Chapter 2642: King and Ministers Have Fun Together
They had lunch until 3:00 p.m. Manbao had been horse racing in the morning and felt a little sleepy after having eaten and drunk enough, so he leaned on the railing and fell asleep.
Bai Shan couldn't help it, so he tucked his robe into his belt and went to the pond barefoot to look for fish.
But there were no fish in the cold spring, but there were some in the small stream downstream.
Wei Yu and Yin Huo stood by the stream and watched. They couldn't help but ask, "Zhishan, aren't you going to the yamen this afternoon?"
Bai Shan poked some cracks in the rocks with his stick, startling some small fish. He then said, "I'm not on duty this afternoon. I'll leave those official duties for later."
Bai Erlang nodded repeatedly, "That's right, we are here to escape the summer heat, and His Majesty always takes a walk around the palace in the afternoon to relax."
The emperor, who was distracted, was looking down at them with his hands behind his back.
He turned around and said to the Secretary of the Central Secretariat: "I am a good Hanlin, and you have corrupted me in your Secretariat for a short time."
Minister of the Secretariat: ...Who taught whom bad things? Please explain clearly.
Wei Zhizhi: "Your Majesty, you should go back to deal with state affairs."
The emperor said, "The Imperial Hospital has already told us that you and I should both rest. We just woke up from our afternoon nap and are still groggy. Let's go down and wake up."
Minister Han and others immediately turned their heads to look over. What is Wei Zhi's condition like? Can you say a few more words?
But the emperor was just looking for an excuse to have fun and didn't continue. He led everyone downstairs.
Manbao rested her hands on the railing and sat on the chair in the pavilion, her little head resting on her arms. The eaves of the pavilion blocked the sunlight. She could only vaguely hear the voices of Bai Shan and the others talking and joking. She let her thoughts go and fell into a drowsy sleep.
Mingda and Changyu sat beside her, pointing out the fish they saw to the people below, and couldn't help but brush Manbao's chubby cheeks with a piece of grass.
The emperor laughed heartily as he led his people down the hill and asked, "What are my princesses doing?"
When everyone saw this, they quickly stopped and saluted.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang could only stand in the water and salute. Seeing that Manbao was sleeping on his stomach without any movement, they couldn't help feeling anxious.
Mingda reached out to wake Manbao, but the emperor stopped her and said with a smile, "Let her sleep. It's hot in summer, and she's been running around. I guess she must be tired."
Mingda withdrew his hand, stepped forward, hugged the emperor's arm, and asked with a smile, "Why are you here, father?"
"Why, you're the only ones allowed to go out and play, but I'm not allowed to go out and relax?"
The emperor glanced at the layout of the pavilion and said with a smile, "You are very thoughtful. You have provided tables and chairs."
He looked around and saw that the pavilion was empty. He asked, "Why don't you hang up a gauze curtain to keep out the flying insects and mosquitoes? What if I get bitten?"
Mingda smiled and said, "No, the pavilion is filled with insect repellent incense, so the insects don't dare to come."
Come if you dare, the anthelmintic is not that powerful, but it can indeed repel most insects.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang also came out of the water, quickly put down their robes, put on their shoes, and came up to apologize.
The emperor waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Just don't fall into the water and get captured by the Dragon King. Otherwise, where can I find another consort and servant?"
Minister Han and the others all smiled friendly.
The emperor took a seat all to himself and pointed to other seats for Wei Zhi and the others to sit down. He looked around and asked, "I see the food is almost finished. Don't you have any tea, snacks, or fruits?"
Chang Yu immediately said, "Father, everything we prepared is soaking in the cold spring."
The emperor immediately said, "Bring it up here and let us taste it."
Chang Yu was delighted and winked at her maid, asking her to go and get it.
Manbao continued to sleep soundly. She could no longer hear any sounds from the outside world, only her own dreams. She dreamed that she was riding a horse, galloping across the prairie. She had no idea who was chasing her, and it was terrifying. She could only lie flat on the horse's back, not daring to move. Her arms were almost broken, and her neck was stiff from the cold wind. She dared not move at all...
The palace maid brought up the tofu pudding, first poured a bowl for the emperor, and then poured sugar water on it and presented it to the emperor.
The emperor stirred it with a spoon and asked with a smile, "What is this? It looks a bit like soft tofu."
"It's tender tofu," Chang Yu said. "Zhou Man said it's called tofu pudding. Her sister-in-law makes it. It's especially tender and sweet. My daughter tried it and it's very smooth. It's best in the summer. If you don't believe me, try it."
"I've eaten tofu and soy milk, but I've never eaten tofu pudding. Today is a good time to try it."
The emperor stirred it and took a bite. It melted in his mouth and was very smooth. The slight sweetness seeped into his tongue, giving him a refreshing and sweet feeling.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and said to Wei Zhi and the others, "You guys should try it too. It's really delicious."
The palace maid served it immediately.
Wei Zhi and the others took it, stirred it, took a bite, and raised their eyebrows slightly and nodded, expressing their agreement.
The emperor had already gulped down a bowl, then said happily, "As expected of something Zhou Qing brought out, it's truly a holy remedy for summer heat, hahahaha..."
Manbao was awakened by the laughter. She sat up straight from the railing and looked ahead with hazy eyes. It was obvious that she was not fully awake yet.
She hadn't noticed the emperor and others yet.
But the emperor and Lord Wei were startled by her actions and looked up at her.
Bai Shan moved slightly, blocking their sight. He took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, then smiled and said, "Master Zhou is awake?"
Manbao looked up at him with dull eyes, his mind slowly accepting his words. Why was he calling him Lord Zhou for no reason?
Koko received her words and replied, "Maybe it's because we are in front of the emperor."
Manbao's eyes gradually widened, and he looked up at Bai Shan in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Bai Shan didn't know whether to praise her for her quick reaction or scold her for being too slow.
So he pressed the marks on the corners of her eyes with his handkerchief, and with a proper smile on his face, he said word by word, "Come and greet His Majesty."
After saying this, he stared at her for a while. Seeing that she had come to her senses and had restrained her expression, he moved away so that the emperor and others could see her, and so that she could see the emperor.
Manbao stood up immediately, but because he maintained the same posture for too long, he almost couldn't stand steadily after standing up, and his heels and calves felt numb.
Bai Shan calmly reached out to hold her arm, smiled at the emperor, and bowed with her to apologize.
The emperor stared at the mark on her face, suppressed his laughter, and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it. There's no need to be so polite in public."
Chang Yu waited until they finished speaking, then he couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Father, we haven't eaten yet."
The emperor smiled and said, "Don't worry, if anyone is missing out, you won't be missing out either. Come, serve a bowl to the princess and her husbands, and also serve a bowl to our host, Lord Zhou, and Mr. Bai. Let's have fun together today, emperor and his subjects."
The palace maid agreed with a smile and went to serve the tofu pudding.
Minister Li smiled and asked Zhou Man, "We have nothing to worry about. We just don't know if Lord Wei would use this thing. Although I have never used tofu pudding, since it comes from the same family as tofu, I think it is also a cold thing, so..."
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
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