Mostly Heartless Spring (Part Four)
"Why don't you go in?" Wan Zhen'er asked, her left hand holding a small basket, as she leaned down slightly and nudged the shoulders of the people in the imperial kitchen.
"Ahhh!" A burly cook, timid as ever, was startled and fell forward, knocking over three or five kitchen helpers beside him.
"Oh my..."
Zhiwei heard the commotion outside the door, pushed it open, and found several groups of people sitting slumped at the doorway.
Wan Zhen'er blinked, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, and raised her hand to greet Zhiwei.
"We're here to help you." Sun Wei popped out from the side.
Sun, quick-witted and agile, swept the golden-brown rice grains into the stone mortar, where they gradually turned into fine powder.
Wan Zhen'er took out the pastries from the basket, placed them on the table, and watched Sun Wei work with her legs crossed.
"Don't ask why we came at such a convenient time." Wan Zhen'er picked up a piece of almond cake, glanced at Shao Zhao who was swaying with the cake in her hand, and stuffed it directly into Zhiwei's mouth, whose eyes were still red and swollen.
Zhiwei shook her head, too weak to wipe the sweat from her brow, and too preoccupied to think about such things.
Wan Zhen'er found teasing the departed Zhiwei pointless, so she pushed the remaining pastries to Shao Zhao and began to explain to herself.
It turned out that Zhu Mingyu had somehow learned that Zhiwei had returned to the palace to make tea, and sent a message to the East Palace first, saying that Zhiwei was strong-willed and did not like to ask others for help. All the nobles she knew in the palace were at the tribute site, and if there were any accidents, he hoped that Cheng Yuzhi and others could help take care of her.
"It's a pity that the Crown Princess caught a cold the other day and is afraid of infecting you, so she can't come." Wan Zhen'er took the celadon bowl, scooped up the clear honey and candied osmanthus flowers and carefully mixed them. "But fortunately, we are here, and your loyal subordinates are here too. Don't forget you're not alone, right?"
Wan Zhen'er raised her chin, unaware that the imperial kitchen was already overflowing with people.
The strong imperial chefs were evenly sprinkling finely ground fried rice flour onto the stir-fried Longjing tea leaves, quickly tossing the wok to mix. The less strong servants were keeping an eye on the fire, adding firewood from time to time.
“Lady Shanggong, we are here for you.” One of the royal chefs interjected.
"Although there's nothing technically demanding, you can rest assured that we can handle this manual labor."
"Yes, yes, we can only help with small things. It's not as good as last year's Spring Festival when you provided us with clothes and food and gave us a lot more money as a reward."
"Just rest there. If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."
The people in the imperial kitchen came from all over the country, and most of them were rough men with little education.
After taking over the Shanggong Palace, Zhiwei got used to staying on the front lines and spending a lot of time with the people in the Imperial Kitchen.
She never expected that those unintentional acts of kindness in the past would accumulate and coalesce here, transforming into countless synchronized actions.
Her swift knife skills were the result of the fast-cutting techniques she taught; her meticulous seasoning was a fundamental skill she emphasized.
A warm feeling flowed into Zhiwei's heart. Smelling the familiar scent of firewood, her tense heart softened unconsciously.
"You guys..." Zhiwei looked at everyone's smiling faces, suppressed her sobs, straightened up, rolled up her sleeves, wiped her face, and joined the fray.
There are still three hours left to close the case.
Everyone huddled around the stove, no one daring to breathe.
The tea has been made; only a few final steps remain.
Holding her breath, Zhiwei poured in gardenia juice, turning the tea color into a clear, flowing gold.
One last step! Afu called a halt to the cheering crowd.
Trembling, Zhiwei scooped up a small spoonful of honey-infused osmanthus and precisely added it to the bubbling tea.
A delicate, sweet fragrance suddenly burst forth!
The aroma of fried rice and the freshness of Longjing tea intertwine in the delicate strands, truly evoking the crispness of a lone pine tree in the cold mountains.
Zhiwei picked up the teacup, and the clear golden tea soup shimmered under the white porcelain. Upon closer inspection, the aroma was layered and complex.
After a few bites, it tasted exactly as expected.
Zhiwei's eyes couldn't hide her shock: "It's done."
It's done!
It's done!
The imperial kitchen erupted in chaos.
The crowd erupted in cheers, laughter, curses, and sobs, all mingling together in a cacophony of excitement, elation, and exhilaration.
"Go quickly." Wan Zhen'er handed over a small basket filled with finished tea.
“We are all waiting for you in the palace,” she added.
Knowing that the little one carefully and solemnly took the basket, the "Black Lightning" galloped forward with all its might, the carriage moving and leaving behind billowing dust.
——
After several days and months, it was three days later that Zhiwei dismounted again and set foot on the land of the imperial city.
She was in Zhu Mingyu's carriage. Zhu Mingyu got out of the car first and helped Zhiwei down.
As soon as Zhiwei's feet touched the ground, Jiang Tan came forward to greet her.
"Thank you so much, Miss Zhiwei, for saving my life," he repeated.
Zhiwei touched her ears; she had been listening to it for three days straight.
On the final day of the grand hunt, as dusk fell and the stars and moon shone, the night pressed down on the stars, and she finally made it to the deadline to close the case—
Banners fluttered on the high platform of the hunting grounds, and envoys from various countries were seated in attendance, yet the air was as tense as a taut bowstring.
The emperor, with pale lips and a bluish complexion, sat high on the throne, his expression somber.
King Mohan of Siam sat at the head of the guest seats, a smug, confident smile playing on his lips.
Zhiwei carried a sandalwood tea tray and stepped onto the high platform from the side steps.
There was only one jade cup on the plate, steaming hot.
"The tribute tea is here. Please, Your Majesty, and all of you, enjoy it." Zhiwei held the tea tray high above her head and presented it steadily before the Emperor.
The chief eunuch carefully picked up the teacup and lifted the lid.
In an instant, a strange fragrance wafted out. It was like a clear spring washing over a pine forest, or a secluded orchid blooming in a snowy valley, its crispness carrying an indescribable sweet and caramelized aroma.
The emperor took a small sip, and his hand holding the teacup paused slightly, his eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and shock.
"This tea..." The emperor slowly put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over King Mohan of Siam.
"I offer this drink to all of you."
The eunuchs filed in and presented the tea, which had been prepared and served in white jade cups, to the envoys of various countries.
Zhiwei was assigned by the emperor to stand before Mohan. She held a teacup, while Mohan stared at the clear, golden tea in the white jade cup in front of him, but did not immediately take the tea.
Seeing that other nobles and kings had tasted "Snow-capped Peak with Emerald Greenery" and were praising it repeatedly, Mohan remained unmoved.
He simply continued to stare at the teacup with his hawk-like gaze, then shifted his gaze to Zhiwei.
Mohan glanced at Zhiwei's chest, lips, and eyes, and said indifferently, "What I wanted to see was the intact tribute tea, but you, little lady, took it upon yourself to bring up the finished product."
Mohan, holding the teacup, brushed against Zhiwei, seemingly unintentionally: "Have you ever considered how precious this tea is? If you use the wrong method, or worse, ruin the taste, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you had ten heads."
"Let me think, why were you in such a hurry to brew the tea? Could it be that you couldn't find tribute tea and resorted to using inferior tea instead?"
Upon hearing this, Zhiwei felt a chill run down her spine.
Her hand trembled involuntarily, and Mohan grabbed it.
"Be careful." Mohan curled his lips into a smile, revealing his canine teeth. He raised the "Snow-capped Jade" from his plate and drank it all in one gulp.
Glug glug...
Zhiwei could hear her own heartbeat.
Glug glug...
Mohan wiped the tea stains from the corner of his mouth and suddenly burst into laughter.
A hundred or so eyes were fixed on him.
Zhiwei's body slumped, and she nodded cautiously, her eyelashes trembling.
"Your Majesty..."
“This tea is truly of the highest quality.” Mohan tilted his head and tapped the edge of the chair lightly with his fingertips.
"The Great Zhao is truly a land of outstanding talents. With such fine tea and exquisite craftsmanship, it seems that your subject made the right decision to offer this 'Snow-capped Jade' tea."
Like the most majestic cheetah on the grassland, Mohan straightened up and offered the emperor a large jug of wine.
The moment she stood up, a palm fan brushed against Zhiwei's eyelashes, bringing a dense, itchy sensation.
Zhiwei knelt on the ground, her knees pressed tightly against the earth, only daring to glance at the King of Siam out of the corner of her eye.
——
Zhiwei wiped her eyes, pulling herself out of her reverie.
Jiang Qin bowed in greeting, and Zhu Mingyu returned the greeting on behalf of Zhiwei.
"If things continue like this, you'll never be able to sort things out, not even in your next life," Zhu Liji said lightly, appearing out of nowhere and bowing to the two who were bowing to each other.
Jiang Qin and Zhu Mingyu finally stepped forward at the same time.
After a long journey back, Zhiwei felt sleepy and yawned in front of Zhu Liji.
Before he could even close his mouth, Zhu Liji turned around and said to Zhiwei, "So Lady Yan is here too. It seems my presence isn't very noticeable, and Lady Yan didn't see me."
hehe.
They felt they were being rude.
Zhiwei ignored him and tugged at Zhu Mingyu's sleeve.
Zhu Mingyu patted Zhiwei's hand.
“Brother, if there is nothing else, Zhiwei and I will take our leave.” Zhu Mingyu cupped his hands in greeting. “We still need to discuss the marriage.”
Zhiwei then remembered that Zhu Mingyu had mentioned before that after paying tribute, he would ask the emperor for a decree to grant them a marriage.
Time flies.
Zhiwei counted on her fingers; nearly three years had passed since that "Moon Orchid" proposal.
Her face flushed red.
"Marriage?" Zhu Liji raised an eyebrow. "The imperial decree for the marriage hasn't even been issued yet, what's the rush?"
His gaze then shifted to Zhiwei: "Isn't it the Palace Attendant who's in a hurry, wanting to get married into the royal family as soon as possible so that she can enjoy the glory and wealth of power in the future?"
"Second brother, marriage is no small matter; you must choose carefully."
That was a direct jab at her.
This isn't the first time; whenever Zhu Liji sees Zhiwei, he never has a kind word to say.
A dog's mouth can't produce ivory, and a tortoise is starting to chant scriptures again.
What kind of epilepsy is this?
Zhiwei pouted.
Zhu Mingyu stepped forward and grasped Zhiwei's hand: "It is I who am fond of Zhiwei, but I fear that things may change if I wait too long."
"As you know, Father has granted me the freedom to choose my marriage, but due to various matters and the need for time for us to adjust to each other, we did not request permission from the Emperor."
"Once the imperial decree is finalized, I might need to trouble you, sister-in-law, to help with the preparations." Zhu Mingyu smiled brightly, his voice brimming with barely suppressed joy.
Their hands were pressed tightly together, burning with passion.
Zhu Liji wanted to say something more.
He opened his mouth, and Zhiwei felt a look of disgust.
"Go get your eyes checked." Zhiwei deciphered the unspoken words of Zhu Liji.
Zhu Liji waved his robe: "No trouble at all."
This was said to Zhu Mingyu.
The four people walked along the palace road, chatting idly.
Zhiwei listened to Zhu Liji and Jiang Tan discussing politics, from the severe drought in the north to the holding of the memorial ceremony. Zhu Mingyu occasionally chimed in, but she was very bored and forced herself to suppress her yawns to avoid being criticized by Zhu Liji again.
I never realized how long the palace road was before. I don't know how many topics this is, and I've secretly wiped away tears several times. Finally, I heard some gossip.
Pay attention to the subtle signs.
It's about Jiang Qin's marriage.
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