TPNCQ CHAPTER 39
Everything can be discussed well at the dinning table
Seeing that the emperor had started eating, Su Limo also took a piece of mutton bone and put it in her bowl. The meat with bones was the most satisfying; it wasn't too greasy like pure meat, nor was it as bland as bone broth. It was perfect for a rich and flavorful hot pot. After eating the meat, they would cook vegetables and then add handmade noodles – it was absolutely delicious.
From her previous experience with the spicy beef tallow hot pot, Su Limo had noticed that Qianlong didn't seem to eat certain vegetables, such as lotus root. So, for today's meal, she had prepared some aged tofu, potatoes, yam, sea kelp, wood ear mushrooms, and napa cabbage.
After eating two rounds of meat, Su Limo added some vegetables and carefully adjusted the heat, serving Qianlong each dish one by one, acting like a gentle and virtuous little wife.
Qianlong had eaten until he was eight-tenths full and put down his chopsticks. He was quite pleased with Su Limo's attentive service and his tone softened, with a hint of laziness after a satisfying meal, "The aged tofu is quite good. Next time, put it in earlier. The flavor is a bit lacking today."
"It was my negligence. I will definitely put it in earlier next time," Su Limo responded with a sweet smile, without a single word of disagreement. After a pause, she brought up the purpose of her invitation, "Your Majesty, our sixth prince, Yongrong, will be three years old on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. According to custom, we should find a tutor for him to start his education..."
Qianlong, who had been feeling very comfortable and relaxed, with every pore exuding a sense of satisfaction and drowsiness, suddenly perked up upon hearing Su Limo's words.
So, the reason she had actively invited him to Jingren Palace for lunch was to remind him that their sixth prince, Yongrong, would soon be three years old and needed a tutor?
Without waiting for Su Limo to finish, Qianlong replied in a lukewarm tone, "I have already chosen a tutor for Yongrong. He can start teaching Yongrong on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month." His peach blossom eyes held an unknown emotion.
Why was it that every concubine, after having a child, focused all their attention on their child and thought about how to make their child stand out and surpass the other princes? Could they not simply be fraternal and filial? He had witnessed the tragic struggle for the throne among his grandfather Kangxi's nine sons. He would never allow his own sons to harm each other and follow in the footsteps of the past.
Therefore, he was extremely cautious in the education of each prince and in the selection of their tutors. The most important quality of a teacher was to impart knowledge and solve doubts, and they must absolutely not be corrupted by power or teach his sons bad things.
Moreover, he would not tolerate concubines teaching their sons to be competitive and ambitious, even if it was his favorite concubine.
Qianlong had not expected Su Limo to be more anxious and concerned about Yongrong's education than he was, and she had even prepared such a grand feast.
Seeing that Qianlong looked displeased, Su Limo realized that he had misunderstood. She quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I hope to postpone Yongrong's schooling. The New Year is just around the corner, and children love to be lively. I'm afraid they won't be able to sit still and will lose interest. If that happens, it will be difficult to correct. Moreover, there have been several heavy snowfalls this winter, and it's very cold, even with a charcoal brazier in the room. If he sits still for a whole morning, he might catch a cold..."
Su Limo saw that Qianlong didn't seem to be furious and was still able to restrain himself, so she continued in a gentler tone, "Therefore, I think it would be better to have Yongrong start reading and writing in early February, on the sixteenth day."
"..." Qianlong couldn't help but rub his forehead upon hearing this.
Damn it, he had overestimated her intelligence.
A woman who only cared about eating and drinking, and couldn't even control her own figure, how could she be expected to be ambitious?
Qianlong was momentarily speechless, and after a few moments, he spoke, "The first day of February."
"Your Majesty, could it be half a month later? The wind is very strong in February..." Su Limo bargained.
"The first day of February," Qianlong said coldly, his tone has no room of rejection.
"Then, it will be the first of February," Su Limo pursed her lips and smiled sweetly, "Chenqei thanks Your Majesty for your consideration of Yongrong."
"..." Looking at Su Limo smiling so gently and sweetly, with a voice as soft as water, he couldn't help but frown, looking quite disgusted.
Qianlong got up and walked straight out. Hearing the increasingly gentle voice behind him, "Chenqei respectfully sees Your Majesty off," his expression darkened further.
Li Yu was waiting outside and hurried forward to serve him. Seeing the emperor's unhappy expression, he became even more cautious. He couldn't help but wonder to himself.
What was Chun Guifei thinking? Every time the emperor came to Jingren Palace with high spirits, he would leave in a huff.
In the end, Li Yu came to a conclusion: It's no wonder she's not favored.
Watching the imperial procession leave Jingren Palace, Su Limo could finally relax and enjoy herself. She scooped some clear soup and added it to the mutton bone pot, bringing it to a boil. She added the pulled noodles and various vegetables, and when they were cooked, she served them in a large bowl, added half a spoonful of soup and mixed it together. She also picked up two pieces of mutton bone and started eating the mixed noodles happily.
The mutton bones were even more flavorful now, and the aged tofu had also absorbed the flavor. Hehe.
Originally, she had planned to have Yongrong start school after the Lantern Festival (fifteenth day of the first lunar month), but Yongrong himself had said he wanted to start in February, so she had made up the date of the sixteenth of February, giving herself some room to bargain. As expected, they had settled on the first of February.
The first promise to Yongrong was successfully fulfilled. Her status as a good mother was still firmly established in the child's heart. Children are very sensitive, and it's important to keep the promises made to them. Otherwise, the parents' authority in the child's eyes would gradually diminish.
*
The news that the Emperor had spent the night in Jingren Palace and had lunch there again the next day spread quickly.
The winds of change in the palace shifted rapidly, catching many people off guard, such as the Imperial Household Department. It was easy to manage the lower-level staff, as they simply followed the orders of their superiors. Occasionally, if there were one or two who went against the current, they would do so quietly and dare not make a big fuss, only daring to be slightly biased in minor details.
Wang Fu, the superintendent of the Imperial Household Department, was completely baffled.
Logically speaking, two years ago, he had been promoted from deputy superintendent to superintendent with the support of Jia Fei. He was also grateful and would always send the best things to Chunxi Palace whenever they asked for anything. He was afraid of losing her favor. However, in the past two or three months, the power dynamics in the palace had shifted several times. Jia Fei had been under house arrest for nearly three months. It was said that she had written letters and played the victim, and her father and brothers had also submitted petitions on her behalf, but the Emperor remained unmoved and showed no intention of seeing her at all.
Empress and Xian Guifei had always emphasized rules in managing the palace. They couldn't violate the ancestral rules. Since Jia Fei had offended the Empress and the Emperor, Wang Fu dared not send double the amount of supplies to Chunxi Palace as he had done before. Moreover, Chun Guifei was favored by the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor had been visiting Jingren Palace frequently. He also had to provide Chen Guiren with her share, and it would be best to give her a little extra from time to time. However, the palace's supplies were fixed. In the past, he could skim off from others to supplement Jia Fei, but now that there were several other places to allocate supplies, there was even less to spare. And with the rules in place, he really didn't dare to favor Chunxi Palace as he had before.
If the Empress and Xian Guifei found out and held him accountable, no one could protect him. Jia Fei was already in a precarious position, so how could she care about his life or death?
But if he were to pledge allegiance to the Empress and Xian Guifei, what if Jia Fei regained favor in the future? Would he still have his head?
A few days ago, Chunxi Palace had requested some high-quality furs. In the past, he would have sent the best ones to Chunxi Palace immediately, but now he dared not. It was always safer to prioritize the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Recently, he had obtained a few more high-quality items. Logically speaking, he should send them to Chunxi Palace. However, his current situation was a dilemma.
Wang Fu paced around the courtyard for a few rounds, hesitating. In the end, he decided to leave the decision to the Emperor. He ordered a young eunuch to carry two high-quality marmot fur coats and go to see the Emperor. Upon learning that the Emperor was currently in Changchun Palace, he went directly there.
"Such a trivial matter bothers me?" Qianlong said, looking at Wang Fu who was kneeling on the ground.
Wang Fu didn't dare to look up, feeling the immense pressure of the emperor's presence. He replied with even greater respect, "The quantity of furs tributed this year is not large. The first batch was already sent to the Empress Dowager and the Empress's palaces a few days ago. Two more pieces arrived today, and I was unsure what to do. I beg Your Majesty to make a decision."
"It's fine if it's only a few. In the past, it was enough to satisfy all the palaces, but now that there are only two, it would be better if Your Majesty simply bestowed them. In the future, when we receive more, we can give them to the concubines who haven't received any, which would avoid complaints and make things easier for Wang Fu." Empress Fucha said with a smile.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I hadn't thought of it that way. Thank you for your guidance, Empress." Wang Fu expressed his gratitude.
"Give one to Ling Pin. She recites scriptures for me every morning and I don't want her to catch a cold." Qianlong said without hesitation.
"As for the second one..." Before Qianlong could finish, Empress Fucha interjected, "The second one should be given to Xian Guifei. She assists in managing the palace and walks around all day. It's about to snow again."
"Alright, take the second one to Yikun Palace for Xian Guifei." Qianlong said, holding Empress Fucha's hand with tender eyes.
Wang Fu, having received his orders, quickly left Changchun Palace and went to Yikun Palace and Yanxi Palace to deliver the furs.
It was fine for the others, after all, it was the emperor's order and there was no room for dispute.
Jia Fei in Chunxi Palace was furious.
"That dog slave Wang Fu! If it weren't for me cultivating and supporting him, where would he be today? Last time when I asked for furs, he said that he would give them to the Empress Dowager and the Empress first, and then send them to Chunxi Palace when he got more. I didn't bother with him then, but now he's become even more cunning and has calculated against me. He specifically asked for the emperor's order and sent them to Xian Guifei and that vixen Ling Pin, just to shut me up. He's become even more skilled at his job!" Jia Fei was so angry that she kicked over the charcoal brazier with a poor quality of charcoal. Sparks flew everywhere, and the red-hot coals rolled onto the ground, immediately setting the carpet on fire, and smoke began to rise.
Moli, who was serving her, didn't expect Jia Fei niangniang to do such a thing. She wanted to stop her but it was too late. Seeing the carpet burning inch by inch, she quickly ran outside to call for help to put out the fire, fearing that the entire palace would be burned down.