Wuyunzhu shot him a sideways glance and asked curiously, “What kind of conflict could My Lord have with Fourth Brother?”
Yintang touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed to speak.
“Perhaps My Lord is overthinking it? When I was young, I hit my fifth brother and tricked my third and fourth brothers out of their silver, yet they didn’t hold a grudge against me. When I got married, they even added a lot to my dowry. It’s perfectly normal for siblings to argue and make a fuss.”
Wuyunzhu put on a disapproving look, wanting to provoke Yintang into speaking out.
Yintang indeed fell for it, “It’s different. Fourth Brother holds massive grudges.”
“That was probably when I was five or six years old. One time, I was playing in the Imperial Garden and found a little dog.
“The little dog had a broken leg but was exceedingly beautiful. I felt pity for it, so I brought it back, applied medicine to it, and raised it with good food and drink.
“Two days later, I heard that Fourth Brother had lost his dog and was sending people all over the palace to search for it.
“I guessed that the dog might be Fourth Brother’s, but I couldn’t bear to give it back, so I hid the dog.
“Who knew that when Fourth Brother brought people over to search, the dog actually ran out on its own, going right up to Fourth Brother, wagging its tail and licking his shoes, acting incredibly attentive.”
Speaking up to here, Yintang clenched his fist and slammed the table, looking extremely indignant.
“Fourth Brother’s face immediately darkened, saying that I stole his dog.
“I was so angry at the time. I felt that my good deeds went unrewarded, and I also felt that the dog was an ungrateful, bad dog, thinking it would have been better not to save it. In a moment of anger, I took a pair of scissors to cut the dog’s hair. Fourth Brother was furious and also picked up scissors, chasing me to cut off my queue.
“At that time, Fourth Brother was about Fourteen’s current age and had grown tall and sturdy, while I was still just a little bean. He was chasing me with scissors; how could I not be afraid?
“I ran to find Khan Ama to save my life, which resulted in Fourth Brother getting a scolding. Khan Ama said he was ‘moody and unpredictable’ and had it recorded in the Imperial Diary.
“After that, Fourth Brother was unwilling to pay attention to me. When it was just the two of us in private, the look he gave me was utterly chilling.”
Wuyunzhu suddenly realized the truth. So that was how Emperor Yongzheng’s evaluation of being “moody and unpredictable” came about!
She stared at Yintang and gently shook her head. You little brat are quite annoying. You shaved the hair off someone’s beloved dog and even tattled on him; how could he not hold a grudge?
If you had returned the dog intact at that time, the Fourth Prince would have had to thank you and owe you a favor. Instead, with your series of absurd actions, you turned a winning hand into a losing one.
What, as the youngest son of a favored consort, could you possibly lack for pretty little dogs?
Perhaps seeing the pity in her eyes, Yintang snorted, “So what if he ignores me? We’ll just interact less. I won’t go press my warm face against his cold buttocks.”
“He’s not the Crown Prince, we’re all just ordinary princes. Is anyone really nobler than the other?”
Sorry, but he will indeed be nobler than you in the future. If he wants to fix you, it will just take a casual sentence.
Therefore, this conflict had to be resolved.
Thus, she persuaded, “That was so many years ago. Perhaps Fourth Brother has long forgotten it. My Lord shouldn’t make things uncomfortable for yourself.”
“Then how do you explain that he pulls a long face and never smiles whenever he sees me?”
Wuyunzhu was silent for a moment before remembering a golden quote, “Perhaps it’s his nature not to love smiling?”
She asked him back, “Does Fourth Brother smile a lot in front of others?”
Yintang was stunned for a moment, “Well, no. Hm, Fourth Brother probably just doesn’t like to smile.”
“But I’m still afraid of him, so I won’t go. If Fujin wants to go, that’s fine. Although Fourth Brother is petty, he won’t take his anger out on others. Besides, Fourth Sister-in-law is there; Fourth Sister-in-law has a gentle and yielding temperament and is easy to get along with.”
Wuyunzhu nodded, “Alright, I understand.”
If Yintang didn’t want to go, she couldn’t force him to go.
Fine then, she would take the route of wives’ diplomacy first, get close to Fourth Sister-in-law, and then have Fourth Sister-in-law whisper some pillow talk. Maybe the conflict between the Fourth Prince and the Ninth Prince could be resolved.
After sending Yintang off, Wuyunzhu started pondering what to give the Fourth Prince as an apology gift.
As everyone knew, the Fourth Prince liked dogs. Give him a little dog?
No, no, what if it reminded him of Yintang shaving the dog’s hair? Wouldn’t that backfire?
Give gold or jade objects? It would seem too grand and lack warmth.
Since she was visiting the sick, it would be better to send something nourishing.
She went into the storehouse to pick out tonics, but as she picked, she changed her mind and decided to stew a pot of tonic to send over.
No matter how expensive the tonics were, sending them would just mean them getting tossed into a storehouse as a dispensable existence. How could that compare to the effect of her cooking personally?
In the royal family, everyone lived a life of luxury, never having to lift a finger for domestic chores. Cooking a dish personally was the highest standard of sincerity.
Besides, the old saying goes, “Taking someone’s things makes one’s hands short, and eating someone’s food makes one’s mouth soft.” If she sent over an incredibly delicious soup and conquered the Fourth Prince’s stomach with it, could he swallow his grudges with one gulp? Even if it didn’t have such a great effect, it could always improve his impression a bit.
What soup to stew?
After thinking about it over and over, she finally chose “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.”
“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” was a dish she had eaten when traveling to Southern Fujian in her previous life. The ingredients were rich, the taste was absolutely beautiful, and it could be said to gather the delicacies of the mountains and the seas into one dish.
Later, she followed food bloggers and made it twice. Although it was a simplified version, the taste was enough to leave a lingering aftertaste.
However, this dish might not be successfully made today.
The sea cucumbers and abalones needed to make this dish had to be soaked and expanded in advance. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and the small kitchen hadn’t prepared them, so she sent someone to the Imperial Kitchen to take a look.
Soon, He Yuzhu returned with two urns of soaked seafood.
Of course, this required spending silver. In this palace, only the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Crown Prince didn’t need to pave the way with silver when getting things done.
It seemed it was God’s will for her to make this dish.
For the following time, the small kitchen became exceptionally busy.
The first step in making Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was boiling the broth.
Wash ingredients like chicken, duck, pig trotters, pork rind, pork, marrow bones, chicken claws, and fish, blanch them in boiling water to remove the gaminess, then wash them again and remove the surface fat. This was the only way to ensure the clarity of the base broth.
Divide the processed ingredients into two halves. Pour the half with less meat into the pot to extract the broth. After boiling over high heat for two hours, stir the pot with a spoon. Once the ingredients turn into dregs, strain it through a cheesecloth. What remained was the white broth, fresh, fragrant, and rich.
Then, using the white broth as a base, pour the remaining half of the ingredients into the pot, add rock sugar, fried ginger slices, star anise, cinnamon bark, and bay leaves. After boiling for another two hours, strain out the broth, add a bit of fish sauce and dark soy sauce, and it was seasoned into the perfect golden broth.
With this, the most time-consuming premium broth was completed.
The next step was to inject the soul into this dish—Huadiao wine. Take a jar, pour in Huadiao wine, ignite it, and slowly burn it dry. If this step wasn’t handled well, the taste of the soup might turn sour.
Then, place the previously prepared abalone, Liaodong sea cucumber, pork tripe, fish maw, fish lips, swim bladders, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, beef tendons, pigeon eggs, sea conch meat, and other ingredients at the bottom of the wine jar, pour in the premium broth, seal the jar opening with lotus leaves, put on the lid, place it into a steamer, and steam over high heat for two hours. Only then was it considered complete.
This dish was invented during the Daoguang era. In this space-time continuum, Daoguang’s grandfather hadn’t even been born yet. Naturally, this dish didn’t exist, and no one knew how to make it, so Wuyunzhu could only personally oversee the crucial steps.
Fortunately, during the downtime while boiling the broth, she didn’t need to stand guard and could free up time to do some other things.
…
By the time Yintang returned from the government office, her soup was still not finished to be sent out.
Yintang was in high spirits, looking to be in a very good mood.
Before she could even ask, Yintang took the initiative to come over and share today’s events with her.
“Today when I went to work, those people didn’t assign me any tasks, they just worshipped me like a Bodhisattva.” He placed his hands behind his back and said sarcastically, “They even prepared tea, snacks, and storybooks for me. Would you say that’s considerate or not?”
“Only then did I realize that even these petty officials in the Ministry of Works look down on me and don’t believe I can handle official duties well.”
Wasn’t this quite a stifling situation?
However, seeing him so happy, she guessed there must be a twist coming up, most likely a face-slapping counterattack like in those satisfying novels.
“And then?”
“I wasn’t going to beg them. I just stood to the side and watched them work, imitating Fourth Brother’s icy face, just staring at them. I have to say, Fourth Brother’s icy face is quite effective.
“I just stood there, and they got nervous. Once they got nervous, they made mistakes, and then I pointed them out. I then reported this matter to the Treasury Director, proving to him that I am capable of doing these things.”
“And then?”
A qualified hype-man only needed to say these three words, and the other party would keep talking endlessly like a perpetual motion machine.
“The Treasury Director didn’t believe it and picked out some account books for me to check. I found quite a few errors in a row. By the end, I checked until the Treasury Director panicked, begging me not to leak it out.”
“In the end, the Treasury Director held the books and asked me, saying I could go wherever I wanted. He also praised my accounting skills, saying that it was the Ministry of Revenue’s loss that they didn’t take me.”
This last sentence was very much to his liking.
Wuyunzhu nodded in agreement, “I think so too! In my heart, My Lord is amazing.”
Yintang smiled, elated, and said, “I also ran into my father-in-law in the dining hall. Father-in-law misses you very much and asked how you are doing in the palace, whether you are eating well, and if you are not used to it, he would send your old belongings in along with some pickled vegetables.”
“How did My Lord reply?”
“Of course, I said everything is fine!” Yintang was brimming with confidence.
Wuyunzhu: Your confidence is very abundant.
To be honest, she was quite adaptable to the palace and there was nothing she wasn’t used to. She just missed her Ama and E’niang, but it was a pity she had to wait a few days before she could see them.
Normally, commoners could return to the bride’s home on the third day after the wedding, but in the royal family, they had to wait until the ninth day after the grand wedding to return.
Yintang seemed to notice her longing and comforted her, “On the day we visit your family, we’ll set off earlier and stay a bit longer.”
It couldn’t be much longer; they would have to return to the palace by noon at the latest.
Yintang, seeing her low spirits, couldn’t continue on that topic and changed the subject, “Did Fujin go to Fourth Brother’s place today? How is Fourth Brother recovering?”
“Not yet. I thought it would be bad to visit empty-handed, so I made a nourishing soup. However, this soup is too time-consuming, and it’s still not finished.”
“Still not finished?” Yintang was very surprised. “How is it made that it takes so long?”
Wuyunzhu then told him the step-by-step process.
Well, just recounting these tedious steps took a quarter of an hour.
“There should be another quarter of an hour before the soup is ready.”
Yintang clicked his tongue in awe as he listened, and also developed a curiosity for that “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.”
“In that case, I came back at just the right time, hahaha.”
“Should I go call Tenth Brother over to join?”
“Go ahead.”
Out of so many princes last night, the Tenth Prince was the only one who stepped forward to speak up for Yintang.
The Fifth Prince wasn’t necessarily unwilling to help, but clearly, his reactions weren’t as sharp as the Tenth Prince’s, and his eloquence couldn’t compare to the Tenth Prince’s sharpness.
Perhaps being a good-for-nothing was just the Tenth Prince’s protective camouflage?
Before long, the Tenth Prince followed the Ninth Prince over.
Wuyunzhu removed the lid and slightly lifted the lotus leaves. A rich fragrance immediately hit their faces.
Yin’e craned his neck to look inside, almost drooling. “Ninth Sister-in-law, hurry, hurry and serve a bowl for us to taste.”
Yintang slapped him on the back. “What are you rushing for? It’s so hot, are you trying to burn your Ninth Sister-in-law to death? Fujin, step back a bit, let me serve it.”
With that said, he took a wet cloth, wrapped it around the ladle, and stirred the soup pot.
Before long, three bowls of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall were placed in front of the three of them.
They all buried their heads in eating, with no time to speak at all.
It was truly too delicious.
The sea cucumber was stewed tender but not mushy, the fish maw was delicate and silky smooth, the abalone was tender and bouncy, and the broth was rich but not greasy. It was absolutely superb!
After finishing the meats and vegetables, Yin’e drank the soup and praised beautifully, “Just this mouthful of soup feels like it has all the delicacies of the mountains and seas concentrated inside.”
Yintang nodded in agreement, “Immortal’s meat probably tastes just like this.”
After eating, Yin’e saw that they still had matters to attend to, so he took the initiative to bid farewell.
Wuyunzhu poured the rest into four soup tureens, placed them into food boxes, and sent them separately to the Qianqing Palace, Ningshou Palace, and Yikun Palace. The remaining food box was carried by Yintang as he accompanied her to deliver it to the Second Eastern Residence.
Yintang was still reluctant to go, but he had just learned how painstakingly this soup was made and understood Fujin’s painstaking efforts. Not wanting to let her down, he agreed to go together.
When she arrived at the Second Eastern Residence yesterday, it was night time, and being worried about the Fourth Prince’s injuries, Wuyunzhu hadn’t paid attention to the courtyard’s scenery. Coming over during the day this time made it convenient for her to appreciate the little courtyard’s landscape.
Worthy of being the Qing Emperor with the best aesthetic sense, the Fourth Prince’s courtyard was arranged exceptionally well.
On the east side of the front courtyard, there was a row of water vats fully planted with lotuses. Though it wasn’t blooming season yet, there were already clusters of lotus leaves, looking very moving as they swayed with the wind.
On the west side grew a clump of bamboo. At this moment, the last afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled over the bamboo leaves, and as the evening breeze brushed past, it looked like specks of shattered gold, possessing quite a bit of poetic and picturesque charm.
The veranda connecting the front courtyard and the main courtyard was painted with various colorful murals. If one looked closely, they would discover that the murals linked together to form a Buddhist story.
They weren’t painted randomly; the Fourth Prince believed in Buddhism and had even taken the Buddhist name “Lay Buddhist Yuanming.”
Arriving at the main courtyard, two pomegranate trees were planted in the front. It was currently their blooming season, and they were in full bloom. Their radiant, bright colors were like magnificent rosy clouds, filling anyone who looked at them with joy.
The patch of ground coming out of the main courtyard was planted with grapevines. The vines grew lushly, connecting together like a natural arbor. Sitting beneath it to cool off in the summer, looking up to see clusters of crystal-clear, plump grapes—just thinking about it felt serene.
The Fourth Fujin was quite surprised by their visit. She ordered the servants to serve tea and snacks, then inquired about the purpose of their visit.
Wuyunzhu replied frankly, “We came over to apologize to Fourth Brother.
“As for yesterday’s matter, ultimately, it still has some connection to our Lord. If he had known the principle of being cautious in words and deeds back then, the subsequent chain of events wouldn’t have occurred, let alone implicating Fourth Brother to the point of injury.”
Having said that, she tugged on Yintang’s sleeve, signaling him to stand up and bow.
Yintang figured that since they were already here, he definitely had to complete this matter satisfactorily, otherwise he would be wasting all the effort his Fujin put in today.
This time, the Fourth Prince’s icy face showed a slight change. He stared at Yintang for several moments, as if trying to discern whether he was sincere or faking it.
“Ninth Brother need not feel guilty. This incident has no major connection to you.”
Wuyunzhu savored the underlying meaning: no major connection, but still a connection.
“But the principle of ‘Be cautious in your speech, and there will be harmony; be cautious in your actions, and people will follow’ is something Ninth Brother should remember well.”
Just as Yintang was about to praise Fourth Brother’s generosity in his heart, he heard the reprimand that followed. He twitched his mouth, wanting to snap back, but seeing his Fujin still here, he held it in.
He couldn’t let down Fujin’s painstaking efforts!
Wuyunzhu could hear the tone of exhortation and admonition in these words. She felt the Fourth Prince’s attitude wasn’t bad, not nearly as rigid as Yintang had described.
If the Fourth Prince truly loathed Yintang, why would he advise the other party to be careful with their words and avoid disasters? He would probably be eager for him to suffer terrible bad luck instead.
Or perhaps the Fourth Prince just had a more righteous heart?
Since the Ninth Prince had no reaction, Wuyunzhu imitated the Fourth Fujin and took the initiative to smooth things over, opening the food box on the table.
“I saw a convalescent recipe in a manuscript earlier. It uses chicken, duck, fish, mutton, and pig trotters to boil a premium broth, and then adds shark fin, abalone, shiitake mushrooms, beef tendons, and pigeon eggs to simmer slowly over low heat. Things made this way are the most nourishing for the body.”
While speaking, she had already ladled a bowl and handed it over.
As soon as the lid was lifted, that rich, mellow aroma of wine and meat filled the entire room. Even someone like the Fourth Prince, who placed little importance on the desires of the palate, swallowed his saliva.
“My Lord, try it quickly. Just by smelling it, you know it’s a good flavor,” the Fourth Fujin said, then thanked Wuyunzhu, “‘One pigeon is better than nine chickens,’ Ninth Sister-in-law has put in a lot of effort.”
Wuyunzhu handed another bowl to her. “There is also fish maw and beef tendon in here, which have the effects of regulating menstruation, moistening the intestines, and nourishing one’s beauty. Will Fourth Sister-in-law try some too?”
The Fourth Fujin hurriedly took it and thanked her again: “It really was hard work for Ninth Sister-in-law.”
After tasting a mouthful, her eyes brightened a bit, and she praised, “It is indeed incredibly delicious.”
While the few of them chatted idly, a toddler wearing a tiger-head hat was carried in by a wet nurse.
“Ama, Ama! E’niang~ E’niang~”
The moment they saw him, the Fourth Prince and Fourth Fujin unconsciously revealed smiles, their gazes softening considerably.
As soon as the toddler entered the room, he acted like a little milk kitten, sniffing and looking around. “Smells good! Yummy, Hui’er wants! Wants to eat!”
The Fourth Fujin gently poked his forehead, “You little glutton, your nose is really sharp.”
Seeing their reactions, Wuyunzhu guessed and asked, “Fourth Sister-in-law, is this little nephew Honghui?”
The Fourth Fujin nodded, took the child, and held him in her arms, teaching him how to greet her, “This is Honghui’s Ninth Aunt, quickly say hello to Auntie~”
“Hello, Auntie~”
The little toddler spoke in a milky, childish voice, incredibly cute; it was hard for people not to like him.
Wuyunzhu gently held his hand, observing this little dumpling.
Speaking of which, the Fourth Prince’s several sons were also very distinct in character.
The third son was full of rebellion; while his biological father and his uncle fought a bloody battle, he eagerly rushed to be his uncle’s son.
The fourth son was the renowned ‘Boss Zhang’ of the calligraphy and painting world, as well as a poetry-writing maniac.
The fifth son liked to play dead and hold his own funeral, and the sixth son was a Pixiu that only took things in but never let anything out.
The eldest son Honghui, who died prematurely, had the fewest records, yet he became the idealized “white moonlight” in most people’s hearts. He had a good background, good looks, a good temperament, and a good brain. He just didn’t live long, forever stuck at the age of seven—a classic case of the beautiful, strong, yet tragic trope.
Because of this connection, when Wuyunzhu looked at him, she viewed him through the filter of a fictional character coming to life, feeling a bit more fondness for him.
Honghui wanted to drink the soup, but this kind of heavy-flavored soup wasn’t suitable for a child. She diluted the thick broth and then patiently fed it to him.
Her carefulness and propriety were observed by the Fourth Prince and his wife.
Most parents in the world love their children. Seeing that she genuinely liked their Honghui, the Fourth Fujin treated her with a few more degrees of warmth, and even the look the Fourth Prince gave the Ninth Prince at this moment softened considerably.
During the time they stayed at the Second Eastern Residence, Kangxi in the Qianqing Palace had also finished enjoying this delicacy.
At that time, Kangxi was discussing state affairs with a Grand Secretary. Liang Jiugong carried the food box into the Western Warm Pavilion and ladled out a bowl to test for poison. In just that brief moment, the aroma floated into the main hall and drilled into Kangxi’s stomach, stirring up his gluttony.
The Grand Secretary below him was the same; he became distracted, his train of thought less fluid than before, and his speech stumbled.
How much more time would be wasted like this?
Kangxi didn’t want to drag it out any longer, so he had no choice but to begrudgingly keep the Grand Secretary behind and first taste this delicacy together with him.
As soon as the broth entered his mouth, the Grand Secretary closed his eyes, looking completely euphoric and intoxicated.
Kangxi was somewhat smug and gave Liang Jiugong a look, asking him which palace sent this.
Liang Jiugong curled his fingers, making the gesture for “9”.
Ninth Fujin again? Kangxi’s smile couldn’t help but deepen.
Commoners all say that a son-in-law is half a son, and a daughter-in-law is half a daughter. He could finally understand the meaning of these words now.
Having a mind to show off, he asked, “Liang Jiugong, which palace delivered this soup?”
As Kangxi’s foremost confidant, how could Liang Jiugong not understand his meaning?
He answered with a beaming smile, speaking very meticulously.
“To reply to Your Majesty, this soup was made by the Ninth Fujin using chicken, duck, fish, mutton, pig trotters, marrow bones, sea cucumbers, abalones, fish maw, fish lips, and over twenty other ingredients. It took her four shichen to boil it.”
Hearing this, the Grand Secretary was incredibly envious. It was hard to say whether he envied the Emperor for having such a filial daughter-in-law or envied the daughter-in-law’s excellent culinary skills.
“According to the Ninth Fujin, this soup originated from Fujian. The locals call it ‘Fu Shou Quan’ soup. Because its pronunciation in the Fuzhou dialect sounds like ‘Fo Tiao Qiang’, it gained this extra name.”
But the Grand Secretary shook his head. “The name ‘Fu Shou Quan’ carries a good meaning, but it doesn’t show off its wonderful flavor. This humble minister actually thinks the name ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ is better.
“The rich aroma and fresh deliciousness of this soup, and the smooth, soft tenderness of this meat—even if Buddha smelled it, he would jump over the wall and scramble to taste this soup dish.”
Kangxi agreed, “What my beloved official has said is exactly what is in my heart.”
Kangxi practiced health preservation and usually restricted his diet, but that Grand Secretary did not restrict himself at all. Although he maintained an elegant dining posture, his eating speed was oddly fast.
Kangxi felt that the meal his daughter-in-law had made for him was mostly benefiting an outsider instead of himself. He immediately felt displeased and silently sped up his eating speed.
Liang Jiugong looked at the gradually bottoming soup tureen and found that Grand Secretary to be a huge eyesore.
Originally, since the Emperor wouldn’t be able to finish this tureen of soup alone, he would have rewarded it to him and let him have a taste. But because this Grand Secretary was kept here today, there was no portion for him.
Sigh, it’s really not easy for me.
He secretly calculated whether, the next time he went to the Fourth Residence to deliver an edict, he could hint to the Ninth Fujin to perhaps swap for larger serving dishes?
After finishing this soup, the Grand Secretary returned to the South Study in high spirits to work overtime.
After he left, Kangxi asked Liang Jiugong, “Did the Ninth Fujin deliver this dish anywhere else?”
“This servant asked. As always, the Qianqing Palace, Ningshou Palace, and Yikun Palace all received it. The Ninth Prince also invited the Tenth Prince to taste it together.”
“Did she not send it to any other princes?”
“This servant took the liberty to ask about that. The Ninth Fujin personally delivered a portion to the Second Eastern Residence, saying it was to apologize to the Fourth Prince for what happened last night.”
With a moment’s thought, Kangxi understood. She was worried that Old Fourth would hold a grudge against Old Ninth.
“She is quite thoughtful.”
The relationship between Old Fourth and Old Ninth had always been cold. If it could be eased a bit, it was a good thing.
“Go pick out two bolts of feather camlet from the storehouse and send them over.”
After speaking, he shook his head and laughed at himself, “If Old Ninth’s Fujin sends me dishes a few more times, my private treasury is probably going to be emptied out.”
Liang Jiugong accompanied him with a smile, “Those things are lifeless objects. How can they compare to the Ninth Fujin’s utmost filial piety towards Your Majesty?”
These words struck a chord in Kangxi’s heart. A thousand taels of gold could not buy true affection.
He then recalled how, during the meal just now, Liang Jiugong had glared at the Grand Secretary with such a resentful look. He couldn’t help but say, “I didn’t pay attention this time. Next time Old Ninth’s Fujin sends things over, I will save some for you.”
Liang Jiugong was overjoyed at the unexpected good news, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for thinking of me.”
“Go and deliver the items. Let Wei Zhu accompany me for a walk.”
“Yes.”
Not long after Wuyunzhu and Yintang returned to the Fourth Residence, Liang Jiugong arrived.
“Ninth Fujin, the Emperor has bestowed a reward!”
“Thanking Khan Ama for the reward.”
After bowing and giving thanks, Wuyunzhu took the tray but didn’t quite recognize the item.
Seeing the curious look on her face, Liang Jiugong took the initiative to explain it to her.
After all, he still had to rely on the Ninth Fujin to make more delicious food and bless him with some culinary treats in the future.
“Fujin, this is Western feather camlet paid as tribute by the Dutch envoys. It is impervious to rain and snow, making it most suitable for making feather crowns, feather garments, and snow-repellent cloaks.”
Hearing this, Wuyunzhu remembered. Wasn’t Daiyu’s “bright red feather camlet front-buttoned jacket” in Dream of the Red Chamber exactly this? And Baoyu’s “bright red gorilla-blood felt cape” was a snow-repellent cloak.
“Is this made from bird feathers? Was this color dyed with gorilla blood?”
She remembered it being explained like that at the time, saying that gorilla blood dye would never fade.
Liang Jiugong smiled and waved his hand.
“Not at all, not at all. This feather camlet is made of goat hair and silk. The red color is also not from gorilla blood; it is actually dyed using a type of local red fruit, and it doesn’t fade after washing. This was verified with the Westerners by Young Master Kuixu back in the day.”
At this point, a trace of smugness rose in his heart. Although he was a eunuch, staying by the Emperor’s side had broadened his horizons significantly; he knew even more than these children of the nobility.
“Right now in the entire palace, only Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Consort Yi, and Consort Hui each have two bolts.”
After such a comparison, Wuyunzhu finally understood how rare this item was.
A bolt of cloth nowadays could make two sets of adult clothes. Her two bolts could make four sets. It was just enough for her and Yintang to make one set each, and the rest could be given to her Ama and E’niang.
There was also that wool broadcloth; its color was festive and its texture exquisite. She would also keep a piece to bring back to her Ama and E’niang when they returned for the post-wedding visit.
After returning to her room and washing up, Wuyunzhu fell asleep as soon as her head hit the bed. When she woke up the next day, it was already bright outside.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Caiyue answered her with a smile, “It was the Ninth Prince who wouldn’t let us wake you, saying you tired yourself out yesterday and should rest a bit more.”
Seeing the male master doting on her young lady made her happy. She felt that her young lady’s “affection” was not let down.
After getting up, Wuyunzhu first practiced a set of martial arts routines in the courtyard to stretch her bones and muscles. Wearing flower-pot shoes and Manchu dress these past few days looked good, but it kept her body wound tight and wasn’t very comfortable.
After finishing her martial arts and going back indoors to bathe, she had breakfast and then sat on the kang in the eastern side room, drawing a floor plan of the Fourth Residence. She liked the Fourth Prince and Fourth Fujin’s courtyard and wanted to modify her own as well.
Just as she was concentrating on her plans, eunuchs arrived outside.
People from the Yikun Palace and Ningshou Palace had come to deliver rewards.
The Empress Dowager also sent a reward? This truly surprised her.
That day when she sent over the cupcakes, everyone praised them for being delicious, but only the Empress Dowager remained entirely unmoved. Yesterday when she sent the soup, it was also just following the rules and doing things properly.
The Empress Dowager could show her dislike for her, but she could not. She still had to work hard to maintain her persona of being virtuous, filial, and gentle.
She hadn’t expected that the Empress Dowager would actually have a reaction today.
However, speaking of the Empress Dowager, she had previously felt like she had forgotten something, and now she finally remembered it: learning Mongolian.
Yintang had missed this round of conferment of noble titles, and who knew when the next time would be. Without a title, there would be no manor, and they would have to continue living in the palace.
Living in the palace, paying respects on the first and fifteenth of every month, as well as various festivals, meant inevitably running into the old lady. She needed to know at least a few everyday Mongolian phrases.
She went to Yintang’s study and fetched a Mongolian textbook.
But for a skill like language that required speaking, a teacher was needed to guide the learning. She studied on her own for a little less than an hour but made no progress, so she could only give up on self-study.
She planned to go find the Fifth Fujin to ask for guidance and learn, while conveniently inquiring about the Empress Dowager’s temperament, likes, and dislikes.
It was impolite to visit empty-handed, so she asked Caiyue to make a batch of cream puffs. Only then did she head out with the Mongolian textbook and the food box.