Xiao Yichen put down his chopsticks and patted Ji Lingxue on the back, "Are you okay..." I didn't really like eating meat before, and the three months of morning sickness were over, so why did I suddenly change
Ji Lingxue took the handkerchief handed to her by Mo Xiang and waved it to show that she was fine.
Xiao Yichen scooped a bowl of soup and brought it to Ji Lingxue, saying, "Then drink the soup to moisten your throat."
Ji Lingxue took a sip, took a breath and said, "I've gotten used to eating the meat dishes made by Rong Mama, so my taste has become more picky."
Xiao Yichen smiled and said, "I thought the meat was spoiled and it affected the Queen's appetite!"
Ji Lingxue said: "Madame Rong's cooking skills are really good. It's a pity that she is not a chef. If my Qingfeng Yashe had a chef like her, the business would definitely be doubled."
Xiao Yichen shook his head helplessly and said, "Is business all you care about? Nanny is the wet nurse personally selected by my mother. Her specialty is braised pork. If you poach her to be a cook, my little princess will have no one to take care of her."
"Ouch!" Ji Lingxue touched her belly, "Look, your little princess kicked my belly. She must not agree with what you said."
The flower hall was filled with joy.
After dinner, Xiao Yichen took Ji Lingxue's hand and took a rare walk in the Imperial Garden to look at the moon in the sky. Today was a full moon and the moonlight was particularly bright, illuminating the scenery in the garden.
Xiao Yichen said, "I heard that the Queen has been feeling very bored lately because of her pregnancy. I will take you out for a walk today."
Ji Lingxue's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Xiao Yichen's arm and asked uncertainly, "Would you like to go out for a walk? I want to go to Chang'an Street to eat some wonton soup. Does the emperor allow it?"
Xiao Yichen nodded. He remembered that when Ji Lingxue was in Prince Chen's Mansion, she liked to go for a stroll on the street when she had nothing to do. He still remembered how happy she looked. Now she was trapped by layers of palace rules and regulations. She was now the queen, and there must be constraints in her position.
Xiao Yichen said, "Do you remember the secret passage out of the palace?" That was the road Xiao Yimo took Ji Lingxue through. Although several months had passed, he still remembered it clearly.
"I know." Ji Lingxue looked around and indeed there were no palace maids or eunuchs. If not now, when would she leave? She took Xiao Yichen's hand and walked towards the secret passage deep into the garden.
Xiao Yichen said, "I allow you to leave the palace once a month from now on, but it will be inconvenient for you to be pregnant. After you give birth, I will accompany you out again, okay?"
Ji Lingxue nodded rapidly, thinking about where to go for a stroll. The next moment, she paused, turned around and winked at Xiao Yichen, "Are we going out like this?"
Xiao Yichen nodded, "I have ordered Chi Feng to stop the carriage at the palace gate and wait for us. There are spare clothes in the carriage. Chi Feng will arrange the rest, so you don't have to worry."
Ji Lingxue nodded. A quarter of an hour later, they successfully exited the secret passage and arrived at the palace gate. Sure enough, the Prime Minister's carriage was parked there. Chi Feng happened to lift the curtain and jumped out of the carriage. "You guys get in the carriage. The palace gate has been arranged. You just need to come back at midnight."
Xiao Yichen, who had a rare day of leisure, was in a good mood. He carried Ji Lingxue to the carriage. Two sets of clothes were neatly placed in the carriage, and surprisingly, there were also two exquisite human skin masks.
Ji Lingxue said: "This human skin mask looks so familiar, where did Chi Feng get it?" You know, a human skin mask that is as thin as a cicada's wing and has realistic workmanship is not something you can find anywhere on the street. It is in high demand.
Xiao Yichen said: "Among the secret guards I trained, there is one who is proficient in disguise, and making human skin masks is also his specialty."
Ji Lingxue nodded suddenly, the palace was naturally a place where talented people emerged in large numbers.
After Ji Lingxue and Xiao Yichen changed their clothes, Chi Feng got on the carriage carefully. The coachman drove the carriage steadily out of the palace.
Chang'an Avenue is also beautiful at night, with bright lights and wine, painted boats parked by the moat, red lanterns hanging high, people's shadows reflected on the river, and the sound of pianos floating in the wind. Even if you stand far away, you can hear the sound of stringed instruments. At a glance, there are crowds of people and chaos; there are some vendors and many tourists on the west side of the bridge. The stalls display jewelry, flowers, purses, etc. There are also tea sellers and fortune tellers. Many tourists lean on the railings on the side of the bridge, pointing and shouting.
Ji Lingxue got off the carriage and took a deep breath of the outside air. When she opened her eyes again, Xiao Yichen was holding a string of candied haws in his hand. "I heard from Mammy that pregnant women like to eat sweet and sour things. Do you like it?"
Ji Lingxue took it and took a bite. The candied haws still tasted the same as before. Maybe because she was in a good mood, the haws felt very sweet today.
"Is there a party on this pleasure boat? It's quite lively." Ji Lingxue looked at the pleasure boat on the river.
Chi Feng waved his fan and stepped forward to explain in a romantic manner: "Today, the four major brothels in the capital are competing for talent to choose the best brothel in the capital. All the young talents and people who like to join in the fun are gathered here. It is much more lively than the Qixi Festival."
Ji Lingxue's eyes rolled and she looked at Xiao Yichen with a meaningful look. Everything Xiao Yichen did was full of meaning. She thought that he was just acting on a whim today and wanted to make up for the fact that she had been staying in the palace to take care of the baby and feeling bored for the past three months. She didn't expect that he had another purpose tonight.
Ji Lingxue asked Chi Feng: "You said that all the young talents in the capital are here to watch the talent show of the four major brothels, including the children of officials in the court?"
Chi Feng nodded, "Of course, I heard this and told the emperor that we should come together to appreciate this famous flower show in the capital."
Ji Lingxue turned to look at Xiao Yichen, and asked with her eyes, "Do you want to see how much these officials' children spend in these brothels in one night?"
Xiao Yichen nodded, "Now that the national treasury is empty, we naturally have to find a way to provide disaster relief in Jiangnan this time."
Ji Lingxue smiled. How could she have forgotten that Xiao Yichen was an old fox? The empty treasury was probably just an illusion. He also had a private property called a gold mine that had not been transferred to the treasury. It would not be a good idea to target his own court officials...
Xiao Yichen walked up to Ji Lingxue, took her hand and said, "Let's go!" There was an inconspicuous small boat parked not far away. Xiao Yichen was worried that the road on the river bank was difficult to walk on and would bump into Ji Lingxue, so he simply picked him up by the waist and flew towards the small boat using his lightness skills.
Chi Feng followed the two men, fanning himself. Feeling like a dog-tortured Prime Minister, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky and chanted a poem: "May I ask you to play the flute to the purple smoke, I once learned to dance in my youth. If I could become a pair of mandarin ducks, why would I refuse to die? I would rather be a mandarin duck than be immortal. Pair of mandarin ducks is really enviable, they come and go in pairs, don't you see? I hate the solitary phoenix embroidered on the curtain, I'd rather get a pair of swallows on the door curtain."
The small boat floated to the center of the river. Ji Lingxue was looking at the scenery from the window and was in a good mood. Chi Feng started to make tea on the other side. At this moment, the sound of a piano was heard from the pleasure boat. The passers-by and onlookers were intoxicated by the sound and no one paid attention to the small boat that was gradually approaching.
Ji Lingxue looked at the vendors behind the pleasure boat. There were many food stalls on the riverbank. The figure in green shirt looked familiar. It was the scholar and cook. Look at the flag on the stall behind him which read Qingfeng Yashe. Ji Lingxue twitched her lips. When did Qingfeng Yashe fall to the point of selling food by setting up stalls
Chi Feng explained, "The Queen looks familiar. This cook is quite interesting. I heard that he came to the capital to prepare for the imperial examination, but his money was stolen and he had nowhere to stay, so he went to the Prince Chen's Mansion to apply for a job as a cook. The Emperor took pity on him and took him in. Although his cooking skills are not that good, the Prince Chen's Mansion can afford to keep an idle person."
Chi Feng put away his folding fan and tapped his palm. "This is the queen in the front part. You should be very familiar with it. This scholar in blue is the one you pried into Qingfeng Yashe to take the blame for you. His original name was Qingshu. He stayed in Qingfeng Yashe until the spring exam, and then he went to take the exam. Unfortunately, his essay was swapped and he failed the exam. He stayed in Qingfeng Yashe to continue studying. Mo Xiang later asked him to be an accountant for two days..."
Ji Lingxue raised her eyebrows, "What happened next?"
Chi Feng smiled and continued, "That day I accompanied several adults to visit Qingfeng Yashe, and happened to see Qingshu writing a good poem at the counter. I wanted to invite him to work as a clerk in my house, but he refused..." As he spoke, Chi Feng sighed deeply, looking quite sad.
Ji Lingxue said: "Why refuse?" The clerk in the Prime Minister's Mansion is very suitable for him, and being a cook in Qingfeng Yashe is a perfect talent.
Chi Feng imitated the tone of the love letter and said, "I am the Queen's man. Even if the princess begs me to work as a clerk in the Prime Minister's Mansion, I will refuse."
Xiao Yichen said: "It is a good thing for a gentleman to be open and honest and not bow down for money."
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips, "Since the emperor appreciates such talents, just accept him directly. I won't mind... By the way, what does this have to do with why Qingshu is setting up a night stall by the moat?"
Chi Feng opened his folding fan and fanned himself, then said with a smile, "The flood in the south of the Yangtze River displaced many refugees, many of them brought their families all the way north to the capital, so there are many more beggars in the city. I once saw him giving some leftovers to those refugees, so he must be setting up a night stall here for this reason."
Ji Lingxue looked towards the shore and saw several young men leaving after eating at his place. He then took away the leftovers and put them in another place.
Xiao Yichen pulled Ji Lingxue's hand. Ji Lingxue turned her head and saw a girl in red holding a pipa walking out of the pleasure boat with the most lanterns. When the sound of the pipa started, the girl in red played the pipa with her backhand and danced gracefully on the pleasure boat, which attracted applause from the crowd. You could also hear the young men screaming and applauding for her.
Ji Lingxue withdrew her gaze and turned around. She was surprised to find a familiar face standing on the houseboat. It was Ruge who was in good health.
Ji Lingxue exclaimed: "Ruge, why is he here too?"
If it was a single man visiting a pleasure boat, she wouldn't be so surprised. How could a man like Ruge, who is not a promiscuous man and has a family, be on a pleasure boat
Xiao Yichen said: "It's Ruge, I didn't expect he would like this..."
Ji Lingxue felt that she needed to help Ruge prove her innocence, "Maybe Ruge was too bored in the palace and came out to relax."
Xiao Yichen sighed and said, "I have granted him a marriage, but he looks like he came alone. Poor Linglong's infatuation..."
Ji Lingxue rolled her eyes secretly, really not understanding where Xiao Yichen's emotion came from.
(End of this chapter)