Wan Anran got up very early the next day.
After paying her respects to Consort Xuan, Wan Anran went to the study and carefully copied ten large characters. Then, amidst Wan Fu's envious gaze, she left and excitedly headed towards the backyard.
Because of Wan Chang's instructions yesterday, the palace servants did not clear the snow from the backyard. By now, the snow has accumulated to knee-high. It's enough to make not only large snowmen, but even small snow houses, right?
Wan Anran first built a snowman.
Put on a melon-shaped hat, braid small braids made of black yarn and hang them on the back, use charcoal for eyes, use carrots for a long nose, and finally take out a piece of unused dark felt cloth and hang it on the back as a cape. Finally, stick in branches for arms, and a cute snowman is complete!
Wan Anran was extremely satisfied: "Isn't it cute!"
Haitao nodded repeatedly: "It's so cute! Master, what you made is absolutely beautiful!"
While praising her, Haitao secretly wiped the corner of her eye.
Judging from how the young lady is behaving, she is clearly acting like a boy. She must be missing the Emperor but can't bring herself to say it!
Wan Anran rubbed the tip of her nose.
She admired her work for a moment, hands on her hips, and decided to make another one. This time, the snowman wore a headdress, had scraps of cloth hanging as a scarf, and finally, Wan Anran even contributed the rabbit fur gloves she had made last time, decorating the tree branch as little hands.
After moving the two snowmen under the plum blossom tree, Wan Anran even went back inside to check the angle. From the window beside the tatami mat, one could see the two snowmen, and with the plum blossoms blooming proudly in the white snow, the scenery was indescribably beautiful.
The remaining snow should not be wasted.
Wan Anran decided to make some small animal shapes to decorate the area—such as turtles and rabbits, or cats and dogs.
These are much harder to make than snowmen.
Wan Anran tried several times without success. Ju Bai, who was standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and respectfully saying, "My lady, why don't you let me try?"
The orange-white one will definitely be true.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, she sculpted a little rabbit in just a few strokes. Although it was the same white rabbit, it was unruly in Wan Anran's hands, but obedient in Ju Bai's hands.
Wan Anran let out a soft gasp of surprise.
The speed and skill of the technique left Haitao and Zisu speechless with astonishment. They watched intently as Jubai sculpted chicks, kittens, puppies, and even owls, each one so lifelike and incredibly cute.
Wan Anran was overjoyed.
She held up a snowman shaped like a kitten, her eyes practically sparkling: "Ju Bai, you're amazing! How did you manage to make all this?"
Her orange-white face suddenly flushed red.
Her face flushed red, and she stammered, "This servant... this servant's family is poor... my younger siblings have no toys, so in winter they make do with snow sculptures."
Wan Anran murmured, "If you ask me, this is hardly a passable level. By the way, will Ju Bai make an even bigger one?"
Larger snow sculptures look much more impressive!
Ju Bai nodded solemnly: "This servant can do it. This servant has even sculpted slides, koi fish and lion dances out of snow."
Wan Anran's eyes lit up.
Just thinking about it made her excited, but unfortunately, the snow in Xianfu Palace wasn't quite enough for making large snow sculptures. Wan Anran could only suppress her regret and let Ju Bai make more cute little animals for the time being.
For example, squirrels, red-crowned cranes, sika deer, peacocks, eagles... Wan Anran talked happily, and Ju Bai did it quickly. In the end, they managed to turn the entire backyard into a snow sculpture zoo.
Xu Changzai coldly looked outside.
After being repeatedly attacked by the Emperor and Empress, Xu Changzai's fiery temper subsided considerably. She realized that Wan Changzai was indeed her nemesis, and that if she wanted to be promoted by Xuan Pin, she first had to please Xuan Pin.
After much deliberation, Xu Changzai decided to copy Buddhist scriptures.
The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Xuan are all Buddhists; perhaps this could win them favor? Having made up her mind, she signaled the palace servants to close the window and began to concentrate on copying.
The sounds of laughter and chatter outside were crisp and loud.
Not only Wan Anran and the palace servants, but also the Ninth Prince, who had just finished reciting his lessons, joined in. Holding the squirrel snow sculpture, he looked at the puppy snow sculpture, then at the tiger snow sculpture; he was truly at the pinnacle of being greedy and always wanting more.
In the end, even Consort Xuan was attracted to it.
She had never seen such exquisite and adorable snow sculptures before, and nodded with satisfaction: "The craftsmanship is indeed excellent."
Consort Xuan was only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Seeing the cute little trinkets, she couldn't take her eyes off them and also had a bit of a show-off mentality. So she had the palace servants place these snow sculptures one by one in the corner of the wall at the entrance of Xianfu Palace. Of course, it wasn't enough that only Ju Bai made them. From Consort Xuan to the Ninth Prince, from Noble Lady Nara to Wan Anran, and then all the palace servants sat together under the corridor and enthusiastically kneaded snowballs.
Wan Anran, who prides herself on her experience in snowmaking, is full of fighting spirit.
It looks easy, but it's hard to make. You don't need to use too much force to crush the snowball, but if you don't use enough force, the snowball won't obey your commands. The rabbit Wan Anran made had one long ear and one short ear, the bear looked like a cat, and the cat looked like a dog... The shapes were simply appalling.
But Wan Anran was quite pleased with herself.
If she were to rate herself, she would definitely give herself a perfect score!
Wan Anran held her head high and placed her perfect work next to those made by Ju Bai. If the previous ones were quite childlike, now they were eerie and terrifying, making the palace servants who passed by tremble with fear and secretly wonder what kind of ghost Xianfu Palace was up to.
Consort Xuan sighed, rubbing her forehead: …………
Granny Xia couldn't help but suggest, "Master, why don't we move the snow sculpture that Consort Wan made in here?"
It's better to lose face in Xianfu Palace than to lose face outside, right?
Consort Xuan waved her hand: "Let them go, they're actually quite cute after a while." There's a kind of ugly-cute vibe to it.
Wan Anran, however, was unaware of the turmoil outside.
After decorating the entire courtyard with the remaining snow sculptures, she stretched, feeling like she had done a lot that day, and decided to treat herself well!
On a cold, snowy day, hot pot is the perfect choice!
Wan Anran quickly made a decision: "Haitao, for dinner tonight, we'll order one clear broth hot pot and one spicy hot pot, sliced lamb and chicken, some meatballs, and whatever vegetables you have. Oh, and don't forget to get duck blood and enoki mushrooms if you find any!"
Hai Tao wrote down each of them.
She smiled and agreed, but Zisu reminded her, "Master, the clear broth pot and other ingredients are fine, but I'm afraid the small kitchen doesn't have the spicy broth. We'll have to pay some money to get it from the imperial kitchen."
Hai Tao patted her chest: "I'll take care of this."
Zisu was a little puzzled, but nodded silently. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Wan Changzai instruct, "By the way, Ju Bai taught me how to make snow sculptures today, so Ju Bai, you can also order a dish you like."
Ju Bai happily agreed.
None of those who could serve in the palace were stupid. She laughed and discussed with Hai Tao and Zi Su what dish to add. Their chattering made Wan Anran's lips curl into a smile.
She hadn't felt anything while playing, but now her whole body ached terribly. Wan Anran nestled in the soft couch, casually picking up a book to flip through. This book was from the stack of books the Empress had given her. Perhaps she had mistakenly put a miscellaneous novel in there as well, which Wan Anran found quite strange. After discovering this, she decided to read two or three pages every day to pass the time.
It wasn't that she didn't want to read more, it's just that reading articles without punctuation was just too tiring. If it were her own book, she would have taken notes, but this was the Empress's book... Wan Anran rubbed her face in distress and finally decided to read it slowly.
Anyway, I still have a long time to spend in the palace.
I'll finish reading this book someday.
Hot pot was a common dish for nobles in the palace, and in no time all the ingredients Wan Anran had requested were delivered. The small round table was filled to the brim, and Wan Anran leisurely ate her hot pot while gazing at the scenery outside the window.
---
Wan Anran was very relaxed, but things were different elsewhere.
For example, Emperor Kangxi was in a bad mood. The continuous heavy snow caused a snow disaster, and news came from Hebei and other places requesting the court to provide disaster relief, which made the already poor court even worse off.
The imperial court is poor these days!
The Rebellion of the Three Feudatories had not yet been quelled, and the Ministry of War's provisions and salaries were a huge expense. On top of that, disaster relief was also needed. The Minister of Revenue was so worried about the remaining figures in the accounts that he couldn't sleep night after night. His dark circles under his eyes were terrifying.
Kangxi made up his mind.
He wants to take advantage of the New Year to promote a culture of thrift.
The unfortunate one became Empress Niohuru.
Everything had been arranged beforehand, but the Emperor suddenly came up with a new idea and plan...
Empress Niohuru: ...Hehe.
What else could be done? They had to get things done right away! There was no time to change the upcoming New Year's banquet, but the tea party and Lantern Festival celebrations could still be changed. After a moment's thought, the Empress quickly ordered people to give the instructions.
After Kangxi spoke, he felt somewhat guilty. Seeing the raging fire behind the Empress, he decided to go outside to the Imperial Garden for some fresh air.
Before he even reached the Imperial Garden, Kangxi heard a burst of laughter.
He paused, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes. Ever since the plum blossoms bloomed, every time he walked into the Imperial Garden, he would encounter one, two, three, or four imperial concubines. They were either picking plum blossoms, reciting poems while smelling their fragrance, playing in the snow, or dancing in the snow.
In his spare time, Emperor Kangxi was happy to use it to pass the time.
When things get busy... Kangxi glanced at her and turned to leave: "It just so happens that the palace is lacking plum blossom branches for decoration. Who are those people who just picked plum blossoms, smelled their fragrance, and recited poems? Let them do it! As for those who like to play in the snow, I see that the Imperial Garden is in need of someone to sweep the snow. Let her finish sweeping today before going back. As for those who dance in the snow... Liang Jiugong, you have someone keep an eye on them and they are not allowed to go back until they have danced for a full hour!"
Liang Jiugong solemnly replied, "Yes."
Why did these young ladies have to run into the Emperor when he was in such a bad mood? They could only accept their misfortune. He remained calm and gave a few instructions to the eunuchs to carry them out immediately.
Emperor Kangxi and his entourage walked away.
A faint commotion arose behind them, but Kangxi ignored it. He stood in the middle of the road with his hands behind his back, hesitating between Chengqian Palace and Yikun Palace. Thinking about how he hadn't gone to Yikun Palace last time, Kangxi turned and walked towards Yikun Palace.
As he approached, Kangxi caught a glimpse of the small snow sculptures around the corner out of the corner of his eye... They were quite cute, weren't they? Before his thoughts could settle, the sight of several strangely shaped snow sculptures behind them made his eyelids twitch.
Emperor Kangxi's curiosity was piqued.
He followed those strange snow sculptures for a long time. Although he wasn't sure who made them, the one that could be shamelessly placed outside the palace gate... well... it must be Wan Fu, right?
Wan Fu: "Achoo!"
Emperor Kangxi shook his head: "Playing with toys will only lead to a loss of ambition! If I ever test this kid's recitation skills and he can't do it, I'll definitely spank him!"
Wan Fu: "Achoo achoo achoo!!!"
Lady Nara was very worried and reached out to touch Wan Fu's forehead: "Wan Fu, have you been playing in the snow for too long? Come, come, quickly come inside to warm up by the fire and have a bowl of ginger soup!"
Emperor Kangxi stood outside the gate of Xianfu Palace.
He originally wanted to go into Xianfu Palace to ask a question, but when he thought of the beautiful sight of Consort Yi with her eyebrows and eyes filled with a light sorrow, Kangxi paused and turned to go to Yikun Palace.
Emperor Kangxi was in a good mood when he thought of Consort Yi.
He stopped the eunuch who was about to announce his arrival, and walked briskly into the room, wanting to hear what his beloved concubine had to say.
Before even approaching the hall, they heard Consort Yi's mocking voice. Having just returned from a stroll outside after hearing about Xianfu Palace's actions, Consort Yi spoke with a mixture of sarcasm, ridicule, and schadenfreude: "Xianfu Palace doesn't actually think something so ugly can seduce the Emperor, does she? No way! If you ask me, the Emperor would not only avoid her but also give her a good scolding! Tsk, it would be strange if anyone were attracted to something so ugly!"
Kang-Hee, a strange person who was attracted to him: …………
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