The palace of the previous Daqian Emperor Li Jiuye was called "Yangxin Hall". After Li Yiru ascended the throne, it was renamed "Jingxin Hall", and Zhong Wen only learned the pronunciation of these three words afterwards. .
It is said that the emperor is said to be a loner. Unless there is a palace banquet, he will never eat with others. Instead, he will face a large table full of food alone. He does not even need to use chopsticks himself, but the food will be delivered directly by the palace ladies. to the mouth.
This is what is commonly known as "eating alone".
However, at this time, there was a lively and joyful scene in front of the dining table in Jingxin Hall.
In addition to the Queen Li Yiru and the two pretty female officials accompanying her, three girls, Shangguan Mingyue, the eldest lady of "Shengyu Trading Company", Thirteen Niang, the top shopkeeper of "SF Express", and Shen Xiaowan, the "successor of Divine Forging", were also present at the table. A group of beauties with different personalities gather together, surrounded by orioles and surrounded by flowers. It is a feast for the eyes and extremely seductive.
But the only man whose eyes were "raised" was Zhong Wen.
Normally, the Queen should not have men present when entertaining female guests. However, among the women present, Li Yiru and Shangguan Mingyue were once known as the first and second foodies in the imperial capital respectively. Shen Xiaowan almost ate Shen Dachui to the point of bankruptcy. Wang, in this case, it is only natural for Zhong Wen to appear here as the "chef".
"What's this?"
Shangguan Mingyue stared at the big black mud ball in front of her for a long time, and finally couldn't help but asked, "Are you going to let us eat mud?"
"Look at you, you look like you have never seen the world." Zhong Wen had a look of disdain on his face and deliberately provoked her, "This is a delicacy in the world. If it weren't for the memory of Ru, I would not give it up."
"You..." Shangguan Mingyue was so angry that her chest heaved, and she finally resisted throwing her chopsticks at him, "Take a bite and see for yourself!"
Zhong Wen chuckled, stretched out his hand and patted it gently. The surface of the mud ball immediately shattered, and the mud chunks fell away, revealing a whole native chicken hidden in it.
A rich aroma instantly filled the hall, with a hint of mint mixed in, making the already tantalizing aroma of chicken even fresher.
Just smelling this aroma made all the girls present salivate and salivate. Not to mention the two big foodies with shining eyes, even the face of Thirteenth Niang, who had always been calm and wise, couldn't help but show a look of yearning.
Shen Xiaowan drooled at the corner of her mouth. In her excitement, she accidentally broke off the corner of the table without controlling the strength of her right hand.
She was startled and looked around hurriedly, but she saw that everyone's attention was focused on the chicken. No one noticed her act of vandalizing public property. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue and quietly hid the piece on the corner of the table. Under the chair, his eyes fell on the turkey again.
"This dish is called 'Beggar's Chicken'." Zhong Wen explained patiently while peeling off the mud lumps and chicken feathers. "According to legend, it was created by a beggar. The chicken had to be wrapped in special soil and lotus leaves. Mix it with unique seasonings, bury it in the ground, and light a bonfire until the fire goes out. As for how it tastes, you will know once you try it."
He had extracted "Huang Rong's Recipe" from the "Xinhua Tibetan Scripture Pavilion", and this beggar's chicken was one of the famous dishes that Huang Rong used to please Hong Qigong, but now he used it to entertain Li Yiru and others
people.
When the girls heard this, they were all amazed and eager to try. When Zhong Wen finished handling the soil, Li Yiru, as the master, took the lead and directly picked up a piece of chicken and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully.
"It's delicious!" As soon as the beggar's chicken came into her mouth, she felt it was tender and smooth, and her mouth was full of fragrance. She couldn't help but praise loudly. The greedy look on her face, which almost even swallowed her tongue, was not even half of an emperor's.
of majesty.
Seeing her move, Shangguan Mingyue and others finally stopped being reserved and stretched out their chopsticks impatiently.
Nowadays, all the girls here have made great progress in cultivation. Not long ago, even Thirteen Niang received a "Xuan Tian Bead" as a gift from Zhong Wen and successfully entered the realm of spiritual masters.
However, the way the four girls fought over each other for a local chicken made it impossible for anyone to connect with the superior Lingzun boss no matter what.
After smiling and admiring the beautiful scene of beauties snatching food for a while, Zhong Wen finally turned around and left. After a while, he appeared in front of the dining table with a dish: "This dish is called 'Eight Treasure Fat Duck'..."
...
"call!"
Li Yiru was leaning on the sandalwood chair, her charming eyes were as silky as silk, her breath was short, and her lazy expression was like a cat bathing in the sun, "I'm exhausted, I haven't tasted such delicious food in a long time."
"Yi Ru, now you are the Emperor of Daqian." Shangguan Mingyue caressed her slightly bulging belly and joked with a smile, "You must be able to call yourself 'I'."
"Miss Shangguan, if that's the case, shouldn't you also change your name to 'Your Majesty'?" Zhong Wen, who was sitting next to Thirteenth Niang, suddenly interrupted.
He was talking and laughing, but his right hand hidden under the table slipped unknowingly onto Thirteenth Niang's plump thigh.
Thirteenth Niang really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She rolled her eyes at him and deliberately moved the chair an inch to the side to avoid the harassment.
"That's for others." Li Yiru blinked and said slightly playfully, "I don't want to be so serious in front of Sister Mingyue!"
"That's good. In front of outsiders, you have to call yourself 'I', and I will also call you 'Your Majesty'." Shangguan Mingyue immediately raised her hands in agreement, "In private, let's just do it as before..."
Shen Xiaowan didn't care about the words and deeds of the people around her, and still focused on cooking. Everyone else was already full, and most of the whole table of hard dishes prepared by Zhong Wen went into her stomach.
"Are you leaving today?" Shangguan Mingyue suddenly turned her head and looked at Zhong Wendao.
"Yes, we'll leave after dinner." Zhong Wen nodded and suddenly said with a bad smile, "Why, are you reluctant to leave?"
"Don't be so stinky!" Shangguan Mingyue spat, but a faint blush appeared on her fair and tender cheeks, "It's better to leave early, so as not to be an eyesore here!"
"You just finished eating the food I cooked, and you turned your back on me?" Zhong Wen pretended to be sad and said, "What a heartless woman."
"Your cooking skills are truly unparalleled." Li Yiru said with a smile, "We say goodbye today, and I don't know when I will be able to taste such delicacies again."
"If Yiru gets greedy one day, just come to Qingfeng Mountain to find me." Zhong Wen said with a smile, "You can't let His Majesty the Emperor starve, right?"
"Then it's a deal." Li Yiru chuckled, then frowned slightly and said, "It's just that the family and the country are in danger now, and there are swords and wars everywhere. Everything will be busy in the future, and I don't know when I will be free again."
"What, is the war situation still unfavorable?" Zhong Wen's expression turned serious after hearing her talk about the war, "I heard that the 'Wen Dao Academy' has already participated in the war. Could it be that even the masters have failed to reverse the situation?"
"The Xiqi side can still be stable for the time being." Li Yiru's pretty face had a touch of sadness, "But the northern side is in a state of defeat. I heard that even the master of the academy suffered a big loss, but I don't know.
Can General Yu and the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army escape safely?"
"Is that so..." Zhong Wen was slightly startled, suddenly remembering that Nangong Ling's brother seemed to be still in the Zhenbei Army, and couldn't help but ask, "Has Yiru sent reinforcements?"
"The troops of General Zeng and General Xue have already departed, rushing to Northern Xinjiang and Xiqi respectively for reinforcements." Shangguan Mingyue interjected, "Our three major trading houses have also formed an alliance and will try our best to provide sufficient supplies to the frontline soldiers.
Assure."
"Three major trading houses?" Zhong Wen was stunned when he heard this, "Besides Jingdong and your Shengyu, who else is there?"
"Haven't you heard? Now that the Tianmao Chamber of Commerce has opened up the trade route with the Fulong Empire, it has risen strongly and its scale has caught up with our Shengyu Trading Company." As Shangguan Mingyue spoke, she suddenly rolled her eyes at him.
He said angrily, "I heard from President Ma that this is all thanks to your contribution. You only know how to take care of outsiders, so why don't you see that you are so concerned about our Shangguan family's business? Auntie really missed it!"
Zhong Wen: “…..”
There is really no reason for a creature like a woman!
He couldn't help but sigh deeply in his heart again.
"Zhong Wen, I know you have something important to do when you go north this time." Li Yiru said softly, "But if you meet any of our soldiers, please be sure to help us."
"I will." Zhong Wen stared into her eyes and replied solemnly, "Piaohua Palace is a Daqian sect after all, and I don't want to see the day when my family and country fall."
"Thank you." Li Yiru's eyes were as warm as water, and he just uttered two simple words in his mouth, and then said nothing.
The entire "Tranquility Hall" suddenly fell into silence, and even the air seemed to be frozen solid.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Shangguan Mingyue wanted to change the topic. He glanced around and suddenly landed on an ebony table, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Yi Ru, even if the treasury is tight, there is no need to be so frugal." She pointed at a corner of the wooden table and said, "After all, this is the Queen's palace. A broken table like this should be replaced with another one!"
"Huh?" Li Yiru looked confused. He turned around and looked in the direction of her finger. He saw that the brand-new sandalwood table that he had just moved in was missing a corner. He couldn't help but exclaimed, "Ah, my table!"
It turns out that this table is made of the finest ebony, worth one or two thousand gold, and is extremely valuable. It is one of Li Yiru's favorite pieces of furniture in the entire "Tranquility Hall".
Zhong Wen was attracted by her voice and turned around to look, only to see Shen Xiaowan, who was enjoying a meal at the table, tiptoeing towards the entrance of the hall. If he hadn't discovered it in time, he might have slipped out of the "Tranquility Hall" .
His eyes passed over the wooden table with a broken corner, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and he had already guessed what happened.
"Xiaowan!" Unexpectedly, Shen Xiaowan, who has always been cute and honest, would one day cheat and play tricks. Zhong Wen was angry and funny at the same time, "Did you break it?"
"Chef, brother chef." Shen Xiaowan looked nervous, her big watery eyes rolling around, and the guilt in her heart was clear, "I, I didn't mean it."
"It's just a wooden table, no big deal." Seeing that Zhong Wen seemed to be scolding Shen Xiaowan, Li Yiru came out to smooth things over and said, "The ebony material is too hard and I don't really like it, so I just took this opportunity to change it to a yellow one. Pear wood.”
She seemed to be downplaying it, but she still couldn't help but a hint of heartache flashed through her eyes, which showed that her life in the princess's mansion was not very comfortable.
"Sister Emperor, yes, I'm sorry."
She didn't seem to expect that Li Yiru would speak up for her in turn. Shen Xiaowan was moved and felt more and more ashamed, lowering her head and murmuring.
Zhong Wen took a look at Shen Xiaowan's listless look, knowing that apart from the "Shen Big Hammer" and some forging materials, she could be said to have nothing. He sighed helplessly and began to secretly figure out how to compensate Li Yiru. .
While he was deep in thought, his eyes fell on the guqin beside him. Suddenly, his heart moved, he spread his right hand, and a jade-white round bead appeared in his palm.
The surface of the beads is floating with light and crystal clear, exuding an indescribable mysterious aura. At a glance, you will know that it is extraordinary.
This bead is one of the five beads he obtained from the endless sea of clouds, and it contains the cultivation path of Feng Wuya, one of the five great sages in ancient times.
This wind saint is not only extremely powerful, he is also proficient in music. His favorite spiritual skill, "Soul-Chasing Qinyin", is a Holy Spirit-level spiritual skill that uses the six-stringed harp as a weapon to launch sonic attacks.
There was no one around her who was proficient in musical instruments. When she thought of Li Yiru's musical talent, Zhong Wen suddenly had an idea in her mind, wanting to see if she could comprehend something from Feng Wuya's Taoist beads.
"Yiru, look at this." He came to Li Yiru in a few steps and handed over the jade-white ball in his palm.
The moment he saw the round bead, Li Yiru was shocked all over. He remained completely motionless, his eyes firmly fixed on the bead, and he never wanted to look away again.
…
Entering winter, Qingfeng Mountain is still covered with mist, but it is no longer green.
Most of the trees and flowers have withered, and there are three or two little birds here and there on the bare branches. Under the coldness of early winter, they seem a little sluggish, with no intention of singing loudly. The whole mountain forest is so quiet that there are actually many birds.
A little bleak flavor.
Only a few exotic flowers and plants with strange shapes and bright colors stand upright in the wind, growing against the trend, showing their unyielding will to life.
Even in such a season, the buildings on the top of the mountain are still full of spiritual energy, almost ready to turn into reality.
On the steps in the courtyard, two graceful figures, one in white and one in basket, were standing. They were Lin Zhiyun, the master of Piaohua Palace, and Shangguan Junyi, the elder.
"The mountain hasn't been so quiet for a long time." Shangguan Junyi glanced at the giant eagle and white tiger in the corner, each holding a black and white chess piece, and the little Lolita and Li Xuefei who were squatting quietly aside, and sighed softly.
"Yes, in the past when there were the fewest people on the mountain, there were only me, Qiqi, Ning'er, Xiaodie and the helper's sister-in-law Wang." Lin Zhiyun nodded slightly and said with empathy, "Ever since Xiaodie brought Zhong Wen back to Qingfeng Mountain
, Piaohua Palace has become more and more lively, and now it has suddenly returned to deserted, which is a bit unaccustomed to it."
Since Ye Qinglian returned to the mountain, she has been accustomed to staying alone in the library in the backyard to rest. Yin Ning'er has been soaking in Yaowang Valley day and night these days. Zhong Wen took Shen Xiaowan out to look for Liu Qiqi and Zhuma.
, Ziyuan and Zheng Yueting went home to visit relatives at the same time, while Leng Wushuang was dragged out by Nangong Ling to do errands. At this time, Piaohua Palace really fell into the deserted mood that it had not seen for a long time.
"I hope my little brother can get Qiqi and Zhuma back." Shangguan Junyi's white jade-like right hand gently stroked her black hair, her autumn-like eyes full of longing, "The Chinese New Year is almost here, it's time to
It’s good to be together and lively.”
According to the custom of the Daqian Empire, February 22nd every year is the day to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. On this day, the royal family grants amnesty to the whole world. The emperor does not set a curfew. It can be said that the whole country is celebrating. On weekdays, boudoir girls do not leave the house or leave the house.
Most people also want to go out to enjoy the lanterns. Many young men will take aim at this, pack themselves up, and run to the streets early to look for targets.
Therefore, on this day every year, many good marriages are made, and many good relationships are made.
"Yeah, I wonder how Qiqi is doing now." It was already less than a month away from February 22nd. When Shangguan Junyi mentioned the New Year, Lin Zhiyun couldn't help but recall the deserted scene of the previous New Year. For those who once depended on each other for life
My beloved disciple Liu Qiqi missed me even more.
"Huh?" Shangguan Junyi was about to say a few words of comfort when his eyes suddenly turned and looked down the mountain, "Why are you here?"
"The four girls are also following?" Lin Zhiyun obviously sensed the situation at the bottom of the mountain and asked with confusion on her face, "What about the 'Qingfeng Pavilion'?"
"Palace Master, Palace Master, something serious has happened!"
After about a moment, there were sudden bursts of hurried footsteps outside. Immediately afterwards, Qiao Erniang and the four girls Baoqin Siqi stumbled into the front yard. Each of them looked panicked and panting.
, carrying a big baggage behind him, as if he was going on a long trip.
"Er Niang, what's going on?" Lin Zhiyun felt shocked and asked quickly.
"So many people, so many people!" Qiao Erniang came to the steps in three steps, handed her a piece of paper, and said breathlessly, "A lot of people are calling!"
Lin Zhiyun took the note and glanced at it doubtfully, her delicate body trembled suddenly, and her expression changed instantly.