After the group bid farewell, Yun Yishu and Yun Duoduo returned to the palace. Yun Duoduo sat on the soft couch, drinking osmanthus wine and thinking.
A trip to Jiangnan would take anywhere from several dozen days to a month.
[Having been away from the palace for so many days, how am I supposed to tell my father about this?]
Just then, Aunt Xiang walked up to her side.
"Princess, Zhang Mama from Shouchang Palace has arrived. She says the Empress Dowager wants to see you."
"oh?"
It's been quite a few days since I last visited my grandmother.
"Quickly, Aunt Xiang, help me change my clothes."
Yun Duoduo quickly got up, dressed neatly, and walked towards Shouchang Palace.
Upon arriving at Shouchang Palace, one could see palace servants serving dishes one after another.
In the center of the main hall of Shouchang Palace, on a round black walnut wood dining table, sat a bowl of Hehuan soup in a blue and white porcelain bowl.
The first dish served around the perimeter was cold appetizers, including braised tofu skin with the character "疆" (jiang) and cabbage with the character "万" (wan) on it.
Then came the hot dishes and staple foods, including eight-treasure wild duck, longevity-themed spiced shrimp, unmarked salted beef, and plum blossom-shaped pancakes.
Finally, there were desserts: auspicious fruit, pearl and jade glutinous rice balls, and lotus leaf soup.
The hot dishes were still steaming. Yun Duoduo smelled the spiciness of the tripe, the aroma of the beef, and the sweet and sour taste of the auspicious fruit. Yun Duoduo, who wasn't very hungry before, suddenly felt her stomach rumbling.
"Grandmother! There's so much delicious food!"
Yun Duoduo looked at the table full of dishes, all of which were her favorites. The spicy red oil tripe was perfect for this season, and the sweet jade glutinous rice balls were also to her liking.
"Oh, who am I? It's Princess Yourong!"
The Empress Dowager's tone was teasing, and she didn't even glance at Yun Duoduo.
"Princess Yourong, do you still remember this old woman?"
The Empress Dowager said with an arrogant expression, not even glancing at Yun Duoduo.
"Royal Grandmother..."
Yun Duoduo drew out the last syllable of her voice and walked over to the Empress Dowager in a coquettish manner to massage her shoulders.
“Grandmother, I’ve planted some peaches and wax apples in the yard recently.”
These seeds were given to her by a patient when she was treating patients in northern Xinjiang.
"It's kind of you, little princess, to remember that the Empress Dowager loves peaches the most, and this wax apple was sent by Western Chu a few years ago."
Granny Zhang spoke up in support.
"Little princess, can wax apples grow in our Nanyang?"
"Grandmother loves to eat it, so even if it can't grow, Duoduo will find a way!"
"Grandmother, look!"
As if by magic, Yun Duoduo produced two wax apples from behind her and placed them on the table.
The Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly. She patted Yun Duoduo's head and said helplessly, "You little rascal!"
"A perfectly good princess has actually started planting melons and fruits like others."
"Grandmother, Duoduo has always been thinking of you. These days I've been busy planting these things, which is why I haven't been able to come to Shouchang Palace to see you every day."
"Your Majesty, our princess really knows how to take care of people."
As she spoke, Granny Zhang picked up the bowl in front of Yun Duoduo, took the spoon from the soup bowl, and ladled a bowl of Hehuan soup for her.
"Grandmother, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Yun Duoduo spoke timidly, putting down the spoon in her hand.
Seeing that she looked somewhat serious, the Empress Dowager also put down her chopsticks.
"Grandmother, I'd like to take a trip to Jiangnan soon."
"Going to Jiangnan? Who are you going with? How many days will you be gone?"
The Empress Dowager looked at Yun Duoduo with some surprise. She knew that her granddaughter had always been decisive since she was a child. But why was she going to Jiangnan for no reason?
"Yes, I'll go with my third brother, but we're not sure how many days we'll be gone."
Yun Duoduo grasped the Empress Dowager's hand.
"Duoduo has grown up so much, but she has hardly ever left the capital."
[Apart from the time I was abducted to the northern frontier.]
"Duoduo, I want to see the beautiful landscape of Nanyang."
"Are you afraid your father won't agree, so you've come to beg me?"
"Royal Grandmother..."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager suddenly made a move, reaching out to grab Yun Duoduo's neck.
What, what's going on here?!
"Grandmother, if you don't want me to go, then don't go! Why are you resorting to violence?!"
Yun Duoduo's expression changed drastically. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she slammed her hand on the table, using her internal energy to retreat backward.
The Empress Dowager pressed closer and closer. Just as her hand was about to grab Yun Duoduo's neck, Yun Duoduo suddenly pushed off with her toes, leaping into the air and landing on the open ground behind the Empress Dowager.
"Oh my, look at our princess, her lightness skill is so amazing!"
Granny Zhang exclaimed in surprise.
"Well, you've made some progress."
After some probing, the Empress Dowager finally nodded slightly.
"Grandmother, Duoduo hasn't been slacking off; she practices every day."
"In a few days, I will be going to a temple to worship Buddha for a few days. You can come with me out of the palace."
"Thank you, Grandmother!"
"That third brother..."
"Your elder brother is such a grown man, can't he figure something out himself?" The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, let him leave the palace with me."
The Empress Dowager sighed, "You naughty brats who never let us rest easy, I must have owed you something in my past life."
"On behalf of my brother, I thank my grandmother!"
Yun Duoduo gave the Empress Dowager a quick kiss on the cheek.
...
On this day, Yun Duoduo, Sun Huohuo, and Jin Zhuangzhuang came to the school for class.
When the group arrived, they saw Guan Guan already sitting down and beginning to study.
[You're here to study so early?]
[What can I do about this intense competition? I need help urgently.]
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