"Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty!" Lanqin, dressed in a light silver-red qipao, curtsied while holding a handkerchief in her hand. Sihua, carrying a food box, followed behind and also curtsied.
"Oh, what brings you here at this hour?" Kangxi asked Lanqin from behind his imperial desk.
"Your daughter-in-law came especially to bring wild vegetable cakes to Father Emperor. Didn't Father Emperor say last time that he wanted to try your cooking?" Lanqin said.
"Oh? What delicious food have you brought me?" Kangxi noticed the food box in the hands of the maid behind Lanqin and immediately became interested.
“It’s something I ate when I went to the countryside with my mother. Father, you must be tired of the imperial meals you eat every day. Trying this unusual wild game might give you a better appetite,” Lanqin said.
"Good, come here, come here, let me see." Kangxi said happily, gesturing for Liang Jiugong, who was standing to the side, to take away what he was writing.
Lanqin personally took the food box from Si Hua, then walked up to Kangxi and, together with Liang Jiugong, opened the layers of the food box to reveal the food plates inside.
"Oh, this is a rare delicacy!" Liang Jiugong saw Lan Qin take out a blue and white floral-patterned plate from the food box with her fair little hands.
"Does Your Excellency know this?" Lanqin asked. She had specially sent someone to pick this vegetable from the Fragrant Hills area, specifically to prepare this dish for Emperor Kangxi. Lanqin often dined with Emperor Kangxi, and noticing his poor appetite, she wanted to find a way to improve it. She shared this idea with Consort De, who was very pleased and even had someone assist Lanqin, searching for this wild vegetable according to Lanqin's directions.
"What is this?" Kangxi asked.
"Your Majesty, this is a wonderful thing called 'purslane.' This wild vegetable is good for the body; eating more of it can clear heat and detoxify, cool the blood and stop bleeding," Liang Jiugong said, his eyes shining.
"Is that so? Then I'd like to try it," said Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, please try some. Eunuch Liang is quite right; purslane can lower blood sugar levels and help maintain stable blood sugar. At Father's age, a common problem is increased blood viscosity, making blood flow less smooth." Lanqin couldn't help but add a few words about the future; she made these purslane vegetable cakes specifically to help Emperor Kangxi with this. Although a little cake wouldn't have a huge effect, the thought behind it was valuable. What Emperor Kangxi truly needed was family affection!
Sure enough, Kangxi nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and with a smile, picked up a piece of rice cake and put it in his mouth. Liang Jiugong was about to call a servant to get chopsticks, but Kangxi didn't even wait for him to call for them before starting to eat.
Kangxi stopped after using three pieces. Liang Jiugong quickly handed him a prepared handkerchief to wipe his hands.
"Father, please have some tea. This is a jujube tea I brewed myself, with honey added; it's quite good for digestion," Lanqin said. Based on her understanding of Kangxi, her judgment was that his appetite had been ruined by years of overly refined diets. Added to this was the poor appetite caused by arteriosclerosis and poor blood flow in the elderly.
Emperor Kangxi accepted the tea offered by Lanqin with great enjoyment, took a few sips, and immediately felt much more relaxed.
"You little rascal, you're quite diligent. Tell me, what reward do you want?" Kangxi said.
“It is only natural for a daughter-in-law to respect her father-in-law, why would she need any reward!” Lanqin immediately said.
Kangxi was indeed in high spirits and said to Lanqin, "Alright, since you want to show respect to your father-in-law, then accompany me for a walk in the Imperial Garden. After eating, you need to move around to aid digestion."
"Your daughter-in-law obeys!" Lanqin quickly curtsied. She had originally wanted to talk to Kangxi about the banquet where all nations paid tribute, and it would be even better if she could do so while strolling in the Imperial Garden, when Kangxi was in a good mood.
After saying this, Kangxi took only Lanqin and Liang Jiugong with him, and left through the back gate of Qianqing Palace to go to the Imperial Garden.
Since it was already autumn, not many flowers were blooming in the Imperial Garden. Instead, some fruit trees were laden with fruit, which hung on the branches and looked very festive.
"Father, today my daughter-in-law and mother looked at the menu and tableware list for the palace banquet where all nations pay tribute, and we think there are some places that can be changed," Lanqin said.
Emperor Kangxi was admiring the flowers when he heard Lanqin say this, so he asked, "What aspects do you think are not well thought out?"
“No, I think the tableware used is too exquisite. What if those uncultured foreign barbarians take a liking to it and decide to steal it? Look, they might hide it in their sleeves and take it away. Wouldn’t that be a loss?” Lanqin said. She wasn’t very knowledgeable about the dishes, but she was familiar with the inscriptions on the tableware. Those were all national treasures, and it was a real waste for Kangxi to use them to entertain foreigners. Lanqin thought about how many national treasures had been lost overseas in later generations. Could it be that some of them had also been stolen?
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and said, "Hmm, you're starting to look like a daughter-in-law planning for the family. But your father-in-law is the emperor who owns the whole world, so there's no need to be so reserved."
A bead of sweat slid down Lanqin's forehead as she thought to herself: "You're not just rich in the four seas; there are many other countries within the four seas. Their science and technology have already begun to surpass those of the Qing Dynasty."
“Father is absolutely right, but I’m afraid that if they see how rich and prosperous our Great Qing Dynasty is, they might become greedy. I think it would be better to use official kiln wares made during the Kangxi era of our Great Qing Dynasty, which would be enough to leave them speechless with awe,” Lanqin said.
"Hahaha, dumbfounded?" Kangxi's eyes crinkled with laughter. "You little girl, did you come here today specifically to tell me about this? Are you afraid of putting your mother in a difficult position, so you wanted to use ordinary official kiln wares?"
Seeing that Kangxi had seen through her little scheme, Lanqin smiled obsequiously and said, "Father, you are truly wise. You saw right through my thoughts. I was worried that the servants might accidentally break the treasures, which would be a real pity. Father, I think that showing those foreigners the wealth and power of our Great Qing Dynasty is not about these things, but about showing them our military strength and national spirit. If they see that, they won't have any ulterior motives."
Seeing that Lanqin was getting into the depth of her argument, Kangxi asked, "Then tell me, do you want to show them the grandeur of the three armies?"
Lanqin nodded: "That's right. Let them know that there are countless fine young men in our Great Qing Dynasty. If they want to have any ideas, they should think twice."
Kangxi said, "Showing off the three armies is no easy task. Do you intend to take them to see the troop deployment of my Great Qing?"
“Father, let’s go hunting! Take them hunting, and they’ll see the bravery and courage of the warriors of our Great Qing,” Lanqin said.
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