After the carriage set off again, Prince Yi, who was sitting in the carriage, and the Imperial Censor Luo and Prefect Zhong in the other two carriages all had the same expression, staring blankly at the things in their hands.
At first, I thought it was because I was greedy that the children hadn't eaten enough and were waiting around the iron pot to eat the rice crusts at the bottom.
Who would have thought that the kids would say this snack is even tastier than rice—salt and pepper rice crust!
The rice crust, baked over a low flame until golden brown, was then coated with lard, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and what the children called salt and pepper.
Tianxuan used a shovel to cut the food into chunks, then wrapped it in paper. She gave one to each of the three of them first. Even though they couldn't smell the aroma, they felt too embarrassed to refuse.
Although their identities mean they would never enter the kitchen, they still know the basic fact that there are rice crusts at the bottom of the rice cooker.
It's unclear how the kitchen handles this kind of thing—whether the servants eat it or something else.
Surprisingly, they each have one today?
Even though I was already quite full, I still quickly took a bite in front of the children. It was really delicious! It was fragrant and crispy, with a slight numbing sensation and a hint of saltiness.
The three of them couldn't help but wonder why the cook in the manor didn't know how to cook it this way. Could it be that she had been eating it this way for a long time but they just didn't know it?
They'd never seen the paper wrapping the rice crackers before either. The side wrapping the rice crackers was smooth and shiny; when they rubbed it with their fingers, no oil was visible on their fingers.
The outside is decorated with patterns of bears, small flowers, and grass.
What was this kind of paper originally used for? Not only was it aesthetically pleasing, but it also prevented the grease from seeping out of the food it was wrapped in—it was truly ingenious.
Over the years, even the most famous pastry shops outside the mansion have had slightly yellowed oil paper wrapping their pastries.
At most, there might be a small label with the shop's name on the pastry wrapper.
The happiest thing for Prince Yi was finding his daughter on this trip, but it also made him realize that he, a prince of the royal family, was a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
He happily gave his daughter five hundred taels of silver as pocket money, after all, she was only twelve years old. He originally thought that his daughter would at least show some surprise, but she didn't. His daughter didn't stand on ceremony with him, she just said thank you, father, and casually stuffed it into her purse.
Prince Yi couldn't help but ask his daughter what it felt like to have several hundred taels of silver.
To my surprise, after thinking about it very seriously, my daughter said that she didn't feel anything special. Her mother takes care of all her daily needs, so she doesn't really have a chance to use her own money, no matter how much she has.
Prince Yi bluntly said that whether or not one should use it is another matter, but one must have it first. When traveling, having money gives one confidence and a stronger backbone.
The daughter said that she had money.
Prince Yi casually asked how much money they had, thinking it would be at most ten or eight taels. The reason he said this wasn't because he thought their mother was stingy, but because, according to normal logic, when traveling with such a group of children, even if one had a lot of money, one wouldn't let the children carry too much with them, in case they got lost.
To his surprise, his daughter told him that it was worth several hundred taels, but she had forgotten the exact amount and was too lazy to remember.
My daughter also said that at first, she would occasionally take out a few coins and put them back in her purse, but as the amount increased, she lost interest in taking any more money.
When asked where she got so much money, her daughter said that she usually gives her pocket money, gives her lucky money on New Year's Eve, and gives her New Year's red envelopes on New Year's Day. She said that she also gives money to people her mother has helped.
When Prince Yi learned of this, he felt somewhat ashamed. He had given his daughter five hundred taels of silver, hoping to make her happy, but what happened?
...
The group arrived at Hongliu City in the early hours of the night. Prince Yi and his party thought that since they had arrived at this hour, they would have to ask the soldiers guarding the city gate to go inside and announce their arrival, otherwise they probably wouldn't be able to get in.
After all, this place was only recently conquered from Yunwu Kingdom, unlike Fengliang Kingdom. His status as a prince probably wouldn't be of much use here.
To everyone's surprise, the city gate was brightly lit, and there were people already waiting outside to receive them.
He was a military general, and several children ran over to him affectionately calling him "Uncle."
Prince Yi and the others then realized that this was the same Uncle Yuefan that their child had told them about, Dong Yuefan, the son of the current Prime Minister Dong.
After entering the city, I thought I would stay in Red Willow City for a day before leaving, but I didn't expect that after having lunch at a restaurant in the city the next day, I would set off.
Seeing their children reluctantly parting with the son of Prime Minister Dong, Prince Yi and the others had mixed feelings. Since ancient times, emperors have disliked the crown prince and princes getting too close to important officials in the court, and they also disliked the ministers having too good a relationship, for fear of forming cliques and engaging in private affairs.
Prince Yi, as a prince, has always been mindful of this. He has no ambition and does not want to be suspected by the one on the throne, thus causing trouble and implicating his family.
But now, because of his child, he has become associated with several important officials in the court.
It won't be long before more people know about this, and the one on the dragon throne will naturally find out as well. If he really wants to overthink it, let him be.
They are all pillars of the nation, upright officials. If the emperor is truly incompetent and becomes wary of them, then he probably won't be able to sit firmly on the dragon throne.
Seeing the son of Prime Minister Dong in his military uniform, along with several deputy generals, the prince, and Censor Luo, Prefect Zhong simply took his leave. However, he continued talking endlessly with Miss Hong.
Prince Yi thought to himself that the person he should be most wary of on the dragon throne was this young lady Hong.
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