"Get up," Zhong Zhiheng nodded, and stepped over the threshold. He asked casually, "Has the Queen Mother had her meal?"
"Your Majesty, the kitchen has just prepared dinner. The Empress Dowager heard that Your Majesty has arrived, so please come in and have dinner with her." Bi Qiao said with a smile.
"It just so happens that I also want to come to the Queen Mother's place for a meal." Zhong Zhiheng curled his lips. Slowly walked into the hall, "Mother, your son is here to eat with you."
"It's a rare occasion today." The Queen Mother smiled as she stood up from the couch, put down the Buddhist beads in her hand, and walked to Zhong Zhiheng. She stretched out her hand to straighten the knotted sachet and jade pendant on Zhong Zhiheng's waist. Then she took Zhong Zhiheng's hand and walked towards the side hall, saying, "I haven't had a meal with you for a long time. You have to spend more time with me today."
"Yes. I also want to spend more time with you, mother." Zhong Zhiheng said, sitting down with the queen mother. He personally made a bowl of silverfish and water shield soup for the queen mother and placed it in front of her, saying, "It's the right time to eat silverfish and water shield. Mother, please try it."
The Queen Mother loved two dishes the most in her life, one was whitebait and water shield soup, and the other was roasted yellow sheep. In spring, she would have whitebait and water shield, and in autumn, she would have roasted yellow sheep. Over the years, Zhong Zhiheng and the King of Pingxi had never missed one of them, and the two brothers had always maintained this tacit understanding.
"It's really delicious," the Queen Mother said as she took a bite of the whitebait and water shield soup in the bowl, and she couldn't help sighing, "However, I don't know how many horses died and how many people were exhausted just to make this whitebait and water shield soup. It's really extravagant."
Water shield only grows in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, and whitebait is not a product of the capital. These two things are the most difficult to store and can only be eaten fresh. Therefore, a lot of manpower and resources are consumed every year to make this whitebait and water shield soup. The so-called delicacies from mountains and seas are nothing more than this.
"As long as my mother likes it, it doesn't matter if a few horses or even a few people die, what does it matter?" Zhong Zhiheng said as he also filled a bowl and drank it slowly, mouthful by mouthful.
But the Queen Mother couldn't drink any more. She put down the bowl in her hand, looked at Zhong Zhiheng, and asked after a while: "Is there something on the emperor's mind?"
"No," Zhong Zhiheng also put down the bowl in his hand, took the handkerchief from Bi Qiao and gently wiped his mouth, while looking at the Queen Mother, and said lightly, "It's just that the Prince of Pingxi is coming back, and your son came here specially to tell you."
"W-what? Ling'er is going back to Beijing?" The Queen Mother was stunned, and then the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. She had always been a dignified and noble woman, but now she couldn't hide her excitement, "He is really coming back?"
The King of Pingxi was named Zhong Zhiling.
Zhong Zhiheng looked at the Queen Mother's hand tightly holding the chopsticks, and when he spoke again, his voice was even weaker: "Yes, the Queen Mother's seventieth birthday is coming soon, and the Prince of Pingxi wants to come back this year to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday."
"This child, finally..." The Queen Mother could not hide her excitement. After all, she hadn't seen her youngest son for decades. Her eyes were red for a moment. She took a breath and looked at Zhong Zhiheng, "Did you say when he will arrive?"
"Early July," Zhong Zhiheng said slowly, looking at the sticky silverfish and water shield soup, and said coldly, "It should arrive before Siyao's memorial day."
The Queen Mother's face suddenly froze, and the smile on her lips instantly disappeared. She looked at Zhong Zhiheng's indifferent face, her lips trembled a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say it.
"Your Majesty, I'm sure you miss your seventh brother a lot, right?" In silence, Zhong Zhiheng raised his eyebrows and looked at the Queen Mother. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he smiled faintly, "You must have not seen each other for so many years."
"Yes, after all, we haven't seen each other for so many years," the Queen Mother nodded, pursed her lips, and added, "I miss the Prince of Pingxi just like the Emperor."
"Really?" Zhong Zhiheng laughed even louder, threw the handkerchief on the table, stood up and walked out.
"Your servant respectfully sends the emperor off!" Bi Qiao bowed hurriedly.
"Bi Qiao," the Queen Mother sat there in a daze. After a long while, she finally spoke. She looked at Bi Qiao in panic, "Do you think the Emperor will take action against the Seventh Prince?"
"No, Queen Mother, you worry too much!" Bi Qiao was busy, supporting the Queen Mother's back and comforting her, "The King of Pingxi is the most important pillar of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He has been guarding the northern border for decades. With him, the Turks dare not invade. No matter how much Your Majesty has a grudge against the King of Pingxi, he dare not act rashly. The Northwest Army will only obey the orders of the King of Pingxi. If something goes wrong with the King of Pingxi in the capital, wouldn't the northern border of the Great Zhou be in chaos? Your Majesty is not a fool, Queen Mother, you should put your mind at ease!"
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