"Alright, then I'll have someone send them to your residence in a bit."
The old emperor closed his eyes to rest, still quite upset by He Jiu Niang's outburst and not yet fully recovered.
He Jiuniang said, "No need to trouble yourself. I'm still here anyway. I'll just take them back in a bit."
"Alright, then let them come and meet you."
The old emperor agreed, waved to the old man beside him, and the old man went to call for help himself.
When the Peng couple arrived, He Jiuniang had just finished removing the acupuncture needles from the old emperor.
On the way there, the old man had told them that the Emperor had bestowed them upon Madam Lu, and that they would be living by Madam Lu's side from now on, with no worries about food, clothing, or daily necessities, just like in the palace.
The couple had a very difficult time, and they thought they had done something wrong to be sent out of the palace.
The Peng family had served in the palace for generations, and in their generation, only the couple still knew how to prepare the white paper.
The competition in the palace is fierce, with new cooks entering the palace every year. The couple's life was already difficult, and now they are being sent out of the palace. They really don't know how to explain this to their ancestors.
Because of their anxiety, when He Jiuniang saw them, the couple looked rather unwell, with sweat on their faces, clearly showing their anxiety and fear.
They first paid their respects to the old emperor, and then Peng Cheng, trembling, asked, "Your Majesty, is it that the pastries I made are not to your liking..."
The emperor's pastries weren't always prepared by one person; different chefs would make them every day. Today it just so happened that it was the couple's turn to make them, and they were worried that they might have offended the emperor, so they gave them away.
"You've misunderstood. It was Madam Lu who liked the food you made, so the Emperor rewarded you two by assigning you to work for the Lu family."
The old man was worried that they might misunderstand and anger the old emperor, so he hurriedly explained.
The couple breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they hadn't offended the emperor's authority, everything was fine.
He Jiuniang watched from the side. When she saw them asking questions tremblingly, she thought they were unwilling to leave the palace. But judging from their current appearance, they were clearly worried about being demoted.
Those who work in the palace can indeed send people to nobles at will, but a well-intentioned gift and a malicious demotion are not the same thing. Being demoted would bring shame to one's family.
After thinking for a moment, He Jiuniang asked, "I think the pastries you two made are very much to my liking, so I asked the Emperor for you. However, I will not insist, because my family lives in Jingzhou. If you come with me out of the palace, you will also live in Jingzhou in the future. Of course, you can bring your elderly relatives and children with you, but if you still want to work in the palace, I can ask the Emperor to give you someone else."
He Jiuniang never forces anything. These things depend on fate. If the couple felt that she was bullying them by taking advantage of their power and got rid of them from the palace, they would harbor resentment later, which would be terrible. What she wanted was someone who would do things for her willingly.
As He Jiuniang spoke, her eyes were fixed on their reactions.
The couple exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with joy, and they kowtowed in gratitude.
"It is an honor for us to serve you! If you allow, I would like to bring my three children and my elderly mother with me."
It was Peng Cheng who spoke. His wife knelt beside him without daring to utter a sound. She seemed a little timid, but when she heard He Jiuniang say that they could bring their families to Jingzhou, she couldn't help but smile with excitement.
"Okay, okay, then come with me."
He Jiuniang waved to them, signaling them to follow her, and then casually said to the old emperor, "Then we'll be going now, Your Majesty, please get some rest."
Without waiting for the old emperor to speak, he walked out on his own.
Upon seeing this, the old emperor hurriedly said, "If you make any new and interesting things, remember to send some over for me to try!"
He Jiuniang had already walked out, and the Peng couple followed behind, hurriedly agreeing and then wiping their sweat as they chased after He Jiuniang.
The old emperor was a little angry. Seeing his father-in-law standing next to him, he immediately snapped, "What are you still standing here for? Go and tell her right now!"
The old man then realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after him.
He Jiuniang was in a good mood and walked quickly, soon arriving at the place where the carriages were parked.
"Come with me in the carriage and leave the palace."
The couple were startled and quickly shook their heads: "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but we can walk on our own."
"No need to be so polite. I have something to say to you, and it will be more convenient if we ride together."
Seeing that they couldn't refuse, the couple could only cautiously agree.
This was the first time that such an important person had been willing to ride with them, and they were extremely flattered.
They had heard of this Lady Lu, knew of her exceptional medical skills, and that she was highly respected by the old emperor. Now it seemed that the rumors had been exaggerated.
The old emperor held this lady in extremely high esteem!
Just as the couple was about to get into the car, they saw the old man chasing after them shouting for them to wait.
He Jiuniang poked her head out of the carriage and watched her father-in-law run towards them. She said breathlessly, "Madam, the Emperor said he wants to try your Lu Black Duck. Could you bring some with you next time you go to the palace?"
Good heavens, even Lu Heiya knows about this. It seems the old emperor is paying a lot of attention to the Lu family.
"No problem, I'll bring it to him tomorrow!"
He Jiuniang waved her hand, then let the Peng couple get into the car, and they left together.
The old man stood there watching the carriage drive away, then sighed and said, "I don't know why those princes are so against Madam Lu. As long as you go along with her in everything, Madam Lu is very easy to talk to!"
He had originally thought that since Lu Heiya was still in Jingzhou, Madam Lu probably wouldn't agree, as bringing him here would be quite troublesome. He didn't expect her to agree so readily.
It seems that Madam Lu is still on the Emperor's side. He will go back and tell the Emperor this good news!
Inside the car, the Peng couple sat nervously, neither daring to raise their heads.
He Jiuniang said, "Relax a bit. I invited you home, so naturally I won't treat you badly. My father-in-law told me that the palace will continue to pay you your salaries, but I will also give you another one. I want to make things clear to you here first."
"Yes, madam, please speak."
The couple were somewhat surprised, but they did not voice their doubts; they simply listened with their heads down.
"I'm inviting you back not just to make pastries for my family. I'm doing business in Jingzhou and planning to open a club, similar to a restaurant, which will sell pastries. I really like the pastries you make, and I also have many pastry recipes I can give you. You can be in charge of these pastries and food at the club, or you can train disciples to be in charge, no problem. There's only one condition: you must be loyal to me. I treat loyal people well and those who don't cause trouble, but if you dare to betray me and cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless in disciplining you."
Except for not having a fever, I have all the other symptoms. I'll update this chapter first, and I'll finish the rest slowly. Sisters, please take good care of yourselves!
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