Chapter 13 Dian Xin asked about Laba, and it was already time to light the lanterns. ...
When I asked about Laba, it was already time to light the lanterns.
Because it was a festival, Muxue asked Nanny Wu to go home and have dinner with Nanny and her grandfather, so she didn't have to serve here.
The kitchen sent over snacks, which were placed on a table full of orange-red lights. They looked very appetizing. In addition to the usual palace snacks, there were also some new varieties, such as black sesame almond paste.
The last time Muxue mentioned black sesame paste when she was eating it, the people in the kitchen remembered it and specially made it and sent it to her today.
In winter weather, holding a bowl of black sesame almond paste and eating it in small bites is very enjoyable.
After eating half a bowl, I heard someone outside report that someone close to the prince consort had come to deliver a message.
When Dorji came to Beijing, he only brought a few personal soldiers with him, and no maids or servants. Muxue asked a Mongolian-speaking Nanny Kang to take care of him.
Nanny Kang came in and bowed, "My husband said that as for the guests for the banquet, he only has two old acquaintances from the same tribe in the capital, and he has already sent someone to invite them."
Mu Xue nodded: "Is that so."
I was thinking that Dorji didn't seem to have many friends here, and I didn't know what he was doing all day.
She thought so and simply asked, "What is your husband doing today? Is there anything he can do for fun?"
"To answer your question, Princess, the prince consort practices martial arts every day, sometimes goes hunting with his personal soldiers, and occasionally goes to the streets to watch." Nanny Kang said, "But since they don't speak Chinese very well, it seems inconvenient for them to go out."
She glanced at Mu Xue's face. Since the princess was willing to ask, she must still care about her husband, right? So she added, "Perhaps, when the princess is free, she can go to the street with her husband. It's almost the New Year, and the street is very lively."
The streets of Beijing during the New Year. Mu Xue really wanted to go and see it, she had never seen such a scene before. It seemed a bit strange to leave the house alone, but it should be a good idea to take the Mongolian prince consort to have a look.
Wait until the party is over and find a chance to go shopping.
She took a bite of the black sesame almond paste and said, "This dessert is good. Let the kitchen send some to my husband as well."
“Yeah.”
After Kang Ma Ma finished her business, she was about to leave. Just then, Ma Ma Zhao also stood up to leave, and the two of them walked together for a while.
These two people were sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and had met each other before.
Aunt Kang greeted her and said, "You've been so busy, you look a little thinner."
"During the New Year, it's inevitable. Fortunately, the banquet has been basically settled." Mother Zhao said, "I haven't had time to ask, how is the prince consort?"
"It's OK, but it looks a bit lonely."
The two looked at each other and knew what was going on.
Newly married couples should have a good relationship and stick together all day long, but the princess and her husband rarely stay together on weekdays.
Mother Zhao had been in the palace for many years and knew the situation well. The prince consort was quite enthusiastic towards the princess at first, but the princess was a little indifferent. Seeing the prince consort's attitude, she also treated her coldly.
The relationship between princesses and their husbands has been a complicated one since the founding of this dynasty. When Mother Zhao was working in the Empress Dowager's palace, she would occasionally hear stories about a certain princess and a certain husband having a big fight.
This is probably related to the rules for princesses to marry. Princesses are the golden branches and green leaves of the royal family. After marriage, the prince consort and his parents should treat them with the courtesy of the emperor and his subjects, kneeling to pay respects and so on. It is inevitable that there will be grudges in daily life.
Furthermore, according to the rules, the things that the princess brought with her when she married and her concubines were all hers alone. If the princess died, unless there was a pardon, all the items would be returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These things had nothing to do with the prince consort's family.
With so many rules added up, it is rare to find a princess and her husband having a truly harmonious relationship.
But Mother Zhao still selfishly hopes that the princess can get along well with her husband.
She was assigned to the Fourth Princess, partly because of Concubine Yi's help. She had been in the palace for so many years, and although she worked diligently, she could never be promoted because she was a Han Chinese bondservant. Therefore, she would rather come to the Princess's Mansion and be a housekeeper, which would be more comfortable.
Before leaving the palace, Concubine Yi had specifically reminded her that the princess should be given priority in everything.
At that time, Concubine Yi said, "The Fourth Princess is young and her personality is a bit aloof. If you think your husband is a good person, try to make him happy. After all, you are going to be with someone for most of your life. If you can make her happy, it would be a blessing that cannot be obtained even if you pray to the gods."
Now it seems that the first half of the story is true. We still have to think of a way. If we really wait a few years and the prince consort has a concubine like other prince consorts, then there will be no hope.
Mother Zhao and Nanny Kang chatted with each other and went to the kitchen together.
"Oh, today is a good day. Both maids are here. Xiao Luzi, hurry up and pour the tea."
In the kitchen, the eunuch Qian Cheng, who was in charge of cooking, was warming himself by the stove. When he saw the two men coming, he immediately stood up and asked his apprentice to pour tea.
Now in the princess's mansion, the princess obviously relies on the housekeeper rather than the chief eunuch, so Qian Cheng is also very careful.
Aunt Kang smiled and said, "The princess tasted the snacks you made just now and thought they were delicious, so she sent one to her husband as well."
When Qian Cheng heard this, he immediately led his apprentices to work.
Everything was ready-made and quick to prepare. We had prepared some for the princess in case she wanted more, so soon, a table full of snacks such as black sesame almond paste was ready.
Qian Cheng thought that he would also go to Mobei in the future, and wanted to show his filial piety to his husband, so he asked with a smile on his face: "These exquisite snacks are the same for one person or two people, so it doesn't cost much. In the future, when the princess has snacks, should she give a portion to her husband?"
He glanced at Mother Zhao out of the corner of his eye, and Mother Kang also glanced at Mother Zhao out of the corner of her eye.
"That's all," said Mother Zhao, "I'll tell the princess later to send a similar copy to the prince consort as well."
The things the princess likes to eat are delicious, and the prince consort will definitely not hate them. As the saying goes, if you eat someone's food, you will be grateful. I hope I can be of some use to the prince consort.
Reporting to the master is a science. Mother Zhao has some experience. If you want to make something happen, you have to choose a time when the person is in a good mood or busy with things, so that the probability of success is greater.
The next day, Mother Zhao saw an opportunity and casually mentioned the matter: "I went to the kitchen yesterday and saw that they made extra snacks. Why don't we send the same to the Prince Consort in the future?"
Mu Xue didn't care, waved her hand and agreed.
She was counting the income of the princess's mansion and was in a good mood.
When the princess got married, she was given a dowry of 100 taels of gold and 10,000 taels of silver. She was also given an annual salary of 1,000 taels and a sufficient amount of silk in advance. In addition, she was given a rent for the rouge land after the New Year, which was much more than before she left the palace.
It's just making one more dessert. Can it make her go bankrupt?
With the master's approval, the kitchen immediately took action and sent a portion of whatever the princess ate to the prince consort's west courtyard every day.
People in the West Courtyard were a little surprised when snacks were delivered twice a day.
Monk, a soldier who followed Dorji from Mobei to the capital, said with emotion: "The princess loves you very much. She sent you so many delicious foods."
Because there were too many snacks, Dorji could not finish them all by himself, so he distributed the rest to his personal soldiers.
Monk and others had never eaten such exquisite snacks before, such as jujube flower cakes, osmanthus lotus root powder, peach pastry, egg yolk pastry... Their eyes lit up as they ate.
Among the snacks delivered this time, the special one was a basket of lava egg yolk buns.
Such a soft white bread, and it is made so small and exquisite. When you bite it, the egg yolk fills your mouth with fragrance.
Dorji ate one and couldn't help but think of the fourth princess.
For the first meal, he thought it was some custom, similar to Laba porridge, but the maid said that the princess had specially ordered it to be made for him.
Several meals were delivered after that, all of which were delicious and beautiful.
He knew that the Qing palace had two meals a day, and he had eaten like that in the past, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, the princess actually sent him snacks three times a day, breakfast, dinner, and afternoon tea. And it was obvious that she ate very attentively.
Could it be that the princess felt that she had treated him rudely that day, and was too embarrassed to apologize, so she secretly gave him some snacks to express her feelings?
The girls on the grassland would make delicious milk tofu for their loved ones, and the princess probably had the same idea.
Dorji was guessing in his heart with a smile on his face.
"Young prince, eat less," Monk said, staring at the few quick-fried egg yolk buns, "we'll have a banquet later!"
"…You just want to eat this little bun, what excuses are you looking for?"
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