That evening, Madam Yang prepared a table of fine wine and dishes for Lingzhu in her courtyard.
Lingzhu noticed that Yang was wearing a purple silk cheongsam, and the headdress was not a gift from him, but rather a gift from the Netherlands. The lustrous jade hairpins were clearly priceless; even with his wealth and salary, he rarely bought such hairpins for his concubines.
“Master, Princess Qin has finally come back, and I don’t have much to give her. This double-butterfly hairpin is the only presentable gift. Please trouble you to send it over.” Madam Yang poured Lingzhu a cup of wine from a gilded fish-patterned wine pot, while Nan Kui presented Lingzhu with a fine pure gold hairpin inlaid with sapphires and rubies.
“These are gifts from the Netherlands to you. Why are you giving them away?” Lingzhu waved his hand, dismissing Nan Kui.
“My lord, seeing Lanqin return reminds me of our Helena. Alas, Lanqin can still visit her family, but what about Helena? Poor Helena, she's stuck in the deep palace, without a single confidant. Seeing Lanqin is like seeing my own Helena. The two sisters used to play together all the time.” Yang’s words brought tears to Nan Kui’s eyes, who was standing to the side, and Yang herself had already wiped away her tears.
“Madam, Holland has been granted the title of Noble Lady, so the child seems to be quite fortunate. You don’t need to be too sad; when the New Year comes, the Emperor will grant you permission to visit him in the palace,” Lingzhu comforted her.
"Alas. Master, if Holland could give birth to a son or daughter, it would be of great help to her future, to you, and to our Ling family." Madam Yang wiped away her tears with the handkerchief on her chest and secretly observed Ling Zhu's expression.
Upon hearing this, Lingzhu sighed and said, "Madam, whether Holland can conceive a royal heir truly depends on her luck and destiny. There's no use in worrying about it. I can only go to Aling'a and see if I can create more opportunities for Holland to accompany the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yang immediately showed a hint of joy. She took Lingzhu's hand and, disregarding the fact that her makeup had been ruined by her own tears, said urgently, "My lord, I also have a secret formula for fertility. If Lanqin can take it into the palace and give it to Holland, and you can ask your cousin to help you, then we'll have an even better chance."
Lingzhu was startled and said incredulously, "You have a secret recipe?"
Yang blushed, glanced at Lingzhu with a flirtatious look, and said in a sweet voice, "Pei'er and Yi'er were born thanks to that secret recipe."
Lingzhu slapped Yang's hand, cursing, "You're so cunning," but a big smile appeared on his lips. He knew that if Holland could produce a male heir, it would undoubtedly be very beneficial to the entire Niohuru family.
Yang quickly poured Lingzhu another cup of fine wine and whispered her "secret recipe" in his ear.
That evening, as soon as the three of them returned to the manor, they chatted about the fun and interesting things that had happened during the day. Lanqin, who had been humiliated by Yang Shi in the garden that morning, finally had a good outlet for her pent-up anger. In the afternoon, Nianxue and Xicha accompanied her on a stroll through Beijing's famous craft and snack streets.
The so-called "Crafts Street" is naturally a market showcasing all kinds of crafts: clay figurines, rabbit figurines, sugar blowing, painted masks, painted rabbit figurines, kite making, bristle figurines, monkey figurines, windmills, swordplay, pottery, paper cutting, origami; even Peking Opera drumming, crosstalk, and storytelling are all done by setting up a few simple long benches on the roadside and shouting their wares. In short, the folk art exhibition that Lin Mengyao used to attend at Yu Garden in Shanghai has been moved to Beijing three hundred years ago, and it's much more vivid than that folk art exhibition.
The so-called "snack street" was naturally a market of all kinds of food, which allowed Lanqin, a foodie, to thoroughly satisfy her cravings. There were Beijing candied hawthorns, Tianjin Goubuli steamed buns, Tianjin fried dough twists, Aiwowo (glutinous rice cakes), kidney bean rolls, pea flour cakes, braised pork, tripe, roasted meat, Feng's tripe, Li Ji's boiled mutton head, fried liver, braised pork offal, ****, douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)...
"Princess, I haven't had douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) in a long time, and it's really delicious today." Xicha was helping Lanqin pack up some trinkets she had bought from the market: ten clay figurines, ten sugar figurines with candy wrappers stuck to them, three kites, and countless paper cutouts and origami pieces—basically all things that children love to play with.
"Yes, and there's also boiled mutton head, stir-fried liver, and tripe. Tsk tsk, so delicious. I wish we could eat out more often." Lanqin slurped her words, her expression quite comical, which made the two maids laugh. Since they weren't in the Fourth Prince's residence, Nianxue stopped trying to persuade Lanqin.
"Princess, if you want some, you can ask Little Li to go out and buy it for you," Xi Cha said cleverly.
“Hey, that’s right, Xiao Xicha, you’re absolutely right,” Lanqin praised happily. Nianxue thought for a moment, then remained silent.
"Princess, are you buying these to give to the princes in the manor?" Nianxue asked casually as she was packing Lanqin's clothes.
"Hmm, I'll give some to them and keep some for myself." Lanqin picked up the clay figurine of Sun Wukong and said, "Those little princes are actually quite pitiful. They start having such heavy schoolwork every day at such a young age, plus bowing and horseback riding. They really don't have much of a childhood!"
“Born as imperial grandsons, they are of immeasurable nobility from birth, and naturally bear responsibilities that others cannot match.” Lingzhu suddenly stepped in from outside the door, followed unsurprisingly by Anjia.
The two maids immediately curtsied to Lingzhu and his wife, and with a slight puzzlement, Lingzhu waved his hand and left.
Upon seeing this, Lanqin thought to herself: This is bad. He's probably telling me again to speak to the Fourth Prince about Zhengming's admission to the Imperial Academy. Oh dear!
Seeing that Lanqin's playful and happy smile had vanished in an instant, Anjia stepped past Lingzhu and walked to Lanqin first, pulling her precious daughter into her arms.
Lingzhu walked to the tatami mat where Lanqin was sitting, and sat down on the other side, separated by a small stool.
"Where did you go today?" Lingzhu asked. He knew that Lanqin had been going out every day for the past two days. The former Niohuru Lanqin was obedient and docile, but now she seemed to have completely changed her personality. However, considering that she was the princess of the Fourth Prince, Lingzhu did not dare to reprimand her.
"It was just Nianxue and Xicha who accompanied me out for a stroll." Lanqin was still a little afraid of Lingzhu, the old man, so she lowered her voice and nestled in Anjia's arms like an innocent girl. In fact, at her age in the 21st century, she would definitely be considered a minor, so it was perfectly understandable for her to snuggle in her mother's arms and act coquettishly.
"Sit up, Father has something to tell you." Lingzhu couldn't stand the way Lanqin and Anjia were so affectionate, so he couldn't help but raise his voice.
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