antly.Grandma Li gently cradled her granddaughter and called out to her daughter-in-law, urging her to get things ready.When Liu Biao's father and son returned home, the gifts Li family had sent as a...Darkness was driven away by the dawn, a little bit of light appeared, and a new day arrived.
Right after finishing breakfast at Zhilan Palace, Eunuch Feng arrived with a young eunuch carrying a food box.
The Third Princess and Jia Yin were curious, but still welcomed Feng Gonggong into the house for tea.
Here, Mr. Feng seemed more relaxed than he had been elsewhere. He dared to sit firmly on the brocade stool beneath him and said with a smile.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has been concerned about you since your fright the other day. He specially had someone prepare a tonic for you, it's excellent for calming the mind and nourishing the complexion."
As he spoke, he motioned to the little eunuch to open the food box and personally took out a bowl of dark medicinal soup.
The third princess wrinkled her nose and exclaimed, "What kind of broth is this I won't drink it."
Mr. Feng patiently continued to persuade, "Your Highness, you really can't refuse. This is the Emperor's love for you, a prescription personally prepared by Dr. Liu himself. It's most nourishing for women."
"From today onwards, for the next half month, this old slave will send it over twice a day, Your Highness must drink it on time."
The Third Princess was on the verge of insanity. Drinking just one bowl was almost deadly, and she had to keep drinking for half a month!
Before she could refuse, Feng Gonggong took out a bowl of bird's nest soup from the food box and smiled as he offered it to Jiayin.
“My lady, this was specially ordered by the Emperor for you. Your health is good, Dr. Liu said there’s no need for tonic soup. A bowl of bird's nest every day would be most suitable and will also help with beauty and nourishment.”
Jia Yin quickly took it, smiling and replying, "Thank you, father-in-law. I'll definitely thank your Majesty when I return."
She took a spoonful, tasted it, and praised, "This bird's nest soup is well-made. The rock sugar is just the right amount, sweet and perfect."
Then, she instructed Shui Ling to fetch two pouches. She gave one to Feng Gonggong for his tea and asked him to deliver the other to the kitchen staff who were preparing bird's nest soup.
Mr. Feng was so pleased that his eyes lit up and he looked eagerly at the Third Princess.
The third princess still wanted to throw a tantrum, but then she suddenly remembered something and took the medicinal tonic, drinking it all in one gulp.
Jiayin took a peppermint candy from her pocket and quickly shoved it into her mouth, successfully smoothing out the frown on her face...
Mr. Feng didn't dare to linger and accept rewards. Seeing that the task was completed, he quickly excused himself.
Princess Three slumped for a long while, then lay directly on Jia Yin's legs, refusing to move.
"It's truly unbearable, if not for the fear of ruining Father Emperor's arrangements, I would rather die than drink!"
"Well, well!" Jia Yin pretended to be surprised, teasing the Third Princess, "You actually know the real reason your Imperial Uncle sent you nourishing soup"
The Third Princess, irritated, scratched her itches and huffed, "I'm not an idiot, don't peek at me through the cracks in the door!"
The two of them were quarreling so fiercely that any lingering sadness had completely vanished.
The third princess hugged Jiayin and whispered, “I thought Father would immediately go berserk. Judging by this, it seems like he’ll be holding a grudge for ten days or half a month.”
Jia Yin nodded, "It's probably Emperor Grandfather who wants to decoct medicine to regulate his body. He doesn't want outsiders to know, so he asked you to cover for him."
"But he won't hurt you, this congee is probably good for your body. We can't help with anything else, now we can only cooperate obediently."
The Third Princess thought of having to drink the bitter medicine for another half a month and couldn't help but want to roll around on the ground in anger.
Finally, the commotion subsided when Jia Yin brought her along to help in the kitchen. They made a lot of peppermint candies and sunflower seed candies before things calmed down...
The Imperial Study always carried a faint scent of medicine. At first, the officials were puzzled, but when Feng Gonggong openly paraded into Zhi Lan Palace with medicinal herbs, everyone understood.
This is because the Emperor had previously ignored the Third Princess, causing her to feel wronged. So she's trying every way she can to make amends.
Of course, the emperor's compensation was not just daily servings of nourishing soup. Various silks, jewelry, small ornaments made of precious stones and jade, fans, incense, and other luxuries flowed into Zhilan Palace like a river.
Some people's eyes turned red with envy, secretly regretting why they hadn't plotted earlier to marry the Third Princess.
Even though the Third Princess could be a bit willful, with the Emperor's favor and her family's connections, they still benefited considerably...
It's too late to say anything now, unfortunately.
It seems that Lu Zong got off cheap for this "embroidered pillow"!
Before he was betrothed to the third princess, he used Guang'er to obtain the title of a Scholar of the Imperial Examination!
After becoming a son-in-law, who knows how many benefits await!
Within the palace, there are no secrets, and officials' mouths are like open gates. These words spread quickly through the streets.
There's never a shortage of people who say grapes are sour just because they can't reach them.
Especially those who did not pass the exam, never felt that their studies were insufficient, but instead were full of resentment.
This "talentless" Luzong, because of his status as a son-in-law, is naturally more despised by them for usurping his position.
Thus, tea houses everywhere, or gatherings for literature and arts, banquets, one could hear people boasting.
That day, Catge'er took Zheng Qi strolling down the street, planning to find a bookstore to choose a gift for the master celebrating his birthday at the academy.
Although he rarely returns to the academy now, he still attends to the necessary courtesies.
As a result, the sun was scorching hot, so the master and servant took shelter in their own white clouds.
On the second floor, in a private room, we sat down and had a bowl of ice cream that was still icy cold. All the summer heat instantly disappeared.
"Delightful!" Meowger mumbled, a mouthful of ice cream melting in his mouth, and he couldn't help but exclaim with satisfaction.
Because there were no outsiders, Zheng Qi also sat opposite her and ate with relish.
"Master, the weather is unbearably hot this year. I wonder how much the watermelon at Suijin Beach has grown. It must fetch a good price!"
That reminded Cat-Ge. He glanced out the window, his brows furrowing slightly.
Since the beginning of spring, there has only been one small rain. Most of the farmland was planted with water carried by farmers. If it doesn't rain again, this year's harvest will definitely be reduced.
He was just about to say, he would go back to Suijin Beach in a few days.
As a result, another group of students arrived on the second floor and directly entered the adjacent private room.
This one wants iced juice, that one wants ice cream. They argued for a while before finally quieting down.
Meow Meow found it boring, so he decided to finish the ice cream in a few bites and hurry off to buy things.
But the few people next door kept talking and eating, getting louder and louder.
A sharp-voiced man asked, "Liu brother, was that person on the street just Prince Lu"
"Indeed, how do you know him" The voice that responded was full of disdain, with a smile. "Well, it's no surprise, everyone in Xindu knows him, the future son-in-law! He got the title of 'flower of the day' just by relying on his looks!"
“If I had known this beforehand, why would we have toiled away in our studies for ten years With all the knowledge we’ve amassed, it wouldn't be worth a fraction compared to being born with such a handsome face.”
"Haha, that's right, that's right!" Everyone else burst into laughter and chimed in agreement.
The more Cat Elder heard, the angrier he became. He muttered under his breath, "These dogs! They've wasted their time reading all those books by sages and wise men! They should be thinking about their own shortcomings in quiet contemplation and not judging others in idle chatter. Don't they understand this basic principle"
Zheng Qi, mindful that this was their own business, advised, "Young Master, everyone is talking about this now. Even if you stop it once, you can't stop it a second time. We've been out for half the day anyway, let's just go buy some things."
Before Cat Elder could even respond, a figure suddenly darted in from outside the door.
Zheng Qi instinctively shielded their master, but upon seeing the visitor's face, she exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Mu, what brings you here!"
Today, two updates are offered ~~en to guard the mountain pass and prevent anyone from causing trouble!""Right, right," Zhao Shu and the others also chimed in, "At this time, we can't lose our composure.""Outsiders probably don't kno...