After a day of mourning, Qingyan was dazzled by the smoke from the Cining Palace, and her mood was far from pleasant.
The concubines and court ladies all put something with a strong, pungent smell on their sleeves or handkerchiefs. No one could cry for a whole day; they had to cry continuously for over twenty days.
These past few days, Consort Tong noticed that her two children were getting thinner and thinner, and she felt very sorry for them.
Everyone was observing mourning, so she couldn't give the two of them extra meals. She could only occasionally have Shu cook some nourishing soup for the children.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince and the Princess have done a good job. The Dong E sisters had only been mourning for two or three days when news of their pregnancy broke. His Majesty may not say it, but he must be feeling uneasy." The Empress Dowager had just passed away, and Yinzhi was about to have both a legitimate son and a son born out of wedlock.
Even though Kangxi said that the imperial offspring were the most important, everyone could see the indifference in his eyes.
Qingyan sat to the side, while Sulan went to the small kitchen and made a lot of vegetarian and meat dishes using the menu Qingyan had given her.
"Mother, let Father dine too. These dishes were all found by Xiao Guai." Yin raised his head and looked at Consort Tong. There was a secret passage between Yangxin Hall and Chenggan Palace, which was specially built by Kangxi for Consort Tong's safety.
"Hmm, Shuzhu, go find His Majesty and have him come over quietly." Consort Tong didn't want to stand out. "My little darling, I'm entrusting Yin to you. These days, you two should observe mourning in the Prince's quarters. Seven days before your wedding, Fei Yanggu will personally come to fetch you back."
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong excluded Lady Gioro from the Qingyan wedding ceremony. When she was married, the wife of Prince Yu would personally escort her to the Qingyan ceremony on her behalf.
Qingyan nodded. The wedding date was moved up. Fortunately, Feiyanggu had prepared Qingyan's dowry well in advance. Seeing how much importance the higher-ups attached to the Ulanara family, the Imperial Household Department dared not neglect them.
"Qingya will be getting married in the next couple of days. Someone from the old mansion has come to say that we should be frugal with the gifts as a way of showing our affection for our sister." Consort Tong had long been wary of the schemes of the Jue Luo clan and others.
Qingya has taken a liking to Yin and wants to sabotage their relationship; Xiao Guai must have discovered this.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will prepare two or three sets of headdresses as part of your dowry." As the legitimate daughter, Qingyan's suggestion was acceptable.
Lanya was very satisfied with her intelligence; this was good.
During dinner, Emperor Kangxi noticed a considerable amount of meat dishes on the table and his expression turned sour.
Consort Tong was initially frightened by the dishes, but later she remembered that all the meat in the small kitchen had been cleaned up, and she was completely relieved.
Qingyan has been studying these vegetarian dishes, and since Yin likes them very much, she will keep them.
"Not bad, Lanya, use more of it, and it will be indistinguishable from the real thing!" Kangxi couldn't help but laugh after eating Su Dongpo pork.
Yin and Qingyan exchanged a glance. As long as they had made it clear to Kangxi, they could prepare some food for themselves in the prince's small kitchen later.
"It tastes just like Dongpo pork!" Lan Ya's eyes flashed; this little guy really puts a lot of thought into food.
"Hehe, it's winter melon!" Qingyan revealed the answer. "These are made with tofu, winter melon, and other ingredients. You can't just have vegetables and tofu for mourning, it'll get boring. Changing the dishes like this and using more ingredients will make mourning more effective!"
Qingyan quickly flattered Kangxi, saying that everyone from Kangxi to his ministers had lost a lot of weight these days.
Her action made Emperor Kangxi laugh; the little girl was the most filial.
"Could it be used in Feiyanggu's place as well?" Feiyanggu bears a heavy responsibility and absolutely cannot ruin his health because of mourning.
"I've given the recipe to Adun!" Qingyan nodded. Not only Feiyanggu, but also Eshuo and Saito's comrades in the army could use it.
Kangxi pondered for a moment, thinking that it was quite remarkable that Xiao Guai could think of E'shuo and Saito.
"Little darling, make a copy of the recipe and give it to me!" Consort Tong noticed Kangxi's predicament and simply asked for it, "When I come to pay my respects, I can ask them to take good care of the ministers' health and share more of Your Majesty's burdens."
Having heard Consort Tong's words, Qingyan had no choice but to nod in agreement.
She happily agreed on the surface, but her heart was filled with gloom. Yin Yi noticed Qingyan's expression and knew that she was unhappy.
"My little darling, I won't take this recipe for nothing. I'll grant you a wish!" Kangxi had already noticed Qingyan's unhappiness and quickly made a promise.
"No, this recipe is for Si Si, so let Si Si use it too." Qing Yan didn't prepare it for herself; these were all common vegetarian dishes, just with a better taste.
The true treasures were never made at Qingyan.
Today, she had Kangxi taste it in the hope that when they were cooking in the small kitchen, Yinzhi wouldn't find any fault with it.
puff!
Kangxi turned his head and spat out the soup in his mouth. He and Consort Tong were not as important as Yinzhen.
Forget it, girls are outgoing!
“Little Darling…” Yin was deeply moved, but also troubled by Qingyan’s honesty.
Could one speak like that in front of Emperor Kangxi?
"Fourth Prince, Xiao'ai is doing well, no need to change it." Kangxi thought this meal was better than what the imperial kitchen would make, and that Xiao'ai's concern for Yin was commendable.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at Consort Tong out of the corner of his eye, realizing that his own wife no longer cared for him.
"Yes, Your Majesty and Your Highness. From now on, if the kitchen prepares something delicious, have Anda and the nanny go and get it themselves." Qingyan understood that food that couldn't be delivered to the inner palace could be switched without someone noticing.
Yin frowned. Why would Xiao Guai make such a request?
"Li Dequan, you are personally in charge of purchasing and cooking in Yin's small kitchen. No mistakes are allowed." Kangxi understood Qingyan's implied meaning; Lanya rarely didn't lose weight while in mourning.
Back then, when Empress Dowager Tong passed away in a daze, Lan Ya fell seriously ill.
“!” Li Dequan quickly agreed.
Yin was immediately relieved. Li Dequan was the chief steward by Kangxi's side, and there would definitely be no mistakes in the areas under his jurisdiction.
"Lanya, you also used the meals prepared by Qingyan's small kitchen. Xiaoguai is right; using better food will help us better observe mourning." Kangxi comforted Consort Tong.
While serving food to Qingyan, Yin watched as the servants brought over the last soup.
"Alright, this time it won't be like last time." Consort Tong smiled.
Between Empress Dowager Tong and the Grand Empress Dowager, the four members of their family leaned more towards the former.
"Little darling, don't cry too much when you're mourning, or you'll hurt your eyes." Kangxi looked at Little darling. Several times, Little darling had cried the most. He was worried that Little darling's body might be harmed after mourning.
Qingyan nodded, inwardly complaining that Kangxi's feelings for her and the Empress Dowager were nothing special.
"And you and your son too," Kangxi had to admit. Which of the concubines and court ladies were truly sincere? Even Consort Xin was probably thinking about her future! (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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