After lunch, Qingyan specially served strawberry mille-feuille. The Empress Dowager was overjoyed to see the cream with xylitol on it.
"My little darling, can I really eat this?" The Empress Dowager wasn't sure if she could really eat this dessert.
At the banquet, he nodded, and it was acceptable to use xylitol sparingly.
"This is the only piece we can use!" Qingyan handed the blue-and-white porcelain plate to the Empress Dowager. On it was a single mille-feuille pastry about the size of a three-cent coin. The white cream and red strawberries created a striking contrast, making it look exceptionally appetizing.
"Su Mo'er, leave a piece for the Imperial Concubine and Xiao Guai. I'll take a piece for you too. Send the rest of the pastries to the Hall of Mental Cultivation!" The Empress Dowager didn't give Consort Rong and her daughter-in-law a single kind look.
Qingyan could sense Dong Eshi's unfriendly gaze, her eyes following the movement of the desserts.
"Grandma, have some Pu'er tea!" Qingyan carried a cup of Pu'er tea to the Empress Dowager's side.
After the Empress Dowager's illness was diagnosed, Emperor Kangxi, on the advice of the imperial physicians, changed all the tea served in Cining Palace to Pu'er tea.
"Little Darling, could we change the tea to milk tea instead?" The Empress Dowager smiled, and Little Darling resolutely followed the imperial physician's instructions.
Su Mo'er instructed her maid to deliver the chilled pastries to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. As Su Mo'er entered the hall, she saw the Empress Dowager trying to ingratiate herself with Xiao Guai.
"No, Your Majesty, we must listen carefully to the imperial physician's advice and absolutely cannot make a single mistake!" Qingyan gently persuaded the Empress Dowager.
"Alright, I will be careful. Lanya, you take Xiaoguai back to rest." The Empress Dowager did not want Qingyan to be too tired, so it was fine for Consort Rong and Lady Dong'e to stay here.
Consort Tong was relieved. It was all thanks to Xiao Guai that she was able to return so easily; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to get back so easily.
"Yes, Your Majesty, please also let Consort Rong and Third Sister-in-law go down to have some lunch. You need to take a nap." Qingyan pondered that the imperial physician said it was essential to ensure the Empress Dowager took her afternoon nap. Consort Rong and Dong E were just wasting their time here, so it would be better to do them a favor directly.
Consort Tong was pleased; her little darling had truly grown up and was now much more thoughtful in her actions.
"Alright! You may leave now. Remember, it was Xiao Guai who pleaded for you." After the Empress Dowager saw Consort Rong and Lady Dong'e bow, she quietly left.
"Grandma, let the nanny help you take a nap. We agreed that you would sleep for an hour, and then listen to a story!" Qingyan really enjoyed being with the old lady, who treated her very well.
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, little darling!" The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile. "Go back now."
"Daughter-in-law/Granddaughter-in-law, I take my leave!" Consort Tong, with Qingyan's formal attire, pushed her way out.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had just gone out when they saw Consort Rong and Lady Dong'e standing in front of the Cining Palace. Consort Rong had a smile on her face, but Lady Dong'e's performance was not up to par. The resentment in her eyes made Qingyan feel scared.
"Noble Consort, thank you so much, Fourth Prince Consort. Otherwise, we might not have been able to get out for a long time!" Consort Rong said gratefully.
Qingyan lowered her head and stood aside like a quail.
Consort Tong shook her head indifferently and walked out of Cining Palace with Qingyan.
Outside Cining Palace, Xiao Guai hid her smile. In front of the Empress Dowager, they all had to be all smiles so that the old lady could have a good mood.
The rumors circulating in the palace were growing increasingly intense, causing great headaches for both Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong. The person behind it all had not been identified, and even the person who was fueling the rumors remained a mystery.
The people at the Imperial Observatory were also big mouths; they couldn't even keep a secret about this small meal.
"Mother, are we going back to Chenggan Palace?!" Qingyan realized they weren't heading towards Chenggan Palace, and at that moment, she felt a little scared.
"No, let's go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The Fourth Prince should be there too!" Kangxi instructed, wanting Xiao Guai to go as well.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and the two of them hadn't walked for long before they were sweating profusely. Qingyan secretly resolved that she must exercise, otherwise, it would be frustrating to not have the stamina to keep up when going out for fun.
"Mother, let Aunt Shu bring your sedan chair." Qingyan noticed that Consort Tong's expression was not good, so she quickly stepped forward to support her.
Consort Tong shook her head. Emperor Kangxi mentioned that she would start exercising from today and would be going to Qiumi in a while.
"No need. You should also start training from today. When it's autumn, Xiao Guai will go with Yin." Consort Tong helped Qing Yan walk forward, and they walked together towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Qingyan's eyes sparkled; what Consort Tong said must be true.
Autumn!
She remembered that when the Palace Museum exhibited a painting of Emperor Qianlong's Qiu Mi, she felt dizzy just looking at it.
"Mother, really?" Qingyan jumped up happily, then realized she was not happy about the right thing, coughed twice, and stood up straight.
Consort Tong looked at Qingyan's adorable appearance and couldn't help but feel a little longing.
Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qingyan obediently sidled up to Yin, her small mouth agape and her almond-shaped eyes brimming with excitement.
Seeing Qingyan's excited expression, Yin knew that Consort Tong must have mentioned Qiu Mi's matter.
"Little darling, you need to exercise recently." Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Yin and Qingyan. Recently, Yin's riding and archery skills have improved rapidly. This time, Qiu Mi took the two of them there, which can be regarded as a return to familiar places.
Qingyan smiled, and when she saw the plate of strawberry mille-feuille that Kangxi had placed there, her smile widened.
"These snacks are quite good. If the Empress Dowager likes them, they can be given to the chefs of Cining Palace. But they shouldn't cook them too often, as it's the hottest time of the year and they might get heatstroke!" Kangxi was not at all worried.
"Grandma likes to eat it, so it's what a daughter-in-law should do!" Qingyan didn't find it troublesome.
"Yin, you must keep an eye on Xiao Guai's training. When it comes to Qiu Mi, she must not show any weakness!" Kangxi waved his hand, and Li Dequan respectfully presented a revolver. Qingyan did not like using bows and arrows, so Kangxi gave her the pistol that was made in the palace as tribute.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Qingyan quickly expressed her gratitude. Not only did she have this heavy pistol, but she also thought that it would be even better if the Qing Dynasty could also manufacture and sell them.
"This was made by the Qing Dynasty. Little darling, you're the first one to use it. During the autumn harvest, the two of us will have a competition!" When Kangxi learned that Little darling liked Western things, Fei Yanggu went to great lengths to get a pistol for Little darling to use in training.
Over the course of several years, he actually managed to practice until he could hit the bullseye every time.
"Yes!" Qingyan was naturally delighted. "Father, is Mother going too?"
Kangxi nodded. Consort Tong's riding and archery skills were very high. This time, Qiu Mi was preparing to take the Empress Dowager to relax, and also hoped to take Dai Zi's weapons to Mongolia to test them.
"Father, has Dai Zi brought all his weapons?" A new type of army has been formed, not just the small force led by Saito equipped with firearms, but the entire army is prepared to be equipped with them. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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