Chapter Twenty
Li Heng slept on the heated kang for a night and found it very comfortable. The next day, he ordered the craftsmen in his mansion to make a heated kang in his bedroom as well.
If you think about it carefully, he only stayed in Gu Leyao's room for five or six days before running away.
Gu Leyao was very angry about this, and she would make a humming sound every time she saw Li Heng.
At this point, Li Heng would tap Gu Leyao's nose and say, "What are you humming about? Are you a little calf?"
However, Gu Leyao still has to give Li Heng a massage every two days. This is her bottom line. If Li Heng disagrees, she says she will make a big fuss.
Li Heng had no choice but to agree.
If both people take a step back, they can live in peace.
Gu Leyao's days are busy and fulfilling, so busy that she forgets the seasons.
One day, while she was walking in the yard, she was suddenly hit on the head by a jujube.
She immediately exclaimed "Oh dear!" and looked up to find that the jujube tree she had transplanted to the yard was now laden with fruit, its branches covered with bright red berries.
Gu Leyao suddenly realized that she hadn't cooked anything in a long time.
Seeing the jujubes ripening at this time of year, I vaguely remember that Chun Tao mentioned wanting to eat osmanthus jujube paste and yam cake a while ago.
She decided to take the day off and asked Chun Tao to get two bamboo poles so that the two of them could knock down all the ripe dates.
Then I took a large wooden basin, put the dates in it, and later took it to the kitchen to have someone fetch well water to wash them several times.
As for osmanthus, Gu Leyao and Chun Tao had collected several jars of it beforehand, and they had already dried them, and they smelled wonderful.
I was originally planning to save it for winter, but it's great to eat it now.
I chose Huai yam, which is good for the spleen and stomach. I peeled and sliced it, washed and pitted the red dates, put them in a steamer and steamed them until cooked. Then I mashed the softened yam and red dates into a paste.
Next, grind glutinous rice and japonica rice into powder, mix it with mashed yam, and then layer yam paste, jujube paste, and a little golden and sweet osmanthus honey in the middle. Stack these layers in the mold, and soon a petal-shaped jujube paste and yam cake is ready.
Finally, steam over high heat until cooked through, then let cool before using.
Gu Leyao, along with Chuntao, made several large boxes of square cakes. She was very enthusiastic and energetic while making them, but after they were finished, she realized that she, Li Heng, and the few people around them couldn't possibly finish them all.
So when Li Heng went to the palace, Gu Leyao handed him a large box.
Li Heng weighed the box in his hand; it was quite heavy.
Gu Leyao said, "The jujube tree in my yard bears a lot of fruit, which is big and sweet. I used it to make osmanthus jujube paste and yam cake. You can take it to the palace for your brother, sister-in-law, and the little prince."
Li Heng hesitated for a moment, and Gu Leyao patted his shoulder, "I've already put your portion in your courtyard. Eat it when you come back. Don't take the gifts I gave to my brother and sister-in-law!"
Li Heng was somewhat helpless, but he actually took the large food box to the palace.
Li Heng and the Emperor spent the entire morning discussing matters in the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Before they knew it, it was almost noon. The Emperor was about to order the meal when Li Heng stopped him, and the Emperor looked at him with suspicion.
Hong asked Li Qi to take out the big box. When they opened the box, a fragrant aroma of osmanthus wafted out. Inside were eighty-one neatly arranged osmanthus, jujube, and yam cakes, each adorned with tiny yellow osmanthus blossoms.
"This was made by Le Yao. She asked me to bring it into the palace so that you, your sister-in-law, and Chong'er could have a taste."
The Emperor was somewhat surprised, "Sister-in-law can make such exquisite food?"
Li Heng smiled somewhat reservedly, "Le Yao likes to cook. When she has free time at the Prince's residence, she often cooks for me. Royal brother, please don't be shy, have a taste. If you think it's delicious, Le Yao will be happy."
The emperor, seeing his younger brother's pretentious act, wanted nothing more than to tap him on the head with his finger.
He's so smug, isn't he?
Meanwhile, the young prince had spent the whole morning in class, his head filled with classical Chinese texts by his tutor. His little head was spinning, his stomach was rumbling with hunger, and his steps were unsteady.
After waiting for what felt like forever, it was noon when school ended. The little prince heard from the palace servants that his uncle had arrived, and his little feet flew off to the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Before he even arrived, his voice had already reached the Hall of Diligent Governance: "Royal Uncle, Royal Uncle, Royal Uncle!"
The young prince, like a little calf, burst through the gates of the Hall of Diligent Governance and came running over.
As soon as he entered the room, he smelled a faint fragrance of osmanthus.
The young prince was puzzled. At this time of year, wouldn't the osmanthus blossoms have already fallen? Where was the fragrance of osmanthus coming from? His father's Hall of Diligent Governance was always filled with ambergris!
He sniffed the air, his little body wriggling closer to his father and uncle, and discovered a large box on the table, filled with many pastries.
The little prince was hungry, so he reached out and grabbed a pastry. After biting a small hole in it, golden, clear osmanthus honey flowed out from the middle of the pastry, almost dripping onto his hand. The little prince quickly gulped it down and swallowed the whole pastry.
"It's so delicious! Which lady-in-waiting made this? I want her to make it every day from now on, I want to eat it every day!"
The Emperor pressed down on the young prince's forehead, causing him to stumble backward. The young prince steadied himself, immediately raised his head, and glared angrily at his father.
"Father, I'm eating. Don't touch me while I'm eating. Mother says that children will get sick if they do!"
The Emperor, like a wicked fox, bent down to look the young prince in the eye and chuckled softly, "Didn't your mother tell you to eat less candy? Why didn't you listen?"
"How can this be the same! Father, I'm not playing with you anymore, goodbye, Imperial Uncle!"
The little prince, holding two osmanthus, jujube, and yam cakes in his hands, ran off with a clatter.
After he left, the Emperor gave Li Heng a wry smile, "That's just how the Crown Prince is. He's five years old, but he's still like a child."
Li Heng reminded the Emperor, "Isn't five years old still a child? I remember when you were nine, you even stole my candy."
The Emperor's smile froze on his lips. Honestly! Neither his brother nor his son is lovable anymore!
The young prince came running back, making a surprise return. He placed two pieces of osmanthus, yam, and jujube paste cake in the emperor's hands, then picked up the large food box and was about to leave.
But he couldn't lift the large food box; instead, because he used too much force, he accidentally fell to the ground.
He took the palace maid's hand and made her pick up the food box. Then the little prince pulled the maid and ran away.
"Bad father, your mother and I ate all the sweet cakes, we must punish you severely!"
The Emperor looked at the two pieces of pastry in his hand. The little prince had squeezed them too tightly, causing some of the osmanthus honey inside to leak out. He quickly took a bite and thought it was indeed delicious. He praised in a serious tone, "Sister-in-law's skills are truly excellent."
In his heart, he cursed his unworthy son! Just wait until he got back, he'd teach him a lesson.
Li Heng looked at the sticky osmanthus honey in his elder brother's hand and wanted to laugh, but he decided not to expose his brother's hypocritical pretense.
*
Phoenix Palace.
The young prince, pulling a palace maid along, ran to his mother's side. The Empress heard the noise, put down her pen, and turned to look at her son.
"Chong'er, what did you bring? Why are you in such a hurry? Be careful not to fall."
The palace servants placed the food box on the table. The young prince opened the lid and said triumphantly, "This is the spoils I snatched from Father. I heard it was brought in by my uncle. My aunt made these pastries herself, wanting to give them to us."
His words were incoherent, but the Empress understood: these were pastries made by Le Yao, and she had asked Aheng to bring them into the palace for them to eat!
These pastries look cute and smell wonderful; they must be delicious.
The Empress picked up a piece of osmanthus, jujube, and yam cake, and the Crown Prince urged her to eat it, saying, "Mother, Mother, eat it quickly, there's golden honey inside, it's so sweet and delicious."
Mother should eat it all, and not leave any for that wicked father!
The Empress, who had tasted many delicacies, took a bite with some skepticism. Sure enough, she saw golden osmanthus honey flowing out. It was sweet but not cloying, with both the fragrance of osmanthus and the sweetness of honey. Le Yao's cooking skills were indeed excellent.
The Empress ate three pieces of osmanthus, jujube, and yam cake before finally stopping, still wanting more.
In the evening, she dined with the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and their family of three.
There was a steamed sea bass right in front of the Queen. She used to love eating fish, but today, the smell of fish made her feel a sour taste rise in her throat for some reason.
She quickly stood up, left the dining table, and went to the tea table next to her, where she asked a palace maid to pour her a cup of tea to rinse her mouth.
The Empress was feeling unwell, and the Emperor and the Crown Prince also lost their appetite. The two of them stayed around the Empress. The Emperor ordered the palace servants to quickly find the imperial physician, while the Crown Prince followed his mother around like a shadow.
The Empress had some suspicions about her health, but fearing she would be disappointed, she said nothing and waited for the imperial physician to examine her.
A short while later, an elderly imperial physician with gray hair came over, took the Empress's pulse through a handkerchief, and immediately knelt down on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is pregnant."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed.
He and the Empress only have one child, Chong'er, which is a bit too few offspring. If they could have another child, the palace would be more lively in the future.
The young prince was somewhat bewildered; was he about to have a younger brother or sister?
The Emperor and Empress were deeply in love. For many years, the Empress was the only concubine in the harem, and she had only one son, the Crown Prince.
The young prince was a little bewildered when he suddenly learned that his father and mother would soon have another child. But seeing the emperor and empress smiling, he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
Are Father and Mother really that eager for that unborn child? When his younger siblings arrive, will Father and Mother still love him so much?
The Empress and the Emperor were so engrossed in the joy of welcoming another child that neither of them noticed anything unusual about the young Crown Prince.
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