Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 159: The scent of tea in memory

Today was the day when the Sixth Prince personally came to propose marriage, and all the officials from the Ministry of Rites were also out, some singing the betrothal gifts, some counting the betrothal gifts, and implementing all kinds of rules and etiquette. They were all very busy. The betrothal gifts flowed from the Imperial Palace to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion like ants moving house, so they could only stay at the Duke Dingguo's Mansion for lunch. The Duke Dingguo's Mansion also set up a row of banquets in the East Palace, and they were allowed to arrange their own turns for the lunch banquet.

The imperial guards who carried the betrothal gifts also had a set menu. They put down the betrothal gifts and went to the banquet. After the meal, they had to take away some sincere souvenirs to thank them for their hard work along the way.

The East Mansion has been repaired. With the participation of the craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, the speed and quality have been greatly improved. Even the inscription of the old Duke Dingguo on the screen wall has been repaired to be exactly the same as before. The entire East Mansion is not luxurious, but extremely elegant, with winding corridors, rockery bonsai, small bridges and flowing water, and a scene at every step.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites were allowed to have lunch by themselves. It was not that the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion was deliberately treating them poorly, but they were too busy to do anything else because the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine had come to the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion incognito. From the old lady to Qiao Peng, everyone was there to make an appointment.

Even Qiao Lili was unable to hide in Luping Garden according to the rules. Since the emperor and Concubine Yun were here, they naturally wanted her to accompany them. Concubine Yun loved her like her own daughter and would miss her if she couldn't see her for a day. As long as she could see her dear child, she would give way to all the rules.

Emperor Yong'an was even more determined to throw the huge hot potato to her as soon as possible. Rules did not exist in his mind as an emperor. He was the rules. He had countless questions he wanted to discuss with her. With these two people coming, how could he let her hide in her boudoir obediently?

Concubine Yun and Qiao Lili often met each other, but it was not easy for Emperor Yong'an to meet Qiao Lili. So when they met today, he brought up the issue of betrothal and directly put some issues about family, country and the world in front of Qiao Lili.

"Foreign merchants are subject to the same tax as local merchants in Beijing, but some problems have arisen during the implementation process..."

"How many routes can Ganjiang Shipping design? When will it be open to navigation? When will we start the auction..."

"Dayan's food varieties are too limited. Have you found the food seeds suitable for growing in low-temperature areas that you told me about last time?"

.......

Emperor Yong'an was talking to himself. He saw his son's rolling eyes, but he pretended not to see it. What can you do to me, kid? I will make a decision with your wife. How can it bother you? It will not delay your engagement or your meal. If you keep making such a stinky face, believe it or not, I will just quit and take Fei'er to travel around and see what you can do.

Concubine Yun was also very angry. What was going on? You are here to propose marriage, not to attend court. Is it appropriate to ask your future daughter-in-law these questions in this occasion?

But it's not a good idea to lose your temper with Emperor Yong'an in front of your future in-laws. If Lili's grandmother thinks that their family is not harmonious and doesn't let Lili marry A'an, that would be a big problem.

She held her breath and chatted with the old Duke's wife about family matters, talking about Yu Jingyan's childhood and Qiao Lili's childhood, and how Qiao Lili's mother taught Yu Jingyan martial arts and how great the Langshan School's Kung Fu was. It was thanks to her generous teaching at that time that Yu Jingyan had a good foundation. After he went to Yunmeng Lake, he was able to stand out among the Yun family's talented children.

Qiao Peng listened to Concubine Yun and her grandmother talking about old times. In Concubine Yun's narration, the image of his mother was so vivid. Thinking that his mother was most likely still alive, he felt inexplicably excited. His sister has proposed today. When his sister gets married, can his mother come to attend?

During lunch, Emperor Yong'an kept asking Qiao Lili questions, and Yu Jingyan didn't even get a word in. Obviously, he also had a say in Gan Jiang's affairs, but his father looked down on his theory, so he could only keep adding more dishes to her meal. Qiao Lili was in a difficult situation and could only smile at him helplessly.

She really couldn't ignore the emperor. Okay, the emperor's identity had no filter in front of Aunt Yun and Brother Ajing. But he was also the future eunuch, so she had to be obedient, right?

Fortunately, the emperor did not have much time left, as he still had memorials from his relatives waiting for him. After lunch, he chatted with the old Duke's wife about family matters for a while, as well as what Concubine Yun and Yu Jingyan thought were the important matters that should be discussed today. The wedding date had been set, and it was time for him to return to the palace with Concubine Yun.

In fact, there is really no room for negotiation on the wedding date. First, it depends on when Duke Dingguo can come back, and second, it depends on the auspicious day calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. Concubine Yun and Yu Jingyan hope that Emperor Yongan will personally speak about it in front of the old Duke's wife. One is to create a sense of ceremony, and the other is to demonstrate the royal family's importance to Qiao Lili.

The emperor came in person to discuss the wedding date with his mother-in-law, which pushed the status of the old duke's wife to a new height.

"My dear relatives, do you have any requirements for the wedding date of our two children? Please feel free to ask." Emperor Yong'an Yu Linghuan asked in a pretentious manner. In fact, he knew very well what Concubine Yun and his silly son were thinking. If he couldn't understand this, he didn't deserve to sit on that chair. He just wanted to tease the mother and daughter.

Didn't they all take him seriously? One of them said to lock the palace gate and he did so, and the other just ignored him. What about now? Things have changed, and it's finally time for him to have the upper hand. He has to hold on to it for a while, because there will be no chance again after this opportunity.

"I don't have any requirements. As long as the two children are happy, every day is a good day." The old Duke's wife has a perfect temperament.

Aunt Hui served a pot of chrysanthemum tea. The weather is dry in autumn and people are prone to getting irritated, so this tea is suitable for drinking.

This chrysanthemum tea is made by Qiao Lili picking golden chrysanthemums that are about to bloom one by one, slowly drying them with golden charcoal, and then baking them countless times. The process is quite tedious, and only this small jar can be obtained every year, which is all given to the old Duke's wife. If you are not a heavyweight, the old Duke's wife will not be willing to drink a sip.

The water for making tea is the snow collected from the plum blossoms in winter, or the kind that has snowed for two consecutive days when the plum blossoms are in bloom. The snow that falls on the plum blossoms on the first day cannot be kept, and all of it must be shaken off, and only the snow that falls on the plum blossoms on the second day is needed. If it does not snow when the plum blossoms are in bloom, or it does not snow for two days, then there will be no snow for making tea, and the tea of ​​that year will be just ordinary chrysanthemum tea.

There are only a few plum trees in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, so the snow on the plum blossoms is only in a small jar, which has been buried in the ice cellar. Today, it was taken out by Nanny Hui to make tea and entertain guests.

The snow on the first day cleans the dust in the air and on the plum blossoms, and the snow on the second day is the purest. The snow falls on the plum blossoms during the day, and stays on them overnight. In the early morning, they are swept into a porcelain jar with a special small brush and sealed.

Aunt Hui was afraid that the little girls would get nervous when faced with such a big scene, and their hands and feet would become unsteady and break things again, so she did everything herself, from boiling the water to brewing the tea, without relying on anyone else.

When the hot tea is poured into the cup, there is a light scent of chrysanthemum at first, and then a faint scent of plum blossoms.

As soon as the taste came out, Emperor Yong'an's throat choked. Is this Ju Ran Xue? (a fictitious tea name) He hastily picked up the cup and took a sip. The fragrance filled his mouth, and there was a hint of plum fragrance. It was like you clearly tasted it, but you couldn't catch it. It felt like the taste was gone, but it reappeared on the tip of your tongue.

It was that fragrance, "Good tea." After taking a sip, if the old Duke's wife hadn't been there, he would have cried.

Emperor Yong'an, who had originally planned to leave, sat there calmly and drank the tea for several times until the taste of the tea became so light that he could no longer taste it and the water for making tea was all gone. Then he set out to return to the palace.

It's not that he is short-sighted, it's just that the fragrance of this chrysanthemum dyed in snow has remained in his memory for many years.

Many years ago, when he and Fei'er were newly married and lived in Wangshu Villa outside the capital, Fei'er made him a potion with her own hands. At that time, she didn't know his identity. Qiao Lili knew how to make Ju Ranxue, probably because Fei'er taught her.

After all, he was the one who let Fei'er down, and he had to endure no matter how Fei'er treated him.