"My son, do you have anything good to give to your grandmother? Can your father take a look at it?" At this time, a voice with a hint of majesty was heard, and a man wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, a golden crown on his head, and a handsome face walked in. He exuded an air of nobility from head to toe, but with a gentle smile on his face.
He walked up to the Queen Mother and bowed, "Your son greets you, Mother."
The Queen Mother also smiled and said, "Stand up and sit down. There is no need to be so polite with your mother. All the officials have entered the palace at this time. How can the Emperor have time to come here?"
The emperor said, "The banquet hasn't started yet, so I came here to wish my mother a happy new year. I didn't expect to hear Chen'er say that he had something good for her. I also wanted to see what it was that Chen'er thought was good."
Jing Chen said nothing, picked up the teacup and took a sip, with a calm expression on his face.
The Queen Mother sighed inwardly. Chen'er had always been prejudiced against the Emperor because of his mother's affairs. The Emperor had always wanted to ease the relationship between him and Chen'er, so he said, "Yes, Chen'er, let your father and grandmother open their eyes together."
When Jing Chen heard what his grandmother said, he called Ye Feng and Ye Ying to bring in the things they had brought, put them on the table, and then went back.
Jing Chen picked up a bottle of strawberry jam and said, "This is a jam made from a fruit called strawberry. I just got it and it tastes good, so I thought of giving it to grandma to try."
The Queen Mother looked at the small jar and said, "This is the first time I know that fruit can be used to make jam. What kind of fruit is this strawberry? Why have I never heard of it?"
Jing Chen said, "Grandma, try it. This thing is rare. You can drink it by mixing it with water, or use it to make snacks. It tastes good!"
Jing Chen picked up the cup and scooped a spoonful of strawberry jam into the cup. He poured some warm water into it, stirred it, and brought it to the empress dowager.
The Queen Mother saw that the water had also turned red and there was fruit pulp in it, which looked very tempting, so she picked it up and took a sip.
"This jam is really delicious, sour and sweet, and quite appetizing. I feel a lot more relaxed after drinking it. Not bad, not bad, it's really a good thing. It's hard for Chen'er to find such a good thing." The Queen Mother liked it very much and praised happily.
Hearing his grandmother's praise, Jingchen smiled and felt a little better.
The emperor beside him also wanted to try it and said, "Chen'er, make me a cup too. Father wants to try it too."
Seeing Jingchen act as if he hadn't heard her, Guima, who was standing by, stepped forward respectfully and said, "Your Highness, why should you do this job yourself? I've already memorized how to make it. I'll let this servant make it for Your Majesty to try."
Jing Chen looked at the emperor and said, "This is a gift for my grandmother."
The emperor laughed and said, "Why? There are several jars here. Can't your father even drink a glass?"
The Queen Mother also smiled and said, "Let your father have a taste. This is indeed something we have never eaten before."
Seeing that Jingchen stopped talking, Gui Mama placed the brewed jam tea in front of the emperor.
The emperor took the jam tea, smelled it, and said, "It's very fragrant, with a unique fruity aroma." Then he brought it to his mouth and took a sip.
"Yes, it's good. It tastes better than any other drink in the palace. I feel my body is clear after drinking it. Chen'er, where did you find this? Father wants some too."
Jing Chen said calmly: "It was a New Year gift from a friend, but it's gone now!" He explained this because he was afraid that his father would find out about the Xu family.
The emperor expressed some regret and said, "This fruit is indeed the first time I've tasted it. I don't think it's native to the Dragon Soul Kingdom, so it's normal that it's rare."
The Queen Mother said, "It's rare that the Emperor likes it. Chen'er sent several cans, all with different flavors. Just pick two to take home and drink."
The emperor said, "Since it was given to me by Chen'er, I can drink it from you in the future."
At this time, a young eunuch came in and bent down and said, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen has delivered today's New Year's Eve dinner."
"Bring it in!" said the Queen Mother.
Suddenly, more than a dozen eunuchs came in with trays, placed more than a dozen dishes on the table, and then left.
The emperor said, "I will just eat a few bites here with my mother. The banquet will begin soon."
At this time, Ye Feng also brought in a casserole. Jing Chen took it and placed it in front of the empress dowager, saying, "Grandma, try this. It's also a new food." After that, he opened the lid, and immediately a burst of fragrance came.
The Queen Mother looked into the casserole and said, "This is chicken soup. Are there noodles in it?"
Jing Chen said, "It's not noodles, it's just a little similar, but the taste is better than noodles."
The Queen Mother picked up the small bowl, picked up some with chopsticks and put them into the bowl, then picked up one and started eating.
"Well, it's good. It tastes better than noodles. It's smooth and chewy in the mouth, and it suits my taste very much." The Queen Mother praised.
After hearing what the empress dowager said, the emperor also filled a bowl and started eating.
After finishing a bowl, he said, "It's really delicious. I like it too. Chen'er, you've given your grandmother so many delicious things, but your father doesn't have any! I'm even planning to pick out a few good ones from my own small storehouse for you! Others don't have this privilege."
Jing Chen's eyes flashed and he said, "Thank you very much, father." Then he ordered Ye Feng to go to his palace and get a small jar of wine to give to the emperor.
The emperor saw that it was a wine jar. He opened it and smelled it. The smell was different from what he usually drank. This one smelled milder. He picked up the wine glass beside him and poured a glass. When he saw that the color was red, he said in surprise, "Why is this wine red?"
"This is made from grapes." Jing Chen kindly explained because he was giving him something as a gift.
"Is there wine made from grapes? The color is like red agate, and the wine is translucent. Let me try it and see how it tastes!" After saying that, he took a sip and closed his eyes to savor it carefully.
He was a wine lover, but he was usually busy with state affairs and was afraid that drinking would cause trouble, so he seldom drank. After tasting this wine today, he felt that all the wines he had drunk before paled in comparison to this one.
Then he laughed heartily and said, "Good wine, good wine! But this jar is too small, not enough for me to drink!"
Jing Chen was a little speechless. He only had two jars, so giving him one was already good enough. He actually thought it was not enough. So he took the jar with a blank face and said, "Since you think it is not enough, then I won't give it to you. I'll keep it for myself. I don't think it is not enough."
When the emperor saw this, he immediately took the wine back and said, "It's not right to give something away and then take it back. I'll accept this wine. I'm going to the front hall now. The banquet is about to begin. Come with me, Chen'er!"
Jing Chen said: "No!"
The emperor was somewhat helpless. He felt sorry for his youngest son and always felt regretful towards him, but he couldn't show too much concern for him. He probably didn't even know how many eyes were watching him in the palace. He was afraid that if he doted on Chen'er too much, he would harm the child.
He sighed and said, "Alright, you can stay here and have dinner with your grandmother. If the ministers ask about it, your father will help you."
The emperor stood up, greeted the empress dowager, and went out with the wine in his arms and a group of eunuchs and palace maids following him.
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