After the palace maids had brought everything, one maid stayed next to each master, while everyone else withdrew.
The reason for keeping a palace maid is to better serve these masters.
Emperor Kangxi looked curious. He had eaten from this pot before, but today's pot seemed a little different.
The hot pot for this banquet was prepared by Yunyi. Usually, the dishes served at banquets are all stir-fries made by the imperial kitchen. They are delicious, but in the freezing weather, the dishes are not hot by the time they are served.
Nowadays, animal oil is commonly used for stir-frying. When the dish cools down, the oil solidifies on the surface, making even the most delicious dish unpalatable.
So for this family banquet, Yunyi suggested to Tongjia that they replace the traditional stir-frying with a pot, since at least the pot would be constantly burning and the food would be hot to eat.
After listening to the suggestion and thinking about it for a while, Lady Tongjia also thought it was a good idea and agreed to the suggestion.
She has been in the palace for so many years, and what she fears most is the various banquets in the palace. In summer, all the dishes are cold, and in winter, all the dishes are chilled.
Every time she had a banquet, it was long and she wasn't full. She also had to maintain a proper demeanor for fear of being impolite. She always got a headache when she heard about this.
Now that Ulanara said so, she considered it and, finding no problems, agreed.
Now that Kangxi's children have grown up, there is less competition among the concubines for his favor. As an Imperial Noble Consort, she can protect Ulanara if anything happens, which is why she agreed.
At the head of the table, the palace maids watched Kangxi with keen insight, cooking whichever dish he looked at.
Even Emperor Kangxi, who had grown up eating delicacies, was amazed after eating a piece of beef cooked by a palace maid.
The beef was sliced very thinly by the imperial chef. After being simmered in the broth, it became tender and delicious, with both the bouncy texture of beef and the rich aroma of the broth. After taking a bite, Emperor Kangxi felt completely relaxed.
Seeing this, the palace maids quickly cooked more beef, and then continued to cook other meats. But fearing that Kangxi might get tired of it, the palace maids would also cook some mushrooms and vegetables in between.
On the princes' side, the eldest prince's wife's pot was a bit different from others. Seeing that Lady Irgen Gioro looked slightly puzzled, Yunyi explained it to her.
“Sister-in-law, you are pregnant, so you need to be careful about what you eat. This soup base was specially prepared for you after consulting the imperial physician, and the dishes are all safe for pregnant women to eat. Please eat with peace of mind. If you have any questions, just ask the female physician next to you.”
Yunyi's arrangements were very thoughtful. Since the Grand Consort was pregnant, she not only arranged for a different menu but also had a skilled female physician on standby, just in case.
Hearing her fourth sister-in-law say this, Irgen Gioro felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that this must have been specially arranged for her by her fourth sister-in-law. She smiled gratefully at her fourth sister-in-law and said, "Then I thank you for your arrangement, sister-in-law."
Although the eldest prince did not get along with the crown prince, he did not have any bad feelings towards the young fourth prince. Seeing the arrangements made by his fourth brother's wife, his impression of the fourth prince's family improved a lot.
Everyone was very satisfied with the New Year's family banquet. People in the palace knew how difficult it was to endure a banquet, but this year they were able to eat their fill and even enjoy the food. Everyone had a very good impression of the Fourth Prince's wife who made the suggestion.
Emperor Kangxi was very satisfied with the wife of his fourth son's family. He had also heard about Ulanara's performance over the past six months.
Since marrying into the royal family, Ulanara has always been filial to her mother-in-law and managed the princes' quarters very well. She is very good at managing the household and now she seems to be intelligent and thoughtful.
Thinking this way, Kangxi had an outrageous idea: if she was the right age, Ulanara could be Yinreng's wife.
Of course, Kangxi only thought about it this way; the matter was already settled, and he wouldn't change anything.
The New Year has passed, time flies, and it's already August or September in the blink of an eye.
In one month, it will be Yinzhen's fourteenth birthday. Several months ago, Yunyi started preparing birthday gifts. This is the first real birthday she has celebrated since she married Yinzhen, so it should be a grand occasion.
Last year, on Yinzhen's birthday, they had just gotten married. Tongjia was still ill, so Yinzhen was not in the mood, and Yunyi could not celebrate his birthday at that time.
Therefore, only after Tongjia recovered this year did Yunyi dare to hold a "grand celebration".
Yinzhen also noticed the little princess's actions, but he did nothing and pretended not to know.
He knew that Ulanara was full of novel and ingenious ideas, so Yinzhen had a vague expectation in his heart, wondering how his little princess would organize his birthday celebration.
Soon, on November 30th, the actual day of Yinzhen's birthday, Yunyi got up early in the morning and first helped her husband get dressed.
Su Peisheng brought up the new clothes. Yinzhen glanced at them and felt a warmth in his heart. He recognized that it was the needlework of his wife.
Yunyi took the clothes and personally helped Yinzhen put them on: "Your Majesty, I made these for you myself. Please put them on and see if they fit."
The princess was much shorter than him, so when she dressed him, Yinzhen had to bend down or bend over from time to time to make it easier for her to dress him.
If anyone else had served him like this, Yinzhen would have been displeased long ago, but since it was his young consort who was doing it, he was not only not angry, but also pleased with it.
After he finished dressing, Yinzhen's expression remained unchanged, but he unconsciously straightened his back, exuding an aura of courtship. In Yunyi's eyes, he looked like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
Suppressing the amusement in her eyes, Yunyi methodically straightened Yinzhen's clothes, then took two steps back to examine him carefully.
Seeing that Yinzhen was trying his best to hide his nervousness, Yunyi had the idea to tease him. She circled around him a few times before speaking after a while: "My skills are not bad. This dress looks very good on you, Your Highness."
He breathed a sigh of relief, but Yinzhen's face remained calm.
But to avoid upsetting his wife, he praised her, saying, "I know your skills; they're comparable to those of the palace embroiderers. This dress is very well embroidered."
Hearing Yinzhen's words, Yunyi smiled and said in a light tone, "I'm glad you like it, thank you for your praise, Your Highness!"
After changing their clothes, the young couple had breakfast together.
After the palace maids brought out breakfast, Yinzhen's eyes lit up again. There was a bowl of longevity noodles on the table, but Yinzhen knew that this was not the one that the imperial kitchen would send out as usual.
He's eaten longevity noodles for so many years, but this bowl is clearly different.
Yinzhen had a guess in his mind, so he turned to look at his little wife. Sure enough, she was looking at him with a "loving" expression.
"I heard from Su Peisheng that you don't like the longevity noodles from the Imperial Kitchen. This is a new one that I ordered the Imperial Kitchen to make. It tastes different from the usual ones. Please try it and see if you like the taste."
Ulanara's eyes were filled with affection, but Yinzhen only glanced at her before awkwardly turning his head away, while he could hear her soft, sweet voice incessantly in his ears.
Yunyi found it quite amusing. The young Yinzhen wasn't as cold-faced as he would become later; he was still a shy and proud young man. Teasing him was really fun.
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