Geng Youran frowned:
"Since the concubine became pregnant this year, her temper has grown quite a bit. Doesn't the prince want to control her?"
"Princess, General Nian is busy fighting on the front lines. I heard he has made meritorious contributions and even the Emperor praised him. So our Prince doesn't say anything more."
Geng Youran thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so she continued with her work.
The osmanthus flowers have been cleaned; the next step is to make the batter.
Mix glutinous rice flour and rice flour evenly, add an appropriate amount of sugar, and continue to stir until well combined.
Then slowly add water or other liquids while stirring until the batter becomes thick and smooth.
After mixing the batter, add the prepared osmanthus flowers to the batter and gently stir until evenly distributed.
Add an appropriate amount of water to a steamer, bring it to a boil, and then place the steamer basket containing the batter inside.
Cover the pot and steam over medium heat until cooked through. Once steamed, remove the osmanthus cake and let it cool in a well-ventilated area.
In addition to 'Osmanthus Cake', Geng Youran also made 'Osmanthus Sugar Lotus Root'.
She first asked Qianxue to peel the lotus root, then cut off a small portion from one end to expose the internal holes.
Then, he filled the holes in the lotus root with the pre-soaked glutinous rice and used chopsticks to help pack it in.
After filling, cover it with the cut-off lotus root part and secure it with toothpicks.
Add an appropriate amount of water to a pot and place the lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice inside.
Add an appropriate amount of sugar and osmanthus flowers, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for half an hour, until the lotus root becomes soft and the soup is thick.
After cooking, remove the osmanthus-flavored lotus root and let it cool to room temperature in a ventilated place.
After cooling, cut the lotus root into appropriate thicknesses and sprinkle with pre-made osmanthus sugar.
"Princess, it's almost noon. Why don't you have lunch first before you go?"
After a busy morning, Geng Youran was indeed quite tired.
"Okay, then you can cook some noodles."
After a simple meal, Geng Youran divided the prepared snacks into two portions, one for Wanru and the other for Consort Li.
When they arrived at Niohuru Wanru's courtyard, they saw her tending to the flowers and plants.
"My little sister is in such high spirits!"
"Sister's here, come in and sit down."
After washing her hands, Wanru had Huangli brew tea, and then happily chatted with Geng Youran.
"I made some snacks and brought them for you to try."
Qianxue opened the food box and took out some snacks. Wanru glanced at them:
"Sister, I recognize this 'osmanthus cake,' but what about this lotus root?"
"This is 'Osmanthus Sugar Lotus Root,' which is made by simmering in sugar and then sprinkling osmanthus sugar on top. It's very soft, sticky, and sweet. Try it."
Wanru took a few bites and found it to be quite delicious.
"My younger sister has gained some weight from eating so many delicious foods from her older sister over the years."
Looking at Wanru's beautiful, fair face, Geng Youran smiled and said...
"You're even starting to act cute now."
"Sister, is there something you need today?"
Geng Youran then remembered that she had important business to attend to today.
“The Prince came to my place yesterday and mentioned Hongshi’s wedding. He was thinking that since Consort Nian is pregnant and all the affairs of the manor have been handed over to Consort Li, and with Hongshi’s wedding coming up, he asked us to go to Consort Li’s place to see if there is anything we can help with.”
"Wasn't the Third Prince's wedding supposed to be handled by the Imperial Household Department?"
"That being said, as Hongshi's biological mother, Consort Li feels more at ease handling some things personally."
Wanru nodded.
“That makes sense. Seeing Consort Li busy with all this, I’m starting to worry about Hongli’s future marriage.”
Geng Youran said with a smile:
"Don't worry about that. Hongli is favored by the prince, so his wedding might be a grand affair."
At this point, Wanru asked Geng Youran with a gossipy air:
"Sister, do you know about Consort Nian's dismissal of the maids?"
"You found out about this too?"
"When has there ever been a secret in this Prince's mansion? I bet everyone in the mansion knows by now. I never expected the Prince to spoil her so much, only scolding her and not even punishing her."
Geng Youran casually picked up her teacup, took a sip, and replied:
"Consort Nian is currently pregnant, and it's understandable that Your Highness doesn't want to affect her mood."
"Sister, aren't you jealous?"
Geng Youran looked at Wanru in surprise:
Why would you ask that?
"The Prince has always doted on you, but now he's treating Consort Nian so well, making exceptions for her time and time again. Doesn't he get jealous?"
Geng Youran raised her right hand and tapped Wanru's forehead with her index finger:
"You're a mother now, how can you still be so naive? But it would be a lie to say I'm not jealous, I just don't want to dwell on it."
She stood up and walked to the door, her soft voice continuing to drift out:
“I love the prince and had Hongzhou with him. But he is not an ordinary person, but the Yongqin Prince of our Great Qing Dynasty. He cannot and will never belong to me alone. Since that’s the case, why should I put myself in that dead end and make myself suffer every day?”
Wanru then stood up and walked to Geng Youran's side:
"Sister, you're just too clear-headed sometimes."
Geng Youran smiled but didn't say anything.
The two then came to Li Jingshu's place together. When they arrived, Li Jingshu was having her head maid rummage through chests and cabinets.
"Sister, what are you looking for?"
"What brings you two sisters here today? Look at my place, it's such a mess. Someone, tidy it up."
Li Jingshu welcomed the two people into the house and had tea made for them.
“Hongshi is getting married soon, and as his mother-in-law, I have to prepare a decent gift for my daughter-in-law.”
"If you can't find a suitable one, you can just tell the prince directly. Why go through all this trouble?"
Li Jingshu smiled:
"It's not that I wanted to give anything expensive, I just wanted to express my feelings."
Geng Youran nodded, roughly understanding Li Jingshu's thoughts.
"Look at me, I've only been drinking tea since I came in. I made some snacks before I came, sister, please try them and see if they suit your taste."
"My sister is always very skillful, so her taste is naturally just right."
Qianxue took out chopsticks and handed them to Consort Li. She took a bite and found that they tasted very good.
"Consort, the Prince said that you have been busy with Hongshi's wedding lately, so he asked Wanru and me to come and see if there is anything we can do to help."
"My two sisters have come at the right time. I do have something I need your help with."
Afterwards, Li Jingshu asked someone to bring over several account books from her study desk.
"These are the Prince's account books from before the New Year, and I'm checking them now. But there's so much to do that I'm really struggling, so I'd like to ask my two younger sisters for help."
"Sister, this isn't appropriate. We can help with other things, but this ledger is too important. Would you consider assigning it to us for something else?"
"It's alright, these ledgers are just some of the household's daily expenses, a quick check will suffice."
Geng Youran and Wanru exchanged a glance and had no choice but to accept the ledger.
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