After Xiao Zhuzi went down to instruct the men to release him, the Crown Prince also beckoned Li Zhuo over. Li Zhuo's eyes never left the Crown Prince. When he saw him beckoning, he quickly ran over and, upon reaching the Crown Prince's side, half-carried and half-supported him as he came over.
Zhao Shu also went to greet him, supporting him, and asked worriedly, "Crown Prince, are you feeling better?"
The crown prince chuckled and reached out to pat her head. "You know everything."
Zhao Shu feigned smugness, "Of course, don't you know who I am? My brother is the Crown Prince. If I didn't know more, wouldn't I be letting down our ancestors?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince smiled. He had come today to make a clean break—a clean break with Consort Hao, a clean break with himself, and a clean break with the past. Now that he could face it calmly, his smile was naturally more confident and radiant.
He was already an extremely handsome man, and no matter what the future held, at this moment he had shed his glamorous appearance and appeared with a natural beauty, his smile adding a unique touch to this snow-covered world.
The guards dared not stop them and knelt to see the Crown Prince and Zhao Shu off. After leaving Jiahan Palace, the two of them took a deep breath. Granny Zhong had already led people to carry the palanquin and wait outside the palace. When she saw the two of them come out, she breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Princess, the meal has been served in Fengxin Palace. The Empress Dowager is waiting for you two. She has been waiting for quite some time."
“Brother Crown Prince, let’s go in the carriage. Let’s not keep Grandmother waiting.” Zhao Shu offered to ride in the carriage, carefully considering the Crown Prince’s pride. She was extremely bad at comforting people and could only try her best not to hurt him.
The Crown Prince smiled and looked at Zhao Shu with gratitude. He didn't need anyone's sympathy now, but he was still deeply moved by Zhao Shu's careful protection. "Well, I'll listen to you, Ah Jun. Let's ride in the carriage. Please don't blame me, Emperor Taizu."
When they returned to Fengxin Palace, everyone was there, including several other imperial physicians led by Physician Zhou. Upon seeing Zhao Shu and the other woman, everyone except Prince Yong and the Empress Dowager bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Princess Jin'an."
"Gentlemen, you may rise." The Crown Prince's voice was much louder and more confident than before. Unlike his previous confidence, this time it had a more composed and dignified air. Everyone couldn't help but secretly look up at the Crown Prince. Although his features were the same as before, there was a slight difference. His once vibrant spirit seemed to have been dormant.
The Empress Dowager smiled, knowing that her descendants would have their own blessings. Zhang Chu, who was serving nearby, smiled knowingly and said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, Your Highness can rest assured."
"Whether to let go or not, we cannot make hasty judgments. It is already excellent that Yi'er has learned to make clean decisions, which makes her better than the Emperor in this respect." The Empress Dowager sighed softly, thinking of the Emperor in the capital.
Zhao Shu and the Crown Prince entered the main hall. The Empress Dowager sat high above, and the first seat on the left was empty. That was his seat. After helping him to sit down, Zhao Shu went to sit in the seat opposite Sun Yun, who was seated at the head of the table.
During the New Year's Eve dinner, all the officials in Guanzhou with official ranks were present. The emperor and his subjects were seated first, followed by men and women, so no screen was set up. After everyone was seated, Sun Yun came over and asked, "Did you go to Jiahan Hall?"
"Hmm." Zhao Shu nodded, glancing at the dishes on the table. "Why are all these dishes made by us? Shouldn't we be eating Jin Xi's cooking?"
Sun Yun smiled and lowered her voice to explain, "When the imperial physicians found out that your father and the Crown Prince had cooked, they followed suit and cooked a few dishes as well. The imperial physicians almost set the kitchen on fire. When the Empress Dowager found out, she told Aunt Jinxi to eat what we made ourselves first, and if it wasn't enough, we would have the kitchen prepare more."
Zhao Shu held back her laughter, looked at the imperial physicians and the dishes in front of Peng Rui, and finally couldn't help but lower her head and laugh.
When everyone saw her lower her head and shrug her shoulders, they all knew that she was laughing at them. Everyone blushed with embarrassment, especially the old doctor Peng, who felt that his wife had really had a hard time. Although there was a cook at home, she used to cook for him herself, and he still complained that the food was not good enough. He would never complain again.
The Empress Dowager coughed, and everyone immediately sat up straight. "This year's Lunar New Year's Eve will surely be an unforgettable one for everyone. Let me first introduce what I made: this is the 'Everyone Encounters a Hundred Fortunes' dumpling."
After she finished speaking, Jin Xi dragged the palace tray and placed one dumpling on each person's plate. The dumplings were round and looked like the character "福" (fortune). She didn't know how they were made. Zhao Shu certainly didn't know how. What was worth mentioning was the "人人遇百财" (everyone encounters a hundred fortunes) dumpling, which was made by wrapping filling in cabbage sent from Yunnan by fast horse, tying it with chives as rope, and steaming it. It looked tender and green, and was extremely beautiful.
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, according to their status, it should have been the Crown Prince who spoke first. However, the Crown Prince asked his uncle, Prince Yong, to speak first. Prince Yong rubbed his hands together and pointed to the nearest plate of lettuce, saying, "May you have good fortune and double happiness."
There weren't many vegetables, just two stalks, carved into the shape of a ruyi (a traditional Chinese symbol of good fortune). They were cooked and placed on a yellow plate with blue flowers, looking quite pleasing. Jin Xi, as expected of someone who had served the Empress Dowager for decades, knew how to divide even two stalks of lettuce. She took a small knife, cut them into slices, and gave some to each person.
Prince Yong continued, "Flowers bloom in wealth and prosperity, and the hall is filled with color." It was clearly a plate of boiled broccoli with a few blanched carrots on top, and everyone was impressed by Prince Yong's literary talent.
It's the same process: cut it up and share it.
After speaking of the cauliflower, he pointed to the yellow sprouts in the emperor's blue and white porcelain bowl and said, "The emperor's grace is boundless, and all industries are thriving."
With the three dishes finished, all that remained was the soup. Jin Xi opened a large, covered palace bowl, revealing snow pears floating inside. "This is White Jade Snow Pear Soup. It's refreshing and has a small amount of cane sugar added."
Zhao Shu and Sun Yun were alright, but the imperial physicians and Peng Rui were completely stunned. Prince Yong had already said all the nice things. What did they say?
When it was the Crown Prince's turn, he gestured for him to look, saying, "This signifies great fortune."
It's clearly a plate of boiled carrots...
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