The queen quietly watched the big hands calmly making tea, and sniffed the aroma of tea that began to overflow. The scalding steam seemed to dispel the cold air around her, but it also made her eyes suffocate.
Somewhat astringent.
The tea soup is poured into the exquisite tea bowl.
Xu Yun picked up the tea bowl and blew on it gently.
Xu Mingyi glanced at him.
Second uncle was really interesting today. When he poured tea, he only poured his own tea——
If my grandfather were here, I would definitely slap him on the head.
Akui picked up the teapot at the right time and poured two more bowls.
"Have a taste, madam." Xu Mingyi picked up a tea bowl and handed it to the queen.
The queen took it with a smile and didn't drink it in a hurry.
Xu Yun glanced at it without leaving any trace, and sneered in his heart.
Sure enough, it was still the same as before. I had told her many times that when drinking tea in winter, what you drink is a hot character, and it only tastes good when you blow it while drinking it. However, she wanted to let the tea soup cool down completely before taking it in her mouth.
You have clearly become a different person, why not change these habits more completely?
"You guys go and play. Didn't Akui like to throw snowballs before?" Xu Mingyi said to the two girls, holding a tea bowl.
Upon hearing this, Akui glanced at Azhu beside her.
"My slave likes to play throwing snowballs, but let's forget about playing with Azhu..."
If others hit the snowball, it was just a snowball, but Azhu was different.
——No matter how soft the snow is, once it is grasped by Ah Zhu's hand, it is no longer a snowball, but a solid iron ball.
Not only does it cost snow, but it also costs lives.
After all, if you are slightly careless, it is possible to get a bloody head.
Azhu glanced at his friend contemptuously.
Isn't playing with snowballs just for fun and excitement? What's the point of playing with snowballs without pain or itch?
However, she really can't bully people who don't understand martial arts, so she always plays with her father.
"The first snowfall this year was so heavy, I guess it will be a cold winter."
The queen looked at the white clothes outside the pavilion and said with a smile.
"Yes." Xu Mingyi nodded, but his thoughts suddenly drifted away.
This year's winter seems to be extremely cold, not only in Beijing but also in Ningyang.
It should be snowing in Ningyang at this time, right?
The queen lowered her eyes and took a sip of the slightly cold tea.
The tea soup is fragrant, bitter but not astringent.
Somehow, it seemed to make her eyes sore and about to burst into tears.
The queen suddenly panicked.
It's really strange that in the past ten years or so, she has no longer been burdened by these emotions. She thinks that she is no longer sure about emotional control. Now she is getting more and more back.
Putting the tea bowl down, she lowered her eyes and said with a smile in a natural and calm tone: "I'm also going to see the snow scene in the mountains."
As he spoke, he stood up and took Grandma Jiang away from the pavilion.
Xu Yun glanced at the untouched tea soup in her bowl and straightened her lips slightly.
Sure enough, after staying in the palace for a long time, I was destined to become unaccustomed to the crude tea he brewed.
After drinking all the tea soup in his bowl, Xu Yun filled another bowl and drank it in one gulp.
Then he placed the tea bowl on the tea tray with a bang.
After a while, he stood up and said, "Zhaozhao, my second uncle is going back first."
——You just started drinking, and now you’re going back?
Xu Mingyi was a little confused, but she just nodded "ok".
Looking at the back of his second uncle striding away, and then looking at the empty tea bowl, the confusion in Xu Mingyi's heart became deeper and deeper.
It is not unusual to say that the empress and the second uncle are old acquaintances - the two elders fought together in the world, so it is normal for the younger generations to have crossed paths.
But when she looked at her second uncle's abnormal attitude today...how could he seem to be having a holiday?
And although the second uncle is said to be casual, he is not someone who doesn't know how to make appearances, but now he doesn't even drink tea - could this festival be... serious?
"Empress..."
Not far away, under a plum tree, Aunt Jiang whispered: "Master Xu Er is gone."
The queen put the veil away and turned her head to look.
The tall navy blue man's figure gradually disappeared outside Merlin.
Grandma Jiang sighed almost imperceptibly.
If she had known that the second master of the Xu family was here, she would not have instigated her to come here no matter what she said.
If you can't relax, you will have more worries...
The queen didn't say anything. She took in a breath slowly, exhaled it slowly, and then turned back to the pavilion.
As soon as I sat down, I saw two chestnut candies wrapped in oil paper placed in the tea tray on the stone table.
She was slightly startled and asked subconsciously: "Where did this chestnut candy come from?"
Xu Mingyi looked over and replied casually: "It should be left by my second uncle - he likes to drink strong tea, and occasionally he will drink it with a chestnut candy."
Regarding this behavior, although she wanted to say, "If you feel strong tea is bitter, just drink light tea." But everyone has their own habits, and some people like to add salt when drinking tea.
"If your Majesty thinks this tea is bitter, why don't you also take a piece of candy?"
The queen took the chestnut candy from Xu Mingyi, her thoughts suddenly drifting away.
It was also a snowy winter day...
She was only seven or eight years old, and she once secretly followed her elder brother to the military camp to see her father, for which she was scolded by her father.
She hid behind the military tent and cried.
A young boy came over. She didn't want to be embarrassed in front of others, so she quickly wiped her tears.
He came over and said nothing to comfort her. He stretched out his fist in front of her and said, "Guess how many candies I have in my hand? If you guess right, I'll give them all to you."
She felt inexplicably angry at the time.
She was about to cry to death. Who would want to guess how many candies he had in his hand?
But as a lady from an aristocratic family, she could not say anything disrespectful to her grace, so she opened her mouth and said: "Ten."
It is impossible for anyone to hold ten candies in their hands, which of course means urging the other person to go away quickly.
Unexpectedly, the other party said: "You guessed it right."
He spread his palms in front of her.
There are clearly only two.
She raised her head and looked at him puzzled.
She saw the boy who was already somewhat refined at his young age and said to her seriously——
"You guessed it right. I'll give you two first. I owe you the remaining eight. I'll give them to you later."
What kind of gambling is this that only loses money but does not make any money?
If he opened a gambling house, wouldn't he lose everyone in the Xu family?
But she was still amused.
She still remembers the taste of that chestnut candy in her mouth... It seems that she has never eaten anything that sweet again.
Pulling back from her memories, the Queen slowly tightened her grip on the oily paper candy in her hand.
He said softly: "It's getting late, and I should go back."
Xu Mingyi told the boys to pack the tea sets and put out the charcoal fire.
After leaving Hanming Temple, the carriage drove smoothly back toward the eldest princess's mansion.
Aunt Jiang helped the queen get out of the carriage.
Xu Mingyi came down immediately.
"Send this peace talisman to the palace on behalf of me." The queen handed the thing into the hands of Aunt Jiang and warned: "Remember to put it under Jingrong's pillow."
Aunt Jiang agreed.
Not long after, when I turned back, I saw something strange and hurried.
"Empress, something happened to Her Royal Highness the Princess..."
