Many elderly people recognize the quirky little snowman.
Speaking of this thing, one can't help but think of Xianfu Palace a few years ago. When the ignorant young eunuch turned around and started talking, an older eunuch came to his senses and vividly described the scene from back then.
Even the palace maids who were sweeping the snow came over.
From a lowly concubine who was once out of favor and nearly died of a serious illness, Wan Anran rose through the ranks to become Consort Qi, the head of the four consorts. Her life has become somewhat legendary.
The palace maids and eunuchs occasionally gasped in surprise.
Among them were several self-assured and beautiful young palace maids who couldn't help but feel longing—if only they could be like them! Who wouldn't want to live a life of luxury, and who would want to sweep and shovel in this freezing weather? The young palace maids looked at their frostbitten fingertips, their eyes filled with longing.
The old eunuch glanced at them and secretly shook his head.
There were countless moths drawn to a flame in the palace. But when Consort Qi ascended to the throne, how many other concubines were still stuck in the same place? Or perhaps still unknown concubines? Even worse, some lost their lives in the process. Even Consort Qi herself had to fight her way out of a seemingly hopeless situation.
The old eunuch's eyes were cloudy, but his gaze was clear.
He didn't try to persuade them, but instead changed the subject to some interesting things about the palace, thus diverting the palace servants' attention.
The news quickly reached Kunning Palace as well.
The eldest princess covered her mouth and chuckled, "Father, you really are something!"
"The emperor can be childish sometimes."
"Empress Mother, shall we go and take a look?" The eldest princess clung to the Empress's arm and shook it, quite curious about the progress Qi's mother had made in the past few years—it couldn't be as far-fetched as they were making it out to be, could it?
The Empress smiled and replied, "Okay."
She led the eldest princess toward the Qianqing Palace, and from afar she saw the row of strange little snowmen, as well as the Crown Prince Yinreng and Yinzuo observing from there.
Both of them also had quite a few sighs.
Especially Yinzhuo, who pointed at the little snowman with a touch of nostalgia: "That time, Consort Qi also had me make one, but my skills were much better than Consort Qi's!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Yinreng's eyes.
He tapped his younger brother's head lightly: "Don't say that. What if Mother Qi gets angry?"
"Anyway, Qi's mother isn't here."
Yinzhu stuck out his tongue, then pointed to the snow sculpture in front of him: "Besides, what I said is the truth, so please keep it a secret, Your Highness."
Yinreng couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
No one could really say that Yinzhi wasn't telling the truth. After all, even the Crown Prince Yinreng couldn't help but laugh every time he saw these strangely shaped snow sculptures, which the palace servants even suspected were talismans against evil spirits. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret for you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a soft laugh came from above.
Yinreng and Yinzuo turned around at the same time to look at the approaching Empress and the eldest princess.
The eldest princess was the one secretly laughing.
Crown Prince Yinreng, accompanied by Yinzuo, paid their respects to the Empress, and then exchanged greetings with the Eldest Princess. The Eldest Princess winked at Yinzuo, saying, "I heard everything my third brother said."
Yinzhuo was startled.
Then a fawning look appeared on his face: "Big sister, you mustn't tell anyone about this!"
"Hmph~"
"Big sister!" Because of the close relationship between his adoptive mother, Consort Xuan, and the Empress, Yinzhuo also had a good relationship with the Empress and the eldest princess. Seeing this, he used all his tricks of acting cute and charming, and pestered the eldest princess with a series of flattering words.
The eldest princess was teasing Yinzhuo.
He was amused and flattered, and the princess was satisfied enough to let him go.
Yinzhu patted his chest.
He muttered to himself, "So easily fooled, the future prince consort will have to be a little... uh."
"Yinzuo!!!"
"Ah, right, right." Yinzhu quickly changed the subject. He poked the little snowman and thought of the past: "Speaking of which, my older sister is the best! Ever since Consort Qi moved to Chuxiu Palace, I haven't seen her much."
Yinzhuo was quite resentful.
Consort Shun, the mother of the emperor, was introverted and disliked going out. Since Consort Qi moved to Chuxiu Palace, the two had less contact and were not as frequent as Consort Xuan.
Not only did the variety of food suddenly decrease, but the person who shared his torment was also gone. And after he moved to the prince's quarters at the beginning of the year, it was even worse… Sigh, Yinzhuo looked up at the harem and sighed, “My only hope is…”
"Wouldn't it be better once Fifth Brother moves into the Prince's Residence?" the eldest princess answered instinctively.
"Hey!" Yinzhu stuck out his tongue.
"All you ever think about is getting free food and drinks!" Crown Prince Yinreng said, both amused and exasperated, and flicked Yinzuo's forehead. Ever since he entered school, his father, the Emperor, hadn't taken him into the inner palace much anymore, and he hadn't seen Consort Qi even before Yinzuo.
The eldest princess laughed so hard she almost fell over.
She raised her chin slightly and smiled with a hint of pride, "I'm different from my older sister."
Yinreng and Yinzuo stared at the eldest princess, their cheeks puffed up with anger. The Empress reached out and tapped the eldest princess: "You're so good with words."
She could do nothing about Yinzhuo's envy.
As the young princes grew up, their relationships with their mothers became much more distant, not to mention the other concubines.
The princes and princesses also knew this.
Despite his complaints, the increasingly mature Yinzhuo was able to accept this fact. After a few casual words, he quickly left with the Crown Prince, while the eldest princess, who remained behind, seemed thoughtful: "Yinreng and Yinzhuo... they've both grown up."
It feels different from before.
The Queen gently stroked the eldest princess: "No matter how everyone changes, we will always be family."
The eldest princess nodded emphatically.
She held the Empress's hand tightly: "Your Majesty, I wish to visit Consort Qi!"
"Hmm... Shall I send someone to inquire?"
The Empress thought for a moment: "There must be a lot of people visiting Chuxiu Palace these two days. I should ask Consort Qi if she is free."
Just as the Empress thought.
Wan Anran was also extremely busy today. First, she talked and drank tea with Consort Hui and Consort Rong, who came to visit hand in hand. Then she received Consort Xuan, who came with Consort Shun.
Wan Anran happily went out to greet them.
Not to mention Consort Xuan, she happily grasped Consort Shun's hands and said, "Sister Nara, congratulations!"
If we disregard her own fate, the person Wan Anran changed the most for was Consort Shun. Historically, she lost two sons and remained silent in the palace, causing no further ripples. Now, as one of the concubines, and with Yinzhuo's close relationship with the Crown Prince, she has already attracted considerable attention from the Emperor.
Consort Shun waved her hands repeatedly.
She bowed deeply and said, "It is I who should congratulate Mistress Qi."
Wan Anran's smile froze for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she led Consort Xuan and Consort Shun inside, though she felt a little lost and disappointed.
In Xianfu Palace, Consort Nara held her hand and taught her to write. They read books together, made plum wine together, knitted together, and swayed on the swing together...
It all seems like the past.
Wan Anran felt a tightness in her chest, as if her heart was being gripped tightly by a large hand. She felt somewhat helpless, but she forced herself to stand tall and led Consort Xuan and Consort Shun inside.
Once inside the palace, Consort Shun finally let out a long sigh of relief. She turned around and grasped Consort Qi's hand: "Sister Qi, why are you still calling me 'Sister Consort'? I've said it so many times already."
"……Why?"
"Hey what? And you need to stand up for yourself when you're out here, you know?" Consort Shun kept nagging, looking at Consort Qi with a look of utter disappointment.
Wan Anran stood there dumbfounded.
Her heart, which had thought it was about to dry up, was flooded by a heavy rain and filled with tenderness once more. She smiled secretly and couldn't help but hug Consort Shun's hand: "How about we have barbecue together today?"
“...I said…”
"Let's eat barbecue! Let's eat barbecue!"
"Okay, okay."
"Then we'll all drink peach blossom wine together," Consort Xuan said with a smile.
Consort Qi, Consort Xuan, and Consort Shun exchanged glances.
The three of them couldn't help but laugh together. This was probably the beginning of everything, right? When the palace servants around the Empress asked, Wan Anran naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
The Empress and the eldest princess also arrived.
Everyone sat in a row under the eaves, watching the round snowman and the falling snowflakes, and began their busy work of skewering the snow.
Lettuce and pork belly.
Shrimp, chicken wings, and corn.
Green and red bell peppers with beef, topped with sweet and sour fruit slices.
Of course, we can't forget lamb, mushrooms, and steamed buns. If you add cheese to the chicken and rice cakes, it'll be a perfect score!
Wan Anran and a few others were not the only ones making kebabs.
The palace servants of Chuxiu Palace also pitched in to help with the preparations.
There are too many people, so grilling meat alone isn't enough.
Seeing that it would take a while to get everything ready, Wan Anran rolled up her sleeves and ordered the palace servants to bring over a small stove and a pot.
Combine milk and egg yolks with flour and cornstarch, then fold in the whipped egg whites. Scoop a small amount of the mixture into a preheated pan, wait a while, then flip it over. Once the shiny side is golden brown, sprinkle with powdered sugar and honey. A simple, fluffy little pancake is ready.
Her beautiful appearance made the palace concubines' eyes light up.
They picked up the warm, still-jiggling little pancakes, gently scooped them out with spoons, and were captivated by their rich egg flavor and soft, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Wan Anran cupped her cheeks, thoroughly enjoying herself.
The eldest princess loved it too. One serving wasn't enough for her, and she even came over to try making it herself.
But it's not so easy to determine the right temperature.
If the bottom is burnt or burnt, or if the pancake doesn't rise but becomes flat, and it tastes good, then it's become a real pancake.
The eldest princess's cheeks were puffed up with anger.
She even got into a tackling of this thing, using a small shovel to try again and again, building up a small mountain of failures on the side before the eldest princess finally succeeded!
The eldest princess clenched her fist and cheered.
Wan Anran, the Empress, Consort Xuan, Consort Shun, and Yinzhen clapped and cheered together, making the eldest princess blush.
The crowd chattered amongst themselves.
It wasn't a long time, but everyone has made many memories. Like today, in the days to come, when we think back on it, we'll surely feel that it was the most wonderful day, right?
Yinzhen, standing beside him, listened with curiosity. Sometimes he would listen intently to all sorts of embarrassing stories, sometimes he would watch his mother and concubine bickering, and sometimes he would gaze at the snow-white courtyard, completely emptying his mind.
These days are so leisurely.
Yinzhen stretched, just as his mother's voice rang in his ears: "Yinzhen? If you don't come over soon, your share will be gone!"
"Here it comes—Mother, you're not allowed to steal any food."
"I didn't steal any food!"
"There were definitely four skewers of lamb in there just now!"
"...How did you know that from where you were standing?"
"As expected, Mother, you're feeling guilty." Yinzhen chuckled coldly.
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