Chapter 86 Spicy Tofu Skin This month has only just passed, and the Emperor…
Not long after the month ended, the Emperor was about to set off for Changchun Garden again. The Eastern Palace, of course, followed the Emperor everywhere he went. Then Cheng Qianyue faced a dilemma, because the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince were not even six months old and couldn't withstand the arduous journey by carriage. In the end, Cheng Qianyue decided not to go to the garden; she would stay and take care of the children.
“One reason is that Hongchao and Moyaqi are still young, and another is that it’s still cold. We can’t just take them out, lest they get sick. Although there are wet nurses and nannies to take care of them, I still can’t rest easy leaving the two children in the Forbidden City,” Cheng Qianyue said.
Yinreng couldn't help but sigh. He knew that the timing of the trip was indeed not ideal. But there was no other way; if the Emperor left, he had to go with him, leaving the children and her behind. Besides, he couldn't decide whether he wanted her to leave the two children behind to accompany him to the West Garden, or whether he preferred her to take care of the children. But before he could decide, Cheng Qianyue gave him the answer.
Cheng Qianyue continued, "When will you set off, Master?"
Yinreng replied, "The imperial carriage is already prepared. According to the Imperial Observatory, the auspicious day and time will be three days from now at 9:00 AM."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and continued, "It's only March, so there's bound to be a cold snap. Remember to bring plenty of clothes, sir."
As they were talking, Hongyan walked in from outside the door and began to show off to his father the Thousand Character Classic he had just memorized. After he finished reciting it, Cheng Qianyue told him about going to the West Garden, but then changed the subject: "But your mother and your younger brother and sister are not going. If you want to go, your father can take you."
Upon hearing this, Hongyan's smile immediately froze on his face, and he said with great surprise, "Mother isn't going?"
Cheng Qianyue said, "Yes, because Hongchao and Moyaqi are still young, Mother is worried about them riding in the carriage and leaving them here. But it's okay, Hongyan is all grown up now, right? He can go to the garden by himself." Since the Third Prince has a name now, she no longer calls him "Third Prince." Moreover, Hongyan really likes it when people call him by his name, and he is always very happy when they do.
Hongyan looked extremely conflicted, and finally puffed out his cheeks and said with a droopy face, "If Mother isn't going, then I don't want to go either."
Cheng Qianyue patted his head and said, "The garden is so much fun, you can go whenever you want. Just make sure you have someone with you when you go out, don't run around by yourself."
"No!" Hongyan said resolutely, "I still want to stay with Mother." The garden is big and fun, but there's no one to keep him company. It's better to stay here, at least he can chat with Mother and play with his younger brother and sister.
Yinreng chuckled as he listened, and then said, "Since Hongyan wants to stay, then let him stay. I'll send someone to fetch you when it gets warmer in June. By then, Hongchao and the other two will be seven months old, and the weather will be warm enough that they won't be exposed to the wind. We can bring more people to take care of them, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Cheng Qianyue thought about it and agreed. By then, the child would probably be crawling already. She smiled and said, "Okay, whatever you say, Grandpa."
Three days later, Yinreng accompanied the Emperor to Changchun Garden. After the people of Xiefang Palace had finished kneeling to see off the Emperor, they knelt outside the palace to see off the Crown Princess. As Cheng Qianyue stood up, she noticed that Li Jia's gaze was strange, seemingly gloating, probably because she was happy that Li Jia had been left out. Cheng Qianyue didn't want to pay her any attention and turned to Lin Jia, Liu, and Fan behind her, saying, "It's still cold. Sister Lin, take the two princesses back to your courtyard."
Lin Jia said yes, and then bowed to Fan and Liu before walking to the back.
Immediately afterward, Cheng Qianyue noticed that Li Jia's expression had changed again, seemingly because she had spoken first and was now angry. Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "That change in her expression is really annoying, but what can you do? She's the Crown Princess, you can't eat me, can you?" So she decisively left Li Jia there and turned to go back to her courtyard.
After most of the high-ranking officials and nobles in the Forbidden City had left, Cheng Qianyue suddenly felt incredibly relieved. While they were there, the palace was lively, but everyone seemed tense and on edge. Their departure took that tense and oppressive atmosphere with them. However, this also made the palace seem rather deserted. The most desolate of them all was Hongyan, who had repeatedly expressed his desire to go out for a stroll.
"Let's go for a walk," Cheng Qianyue suggested. "Isn't there an Arrow Pavilion Square nearby?" she said. "So, someone led him outside for a stroll and to fly a kite." But after only a few days, Hongyan said he was completely bored.
Cheng Qianyue was truly at a loss. In terms of location, Xiefang Palace was in the outer court, and the only place nearby was the Arrow Pavilion. As for the three famous main halls, they couldn't even enter without the emperor's permission.
Alright, let's go see the famous Imperial Garden then. The mother and son walked hand in hand to the Imperial Garden.
This was actually the first time Cheng Qianyue had ever carefully examined the Imperial Garden. But as the saying goes, great fame often doesn't live up to its reputation; why was the Imperial Garden so small? Cheng Qianyue realized why the Emperor liked to frequent the garden! The difference between this garden and the Imperial Garden was like the difference between a peacock and a sparrow; anyone accustomed to peacocks wouldn't give a sparrow a second glance.
However, this is the only patch of greenery in the Forbidden City, so let's just look at it.
After visiting the Imperial Garden a few times, Hongyan completely lost interest in it. The journey from Xiefang Hall to the Imperial Garden was already quite long, and once you arrived, the area with anything to see and do was so small. Who would want to go through all that trouble for a small park? So Hongyan stopped suggesting going out.
Cheng Qianyue watched him listlessly dangling the little gold lock in front of the Fourth Prince, and couldn't help but say, "Hongyan, how about your mother has someone send you to the West Garden?"
Upon hearing this, Hongyan immediately perked up, but quickly added, "No, I want to go with Mother."
Cheng Qianyue felt really sorry for the child. It was true, he was bored to death staying in the courtyard all the time with nothing to do. But even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Every brick and tile in the Forbidden City belonged to the Emperor, and she didn't dare to demolish and rebuild inside the Xiefang Hall. So Cheng Qianyue wanted to find other ways to help him.
Why don't we eat something delicious together?
Q: What do kids love to eat most? A: Junk food, of course. Q: What's the most classic junk food? A: Spicy strips, of course.
Of course, the Qing Dynasty didn't have a "Spicy Prince," nor did it have "Big Knife Meat" or "Kissing Barbecue," but it did have chefs and all sorts of raw materials. So, what's so difficult about creating a healthy version of spicy strips? Absolutely not.
Cheng Qianyue then sent someone to the kitchen to tell them that she wanted to eat spicy tofu skin.
Tofu skin isn't actually thin slices of tofu; it's the skin that forms on top of boiled and cooled soy milk. People in the kitchen often use it to make steamed buns. A thin layer is stuffed with filling before steaming, resulting in translucent, beautiful, and delicious buns.
Now she's having people make spicy strips from this tofu skin. She specified that chili powder, pepper powder, and cumin seeds should be drizzled with oil to release their aroma, then soy sauce and other seasonings should be added for flavor. The finished product, once cooled, should be oily, salty, and fragrant, with a spicy and numbing taste.
It's unclear how many times the kitchen staff tried making it, but Cheng Qianyue sent word in the morning, and before evening, the ancient-style handmade spicy strips arrived. They came in a small, clear porcelain plate, filled with bright red strips, and smelled incredibly fragrant. Knowing this couldn't be eaten plain, the kitchen staff also provided congee, steamed buns, and even a bowl of almond milk to relieve the spiciness.
Cheng Qianyue couldn't wait to pick it up and take a bite. Hmm, the taste was generally good, a fragrant, spicy, salty-sweet flavor, quite pure without too much artificial flavoring. She put down her chopsticks and immediately asked someone to call the Third Prince over.
As soon as Hongyan arrived, he smelled the aroma and asked with great curiosity, "Mother, what smells so good?"
"It smells good, doesn't it?" Cheng Qianyue replied, "I made this snack especially for you, try it."
Hongyan washed his hands, sat on the kang (heated brick bed), picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth. Cheng Qianyue watched him chew and chew, nodding as he chewed. Then his face slowly turned red, like a thermometer exploding, the heat spreading from the back of his neck all the way up until his whole face was red, and he couldn't help but hiss.
Cheng Qianyue quickly handed him the almond milk, "Quick, drink a sip to calm down."
She had forgotten that the child didn't eat spicy food very well! Neither Hongyan nor Yinreng could handle spicy food as well as she could, and they ate very little spicy food either, so this time eating such strong-flavored food wouldn't make them feel spicy.
Hongyan picked up the almond milk and gulped down two mouthfuls, saying with his mouth open, "So spicy, so spicy." But after he came to his senses, he still said it was delicious.
Cheng Qianyue had someone bring over a glass of water, telling Hongyan to rinse the food before eating. But having already eaten the hearty meal, he found the rinsed food tasteless. Later, Hongyan spontaneously picked up a steamed bun, taking a bite of the bun followed by a bite of tofu skin. Before even having dinner, he had already devoured two palm-sized steamed buns.
Cheng Qianyue was worried that he had eaten too much and wouldn't have an appetite for dinner, so she asked someone to take the food downstairs. Then she asked him, "How is it? This snack is pretty good, isn't it?"
Hongyan nodded heavily: "Yes, did Mother make it especially for me?"
Cheng Qianyue said, "Yes, I saw that you were bored staying in the room all day, so I added some good food for you. Just wait two more months, and soon your father will take us to the garden."
Hongyan laughed heartily, and that evening he ate a bowl of millet porridge with the spicy tofu skin. After he finished his meal, people heard that he had gone to the west wing to show off to the Fourth Prince and the Second Princess, and before returning to the east wing, he encouraged his younger siblings to grow up quickly and eat good food.
Time flew by, and just as June arrived, Yinreng sent someone as promised. Cheng Qianyue had already started packing at the end of May, and before leaving, she asked again, "Have Hongchao and Moyaqi been breastfed? Have their clean clothes and other belongings been packed?"
Ruoyun replied, "Everything is packed, and the boxes are being moved out."
Hongyan ran in and said, "Mother, there's also spicy tofu skin!" This "side dish" has become his favorite lately.
Cheng Qianyue said, "I know, I know. The cook will go with us too, and I guarantee you'll be able to eat at the garden." Only then did Hongyan give up.
The group set off in the morning and arrived at the garden at noon. As soon as they got off the carriage, Hongyan couldn't wait to let loose. Cheng Qianyue didn't stop him, but instructed the eunuchs to keep an eye on him and not let him go near the water.
Upon arriving at Donglizhai, Cheng Qianyue first checked on the two younger children, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they seemed unhappy. However, less than an hour after sitting down to rest, Chen He came to deliver a message saying that Yinreng would be arriving shortly. Upon receiving the message, Cheng Qianyue instructed the person beside her, "Have someone find the Third Prince and tell him not to stay out too late, just take a stroll and come back."
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