Chapter 85: Saying Love is Natural and Happy
In December of the third year of Shenwu's reign, when Qingzan took Concubine Ming Shu and Xue Ronghua to the No. 1 Restaurant under Heaven for dinner, they met a cook from the kitchen.
This cook is the chef's assistant. Because her face is covered with scars, she is afraid of meeting strangers and only moves between the backyard and the kitchen all day long.
They had no chance to see it.
However, the boss had already known about Qingzan's unusual identity during her previous visits, and he treated her and her companions with far greater care and attention than he had ever treated his own parents. When they asked to visit the kitchen, he immediately led the way with trepidation, not daring to mention that the kitchen was not open to guests, fearing that others might steal their skills.
Let’s not talk about anything else, just look at the person following these noble ladies, that is the current commander of the imperial guards, Ling Ji.
The First Floor has been rooted in Chongdefang for so many years, and the owner boasts that he knows many dignitaries, but when he found out that the guard beside them was actually Lord Ling, he was secretly shocked.
"Although our kitchen has to be cleaned more than three times a day, it is still a place with a strong smell of oil and heavy smoke. Ladies, please be careful and come this way..." The boss was still talking when there was a bang and the cook who was picking vegetables inside knocked over the draining basket.
The cook had her entire face covered with a headscarf, so her age couldn't be seen. She was small and skinny, and her legs were a little lame.
Her eyes were fixed on several people.
Before the host could say anything, she suddenly rushed out from behind the chefs and ran straight to Qingzan: "I, I want to say a few words to Madam."
At that moment, the cook's eyes, deep in their eye sockets, were so bright that it seemed as if there were shimmering lights trembling.
Qingzan's palms unconsciously clenched a little tighter: "Do you recognize me?"
The cook nodded slowly.
Just like that, after a few words, Qingzan brought the cook back to the palace.
From then on, the small kitchen of Fengzao Palace had a young cook who was good at cooking Jiangnan cuisine.
It stands to reason that since the cook was born ugly, there should be many people gossiping about her behind her back, because all the palace maids working in the palace have neat hair and a shaved face.
But everyone knows that Miss Doukou and Miss Suoying of Fengzao Palace are not easy to mess with. Although they are friendly to everyone on weekdays, once they start to protect their eunuchs, the beautiful ladies will become Guan Yu and Zhong Kui, who can twist the ears of the young eunuchs and drag them out of Fengzao Palace to Wangxian Gate.
For some reason, they all protected the cook very much.
The palace maids in Fengzao Palace didn't understand why the cook kept chattering non-stop as soon as she saw the Empress, as if she had been talking for half her life.
I just vaguely heard the cook always use a difficult-to-pronounce name: young lady.
"Young lady actually enjoyed desserts even when she was pregnant with the Second Prince? That must have been inherited from you! She enjoyed them even before she got married, and when she was pregnant with you, she craved sweet osmanthus lotus root and malt sugar pancakes all day long. Even if she couldn't eat them for a while, she would always have a candied date in her mouth."
The cook started laughing as she spoke, her dimples unable to be hidden beneath her veil, and her eyes and brows looked as if they were about to bloom.
Qingzan called her Aunt Qing, "Aunt Qing, did you also practice your craftsmanship at that time?"
The cook also told her this name, saying that she was called that when she was a child.
But the moment the cook heard it, she stood up in shock and confusion, as if she was caught off guard.
She seemed to want to open her arms to hug Qingzan, but then she put them down uncomfortably, her hands rubbing on the hems of her clothes.
Her hands are dirty.
"Yes, that was the time." The cook's eyes were filled with tears.
"But the good times didn't last long."
The corners of her mouth drooped as she choked with sobs, "Later, the Duan family showed up, and the young lady asked me to take you and escape first. But they soon caught up with us. They didn't try to capture us, but instead kept us outside the inn. Two days later, they came back to tell me that the young lady had sacrificed her life so we could live, and asked me to take you to the Marquis' Mansion. The Duan family had actually transformed into a Marquis' Mansion... Later, after settling you down, I went back to Shaoyinfang, but I nearly burned to death. Luckily, there was a small door at the back, so I escaped from the fire and went to look for the young lady's body, but unfortunately I couldn't find it."
"I've been making a living in nearby An County for the past few years. I went to Beijing once a few years ago, but I could only watch from afar. I didn't know how to find out about you, nor did I dare let the Duan family know that I was still alive."
She had been wandering outside the mansion for many days, running out of ammunition and food, and had no choice but to leave in frustration. During this time, she was almost discovered by a servant, but fortunately, the servant mistook her for a beggar who was lingering around just to beg for food, and simply drove her away without reporting her to the master.
"Until this year, I heard the name Shuyun spread throughout the streets and alleys. I went to see the imperial edict, and all the good deeds that the young lady had done were actually brought to light."
"I also heard that the current Empress is the daughter of Suoyun, and that there is a Suoyun Temple in the capital that you built for your young lady, so I thought of trying my luck in the capital again. However, I can't enter the palace, so I can only wander around the foot of the imperial city."
Qing Zan had already learned what happened later from the owner of Tianxia Diyi Lou.
The boss knew that Aunt Qing could cook authentic Jiangnan cuisine. It just so happened that the chef in the building was too busy and was planning to recruit an assistant, so he simply hired her.
Aunt Qing: "It's been almost half a year now."
Half a year... Qingzan couldn't imagine how long Aunt Qing would have to wait for her if it weren't for this spur of the moment impulse, and whether they would have the chance to meet again in this life.
Qingzan took the initiative to hug the person: "From now on, I can take care of you in your old age, and no one will hurt you again."
*
Xiao Fang had also heard that his queen had brought a cook back to the palace.
This is not a big deal, as long as the person is not a villain.
He should have had someone find out the man's background the day before, but he remembered that Qingzan had solemnly told him that he could not control her like a prisoner in everything from now on, and that he should give her the freedom to be out of his control and not be exposed to his eyes and ears all the time.
This is finally the end.
He affixed his seal to a document with a slightly anxious mind, his fingertip accidentally dabbing on the vermilion ink. The color reminded him of two delicate red lips against a white snowy face.
At that time, she also said that she would tell him things in person.
So she had many secrets that he didn't know.
The end of the year was the busiest time for the court, as officials of the third rank and above were required to be personally assessed for their "Four Virtues and Twenty-Seven Mosts." By the time these tedious official examinations, promotions, and demotions were finally completed, Xu Delu had already tactfully removed the cloak, not wasting the emperor's time.
The benefits of moving into Fengzao Palace were now apparent. It only took less than a cup of tea to walk from Taiji Hall to Fengzao Palace.
The emperor walked into the hall, and his steps towards people were without a moment's hesitation, as if he was unshakable.
Qingzan sat beside the cradle and played with Huaichang using a rattle.
She glanced at the emperor out of the corner of her eye and looked up symbolically, but in the moment she stopped, Huaichang opened her short and fat little fingers and wanted to grab the rattle and continue shaking it. However, her palm was too small, so she could only stick her whole hand on the drum surface like a flower.
So before Qingzan's eyes could really land on the emperor, she was attracted by the baby in the cradle.
Until Xiao Fang walked up to her, she seemed to be ignored.
It's not the first time.
The neglected emperor looked at his beloved wife lying on the rail of the rocking cradle, playing with their son wholeheartedly. He never imagined that the biggest crisis their relationship would face now would come from their son.
Huaichang, who was just half a year and two months old, suddenly felt inexplicably cold on his face. He raised his hands to hug his mother's neck and stick close to her.
How could he reach it?
Qingzan smiled and bent her waist so that she could lean even lower, almost bringing her jade-white, semi-transparent neck close to his swaying hand.
Huaichang smiled happily. He was finally able to hug his mother, but his little hand was suddenly and ruthlessly grabbed by a big hand and stuffed back into the quilt.
Another rattle was placed on the quilt.
After doing all this, Xiao Fang withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and stood up straight: "The child is too careless when hitting, don't let him get scratched."
Huaichang stopped smiling, neither laughing nor crying. He widened his dark, round eyes, looking dazed and speechless. He picked up the rattle on his body with both hands and threw it aside, then lay on his back with his legs spread out.
Qingzan turned to look at the emperor: "What strength can a child have?"
Now that he had succeeded, Xiao Fang did not argue about it any more, but just smiled at people.
He clearly had bad intentions, yet seemed gentle and harmless.
He then asked, "Have you thought about how to celebrate your birthday next year?"
Qingzan tilted her head and thought for a while, then suddenly stretched out her hand towards him, just like Huaichang had just done, raising her arms high towards the tall and upright emperor.
The embroidered cushion she was sitting on was only as high as the rocking bed, so like Huaichang, she was very far away from him and could not hug him at all.
Only ten fingers were hanging there - as if they were pulled out from layers of sleeves, as tender and smooth as peeled spring bamboo shoots.
How could the emperor bear to let him wait in vain?
But in the blink of an eye, he had leaned over and his hands naturally clasped her waist.
His low breathing fell on the tips of her eyelashes.
Qingzan blinked and said slowly, "Next year's birthday... I still won't be spending it with Your Majesty."
Xiao Fang's brows furrowed dangerously in an instant, and he squinted his eyes at her: "Why?"
This was something the two of them had agreed upon, not to celebrate his birthday together, but to celebrate their birthdays together.
As early as when she was not yet his queen, he had thought that since she did not know the month and day of her birth, from now on, she would also have a share in the Wanshou Festival celebrated by the whole country.
It was just that the two of them had a quarrel before the Wanshou Festival this year, so the matter was left unresolved.
But it’s not too late next year. There is still one month left, and January is here again.
He pretended to be nonchalant when he asked her just now, but in fact he had been preparing for it several months in advance.
Even though he was holding her in his arms at this moment, with his heart burning and his mind boiling with love, her inconsistency still dampened his spirits a little.
He freed one hand to caress half of her face and said softly and hoarsely, "Hmm?"
Qingzan deliberately kept the secret for a long time. At this time, Fang smiled mysteriously: "Because, I have my own birthday to celebrate."
Xiao placed his hands on her waist and pinched it lightly, making her feel so itchy that she wanted to hide away.
"What day?"
"March 14th."
After a moment's thought, he thought, "Is it the cook?"
Qingzan nodded. Before she could explain the matter to him, she chuckled for a moment, her laughter clear and crisp, her eyes bright as if a spring rain had just begun. "You'll never guess who she is! I truly am the luckiest person in the world!"
It turns out that there are so many twists and turns in life. Fortunately, she has come through it all.
Xiao Fang had a rough guess and raised his lips and said, "Yes, no matter who it is, who can make Qingqing happy is my hero."
Qing Zan smiled and said, "Then Your Majesty, shouldn't you reward them according to their merits?"
Xiao Fang: "What do you want me to reward you with?"
Qing Zan had already made up her mind: "Her face was burned by the fire. I want to find a good doctor to restore her appearance."
Xiao Fang: "Is it serious?"
Qing Zan: "Well... It's not that I think she's bad, but no sacrifice in this world is taken for granted. Her face is affected by us, mother and daughter. I always feel uneasy and think it shouldn't be like this."
"Okay, I'll think of a way."
Having caused him another trouble, Qingzan kissed him somewhat embarrassedly.
There was no way. After all, she was a woman and had many inconveniences. If she stretched her hands and feet a little, the old ministers of the previous dynasty would come to her like hounds sniffing the scent, and each of them would have something to say.
Xiao Fang couldn't hold back the corners of his mouth, but said: "Don't feel uneasy about this. It's only natural to help the lady—"
"With pleasure."
He took half a step, easily hooked her legs from the side, lifted her into his arms, and lifted her up.
A blush appeared on Qingzan's face.
"I still have to accompany Chang'er."
Xiao Fang: "He's old enough, a wet nurse will be enough for him."
Huaichang wasn't even a year old yet. Qingzan was surprised at his shamelessness and looked up at her son, saying, "How old are you?"
Xiao Fang laughed darkly and carried the person into their bedroom. "Madam, you still ask me this. It seems that I am not diligent enough."
Qingzan pushed him lightly.
She had accidentally seen for the first time that the dragons and phoenixes painted on the beams of the Fengzao Palace's bedroom were always paired. Looking up, she felt that this dragon-and-phoenix scene was something she had never seen before. In fact, when she moved into Fengzao Palace, she discovered that much of it had been demolished and rebuilt.
What he wanted to give her was something that belonged only to her.
Her eyes were quickly obscured by his face, his lips lingering on all her senses, invading her five senses, her consciousness.
Because it was the middle of winter, it snowed heavily from time to time in the past two days. Qingzan was afraid that she would catch a cold and affect Huaichang, so she cooperated very well and covered herself with three layers of clothes. Xiao Fang took off one piece of clothing after another. In the end, he couldn't believe that such a well-proportioned figure was wearing only one layer of clothes.
His hands were getting more and more hurried, and his expression was still restrained, as if he was calm and composed, but in fact his lips were tightly pursed, and he was feeling very uncomfortable.
Qingzan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He stopped.
Someone pinched one side of her waist hard and pressed it into his palm: "Is it funny?"
She saw him raise his other hand, the back of which was a cold white with veins, and suddenly it fell over her eyes. A single leaf blinded her, and so it was unprecedentedly wide, leaving her sight nowhere to escape.
She was surprised and said, "I won't laugh anymore!"
Just as she opened her lips and teeth, the enemy arrived, and her tongue was the first to be captured, entangled and messed up.
She felt his other hand moving across her waist and her outline.
The amount of clothing separating them is getting smaller and smaller, but there is always a line of defense.
She began to feel the unbearableness and torture of the priorities, and whimpered in dissatisfaction.
Xiao Fang then smiled and called her, "Qingzan."
"Hmm?" she responded tremblingly.
"Green hairpin."
"What are you doing!" she said impatiently.
"like."
Qingzan was so angry that she wanted to bite him.
However, she was blocked by him and did not see his lip movements. He actually said three words. He said -
"I love you."
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