Making dumplings is not difficult.

The difficulty lies in how to make the filling delicious.

When Yan Qiushu first made buns, the fillings were as hard as... meatballs, wrapped together one by one, and there was not much juice, which made the meatballs dry and tasted dry too. Later, she made them more often and learned the technique.

You can add some water to the filling.

In order to maintain the taste, it is best to use water that has been blanched with ginger. The amount cannot be too little, otherwise the filling will still be hard; and it cannot be too much, otherwise it will be too watery.

Then add soy sauce, salt, sugar and other seasonings, stir evenly, sprinkle with chopped green onions, drizzle with hot oil, and stir again.

Once the fillings are prepared, you can start making dumplings.

Xiaolongbao is small and exquisite. A ball of filling is placed on a palm-sized thin skin. Three fingers are pinched around the edge and it starts to fold up. After a circle, it forms a beautiful flower shape.

It was Zhou Zhaoqin's first time doing it and he had no idea how to do it. His hands and eyes were not coordinated and he was quite confused. Shui Yu was teaching him at the side. He kneaded the dough and actually had some fun. He even pinched something round and said it was a piglet.

Once everything is done, you can steam it.

At this point, all you need to do is ask Nanny Xu to light the fire. They will wait on the side. There is always firewood burning in the kitchen, and the temperature is warmer than outside. Yan Qiushu will bring Zhou Zhaoqin to guard here.

Until the buns are cooked.

The moment the lid was opened, it was discovered that the steamer on the large iron pot had originally been filled with small steamed buns neatly arranged in a scattered pattern, each with a two-finger-wide space between them. However, now the buns had grown larger, and were standing plump and white next to each other. Some juice seeped out, dyeing the off-white skin the color of soup.

The fresh fragrance of the noodles and the spicy flavor of the fillings blend together to form the delicious steamed buns at this time!

Zhou Zhaoqin was really hungry. When he smelled this, his stomach growled several times. His face flushed, but he asked expectantly, "Can I eat now?!"

Of course you can eat it!

Yan Qiushu was also hungry. She smelled the aroma and immediately became alert. She couldn't wait to ask, "How many do you want to eat?"

"...three?" Zhou Zhaoqin asked uncertainly.

"Then let's have six." Yan Qiushu said.

Xiaolongbao is much smaller than normal buns, so it has to be at least twice as big.

She ate... ten of them herself!

I still remember that she could eat twelve when she was little. Her appetite now hasn’t recovered to its peak yet!

After taking the amount she liked, Yan Qiushu ran out, shouting, "Your Highness, come with me."

If you don’t hurry up, the steamed buns will get cold.

Zhou Zhaoqin was stunned by the rush. The people around him, even the busiest palace maid, were all very dignified. However, this made him feel relieved and he ran over as well.

When I sat down, there was an extra meal in front of me.

Six plump white steamed buns were piled in the bowl.

He picked up one with chopsticks and took a small bite. The wrapper was very thin and the filling inside was revealed with just a small bite.

Because the stuffing is well seasoned, the cooked meat stuffing is not dry at all, but rather has plenty of moisture and is soft. Taking another bite, the dough and the stuffing are eaten together. The thin dough is mixed with the delicious stuffing, and the salty aroma is mixed with the fragrance of the dough.

Soft, fragrant and delicious!

It was the first time that Zhou Zhaoqin ate such hot, freshly cooked food made by Yan Qiushu. He was so happy that he wanted to share it, but he saw the woman next to him eating particularly lavishly.

With one bite, half of the bun was gone. With another bite, half of the bun was gone again.

Zhou Zhaoqin:?

Noticing his gaze, Yan Qiushu looked over and said blankly, "Come on, eat it? Is it not tasty? There are two kinds of fillings here, one is chicken filling and the other is mutton filling. They are delicious."

The chicken is tender and refreshing, the lamb is soft and salty, and the juice steamed inside is so delicious!

"Oh." Zhou Zhaoqin nodded and subconsciously followed her example, eating in big mouthfuls.

A more intense taste than before rises between lips and teeth along with a sense of satisfaction. I eat a bun in three or two bites, and then eat another one!

The feeling of eating buns with big mouthfuls is unexpectedly... wonderful!

In the end, Yan Qiushu ate nine and her stomach was full.

And Zhou Zhaoqin ate seven!

They were all different than expected.

One was still not satisfied and couldn't eat any more, while the other was very satisfied and when he left, there was no trace of grievance on his face.

Yan Qiushu asked him to take back the buns of strange shapes that she had made, so when he came out, he was holding a small food box in his hand.

This made the palace guards who had been guarding the entrance to the courtyard completely relax. They eagerly took the food box and asked, "Your Highness, are we going back home or to the Imperial Academy?"

As soon as he asked, the joy on the child's face seemed to be covered with a shadow. He pursed his lips, as if he was struggling. But after sitting in the carriage, he still spoke decisively: "Go home."

Although he didn't really want to go back to that home, Sister Shu said that he could take the things he made back with him, and he actually wanted to give them to his mother.

The carriage slowly drove away.

Just as they came in a hurry, they left very quickly as well. The Xiao family didn't seem to be disturbed at all.

But behind the door, Xiao Huaiqi, who was sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed by his wife, still witnessed everything.

When they heard the news that the second grandson of the emperor was coming, the two of them came here immediately. However, when they noticed that Yan Qiushu was taking care of the child, they did not go forward to disturb her.

Xie Qingyun was a little melancholy because of her husband's poor health and she had not been able to get pregnant for a long time, but she actually liked children very much. Zhou Zhaoqin was not very cute and in her heart he was not even one-tenth as cute as Dongdong. But at this moment, seeing the sadness on the child's face before he left, she still felt a little distressed.

"Why……"

As soon as the sigh was uttered, the handsome young man in the wheelchair leaned back and patted the back of her hand.

"I'm fine, I just feel that I have implicated the child." Xie Qingyun shook her head and pushed the wheelchair back.

Xiao Huaiqi's brows did not show any sign of being moved. A man who had fought his way through numerous armies would not be so soft-hearted.

Especially if the Xiao family did not take action, the ones who would be sad now would be Dongdong and the others.

Even because they are children of the Xiao family, if those in-laws are useless and unable to protect them in the future, they will die a more miserable death.

At least if they win, they won't keep targeting a child!

When Zhou Zhaoqin returned home, the outer courtyard was quiet.

The maids, servants, and nannies walked as lightly as possible so as not to attract attention, and there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in the silence.

This situation has been going on since a few days before the Qiao family incident and has continued until now.

Zhou Zhaoqin's face wrinkled, and he looked more cautious and nervous.

When he arrived at the main courtyard, he heard his father scolding him: "Shut up! Cry, all you do is cry! What can I do now?! You were careless and let someone catch you and hurt me so badly!"

"Your Highness, my father did all this for you. All the money our family earned over the years was given to you to bribe the ministers. They simply cannot afford to pay, so please help me!" The woman's crying voice no longer had the arrogance it had before, only fear in her heart.

The news of the Qiao family lending money at high interest was exposed, and His Majesty was furious. Now His Majesty has issued an order that all the money must be collected within ten days, otherwise the entire family will be exterminated!

Then the problem won't be solved by just one or two lives.

If they had gathered enough money, only the Qiao father and son would have died.

In this way, the Qiao family's incense can be preserved.

But all the money is with the third prince!

"Give it to me? Don't think I don't know that you Qiao family has kept a lot." The Third Prince was even more angry when he heard this, and threatened gloomily: "Besides, the quantity is so large, how can I take it out?! If you say such things again, don't blame me for not remembering our friendship!"

The Third Prince's wife stopped crying, then cried even harder, but didn't say another word.

The Third Prince was not sentimental and was going to kill her as well, so that he would have no points to attack on her. But if she died, what would happen to her son?

Seeing that she was honest, the Third Prince softened his tone: "Jinxin, you know what I want to do. My father-in-law's sacrifice is worth it. Now everything is not ready. I cannot act rashly. When I ascend the throne, I will avenge your Qiao family!"

The Third Prince's wife cried more and more desperately.

The Third Prince waited for a while before he soothed her gently, "It's all worth it. Don't worry. I swear that if I succeed in ascending the throne, my son Qin'er will definitely be the crown prince! His position cannot be shaken by anyone. I will remember everything my father-in-law has done for me!"

The woman's crying became much quieter, as if she had accepted her fate.

Zhou Zhaoqin could not hear much from outside; it was vague and he could not understand what was being said, but he could feel that his mother was very sad and his father was very depressed. Soon, however, he heard hurried footsteps.

Instinctively, he kicked his calves and ran extra fast, hiding in a corner with the palace maids.

It happened that the man was in a confused mood at the moment and did not notice the movement. He just walked out. After he left, the two figures, one big and one small, reappeared.

Zhou Zhaoqin silently took the lunch box and walked into the house.

The usually dignified Third Prince's wife now had her hair disheveled, her makeup smudged, and she sat on the ground with red and swollen eyes. There was no one else in the whole yard, so naturally no one helped her up.

She heard the noise, raised her eyes, saw her son, and quickly tried to get up.

But it wasn't just her legs kneeling on the cold ground. She just stood up a little and fell back. She had to wipe her face and sniff, trying to steady herself: "Why are you back? Aren't you in school?"

Zhou Zhaoqin lowered his head, shook it, and whispered, "Mother, this is a small steamed bun I made. Sister Shu asked me to bring it back for you to taste."

The third prince's wife's eyes were sore. She didn't have the energy to think about why there was a sister named Ah Shu? How could her son cook by himself? Shouldn't he go to school?

She just felt touched, and her heart, which had just been chilled by her husband, was slightly warmed at this moment, so she didn't think about anything else.

The Third Prince's wife nodded hurriedly: "Okay, mother, try it."

Zhou Zhaoqin took out the buns. The buns were so ugly that he shed a tear when he gave them to his mother.

The woman took it and took a small bite. It was still hot, but had a salty taste, but more of it was the sweet fragrance of the dough and the savory aroma of the filling. The bun was soft and tasty, a little ugly, but delicious.

She hadn't eaten well or slept well these past few days, and suddenly a delicious meal appeared before her eyes, made by her own son. The Third Prince's wife ate it in small bites and nodded in satisfaction: "My son is amazing, the buns are delicious!"

"Yeah!" Zhou Zhaoqin nodded.

The Third Prince's wife calmed down and smiled: "Okay, mother is going to get up."

This time she tried hard to straighten her body. Her knees ached, but she managed to stand up. However, she was in such a mess that she didn't dare to call anyone in, for fear of being laughed at by the people she was looking down upon. So she went to the room, holding up her legs.

Zhou Zhaoqin followed closely and entered the inner room. There was a charcoal stove inside and it was much warmer. She lifted up her skirt, revealing the red wound on her knee caused by the friction from kneeling on the ground. She cried in pain.

Zhou Zhaoqin stared at her with his fists clenched tightly, trying to endure it, but he couldn't control his emotions anymore and threw himself into his mother's arms, crying "wa wah wah..." His little hands trembled as he wanted to touch the red color on her legs but didn't dare to. He cried and asked, "Mother, it hurts so much, it hurts so much..."

The Third Prince's wife opened her mouth and wanted to say that she was not in pain.

But even when my lips opened, I couldn't say anything.

It hurts, of course it hurts!

What hurts more is my heart.

Ever since she married the Third Prince, her father and brother have worked hard. When the Third Prince wanted money, they would try their best to get it. When the Third Prince wanted someone, they would also get someone secretly.

Even though she knew that he was going to do something extremely outrageous, her father gritted his teeth and followed him for her sake.

Now that something happened at home, he didn't waver at all. No matter how she begged on her knees, he never gave in. This little pain was nothing. When ten days are up, her blood relatives will experience the pain of having their heads cut off!

She couldn't save them, and she couldn't even save the child in front of her...

The Third Prince's wife gave a bitter smile of despair. He still wanted to rebel?

Although the emperor was in poor health, the other princes were not easy to deal with, and failure was almost inevitable.

She will then be charged with two crimes. What will happen to her son?

As a mother, the Third Prince's wife was thinking about her son's future. Suddenly, something flashed through her mind and she looked at her son: "Where did you say this bun came from?"

"Sister Shu taught me how to make it. She treated me to some buns and asked me to bring them back for you." Zhou Zhaoqin answered obediently, snuggling in his mother's arms, sobbing.

The Third Prince's wife slowly exhaled, stroked her son's head, slowly closed her eyes, and whispered, "Well, mother knows."