Chapter 213: The Queen Mother's Calculation
Lin Xiaoyue brought two wooden barrels, one containing the ingredients for lunch, and an empty barrel with a kitchen knife in it. "Let's go! I'll go with you. I also have a lot of things to wash. If I wash them in the yard, I'll have to go back and forth several times to fetch water. It's too troublesome."
Chen Yunyun took the empty barrel from Lin Xiaoyue and asked curiously, "Why are you holding an empty one? Are you planning to go fishing?"
Lin Xiaoyue went to the corner and fetched a small axe, then put it on her waist and shook her head. "No, it's still early, so I plan to go to the bamboo forest and dig some more bamboo shoots. They're really delicious when you cook them! You'll know when you eat them later!"
Walking to the river, Lin Xiaoyue squatted down and washed all the ingredients in the wooden barrel. Then she used a kitchen knife to cut open the chicken's belly and took out the internal organs. After washing them clean, she cut them into pieces and washed them twice before she felt they were clean.
At this time, Chen Yunyun had already washed the chicken feathers and was waiting by the side. "Sister Lin, can I take yours back first? The chicken needs to be blanched in water to remove the blood."
Lin Xiaoyue cleaned the chicken liver, heart, and gizzards and placed them in the barrel along with the chicken pieces. "Okay, you can take them first! I'll go dig some bamboo shoots!"
After separating from Chen Yunyun, Lin Xiaoyue went straight to the bamboo forest. It had been a while since she came here to dig bamboo shoots.
Bamboo is evergreen all year round. Even though it is winter, there are not many fallen leaves here, and it is still a piece of green. It can be seen that the winter in Yangmingshan is not particularly cold, otherwise these bamboos would have died long ago!
Lin Xiaoyue carefully observed the ground, skillfully dug out a bamboo shoot, and then dug out two more bamboo shoots along the direction of the rhizome. Then she changed places to dig bamboo shoots. In a short while, the wooden barrel was already full.
She padded the wooden barrel and felt that it was enough food for two days, so she turned and walked towards the bamboo courtyard.
"I'm back!" Lin Xiaoyue poured half a bucket of bamboo shoots on the ground, took a kitchen knife and peeled off the skin neatly, then rinsed it twice with water.
Chen Yunyun came out and took a look, exclaiming, "Oh my! Why is there so little meat? Are these shells thrown on the ground inedible?"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and said, "Yeah! How can we eat these with hard shells? Have you blanched the chicken?"
Chen Yunyun replied, "It's already blanched. It's still early, I'm taking it out and putting it on a plate!"
Lin Xiaoyue returned to the kitchen with a pot of bamboo shoots and cut them into thin slices with a knife. "By the way, is the Queen Mother's medicine ready? I had completely forgotten about it."
Chen Yunyun nodded and said, "I took it to the east room a while ago. The princess is chatting with the queen mother! The queen mother even praised the breakfast and said she ate more than anyone else in the palace."
Lin Xiaoyue knew that Empress Dowager Yan was in a good mood after leaving the palace, and the medicine given by the old drunkard was effective, so Empress Dowager Yan had an appetite for everything she ate.
"That's perfect! We must take good care of the Queen Mother and never let Emperor Liang find an opportunity to attack Brother Liang!"
Chen Yunyun asked in confusion, "What does this have to do with Emperor Liang?"
Lin Xiaoyue knew that Chen Yunyun had a simple personality, and it was normal for her, a girl in the boudoir, not to know about the affairs of the court and the harem.
"You see, Emperor Liang is not only looking for people from Jianghu Order to assassinate us, but he is also sending troops to attack Yangming Town. If we don't take good care of the Queen Mother at this time, he will definitely make a fuss about this matter. Once it gets out of hand, it will be extremely disadvantageous to Brother Liang! So we must take very good care of the Queen Mother!" Lin Xiaoyue explained in a low voice.
Chen Yunyun finally understood the twists and turns here. She nodded and said, "Oh, so that's how it is! I understand!"
At this time, Zhan Ying walked in and said, "Miss Lin, the old drunkard is going to take the Queen Mother's pulse again. He wants you to learn from him, and he'll need you to get medicine later."
Lin Xiaoyue washed her hands and said, "Okay, I'll be right there."
Outside the largest room in the east house, the drunkard waited until Lin Xiaoyue came closer before he had someone carry her into the house.
"Your humble servant greets the Queen Mother. May Your Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!" The drunkard could not stand, so he nodded and put his hands together in a respectful salute.
Lin Xiaoyue, standing to one side, also bowed and said, "This humble lady greets the Queen Mother. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
Empress Dowager Yan was in better spirits today. She asked the eldest princess to put a cushion behind her so that she could finally sit up and lean on it.
"Pingsheng! Is Imperial Physician Hua feeling better now?" Empress Dowager Yan asked with concern.
Every time the drunkard heard the empress dowager call him Doctor Hua, he felt helpless. Although he had reminded her several times before, the empress dowager still didn't change. He could only let the empress dowager call him that.
"Your Majesty, I can try to walk around tomorrow." The drunkard was carried to sit on a chair.
Empress Dowager Yan said enviously, "That's wonderful! I wonder how long it will take before I can walk again?"
The old drunkard replied respectfully, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will do my best. I believe Your Majesty will be able to walk around the courtyard soon."
Empress Dowager Yan nodded and said, "Doctor Hua is thoughtful. Please take my pulse first."
The drunkard placed one hand on Empress Dowager Yan's wrist. After a moment, he took her pulse on the other hand and said, "The Empress Dowager's condition is much better than when we arrived, but we must not take it lightly until the remaining poison is cleared."
Empress Dowager Yan said happily, "It turns out it has to be Imperial Physician Hua! If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago!"
The drunkard waved his hand modestly and said, "The Queen Mother is a rare talent among men, blessed by heaven. I dare not take credit for it!"
Empress Dowager Yan's eyes fell on Lin Xiaoyue and she asked with a smile, "Doctor Hua, is this Miss Lin your adopted daughter?"
The old drunkard nodded and said, "That's right. Yue'er is smart, kind, and filial. I'm so lucky to have such a daughter!"
Empress Dowager Yan nodded and praised, "Yes! Mingzhu and I both like this girl very much! To be honest, I have a nephew who is already of marriageable age but refuses to get married. My family is almost worried to death! I want to ask you to marry your daughter to be my niece's wife. What do you think?"
The drunkard lowered his head, his expression becoming extremely ugly. Empress Dowager Yan's meaning was very clear. She simply did not approve of Lin Xiaoyue and Liang Jingyao being together, but she did not want to break up due to face-saving reasons, so she pushed out a young master from the Yan family!
But as far as he knew, the legitimate sons of the Yan family were all grandchildren of the Empress Dowager, and any nephews who were not yet married were illegitimate sons!
Empress Dowager Yan had a brilliant plan! This way, she could win over herself without offending anyone. Moreover, considering Lin Xiaoyue's status, marrying into the Yan family was already a high-class marriage!
But the drunkard still felt that Empress Dowager Yan was really going too far!
"I'm sorry! I've only recognized my daughter for a few days and I'm reluctant to marry her off so soon! Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness!"
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