12dz Chapter 558 La 8
Chapter 558 La 8
In the Old Summer Palace, Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang sat on one side, watching the person in front of them dancing and talking about what happened outside the palace, praising her from time to time.
After a few days, the three of them almost forgot their identities and just enjoyed the joy of reunion in the Old Summer Palace.
Hongxu in the Forbidden City was extremely anxious and summoned Prince Li Hongshi to go to the Old Summer Palace in person to welcome the few people back to the palace.
The three of them then packed their bags and returned to the Forbidden City before Laba Festival.
The next morning.
It was still dark outside and An Lingrong was sleeping soundly.
"Your Majesty, please wake up! The Emperor is here to pay his respects to you!"
An Lingrong opened her eyes drowsily, her voice still lazily saying, "Where's my sister? Tell her to send him away!"
"The Empress Dowager has passed by, please get up quickly!" Liu Zhu deftly rolled up the curtain for her and asked the little palace maid to bring a towel with warm water.
An Lingrong rubbed her brows and said helplessly, "Let Hongxu go back and rest. It's so cold, why bother asking for peace..."
Liu Zhu pursed her lips and smiled. While combing her hair, she explained, "Have you forgotten, Madam? Today is Laba Festival. The Emperor has come specially to have breakfast with you and the Queen Mother!"
An Lingrong nodded helplessly and let Liu Zhu help her change clothes and put on makeup.
When she turned around, she suddenly felt dizzy. She subconsciously raised her hand to press down on her heavy head. Her fingertips touched the cold pearl hairpin on her temples, and then she came back to her senses.
She looked down at the complicated clothes she was wearing - a palace dress embroidered with Yaohuang peonies in gold thread, with the collar and cuffs decorated with fine pearls. It was so luxurious that it almost suffocated her.
She sighed softly: "I'm not used to this outfit!"
Liu Zhu, who was tidying up her skirt, couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this, and whispered, "I'm the same! Aunt Jinxi even teased me, saying that I had been away with the Empress for a while and had forgotten all the palace rules!"
"It's okay, I just like you to have no rules!"
After dressing up, she came to the main hall, where Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan had been waiting for a long time.
An Lingrong yawned and leaned lazily on the couch.
"My son pays his respects to my godmother!" Hongxu lifted the hem of his dragon robe and knelt on one knee to salute.
An Lingrong scolded, "Alright, you're coming to pay your respects so early, aren't you tired?"
Hongxu was stunned when he heard this, then he smiled helplessly: "Godmother, today is Laba Festival, so naturally I have to come and show my filial piety."
"Your filial piety means pulling us out of bed so early?" An Lingrong raised an eyebrow at him, "You truly are a powerful filial son!"
A few chuckles suddenly rang out in the hall.
Hongxu touched his nose awkwardly, his ears turning slightly red.
"Alright, alright," Zhen Huan came to the rescue, "Come and have breakfast! The porridge is getting cold."
The long table was filled with various kinds of Laba porridge and more than a dozen exquisite imperial meals.
In the center of the table sat a bowl of "Royal Laba Porridge," made primarily of premium yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, and millet, with added additions of water chestnut rice, chestnuts, red cowpeas, and peeled jujube paste, cooked to a thick, glutinous, and melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The porridge was meticulously garnished with red-dyed peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, and peanuts, then topped with white and brown sugar and a sprinkle of shimmering purple raisins. The vibrant colors were truly appetizing, the mere sight of it all.
Hongxu smiled and said, "These are the Laba porridges presented by the princes and ministers. There are sweet porridges with the flavor of Jiangnan, and salty porridges with the characteristics of the north. You can try them all and see which bowl suits your taste best."
Then he served each person a bowl.
"Hongxu, it's freezing cold, you should sit down and have some."
Hongxu shook his head and said softly, "Mother, when you were in the Old Summer Palace, I didn't have the chance to show my filial piety. Now that I'm finally back, let me serve you well for once."
Zhen Huan pursed her lips and smiled when she heard this: "After you marry the Queen in two years, we'll have someone to talk to."
Hongxu blushed immediately: "Stop teasing my son, he's still young!"
He is now almost fourteen years old, and his wedding is about to be put on the agenda.
Shen Meizhuang thought of something and asked, "Hongxu, has the Laba porridge in the palace been distributed?"
"Don't worry, mother! Laba porridge has already been distributed to the civil and military officials, eunuchs, and palace maids. I have also distributed rice, fruit, and other items to various temples in the name of you three mothers for the monks to eat."
The three nodded in satisfaction.
Outside the hall, the snow falls silently, while inside the hall, the aroma of porridge wafts through the air.
Hongxu looked at the loving eyes of his three mothers, and his heart was filled with warmth. At this moment, he was no longer the high and mighty emperor, but just a child in the arms of his beloved mother.
After dinner, Hongxu came to An Lingrong and said, "Godmother, my uncle has sent someone to the capital. Do you want to go and see him?"
"it is good!"
Arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, An Lingrong looked at the decoration inside, which was similar to the arrangement when the previous emperor was alive. It seemed that Hongxu had learned a lot from the previous emperor's strengths.
Xiao Luzi diligently brewed the tea that An Lingrong liked to drink.
Hongxu took the tea and handed it to An Lingrong: "Godmother, please!"
Then he ordered: "Xiao Luzi, where is the person sent by Lord Shen?"
"Waiting in the side hall!"
"pass!"
"According to the order."
After a while, he led a young man in.
The man kept his head lowered, even breathing lightly, and nearly tripped over the threshold as he crossed the palace gate. Once inside, he immediately knelt on his knees, forehead pressed against the gold brick, and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor."
Hearing this familiar voice, An Lingrong and Liu Zhu looked at each other, both of them couldn't hide their surprise.
"Wang Yu?"
The kneeling man raised his head slightly when he heard the voice. When he saw the person sitting there clearly, his pale face suddenly lit up: "Boss! Miss Liuzhu! What are you doing..."
Before he could finish his words, he suddenly realized where he was and hurriedly bent down again.
Seeing his trembling appearance, Hongxu couldn't help but chuckle and said in a gentle tone: "I didn't expect that the person sent by my uncle would be an old friend of my godmother. What a coincidence. Stand up!"
Seeing this, Liu Zhu hurried forward to support him. As soon as her fingers touched Wang Yu's arm, she noticed that his whole body was shaking.
She patted his arm gently and whispered soothingly, "Don't be afraid."
Wang Yu was truly out of his mind at this moment, his soul in a state of confusion.
Half a month ago, he had come to Beijing on Shen Pingchuan's orders, thinking he would simply submit his account books to the Ministry of Revenue and return. Unexpectedly, upon handing over Shen Pingchuan's name card, the Ministry of Revenue officials treated him with exceptional respect, not only arranging for him to stay in the official post station but also assigning a special person to serve him.
Before daybreak, a eunuch arrived and meticulously instructed him on the rules of entering the palace. He then led him through the numerous gates. The red walls and golden tiles, the heavy guards, made his legs weaken with every step he took.
He was just an ordinary citizen, how could he have seen such a scene?
What he didn't expect was that he would meet his boss in this most prestigious place in the world!
What shocked him even more was that the emperor actually called her "godmother"!