"Good sister, I'm so glad to see you!" Wang Fengru quickly stepped forward, opened her arms, and hugged Empress Dowager Nangong Rui.
The two hugged each other tightly, Nangong Rui hooked his arms around Wang Fengru's neck, and Wang Fengru wrapped her arms around Nangong Rui's waist and patted her back.
The people inside Fushuang Palace were overjoyed to see the Empress Dowager so happy.
The two embraced for a moment before separating, as the weather was hot and they were both wearing long-sleeved palace dresses, and they were already sweating profusely after just a few steps.
"Mo Chou, quickly bring some soup, it's too hot!"
"The sweet soup prepared by the Imperial Kitchen can be served now," the Empress Dowager instructed. Zhang Mama quickly sent people to the Imperial Kitchen and other places to relay the message.
In summer, especially during the hottest days of summer, the imperial kitchen would prepare mung bean soup, sweet potato soup, glutinous rice drink, red bean soup, and sweet soups such as red dates and white fungus, and send them to the various palaces. This was partly to replenish the salt and sugar lost by the body, and partly to prevent heatstroke.
The palace maids brought out pear soup in white jade bowls, mung bean soup in glass goblets, mung bean cakes decorated with flower petals in porcelain dishes, and some fresh fruits and vegetables.
The chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department brought over a box of ice and placed it on the table.
"Come on, sit down here. This bumpy journey must have worn you out, right?!" Nangong Rui said, pulling Wang Fengru's hand.
"Try the mung bean soup made by the Imperial Kitchen. How does it compare to the ones from your area?" Nangong Rui placed a bowl of mung bean soup in front of Wang Fengru.
"Oh dear, what are you still saying? No matter how tired you are, you still have to come see your old sister. Where's your granddaughter? What are you hiding? Bring her over here so we can see her!" Wang Fengru looked around but didn't see the little baby. She couldn't help but feel curious and anxious.
As she spoke, Wang Fengru picked up the bowl of mung bean paste and took a big gulp.
"Hmm, it's very sweet, and the taste is indeed somewhat different."
In the Shu Kingdom, mint leaves are added to mung bean soup, giving it a refreshing and stimulating taste. However, the mung bean soup from Nanyang is made with honey from locust flowers, giving it a unique flavor.
"Mo Chou, hurry to Fu Shuang Palace and bring Duo Duo here!" Empress Dowager Nangong Rui turned to look at Zhang Mama behind her.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will go right away." Zhang Mama replied and hurriedly walked out.
"Bring more palm-leaf fans and sunshades, don't let my precious granddaughter get too hot!" Empress Dowager Nangong Rui called out as she watched Zhang Mama walk away.
"Your Majesty, rest assured!" Zhang Mama turned around and answered loudly.
“Hey, Rui, judging from your description in the letter, this little baby is really a clever and mischievous little sprite. Is she truly exceptional?” As she said this, a light shone in Wang Fengru’s slightly cloudy eyes.
Wang Feng is almost fifty years old this year. Her hair is thinning, and her gray hair is tied into a bun at the back of her head, with only an ebony hairpin inserted in the bun.
She was not tall and looked a little petite, but the orange Shu brocade palace dress she was wearing made her look much more energetic.
Her eyes were small, with single eyelids, a straight nose, and thin lips. When she wasn't speaking, she looked very serious. Coupled with her noble status, she gave off a fierce impression from a distance.
However, when she smiles, her eyes narrow into slits, making her look very kind and approachable, like a sunflower facing the rising sun, full of hope.
Because she had practiced martial arts since childhood, her physique was much stronger than that of other elderly women her age. Although she was tired from the long journey, her body could still withstand it.
"Would I lie to you?!" Nangong Rui slapped Wang Fengru's hand.
“What are you saying? I’m just saying that it’s been so many years since I’ve seen a girl with extraordinary talent. Among my grandchildren, apart from Jiucheng, the other girls are all extremely intelligent, but their talent is far inferior to mine back then!” Wang Fengru sighed. “All my skills can only be passed on to that young boy.”
"Did you bring your grandson, Lian Jiucheng, with you?" A smile appeared on Nangong Rui's face.
"I brought them over. These grandchildren are packing their things in the side hall. They'll come to see you in a bit."
"Those naughty kids, come back a little later. You have no idea how much trouble they might cause! They could even tear the roof off our main hall!" Wang Fengru waved her hands repeatedly, glancing out the window, hoping that her grandchildren would tidy up a bit more so that she and her two old friends could have more time to chat.
"Oh, right, old sister, I've prepared something good for you." Nangong Rui put her hand to her mouth, leaned down and whispered in Wang Fengru's ear mysteriously. She glanced at the palace maids around her. Knowing that their mistress had something to say, the maids all lowered their heads and left the main hall, closing the doors and windows behind them.
"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?" Wang Fengru looked at her, puzzled yet curious.
"This is the Fairy Maiden Powder." The Empress Dowager stood up, walked to a cabinet next to the bed, took out a milky yellow bottle, and placed it on the table.
She raised her eyebrows, gesturing for Wang Fengru to open the bottle and take a look.
Wang Fengru opened the lid, smelled it, poured out the white-green powder inside, spread it on the back of her hand, and then said, "What kind of fairy powder is this? Isn't this just a motherwort face cream?!"
"Motherwort?" Nangong Rui blinked. She remembered the Taoist priest telling her that it was made with divine water and divine powder, and that it was not mixed with any mundane things.
“Yes, smell it, isn’t this motherwort? When we were young, before we went through menopause, didn’t we often use motherwort and saffron? What, don’t you remember the smell?” Wang Fengru held her hand up to Nangong Rui’s nose.
When they were younger, they would use things like red dates, longan, goji berries, black chicken soup, motherwort, and saffron to nourish their bodies when their period was about to start each month.
"Yes, that's true." Nangong Rui nodded.
"Was this sold to you by a wandering Taoist priest?" Wang Fengru suddenly seemed to think of something and looked at her.
"Yes, how did you know?" Nangong Rui looked at Wang Fengru warily.
“A while ago, after Duoduo was born, I went to a Buddhist temple to fulfill a vow and met a Taoist priest who traveled all over the world. He said that this Fairy Jade Maiden Powder was made with divine medicine and had the effect of beautifying and nourishing the skin.”
"I figured that while aging and fading beauty are fate, it's always good to delay it. The Taoist priest said there was only one bottle, so I had Mochou buy it for a high price."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
