Hong Zhou smiled coldly and said: "Whether I am worried about you or not, in short, the emperor has a decree, not to mention entering the palace, even if it is a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, I have no choice but to go."
His words made Hongli's face look even more ugly, but he didn't have an attack after all. He snorted coldly and walked in. As for Hong Zhou, he sat next to Hong Xi, who had arrived early.
Hong Xi said softly: "Lao Wu, how many times have I told you, be patient and don't always go against the emperor. He is the emperor after all. If you openly act against me like this, the only one who will suffer is yourself."
Hong Zhou took a deep breath and said, "I understand. I really couldn't hold my breath just now, so I contradicted you a few times. I won't do it again in the future."
Hong Xi nodded and said: "Remember, a little impatience will mess up a big plan. Only by enduring hardship can you become a master!"
Moreover, after Hongli entered the inner hall, his expression remained calm. As a result, the atmosphere in the inner hall became much more solemn than before, and no one dared to speak casually.
Upon seeing this, Jin ordered the palace attendant to bring a cup of tea. Then he called Yongzhang, who was already over four years old, and whispered a few words in his ear. Yongzhang nodded, took the tea from the palace attendant and walked to Hongli. , said in a crisp voice: "Huang Ama, don't be upset, I will serve you tea."
Hongli was not really angry at all. When he saw the appearance of young Yongzhang, his expression immediately softened and he accepted the tea ceremony: "But your mother-in-law asked you to come here?"
"It's E Niang." As soon as Yong Zhang finished speaking, Jin stood up and said: "Your Majesty, today is New Year's Eve. It is rare for a big family to get together. You should be happy and don't worry about trivial matters. Affects mood.”
"I'm fine." With that said, Hongli asked Yongzhang to return to the Jin family. At the same time, Hongli found that there was one person missing at the banquet and said, "Where's Yonghuang? Why didn't you see him?"
Xianyue said quickly: "When we return to the emperor, Yonghuang has some things to do, so he has to come later."
Hongli frowned slightly and said, "What else is going on at this time?" At this point, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Are you secretly preparing a surprise for the Queen and me like the year before?"
Xianyue pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Your Majesty will know later. Now... please let me know for a while."
Hongli heard this and scolded with a smile: "You girl, what's wrong with your studies? You just learned how to show off."
At this time, Concubine Yu said: "The trick performed by the imperial concubine the year before last is still fresh in my memory. Although I don't know what it will be like this year, I think it will be even more surprising than the year before."
Xianyue's eyes flashed slightly, and she said with a half-smile: "After Yubi said this, I suddenly felt a lot of pressure. If it is not as good as the year before, wouldn't it be a big disappointment for you."
Concubine Yu met her gaze and said with a faint smile: "Your Majesty, your mind is exquisite and exquisite. I believe that I will never disappoint us. Your Majesty, don't you agree?"
Hongli said with a smile: "No matter what, the most important thing is, as Concubine Jia said just now, eat the meal happily, the rest is not important; besides, since returning from Rehe, there have been many incidents in the palace. There is something going on, and even if the noble concubine is interested, she doesn’t have much time to think about any surprises."
Seeing Hongli helping Xianyue speak, Concubine Yu's cheeks twitched slightly, and she smiled again: "What the emperor said is that it was just that the concubine's tricks were so amazing the year before last that I would miss her so much."
While they were talking, Ling Ruo and Concubine Cheng arrived together. After they were seated, the family banquet officially began. In the inner and outer halls, there were palace people playing music to cheer for them. It was quite satisfactory, but it was difficult to compare with the previous time.
After Concubine Cheng ate a few chopsticks, she said to Xianyue: "Concubine, I remember you said last year that the New Year's Eve family banquet made me and the Queen Mother happy. Let's not talk about last year's family banquet. This year's family banquet has been until now.
, I don’t even see where the joy is, maybe you’ve forgotten it?”
Xianyue stood up and said: "How dare I forget, I'm already ready, but...what exactly it is, I will tell you later."
Concubine Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, in that case, let's just wait."
While they were talking, the palace servants brought freshly cooked dumplings to the table. After they had all eaten, Xianyue said, "Empress, Imperial Concubine, how do you think the dumplings taste tonight? Is it passable?"
?”
Ling Ruo nodded and said, "It's fragrant and juicy, and the skin is chewy on the outside. It's very good. It tastes a little different from what is usually made in the imperial kitchen. Did the imperial concubine specially arrange for the chef to make these dumplings?"
Xianyue followed her words and said: "When I return to Huang's mother, I have specially arranged for someone to be waiting outside at this moment. Do you want to see Huang's mother?"
Concubine Cheng chuckled and said, "Is your concubine asking for a reward for the cook?"
Xianyue didn't say anything, just waiting for Ling Ruo's answer. The latter thought for a moment and said, "Since he's already here, let him come in."
Seeing that Ling Ruo agreed, Xianyue immediately ordered someone to call him in. However, what surprised Ling Ruo and others was that the person who appeared in everyone's sight was not an eunuch, but Yong Huang.
After Yonghuang came in, he put one knee to the ground and said respectfully: "My grandson has met the imperial grandmother and the concubine Cheng." After standing up, he saluted Hongli again, but he performed both of these salutes a bit strangely.
, his hands hung by his sides and never moved.
Ling Ruo said in surprise: "Why is it you? Where is the cook?"
"As for the imperial grandmother, my grandson is the cook." As soon as this statement came out, everyone except Xiayue and Huang were shocked.
Concubine Cheng couldn't believe it and said, "What did you say? You are the cook. Could it be that you made all the dumplings just now? There were hundreds of dumplings just served, inside and out."
"Yes, it was all done by Yong Huang, not by anyone else." Faced with Yong Huang's answer, Princess Cheng didn't know what to say, but Ling Ruo said, "Yong Huang, when did you start doing it?"
Yonghuang said respectfully: "My grandson went to the imperial kitchen to prepare the dumplings before dawn, and it is not until now that the dumplings are ready. My grandson hereby wishes the imperial grandmother and Princess Cheng good health and prosperity in the new year."
The illness is painless. I sincerely wish Emperor Ama and all the queens good luck and everything goes as they wish."
Ling Ruo nodded gently and said, "It seems that you are the surprise that the noble concubine said. Concubine, is the Ai family's guess correct?"
"The emperor is wise." Xianyue said on her knees: "These days, I have been thinking about how to host a family banquet. I have a few ideas, but the time is too tight and there is no time to arrange it. Later, Concubine Yi reminded me, so I
Please forgive me for coming up with such a method, if I disappoint Your Majesty the Emperor and the Dowager Empress."
Concubine Cheng smiled and said: "Although this idea is not as surprising as the year before last, it is not bad to be able to taste the dumplings made by the eldest brother himself. Both the concubine and the eldest brother are interested." After that, she turned her eyes.
Turning to Ling Ruo, he said: "Queen Mother, what do you think?"