full of accusation.
Jiayin found it amusing and glanced discreetly at the cabinet in the corner of the room.
Seeing that no one was in the room, Mu Xu quickly jumped off the roof beam and ran to open the cabinet.
Sure enough, there was a small wooden box there, containing melting ice cream, his favorite peach flavor...
In a side hall of the Imperial Study, Chief Eunuch Feng, feeling hot, took off his boots and was resting in a rocking chair, with two eunuchs fanning him. He was quite comfortable.
Suddenly hearing that the Third Princess and Jiayin had arrived, he quickly got up, even putting his boots on backwards.
"Oh, Princess, Your Highness! It's so hot, what brings you two here? If you need anything, just have a palace servant deliver a message, and this old servant will come and follow your instructions!" Eunuch Feng was as obsequious as ever, but his tone also revealed a hint of intimacy.
After all, when the palace was sealed off, he stayed in Zhilan Palace with these two masters for more than ten days, eating and drinking, and gained a good five or six pounds.
This affection is genuine.
The Third Princess was born a noblewoman and naturally proud. Even if she wanted to say something polite, her tone was stiff.
"We've come at an inopportune time, interrupting Eunuch Feng's cool-off period."
"No, no! This old servant has been lazy and has neglected the princess." Eunuch Feng said with a smile, and was about to invite the two of them into the house to sit down, but Jiayin stopped him with a smile.
"Eunuch Feng, the princess and I were just idling around, so we made some ice cream to bring to Uncle the Emperor to help him cool off. But why is no one in the Imperial Study? Did Uncle the Emperor go to the garden?"
She was already beautiful and charming, and her cheerful and talkative manner made everyone who saw her happy.
Eunuch Feng quickly replied, "The princess and the county princess are truly thoughtful. If the emperor knew, he would surely be pleased."
"Unfortunately, His Majesty... well, His Majesty went to the Imperial Concubine's place for an afternoon nap and hasn't returned yet."
The Third Princess's face immediately turned cold. Just as she was about to say something, Jiayin spoke first.
"That's a real pity. We've traveled all this way, and the ice has probably melted by half. By the time it reaches the Imperial Concubine's palace, it will likely have melted completely."
"Why don't you help us eat it, Eunuch Feng? We can make it for our Imperial Uncle next time."
"Ah!" Eunuch Feng was flattered and overjoyed.
As the deputy chief eunuch, he actually had no shortage of ice or food and drink.
But ice cream is such a novel thing, you can tell it's made by the princess just by hearing the name. It must be delicious!
"Thank you so much, Princess and County Princess. This old servant is unworthy of such kindness!" Eunuch Feng quickly accepted the wooden box.
The Third Princess turned and left, and Caiyun quickly followed, whispering words of advice.
Jiayin lagged behind by two steps, chatted for a few words with Eunuch Feng who was seeing her off, then smiled and took her leave before catching up with him.
The third princess wiped the sweat from her brow. "I came under the scorching sun to bring food to Father Emperor, and he went to see that vixen again! I should have known better than to come, and I will never come again!"
Jiayin smiled and took her arm, then took a mint from her small handbag and put it in her mouth.
The sweet, cool taste immediately brought a smile to the Third Princess's face.
"Oh, what kind of candy is this? It's so refreshing! Give me another one."
The third princess transformed into a robber, snatched a bag of mints from Jiayin, and happily ran ahead.
Jiayin walked slowly behind, glanced over the high wall at the roof of the Imperial Study, then gently lowered her eyes, concealing all her complex emotions and regrets...
As Eunuch Feng watched the princess and her entourage leave, he wiped his sweat and muttered a complaint, "This weather is too hot. Is there going to be a drought?"
The young eunuch following behind chuckled and replied, "Steward, we don't care about the drought. We're just thinking about the ice cream the princess made!"
"Please have mercy and let us see what you've got. The princess is so skillful; every time she sends the emperor some delicious snacks and food, they're so tempting. This time it can't be any different."
With a smug grin, Eunuch Feng chuckled and started walking into the house.
As a result, an old eunuch in gray clothes suddenly walked out from behind a pillar on one side of the house. He only glanced at Eunuch Feng, and Eunuch Feng shuddered.
He quickly jogged over, bowed and scraped as he listened to a few words, then ran back to retrieve the wooden box and delivered it over.
The old eunuch in gray picked up the box and quickly disappeared.
The young eunuchs watched with surprise and confusion.
When Eunuch Feng returned, someone couldn't help but ask, "Steward, who was that person? Why did you..."
Eunuch Feng slapped the young eunuch on the head and muttered, "If you want to live, remember what I said: you didn't see anything just now!"
The eunuchs were startled and shrank back, pretending to be mute.
The first rule for survival in the palace: never ask what you shouldn't ask.
The more you know, the faster you die!
Two updates today!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com