Chapter 125
The Grand Concubine's illness has been recurring, sometimes she is conscious and sometimes she can't recognize people.
Previously, Jiang Yanyi said that she would go to pay New Year's greetings, but because the Grand Concubine was ill again, only the Chu family came forward to send gifts.
This day, Feng Shuo sent someone to deliver a message, saying that the Grand Concubine wanted to see her.
Jiang Yanyi usually dresses up as long as she doesn't go out. She always does what she feels comfortable. Thanks to her innate advantages, her skin is as smooth as milk. If it weren't for the dry and cold winter in Xizhou, she would be too lazy to apply moisturizing cream.
Now she hurriedly washed and dressed again. Jiang Yanyi's facial features were too bright, and she was afraid that the Grand Concubine would not like it, so she deliberately pressed down the tail of her eyebrows when putting on makeup, which made her look a little more gentle. She only applied a light powder on her face and put on red lips, and her jade-like face could be called a national beauty.
Her clothes were lotus-colored brocade ribbon and silver silk satin skirt, which was neither gorgeous nor too plain. In this era, thinness was considered beautiful, but unfortunately Jiang Yanyi's figure was not weak at all. Fortunately, her waist was slender. She wrapped the waistband tighter, and a willow waist appeared, but it also highlighted the exquisiteness of her figure.
Aunt Guo was helping Jiang Yanyi to put her hair into a bun. Huo Jianjia looked at Jiang Yanyi's bulging chest calmly, then stared at her own flat chest, and then looked at Qiu Kui beside her.
Qiu Kui had gained weight recently, and the newly made wedding dress was tight on her body, so her chest was naturally very full.
Huo Jianjia pulled the collar of her clothes tighter with an expressionless face.
The heavy chest was tiring!
After dressing up, Jiang Yanyi took a hundred-year-old ginseng to Feng Mansion.
The housekeeper Fu Xi was so enthusiastic about her that he led her directly to Mingtan Courtyard where the Grand Concubine was.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, Jiang Yanyi was still surprised when she saw Feng Shuo's mother.
The sky cleared up after the snow, the morning light was faint and thin, and the light and shadow without much temperature shone in the ancient and deep courtyard. There were still water stains on the bluestone floor tiles after the snow melted, which made it inexplicably cold.
The Grand Empress Dowager was picking plum branches in the courtyard herself. She was wearing a soft silver light silk skirt of crimson purple, and a fox fur cloak on her shoulders to keep out the cold. The skin on her face seemed to be glowing in the morning light. Because of the posture of raising her hands to pick the branches, half of her frost-like white wrists were exposed. She didn't wear any gold, silver or jade bracelets on her wrists, but only a copper coin strung with a red thread.
But the red thread seemed to be a bit old, the color was dull, and it was also badly worn.
"Madam, Miss Chu is here."
Fu Xi reported to the Grand Empress Dowager after entering the courtyard.
Jiang Yanyi bowed and said, "Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager."
The Grand Empress Dowager handed the plum branch she had just picked to the maid behind her. When she turned to look at Jiang Yanyi, a smile appeared in her eyes, "Hurry up, my good boy. We've been waiting for you."
She stepped forward and held Jiang Yanyi's hand. Perhaps because of the wind outside, her fingertips felt a little cold.
The Grand Empress Dowager looked Jiang Yanyi up and down, and the more she looked at him, the deeper her smile became: "I don't know how many generations it took for that boy Hun to be so lucky."
Jiang Yanyi was really worried, and hurriedly said: "You are embarrassing me."
The Grand Empress Dowager took her hand and walked towards the warm room, smiling and saying: "What are you embarrassing? I said it was his blessing, so it is his blessing. You are a child with a soft temper. You have to be more powerful in the future to calm that boy Hun." After
entering the warm room, a maid came up to help them take off their cold-proof cloaks.
The warm room was lit by a ground dragon, and it was warm. It was a bit hot just wearing a satin skirt.
The Grand Empress Dowager saw that Jiang Yanyi had only taken off her cloak and had no intention of taking off the rabbit fur scarf around her neck, so she couldn't help but ask, "Are you feeling cold?"
Jiang Yanyi's face was pink from the heat as she came in from outside, and she looked gorgeous and coquettish. She shook her head and said, "I'm not cold, but I just caught a cold and I dare not be careless."
If the Grand Empress Dowager saw the shocking marks on her neck, she would be afraid that she would not be able to live as a human being.
When the Grand Empress Dowager heard that she had caught a cold, she said some caring words, and then took out a warm-colored mutton-fat jade bracelet from the jewelry box and put it on Jiang Yanyi:
"I get sick from time to time, and even if I want to take care of Yannu, I am unable to do so. The child has suffered a lot, and his temperament is more stubborn than others, but his nature is not bad. I hand him over to you. If I am gone in the future, I hope you can support him for the rest of your life."
Feng Shuo's nickname is Yannu.
The emperor's name is Feng Shiyan, and Feng Shuo's nickname means Feng Shiyan's servant.
Jiang Yanyi knew something about Feng Shuo's past, and when she heard the Grand Empress Dowager say this, she felt distressed. She said, "Don't worry."
The Grand Empress Dowager then showed a relieved smile.
The two talked about other things. When they talked about the greenhouse, the Grand Empress Dowager was quite knowledgeable about flowers. The peppers planted by Jiang Yanyi in the greenhouse of Feng Mansion had been picked for the first time. Now there were still some green and red peppers hanging on the pepper plants.
The Grand Empress Dowager smiled and said, "These peppers are difficult to take care of. You planted so many, I'm afraid you wasted a lot of effort."
The Grand Empress Dowager was so beautiful that when she smiled, Jiang Yanyi felt a little dizzy. He said honestly, "It's mainly for eating." "Eat
?" The Grand Empress Dowager was slightly stunned.
Jiang Yanyi finally realized what she had just said. She could only bite the bullet and said, "Chili peppers are much more fragrant than pepper as a seasoning."
The Grand Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily, "You are really an open-minded child. Things that are worth a fortune outside are just condiments for your meals."
Jiang Yanyi felt guilty for being praised and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I just wanted to satisfy my appetite."
The joy on the face of the Grand Empress Dowager became more obvious: "Life is only a hundred years long, and we must have something to pursue. What's wrong with satisfying our appetite? I still miss the taste of the rose cakes by the Yangzhou Canal. The rose cakes I ate in the palace were not the same. Now in Xizhou, no one can make them even if I want to try them."
When the Grand Empress Dowager talked about this, she had a bit of resentment on her face and shook her head with a smile.
There are dietary differences between the north and the south, and transportation was inconvenient in this era. Some snacks unique to the south are difficult to eat in the north.
She is from Yangzhou, but she has been in the opera troupe in Yangzhou City since she can remember. She doesn't know who her father is or who her mother is.
Jiang Yanyi said, "I am lucky enough to have learned how to make rose cakes. If your majesty doesn't mind, I can make some for you to try."
The Grand Concubine Dowager's eyes showed some joy, "How come you are so skillful? I am in for a treat today."
There were ready-made roses in the flower house of Feng Mansion. When the servants heard that the Grand Concubine wanted to eat rose cakes, they immediately went to the flower house to pick a lot of fresh rose petals and brought them over.
There was someone in the kitchen watching the food prepared for the Grand Concubine. The Grand Concubine was a humble person, so she followed into the small kitchen.
It was still early, and the rose petals were still covered with dew after being picked. The petals were thick and fragrant. They were spread in the bamboo sieve, and it was particularly pleasing to the eye just to look at them.
Jiang Yanyi washed the petals with water, drained the water, added sugar and rubbed them into rose sauce. It looked a bit dry, so he added some honey to increase the moisture and adjust the fragrance. The mixed rose sauce was marinated for a period of time in the dark, which retained the original fragrance of the flowers and removed the bitterness in the petals.
The more troublesome part was preparing the dough and pastry for the filling.
The cook of Shuifeng Mansion had learned how to make egg puffs from Jiang Yanyi before, so they knew each other. She could also help Jiang Yanyi prepare the dough.
When kneading the dough, sugar was added until the surface of the dough was smooth, while pastry was made by adding boiled oil to the flour and kneading it.
The cook was surprised to see that Jiang Yanyi had prepared two types of dough: "So, to make this rose pastry, you need two types of dough. I followed the recipe that the young lady taught me to make snacks, and it was no wonder that it was always wrong."
Jiang Yanyi smiled and said: "The base of egg puffs is oil pastry. Without the oil-water skin, the cakes will easily fall apart and will be difficult to plate and place."
The taste will also be a bit greasy, covering the original fragrance of the rose filling.
The cook nodded as if she had learned something.
After the water-oil skin and oil pastry were made, they were rolled into equal-sized pieces. Jiang Yanyi demonstrated to the cook, "Use the water-oil skin to wrap the glutinous rice balls with the oil pastry, flatten it with a rolling pin and roll it up, flatten it again and roll it into a roll, press the index finger in the middle, and the roll will be folded in the middle. After flattening, the dough skin is ready."
The cook got the hang of it quickly. Jiang Yanyi taught her to make a few, and the cook basically learned it.
The Grand Empress Dowager was curious and tried to make her own dough skin after washing her hands.
Jiang Yanyi gave some pointers from time to time, corrected the Grand Empress Dowager's movements, and said, "The dough of wisteria flower pastry is also made in the same way. When spring comes, your majesty can try making wisteria flower pastry. The taste is no worse than rose pastry."
The Grand Empress Dowager said, "Thanks to you, my child, I will have to try it then."
Jiang Yanyi is an expert in cooking, and the Grand Empress Dowager is kind, so she is not as reserved as she was at the beginning. The two discussed almost all the flowers and trees that can be made into cakes and dishes in different seasons.
The Grand Empress Dowager asked someone to write down all those flowers and trees, saying that she would pull out all the flowers and trees in the greenhouse that could not be used for cooking and replace them with these flowers that can be used for cooking. Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and thought that the Grand Empress Dowager was also a funny person.
The cook was in charge of making the dough, while Jiang Yanyi started to make the filling.
After frying the glutinous rice flour over low heat, she also fried some crushed peanuts, crushed almonds and white sesame seeds and mixed them into the rose sauce. The glutinous rice flour can increase the viscosity of the rose sauce, making it soft and sticky, while the peanuts and almonds are crispy, with a rich taste and a fresh aroma. The mixed
rose filling is kneaded into small balls, flattened with a rolling pin, wrapped with the filling and pressed into a cake shape. A layer of egg liquid is brushed on the surface, and then small holes are pricked with a thin bamboo stick and placed in the oven to bake, which can prevent the cake from expanding due to heat and causing the skin to break. When a
layer of cake comes out of the oven, the surface of the cake is crispy and yellow, and you can smell the faint rose fragrance inside before you bite it open.
The cook of the Feng Mansion was a person with good eyesight. She could see that the Grand Empress Dowager also liked Jiang Yanyi, so she praised: "Miss Chu is really skillful. I can smell it and it smells good."
Jiang Yanyi took one and handed it to the Grand Empress Dowager: "Try it."
The Grand Empress Dowager was very happy and felt that the food in her mouth tasted a little sweeter: "The filling is well prepared."
"Your Majesty, the prince is here!" Fuxi went into the small kitchen to pass on the message, his face almost wrinkled with smile.
The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at Jiang Yanyi, smiled and shook her head: "I have repeatedly asked him to come here, but he never found time to come. Today, it is not even time for dinner, but he came here."
Jiang Yanyi felt embarrassed by the Grand Empress Dowager's look, and said: "The prince was busy with official duties in the past, and he must have been thinking about honoring you in his heart." The Grand Empress Dowager
smiled and said: "Your mouth is like honey."
The two left the kitchen, and the little maid followed them to the warm room with fresh rose cakes.
As soon as he entered the warm room, Jiang Yanyi smelled a strange fragrance.
The Grand Empress Dowager was also startled: "Stinky tofu?"
Jiang Yanyi remembered that he wanted to eat stinky tofu in a daze last night, and his face was hot, and he secretly glanced at Feng Shuo.
Today, Feng Shuo was wearing a black python robe with silver cloud patterns on the cuffs. He looked like a meteor falling to the ground when he walked. He wore a jade crown high on his head, and his eyes and eyebrows still showed a coldness that kept strangers away.
He had never seen Jiang Yanyi wearing such a waist-revealing dress. His eyes swept across her slender waist and lingered for a moment on her chest, which was forced to be more prominent in order to highlight her thin waist.
Last night's chaos resurfaced before his eyes. His ears turned slightly red, but his eyes dimmed. He quickly looked away and called out, "Mother."
After the Grand Empress Dowager entered the room, she saw the stinky tofu on the table and smiled from ear to ear: "You are so thoughtful. I only mentioned to Nanny Song that I wanted to eat it before, and you asked someone to buy it back today."
"As long as mother likes it." Feng Shuo responded absent-mindedly. He seemed to be thinking about his own things with his eyes half-closed, but his eyes glanced at Jiang Yanyi from time to time. It was obvious that he didn't know in advance that the Grand Empress Dowager also wanted to eat stinky tofu.
The maid in the mansion put the rose cake plate on the table. The Grand Empress Dowager picked up a piece and handed it to Feng Shuo: "Try it. This is what I learned from the girl of the Chu family. I don't know how you tricked such a good girl into coming here."
Jiang Yanyi smiled shyly and didn't dare to look up.
Feng Shuo curled his lips and took a bite without saying anything. He didn't like sweets very much, but this rose cake was not greasy. The crispy but monotonous cake highlighted the sweetness of the rose filling.
He said, "Not bad." The
Grand Empress Dowager knew that he had lost his sense of taste due to poisoning in his childhood. No matter what he ate in recent years, he couldn't taste it. In addition to feeling sorry for her son, she couldn't help but blame herself. Although she was still smiling, she was a little bit forced.
Perhaps it was a headache. The Grand Concubine Dowager held her forehead and said with a frown after a moment, "Madame Song, it's time to serve the meal." Madame Song
bowed and said, "I'll go and tell them now."
The maids came in with the exquisite dishes, put them on the table, and then retreated silently, leaving only a few maids to serve the dishes.
Jiang Yanyi didn't realize something was wrong at first, until the Grand Empress Dowager said to Feng Shuo while picking up food for him, "The Imperial Grandmother knows that you are busy with government affairs, so it's fine if you don't come here often, but you still have to visit the Empress's Palace more often. When will I be able to hold my great-grandson?"
Jiang Yanyi looked at Feng Shuo in confusion, but Feng Shuo seemed to have been accustomed to it and just followed the words of the Grand Empress Dowager, "Don't worry about it."
Jiang Yanyi had only heard that the Grand Empress Dowager would sometimes not recognize people, and this was the first time she saw it with her own eyes. She didn't dare to show any abnormality and just kept silent and ate her own food.
The stinky tofu that Feng Shuo bought tasted pretty good. The dark-skinned tofu was crispy on the outside, and the tofu inside was tender and not greasy. After scooping it out with a spoon, it was filled with sour beans and topped with a secret soup. It was really delicious.
The Grand Empress Dowager saw Jiang Yanyi taking several chopsticks of stinky tofu, and seemed to have just discovered this dish.
She frowned and said, "Why are you eating such a coarse food?" Jiang Yanyi paused while biting the tofu, glanced at Feng Shuo, and said, "My son wants to eat it."
The Grand Empress Dowager looked a little helpless, but at least she was not angry.
When the Grand Empress Dowager was not sober, she mistook them for Feng Shiyan and Empress Gao. After dinner, Feng Shuo took her to say goodbye to the Grand Empress Dowager.
After leaving Mingtan Courtyard, Jiang Yanyi asked Feng Shuo: "Has the Grand Empress Dowager always been like this?"
Feng Shuo smiled nonchalantly, with a slightly bitter curve at the corners of his lips: "She recognized me before, but thought she was the late empress. Now when she's sick, even I will make mistakes. But it's good this way. When I go to see her, at least she won't be angry."
Jiang Yanyi didn't know how to comfort him, so he just said: "The Grand Empress Dowager's illness will get better day by day."
Feng Shuo looked at the mountains in the distance and said: "Of course."
When he turned around, there was no disappointment on his face. He asked Jiang Yanyi: "How is your horse riding training going?"
Jiang Yanyi hadn't had time to practice recently, and said: "I can run where there are no people."
Feng Shuo said: "I'll make you a crossbow when I have time, and take you to the martial arts field to try it out."
He also practiced martial arts at home on weekdays, so there was naturally a martial arts field.
When Jiang Yanyi was dragged to the martial arts arena and a custom-made small crossbow was stuffed into her hand, she refused in her heart. Her hands were sore and weak from kneading the dough for rose cakes.
Feng Shuo thought she was trying to avoid being lazy, and he couldn't help itching, so he pinched her rosy and tender cheeks: "Remember what I told you? I will teach you to ride a horse, and I will also teach you to use a sword, a knife, and a crossbow. In this way, even if one day I am not by your side, you will have the ability to protect yourself."
He held Jiang Yanyi's hand and taught her how to aim at the target opposite with a crossbow.
Jiang Yanyi tried hard to learn, but the arrow shot out from the crossbow with great force, and she had no strength in her hands and almost couldn't hold the crossbow.
"Do it again, and don't shake your hands."
Feng Shuo's tone was not heavy, but it gave people a sense of severity and indifference.
Perhaps she was used to this man always pampering her, and suddenly BaX Wuqing spoke in such a severe and unfamiliar tone. Jiang Yanyi felt a sense of grievance in her heart, and turned her head to look at Feng Shuo.
Feng Shuo noticed that her eyes were red, and was stunned for a moment, "Why are you crying?"
Jiang Yanyi felt even more aggrieved, and stuffed the crossbow into his arms: "I'm stupid, I don't want to learn."
She wanted to leave but Feng Shuo grabbed her collar, "Why are you so angry with me?"
Jiang Yanyi's eyes were red, like a rabbit: "You are mean to me."
Feng Shuo frowned, probably because he had never dealt with such a difficult problem in his life, "When did I mean to you?"
"Just now."
Feng Shuo carefully recalled what he said before her eyes turned red, and felt a little helpless: "Saying that you have shaking hands means I am mean to you?"
"You have a fierce expression."
Feng Shuo looked at Jiang Yanyi for a long time without saying anything, "Jiang Yanyi, if you were in the army and your hands were not evenly balanced when practicing crossbows, and they were shaking like that, you would be lucky if I didn't reward you with a military stick."
Jiang Yanyi's eyes were completely red this time, and she said angrily, "Who can I blame for my shaking hands?"
She shook his hand off and walked away, while Feng Shuo was still stunned.
It was just over an hour, and her hands were still sore today?