Chapter 104: Reunion with Old Friends (Part 1)
The aroma of pastries wafted towards him, but Xuanye had long known that Xiu Yu would use some tricks whenever she made him angry.
"Don't you get tired of making pastries to apologize all the time?"
"It turns out that the emperor has begun to dislike Yu'er's craftsmanship." Xiu Yu curled her lips and decided to give the man a taste of his own medicine.
"You're still angry!" Xuanye raged, hugging Xiuyu's waist tightly. "From now on, this pastry-making trick won't work for you."
"Then..." Xiu Yu turned her head to look at Xuanye: "What do you mean by useful?"
"Don't you know what method is best?" Xuanye's eyebrows and eyes were gradually filled with love, and he picked Xiu Yu up horizontally.
Xiu Yu reached out and pinched out a piece of cake, stuffing it into Xuanye's mouth: "You should eat your cake."
Xuanye choked, holding Xiuyu in his right hand and holding the cake in his left: "I find that you are becoming more and more bold. You are probably the only one in the world who dares to feed me cakes like this."
"Isn't this pastry delicious?" Xiu Yu picked up a piece and ate it herself. "I just changed the recipe. I thought you would praise it after eating it."
Xuanye savored the cake and gave Xiuyu some respect: "This cake is indeed different from what you've made before."
"I learned some new techniques from an old lady in Zhengding, and I'm using them in my cake making." Xiu Yu sighed, "I should have been a designer or a good cook, but I ended up being your concubine. All my drawings are used in your garden, and all my cooking goes into your stomach."
"Shouldn't treasures be treasured?" Xuanye knew in his heart that Xiu Yu just had a way to communicate with Chen Huang about the issue of river management. He was certainly not really angry, but he was a little petty. Now that he was coaxed by Xiu Yu, he became happy.
Xiu Yu Yanran: "I think you are stingy. Otherwise, with my skills and craftsmanship, the silver in Yikun Palace would have piled up like a mountain to fill the sea."
"Actually, there's something I've been puzzled about. I wonder if you could help me out, Yu'er?"
Xiu Yu waited for Xuanye to continue asking questions.
"As my concubine, and my most beloved one, why do you always think about making money for yourself? Could it be that I would be short of your money?"
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Who would think that silver is too much? Not to mention my small Yiku Palace, even your Majesty's Great Qing Dynasty, if you calculate carefully, is short of silver, right? It costs a lot of silver to build a dam for river management, and the firearms camp in the southern suburbs needs silver to maintain. Would you not want to make money? I don't believe it!" Xiu Yu shook his head slowly.
"That does make some sense." Xuanye pondered Xiu Yu's words. "However, you should put aside the idea of opening a snack shop. Opening a shop will definitely not make the money in your palace pile up like a mountain to fill the sea. You have already experienced this."
"Actually..." Xiu Yu said, "If I can use the palace's name, I'll make a list of recipes for various dishes and recruit some apprentices..."
"Let's put these thoughts aside." Xuanye finished the cake in his hand and reached for another piece. "Since ancient times, no imperial concubine has been able to open a cake shop outside the palace. Do you really think that my imperial censors are paid for nothing?"
"Just because it hasn't happened in ancient times doesn't mean it won't happen in the future..." Xiu Yu hugged Xuan Ye's neck and said, "If you don't think about this matter carefully, you can let me do it secretly. At worst, I won't let the censors know."
Xuanye shook his head: "No, no, I am stingy."
"Are you going to miss this opportunity to make the money in the Palace of Heavenly Purity pile up like a mountain and fill the sea?" Xiu Yu sighed softly, "I knew it wouldn't be so easy to get you to agree to this."
Jin Fu did a great job in river affairs, and with Chen Huang's intelligence, Xuanye felt that the river works of his dynasty would be recorded in history. Naturally, Jin Fu and Chen Huang also received many rewards, needless to say.
The dragon boat sailed for many days and when it arrived in Jiangning, Cao Yin was already waiting on the shore with some officials. The preparations for welcoming the emperor were luxurious.
Xuanye and his party disembarked. After Cao Yin and the others saluted, Xuanye grasped Cao Yin's wrist and said, "Ever since you were sent out, you've been like a kite with its string cut. Have I ever seen you once a year? How is it that now that you've arrived in Jiangning, you've become so happy that you don't want to leave?"
Cao Yin smiled and said, "The emperor has entrusted me with a task, and I must do my best to complete it. I haven't had time to enjoy myself and forget about my homeland."
"As a weaver who has been by my side and seen great battles, do you really need to work so hard? I thought you should be able to handle it with ease."
Cao Yin replied, "Perhaps with more effort and experience, it will be all right."
Xuanye shook his head, without commenting. "Is Nanny Li still healthy?" The Nanny Li Xuanye was referring to was Cao Yin's biological mother and Xuanye's wet nurse.
Cao Yin replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. Mother is in good health. Ever since I left the capital with her, she has been thinking of you. Now, at last, she has remembered you."
"I miss Nanny Li too." As he spoke, Xuanye had already walked to the door of Cao's house.
Nanny Li was waiting with her head bowed. When she saw Xuanye arrive, she was helped by the servants to bow down.
Xuanye was unwilling to accept this greeting. He hurriedly helped Nanny Li up and said, "Nanny, there is no need to perform such a grand ceremony. I am a little late."
Nanny Li's eyes were red. "It's not too late, not at all. I thought I would never see the emperor again in this life."
"Before Mammy left the palace, I told you that it wouldn't be long before I came to see you. But I was a little late because I was busy with government affairs."
"It's not too late, not at all." Nanny Li patted Xuanye's hands. "Your Majesty is so busy with affairs, but he still cares about me and remembers what we said back then. I am very satisfied."
Cao Yin had spent a considerable amount of money on his own mansion to welcome the emperor. Xuanye looked at the flowers and plants in Cao's mansion and said to Cao Yin, "Not bad! Your taste has improved greatly since leaving the palace."
Cao Yin accepted the compliment with a smile, but in his heart he thought that his money had not been wasted, and that the gardener was indeed very skilled. He could even receive the emperor's praise.
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