Chapter 92 (Spicy Grilled Fish...)

Because Yan Qiushu's honest advice yesterday was unpleasant to the ears.

Hong Chufu, who originally planned to stay here for two days, could not stay any longer.

It's not that she disliked her, but no one could calmly continue to get along with someone who said bad things about their lover. After all, they were not best friends. She didn't feel comfortable living here, so she left early in the morning.

She didn't even say goodbye to Yan Qiushu in person.

But Fu Mingwan said goodbye to Yan Qiushu and actually thanked her before going back with her.

Hong's parents originally thought that if the girl was unhappy, she could just stay there.

Who knew you would be back so soon.

Father Hong was happy but puzzled. Looking at his daughter's depressed look, he said helplessly, "Dad is doing this for your own good. Calm down for a while and think carefully. Prince Huai is really not suitable for you."

Hong Chufu pursed her lips, but rarely did she refute. She might not listen to her parents, but she could still listen to outsiders. So she nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. Wait a little longer. I'm only fifteen anyway. I'll be seventeen in two years. It won't be too late to get married."

With her father being the Minister of War, she will never have trouble finding a husband.

Mr. Hong was overjoyed: "Really?! Are you willing to wait?"

Why before going to the manor, he got angry with me when I said he disagreed with this, but why did he agree now?

Hong Chufu glared at her father in embarrassment. His behavior made her feel that her previous fuss about setting up an engagement was unreasonable. She said angrily, "Anyway, just wait. Our family will not get involved in these matters. Let's talk about it after everything is settled."

After saying that, she picked up her skirt and ran away.

"Hey——" Mr. Hong wanted to say something, but his daughter ran too fast and he couldn't catch up with her, so he had to give up.

Mother Hong watched the father and daughter arguing for a long time and chuckled: "Forget it, the little girl is shy, it's good that she has figured it out."

Mr. Hong is a loving father, while Mrs. Hong is the good guy in the family. His daughter has been close to him since she was young, and she didn't think about it for a while. At this time, Mrs. Hong reminded him, and he gave up. He said angrily: "I just wonder how she can figure it out when she is so stupid?"

Mother Hong stopped smiling and said in a deep voice, "She is not stupid. She is not stupid if she can listen to what is said. She can figure it out. I guess it must be something that Xiao Liulang's fiancée said. Otherwise, how could there be such a change? The Xiao family probably has more favorable evidence. Otherwise, how many times has Ah Fu met Prince Huai? How could she be so devoted to him? There is a problem!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Hong's face darkened.

As a father who loves his children, he would not be so angry if someone plotted against him, but he was really angry when someone plotted against Hong Chufu. He said gloomily, "I thought he was a good person, but it turns out he had evil intentions! He must have gotten the potatoes a long time ago, but he was just thinking that the fisherman would benefit from the conflict between the snipe and the clam. Unfortunately, King Chang came out and ruined his wishful thinking!"

Mother Hong nodded in agreement, but they didn't need to consider this matter. As long as their daughter didn't like Prince Huai, they had nothing to fear.

Yan Qiushu didn't know what Hong's father was thinking, otherwise she would definitely have praised him.

Isn't it the fisherman who benefits?

In the plot, Prince Huai last appeared when the other princes were fighting to the death. He suddenly appeared and, together with the Xiao family army, defeated them.

A man who can do this won't be defeated so easily.

Although Yan Qiushu was not in Kyoto, someone had been asking for information these two days. Xiao's mother came to see her again and brought some news to let her know the general situation.

She thought that Prince Huai should be fine.

As expected, in early June, the Dali Temple announced the results of the investigation - Prince Huai was innocent, but the fact that the third prince poisoned Prince Chang, who was still imprisoned at the time, was an ironclad fact.

As for feeding poisoned potatoes to Prince Chang's Mansion, that was done by Concubine Lu Guifei, who framed Prince Huai.

Because on the first day potatoes appeared, Concubine Lu got a lot of them. When she gave them as rewards to the palace maids, they were reluctant to waste them and ate the potato sprouts as well. This caused them to suffer from unbearable abdominal pain, which was recorded in the medical records of the Imperial Hospital.

This is enough to prove that Concubine Lu knew that potato sprouts are poisonous, and it was not the first time that Concubine Lu had reached into Prince Chang's Mansion. A little investigation would reveal it.

With this, and a little more practice, Prince Huai escaped easily.

Concubine Lu was dragged into the incident and refused to plead guilty, even when the perpetrators pointed out that the palace maids around her were responsible.

But even if he doesn't plead guilty, the evidence is solid and he still has to take the blame.

After all, she was a woman who had been the most favored concubine in the harem for nearly twenty years. She held a great position in the emperor's heart. She also gave birth to the emperor's outstanding son, the Fifth Prince, and the lively and lovely Fifteenth Princess. Therefore, she was only confined to her house for three months and fined for half a year.

This kind of punishment was neither painful nor itchy, which made many people who thought they could see Concubine Lu fall very angry.

The most serious crime was collusion with Uta. The third prince and the sixth prince, King Xuan, were jointly guilty of this crime. In order to give the third prince an opportunity to rebel, King Xuan leaked some information, and the third prince did the same.

When the testimony appeared in the court, the emperor was so angry that he vomited blood, and the palace was shaken again.

But this time, the ministers blamed the Third Prince and Prince Xuan. If it weren't for these two people, how could His Majesty be like this? They must be severely punished!

On June 3, the emperor forced himself to hold on to his sick body and wrote down the final verdict on the two men - the third prince was beheaded, King Xuan was removed from all his posts, given thirty lashes with the cane, and driven back to his fiefdom, and his title could not be inherited from generation to generation. Once he was gone, his son would be just an ordinary royal child.

There was no punishment for the Third Prince. He had already been imprisoned for rebellion and had nothing. No matter how much punishment he received, it would not hurt. However, collusion with foreign forces was not something that could be easily let off. Under the pressure of a group of ministers, the emperor compromised and sentenced him to beheading.

This was the first time the old emperor beheaded his son. After the imperial edict was issued, he became even more depressed.

The situation in Kyoto is also becoming increasingly serious.

Even the most patient ministers began to get anxious. News about appointing a crown prince appeared again and again in the court. Even when the emperor was ill, there were still ministers nagging him.

If the emperor dies without appointing a crown prince, the world will be in chaos!

But who should be made the heir? This was another round of disputes. Some people said that Prince Chang was narrow-minded and could not tolerate the glory of his brothers, so he wronged Prince Huai and could not be the crown prince. Prince Huai should be made the heir.

Some people also said that the prince had done a good job before King Chang, and now he has done several things well, has political achievements and reputation, and should be the crown prince.

On the contrary, the support for the fifth prince, Prince Shun, has become much smaller. Only the Lu family, which has been helped up in recent years, and related in-laws strongly support him.

There was a lot of noise and bustle in the court, but undercurrents were surging outside the court.

But this is something that the big shots need to consider. As a rookie, Yan Qiushu is just responsible for eating and drinking.

On the day when the Third Prince was beheaded, all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital stayed by the old emperor's side, fearing that he would be stimulated and vomit blood again. She was also invited back to the Xiao family for dinner on that day.

One died.

It's so gratifying, we have to celebrate!

Of course, the Xiao family did not set off firecrackers to celebrate, nor did they make a big fuss about it. They just had a happy meal together as a family, just like before.

The emperor's son died, and the whole city was in a state of panic.

However, the Xiao family sent all kinds of dishes to the mansion early in the morning, and the two military generals Xiao Huaiting and Xiao Huaiwu also hurried home early. Even though they were very low-key, many people noticed something was going on. They bowed their heads in admiration and murmured, no wonder the old emperor always disliked the Xiao family, they were too arrogant!

Yan Qiushu was welcomed into the mansion. Looking at the happy expressions on the faces of the housekeeper and the Xiao family, she felt that they were too arrogant!

How strange.

Shouldn't the Xiao family be so overly arrogant?

But she just thought about it and didn't say anything. When she arrived, the dishes were already prepared. They had grilled fish with hot pot base, spicy and mushroom noodle pot, and various other dishes.

Yan Qiushu arrived quite early. The grilled fish had just been served, the hot pot had not yet boiled, and only some appetizers were served.

Seeing her arrive, Mrs. Xiao smiled and waved, "Come here quickly. I'm in a good mood today. What do you want to eat? Tell us quickly and let the kitchen prepare it."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "It's so abundant, can't you think of anything else?"

Turning around, Dongdong came over and handed over a fried pork chop: "Sister Shu, this is for you."

Xiao Huaiwu, who had just finished chewing a pork chop, came over, pinched her son's cheeks with both hands, and said with a smile, "You little bastard, your mother never saw you give her food."

Dongdong struggled to avoid it, but his cheeks were already covered with greasy marks. He pouted and said unhappily, "Aren't you eating? Sister Shu hasn't been back for several days!"

Yan Qiushu wiped Dongdong's face with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "It's delicious, thank you Dongdong~"

After saying this, she looked at the handkerchief in her hand and felt amused. She used to forget to bring even tissues when she went out, but now she always carries a handkerchief with her when she goes out. The environment really changes people.

"You're welcome!" Dong Dong said in a crisp voice, in high spirits: "Uncle said I can eat as much as I want today!"

Xiao Huaiqi heard this and asked hurriedly, "Hey, have I been hungry on weekdays?"

Dongdong immediately hid in Yan Qiushu's arms and dared not say a word.

I wasn’t hungry, but I couldn’t eat as much as I did before, and I couldn’t have snacks anytime and anywhere.

Yan Qiushu also subconsciously protected him and touched his face: "You are a little thinner, Dongdong, you have worked hard."

She was happy but sad at the same time. Being too fat is not good, but it was still painful to lose the fat that she had grown with her own hands.

Dong Dong said pitifully, "Yeah! It's very hard, Sister Shu, please take me with you when you go back."

Yan Qiushu smiled but didn't agree.

Dongdong was acting like a cricket pupa in her arms.

The two, big and small, were so close that Xiao Huaiwu, who was standing by, felt really jealous. In recent years, she had practiced martial arts diligently, going out early and returning late, wanting to avenge her husband. Now that she has succeeded, her son is still much more distant from her.

Just as she was feeling a little sad, the two of them whispered something to each other. Dongdong suddenly left Yan Qiushu's arms, jumped to the dining table, took a rib and put it to his mother's mouth: "Mom, this is for you."

Xiao Huaiwu was silent, and the sense of loss disappeared: "Well, thank you Dongdong."

Dong Dong chuckled and patted her hands sensibly: "Mom, don't be jealous. Sister Shu hasn't been here for a long time."

Xiao Huaiwu's eyes curved: "I see, is my mother such a stingy person?"

Dong Dong: “Yes.”

Xiao Huaiwu: "...Brat, come here and pinch me again!"

Dongdong ran away quickly.

At this time, Wan'er and Xiao Huaiyu, with red eyes, also came, with a scent of burning paper on their bodies. When Wan'er saw Yan Qiushu, she also happily rushed over. The two of them were intimate for a while, and Xiao Huaiting finally arrived.

Yan Qiushu saw him and wanted to say something.

But there were too many people and she was embarrassed to say anything. Also, given their current relationship, they decided to just ignore each other.

She looked away.

However, she did not notice that Xiao Huai Ting had just noticed something and looked over. The two of them just missed each other's sight. After the young man's eyes fell on her hair for two seconds, his eyes dimmed a lot.

Mrs. Xiao saw that the time was almost up, so she stood up and smiled contentedly: "Everyone is here, we are a family, there is no need to be polite, everyone sit down!"

The Xiao family members all agreed with a smile and found a place to sit down.

Because there were so many dishes and so many people, the table was made up of two square tables. A group of people sat around it. Yan Qiushu was also pulled to sit down. Then a figure seemed to be pushed, staggered two steps, and sat down.

It turned out to be Xiao Waiting who had been silent just now.

The two looked at each other, and the nanny moved away tacitly.

"Eat! Hey, I've been craving this spicy grilled fish for a long time, it's so delicious." Xie Qingyun took back her hand, looked at the table full of dishes, and smiled, "This chili tastes really good!"

Mrs. Xiao smiled and said, "Today is a good day, shouldn't we eat something good?"

Everyone at the table also smiled happily.

The servants were all dismissed. They were all family members, so there was nothing to be afraid of when talking. Madam Xiao looked at this group of people, feeling extremely pleased. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't bear to ruin the current atmosphere. In the end, she just smiled in relief and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about it. We just know it among ourselves. Just eat well. Your father, the second son, the third son, and the fourth son-in-law will be happy if they are still alive."

"Of course I'm happy, mother, please eat!" Xie Qingyun hurriedly picked up some food for Mrs. Xiao and comforted her softly.

Others also picked up their chopsticks and made jokes to prevent Mrs. Xiao from feeling sad when she recalled those things. After eating for a while, some of them became interested: "Wow! It turns out that the peppers that Lao Liu brought back are so delicious!"

"Ah Shu is really amazing. She uses chili peppers so well!"

Xiao Huaiwu nodded vigorously: "I was disappointed that this dish only looked good but tasted bad. I never thought it would taste like this!"

The grilled fish with dried chili peppers and chili rings has a bright red soup, and the aroma is more pungent than usual. Fortunately, the chef was merciful and did not use too much chili pepper. He also added some sugar and other seasonings to neutralize the flavor.

The resulting grilled fish tasted similar to the medium-spicy dish of later generations, with a hint of sweetness.

Especially since lychees were in season during this period, the Xiao family naturally had some as well, so they put four on the grilled fish. The white lychee flesh was pitted and placed on the grilled fish, while the bright red soup bubbled and dyed the bottom of the lychees red.

"I'm glad you like it. But this is not my invention. I read it in a book." Yan Qiushu smiled shyly, but her hand quickly and accurately grabbed a lychee on the grilled fish.

Obviously, lychees are delicious when eaten directly, but the lychees cooked on grilled fish are warm and sweet, but also salty and spicy. The taste is actually a bit contradictory, but she always thinks it tastes especially good!

Is it because you don’t have to peel the skin and spit out the core?

Yan Qiushu ate the rationality in her mouth and swallowed it in a few bites. She also added a piece of fish. The fish soaked in the salty and spicy soup was tender and fragrant. It was really delicious!

Mrs. Xiao ate her favorite hot pot and did not forget to compliment: "Ah Shu, your hot pot is really delicious. When I ate it for the first time two days ago, it was so spicy that I broke out in a sweat. It was so comfortable. If I eat this in winter, it will be so blissful!"

Yan Qiushu took two bites of the grilled fish and wanted to eat hot pot.

I made it once before, but the meat was not processed well. It was not as thin as the lamb rolls and beef rolls, so the taste was not as good. At this time, the Xiao family had everything prepared, and all kinds of meat rolls were piled up into a mountain.

She was not polite. While putting the meat in the pot, she said, "Yes, it's the best food in winter. If you like hot pot base, you can use it in the army. One block of hot pot base can make a whole pot of soup. The vegetables are delicious when dipped in it. You can also add noodles..."

The thin slices of meat swung around in the gurgling spicy pot, and in the blink of an eye, they changed color and were cooked!

Yan Qiushu dipped the seasoning in the bowl, which was a dried chili sauce with sesame seeds, peppercorns and other condiments added to it. She then dipped it in the hot mutton slices and put them into her mouth together.

The delicious soup and spicy taste burst on the tip of your tongue. The meat slices are thin and tender, easier to chew than a piece of meat. It is really soft, juicy, spicy and fragrant.

Exciting and delicious!

After eating a few bites, Yan Qiushu thought about what she had just said casually.

Hot pot and noodles!

Yan Qiushu wanted to laugh. She had just said that she didn’t want to eat any other dishes, but now she was thinking about it. How delicious it would be if she put it in there!

Alkaline water is available in the palace and is usually used to make fried sauce.

Yan Qiushu subconsciously stood up to get it.

Just now when we were having dinner, in order to avoid saying something inappropriate in the heat of the moment, we sent all the maids and servants away. There were no outsiders here, so if you wanted to get something, you had to get it yourself.

Yan Qiushu said something to Mrs. Xiao, left her seat and went out. As soon as she walked out, she saw Xiao Huaiting following her out.