Having attended palace banquets for many years, Yinzhen specifically told Changning to remember to eat before entering the palace, to fill her stomach with something that would keep her full, otherwise she would be too tired to eat anything at the palace banquet.
Changning could also imagine that the palace banquet and the imperial kitchen were quite far apart. They had to carry the food all the way here, wait for the emperor's arrival, offer toasts, and say a bunch of auspicious words.
By the time it's ready to eat, it will probably be completely cold.
So Changning asked Master Ma to make a plate of egg-filled pancakes. He specifically instructed that the dough should be made by mixing water, oil, and flour, and then adding oil paste. When making the pancakes, an egg should be cracked into the pancake, a hole should be poked in the pancake, and the egg should be poured in. The pancakes should be oily and fragrant, with a slightly crispy outer layer.
A layer of sauce was spread inside the pancake, then some shredded potatoes, pork tenderloin, and bean sprouts were rolled up. Chef Ma also treated himself to a plate of braised beef, sweet and sour radishes, and smashed cucumber.
Changning hadn't seen this kind of snack in a long time, so she ate two in one go, her stomach was so full that she sent two more food boxes to the main courtyard of the Fujin and the front courtyard of Yinzhen.
When Yinzhen and his wife received it, their reactions were remarkably similar.
Consort Fucha really knows how to cause trouble.
Before entering the palace, they would usually eat some steamed buns or put extra beef jerky in their purses so that they wouldn't be unable to endure not eating all day.
This pancake looks like a spring pancake, but it's much more fragrant, shiny, and golden. Paired with braised beef and cold dishes, the aroma alone is enough to whet your appetite.
It's not the season for spring pancakes, so what kind of pancake is this?
Yinzhen was fine; he was used to eating with Changning. Since he hadn't eaten yet, he started eating the pancake with the braised beef. He took a bite and discovered that there was actually an egg inside, which was quite ingenious.
I also thought this pancake was really good, it was fragrant and filling.
As for the Fujin (wife of the deceased), Yan Hua hesitated for a while. Originally, Granny Fu had also prepared food for her, which consisted of various kinds of pastries, and she was planning to have a bite of them as well.
However, the cakes sent by Lady Fucha did smell quite good.
Yan Hua thought for a moment, then picked one up and tasted it. She didn't usually eat spring pancakes, but now she thought they tasted pretty good.
I heard that the Prince likes to dine at her place, and it seems there's some reason for that.
Compared to the monotonous and tiresome food here, the novel dishes at Qingzhiyuan are much more appealing.
On their way to the palace, Honghui and Yierha looked around with wide eyes. This was their first time going out, and even more so, their first time entering the palace.
Because of his weak health, he didn't have many friends his own age. The only ones he spent time with were Duoxihui, who was a year or two older than him. As for the other relatives of the imperial uncles, there was only Hongqing from the Third Prince's family and Hongsheng from the Fifth Prince's family.
The other royal uncles' children are still young!
However, when it came to Hongqing, Honghui suddenly realized that he hadn't seen him for a long time. Since he was one of his few good brothers, Honghui asked his wife with some concern.
When the Fujin heard Hongqing twitch the corner of his mouth, even his usually composed and dignified expression showed a hint of unease.
This child is so naughty and mischievous, but the Third Prince's wife dotes on him so much that she never has the heart to scold or beat him.
The Third Master, with his muddle-headed nature, didn't care at all. Several of his sons had died, leaving only this one son, who was also the legitimate son, so he doted on him quite a bit.
Who would have thought that if this child wasn't disciplined for three days, he would climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles, becoming increasingly arrogant and looking down on everyone, often playing pranks.
A few months ago, when Third Master was teaching him, he found that Third Master was skipping classes and being lazy. He scolded him a few times, and then this brat took advantage of his father's sleep and shaved Third Master's head with scissors.
At that time, it had been less than 100 days since the death of Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin!
The Thirteenth Prince was already grieving the death of his mother, and when he saw that the Third Prince had shaved his head during the mourning period and was still at the gate of the Qianqing Palace, he slapped him hard across the face. It was a one-sided beating, and he rode on the Third Prince and gave him a good beating.
This infuriated Emperor Kangxi, but seeing the thirteenth prince crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, he softened and punished him by deducting his salary for a year.
As for the third prince, who had a bruised and swollen face, Kangxi got angry when he saw this good-for-nothing and troublesome fellow, so he directly stripped him of his title of Prince and made him the Third Prince.
The newly appointed Third Prince Yinzhi still felt wronged! He was the one who was beaten! How come the one who beat him was crying like this, while he, the one who was beaten, was also severely punished?
It's all that brat Hongqing's fault!
After returning to his residence, the Third Prince was furious. He pulled out his riding whip and searched everywhere for Hongqing. Coincidentally, Hongqing was bending over, looking for crickets.
Seeing his son so unambitious and lacking even the slightest bit of scholarly refinement, the Third Master felt utterly defeated. So, he hardened his heart, ignoring the Third Princess's wailing, and whipped Hongqing twenty times.
So Hongqing is still recovering from her injury.
Honghui fell silent.
On the other carriage, Changning was also chatting with Chuixue about the Third Prince's wife, Dong'e.
Thinking of Dong E's haughty manner, Changning knew that Hongqing's personality was probably influenced by her. So, she hugged the child in her arms tightly. She had to teach him well and not let her little bean sprout the same traits.
They soon arrived at the Forbidden City.
After entering the palace, the path was all on foot. Honghui and Yierha followed closely beside the Fujin, listening to her whispered instructions on how to speak to Consort De and the Emperor.
Yonghe Palace
Consort De looked at the four children lined up below her, her smile unable to be contained. "Good, good, good, all good children. This must be Honghui, he's so sensible. Yierha is also very beautiful. Come here to Grandmother Empress."
The two children remembered the Princess Consort's instructions and obediently went to Consort De, letting her pull them along to talk.
This was also the first time Changning had met Consort De.
This famous palace maid, favored by the emperor, gave birth to three outstanding princes—the fourth, sixth, and fourteenth—and was honored with the title of Consort De, becoming the future Empress Dowager, enjoying unparalleled honor and wealth.
It was the same as Changning's guess, yet also different.
A woman who receives the emperor's favor naturally possesses outstanding beauty. Even as she ages, one can still see glimpses of her former charm in her eyes. Moreover, true beauty lies in character, not just appearance. To be honest, even the current aura and appearance of Consort De surpasses that of the Fujin (the future emperor's wife).
Consort De looks a lot like a female star named Chen Hong. She has a graceful, gentle beauty that doesn't diminish with age.
She was also very kind and gentle, holding the two children's hands and asking them questions softly, very intimately, just like the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren in an ordinary family.
Contrary to Changning's expectations, she originally thought that Consort De was a biased person who only doted on the Fourteenth Prince and ignored the Fourth Prince, which made her think that Yinzhen was a pitiful child who was not loved by anyone.
However, after spending time with her, Changning realized that, judging from both Yinzhen's attitude and Consort De's way of handling things, the mother and son had a very good relationship.
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