Secrets of Yuqing Palace

After chatting happily in the restaurant, the four of them separated.

However, Wanyu and Shiliha first sent Amur to Prince Wen's Mansion before returning home.

After returning to Guwaljia Mansion, Wanyu returned to her yard and saw Wanlin sitting on the swing in her yard.

She said in surprise, "Second sister, didn't you come to the palace with your aunt today to deliver a birthday gift to the Empress Dowager in advance?"

"When did you come back?"

Wanlin smiled and said, "My mother and I didn't come back until 12:00."

Wanyu silently calculated the time, which was around eleven o'clock, and it was already past one o'clock.

So she asked, "It's already noon now. Has Sister had lunch yet?"

Wanlin tapped her forehead and said with a smile, "Do you think everyone is like us in this house, eating three meals a day?"

"Don't worry, we went to the palace early today. The Queen Mother asked us to have breakfast in the palace before returning."

After traveling through time, Wanyu never expected that during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, people only ate two main meals a day.

Breakfast is also called morning meal, which is usually served at the beginning of the Si hour, which is around 9 am, and is equivalent to brunch in later generations.

Dinner, also known as 晡食, is served at the time of Shen, between 3 and 4 p.m., which is much earlier than the dinner time in later generations.

Compared with breakfast of porridge, noodles, meat and side dishes, dinner is much more elaborate, with various meats, vegetables, noodles, fruits, etc.

In addition to the two main meals, if you feel hungry, you can eat snacks and food to fill your stomach, such as desserts, fruits, tea, etc.

But for Wanyu, who was used to three meals a day in later life, skipping a staple meal would make her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Snacks and fruits are one stomach, and main meals are another stomach.

Wouldn't it be uncomfortable if a stomach that originally needed to be fed three meals a day suddenly only had to be fed two meals?

As she had been struggling since she was a child, the second branch of the Guwaljia Mansion started first.

Three main meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It gradually began to affect the main courtyard and the east wing courtyard.

After all, we are a family, and we always have a meal together from time to time to maintain our relationship.

Wanyu was the youngest at that time, and she had three main meals a day and snacks and fruits all the time.

So she was raised to be plump, cute and smart, and her elders were reluctant to let her go hungry.

With Mafa and Mama taking the lead, the eating habits of the entire Guwaljia Prefecture gradually became three meals a day.

Two hours have passed since the Si hour.

She took Wanlin's hand and went into her room.

"Sister, if you are hungry, eat some of the snacks here."

"We'll have dinner at my sister's place today. I'll have Xia He tell the kitchen to serve dinner early."

Seeing her concern, Wanlin nodded happily.

"Okay, I'll listen to my third sister."

One of the maids standing behind him bowed.

"Princess, I will arrange it right away."

Wanyu nodded and said, "Go ahead and ask the kitchen staff to make a few more dishes that Second Sister likes."

Wanlin watched her make arrangements with a smile and did not interrupt.

After arranging dinner, Wanyu looked at Wanlin curiously.

"Second sister, were you nervous when you went to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager? Were you scared?"

"Did you encounter anything interesting? Did you meet the Emperor and the Crown Prince?"

"Is the Empress Dowager satisfied with the birthday gift you presented?"

Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Wanlin asked questions one after another, and smiled and answered her questions patiently.

"The Queen Mother is very kind. As long as you follow the rules and etiquette, there is no need to worry."

"In addition to the birthday gifts prepared by the clan, there are also Buddhist scriptures and embroidered headbands that I copied by hand. The Queen Mother was very satisfied with them and even gave me some jewelry as a reward."

She glanced behind her and ordered, "Chun Tao."

"Yes, Grid."

The maid named Chuntao bowed to the two of them and placed the box she had been holding on the kang table in front of them.

Then he carefully opened the lid of the box, revealing a white jade lotus hairpin and a pair of white jade plum blossom earrings inlaid with kingfisher feathers.

Looking at her third sister's shining eyes, Wanlin smiled gently.

"I know you like this kind of simple and elegant jewelry. I picked it out especially for you from the gifts given by the Empress Dowager."

Wanyu took out the white jade lotus hairpin and played with it in her hand.

The color is pure and flawless, as white as cream, the jade is delicate, and the blooming lotus and unopened buds at the top are lifelike.

She exclaimed, "It's so beautiful!"

"Thank you, second sister. I like it very much."

"I like the hairpin and the earrings."

"Second sister is the best!"

Wanlin saw her jumping out with sweet words without asking for money, "You are the sweetest one."

Wanyu immediately put down the hairpin in her hand, held her little face with both hands, and showed a cute and playful expression to Wanlin.

Then she continued to act coquettishly, "Second sister is the best, I like second sister."

Her playful look made Wanlin laugh so hard that she couldn't help giggling.

"Second Aunt is right, you are just a little mischievous kid."

"Good sister, you haven't told me whether you encountered any interesting things when you entered the palace today."

Wanlin smiled and shook her head. "What kind of fun could there be? The palace has strict rules and regulations, and every move is subject to etiquette and rules."