At dawn, bathed in the glow of the rising sun, the emperor's entourage slowly departed from the Great Qing Gate.
"Your Majesty, the two princesses are insisting on seeing you."
Changning was dozing off in the carriage. She had gotten up too early today and was planning to catch up on some sleep when she heard Chuixue come to report.
"They're both awake? Where's Hongxu?"
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince is still asleep, but the two princesses have been woken up."
Changning sighed. Hongxu was still the most reliable. His two younger daughters were the most clingy.
Especially now that they are one year old, they are at an age where they are curious about the world, crawl around everywhere, and recognize people.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
The two little girls were carried onto the carriage by their wet nurse.
Fortunately, the Empress's carriage was quite spacious and comfortable, and there was no problem sleeping the three of them.
Changning took her two sweet and soft little daughters into her arms, and then heard Ya'ertan keep saying, "Uh! Uh! Uh!"
Changning smiled helplessly: "Silly boy! It's your mother! The sky is full of swans, and the next line is 'swans with their necks bent towards the sky.'"
Yartan didn't realize that his mother was teasing him. Judging from her expression, he thought his mother was just joking with him, so he clapped his hands and laughed happily.
Unahi preferred quieter places. She was still sleeping, feeling incredibly tired, when she was awakened by the swaying of the carriage and the sudden, startled cry of Yartan.
With their familiar mother by their side, the two little girls felt much more at ease and snuggled up to Changning's clothes, falling asleep again.
Changning was both amused and exasperated. Fortunately, she wasn't wearing those heavy coats. In the carriage, she was wearing soft cotton clothes for comfort and convenience. Luckily, there was no one around, just the three of them. So Changning simply hugged her daughter and fell asleep.
Yinzhen was indeed a diligent emperor; even while in his carriage, he continued to handle state affairs and meet with ministers.
However, after being busy for a while, he was still a little worried about Changning. He remembered that Changning had been a little carsick before, so he had specially ordered that the Empress's carriage be of a higher standard than his own, just so that she could be more comfortable on the way.
"Su Peisheng, what is the Empress doing? Is she feeling unwell again?" Yinzhen asked as soon as he put down the memorial.
Su Peisheng was glad that he had been prescient. He had guessed that the Emperor would be worried about the Empress, so he specially sent a eunuch to keep an eye on her and report the situation at any time. He couldn't be completely ignorant when the Emperor asked.
See? They've already set their sights on it.
"Your Majesty, the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess are clamoring to see Her Majesty, and they are currently asleep in Her Majesty's carriage."
Yinzhen frowned: "Don't tire her out."
Su Peisheng didn't dare to reply, thinking to himself, "They're already asleep, what's there to be tired about... The Emperor is just too worried to think straight."
However, Yinzhen couldn't hear his inner grumbling. He felt sorry for Changning's hardships on the journey, so he instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare some delicious and tasty dishes, not just something shoddy, so that Changning could have a comfortable lunch.
He had a lot of memorials to submit right now and couldn't leave, so he simply served him food.
Logically speaking, dishes bestowed by the Emperor should be marked with special labels, as this is a unique honor. Moreover, the recipient should express gratitude and eat all the dishes to repay the Emperor's favor.
However, this would be subject to limitations. Besides, it was perfectly normal for the emperor to bestow dishes upon the empress.
After Changning woke up, the team stopped to prepare their gear, and Chuixue and Zhuiyu, along with Meixiang and Hexiang, prepared to serve the meal.
Changning was somewhat shocked when she saw the table full of deep-fried soft-boned spicy chicken, scallop and shrimp hot pot, cherry meat, and so on.
"Aren't we on the road? How come the imperial chef can still make these dishes?"
Especially the Angelica and Black Chicken Soup, which absolutely cannot be made without three or four hours of preparation.
But then I realized that this was the Emperor's trip, and the imperial chefs were constantly threatened with the death of their entire family. How could they not do their best?
As Meixiang served the dishes, she smiled and replied, "These are all dishes bestowed upon you by the Emperor. He said there was no need to thank him, and to eat more. He picked out all the dishes you like."
Looking at the sauerkraut and pork bone stew, Changning knew it was indeed the case, and it suited her taste perfectly.
The journey had already made her a little carsick, but a bowl of sauerkraut soup immediately whetted her appetite. Yartan and Unaxi, standing nearby, were incredibly envious and wanted to try some too, but Changning didn't dare let them eat. The dishes were all a bit greasy, and the children wouldn't be able to digest them.
However, complementary foods should also be provided. Changning asked the wet nurse to feed them some steamed egg custard. The steamed egg custard was tender, smooth and easy to digest. There was also fish cake, which was also suitable for them to eat.
"Have all the dishes been set out over Hutuli's place?" Changning was starting to worry about the children.
Meixiang quickly nodded: "I just heard from Sister Feng that everything is already set up. The Second Princess also said she would come here to keep Her Majesty company and help her pass the time; she brought mahjong tiles."
"Oh? This child brought mahjong with her?" Changning really had to admire her! She hadn't realized she was such a mahjong enthusiast.
However, the Empress Dowager didn't come along this time; otherwise, playing with her would have been quite enjoyable. One could only say that older women, when it comes to mahjong, are like the ancient Greek goddesses who govern the game.
Sometimes she couldn't help but admire him.
After finishing her meal, Hutu came upstairs. She was dressed casually in a light red dress, which made her complexion look excellent.
"Mother, your car is really big!" Hutu noticed as soon as she came in.
Mother's carriage is twice the size of hers! It feels like she could practice her martial arts inside. Thinking this, she demonstrated some punches and kicks: "Hooray! Haha!"
These blows all produced a whooshing sound, displaying tremendous power and might.
Both Yartan and Unashi were captivated.
Changning thought her daughter's mental state was so advanced... she'd throw a couple of punches at the drop of a hat...
This scene looks so familiar...
It's like those boys in junior high school who would suddenly take a running start, jump, raise their hands, and shoot a three-pointer—it's all such a smooth and fluid motion.
Her daughter has indeed entered her teenage years.
First, she vowed never to marry, then she's always practicing martial arts; is she about to run away from home and roam the martial world? And then she'll live a life of chivalry and unbridled freedom…
Stop.
Changning wondered how her ability to fill in the blanks had become so strong again.
Hutuli is already playing with her two younger sisters, and she is teaching them to recognize the cards.
“Yaltan, Unashi, this one is called Yaoji.”
"Yao! Yao!"
"That's right! This is called 'two cakes'."
"Paper! Paper!"
"How clever! This one is called Red Center."
"Beat! Beat!"
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