area51novel Chapter 43 Mischievous
Chapter 43 Mischievous
Shen Shixi then sent Bai Ping to the Empress Dowager's small kitchen to provide guidance. Bai Ping accompanied the Empress Dowager, talking about her experiences outside over the years and the food from all over the country.
"The people of Donghu eat mutton, and the ordinary folks are extremely hospitable. When I went there that year, I brought a sheep with me, and when I came out, I still had a sheep, but it wasn't the same sheep I brought with me first."
The Empress Dowager was puzzled, and Aunt Qingruo asked on her behalf, "Why is that?"
"I don't understand the Donghu language very well, but I've learned one phrase: 'Is there any food?' When I go there, I just say that to people, and they will slaughter a sheep to treat me. When I leave, I leave my sheep with them as a thank you gift, and they will give me a sheep as a return gift. That time, I walked around there for a while, and when I came out, I still had a sheep with me."
The Empress Dowager laughed heartily, tears streaming down her face; she hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"I have spent my whole life in the palace, unlike you, who have traveled to so many places and seen so much."
"It's truly a blessing for Your Majesty to live your whole life in the palace. It's good to see the world outside, but it's not easy to live a life of hardship. I heard that the Donghu people will also be coming to pay homage to His Majesty this time. I wonder what kind of people they will be."
Just then, news came that the Emperor had arrived. Shen Shixi hurriedly got up to greet him. She had only reached the palace gate when the Emperor entered. Just as she was about to bow, the Emperor took her hand and pulled her up, saying in a low voice, "You're quite attentive today. I've never seen you like this before."
Shen Shixi glared at him secretly, while Li Yuanke burst into laughter.
The Empress Dowager seemed to be deep in thought upon seeing this.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
"Get up. It's hot today. You must be sweating profusely from riding in the carriage. Go and change your clothes. There's ice in the palace. Don't catch a cold."
Li Yuanke went to change his clothes, and Shen Shixi couldn't very well not go and serve him. Since she didn't know how to help him get dressed, she just handed him the clothes from the side.
Li Yuanke pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Shen Shixi was startled and quickly pushed him away. Li Yuanke had only had his fill of pleasure for a moment before letting go of her.
"I was just talking to Mother when I heard your laughter from far away."
"Speaking of the time when I was in Donghu, I lived there for half a year with only one sheep, and when I came out, I was still living with only one sheep."
Li Yuanke laughed, "Both the Donghu and Xiqiang will send people this time. I must thank them properly for their hospitality towards my Xi'er."
"Your Majesty should say that you have treated your beloved concubine with such great respect!"
Knowing she disliked the term "beloved concubine," Li Yuanke lightly flicked her nose. "Naughty!"
He came out, flipped through the Buddhist scriptures Shen Shixi had copied, and laughed, "Not bad, your handwriting has improved a lot. I haven't seen you practice it on weekdays!"
Shen Shixi smiled modestly.
Li Yuanke found her appearance quite unusual and laughed.
In addition to the portion sent by the imperial kitchen, tonight's dinner also included a dish of mixed dried bean curd strips, a dish of cucumber salad, a dish of mixed tofu, a dish of spinach salad, and three bowls of cold noodles.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had never eaten such a simple meal before; they found it quite rare.
Shen Shixi helped the Empress Dowager mix the cold noodles. "When I eat them, I always like to chill them in the well first. I'm afraid Your Majesty's stomach might not be able to handle it, so these are hot noodles mixed directly. Please try them. If you don't like them, we'll serve another meal."
Bai Ping had already mixed it for Li Yuanke.
Li Yuanke took a bite and exclaimed, "Mother, try it! It's delicious!"
The Empress Dowager was initially hesitant, but seeing her son enjoying the food, she took a bite and found it delicious, and ate several bites in a row.
They also ate quite a lot of dishes.
The cucumber salad is crisp, the tofu salad is smooth and refreshing, the dried bean curd strips taste better than usual, and the spinach salad is crisp, sweet, and without any astringent taste.
The Empress Dowager ate very comfortably, and afterwards, she took a walk accompanied by two men.
"Xi'er has a good appetite. Come early tomorrow and have lunch with my family."
Shen Shixi said, "Alright, I'll make porridge for the Empress Dowager tomorrow, and we'll have cold noodles for dinner. I'll have them prepare the ingredients today."
"I'll also come for dinner!" Li Yuanke said.
As night deepened, the Empress Dowager told the two of them to go back, as she also needed to rest.
The two returned to Peach Blossom Village, took a bath, and were exercising when a military report arrived from Minzhou. Li Yuanke, his face dark, hastily finished the report, his whole demeanor tense.
The servants were somewhat intimidated.
Shen Shixi lay sprawled on the couch, laughing at his expression.
[You bastard, wouldn't you call this unsatisfied sexual desire?]
Li Yuanke turned his head and looked at her with a sinister gaze. "Wait for me to return!"
Wait my ass, Shen Shixi fell asleep as soon as he left.
In the middle of the night, she woke up needing to urinate. Someone was beside her, reaching out and groping around. "Ah, which scoundrel is climbing into my bed in the middle of the night?" she thought.
Li Yuanke felt a surge of arousal from her touch. He grabbed her wrist, his voice hoarse, "Are we still going or not? If we don't go, then..."
Just as he was about to press down, Shen Shixi was terrified; if he pressed down, she would definitely wet the bed.
When she returned, Li Yuanke didn't sleep anymore. He immediately hugged her and started eating her, and they didn't stop until dawn.
In the following days, several high-ranking concubines visited their families in their respective palaces.
Consort De finally received her mother. A message had already been sent from home that the Duchess of Xin had heard about the high monk and the stone at a banquet years ago. It was said that someone in Ganzhou wore such a divine stone and lived a long and healthy life, dying peacefully in his old age.
More than a year has passed, and even with the best skills, nothing can be found anymore.
At the banquet that day, Lady Xin Guogong only heard about it briefly from someone. At that time, several ladies were talking about the wandering monk, and Song Piyang's mother mentioned the stone.
"She only mentioned it briefly at the time, and the Duchess of Wei seemed interested. I took it to heart, fearing that the Duchess of Wei would beat me to it..." The Duchess of Xin cried again, heartbroken.
Consort De was furious. "Mother meant well for the eldest prince. Who would have thought she would be betrayed by someone else?"
"Who could this be?"
"Anyone could be involved, whether they have princes or not, none of them can tolerate the eldest prince. After all, he is the emperor's eldest son!" Consort De said, feeling both pain and resentment.
"My son, I will avenge you this wound sooner or later!" The Duchess of Xin gritted her teeth in hatred. "Now, Your Highness has no choice but to endure hardship and try to conceive a son. It is all my fault!"
"My mother didn't want this either; it's all the fault of those heartless people."
The mother and daughter embraced and wept bitterly.
After Lady Xinguo left, Consort De asked, "Did Consort Song's family also come today? What did they say?"
Consort Qing rarely saw her family members, as her family did not live in the capital.
"Song Jieyu's mother gave her a prescription, saying that if she followed the prescription and took the medicine, she could have a son," Yinxing said. "Your Majesty, do you really believe there is such a miraculous medicine?"
"Whether it's true or not, I don't know. I only know that taking medicine haphazardly will lead to serious trouble!"
People from the Donghu and Xiqiang tribes were coming to pay their respects to the emperor. Li Yuanke had been very busy these days, and Shen Shixi had only seen her in the Empress Dowager's palace. If he came to have dinner, he would send Shen Shixi back, and she would most likely stay overnight at Peach Blossom Village.
A letter arrived from the palace, informing us that the crops in Zhaoyang Palace and Qianyuan Palace are growing very well. The tomatoes have started to flower and will likely bear fruit soon, as will the chili peppers.
The corn was growing very well, and the sweet potatoes had grown vines. Bai Kui said that following the master's old method, they should cut off the vines and ask the people from the Ministry of Works to plant them, trying to grow more. She also said that while the masters were away, they applied fertilizer once.
Shen Shixi was quite pleased and ordered someone to write a letter back, "Those who stayed in the palace this time and worked hard to plant crops will be rewarded. Also, when the tomatoes ripen, select a few large ones for seed, and send the rest over."
At the end of the month, the Empress held a morning meeting, and Shen Shixi, having no reason to ask for leave, naturally attended.