The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
If her expression was as cold as late autumn or early winter just now, it was as if winter snow had melted away, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face.
The Empress Dowager also couldn't resist.
She chuckled and sprawled on the couch, poking Consort Qi's forehead with her finger: "What are you thinking about all day long?"
Wan Anran felt quite wronged.
Not to mention that the tomatoes planted on just a small plot of land were already in dire need of supply, the sweet potatoes and potatoes were also becoming increasingly scarce. Who knew when her father would be able to send them to the palace through the Imperial Household Department? She wept bitterly, feeling extremely aggrieved: "The Empress Dowager doesn't know, the Emperor's appetite is as big as three of my concubines'."
In just a few days, not only has the peach blossom wine been completely consumed by Emperor Kangxi, but even the small steamed buns originally made for Yinzhen have been eaten by the Emperor as snacks to accompany his wine.
Wan Anran was filled with grievances and kept crying.
The more she said this, the more curious the Empress Dowager became.
The emperor paid great attention to the way of health preservation. He did not pursue immortality, but rather believed that the process from birth to death was a natural one. Therefore, he believed that the key to longevity and health preservation was to avoid elixirs, eat in moderation, and maintain a regular daily routine.
Regarding dining, the emperor believed that one should not overeat or indulge in banquets, and that one should eat more vegetarian food, with minimal but refined flavors.
Kangxi had often said these words to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, but now he was going to the Chuxiu Palace every day just for food? Not only were the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager shocked and puzzled, but the other concubines were also astonished and couldn't understand what was going on.
Many imperial concubines, whether dining with the emperor or on ordinary days, would adopt an air of ethereal beauty, eating only dew. They would diligently consume vegetarian food to express their respect and reverence for the emperor, and also to maintain their figures.
Their efforts failed to attract the Emperor's attention; instead, Consort Qi did the opposite, using food to entice him! Your Majesty, aren't you contradicting yourself? All the concubines were furious.
Especially Consort Dai, she almost gritted her teeth to pieces. Seeing that she had not received the Emperor's attention since returning from the West Garden and was ridiculed by many, Consort Dai secretly dieted to lose weight. Yesterday, she dressed up carefully, all in order to win back the Emperor's favor in one fell swoop.
And now, Consort Qi's intention is...
I dressed up so beautifully yesterday, only to be defeated by food? This is even harder to accept than being defeated by Consort Qi.
The concubines were outraged and their emotions were about to explode.
Wan Anran, however, did not notice the unusual attitude of her colleagues, but instead turned her attention to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are also quite suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, and eating them in moderation can help with bowel movements. Moreover, and most importantly, while opportunities to attend palace banquets are rare, the wives who accompany the two empress dowagers attend five or six times a month.
If the Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress all start using potatoes and sweet potatoes, it will undoubtedly attract everyone's attention much faster than the previous publicity through palace banquets!
Of course, Wan Anran secretly had another idea: the two empress dowagers had average appetites and were at an age where they needed to take care of their health, so they certainly wouldn't eat and drink like the emperor.
While her thoughts were still swirling in her mind, Wan Anran happened to make eye contact with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Tonight, Consort Qi will come to Cining Palace to serve you at dinner."
Wan Anran's eyes lit up.
She happily agreed, and that evening she delivered the recipe to Cining Palace ahead of schedule, personally directing the palace servants in Cining Palace's kitchen to prepare it.
Wan Anran was busy in Cining Palace, while Kangxi was also on time to go to Chuxiu Palace for his meal. He stood up, stretched, and suddenly heard a very faint sound of tearing silk.
Kangxi's expression suddenly froze.
Liang Jiugong's eyes widened, and then cold sweat poured down his face as he cursed the Imperial Household Department for its stupidity.
Was there a problem with the Emperor's clothes?
Was it the fabric or the size? Kangxi's expression was somewhat strange. He had indeed felt that the robe was a little tight before, but he hadn't paid attention to it. Now... Kangxi's face darkened: "Send the people from the sewing room over immediately."
Liang Jiugong agreed.
Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, the head of the sewing room and the palace maids rushed over. They looked nervous, and upon seeing the damaged area, they knelt on the ground, their faces ashen.
There was a mistake with the Emperor's clothes.
The steward in charge collapsed to the ground, pressing his forehead to the earth. Before he could apologize, Kangxi's voice rang in his ears: "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and come over to take my measurements."
The manager looked bewildered.
The other palace servants were also somewhat confused. They looked at each other and then hurriedly stepped forward with measuring rulers after a moment.
Emperor Kangxi's expression was very serious.
The palace maids in the sewing room were dumbfounded when they took the measurements. The maid in charge of registration was even more at a loss: "This servant...this servant measured very carefully last time...how could this be? How could this be? How could this be a whole size off?!"
It's a whole size too big!
Emperor Kangxi's temples were throbbing, and as he reached out to touch his increasingly large belly, he felt waves of panic.
This is going to be a problem.
Emperor Kangxi, who had originally intended to go to the Chuxiu Palace, was completely stiff. He didn't even want to eat; he even considered going for a run to lose weight. Frustrated, he dismissed the palace servants, changed into his everyday clothes, and strolled over to the Empress.
As for Chuxiu Palace?
I don't recognize this place.
Empress Niohuru is organizing palace affairs.
As soon as the Emperor entered, he saw her bustling about and casually asked, "What are you doing?"
"Your Majesty." The Empress put down what she was holding and was about to curtsy when Kangxi stepped forward and helped her up.
The Empress smiled broadly: "Your Majesty, I am now preparing materials for next month's imperial concubine selection. The accommodations, clothing, and other necessities for the young ladies entering the palace will all need to be prepared anew."
Since the tenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, there had been no more imperial selections in the palace. The long-awaited selection of an empress was determined to make it a grand affair.
The topic of clothing inevitably stung Kangxi's heart.
His expression was not good, a fact that the Empress keenly noticed. Though puzzled, she immediately changed the subject: "Your Majesty, speaking of sweet potatoes, are they delicious? Consort Qi said she's going to send some to the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager to try today."
He'd already tasted the tomato and the potato queen, but hadn't tried the sweet potato yet! Kangxi nodded: "It tastes good... Hmm? Why would Grandmother and Mother Empress mention it? Did Consort Qi say so?"
When Kangxi went to Chuxiu Palace for a meal yesterday, he noticed that Consort Qi looked distressed. He then learned that there were not many tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes left.
He has already sent people to purchase potatoes and sweet potatoes, but they will probably take another three to five days to arrive. As for tomatoes, it's a bit of a problem, but fortunately there are some farmers in Zhouzhou who specialize in cultivating tomato flowers, so perhaps he can get some from them.
When the time comes, bring this to Consort Qi's presence and see if she still dares to give me attitude. But why did Consort Qi go to Grandmother Empress and Empress Dowager? Kangxi was slightly puzzled.
The Empress explained gently, "The concubines are complaining a lot, and rumors are spreading throughout the palace."
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and said, "I understand."
I didn't realize that even though I wasn't staying overnight, my frequent movements had drawn some attention from the palace servants.
Unexpectedly, the matter has escalated to the point of involving the Empress Dowager.
Emperor Kangxi coughed, unusually showing sympathy to Consort Qi: "Poor her, this time it's all my fault."
The empress looked curious.
Seeing that the Empress was interested, Emperor Kangxi was happy to explain. He enthusiastically talked about potatoes and sweet potatoes, saying that if one didn't know them, it wouldn't matter, but after hearing about these two things, Kangxi looked them up and immediately discovered their many advantages.
Promotion has also become a top priority.
The Empress only thought the dishes tasted good, but she never expected them to be so delicious. The more she listened, the more astonished she became, covering her mouth and gasping, "This, this is truly incredible!"
Emperor Kangxi was also pleased.
He poured out his surging emotions to the Empress, and naturally stayed overnight at Kunning Palace.
Wan Anran spent three days busy in the Cining Palace.
She initially thought she would get to eat more in the Cining Palace, but later she realized that the fun of competing for food with Emperor Kangxi was completely lost there.
Wan Anran visited Cining Palace quite a few times.
Each time, he would simply pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and then go to find her for a meal and a chat.
Only now did she realize that things weren't so easy with the Empress Dowager, let alone the Grand Empress Dowager. Not only did she have to dine with them, but Wan Anran also had to stand obediently to the side and serve them the entire time, her clumsy movements causing a group of palace maids and nannies to frown.
As for Wan Anran's meal?
They could only barely manage to eat a couple of bites of food after the Empress Dowager had rested; life was incredibly difficult.
It took the Empress Dowager three days to finally let her go.
Upon hearing that she no longer needed to serve at Cining Palace, Wan Anran almost burst into tears. She slept until she naturally woke up, wrapped in the blanket, too lazy to even comb her hair, intending to sleep from morning till night.
"Your Majesty, do you eat breakfast in bed or...?" Hai Tao used to be hopeful that her master could improve, but this trip to Cining Palace had completely extinguished any remaining enthusiasm in her heart.
Being a favored concubine is no easy task.
Everyone sees Consort Yi's smugness in public, but who sees the hard work she puts in behind the scenes? Consort Yi has served the Empress Dowager many times in the past; if it were always like this…
Hai Tao shuddered at the thought.
She thought her mistress was truly prescient; wouldn't it be better to just enjoy the good life at a leisurely pace? With our little prince, things will only get better from here on out!
Therefore, Hai Tao not only didn't grumble about her master's reluctance to get out of bed, but also asked him questions enthusiastically, which surprised Wan Anran.
She rolled around in the blankets.
After thinking it over, Wan Anran sat up and said, "Let's eat in the courtyard. Oh, and have the kitchen prepare a bowl of fried pork crackling noodles for breakfast."
Haitao smiled and agreed.
Wan Anran put on a light coat, her hair casually tied into a braid on top of her head. She sat on the stone bench, picked up the soup bowl, and took a big gulp.
The vegetables were vibrant green, the pork cracklings were crispy, and the chewy noodles were incredibly delicious. After finishing a bowl, Wan Anran's nose was sweating. She was comfortably cuddling her two cats when Orange and White came back excitedly: "Master, Consort Dai Jia has been demoted to the rank of Attendant."
Wan Anran let out a soft "Ah".
Her almond-shaped eyes widened, revealing a hint of surprise: "What's going on?"
Just thinking about Ju Bai makes me laugh out loud.
Her eyes crinkled into a smile, and she even tried to keep everyone in suspense: "This matter, actually, has something to do with Master!"
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