Lotus seed candy
"Your Majesty, I truly cannot accept this. There are so many people in the capital, I will escort you out of the city in a moment."
"Why not? Don't you like me? Why don't you dare to admit it?"
"Your Majesty has misunderstood. What I did was merely a gesture of friendship between the ruler and his subjects."
"Lord and subject? I'm no longer the Queen, so how can we talk about monarch and subject? If you don't like me, why would you bring back the flowers I just picked to plant? Why did you get angry when Gu Wenying wore flowers just now? Why did you risk your life to rescue me from Huangshan Palace?"
Zhang Yannian fell silent.
Gillian asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Is it irrefutable, or is it impossible to refute?"
She suddenly sneered at him, "You wanted to use me, didn't you? You used me to poison Liu Che's milk, and you told him my true identity. Your goal was to use me to get rid of him and make me your scapegoat, right?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about. Your Majesty has already investigated this case, and the real culprit has been executed. Why do you suspect me? You say I killed Your Majesty, what's your reason? When Baili Xi attempted to assassinate me, I blocked the sword for Your Majesty. That's why Your Majesty promoted me, trusted me, and recognized my talent, appointing me as the crown prince's teacher."
"I have risen from a minor official to where I am today, all thanks to Your Majesty's promotion and favor. I am not a member of the royal family, and I want to usurp the throne. What reason do you have for me to kill Your Majesty?"
"How should I know why you killed him? Well, the murderer will never admit his crime. I won't argue with you."
Gillian turned and walked out the door.
"Where are you going, Your Majesty? Are you going to His Majesty to report me for treason and frame-up?"
"I won't tell on you, but I can't stay here any longer."
She was somewhat disappointed with Zhang Yannian. When Liu Che had expelled her from Changxin Palace on charges of practicing witchcraft and cursing the emperor, Zhang Yannian had argued vigorously and refused to sign the case's closing document. Later, even without knowing her true identity, he had gone to great lengths to demand that Liu Che release Madam Huo and remove her from the palace. She had always admired his integrity and integrity. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable trust and closeness towards him.
But reason told her that he was not trustworthy.
She didn't understand the grudge between them. If she reported him, he would surely die. If she didn't tell him, there was always a hidden danger hidden by Liu Che. She wouldn't kill either of them. Let them fight, she thought. Now she just wanted to live a peaceful life of eating and waiting for death.
The Gu family has no money, Gu Wenying has no money, and her biggest need now is money.
After leaving Zhang's house, she walked on the street and unknowingly arrived at Tangyi Marquis Mansion. She thought for a moment, found a little beggar and gave him a handful of money.
"Go and take this to the Marquis of Tangyi."
She took out a bamboo slip and gave it to the little beggar.
"Me? I can't get in."
"We're not going to the Marquis' Mansion, but to the Mingyu Tower, Room A." She pulled out another silver hairpin and gave it to him. "Give this to that person, and he'll let you in."
"Who? Who's looking for me?"
Chen Jiao was reclining on the couch, enjoying the grapes his beauty had fed him, when he heard a servant say there was a message outside. He waved impatiently, and the servant handed him the bamboo slips.
He was shocked after reading it. "Ten thousand yuan! He's crazy to ask for so much! I'll give him a thousand at most, take it or leave it. This happened so long ago, he's taking me for a ride."
"Tangyi Hou is as precious as gold and jade. What is ten thousand coins compared to your reputation?"
The little beggar repeated what Ah Jiao had said to her. Chen Jiao snorted coldly. Ten thousand yuan was not too much for him, and he could afford it. After thinking for a moment, he impatiently took out the banknote from his pocket and said, "Go, go, go. I tell you, don't come to me again in the future, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
The little beggar left Mingyu Tower and went to where Ah Jiao was. "This is the money that the Tangyi Marquis gave you."
Gillian grabbed a handful of money and gave it to him. She knew that the idiot would give it to him.
She found a house in Beijing for the time being, but after buying it, she had very little money left. The scorching heat was unbearable, so she lay in her room for a nap. Housing in Beijing was expensive, so the house was small, but fortunately, the previous owner had maintained it well, so she didn't have to put in too much effort.
After buying a house, I only had 600 yuan left, which was only enough to last me a month after deducting food and clothing.
She couldn't just sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor, so she had to find a way to earn money, but she didn't know how to do anything...
A breeze blew past the window, bringing a heat wave, causing the lotus leaves in the lotus pond to sway slightly and the lotus pods to rustle.
She suddenly thought of selling snacks. She immediately picked lotus pods, peeled the seeds one by one, rinsed them with water, sprinkled them with flour, and then simmered them in a pan of oil. She added sugar to the pan, waited until it thickened, then added the lotus seeds and simmered them three times. The icing sugar coated the lotus seeds, and the tender white candied lotus seeds were neatly arranged in a food box.
When her father was busy with his sleeves rolled up, she would sneak under his skirt and stealthily reach into the food box, eating one snack after another. When she had eaten half the box, her father pretended to discover her and lifted her up.
"Ah Jiao is cheating again, isn't she complaining about a toothache anymore?"
"It's not that I want to eat it, it's Archer who likes it, so I'll try it for him first."
Chen Wu paused after hearing this and smiled, "Don't you dislike Archer and dislike him following you around all day?"
"It's a bit annoying, but Mother said no one wants to play with Archer. If I don't take him out to play, he'll be locked up in his room by Concubine Wang all day long. It's so pitiful."
"Your mother lied to you. How could Archer be bored when he has so many palace maids and eunuchs around him?"
"Mother would never lie to Gillian. She said she would find me an obedient person to play with me, and Archer is obedient. He is more obedient than my two younger brothers. He will never go against my will."
Chen Wu's expression was a bit complicated. "Ah Jiao, only a dog or animal would be so obedient, but he is a human being, and your uncle's son, a prince. It's impossible for him to be so obedient all his life, do you understand?"
Gillian laughed and said, "Doesn't father always listen to mother? Why can't he?"
Chen Wu sighed, "Forget it, you've tried it so many times, and you still say you don't know what Daddy's candied lotus seeds taste like. Then Daddy will teach you."
Gillian smiled and shook her head, "I can't remember it, I won't learn it. Daddy makes it for me. If Daddy makes it a few more times for me to taste, I'll remember it."
"Girl, you love candy so much, how old do you have to be to remember it?"
She began to count on her fingers, "Ten, eleven, twelve... nineteen..."
Her father laughed as she clumsily counted. "Okay, okay, even if you're eighty or ninety, Daddy will still make it for you."
Her father's warm hands seemed to still be between her arms. Back then, she did not understand his hidden meaning. Her father did not approve of her marriage with Liu Che, but he had no right to interfere.
Although he came from a noble family, his mother's status was even higher and more important. His always arrogant father could only remain silent in front of his domineering and strong mother.
She thought that her father at the time must have felt that she was so spoiled by her mother. When Liu Che ascended the throne in the future, the roles would be reversed. She would become the current father and Liu Che would be the current mother. And she would also be like her father, compromising and living a depressed life.
But she was different from her father. Her father and mother were married by their grandmother and had no feelings for each other, so they could have tolerated it for the sake of the family. But she was different. She and Liu Che had a close relationship since childhood. She was spoiled and loved by him. So when Liu Che's positions were reversed and she had to suffer injustice, her anger and unwillingness were so strong that she did crazy things to retaliate against Liu Che.
Chu Fu resembled Liu Che, and she slept on the same bed with him and drank from the same table. She knew this was a provocation to the emperor's dignity, but she did it anyway. She did it deliberately because, in her eyes, Liu Che was not the emperor, but her husband and cousin. The closer one is to someone, the more disrespectful they become, and the more likely they are to act irrationally after being betrayed.
She suddenly laughed. Now it seemed that her father was right. Liu Che was not suitable for her. Her stubborn temper was not suitable for being a queen. She needed someone to respect her, to flatter her, to listen to her orders and to entertain her. Love alone was not enough to maintain the relationship; a balance of power was also needed.
Once this balance is broken, she will end up in the same situation as her father - death.
"Lotus seed candy—fresh lotus seed candy—"
She shouted in an unskilled voice, walking on the street with a large wooden box in her hands.
Dong Yan was sitting in the carriage, fanning the ice cubes from the box to cool them down for Liu Piao when he heard the hawking voices. He laughed and said, "That's a fresh word! Fresh lotus seed candy... How can this candy be stale?"
Liu Piao sat in the sedan chair for a long time, feeling bored. She suddenly thought of something and ordered the sedan chair to stop. She said, "Buy two bags of lotus seed candy to take back with you."
Dong Yan responded and went to A Jiao's stall first, "Miss, how much are you selling these candies for? Give me two bags."
Gillian was about to say the price with a smile, but when she looked up and saw it was Dong Yan, her smile faded, "One gold cake, one bag."
Dong Yan sneered, "A piece of gold cake? Even if these are made of gold, they are not worth that much."
"If you can't afford it, don't buy it. It's so hot, don't delay my business."
"Do you know who I am? You say I can't afford it?"
Gillian deliberately looked him over. "He's so old, yet still wearing such fancy clothes. Who else could he be, stepping down from that nobleman's sedan chair? An old and faded lover."
"you……"
Dong Yan knocked over the things in her hand, and the lotus seed candy scattered all over the floor. Ah Jiao didn't get angry. She climbed up and said calmly, "You have to pay for knocking over my things. One, two, three, four... I could have sold ten bags. Just give me ten gold cakes."
"Give you a gold cake? I think you want to eat the whip!"
Dong Yan was about to hit her, so Ah Jiao started yelling, "Someone come! The princess's lover is bullying others by eating without paying! Everyone come and see, he's taking advantage of his power to bully others..."
"Dong Yan, just give her some money."
Liu Piao was waiting in the car. When he saw that she was going to call everyone to watch, his face darkened and he walked over impatiently.
She took off a gold bracelet from her hand and threw it in front of her, "I bought all these candies, give me the remaining clean ones."
"Princess, she..."
Liu Piao gave him a cold look, and Dong Yan fell silent. Today was the anniversary of the princess's death, and Liu Piao had been summoned to the palace. She had been troubled since leaving the palace, and didn't look happy.
Gillian picked up the overturned box. "Although these didn't fall to the ground, they are all covered in dust. You still..."
"It's okay, I bought it as a sacrifice for my family."
Gillian's hand trembled slightly. Without saying anything, she wrapped the thing up and gave it to Liu Piao.
Liu Piao sat in the sedan chair, leaning against the back of the car, frowning as if thinking about something.
"What are you thinking about, Princess? You've been feeling restless since returning from the palace."
"You said there really is a way to bring the dead back to life in this world?"
Dong Yan thought for a moment, "It's not surprising that this doctor can bring back the dead, but if someone has been dead for a long time and can be resurrected, then I'm afraid it's nonsense from those alchemists. Just like immortality, they are just trying to please the nobles."
"Why do you ask this suddenly?"
"Your Majesty summoned me to the palace today. I thought it was something, but I actually believed the lies of a quack who wanted to take my blood to hunt down Ah Jiao's soul."
Dong Yan's expression was odd, and he frowned. Liu Piao recalled the strange scene when Liu Che had led her into the underground palace. He had shown her his alchemy room. Inside the golden room lay an empty ice coffin, and inside it was a puppet that the sorcerer had instructed him to recreate Ah Jiao's face. He claimed that by taking the blood of her closest loved one and storing it in the coffin for 49 days, he would be able to trace the reincarnation of the deceased's soul.
She looked at her nephew's gaunt face, its strangely rosy complexion, and felt a chill run down her spine. She was fifty now, half a foot in the ground, and Che'er was no longer the childish child who had followed her around and called her "Auntie." The ruler of a nation, bewitched by a sorcerer, was practicing such evil magic in the palace. Instead of trying to dissuade him, Liu Che angrily rebuked her.
"Why wouldn't you want to? It's just a little blood. With just a little blood, I can find Ah Jiao, and your daughter will be back. Doesn't your aunt miss her?"
Liu Che looked crazy, completely different from when he saw her in the palace just now. He took off his coat, revealing several bloody wounds on his wrists.
"It's not a matter of whether I want to or not, but your Majesty's actions are truly absurd! Is there any magic in this world that can chase souls and bring back the dead? Even if there is, Gillian would have been reincarnated long ago. Why bother searching for her and disturbing her life?"
She looked coldly at the sorcerer beside Liu Che, "You evil sorcerer, how dare you deceive His Majesty and harm his body? You deserve to die!"
"Aunt, there's no need to blame him or change the subject. You don't want to give Gillian blood, do you not want her to come back?"
He sneered, "That's right. You have that lowly actor by your side, so how could you miss Gillian? How could you be willing to ask her to come back and put her between you? You really wish she would never come back."
"Your Majesty!" Liu Piao's face also turned cold and she became a little more angry.
"Ah Jiao is my daughter. I held her in my hands for more than ten years and chose the best husband for her. But she died tragically elsewhere after being married to Your Majesty for only ten years.
If Your Majesty was so deeply in love with her, why did you depose A Jiao and drive her out of Changxin Palace? Why did you break your vow and make Wei Yun your empress? When the fire broke out in Changmen Palace, Your Majesty explained it to the public as an accident caused by dry weather. Who knows if Your Majesty saw her as a thorn in your side, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible? More than a decade has passed, and Your Majesty is thinking of our A Jiao again, acting like this. Who are you trying to impress?"
Just when she thought Liu Che would be furious and want to punish her, he immediately calmed down. He stood quietly to the side, looking down at the puppet in the ice coffin, his hands covering the ice, seemingly unaffected by the biting cold.
"Aunt is right. This is all my fault, so I want to make it up to her now. I have everything. No one can hold me hostage now. I can do whatever I want and give whatever I want. I want her back."
"Aunt, please give me some blood, just a little, this small bottle is enough. I tried many times, but Taoist Wang said he couldn't find it. She's angry with me, she doesn't like me anymore, Aunt—"
He pulled at her sleeve, revealing the pleading look of his childhood. In the past, when Gillian ignored him, he would do this after making her angry, and come to the princess's mansion pitifully to ask for Gillian's forgiveness.
She brought him into Ah Jiao's yard. Ah Jiao slammed the door shut after hearing the sound. Then Ah Che started to admit his fault in a playful and smooth manner outside the door. She and the people in the mansion had become accustomed to the daily quarrels between the two children. They all laughed and said that Ah Che would be a henpecked slave in the future.
But none of them could have imagined that her daughter would end up like this. She couldn't believe that the fire was set by Liu Che, yet she harbored a vague suspicion. Her life had been smooth sailing, with only minor dissatisfactions with her marriage, and no one had ever disobeyed her. Even after Liu Che ascended the throne and Concubine Wang became empress dowager, she still held the final say.
But it was not until that day that she suddenly realized that A Che was no longer the A Che of her childhood. He was already a mature emperor. The relationship between them was not just aunt and nephew, but also monarch and subject. He was her monarch.
So, despite having so many questions, she remained silent. She didn't question how Ah Jiao died, nor did she clamor to the emperor to posthumously confer the title on Ah Jiao. She felt panic in her heart, and at the same time began to think that Ah Jiao was dead, and the charges against her were not light, although these charges might have been imposed.
She remained silent, and the marriage relationship remained. The emperor felt guilty towards them, and perhaps she and her sons could enjoy wealth and prosperity for a longer period of time.
Looking at Liu Che, who was holding her sleeve with red eyes, she sighed deeply, took the blood like coaxing a child, and patiently persuaded him. She didn't know whether he listened to her or not, but he drove her out of the palace.
Dong Yan observed Liu Piao's tense expression and held a lotus seed candy to her lips. "Your Majesty has become increasingly suspicious and erratic lately. Princess, please do not take His Majesty's words to heart."
Liu Piao was lost in thought, putting the lotus seed candy in her mouth, and suddenly her frown relaxed.
This smell...why is it so familiar?
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