Qu Feiqing saw who was coming and a trace of disgust flashed in her eyes. However, due to her status, she could only go forward with Yun Qianmeng to greet them. "Feiqing greets the two uncles and two aunts!" "Qianmeng greets the two uncles and two aunts!"
The beautiful middle-aged woman who spoke first was the wife of Qu Feiqing's third uncle. She was originally the legitimate daughter of Tan's family, a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. Later, she married Qu Yan, the third master of the Fuguo Mansion, who was born out of wedlock, as his legal wife!
Today, Qu Yan is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Miss Tan Xianglian of the Tan family has also risen in status and become the wife of the Minister. Now when she sees Qu Feiqing, the eldest daughter of the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion, she is not polite at all, and her shrewd eyes reveal a strong disdain!
"Jingqing, why don't you come and pay your respects to your sister Feiqing!" She turned slightly and shouted to a girl in a pink dress behind her. Her voice was as loud as if she were in her own house.
But Yun Qianmeng frowned slightly when he heard the girl's name!
Logically speaking, children born out of wedlock cannot be named with the same character as a daughter born out of wedlock!
But Qu Yan has always been an ambitious man. Although he named his daughter... Qing, it has the same pronunciation as his cousin's... Qing. If someone who is not familiar with them is sure to confuse them, they will think that Qu Jingqing is also the legitimate son and grandson of the Qu family!
But this made it impossible for the old lady and others to find any mistakes, after all, the two words only had the same pronunciation but different characters!
If Qu Jingqing were to change his name, Qu Yan would surely make a scene and let everyone in Kyoto know that the old lady, as the legal mother, could not tolerate a bastard's son. Therefore, the old lady and Qu Lingao could only turn a blind eye and pretend that nothing had happened!
Thinking of this, Yun Qianmeng glanced sideways at Qu Feiqing, but saw that she was looking at him at the same time. A hint of helplessness flashed across her bright eyes, and the corners of her lips that were originally raised were now tightly pursed!
"Jingqing greets Sister Feiqing and Sister Qianmeng!" At this time, Qu Jingqing had already come in front of the two of them and bowed slowly to them, but her knees only bent forward slightly without showing a big arc. Presumably, she must be very unhappy in her heart to let this illegitimate daughter pay her respects to them!
"Meng'er greets Sister Jingqing!" Yun Qianmeng saw that Qu Feiqing's face was unhappy, so she returned the greeting with a faint smile, then stood up straight and looked at Qu Jingqing carefully!
Qu Jingqing was dressed in pink today. She had a light pink violet gauze covering the bright pink dress. The lapels, cuffs and hem of the dress were all embroidered with peach blossoms with dyed gold thread, which looked very charming!
However, Yun Qianmeng has been diligently studying everything about ancient times over the past few months. If her photographic memory hadn't deteriorated, the gold thread used on Qu Jingqing would be a top-grade thread that is worth a fortune!
With the salary of a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qu Yan might be able to afford one or two taels of gold thread if he saved for a year, but judging from the number of peach blossoms on Qu Jingqing's body, he must have spent a huge amount of money!
I think the Ministry of Revenue is a good place. A minister's gold is actually dressed more luxuriously than today's Queen. I wonder what the effect will be if those ladies see it!
"Sister Jingqing is so beautiful that she is more beautiful than flowers. If she were to stand in the garden, it would be hard to tell who is the human and who is the flower!" Yun Qianmeng complimented Qu Jingqing as soon as she opened her mouth, causing Qu Feiqing to look at her with confusion!
Seeing Yun Qianmeng being so sensible, Tan's face, covered in rouge and powder, began to smile. Her eyes were filled with pride, and she couldn't help but boast, "Of course! Don't you see how much silver the gold thread on Jing Qing cost? We..."
"Shut up!" At this time, Qu Yan on the side frowned and shouted in a low voice, scaring Tan so much that she immediately shut her mouth. She looked at Qu Yan cautiously, and then stood behind him obediently!
Qu Yan is a middle-aged man who is shrewd and mercenary. Compared with Qu Lingao's uprightness, Qu Yan is obviously a smart and cunning person!
The fact that he had just spoken out to stop Tan at the right time showed that he had already sensed Yun Qianmeng's motive. Therefore, Qu Yan couldn't help but turn his gaze to Yun Qianmeng, whom he had only met a few times. His calm eyes looked at the smiling Yun Qianmeng with a cold and scrutinizing gaze, but he found that he could not see through this niece who was rumored to be timid and cowardly!
This made Qu Yan feel depressed. If what was said by the outside world was false, then the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion might have an extra helper, which would not be a good thing for him!
However, Yun Qianmeng generously let Qu Yan look at her slowly, with the faint smile on her face the same the whole time. At this moment, Qu Feiqing had already noticed something strange in Qu Yan's attitude just now. Her watery eyes stared straight at Qu Jingqing, and a faint smile slowly appeared at the corners of her mouth!
"Hey, isn't this Meng'er?" The person who stepped in front of the two of them was the fourth master Qu Fu, who was born out of wedlock to the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion. As his name suggests, this fourth master was obsessed with poetry and songs all day long and had no interest in state affairs. He could only rely on the face of the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion to find an idle position in the capital and just muddle through every day!
Because the fourth master was not ambitious and was born out of wedlock, the daughters of officials at that time were unwilling to marry him. The Prince of the State's Mansion could only choose the legitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman to marry!
Therefore, compared to Tan's arrogance, fourth aunt Bai seemed much more low-key. However, because her family was well-off, Bai's attire was no worse than Tan's!
As Bai was the daughter of a businessman, she was more or less shrewd, which made her comparable to Tan, the wife of the Minister of Revenue. It is conceivable that when two people who are equally good at calculating are together, they will inevitably compare and calculate with each other!
"Yes! Meng'er meets fourth uncle and fourth aunt!" Yun Qian dreamed that Qu Fu had the temperament of a scholar, but his eyes seemed to be red from staying up late, and his face was yellow and a little listless. At this moment, Bai was standing next to Qu Fu but she didn't care about her husband at all. Presumably, Qu Fu might have picked up some bad habits of scholars, and thought he had some literary talent, so he went everywhere looking for his confidante!
It seems that compared with the ambitious Qu Yan, Qu Fu doesn't need to work too hard, after all, he is just a hopeless person!
"Wen'er, why don't you come and meet your elder sister and cousin! You are so timid all day long, how can you be the daughter of a marquis?" Mrs. Bai shouted coldly at a thin girl behind her. Her voice was cold and ruthless, and it was obvious at a glance that she was not Mrs. Bai's biological daughter!
The girl shuddered at the sudden mention of her name, a flicker of fear crossing her face. However, she couldn't disobey her mistress' wishes, so she could only slowly step forward, bowing her head to greet Qu Feiqing and the others. "Greetings to my elder sister and my cousin!"
Her voice was as small as a mosquito and her figure was as thin as a piece of paper, which made the usually kind-hearted Qu Feiqing look distressed. However, this was her fourth uncle's family affair after all, and Qu Nianwen was a concubine's daughter. There was really no need to conflict with her third and fourth uncles' families for her, so as not to make things difficult for the old lady and her father!
However, although Qu Feiqing warned herself in her heart, a flicker of reluctance still lingered in her eyes. Yun Qianmeng knew that she was kind-hearted, so she patted her hand subtly, then bowed to the people in front of her and said, "My cousin and I still need to prepare a birthday gift for the old lady. We'll excuse ourselves first!"
As she spoke, Yun Qianmeng slowly pulled Qu Feiqing, who was still feeling uncomfortable, away!
"Bah! Look at that slutty look! Do you really think you're a daughter of a marquis? No matter how noble you are, it doesn't matter? You killed your own mother, and Prince Chen broke off the engagement! You're destined to be unlucky!" Before the two figures went away, Tan couldn't wait to curse Yun Qianmeng in a low voice. Her behavior of putting her hands on her waist and spitting was no different from that of a shrew in the market, which made Qu Jingqing beside her pull her sleeve in embarrassment!
Qu Yan couldn't stand seeing Tan's unpresentable behavior. She was clearly a rich lady, so why were her words and actions becoming more and more outrageous? They were still in the Fuguo Mansion, and today was the old lady's birthday. There were many people coming and going in the mansion. If anyone saw them, his position as the Minister of Revenue would be over! Thinking of this, Qu Yan's face darkened a little, and he growled at Tan, "Mind your words and actions, don't let people laugh at you!"
In front of his own brother, Qu Yan didn't want to bring up his family affairs, so he scolded Tan briefly!
And that Tan was obviously a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. She was showing off her power just now, but she immediately quieted down after being growled by her husband. However, her eyes that were raised upwards stared fiercely in the direction where Yun Qianmeng disappeared. In a place where Qu Yan couldn't see, she looked in that direction and said silently... Pah, then followed Qu Yan in a happy mood and went to the old lady's Ruilin Courtyard!
Fang Yun Qianmeng pulled Qu Feiqing quickly to Tingyu Pavilion, and then let go of Qu Feiqing's hand!
It was obvious that Qu Feiqing was affected by the people who had just spoken, and she was feeling a little down. Seeing this, Yun Qianmeng patiently counseled her, "Cousin, everyone has their own destiny! Although we can't choose where we're born, we can choose our own path! If Qu Nianwen is a coward, even if you speak up for her today, it won't change anything! Instead, it will make Fourth Aunt bear a grudge, and she'll torture her when she returns! Instead of that, why don't we just turn a blind eye? Why bother seeing everything and taking it to heart? Isn't that just adding to our frustration?"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng trying so hard to comfort her, and seeing that her words made sense, Qu Feiqing's depressed mood gradually improved. She pulled Yun Qianmeng aside and said what was in her heart, "Meng'er, honestly! I really envy you! Although you were born in such a family, you are tenacious and know how to deal with things. Unlike me, I was so well protected by my family. After seeing how dirty and cruel the outside world is, I am actually afraid of interacting with people!"
Yun Qianmeng heard the hidden meaning in her words, and a trace of worry could not help but appear in her eyes. She asked with concern, "Why do you say that, cousin? I envy you so much! I have no other extravagant hopes in this life. I only hope that the old lady will live a long life, that my uncle and aunt will be healthy, that my cousin and brother will find happiness in their marriages, and that the Fuguo Mansion will be safe and stable. That is all I wish for right now!"
It was originally a happy occasion, but after hearing Yun Qianmeng's words, Qu Feiqing's expression became even more lost. She glanced at the maids and servants standing in the courtyard, then pulled Yun Qianmeng into the inner room and whispered, "Meng'er, I won't hide it from you! You know, I'm sixteen this year, and those matchmakers have nothing to do all day so they run to the mansion. Recently, the old lady and my father and mother have been helping me choose a future husband! But I want to marry my future husband without even seeing him in person. I don't want to end up like my second aunt."
Before she finished speaking, Qu Feiqing knew that she had said the wrong thing, and immediately stopped talking, looking at Yun Qianmeng with eyes full of apology!
Yun Qianmeng, however, simply smiled calmly, not taking Qu Feiqing's gaffe to heart. Instead, she was happy for her. "Grandmother and my uncle and aunt must have good taste! Besides, with my mother's experience as a lesson, I believe they will be even more careful in choosing a husband for you, cousin. Just relax and stop worrying about it!"
But Concubine Qu hadn't finished half of her words. The anxiety in her eyes grew even more intense as she leaned closer to Yun Qianmeng and continued, "Meng'er, I'm afraid even Grandmother and Father can't decide my marriage! Mother came to the palace a while ago, and the Queen Mother also mentioned this matter. She even asked Mother to bring the portrait of the person she liked to the palace for her to review! I'm afraid my marriage won't be that simple, perhaps..."
Qu Feiqing did not say the rest of the words, but Yun Qianmeng knew it in her heart!
Is it so easy to resolve the marriage issue of a daughter from an official family?
What's more, it's the Empress Dowager's family. As the eldest granddaughter, Qu Feiqing shoulders the mission of making the family prosperous!
Therefore, the Queen Mother would never miss such a good opportunity to win over important officials. Just like herself at that time, if Yun Qianmeng had not committed suicide in the palace and made the Queen Mother lose face, I am afraid that her engagement with Prince Chen would not have been cancelled so quickly!
Come to think of it, Yun Qianmeng was actually very grateful to the previous Yun Qianmeng. No matter what other people said about her now, at least she was free now. And because her reputation was not very good, the Queen Mother had less thoughts of plotting against her!
However, Concubine Qu was different from herself! She was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion. She had been cherished since she was born. She was able to stay in the Duke of Fuguo's mansion until she was sixteen. The old lady and her uncle must have made great contributions. Otherwise, she would have become a victim of the Queen Mother's political tactics!
In this ancient time when imperial power was supreme, even Yun Qianmeng, a modern person, felt powerless. The despair of being stuck in the quagmire and unable to move was suffocating, but if one struggled to get through it, he would probably die faster!
Therefore, at this moment, Yun Qianmeng could only try her best to persuade Qu Feiqing to relax. "Cousin, even if you are married, you are still a descendant of the Fuguo Mansion, the beloved granddaughter of my grandmother, the beloved daughter of my uncle and aunt, and the biological sister of my eldest cousin! If outsiders dare to bully you, I believe they will definitely not stand idly by! And Meng'er will always stand by you and will never let you suffer any injustice!"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's serious expression, Qu Feiqing smiled, stretched out her arms to hug Yun Qianmeng, and whispered in her ear, "Thank you!"
Yun Qianmeng smiled knowingly at this gentle thank you, then distanced herself from the two of them and changed the subject, "No matter what the future holds, Meng'er will always be my cousin's sister! Today is the old lady's lucky day, we must celebrate her birthday properly!"
Reminded by Yun Qianmeng, Qu Feiqing remembered the dishes she had stewed on the stove before. Now it seemed that she could faintly smell the fragrance in the inner room!
For a moment, the happy Qu Feiqing temporarily put aside the worries in her mind and pulled Yun Qianmeng straight to the small kitchen!
At this time, in the small kitchen, the maids were carefully watching the fire. They saw bursts of hot steam coming out of the stove, and the fragrance drifted into everyone's nose, which made people's appetites surge. Qu Feiqing couldn't help but ran to the stove and reached out to pick up the pot lid. Fortunately, the maid next to her stopped her quickly, otherwise Qu Feiqing's delicate skin would have been burned!
Yun Qianmeng was also startled by Qu Feiqing's actions and broke out in a sweat. She quickly pulled her hands over to check them, and asked nervously, "Are you okay? Are you burned?"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's genuine concern for her, Qu Feiqing smiled softly, pulled down her sleeves and assured her, "It's nothing, it's just that what you made is even more delicious than what our chef in the Marquis' Mansion makes!"
Yun Qianmeng smiled mysteriously and turned to look at the cook watching over the fire. "Are you all watching over the fire as I instructed? No one has touched the ingredients I prepared, right?"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng being so careful, the cook became even more cautious and replied seriously, "To answer my cousin, everything has been prepared according to my cousin's instructions. The lid of the pot has not been opened yet!"
When Qu Feiqing heard the cook's answer, her eyes were filled with confusion. She asked Yun Qianmeng softly, "It took us a full hour and a half from the time we left to the time we returned. What is this thing that takes so long to stew?"
Yun Qianmeng had already had the maids roll up her sleeves, and after taking the other ingredients beside her, she began to cook. However, she patiently answered Qu Feiqing's question, "The old lady is old and can't eat hard food! Therefore, when preparing food for her, you must pay attention to the softness and hardness of the food! The elderly have weak stomachs and cannot tolerate stimulation!"
Qu Feiqing was confused by what she heard, but she felt that everything Yun Qianmeng said made sense, so she followed behind her with wide eyes, curiously watching her fingers nimbly fiddling with the various ingredients!
"Cousin, if you have nothing to do, why don't you get some green tea for Meng'er!" Yun Qianmeng saw that Qu Feiqing's body was almost sticking to her back. The small kitchen was small and it was not convenient for her to turn around. Now there was another person who didn't work. Yun Qianmeng could only send her away!
But seeing that she finally had something to do, Qu Feiqing happily walked out. Just as Yun Qianmeng was rejoicing at the spaciousness of the space, Qu Feiqing came back like a gust of wind, holding more than a dozen varieties of green tea in her hands. She asked Yun Qianmeng with some embarrassment, "Meng'er, this is Longjing before the Rain, this is Biluochun, this is Pu'er tea, and this is Tieguanyin. With so many teas, which one should we use?"
Yun Qianmeng's hair was already covered in beads of sweat due to the high temperature in the small kitchen. Her hands were busy as she glanced at the tea bag in Qu Feiqing's hand and said, "Let's have Biluochun! Take out the tea leaves and have the maids grind them into tea powder!"
When had Qu Feiqing, a young lady from a wealthy family, ever been in the kitchen? Even after hearing Yun Qianmeng's story, she only had a vague understanding. However, Cai Bo, the eldest maid beside her, was quite clever. Upon hearing Yun Qianmeng's instructions, she took the tea bag from Qu Feiqing and went out to work!
Seeing that her work had been snatched away, Qu Feiqing was anxious and stepped forward to pull Yun Qianmeng to assign her another task. However, Yun Qianmeng was chopping vegetables at the time. When she pulled her, the knife in her hand slashed and cut her left index finger. The green jade finger immediately bled. Qu Feiqing was so scared that she quickly took out a silk handkerchief to wrap it for her, repeatedly apologizing, "Meng'er, I...it's all my fault. Come back with me to see a doctor!"
Seeing her panic, Yun Qianmeng felt that she had bullied her. She lifted her finger and examined it carefully. Seeing that the cut was only a little deep but no bone was injured, she wrapped her finger tightly with a silk handkerchief and continued to chop vegetables. "Cousin, I'm fine, but you should go out first! The small kitchen is really too hot, go out and get some fresh air! I'll go see a doctor after everything is done!"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's persistence, and realizing she had scratched her finger, Qu Feiqing didn't dare stay any longer. She could only walk out of the small kitchen, looking back every few steps. She asked the maid to go get a doctor while she stood guard outside the small kitchen...
Without Qu Feiqing, Yun Qianmeng worked even faster. After three quarters of an hour, all the dishes were ready, and the green tea powder that she had asked the maid to prepare was also ready!
Qu Feiqing only heard the sound of frying in the small kitchen. A quarter of an hour later, she saw Yun Qianmeng leading the little maids carrying delicious dishes out!
"Meng'er, the doctor is here!" Qu Feiqing walked forward, took Yun Qianmeng's hands and looked at them carefully. She saw that the pink silk handkerchief was covered with blood, and she felt distressed for a moment!
Yun Qianmeng was worried that the food would get cold and affect the taste, so she and Qu Feiqing quickly went to the inner room. While asking the doctor to diagnose her, she asked the maid to wipe the sweat off her face and apply a light layer of powder. Then the two of them rushed to Ruilin Courtyard!
But before reaching Ruilin Courtyard, I saw the two uncles standing at the gate!
The few of them met again, and this time Qu Yan's eyes were filled with a hint of anger, and he actually ignored Concubine Qu Yun Qianmeng. Seeing her husband like this, Tan couldn't help but roll her eyes upwards, and whispered sarcastically, "Meng'er is really filial, running to the Fuguo Mansion to show her courtesy! I guess you are waiting for the old lady to find you a good marriage!"
Yun Qianmeng took a quick look and saw that the few people who had been so proud just now were now somewhat dejected. She walked towards Tan Shi with a smile and whispered, "At least my flattery was still effective. It's my third aunt who is disappointed..."
As he spoke, Eunuch Cui came out from the warm room and welcomed them in, leaving behind a group of people gritting their teeth!
Yun Qianmeng originally thought that after waiting for such a long time, only the Duke of Fuguo and the Queen Mother should be left. However, when she stepped into the warm room, she found that everyone in the room was still sitting in their original places, looking at her with curiosity!
"We've been waiting for you to come! We are all hungry!" Seeing Yun Qianmengzheng stunned, the Queen Mother spoke up to explain!
Yun Qianmeng smiled and walked forward with Qu Feiqing to pay their respects. Then they stood up and placed the prepared dishes one by one on the long table that had been prepared in order!
Everyone's attention was drawn to the first dish. On the round white porcelain plate, they saw a pine tree and two cranes painted with vegetables. They couldn't help but be attracted by the beautiful pattern!
"Grandma, this is the first cold dish! The main dish is: Pine Crane Longevity! It's made with shiitake mushrooms, chicken jerky, cucumber, egg white, egg floss, vegetable floss, and cherries. This dish is fresh and light, perfect as an appetizer! The accompanying dishes are: Five Sons Offering Longevity, Four Seas Celebrating Together, Jade Couple Immortal Ban, and Three Stars Monkey Head! The Five Sons Offering Longevity is a platter topped with five different nuts, the Four Seas Celebrating Together is a platter topped with four kinds of seafood, the Jade Couple Immortal Ban features taro and fresh mushrooms, and the Three Stars Monkey Head features cold-mixed monkey head mushrooms! Please enjoy, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Grandma!"
Before everyone started eating, they were already attracted by this unique platter. They couldn't believe that Yun Qianmeng could use such simple ingredients to create such a lifelike dish. They all picked up the food on their plates and looked at it carefully again and again. Only then did they realize that it was just as Yun Qianmeng said, and they couldn't wait to put the food into their mouths!
"It's really delicious, but fresh and natural, and it won't steal the flavor of the subsequent dishes. What's more, the chicken is so easy to chew that even I, who have bad teeth, can enjoy it!" The old lady was the first to praise, and Qu Feiqing then looked at Yun Qianmeng with admiration!
The expressions of others also showed their satisfaction with this appetizer!
Especially the emperor and others who were used to eating exquisite but tasteless delicacies in the palace on weekdays, ate a few more bites!
Yun Qianmeng did not become complacent because of the old lady's praise. Instead, she turned around and personally brought the next hot dish to the table!
"Old Lady, the first hot dish represents a house full of children and grandchildren, and is braised pigeon eggs with deer horn vegetables. The second hot dish represents family happiness, and is braised quail with chicken kidneys. The third hot dish represents immortality, and is sea cucumber cooked with snow lily. The fourth hot dish represents great fortune, and is braised tofu with crab butter. The fifth hot dish represents the Arhat Conference, and is a vegetarian family portrait. The sixth hot dish represents prosperity for five generations, and is steamed gill fish. The seventh hot dish represents Peng Zu's birthday celebration, and is Jiada pheasant soup. The last hot dish represents rejuvenation, and is actually braised young chicken with golden tortoise! After that, here's the soup, named Ganquan Yuye, and it's a pure pot of ginseng and pigeon!"
After all the hot dishes were served, Yun Qianmeng stepped aside and waited for everyone to enjoy!
But at this time, no one had the mind to taste the food, they were all shocked by the names of Yun Qianmeng's dishes!
"What a clever girl! Old lady, you are truly a blessed person. In order to celebrate your birthday, this girl actually came up with such auspicious names for these dishes. It really opened the eyes of an old man like me! In the past, when we were fighting on the battlefield, the captain would only have a bowl of longevity noodles at most for his birthday! Fortunately, the old man came today, otherwise I would have missed out on so many good things!" The King of Chu was always in high spirits. Seeing so much food, his stubborn illness and cough seemed to have healed as well. He praised Yun Qianmeng from head to toe with a big mouth!
"Your Highness, you are too kind! Qian Meng has only taken the essence of the ancients for her own use, and she has no outstanding performance!" Yun Qian Meng bowed towards Chu Nanshan, her voice soft and gentle, without any trace of arrogance in her voice!
Seeing her reasonableness, the King of Chu was about to open his mouth to praise her, but he heard the cold voice of Old Lady Chen in his ears, "Your Highness's cough seems to have healed, and now you speak so loudly!"
Although he was exposed in public, the King of Chu did not care at all. Instead, he started coughing and pulled Chu Feiyang's sleeve, asking him to take out the pills he had placed on his waist!
Chu Feiyang looked at his grandfather with a faint smile, slowly took out the medicine bottle, and then slowly poured out the pills inside. King Chu quickly threw the pills in his palm into his mouth!
Yun Qianmeng was standing close and had sharp eyes, and she discovered that the pill the King of Chu had just taken was just an almond. For a moment, she found it funny, but she also became curious about this respected King Chu!
When Yun Qianmeng was focusing on the King of Chu, the meal had already started. The four old ladies were all elderly and had no fondness for hard food and dishes with strong flavors. On the contrary, they were very happy with the dishes cooked by Yun Qianmeng with ordinary ingredients!
Although the emperor and empress were young and had no special preference for these soft foods, the food made by Yun Qianmeng was good because the flavor of the ingredients was extracted bit by bit. In addition, Yun Qianmeng only used a little oil, salt, sauce and vinegar when cooking, and did not add any other spices to enhance the flavor, which made the emperor and empress very happy!
Especially Emperor Yugan, he couldn't let go of the Xueliwei that he had never eaten before, and ate it again and again!
After the birthday banquet, everyone was very satisfied!
Jiang Muchen put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand, and looked at Yun Qianmeng with an inquiring look, but she saw that after seeing everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks, she turned around and walked out!
Chu Feiyang smelled a faint scent when Yun Qianmeng passed by him. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Yun Qianmeng deeply!
Yun Qianmeng came back with a snack in her hand. The snack was lush and green, in the form of small round green cakes, and the edges of the cakes were sprinkled with sesame seeds, which made the colors bright and looked very beautiful!
Seeing everyone looking at her expectantly, Yun Qianmeng didn't beat around the bush and explained with a smile, "Old Madam, this is a birthday snack: Buddha's Hand Rubbing the Head. It's just an ordinary green tea Buddha cake, just for good luck. I hope the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Old Madam won't mind!"
The old lady was already very satisfied with today's dishes, so how could she find fault with Yun Qianmeng?
After Yu Gandi and the others took a piece of the green tea Buddha cake, she followed suit and took a bite. She could smell the fragrance of green tea in her mouth. Although this green tea Buddha cake looked like a dessert, it only had a slight sweetness...
I guess Meng Yatou is still concerned. Knowing that the elderly can't eat too much sweets, she reduced the sugar content...
No one expected that this not-so-delicate and beautiful green tea Buddha cake would have such a refreshing taste, which also happened to remove the greasiness left in the mouth!
In a short while, the full plate of green tea Buddha cakes was gone. Everyone stroked their slightly bulging stomachs and looked at Yun Qianmeng with an incredible expression!
However, Chu Feiyang noticed that Yun Qianmeng's sleeves were stained with a little red, and his smiling eyes darkened a little!
Hai Tian was paying attention to everyone's expressions. Seeing that everyone was looking at Yun Qianmeng with admiration, she looked rather dissatisfied. After taking a sip of tea, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, Miss Yun's cooking skills are excellent! I believe Miss Yun must be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I wonder if Miss Yun would be willing to perform in public?"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng raised her eyes and looked at Hai Tian, only to see a hint of coldness in her smiling eyes, and the corners of her lips that were raised slightly were filled with the pride of victory!
Yun Qianmeng had no intention of comparing herself with her. Furthermore, she had already stolen the limelight in front of everyone today. If she continued to show off her brilliance, she was afraid that her free and easy life would be impossible. So she politely declined, saying, "Your Highness, you think too highly of Qianmeng! If we talk about the most talented women in Western Chu, you must be the one! Besides, human energy is limited. Qianmeng is concentrating on cooking, so she doesn't have much time to delve into poetry and literature. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"
But Hai Tian had no intention of letting Yun Qianmeng go. Seeing her refusal, Hai Tian was furious. She was convinced that Yun Qianmeng must have thought that because of her success and the praise from everyone, she no longer took her seriously. The smile in her eyes faded, and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth. With a cold tone, she continued to attack, "Miss Yun, do you look down on me?"
Seeing Hai Tian being so aggressive, Qu Feiqing was furious. Meng'er had just served a group of people a meal, and now Hai Tian was asking her to perform in public. What did she think of her? Meng'er was the daughter of the Prime Minister. Even if she wasn't favored by the Prime Minister, she was still a lady from a prestigious family. How could she be a servant who could be at Hai Tian's beck and call?
Yun Qianmeng secretly sighed in her heart. Although she knew that Hai Tian had misunderstood something, she couldn't expose it in public. She could only use some brainpower to deal with it!
Everyone also heard the challenge to Yun Qianmeng in Hai Tian's tone. They also knew that Princess Tian of the Sea Palace has always been arrogant and looks down on others because of her outstanding appearance and talent. Today, Meng'er shined in her cooking skills, and Princess Tian must be unhappy and must make Yun Qianmeng look bad!
Just when everyone thought Yun Qianmeng would be provoked by Hai Tian's provocation, Yun Qianmeng remained calm, her tone carrying her usual indifference, and a faint smile on her face that was just the right touch. "My princess, you are wrong! It is Qianmeng's honor to be recognized by your eyes! However, today is my grandmother's birthday banquet, and Qianmeng has already presented a birthday gift. How can I take up other people's birthday celebrations? Qianmeng's third and fourth uncles have been waiting outside the courtyard for a long time! Even though Qianmeng is talented, she understands that the birthday girl today is my grandmother. How can I steal the show?"
These words, emphasizing retreat as advance and defense as offense, made the imposing Hai Tian unable to vent her anger. Her eyes, now filled with gloom, looked towards the headmaster because of Yun Qianmeng's words. She saw that the Queen Mother's expression was no longer as gentle as before. Hai Tian swallowed her anger and said to Yun Qianmeng with a smile: "If that's the case, Hai Tian has overstepped his bounds! If there is a chance, I will discuss poetry with Miss Yun again!"
The old lady always protected her own people. Seeing Hai Tian being so arrogant in her own territory, the smile in her eyes turned cold. Seeing that Yun Qianmeng had been busy for a long time and she was not ready for dinner, she said considerately, "Meng'er and Fei'er, go down and have dinner!"
Yun Qianmeng knew that the old lady was thinking about her, so she and Qu Feiqing nodded and retreated!
"Look at what I just said. Hai Tian is definitely not a good person!" Qu Feiqing started to stand up for her only after they had walked a long way away. If Yun Qianmeng hadn't responded quickly, she would have rushed forward to argue with Hai Tian!
Yun Qianmeng, however, showed no sign of anger at this moment. Instead, she took a deep breath in relief, shook Qu Feiqing's arm, and said coquettishly, "Meng'er knows that cousin loves Meng'er the most! But, cousin, you are so angry, haven't you fallen into that person's trap? The more others treat us like this, the happier we should be! We must not do things that will only make our loved ones sad and our enemies happy! If cousin continues to be so angry, I believe that person will wake up laughing even in his sleep!"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng talking about one twisted logic after another and even making fun of her, Qu Feiqing blushed with shame for a moment!
At this time, Wu Ma beside Ji Shuyu came over quickly and asked Qu Feiqing to go to the front yard to entertain the ladies of each family. Yun Qianmeng thought that this was an opportunity for her aunt to let Qu Feiqing learn to manage the affairs of the mansion, so she smiled and persuaded Qu Feiqing, who refused to leave, to leave!
When she was the only one left in the garden, the smile on Yun Qianmeng's face gradually disappeared. Thinking of Hai Tian's various behaviors, she thought that it would be best to stay away from everything in the Prince Chu's Mansion!
But what you fear often comes true. As soon as she turned around, she saw Chu Feiyang standing behind her, his bright black eyes looking at her with a smile. Yun Qianmeng's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately adjusted her state, took a step back, distanced herself from Chu Feiyang, and bowed, "Greetings, Prime Minister Chu!"
Chu Feiyang saw Yun Qianmeng's panic when she saw him, and saw her forcing herself to remain calm at this moment. He felt that she was really different from others!
If it were another woman, she would have panicked if approached by a strange man, but Yun Qianmeng reacted in an instant and handled it with extreme calmness!
What kind of woman is this? What has she been through? Why is she so calm as if she has lived several lifetimes?
However, Chu Feiyang didn't come to the garden to explore the mystery of Yun Qianmeng's life experience. He took out a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Yun Qianmeng, saying seriously, "If your hand is injured, don't let it get wet. Apply this ointment every day. Within ten days, your skin will be restored to as good as new!"
Yun Qianmeng looked at the porcelain bottle in front of her, but did not reach out to take it. Instead, she pondered Chu Feiyang's intention...
Moreover, Western Chu had very strict requirements for women and would never allow private transactions between men and women!
But Chu Feiyang did not allow her to think about it slowly, and he was not a person who followed the rules of etiquette.
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