The next morning.

Yan Qiushu got up early, and even earlier than her was Zhou Zhaoheng, who had been expecting it all night.

For the past five years, he has been living with his parents, a family of three, day and night. Suddenly, on New Year's Eve, his father got into an accident and his mother made a big fuss outside, and then the three of them were taken away.

There was chaos in the palace at that time. Everyone surrounded his father, and his mother knelt and cried in front of the emperor. He stood in the corner, as if he didn't fit in.

At this time, Xiao Waiting kept him by his side and brought him back directly after the New Year's Eve dinner.

Although it made his troubled heart feel much better, he also had trouble sleeping during the two days away from his parents. He wanted to go back, but he could only ask Nan Qi to go back and ask his parents. After all, coming to the Xiao family by himself had already disturbed the Xiao family a lot.

After being rejected, he didn't dare to do anything more.

During these five years of imprisonment, his temperament was completely different from that of the other princes.

This was also the reason why Yan Qiushu didn't treat him as a prince at first.

After the two of them had packed up, Xiao Huai Ting sent someone over: "Miss Yan, the carriage is ready. It's cold, so hurry over."

"Yeah." Yan Qiushu held Zhou Zhaoheng's hand and came to the outer courtyard.

The young man, who had changed into a dark official uniform, looked much more mature. Seeing the two people coming, he nodded and opened the carriage door for them. He reminded them, "The carriage can't go directly there later. You have to walk there. There are many rules in the palace. If anything happens, just stand behind me."

"I understand. General Xiao, don't worry. My luck shouldn't be that bad." Yan Qiushu said with a smile.

The young man raised his eyebrows and said casually, "Actually, you are unlucky. Otherwise, how could you have met me?"

Yan Qiushu immediately remembered the original owner who had met bandits, and felt a little upset. This was the original owner, not her! But it was hard to explain this, and she didn't want to be outdone, so she blurted out: "It's still good, at least I met the general."

The girl's voice was crisp, but not as cold and aloof as his second sister-in-law's. It was like the sound of jade beads colliding. Hearing it, he felt his ears tremble inexplicably. Then the boy's hand trembled, and the open curtain fell down again.

Zhou Zhaoheng, who happened to be getting on the carriage, was covered in the face by the curtain and his body swayed.

Yan Qiushu hurriedly supported him: "Be careful."

Xiao Huaiting coughed lightly, then quickly went over to open the curtain again, and said in a much more reserved voice: "Go up."

Yan Qiushu also realized that what she said was a bit inappropriate. Her cheeks turned slightly hot. She didn't dare to say anything more and quickly followed Zhou Zhaoheng.

Then the curtains were lowered, the carriage doors were closed, and the carriage began to sway as it moved forward.

Prince Chang was the crown prince before and lived in the East Palace, but now that he has been crowned king, he can live outside the palace. However, he was crowned king on New Year's Eve, and there is no suitable residence outside the palace. His health is not good either, so he is still living in the prince's residence.

Originally, five years ago, the other princes should have been made kings and granted fiefdoms, but at that critical juncture, the crown prince and the old emperor had a fierce dispute. Overnight, the crown prince was deposed, and the will to make the other princes kings was also suppressed.

The fifth and sixth princes, who have not yet married, are both in the prince's residence.

Now there is one more King Chang.

So Yan Qiushu went into the palace this time. There were many procedures for entering the palace, but with Xiao Huaiting paving the way in front, and they didn't bring anything with them, they went empty-handed, so they entered very smoothly.

The carriage stopped at the second palace gate, and the three of them walked to the prince's residence.

At the door, a woman with simple makeup was looking forward to something. She looked a little haggard, with red bloodshot eyes. She was staring at the door until she saw the little boy coming from the corner, and her eyes turned red.

Zhou Zhaoheng was also like this. Tears came without warning, much faster than when he faced Xiao Huaiting last night. He rushed over like a young swallow, knocking the woman back two steps. He still rubbed the person in front of him in a rather dependent manner: "Mom! I miss you so much!"

The woman rubbed his head with tears in her eyes, but still smiled forcefully: "Well, mother misses you too. Ah Heng, don't worry, mother is fine, and your father is fine too."

Zhou Zhaoheng sobbed and said, "Mother lied!"

The woman didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but her heart was soft. She raised her head and noticed Xiao Huaiting and Yan Qiushu coming over. She quickly wiped her tears and tried to calm down.

"I've met the princess." Xiao Huaiting took Yan Qiushu to pay her respects.

Princess Chang nodded with a smile and looked at Yan Qiushu: "General Xiao, this is..."

Before Xiao Huai Ting could speak, the child in her arms could not wait to look up, sobbing and slightly hoarsely saying happily: "This is Sister Shu! Mom, it's Sister Shu from Dongdong's family who is very good at cooking! Mom likes food too. I asked Sister Shu to teach me how to make sugar cookies, and I will make them for Dad and Mom later."

"It turned out to be Miss Yan." Princess Chang suddenly realized, looked at her son who kept talking, and apologized: "Ah Heng must be ignorant, I'm sorry to have troubled you to go."

Yan Qiushu quickly leaned aside: "Princess, you are too polite..."

After the greetings, Princess Chang took them in.

The prince's residence is quite large, and each prince has a separate courtyard. Although they live next to each other, they actually have everything they need.

As we walked along, we saw a little princess who was clamoring to be held high by her nurse. A boy of fifteen or sixteen was scolding her with a headache: "Zhou Lingyan, if you keep making trouble like this, I won't bring you here to play next time."

The little princess was suddenly frightened. She pouted and hummed unhappily, kicking the wet nurse with her feet in annoyance.

The young man glanced at this and quickly bowed in greeting. After both sides exchanged greetings, they walked away.

They were the fifth prince and the fifteenth princess, siblings from the same mother.

The fifth prince, his mother is Concubine Lu, the most powerful person in the harem, and the woman the old emperor has favored for seventeen years. Since she entered the palace, there has been no adult prince in the harem except the sixth prince who was born at the same time as the fifth prince.

Ever since the Crown Prince was deposed, the Fifth Prince has become the most popular candidate for the Crown Prince. However, due to his young age and lack of real power, he was controlled by the Third Prince in many aspects. It was said that his literary talent and military strategy were also slightly inferior to the Sixth Prince, so he was in an awkward situation.

When she got closer, Yan Qiushu could smell a strong smell of medicine.

Then they came to the residence of King Chang, and walking further inside was the inner room.

Prince Chang was a stranger, and Yan Qiushu's identity made it inconvenient for her to go in, so she waited outside. Zhou Zhaoheng and Xiao Huaiting went in, and Princess Chang stayed here to talk to Yan Qiushu.

Princess Chang was originally scheduled to be the Crown Princess. She was exceptionally outstanding and gentle both in her knowledge and her conversation. Although Yan Qiushu was not familiar with her, she was also very frank with her, so the two of them had a very pleasant chat.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhou Zhaoheng came out with red eyes.

Princess Chang's eyes softened and she waved her son over.

Zhou Zhaoheng did not move. He tried to keep his eyes open, which were slightly swollen from crying, and said, "Mom, I can't make trouble at home, so I want to go and make some medicine and food for Dad. I hope Dad will get better soon."

Princess Chang nodded immediately: "Okay, then mother will accompany you?"

"Okay." Zhou Zhaoheng nodded and looked at Yan Qiushu.

Yan Qiushu had already stood up: "Let's go."

"Yeah!" He went over, took her hand, and they went to the kitchen together.

Generally, the time for ancient people to take medicine was between breakfast and lunch. They arrived at the right time. The people in the kitchen were preparing to boil medicine for King Chang. When they saw the three of them coming, they were all startled and greeted them one after another.

"Everyone, get up." Princess Chang suppressed her gentle expression and became more dignified. She said in a calm voice, "Prepare the herbs for His Highness's medicine. Leave the rest alone."

"Yes." The palace servants stood up and started to get busy again.

Those who are cleaning up are cleaning up, those who are preparing dishes are preparing dishes.

Princess Chang smiled and said, "Ah Heng, do whatever you want to do yourself."

"Yeah!" Zhou Zhaoheng looked at the kitchen excitedly. He was about to cook for his father. He was quite nervous and counted on his fingers what he needed.

Then he scanned all the ingredients in the kitchen, and after making sure they were ready, he took a portion and placed it on the table. He didn't have enough for the rest.

After hesitating for a while, he chose to run over and pull Yan Qiushu: "Sister Shu, can you help me get it?"

From childhood to adulthood, no one could call him by the hand, and he didn't know how to call others, so he could only seek help from people close to him.

The kitchen is Yan Qiushu's world, and the greatest sense of security here is given by Yan Qiushu.

Naturally I looked for her.

Yan Qiushu went over to get something for him, and Princess Chang, who was watching with a smile on her face, froze in her tracks. She then looked away, revealing a sense of dejection.

Although the Fifteenth Princess had a difficult personality, she was a spoiled daughter of the royal family. Her son was the grandson of the emperor, but now even the palace people could not control him. She felt guilty in her heart when comparing the two.

Yan Qiushu also felt emotional. After seeing children like the Fifteenth Princess and Zhou Zhaoqin, Zhou Zhaoheng was simply a little angel on earth!

After getting all the things, Zhou Zhaoheng started to work. He first put the prepared medicinal materials into different categories according to the doctor's instructions, and then added them in order.

Naturally, Yan Qiushu will have to help with this step.

That's why she came along.

If she takes action, the medicinal properties of this medicine will be exerted to the maximum extent. If it is a detoxifying herb, King Chang's body will recover faster.

"Finally, it's Fangfeng..." The school-going child carefully followed the doctor's instructions and added Fangfeng to the recipe.

Then put the lid on it, put it on the stove and wait for the cooking time to be up.

The medicine is ready, and next comes the biscuits.

This method is very simple. Add boiling water to the flour, stir it until it becomes cotton-like, then knead it into a smooth dough. Of course, Yan Qiushu has to do the kneading step as well. After kneading, cut it into small portions.

The filling of sugar biscuits is white sugar or brown sugar, mixed with a little flour and wrapped like dumplings.

Because Zhou Zhaoheng was only seven years old and had small hands, the doses Yan Qiushu distributed to him were all extra small. After wrapping them, they only looked like half the size of his palm.

Then it was Yan Qiushu's turn, but in order to wait for the medicine to be prepared, they did not start right away.

When the medicine is almost done, start the last step and fry the prepared sugar cake until both sides are golden brown and bulge in the middle, then it is done.

At this point, the medicine could be poured out. The kitchen was already filled with the bitter smell of medicine. Just smelling it made one's lips and tongue feel bitter. Many palace servants who had nothing to do secretly retreated to a ventilated position.

Zhou Zhaoheng also smelled it and stuck out his tongue. His big eyes were full of sympathy for his father. It was really too miserable that he had to drink such bitter medicine.

Luckily, he had a cookie with lots of sugar in it, which would surely make it so sweet that he couldn't even sing about the bitterness.

Interior

The pale-faced man half-lying on the bed was speaking softly, "Are you sure the Song family had contact with Old Six?"

"Yes." The official-looking man lazily leaned on the couch, looking relaxed as if he were at home, and said in a calm voice, "Don't worry, it's not important."

"We are too arrogant. We will be attacked by all of them!" King Chang smiled and spoke as if he was afraid, but there was not a trace of timidity on his face. Instead, he was very expectant.

Xiao Waiting glared at him and said, "You have been so honest for so long that no one has noticed you. I believe that even if they come together, they can't be more evil than you."

Prince Chang shrugged without comment, lowered his eyes and said: "The Shen family..."

Xiao Huaiting's face also became a little depressed: "It's still the same as before, living in peace and contentment. Even if they don't take up official positions, no one dares to provoke them. Pingyu is living very well there, so don't worry."

Prince Chang shook his head with regret: "I am sorry to (Shen) Ciyun."

Xiao Huai Ting's eyes turned slightly cold: "It's none of your business."

King Chang gave a bitter smile. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, he was related to those people by blood. He took a deep breath.

At this time, the smell of medicine at the tip of my nose became stronger.

He sniffed it and exhaled slowly: "It's so tiring to be sick and have to smell these smells all day long."

"Who told you to poison yourself so heavily for no reason? Even if the poison is now cured, you still need to take good care of your body." Xiao Huai Ting said calmly: "That is the medicine prescribed by the doctor for you to dispel dampness and cold. It will still be good for you to drink it. I have to leave in the next two days, take care of yourself."

"Got it." Prince Chang nodded and curled his lips slightly to show his dislike for the soup.

At this moment there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Prince Chang said, and Xiao Huaiting also sat up straight. The two looked and found that the person who came in was a seven-year-old child.

They smiled at the same time: "Ah Heng, what's wrong?"

Seeing that his biological father and Uncle Xiao were looking at him, Zhou Zhaoheng smiled awkwardly and walked shyly to his biological father's side. Behind him, two palace maids were holding two things.

One portion was the soup with a strong bitter taste, and the other was a snack that looked no bigger than half the size of a palm.

"Dad, this is the medicine I made for you, and the biscuits I made. Except for Sister Shu who helped with the dough and frying the biscuits, everything else was made by me!" Zhou Zhaoheng carefully held the bowl of soup and handed it over, looking at him like he was offering a treasure, and coaxed him, "Drink it quickly, and I will give you biscuits. They are very sweet, and you won't feel the bitterness then..."

The tone was as if he was the adult and Prince Chang was the child who needed to be coaxed into taking medicine.

But the fact is that King Chang really doesn't like taking medicine. He will only drink a little after being persuaded several times.

But at this moment, King Chang looked at his son's sincere little face and the black soup that seemed so bitter that it was about to turn into substance. He wanted to drink it later, but he couldn't bear to do so. At the same time, he didn't want to go against his own wishes and drink it now. He was very conflicted.

"Ahem..." Xiao Huai Ting tried to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shrugged, and he quickly covered it up with a cough. He turned his head away, but he did not forget to persuade, "Your Highness, the young prince is sincere to you, drink it quickly, otherwise you will get cold."

Zhou Zhaoheng quickly handed the bowl of soup over again: "Dad, drink it quickly, or it won't taste good when it gets cold!"

Prince Chang: “…”

Child, this medicine tastes worse when it is hot.

Hot and bitter!