The other three, upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, also realized what he meant, nodded in agreement, and all turned their gazes toward Qi Yanyun.
Qi Yanyun was not surprised that Chen Xiao knew his thoughts, nor was he surprised by his family's attitude towards Yuan Yin, because Yuan Yin deserved everyone to treat her well.
He solemnly promised Chen Xiao, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, Princess Yuanyin is my sister. I have been with her for more than ten years and we are already like siblings. Moreover, the Grand Princess and the Marquis of Zhongyong have both raised me. I will definitely protect Princess Yuanyin for the rest of my life."
Whether it lasts a lifetime or not is another matter. As long as Qi Yanyun's heart is sincere at this moment, Chen Xiao is satisfied. As for the future, there is still a long time ahead, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Apart from Xu Qian and Yuan Yin, she will not rashly believe other people's one-sided stories.
...
Xu Ruyu and Xu Ruyan, who were quietly drinking tea in the side hall, simultaneously felt a chill down their spines. When they looked up, they discovered that Ye Qi had opened the door to the side hall.
Upon seeing Xu Ruyan, Ye Qi's face showed a hint of helplessness. He lowered his voice and said, "Hmm... His Majesty said that it is getting late today. If you gentlemen wish to stay for a meal, you may come with me."
It's getting late.
Everyone looked at the still bright and sunny sky and fell silent.
Xu Ruyan stepped forward, stood in front of Ye Qi, and questioned him with eager eyes:
Is that the end of the chat? Where is he?!
Seeing Xu Ruyan's expression, Ye Qi recalled His Majesty's words, paused, and then whispered to Xu Ruyan, "His Majesty said that if Lord Xu has something to discuss, it can be discussed after court tomorrow. But... I suppose Lord Xu has nothing important to say."
Xu Ruyan: !
It has to be said that Chen Xiao is really amazing; he got to know him so well in just one month.
He didn't really have anything important to say to Chen Xiao, but Chen Xiao had done so quickly to let him leave the palace and he even got an official position. Although it wasn't the high rank that was initially promised, it was the same as Yuan Yin's rank, and he was very satisfied. He just wanted to express his gratitude to Chen Xiao.
By the way, just to ask what Yuan Yin said, she didn't want to tell me just now, which made me sad.
As for those matters of the court, his father and elder brother must have already discussed them with His Majesty, so he has nothing more to say.
Thinking of how delicious the food in the palace must be, Xu Ruyan quickly volunteered to Ye Qi, "Me! I want to go!"
Just as someone wanted, Xu Ruyu also spoke up, "Since my younger brother is going, as his elder brother, I should naturally go with him."
Xu Qian had initially thought that Xu Ruyu was only acting this way towards Chen Xiao because of her status as a concubine, but he had noticed Xu Ruyu's unusual behavior over the past few days.
If he still wasn't sure what feelings Xu Ruyu had for Chen Xiao, then he had truly wasted decades of his life.
But His Majesty is so naive, how could he not know what kind of person his own son is? What if he manages to 'deceive' His Majesty? No, he has to supervise him.
So he followed suit and said, "In that case, I will join you."
As a true shipper, Yuan Yin naturally insisted on going too, and Qi Yanyun followed suit, acting as a devoted protector of his younger sister.
Qi Ruyan, Qi Yanshang, and Qi Fengli had just promised Chen Xiao that they would not set off back to Guangling until after lunch.
It was obvious that everyone would be going together. Ye Qi recalled what His Majesty had said: "But they will all come, so let's eat in this courtyard. Set up the tables and chairs and have something simple."
Ye Qi exclaimed: "As expected of His Majesty!"
...
A large group of people arrived in the courtyard and found that tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks had already been set up in the center of the courtyard. Someone had even taken the time to place a bouquet of flowers on each chair.
Three pots were placed on the long table, each half filled with red and half with white liquid, steaming hot. Around the pots were many fresh ingredients, both meat and vegetables. Next to the ingredients were dipping sauces, more than a dozen in total.
This was also something Chen Xiao had considered. Everyone has different tastes, so he used a divided hot pot and thoughtfully prepared a variety of ingredients and dipping sauces to cater to everyone's preferences.
Seeing this setup, the few who had never eaten hot pot before wondered why the dishes hadn't been cooked yet.
Only Yuan Yin's eyes lit up. She recognized it at a glance. This was the hot pot she had just talked about with Chen Xiao. She had eaten it with her mother in the palace when she was a child, and it was very delicious! Now, after many years, she couldn't help but drool over it.
Qi Yanyun had eaten hot pot with Yuan Yin before, so they were quite familiar with each other, although he wasn't particularly fond of food. However, after so many years, seeing this hot pot now brought back a sense of nostalgia.
Chen Xiao and the palace servants came out together carrying things, only to find everyone still standing there in a daze. So she smiled and invited everyone to find seats first. Then she sat down steadily in the center position. Because this was ancient times, she knew that if she didn't sit in this position, no one would dare to sit there even in 30,000 years.
Everyone sat down and carefully placed the bouquet on the shelf next to them.
Chen Xiao and the palace servants placed what they were carrying on a small table behind them. Only then did everyone see what it was: several small stoves. The palace servants set up the stoves, placed many snacks on them, and then took them away.
These stoves are so small, they look like they're used for boiling medicine, but they're much smaller than that. Everyone wondered again, what are these stoves used to boil?
Yuan Yin recognized it almost immediately—it was a milk tea container! Could it be milk tea inside?!
Chen Xiao didn't disappoint Yuan Yin's expectations, and introduced to everyone with a smile, "This is a hot pot with two broths. Put the ingredients into the pot and wait a moment, then take them out, dip them in the sauce, and you can eat them. It's very delicious, everyone can try it. And this is milk tea, which is made with milk and tea, plus a little sugar. It's very tasty."
She hadn't originally planned to eat hot pot, but when Yuan Yin mentioned it to her, her eyes changed. It was clear that she really missed the taste of hot pot. Knowing that Chu Yanxi had made hot pot before and must have those pots and pans, she suddenly had the idea to organize an outdoor hot pot feast.
But what would happen without something to drink? She had tea, sake, and wine prepared, and remembering Yuan Yin's words, she personally made milk tea.
Chu Yanxi must have specially commissioned those utensils, including not only many double-compartment hot pots, but also many small stoves for brewing tea around the fire.
Chen Xiao was moved to tears upon seeing it. She had originally planned to just mix tea with milk, but seeing such complete utensils made her so happy that she decided to make a simplified version of milk tea. The simplified milk tea was very easy to make, and she often made it herself in the modern world.
She put some tea leaves in a pot, then added some white sugar and caramelized it. She added some water and brought it to a boil, then added milk and simmered it for a while. She then strained it into a small stove. She made several pots without much time, and even shared some with the palace servants who helped her.
Then she thought that Chu Yanxi must have made milk tea before, because these palace servants were not surprised at all when they saw her busy with things, and several of them skillfully prepared the utensils for her, as if they had done it a million times.
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