After hearing this, Yan Shu couldn't believe her ears.

[Unique product???]

[Is there still such a thing in this era?]

System, [Of course there is, but it is not as widely known as in later generations. For example, the soft love powder that the eldest princess is planting now, the raw materials are produced in the Western Regions, and they are made into incense after being dried and modified. After being lit, people will become addicted to the smell and gradually can't leave it.]

So that's it.

Yan Shu hurriedly asked again, [Then how did the princess get infected with this...]

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered and hurriedly asked again, [Could it be the top performer named Pan An in Ruyifang?]

After all, wasn't that person from Rouran? And this unique product also came from the Western Regions?

System, [Yes, it's Pan Zai'an. 】

Yan Shu hissed, 【Then why did he drug the princess?】

Are nightclubs in this era already so chaotic? ? ?

But the system said, 【Who is the princess? She has seen countless handsome men. There were also foreign royal families who proposed to her. In addition, after what happened with Zhao Chengwen, the princess no longer trusts men. So it would take a lot of effort for a guy who came from a duck shop to get close to the princess.】

So this guy drugged her?

Yan Shu thought quietly, 【In order to get close to the princess, he even thought of such a method. It seems that Ruyifang is not just a duck shop...】

Tsk, did they use this aphrodisiac on all the women who went there?

System, [That's not the case. This medicine is too expensive. One hundred taels of silver can only buy one. Only a big target is worth their use.]

Big target...

Yan Shu pondered quietly again -

even if Pan Zai'an captured the heart of the princess, as a foreigner, he probably couldn't become a royal consort.

And if he was just a male favorite, why would he need to use such an expensive drug?

So he went to such great lengths to get close to the princess, could it be... to spy on her?

Yes, that man is probably a spy!

And the other foreign men in Ruyifang, no wonder they are all tall and strong with such good figures, are they all specially trained masters?

They came to the Central Plains to get close to those noble ladies just to spy on her.

System, [Yes, they were originally the guards of the Rouran royal family. The Rouran royal family planted them in when they learned that the boss of Ruyifang went to the Western Regions to recruit people.]

Yan Shu was stunned.

Tsk, this is no small matter! We must find a way to tell the emperor and let him be alert!

She glanced at Yuwen Lan anxiously, but she didn't know that he actually knew it.

Yes, in addition to hearing what Yan Shu had just thought, Yuwen Lan actually received a report from Jinyiwei this morning that the foreign men in Ruyifang were all related to the Rouran royal family.

But he didn't expect that Yuwen Yan was actually poisoned by the other party.

This elder sister... really never makes people worry.

He could not help but glance at Yuwen Yan, who looked aggrieved and impatient, and said, "Are

you feeling unwell, elder sister? If you are, why not call a doctor to take a look?" However, Yuwen Yan was completely oblivious and only said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine, but I am upset by this girl."

But as soon as she finished speaking, Lan Yun, who was eating cakes beside the Queen Mother, started crying again.

"My golden lion... my lion..."

The little girl cried and said, which made people a little confused. The Queen Mother asked, "Tell me slowly, what happened?"

The little girl pouted again and said, "My golden lion was taken away by my mother..."

Now everyone finally heard clearly, it turned out that her mother took her golden lion?

However, Yuwen Yan immediately rebuked, "It's just a broken lion. When did I take it from you?"

Then she said to the Queen Mother, "Your Majesty, I saw this girl has been making trouble with me these past two days."

At this moment, Yan Shu heard the system say, "This little girl has a golden lion toy, which was given to her by her father Zhao Chengwen. After Zhao Chengwen was divorced by the eldest princess, the eldest princess ordered people to throw away all his things in the house. A maidservant beside the little girl had evil intentions and took the opportunity to steal the golden lion to exchange for money. She turned around and told the little girl that it was the eldest princess who ordered people to throw away all the things her father had given her.

Yan Shu understood, "It turned out that the maidservant stole the things, causing the mother and daughter to have a misunderstanding?

What kind of thing is this?" As long as the princess had a little patience and asked the lady about the matter clearly, everything would be fine.

However, Yuwen Yan's mind was full of the foreign spy.

It was really a bit unbearable, so Yan Shu said to the little girl, "Although I don't have a golden lion, I have a cloth tiger."

Then she took out a small cloth tiger from her sleeve.

——This is actually a sachet made by Rendong for her.

Seeing that the weather is getting hotter and hotter recently, she put some mosquito repellent herbs in it and carried it with her to repel mosquitoes. Because she was born in the year of the tiger, Rendong, who was good at sewing, made a tiger shape for her, which looked very cute.

Sure enough, after hearing her say this, Xiao Lanjun looked over immediately and forgot to cry for a while.

Yan Shu then said, "But this little tiger is a little ugly. I wonder if the princess likes it?"

Then she motioned Rendong to give it to the little girl.

Lanjun took the little cloth tiger, looked at it for a while, and finally smiled and said, "Lanjun likes it, thank you, my queen."

"You are too polite, princess."

Yan Shu smiled, and said to the little girl, "How could such a valuable thing be lost? Maybe it was hidden somewhere. Princess, why don't you ask the people who serve you to see if any of the maids and old women know?"

After the voice fell, the queen mother also said to the eldest princess, "What Yipin said is right. How could such a young child deliberately embarrass others? You should go back and check the people in Lanjun's room to see where the golden lion has gone."

Yuwen Yan had no choice but to say, "Your son obeys your command."

After saying this, someone else arrived outside the palace, and Yuwen Yan stepped aside.

This time it was Marquis Xuanping who came.

Speaking of which, the lineage of Marquis Xuanping is still a relative of the Empress Gaozu's maternal family.

They were originally in Jiangnan, and over the past few decades, the titles were passed down from generation to generation, and their relationship with the emperor and empress dowager in the palace had become increasingly distant.

Therefore, the last time this family entered the palace was when the previous emperor was still in power.

If the eldest princess had not taken the initiative to mention them this time, Yuwen Lan would probably have forgotten them.

At this time, the family came to the palace, but they saw that the battle was also quite large. In addition to the couple of Xuanping Hou in front, there was also a young man and a girl following behind them.

After standing still, the Marquis Xuanping led his family to perform a great ceremony, saying respectfully, "I, Feng Zhiyuan, and my family congratulate the Queen Mother on her longevity and wish Your Majesty good health." The

Queen Mother smiled politely, "Stand up. Thank you for coming all the way here. You must have had a hard time on the road."

The Marquis Xuanping said hurriedly, "It is our honor to pay our respects to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty. We are overjoyed and have not had any hardship."

The Queen Mother nodded again and cast her eyes at the man and woman behind her.

The boy was about twenty years old, and his eyebrows and eyes were 70% similar to those of the wife of the Marquis Xuanping. He was her son at first glance; the girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, and her eyebrows and eyes were much more delicate than her brother, and her figure was surprisingly charming.

The Queen Mother couldn't help but ask, "It's only been a few years since we last met, and the children have grown so big already?"

Xuanping Hou quickly replied, "My son Yuanqing just came of age this year, and my daughter Miaoqin came of age the year before last, and they are now seventeen years old."

Then he instructed the brother and sister, "Why don't you come and pay your respects

to His Majesty, the Queen Mother, and the ladies." The brother and sister immediately stepped forward and paid their respects again, "Yuanqing, Miaoqin pay their respects to His Majesty, the Queen Mother, and the ladies."

This was just the right time for everyone to see their appearances clearly.

Yan Shu looked at the two of them and silently pondered in her heart, this son has a square face, just like his father, and his eyebrows and eyes are like his mother, but this girl has a melon-seed face, why are her eyebrows and eyes neither like her father nor her mother?

Tsk tsk, how did she avoid the shortcomings of her parents and pick all the advantages?

But the system said, "Simple, this girl is not the wife of Marquis Xuanping, but the concubine. The concubine is beautiful, so she takes after her mother."

Yan Shu raised her eyebrows, "So she is a concubine?"

The system said, "Yes, the legitimate daughter of Marquis Xuanping was born lame and not very good-looking. They finally came to Beijing, so they naturally have to bring the beautiful concubine, otherwise it would be a waste of time?"

Hmm?

Yan Shu accurately grasped the key point, "Waste of time? Are they trying to send the concubine to the palace?"

The system said, "That's not right. Seeing that the relationship with the imperial family in Beijing is getting farther and farther, Marquis Xuanping must be anxious. With a beautiful concubine, he must want to marry into the Yuwen family again."

Yan Shu, "But the concubine of the Marquis's mansion... I'm afraid she can't enter the palace." 】

System,【So he just answered the Queen Mother's question in a roundabout way, without mentioning the lame legitimate daughter at home.】

Yan Shu,【Leaving the lame legitimate daughter at home, bringing the beautiful concubine daughter to the palace, and not explaining it clearly... Does this mean that he wants the concubine daughter to enter the palace instead of the legitimate daughter?】

Damn, if this is found out, he will be beheaded! ! !

The Marquis Xuanping is so bold! ! !

After listening to this silently, what else does Yuwen Lan not understand?

Very good, a small Marquis Xuanping dares to dream of playing with the imperial power.

He then said, "I remember hearing people say that your daughter had a disability a few years ago, but now it is not visible at all. I wonder where your family found the miracle doctor?" As

soon as these words came out, the Marquis Xuanping's eyes were immediately panicked.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally stammered, "Your Majesty is right. My eldest daughter has had difficulty walking since her calves. This... is the second daughter."

The second daughter?

But the Queen Mother also spoke, "I remember that your wife only gave birth to a son and a daughter, didn't she?"

Xuanping Hou was sweating profusely, so he had to honestly say, "Your Majesty, this girl... was born to my concubine." As soon

as the words fell, everyone in the palace looked at each other and immediately understood.

The Queen Mother smiled coldly and said, "I thought my memory was not good, so this is the case."

Xuanping Hou's back was soaked with cold sweat, so he could only kneel down and say, "It is my fault. I didn't make my words clear just now. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." The Queen Mother

did not speak for a while.

Yuwen Lan ignored her.

The displeasure of the two was already very obvious.

After a while, it was the eldest princess, who was the daughter of the Empress Gaozu, who spoke to ease the situation, "Marquis Xuanping has not seen the emperor for too long, so he can't speak anymore? You must remember this in the future."

Marquis Xuanping hurriedly responded, "I dare not, I dare not." He and his family kowtowed again and again.

Seeing this, the empress dowager finally gave the eldest princess a face and sighed, "Forget it, you can go back and have a rest."

The family responded as if they had been pardoned, and hurriedly stood up and left the palace.

Yan Shu, who had been eating melons quietly, "..."

Tsk, did this family come to the palace to punch in? They left again without even finishing a cup of tea.

But then again, did the emperor really hear people say that his legitimate daughter was lame?

But judging from the Queen Mother's reaction, it's obvious that she doesn't know about this...

Tsk, why do I feel something is wrong?

Yuwen Lan didn't show any strange expression, and drank a sip of tea with a deep sense of achievement and fame.

~~

Next, a few more guests came one after another, and then they saw Madam Mu from the Zhenhai Marquis's Mansion leading her children to pay homage.

When she first entered the palace a few days ago, Madam Mu only brought her "adopted daughter" Ni Xiangwan. Today, on such a formal occasion, her son, the current Zhenhai Marquis, also showed up.

Yan Shu hurriedly cast a glance.

But she saw that the Zhenhai Marquis's eyebrows and eyes were very similar to his mother, Madam Mu.

In comparison, the little girl Ni didn't have any trace of Madam Mu, and she didn't look like this half-brother.

Yan Shu secretly sighed - it was as if God was helping Madam Mu, otherwise if this girl looked like her mother or brother, wouldn't it be suspicious?

From this point of view, the deputy commander must be quite handsome, otherwise he wouldn't have given birth to such a pretty daughter.

But then again, when will this family be able to recognize each other?

After all, it was cruel for the little girl to think that she was picked up.

...

All these voices entered her ears, and Yuwen Lan realized that the protagonist in her story that day was Madam Mu.

In other words, the adopted daughter that the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion has always called to the outside world is actually Madam Mu's flesh and blood...

And the other protagonist in the story, the man who ran away, is the Deputy General Zong she mentioned?

This surname is not common, and it is related to the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion...

Yuwen Lan thought about it, and it seemed that there was a commander in the coastal defense camp of Mingzhou Prefecture, and his surname was Zong.

This person had several opportunities for promotion, but he declined them all and insisted on staying in Mingzhou to guard the coastal defense.

Could it be for this lady?

...

Yuwen Lan then realized that the identities of both parties were like this.

But after a brief surprise, he also somewhat understood why the Zong Dusi made such a choice.

——Love had already arisen, and because of love, it had crossed the line. Whether he kept her or not, it was already a mistake...

After all, no one is perfect. This story makes people feel a little complicated.

...

After all, the friendship between sworn brothers is different. After Madam Mu led her children to pay their respects, the Queen Mother immediately invited them to sit near her.

Lan Yun, who was playing with a rag tiger beside the empress dowager, saw Ni Xiangwan and immediately cast a curious look at her and called out, "Sister..."

Ni Xiangwan also hurriedly replied, "I have met the princess." The empress

dowager saw it and said, "You two can play together."

Then she said to the eldest princess Yuwen Yan, "Since you are tired, why don't you ask Lan Yun to stay in the palace for two days? I am also going to let Madam Mu stay in the palace for two days, so that Lan Yun can play with Xiangwan more."

Yuwen Yan Just when she was looking forward to it, she immediately said, "Then you will have to trouble your mother." The queen mother

nodded, and couldn't help but tell her, "As a mother, you should change your temper in the future and set an example for Lan Yun."

Yu Wenyan replied with a "yes" without listening to it, "I will follow your mother's teachings." Madam Mu

saw it and had to tell her daughter, "Accompany the princess well and be careful."

Ni Xiangwan also said "yes" and started playing with Lan Yun.

~~

After meeting the people who came to celebrate the birthday, it was almost noon.

It's hard for Yan Shu to sit with the queen mother for most of the day, and now she is already hungry.

Fortunately, today's banquet is held in the garden of Ci'an Palace.

Speaking of which, this is a banquet that Yan Shu has been looking forward to for a long time!

——It is now early summer in April. Various fruits and vegetables are on the market one after another. The ingredients are much richer than those in winter and spring. It is definitely different from the banquets during the New Year.

When everyone was seated, the palace servants began to serve the dishes one by one.

Seeing all kinds of aromas rushing towards people, Yan Shu became even hungrier. She

couldn't help but mutter in her heart, "I hope the emperor's toast will be shorter and tell people to eat quickly! I only had time to eat a small bowl of porridge this morning because of dressing up. I'm so hungry!!!"

Fortunately, she was not far from the emperor, and her voice reached Yuwen Lan's ears in time.

Yuwen Lan, "..."

It was really difficult for her to only eat a bowl of porridge in the morning. After all, she could still eat two baskets of buns.

So he complied with the request and simply said, "Today, relatives and friends gather together to celebrate the longevity of our mother. I wish her a long and healthy life." Then he

toasted the empress dowager with another glass of wine.

Everyone raised their glasses and congratulated the empress dowager in unison, "I wish the empress dowager a long and healthy life." The empress

dowager accepted the toast and smiled, "No need to be polite today, eat quickly."

Everyone agreed and began to stretch out their chopsticks.

Yan Shu also felt as if she had been pardoned and started eating immediately.

She had already silently looked at the dishes on the table countless times, and now her target was accurate, starting with the chrysanthemum spine.

You have to know that it has been fried and poured with sweet and sour sauce. If you delay for a while, the taste will not be so good.

Fortunately, she did not delay too long at this time. After taking a bite, she felt that the tenderloin was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. With the orange sauce on the outside, it was sweet and sour and very appetizing.

After eating the tenderloin, she hurriedly tried the dish of fried pigeon with coriander.

This dish pays attention to the aroma of the pot, and it will not taste good if it is cold.

Well, after eating it, it is indeed cooked to the right temperature. The pigeon meat is tender and delicious. After being stir-fried with coriander segments in the pot at high temperature, it has a strong aroma. It can be said that it is the favorite of Yan Shu, a coriander fan.

The early-ripening fat crab is also very tempting. Rendong helped the master to get one. When she opened the crab shell, she saw that the crab roe was almost overflowing.

It is worthy of being a good product specially prepared for the Queen Mother’s birthday banquet! Yan Shu took a bite and immediately felt the delicious taste filled her mouth. She couldn't be more satisfied.

Of course, in addition to the fat crab, there was also the Yangtze River shad that was sent to Beijing from the south of the Yangtze River.

In order to let the guests enjoy the taste, Chef Yu specially steamed half of it and braised the other half, one fish in two ways, which was very thoughtful.

These dishes were already very satisfying, not to mention the dishes that usually only appear at banquets, such as pheasant tail shark fin, Gongbao wild rabbit, white braised fish lips, and crispy suckling pig, which were all wonderful in their own way. The

one that surprised Yan Shu the most was the cherry cheese.

Cherries are in season now. Fresh cherry juice and milk are steamed into custard, and the pitted fruit pulp is sprinkled on the iced custard. Just a thin layer of honey is needed to make it sweet and refreshing.

Looking at the banquet, everyone is trying to say auspicious words to the Queen Mother or chatting with each other. Only Yan Shu treats the dishes on the table carefully and eats very seriously.

After eating the cherry custard, Yan Shu's most anticipated lychee sweet rice is also served.

Lychees are on the market for a short time. If they are short-lived, they need to be transported from southern Guangdong to the capital, so every fruit is worth a fortune.

This dish, on the other hand, is made by removing the core of the white and clear lychee flesh and stuffing it with soaked glutinous rice, raisins, etc. After steaming, the glutinous rice absorbs the sweetness of the lychee, and the lychee flesh still has the unique fragrance of glutinous rice, which makes people feel sweet in their hearts and unforgettable for a lifetime.

Because of its preciousness, this dish only appears once a year at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, and each person can only get three.

Yan Shu finished eating one, and her heart was full of joy.

When she was about to eat the second one, she saw a little girl looking at her curiously.

It was no one else, but Xiao Lanjun, the daughter of the eldest princess.

Yan Shu, "..."

Why can she always attract children when she eats?

In order to ease the embarrassment, she had to smile and said, "Princess, try this lychee sweet rice, you will definitely like it."

But after she finished speaking, she realized that it was not that the little girl did not want to eat, but that no one took care of her.

- The guests were not like the empress dowager and the imperial concubines in the palace, and they could not bring their own palace servants to serve them, so the little girl did not have a wet nurse or maid to take care of her today.

In the past, when she occasionally entered the palace, she had her father to take care of her. Now that her father is gone, her mother Yu Wenyan is busy chatting and drinking with the guests, so how could she take care of her?

So the little girl only ate a few snacks in front of her and did not dare to eat the hot dishes at all.

Yan Shu, "..."

Tsk, this little girl was born from the eldest princess's belly, it's also quite pitiful.

However, she wanted to ask someone to take care of her, but she was afraid that the princess would come to her again to make trouble...

So Yan Shu was a little embarrassed and didn't dare to speak for a while.

Fortunately, at this moment, the emperor found out and immediately asked Fu Hai to find a palace maid to serve his niece. Then the little girl started to eat.

Yan Shu was relieved, and she couldn't help but glance at Yuwen Lan, wondering in her heart, why can this man always think the same way as her?

Could it be... that it is really the legendary telepathy?

Yuwen Lan drank a glass of wine calmly.

Of course.

~~

After the lunch, the king specially arranged a troupe of actors to perform a variety show for the queen mother and the guests to watch.

Yan Shu continued to accompany the guests.

Fortunately, those operas and acrobatics were very interesting, and it was obvious that they were specially rehearsed in advance for the Queen Mother's birthday banquet.

Everyone enjoyed it, but a few people said goodbye to the Queen Mother in advance because they had something to do.

For example, the eldest princess Yuwen Yan, just after lunch, she made an excuse that she was not feeling well and hurried out of the palace.

Yan Shu thought to herself, maybe that soft love powder is craving for it again, and she is in a hurry to find that foreign duck.

Tsk, although she doesn't want to care about this woman, it is related to the court after all, so she still has to find a way to tell the emperor.

But the system said, [Don't worry, as soon as Yuwen Yan left the palace just now, the Jinyiwei secretly followed her. ]

Yan Shu was stunned, [??? Arranged by the emperor? 】

System,【Otherwise, who can dispatch the Jinyiwei?】

That's what she said, but Yan Shu still didn't understand,【Could it be that the emperor also found out that Yu Wenyan was not right?】

System,【Didn't he see Pan Zai'an beside Yu Wenyan with you that night?】

Yan Shu remembered it then.

Oh yes, that's right, the emperor is the emperor after all, and he will definitely not remain indifferent when he sees a foreign man beside his sister.

So, she was relieved.

At the same time, she was secretly shocked -

if the Jinyiwei caught the foreign spy who drugged the princess...

wouldn't it be another big battle?

Tsk, fortunately the queen mother kept Xiao Lanjun in the palace.

Fortunately, the child is still young.

If she were older and knew about the ridiculous things her mother did...

I really don't know what effect it would have on her.

Thinking of this, Yan Shu watched the show while waiting for the system's message.

But when it was getting dark, she didn't get any news from the eldest princess, but saw someone rushing into the palace to meet the eldest princess and said, "Your Highness, it's bad. The county horseman just beat someone up in Yanglou Street, and now the other party wants to sue the authorities."

Huh?

As soon as these words came out, everyone near the eldest princess was stunned.

Yan Shu was also stunned and asked the system, [What's going on? The husband of the Ankang County Lord beat someone up? 】

System,【Yes, just now the Lord of Ankang County sneaked to Ruyifang, and someone informed the County Horse Master, who then followed him secretly and caught the duck seducing his wife on the spot, and in anger broke the duck's legs.】

Yan Shu,【……】

This, this, this, is like cutting open a melon that is rushing to your mouth.