Afterwards, Geng Youran went back to the small kitchen to make some snacks, leaving Yinzhen and Yinxiang to enjoy the meal in the room.
"Fourth brother, I'm becoming more and more envious of you."
"Come on, it's not like your sister-in-law treats you badly."
Yinxiang chuckled a few times.
After a while, Geng Youran asked Qianxue to bring up the plum blossom wine she had brewed.
"Your Highness, Thirteenth Prince, this is plum blossom wine brewed by the Princess. Please have a taste."
Yinzhen and Yinxiang each took a sip, their eyes lighting up; there was indeed the fragrance of plum blossoms in it.
"Qianxue, how many has your princess been with?"
Qianxue smiled:
"Don't worry, Thirteenth Prince, the Princess has already installed it for you."
Yinxiang laughed heartily:
"Fourth Brother, this Lady Geng in your household is indeed very interesting."
For once, Yinzhen also smiled.
After Qianxue returned to the small kitchen, she happily told Geng Youran about how the prince and the thirteenth prince reacted after tasting the plum blossom wine, but Geng Youran was unimpressed.
"This isn't the first time our prince has drunk this wine. But the thirteenth prince, I didn't expect him to be a wine lover as well."
"I heard that the Thirteenth Prince loved to drink when he was young, but for some reason, he drinks less now, though he still has a high tolerance. Have you forgotten the time he got drunk at the Prince's residence last time?"
"Well, Qianxue, you've started teasing me all of a sudden."
Geng Youran and Qianxue were busy with their hands and their mouths too.
The Thirteenth Prince is not in good health, especially since he has just recovered from a cold and still has a cough. Geng Youran wants to make some non-irritating pastries, such as "Jade Dew Frost" and "Licorice Loquat Cake".
First, make 'Jade Dew Frost' by mixing together four ingredients: Trichosanthes root powder, Pueraria lobata, Platycodon grandiflorus, and bean flour.
Soak dried mint in water until softened, then filter.
Prepare several pieces of fine silk, layer powder, silk, and mint, and so on.
Boil it in water until cooked, remove it, let it cool, add eight ounces of white sugar and stir, then press it into a mold to imprint the shape.
Another thing is to make 'licorice loquat cake'.
This dessert is supposed to be made with fresh loquats, but Geng Youran only has dried loquats. So she and Qianxue peeled off the skin and scraped the flesh inside with spoons.
Put the scraped fruit pulp into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer over low heat.
Simmer until the loquat flesh softens and the juice becomes thick.
Add the pre-ground licorice powder and monk fruit to the boiled loquat juice and continue stirring and simmering.
If other ingredients are added, such as hawthorn, they should also be added at this time and simmered together.
After one incense stick has burned, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar and continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour the cooked licorice loquat cake into a mold and let it cool and solidify naturally.
"Qianxue, you stay here and keep watch. I'm going to check on how the Prince and the Thirteenth Prince are eating."
"yes."
When Geng Youran arrived at the main room, Yinzhen and Yinxiang had already finished eating.
She quickly called for someone to come and tidy up, and then brewed Longjing tea and Luo Han Guo for Yinzhen and Yinxiang respectively.
"Gege, what's in my cup?"
"Reporting to the Thirteenth Prince, this is monk fruit. His Highness said that your cough has not gotten better in the past few days, and drinking monk fruit infused in water can help relieve it."
Yinxiang looked at Yinzhen with embarrassment:
"Thank you for your help, Fourth Brother."
"We're brothers, no need to be so polite."
After speaking, Yinzhen turned his head and asked:
"How are the things I asked you to prepare coming along?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, preparations are almost complete."
"Master and Thirteenth Brother, please go back to your study first. You can have Xiao Anzi bring it over when you're ready."
"yes."
Then Yinzhen and Yinxiang left.
Seeing the two princes leave the courtyard, Geng Youran slumped onto a stool, exhausted from the morning.
After lunch, Geng Youran took a nap and didn't wake up until Qianxue brought in the food box.
"Princess, I have already packed the food box. In addition to the pastries you made, I have also packed the plum wine you requested."
Geng Youran opened the lid and looked inside:
"Hmm, that's good. Just give it to Xiao Anzi and have him give it to Gao Wuyong."
"yes."
For the next month or so, things remained harmonious within Prince Yong's residence, but undercurrents were swirling in the imperial court.
Yinxiang was extremely busy with the tasks assigned by Emperor Kangxi, while Yinzhen was also busy dealing with his younger brothers.
At the end of February, a minor but significant event occurred within the imperial court—Tong Guowei passed away.
Emperor Kangxi deeply regretted Tong Guowei's passing. To express his condolences, he held a grand funeral ceremony for Tong Guowei, dispatched Shou Zhu, a senior official of the Ministry of Rites, to offer sacrifices at Tong Guowei's altar, and bestowed upon him a stone tablet with an inscription that highly praised Tong Guowei's achievements and virtues.
However, Kangxi could not grieve for too long. Tong Guowei held a noble title, and after his death, Kangxi had to decide who would inherit it.
The Imperial Clan Court had requested that his son, Longkodo, inherit the title of Duke, but this request was kept under wraps by Emperor Kangxi and was never approved.
But what Kangxi didn't expect was that Longkodo's men noticed this and secretly reported it to Longkodo.
In March, the spirit tablet of Empress Xiaohui Renzong Duanyi Chunde Shuntian Yishengzhang was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the ceremony was completed. To express his respect and reverence for his ancestors, Emperor Kangxi decided to dispatch special officials to offer sacrifices at the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor.
However, Emperor Kangxi hesitated to make a decision on the selection of this special official.
The sacrifice to the Yellow Emperor was a major event. The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince kept recommending people from their own side, but Yinzhen did not take any action.
Yinzhen learned this decision from Geng Youran.
Through so many years of getting to know each other, he discovered that Geng Youran had an excellent quality: prudence. And this was precisely what was most needed in the current situation.
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