mesbooks Chapter 215 Dig up some wild vegetables for your father
Chapter 215 Dig up some wild vegetables for your father
Three days later, as dawn broke, sunlight streamed through the palace walls and onto the earth. The Emperor, having finished his morning court session, hurriedly boarded his imperial carriage and sped towards Su Nuannuan's estate.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan was leisurely enjoying her breakfast in the manor, with Yaoqin attentively serving her. After Su Nuannuan finished her meal, Yaoqin asked softly, "Your Highness, since the Emperor is coming today, should you dress more formally?"
Su Nuannuan gently shook her head and replied with a smile, "There's no need to be so deliberate. Just appear in your usual attire. His Majesty's visit this time is not to chat or reminisce with me, but to ask me something. If I were dressed in fine clothes, it would seem rather pretentious, and how could I truthfully report anything to His Majesty?"
Upon hearing this, Yaoqin was surprised and quickly asked, "Your Highness wants to file a complaint?" She wondered to herself how such a thing could have happened when she had only been away from Her Highness for two days.
Su Nuannuan nodded in agreement: "Of course we will sue! I have suffered all kinds of bullying at the Imperial Mausoleum. It would be a disgrace not to avenge this. How can I swallow this insult? Besides, this opportunity can also let the people at the Imperial Mausoleum know that we are not soft persimmons to be squeezed. We have the Emperor backing us up."
Yaoqin nodded in deep agreement after hearing this, saying, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. We really cannot suffer such a great loss for no reason."
But they forgot that they had already avenged themselves. The people at the imperial mausoleum had also witnessed the methods of Consort Zhuang, who came to guard the mausoleum, so they wouldn't dare to bully her anymore. It was already a favor that she didn't turn around and bully them.
Just as the two were talking, Zhixiang entered the room, bowed respectfully, and then asked, "Your Highness, how should we prepare lunch today?"
"Later, let the two little ones go to the fields behind the palace to dig up some fresh wild vegetables. We'll make wild vegetable dumplings for the Emperor, and also prepare two plates of delicate and delicious cold dishes. We're here to guard the Empress Dowager's tomb, so we can't prepare delicacies for the Emperor like we do in the palace."
Upon hearing this, Zhixiang raised her head and cautiously asked in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, isn't this arrangement somewhat inappropriate...?"
Su Nuannuan was slightly taken aback, then said, "Is there anything wrong with it? Isn't this how I usually eat? Oh, right, there's also a meat dish every day."
"Send someone to the farmer's house later to catch a plump chicken and bring it back to His Majesty to make a pot of fragrant chicken soup."
Upon hearing her mistress's instructions, Zhixiang looked up at Yaoqin beside Su Nuannuan. Yaoqin looked helpless, but still nodded gently to Zhixiang, instructing her to prepare according to her mistress's requirements.
So Zhixiang had no choice but to accept the order and leave, then set about arranging lunch for the day. She already had a plan for how to prepare lunch. However, what troubled her was dinner tonight.
If His Majesty wishes to stay overnight here, what should be done? However, the Empress's attitude towards His Majesty just now was really not good, and although she had a lot of questions, she really dared not ask them rashly.
As soon as Zhixiang left, two lively and adorable children rushed in, both dressed in neat short-sleeved shirts. They asked in unison, "Mother, what chores do you plan to have us do today?"
"Your father will be visiting today, and he hasn't tasted wild vegetable dumplings in a long time. Why don't you two go together later and help your father dig up some fresh wild vegetables, okay?" Su Nuannuan's gaze gently fell on the two children as she softly asked.
“Great! We’re going to dig up lots and lots of wild vegetables for Father. There’s shepherd’s purse, purslane, dandelion, water celery, broom grass…” Cang Lan Jingcheng excitedly counted on his fingers, reciting the names of various wild vegetables as if they were his own treasures.
After he finished speaking, he looked up at Su Nuannuan with a big smile and said cheerfully, "Mother, we ate quite a few kinds of wild vegetables!"
Su Nuannuan smiled and reached out to gently rub Cang Lan Jingcheng's little head, replying softly, "Yes, since that's the case, then you should dig up some more."
At this moment, Canglan Jingyao suddenly raised her head, a hint of worry showing on her cute little face. She timidly asked, "Mother, if Father only eats these wild vegetables, will he be angry?"
Upon hearing her daughter's question, Su Nuannuan was slightly taken aback at first, but quickly regained her composure. She earnestly explained to Canglan Jingyao, "Silly girl, how could I only feed your father wild vegetables? Your mother specially stewed a plump little chicken for him!"
However, Yao'er, you must know that we are currently here guarding your grandmother's tomb. The food we eat daily must not be too exquisite or lavish, otherwise, if your father finds out, he may punish us." After saying this, she nodded seriously, as if it were a serious matter.
Yaoqin and the two nannies felt helpless listening to their mistress earnestly trying to fool the two young princes.
If it were any other concubine guarding the imperial mausoleum, upon hearing that the Emperor had come to visit her at the estate next to the mausoleum, regardless of the reason for his visit, she would surely be filled with immense joy.
Even without elaborate preparations, it would be far more unusual for someone like their concubine to host a banquet for the emperor with wild vegetables. Such behavior is something only their concubine could possibly do.
"Really?" Canglan Jingyao asked with a look of suspicion.
"Of course. Look at Mother Consort's attire today, is there any trace of deliberate solemnity or extravagance in her dressing because of your father's arrival?" Su Nuannuan straightened up and asked, showing off her outfit.
Canglan Jingyao looked closely and saw that her mother was still wearing the same familiar clothes, with nothing special about them, so she didn't ask any more questions.
Standing to the side, Canglan Jingcheng grabbed Canglan Jingyao's small hand and eagerly dragged her outside, shouting, "Little sister, hurry up! Let's go get some wild vegetables for Father."
However, Canglan Jingyao was a little hurt by the sudden force, and couldn't help but wrinkle her cute little face and complain in a coquettish tone: "Brother, let go of me, you're hurting me!"
Hearing his sister's cry of pain, Cang Lan Jingcheng immediately realized that he had used too much force. He quickly let go and apologized to his sister with a face full of remorse: "I'm sorry, little sister, I really didn't mean to. I will definitely be more careful next time." After saying that, he gently rubbed the spot where he had just pulled his sister.
Standing to the side, Su Nuannuan quietly watched the childlike interaction between the brother and sister, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart—how could her own daughter seem a bit like the legendary "green tea"?
However, as soon as the thought popped into her head, Su Nuannuan quickly shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake this strange idea out of her mind. She thought to herself, "Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense! My precious daughter could never be some kind of 'green tea'! I must be overthinking it..."