Zhenfubao waved his hand and the warehouse was full of grain, and the whole family regretted it

The current emperor has a total of nineteen princes and five princesses, and the first eight princes already have princesses.

The princes who were choosing concubines this time were the ninth prince, the tenth prince, the thirteenth prince, the sixteenth prince and the eighteenth prince.

Bai Wanwan nodded. These princesses could not be the daughters of ordinary families, and this autumn hunt was also to allow these young people to have more contact.

The farm made a lot of preparations in advance for this autumn hunt.

A total of several hundred people were dispatched, busying themselves with arranging various matters.

Not long after, the farm welcomed its first residents.

These people were specially sent by the palace to check how the preparations were going.

They checked very strictly, no matter the venue layout, safety measures, or food and supplies.

Look carefully and choose carefully, don't be careless at all, for fear that there will be something wrong.

Bao Gonggong's eyes swept over the food on the table. Suddenly, he reached out and poked a piece of cake and asked sharply, "When did you prepare all this food? It looks so stale. We should replace it all!"

He walked to the corner where the bedding was piled, lifted the neatly folded quilt cover and sniffed it, his brows furrowed even tighter. "And these quilts, they smell so hard from being over-starched. Change them all, too!"

The farm manager stepped forward quickly, bowing his body and explaining:

"My Lord, these quilts are made of new cotton wool that was just washed and aired this morning. Even the quilt covers were brought from the cloth shop yesterday.

The food on the table was prepared before dawn today, and the pork was just slaughtered by the butcher, so it’s still hot...”

"Shut up!" Eunuch Bao turned around abruptly, his shrill voice suddenly rising:

"Who the hell do you think you are to have any say in our affairs?

If I say it's not fresh, then it's not fresh! I'm the one serving the Queen Mother. The autumn hunt is related to the health of the Saint, and there is no room for carelessness.

According to our instructions, you must change everything within half an hour. If you miss the deadline, watch out for your skin!"

Eunuch Bao and Sun Quan had been sworn enemies for more than a decade. One was a favorite of the Empress Dowager, who had the final say, and the other was a favored attendant of the Emperor. Whenever they met, they would secretly compete with each other.

Sun Quangang came in after lifting the curtain. He glanced at the situation in the room and spoke slowly:

"From our perspective, the preparations here are quite complete.

Isn't Eunuch Bao a bit too picky?"

Bao Gonggong sneered when he heard this, and glanced at him with his triangular eyes:

"Picky? What we say is the Queen Mother's decree!

It's Eunuch Sun who has come by chance. Could it be that he accepted bribes from these servants and came here specifically to speak well of them?"

"Eunuch Bao, please speak with conscience." The smile on Sun Quan's face faded, and his tone became serious:

“This autumn hunting ground was designated by the Emperor himself.

Are you trying to make it impossible for your subordinates to do their work by nitpicking like this?"

Bao Gonggong stiffened his neck and shrilled:

“Our family is doing this for the safety of the Queen Mother and all the masters!

Come here, dump all these things into our house. No way, not even a single cent can be left!

Today I want to see who dares to stop me!"

Sun Quan was so angry that his face turned blue, but he saw the farm manager hurried forward, nodding and bowing, saying, "Yes, yes, Eunuch Sun, Eunuch Bao, please calm down. We will remove these cakes and replace them right away..."

Bao Gonggong's eyes fell on the fish and meat on the table again, and he pointed:

"And this fish has an earthy smell, it must not be fresh.

That meat looks fake red and can't be used! I look around this room and there's not much I can see that's pleasing to the eye!"

Eunuch Zhao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly laughed. He was Su Daji's close friend. At this moment, he stroked his sleeves slowly and echoed:

"Eunuch Bao is right. We should be so careful when serving our masters. After all, it concerns their health.

If a small, low-profile place like this doesn't have strict controls, who will be held responsible if something goes wrong?"

Sun Quan's cheeks flushed with anger. He swung his sleeves violently, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger:

"Alright! You can do whatever you want!

Anyway, the masters will be here in a moment, so if anything goes wrong, you will be responsible for it!"

The farm manager shrank his neck and dared not say a word, just watching Eunuch Bao and Eunuch Zhao nitpicking each other?

The fruits and vegetables that had just been put on the table were said to have "mud on the stems and looked dirty" and were taken away.

The freshly steamed rice cakes were withdrawn as they were said to be "too loose and not showing sincerity".

Even the fresh lotus roots in the basket were picked out because "the nodes were too deep and there might be sand hidden in them," and were moved away.

After a long day of hard work, the kitchen that was originally packed with people was now empty with only a few empty tables left, and not even a sip of hot water was left.

At this moment, the sound of horse hoofs and imperial bells could be heard from outside, and the eunuch's shrill voice could be heard from afar: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived——"

A large group of people and horses poured into the farm. It was noon, and the emperor came in through the curtains and asked, "How is the lunch preparation going?"

Sun Quan hurried forward and replied, "Your Majesty, I'll have it brought up right away."

He turned to the steward, only to see him with a sad face, hesitatingly saying:

"Eunuch Sun... this... Eunuch Bao and Eunuch Zhao said that they were either worried that the things on the farm were poisonous or unclean.

Just now…just now they’ve all been evacuated, and now…now there’s nothing left…”

Sun Quan turned around and reported the words. The Queen Mother immediately raised her eyebrows and laughed shrilly:

“I’ve said it before, what good things can there be in this rural farm?

The emperor has really made a mistake this time. Why don’t we go to the farm next door and take a look?”

Su Daji quickly smiled and said, "Indeed, the farm across the street looks more impressive."

Qi Guangheng on the side shouted in a deep voice:

"Okay, serve us what we usually eat today!

Could it be possible that someone could lose their food just by finding a few criticisms?

If they continue to be so picky, not only the masters but even the servants will starve! Make them stop!"

Sun Quan quickly responded, "I'll do it right away!"

The farm manager, as if granted amnesty, hurriedly called out to everyone, "Quick! Bring out everything we just put away! Cakes, hot dishes, soups, don't leave anything out!"

As he was talking, several more pots of braised food were brought up. The braised duck neck was glossy in color, and you could see the distinct texture inside when you gently broke it. The aroma of the braised dish mixed with the spicy aroma of star anise and cinnamon penetrated straight into his lungs.

Next to it is a braised duck head, split in half, and braised duck wings and gizzards, with the wing tips curled up...

This kind of braised food is rare in the palace. The imperial kitchen pays attention to finesse, and even when making braised food, it is mostly served in small dishes. Where has anyone seen such a large plate and bowl with such a lively atmosphere?

Several young eunuchs couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva. Even the Queen Mother frowned and glanced at it with disgust: "Is this thing edible? Bring it up in large bowls..."