12dz Chapter 330 Milk Tea
Chapter 330 Milk Tea
On May 23, the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, the Empress Dowager passed away.
Yongzheng posthumously named the empress dowager Empress Xiaogongren, and added the posthumous title of Empress Xiaogong Xuanhui Wensu Dingyu Zantian Chengsheng Ren. She was buried in the Jingling Mausoleum of Emperor Kangxi together with Empress Xiaochengren (Kangxi's original wife Hesheli), Empress Xiaozhaoren (Kangxi's second empress, Niuhuru), and Empress Xiaoyiren (Kangxi's third empress, Tonggiya, Yongzheng's adoptive mother).
(There was also a concubine buried with him in Jingling, namely the mother of the Thirteenth Prince Yunxiang, Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin.)
The palace was suddenly shrouded in a sad atmosphere. The entire court seemed to have lost its former prosperity and bustle and fell into deep mourning.
The concubines hurried back to the Forbidden City, discarding their gorgeous palace attire and donning mourning attire, crowned with white flowers, they took turns standing vigil before the coffin, according to their rank. Their faces were filled with sorrow, tears silently shed, and their every movement was solemn and slow, daring not to slack off or show any sign of disrespect. The empress, heartbroken, fainted several times during her mourning period. Court officials and members of the imperial family unanimously praised her for her "benevolence, filial piety, and virtue."
The empress dowager's coffin was placed in the Cining Palace. Yongzheng built a hut inside the Cangzhen Gate and wore plain clothes to mourn.
According to ancestral rules, the Empress Dowager's death required 27 months of mourning. Yongzheng issued an edict to replace months with days, and after 27 days, the Empress Dowager's coffin was moved to the Shouhuang Palace in Jingshan.
The concubines then breathed a sigh of relief, took off their mourning clothes and changed into plain white clothes.
In Yongshou Palace, the stuffy atmosphere seemed to have frozen.
Huanbi stood beside her, holding a round fan embroidered with a pattern of green bamboo in her hand, fanning it rhythmically, trying to bring some coolness to Zhen Huan.
She was already five months pregnant, with a large belly. The sweltering heat made her even more depressed, and she couldn't even concentrate on reading her favorite book.
At this moment, Su Ye entered the hall carrying a transparent glass cup. The glass cup was filled with light brown liquid, and there were a few drops of water hanging on the wall of the cup. It looked like it had just been taken out of the ice jar!
Zhen Huan's eyes lit up instantly. It was milk tea.
"Good Su Ye, you finally let me drink milk tea?" Zhen Huan's eyes were full of anticipation.
Su Ye replied with a smile: "The weather is too hot today, you can drink some."
As he spoke, he came to Zhen Huan and gently placed the transparent glass cup of milk tea on the small table.
Just as Zhen Huan was about to reach out to take it, Su Ye hurriedly stopped her: "Your Majesty, wait a moment!"
"What are you waiting for?" Zhen Huan asked with a puzzled look.
Su Ye calmly picked up the teacup on the small table and slowly poured the milk tea from the glass into it. Then he picked up the silver spoon and carefully scooped a round pearl into it. Then he handed it to Zhen Huan and said with a smile, "Drink it!"
"you……"
Zhen Huan looked at the teacup in front of her, which was only as long as her index finger, and was suddenly speechless.
Well, it's better than nothing.
So she reached out to take the teacup and was about to put it into her mouth.
Su Ye said again: "My Lady!"
Zhen Huan had no choice but to stop what she was doing again.
"Please hold it in your mouth for a while before swallowing it."
……
Zhen Huan sipped the small cup of milk tea. Her warm lips touched the rim of the cup, and she felt a hint of coolness. The milk tea slid down her throat, dispelling some of the irritability caused by the stuffiness, and her expression gradually relaxed.
After drinking, she put down the cup, but her eyes were still glued to the glass on the small table, her eyes full of reluctance. At this moment, all the priceless treasures in the world pale in comparison to this cup of iced milk tea.
"What should we do with the rest?" There was a hint of anticipation in Zhen Huan's voice, and her eyes moved back and forth between Su Ye and the glass.
"This servant and Huanbi..."
Before Su Ye could finish, Su Peisheng's voice came from outside the palace: "The Emperor has arrived!"
Zhen Huan's smile froze on her face instantly.
But after a moment, she quickly adjusted her state, put on a calm and natural expression, and slowly walked out of the hall with the support of Huanbi.
Before she could bow, Yongzheng strode forward, took her hand, and said with concern, "Come in quickly, it's too hot outside!"
As he stepped into the hall, Yongzheng's eyes were immediately attracted by the glass of milk tea on the small table. Without saying a word, he walked straight over, picked up the cup, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
After drinking it, he exclaimed: "Mm, it tastes good. The heat I felt along the way has been relieved a lot."
Zhen Huan looked at the empty cup and opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment. The expression on her face was extremely complicated.
Yongzheng didn't notice her strangeness and continued to talk to himself, "I always feel that the milk tea made by the Imperial Tea Kitchen is not as delicious as the one in your palace!"
"Your Majesty, you are joking. How can the things in my palace be compared with the ones used by the emperor!" Zhen Huan gritted her teeth and finally controlled her emotions.
Yongzheng reached out and patted Zhen Huan's belly and said, "Because of the Queen Mother's funeral, I haven't seen you for a long time. Now that everything is settled, I can spend some time with you!"
"Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself. The Empress Dowager in Heaven also wishes for your good health!"
Yongzheng didn't want to discuss the Empress Dowager with her anymore, so he kept his gaze on Zhen Huan's face, as if examining her complexion. "I see that you look a little unwell today, are you feeling unwell?"
As he spoke, he glanced around the hall and frowned, "How can you be so poorly served in the Imperial Household Department?
Zhen Huan silently complained, if you hadn't come, my face would have been bad too!
But she explained gently, "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the Imperial Household Department. I am pregnant, and Su Ye was worried that the cold air in my body would affect the fetus, so she only used a small amount of ice to relieve the stuffiness. I also feel that the safety of the dragon fetus should be the most important thing, so a little heat is tolerable."
The gloom on Yongzheng's face finally faded. "I'm so sorry for you. You can't go out even in such hot weather. You must be bored, right?"
Zhen Huan's mind raced, and she instantly put on an extremely distressed expression. She lowered her head slightly and gently stroked her belly with her hand: "Yes, I'm bored during my pregnancy and too lazy to move. I wanted to ask Longyue to accompany me, but I was afraid she would get a heat stroke. Sigh!"
Su Ye echoed from the side, "Your Majesty, you need to relax, otherwise it will not be good for the dragon fetus in your belly."
Listening to Su Ye's words, Zhen Huan forced a smile, with a bit of pitiful look. Yongzheng saw this and couldn't help but feel distressed, and gently patted Zhen Huan's hand.
"By the way, your father and mother have returned to the capital. I have renovated the former Zhen Mansion and made it available for them to live in. You can rest assured now, right?"
Zhen Huan quickly stood up, her gratitude overflowing with words: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Well, okay. You must take good care of yourself. If you give birth to a prince safely someday, they will be very happy!"
His eyes fell on Zhen Huan's bulging belly, his eyes full of anticipation.
Zhen Huan gently stroked her abdomen and replied submissively, "I obey your command!"