This palace comes back in this life, only to be Nian Shilan

Chapter 99: Suitable for Recitation and Memorization

When Concubine Hua looked at the ordinary chrysanthemum pillow, she was reminded of the bauhinia pillow that Concubine Duan had used before.

But he only thought about it for a moment before it was Concubine Hua's turn to present a gift.

Concubine Hua didn't have time to think about it and signaled Songzhi and the others to come forward.

Everyone was very curious about what kind of gift the wealthy Concubine Hua had prepared for the Empress Dowager, and they all stretched their necks in anticipation.

Concubine Hua pretended to be mysterious and asked the three "Zhi"s, Lingzhi, Guizhi and Lanzhi, to hold three ebony plates covered with red silk and present them to the empress dowager.

Aunt Zhuxi helped the Queen Mother to uncover the red silk one by one.

When the first red silk was unveiled, it turned out to be a Yuhuchun glass wine bottle with a embossed longevity character and a dark red glow. At first sight, Yongzheng was attracted by the simple and plain design of the wine bottle.

Songzhi poured a glass of wine from the bottle and asked the Queen Mother to taste it.

Songzhi's slender white hands picked up the wine bottle, making the Yuhuchun wine bottle glow even darker.

Yongzheng couldn't tell whether he should look at the hand or appreciate the vase.

Concubine Hua felt Yongzheng's gaze and felt a little regretful. She didn't know whether Songzhi was willing to be the emperor's concubine in this life. She would ask her what she thought when she had the chance in the future.

At the moment, Concubine Hua couldn't care less about so many things. As the wine glass was brought to the Queen Mother, Concubine Hua began to speak the lines that she had memorized for a long time.

"Empress Dowager, this is pepper and cypress wine. It first appeared in the Four People's Monthly Orders. The ancients said that drinking pepper and cypress wine regularly can cure diseases and prolong life. Pepper can ward off evil spirits, and cypress means good luck and longevity. I have found an old recipe in ancient books and tried it in my own palace for a long time. Finally, I have brewed this wine. I am not talented, so I would like to invite you to taste it."

After hearing Concubine Hua's auspicious words of "curing diseases and prolonging life", the Queen Mother raised her wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. What did she say?

Soak Sichuan peppercorns in white wine, and add a little bit of the grassy scent of tree leaves. This pepper and cypress wine tastes a bit strange.

But it had good intentions and it was a lost secret recipe, so Concubine Hua also put a lot of effort into it.

"This wine is indeed good. The aroma of pepper is refreshing. Your Majesty, you should try it too." The empress dowager looked at Yongzheng.

Yongzheng came back to his senses and also raised his glass and drank it all. A numbing taste of pepper rushed straight to his head. Yongzheng slapped his thigh and said, "Good!"

Hua Fei: How can it be bad if I soak peppercorns in white wine and add a few drops of cypress juice? She can't even smell the smell.

"I heard that pepper and cypress wine originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty. By the Ming Dynasty, the method of brewing this wine had almost been lost. It was really not easy for Concubine Hua to find the ancient recipe." Zhen Huan added with a smile.

When the people present heard the Emperor and the Empress Dowager praising the wine, and also heard Zhen Huan say that the ancient method was hard to find, they all wanted to taste the wine.

But I only got this bottle to present to the Queen Mother.

Then Guizhi came forward and Aunt Zhuxi unveiled the red silk, revealing a plate of chewy dough sticks with white sugar cubes made into the shape of a Chinese character for longevity. It was placed on a high-footed plate made of dark red glass, the same material as the wine bottle. When Yongzheng saw it, his eyes lit up again.

The chewy dough was as white as snow and looked very tempting when served on a red plate.

The Queen Mother picked one up and put it in her mouth. It tasted more normal than the pepper and cypress wine, just like maltose, but it was much stickier than maltose. The Queen Mother ate it very carefully, for fear of losing some of her old teeth.

"This jiaoyatang is a kind of blessing for the health of the elders by the younger generation in ancient times. I also happened to read Bai Juyi's 'After the New Year's cup, push the blue tail wine, and first serve the spring plate', which means many children and good fortune. I don't understand poetry, so it may be far-fetched and showy."

"I find this gum pudding very sweet. It just so happens that the bitter medicine I took these days makes my mouth very bitter."

The last one is the five-spice dish.

"The Sui Dynasty's note on Jingchu Sui Shi Ji says that the five pungent vegetables can activate the five internal organs and are used to pray for health. "Xin" and "xin" are homophones, so with this dish of five pungent vegetables, I wish the Queen Mother to be as new as ever every year."

The five pungent vegetables are just condiments such as garlic, shallot, leek, rapeseed, and coriander, and they taste even stronger than pepper and cypress wine.

But the intention was good, and the Queen Mother was delighted to hear it. She picked up the chopsticks, tasted it, and then put it down.

"Hua Fei is really thoughtful of me. She studied ancient books, found ancient recipes, and made these three healthy and longevity delicacies as a reward. Zhu Xi turned around and gave Hua Fei the pair of jade bracelets that the late emperor gave me."

"I thank the Queen Mother for the reward." Concubine Hua bowed and expressed her gratitude.

The total cost was less than two taels of silver, and the deal was a profit.

Concubine Hua turned her head and glanced quietly at Zhen Huan behind her, with gratitude in her eyes.

Zhen Huan also responded to Concubine Hua with a proud smile.

Concubine Hua didn't quite understand these poems and lyrics, so she went to Sui Yuxuan to ask Zhen Huan, the copywriting master, to package this gift for her.

It sounds neither flowery nor poetic, yet contains some allusions and poetic flavor.

It is very suitable for Concubine Hua to recite and memorize.

An Lingrong presented a picture of a hundred longevity embroidered by herself. The picture was made up of a red satin background, with the word "longevity" written in one hundred different ways. Hidden within the word "longevity" were patterns of longevity turtles, bats, bamboo leaves, ruyi and other auspicious and peaceful symbols, with an ingenious conception.

The Queen Mother was delighted by the red background and the golden characters.

"Is this Suzhou embroidery?" The Queen Mother asked after carefully admiring the Hundred Longevity Picture embroidered by An Lingrong. The craftsmanship of this Suzhou embroidery was exquisite.

This painting of the Hundred Years of Longevity by An Lingrong was indeed embroidered using the gold-panning embroidery technique of Suzhou embroidery. The gold threads of different thicknesses were embroidered using the complex technique of Suzhou embroidery, giving it a sense of magnificence and profound meaning.

"Your Majesty, my mother taught me how to embroider. I don't know if it can be called Suzhou embroidery." An Lingrong answered modestly.

Who could have thought that she was embarrassed because a cup of tea spilled on Xia Dongchun's Suzhou embroidery dress during the selection, but now she has won the favor of the empress dowager with her exquisite Suzhou embroidery, but Xia Dongchun has long been forgotten by the people in the harem.

An Lingrong did use Suzhou embroidery, and it was the most delicate gold embroidery. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was pleased, Yongzheng also thought more highly of An Lingrong.

"Rong'er's handwriting is indeed outstanding. Although she has not read much and is not good at writing, she is smart. Rong'er asked me to write these words for her. I didn't expect that she would use them for this purpose."

The emperor looked at the empress dowager happily, and then at Rong'er.

A smile that looks like he's waiting for praise.

An Lingrong: Are you praising me or showing off? If it weren’t for vying for favor, I really wouldn’t want to go to this crappy class for a single day.

After staying up for several nights, I finally got your reply, Your Majesty, “I haven’t read much and I’m not good at writing.” I really want to thank you.