After lunch, the princes and their wives were all kept behind by Emperor Kangxi. Consort Hui and Consort Yi exchanged a glance and noticed the worry in each other's eyes.
The hall was very quiet. The princes were concerned about what Kangxi was about to say. Qingyan sat next to Yin, keeping a close eye on him.
"Fourth Prince, I have sent someone to invite the Empress Dowager. According to the customs of the people, where should an old nobleman reside?" As soon as Kangxi finished speaking, the princes were relieved. It turned out that only the Empress Dowager had come, and their lord was not in any great danger.
"It was my oversight!" Yinxian admitted his mistake. "It should have been in the master bedroom in the main courtyard, but Father Emperor specially reserved this room."
Yin directly attributed the reputation of filial piety to Kangxi, and Consort Tong smiled at Yin.
Qingyan had clearly anticipated that the Empress Dowager might come, so he had specially prepared this place in advance. Now that everyone has seen Kangxi's actions, they are all glad that Qingyan had prepared a backup plan.
"My dear, the Empress Dowager's teeth aren't very good, so you'll have to prepare plenty of food for her from now on!" Consort Tong instructed Qingyan directly.
Qingyan quickly replied, "Mother, don't worry, I know!"
At this moment, Qingyan was mentally calculating how much more things she should prepare for the Empress Dowager tomorrow.
"My dear mother, does the Empress Dowager eat all three meals with us?" The Tenth Princess Consort had a good relationship with the Empress Dowager. After all, the Tenth Princess Consort was from Mongolia and could often enter the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager.
"Yes, you must take good care of her. The Empress Dowager's health is somewhat weak. If you're going to prepare medicinal cuisine, first consult Imperial Physician Yuan to see if it interacts with the Empress Dowager's medication!" Consort Tong was somewhat worried about the Tenth Prince's wife and quickly gave them these instructions.
"Yes!" Qingyan and the others all replied.
Later that evening, the wives gathered in the pavilion in the corner of the courtyard. On the table were flower tea and pastries. The wives would gather here every day to arrange the tasks for the next day.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, you said the Empress Dowager is coming. Should we prepare some other food? We prepare three meals a day according to the Emperor's and Mother's tastes!" Tenth Princess said nervously to her sisters-in-law.
Logically speaking, Lady Yin Genjueluo and Lady Qingyan have been in the royal family the longest, and the Fifth Princess Consort is the closest to the Empress Dowager. Now, it is necessary for the three of them to give their opinions for discussion.
"Fifth Sister-in-law, the Empress Dowager has been raising Fifth Brother, so you should know her tastes very well, right?" Ninth Prince Consort asked directly.
Fifth Princess sighed helplessly: "The Empress Dowager has always used chefs from Mongolia, so the taste has never changed much. Tenth Sister-in-law, this time I will need you to cook it yourself!"
The Tenth Prince's wife gasped twice, if it were the taste of the grasslands...
"Fourth Sister-in-law, shall we have another whole roasted lamb?" Tenth Princess asked Qingyan.
A couple of days ago, several lambs were brought to Changchun Garden, and Qingyan made them into roast whole lambs. Even Emperor Kangxi ate a bit too much of it.
“The elderly eat roasted whole lamb for three meals a day, we can’t keep cooking lamb all the time, can we?” Qingyan was really at a loss for words.
The tenth princess stuck out her tongue. If it were all mutton, everyone would get a sore throat.
“Lamb can be eaten every day, but it can’t be eaten for every meal!” Yin Genjue Luo stood on Qingyan’s side.
Arguably, as the eldest sister-in-law, Yin Genjue Luo should have made the final decision, and no one was as familiar with kitchen matters as Qing Yan.
"Sister-in-law, we can serve mutton for dinner, and have someone prepare some milk tea for breakfast. This should be commonly used on the grasslands!" Qingyan said directly.
Every autumn, there's milk tea with every meal. Qingyan drank so much of it she almost cried. Every time she came back, she didn't want to use it for a long time.
"Sister-in-law, I know how to cook this. Besides, I brought a lot of tea leaves from my hometown. Just wait and see," the Tenth Princess said, taking full responsibility.
The sisters-in-law present were relieved. They really didn't know how to do this. They couldn't very well ask Granny Su for help, could they?
"Tenth sister-in-law, this really needs to be entrusted to you," Yin Genjue Luo Shi agreed.
The sisters-in-law discussed for almost an hour and a half before Qingyan and Yingenjueluo went into the small kitchen to make the cold noodles that Emperor Kangxi had ordered.
A few days ago, Yin wanted to eat in the middle of the night, so Qingyan and the other person sneaked into the kitchen and specially prepared a bowl of cold noodles.
Hearing the commotion, the princes all ran to the small kitchen for a meal. After hearing what Li Dequan said, Kangxi barged in and saw the princes squatting on the ground, eating from large bowls.
The scene greatly surprised Emperor Kangxi. The princes were taught manners from a young age, so he had never seen them so unconcerned about their image.
However, Emperor Kangxi remembered that bowl of noodles. At lunch today, he specifically requested that cold noodles be made, along with some side dishes.
Looking at the dough in front of her, Qingyan was both amused and exasperated, wondering why she had gotten herself into trouble again.
"Little darling, the noodles that day were really good, it's just that those few were so unladylike!" Madam Yin Genjue still remembered what happened that night, which made everyone laugh.
"Sister-in-law, go check if my brother and grandfather are alright. If they are, come over quickly. We still need to deal with this situation like the other day. Women can't 'knead' this dough." Qingyan said directly.
"Alright, let's all work together this time. Furong, go and call the gentlemen over, and the three wives over as well, to prepare dinner together. I estimate that Grandmother will arrive around dinner time!" He said directly to the First Wife.
Furong quickly left the kitchen. Yin heard Yin Genjueluo's report and looked at his younger brothers in the study.
"Let's go, we'll make our own food and clothing." With a shout from Yin, all the princes went into the kitchen.
When Emperor Kangxi heard this, he laughed heartily. Consort Tong was very worried; if Emperor Kangxi took notice of Qingyan, things would be terrible.
“Your Majesty, Xiao Guai has lost his sense of propriety. How can he let the princes into the kitchen?” Consort Tong quickly said.
"It's alright. Girls can't make hand-pulled noodles, so having these young men cook a meal for me is their way of showing filial piety. Isn't that what we should do? You three, don't mind it. Just wait here for dinner. Although the taste isn't great, it's still a token of your son and daughter-in-law's good intentions," Kangxi said directly.
"Your Majesty, I can die happy that I can still eat Baoqing's cooking in my lifetime. Yingenjueluo's cooking is really good. It's time to train her properly!" Consort Hui thought Yingenjueluo was a good daughter-in-law who could help Yin gradually relinquish power and stop fighting for it.
Since Mingzhu's death, Consort Hui has seen through the affairs of the palace and does not want Baoqing to be involved.
"Sister Huifei, I've always hoped that the Ninth Prince would become sensible. I'd be happier than anyone else if he did. The Fifth Prince has always been favored by the Empress Dowager, and I also look forward to seeing her filial piety!" Consort Yi added.
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