Manager Chi washed the watermelons and cut them. The watermelons that Uncle Hong had chosen were already good, and even the unripe ones had been ripened by the journey. Manager Chi was also lucky, as everything was red. When he cut with the knife, he could only hear a crisp sound, and then smell the fragrance of the watermelon.
Steward Chi watched the red juice flow out of it and licked his dry lips. Then, he cut it piece by piece. Steward Chi had seen many good things as an imperial concubine, but this kind of fruit was the first time he had seen it. This red color was so beautiful.
Naturally, someone must taste the food for the emperor. On ordinary days, he might ask someone else to taste it, but today, Chief Steward Chi cut it himself and tasted it himself. It's not that he is not afraid of death, but how could the food sent by General Qin be poisonous? If it was really poisonous, wouldn't General Qin want his head? So Chief Steward Chi dared to try it himself.
The sweet taste is so wonderful when you take a bite.
Manager Chi resisted the urge to take a second bite and said to the young eunuch, "Put the remaining half in the freezer." It had not been frozen before. Because the weather was hot, the fruit was a little hot after being exposed to the sun. If it was frozen, the taste would be even worse.
Chief Steward Chi thought Qin Fang was amazing. He could find everything, even this kind of fruit. No wonder the emperor said that Qin Fang was lucky. Thinking of this, Chief Steward Chi had an idea in his mind. The day when Qin Fang would be transferred back to the capital would not be far away. The emperor would definitely bring a lucky person to the capital. So, when Qin Fang came, he had to make friends with him.
However, the Imperial Concubine had been asking him about things recently, but he had always evaded them. He was not a fool. The Emperor was in his prime, and with his status, there was no need for him to get involved in things that he shouldn't be involved in. He was older than the Emperor, and perhaps after he passed away, the Emperor would be more stable on the throne. So, he could just be his chief steward. He had already done the work of following the Emperor, so why would he want to support another prince to ascend the throne
Chief Steward Chi entered the imperial study room carrying a plate: "Your Majesty, the watermelon is here."
The emperor put down his pen and saw the red fruit on the plate: "This watermelon is green on the outside, but red on the inside."
Mr. Chi said: "Isn't this a fulfillment of the saying that red flowers go well with green leaves?"
The emperor couldn't help but smile after hearing this: "You are quite talented in writing. How does this watermelon taste?"
Chief Chi said: "I can't hide it from the emperor. I tried a piece of it greedily. It tastes really good. It is much better than the apples and pears I have eaten before."
The emperor heard this and gave him a piece of it: "Eat it. You are drooling."
Chief Steward Chi chuckled, took the watermelon, and took a bite. The emperor moved his nose, picked up a piece and ate it. After taking a bite, he opened his eyes wide and said, "It's delicious."
Chief Steward Chi took the opportunity to say, "I've seen this watermelon. There are several ways to eat it. I've even frozen half of it. It tastes better when it's chilled on a hot day."
The emperor nodded and said nothing, because his mouth was for eating. After eating two pieces in one go, his mouth was not satisfied, but his stomach was a little full. He said, "This watermelon is very filling." However, the emperor was not a greedy person.
Chief Chi said, "That's right. But it's written in the notebook sent by General Qin that this watermelon can only be eaten on the same day. It will go bad if left overnight. If it's not cut, it can be kept for several days. It's quite durable."
The emperor thought for a moment and said: "Send some watermelons to the concubines in the harem who have given birth to princes and princesses. Send two watermelons to each palace."
Manager Chi asked, "What if it's delivered to a live person?"
The emperor was puzzled: "Is there any raw melon?"
Manager Chi said: "There is a reminder in the notebook that the melons may spoil on the way, so they are not fully ripe when picked. Also, the melon has a skin on the outside, so you can't see whether it is raw or ripe inside, so it is possible that it is raw. However, whether it is raw or ripe, it is edible, the difference is that the raw one is not very sweet inside."
The emperor smiled and said, "It all depends on their luck. Believe it or not, I am sending it to the living. They will not be able to figure out other meanings."
When Chief Steward Chi heard this, he was amazed. This raw melon…isn’t it raw? “Your Majesty is wise.”
The emperor laughed and said, "Keep your mouth shut about the matter of you delivering the melons, and pretend you don't know about Qin Fang's matter."
Manager Chi: “Yes.”
Outside the palace gate, Captain Du was waiting. Finally, Tao Shan came out. He waved his hand and said, "Tao Shan... Tao Shan..."
Tao Shanyi had never expected that the dignified Second Young Master Du would have been waiting for him, so he hurried over and said, "Second Young Master, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Captain Du said indifferently: "It's okay, let's go, follow me back to the mansion. By the way, are you okay in there?"
Tao Shan said: "It's okay, I met the emperor, the emperor is really a good man."
Captain Du smiled and said nothing. You can't talk about the emperor's affairs outside.
As soon as Tao Shan arrived at the Du Mansion, he was invited by the housekeeper to Mrs. Du's courtyard. This was the first time Tao Shan met the hostess of the Du Mansion. Before this, the housekeeper had always received him.
When Tao Shan went in, Mrs. Du was eating watermelon.
The housekeeper said, "Madam, Tao Shan is here."
Tao Shan just raised his head slightly to avoid mistaking someone, and then bowed to Mrs. Du: "Tao Shan greets Mrs. Du."
Generally, women are addressed with the imperial title only in important occasions. For example, Du Ke was a third-rank official, so Mrs. Du was a third-rank official, a Shu Ren. However, in one's own house, servants would address the master, or guests would address the hostess, all of which were addressed as Madam.
Mrs. Du was about the same age as Qin's mother, but she looked much younger. She was a clan woman, so naturally she was not comparable to country women like Qin's mother.
Mrs. Du said, "No need to be polite, Tao Shan, right? Please take a seat."
Tao Shan hurriedly said, "No, no, I can just stand here." If it were in the past, he would definitely be nervous, but since he had just met the emperor, he would not be nervous when meeting anyone now, because the impact of meeting the emperor had not faded.
Mrs. Du smiled and said, "Please sit down. I have something to ask you."
Tao Shan bowed and said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."
Mrs. Du heard that he was well-spoken and had more experience than the servants in other mansions. She nodded and said, "Tao Shan, when you left Yunxiang County, was Lord Du still in the General's Mansion?" Because she had received a letter from Du Ke, she knew that Du Ke lived in the General's Mansion in Yunxiang County.
Tao Shan said: "When I left the General's Mansion, Lord Du was already there."
Mrs. Du: "How is Lord Du? Has he been sick recently? Lord Du is always tight-lipped. He never tells me when he's sick. Neither he nor the people around him tell me. I know he doesn't want me to worry, but I'm worried when he's away. Tao Shan, please don't hide it from me."
Tao Shan's heart tightened. Why did he feel that Mrs. Du was threatening him? However, he said truthfully, "My Lord is in good health. On the day he arrived in Yunxiang County, the county lord asked the doctor in the mansion to see him. Before I left, my Lord had not been sick."
Mrs. Du observed Tao Shan's appearance and didn't think he was lying. She was very satisfied: "The Xiangjun you mentioned is my adopted daughter Yanyan, right? I received a letter from you before. During his time in the general's mansion, it was thanks to Yanyan and her husband that he was taken care of."
Tao Shan didn't know how to answer, so he thought for a while and said, "Lord Du is an elder, and he is the general's teacher. It is the duty of the county lord and the general to take care of him. But Lord Du is very busy. He goes to visit the common people with the general every day to investigate the people's sentiments. By the way, Lord Shen is also with them."
Mrs. Du nodded: "So that's how it is. In such a hot day, he went to visit the common people every day. This is what he came up with."
Tao Shan said: "The common people like Lord Du very much."
Mrs. Du was stunned for a moment, then she became interested: "With that face of his, he is so sullen every day, is there anyone who likes him?" Even the children at home are afraid of him.
This... Tao Shan smiled awkwardly, but he clarified for Lord Du: "Lord Du is very kind and gentle to the people, and the people like him very much. Moreover, when he listens to the people's nagging, he is very patient, and the people welcome him to come again next time."
Phew... Mrs. Du couldn't help laughing out loud, but it was true that was really the old man's style.
Tao Shan didn't know what he said to make Mrs. Du laugh, and he felt a little embarrassed.
Mrs. Du said, "By the way, Taoshan, the vegetables and fruits you sent are really good. I have never seen them in the capital. And your village master is very careful. He prepared a notebook to record the cooking and eating of these things. Especially this watermelon, it is really delicious."
Tao Shan: "Lord Du really likes to eat watermelons. When the watermelons are ripe, Lord Du can eat half a watermelon every day."
Mrs. Du snorted, "He is so lucky. We will probably run out of these in a few days." She wanted to send a few of these delicious watermelons to her parents' home, so she was really envious when she thought about the old man being able to eat them every day.
Tao Shan said, "You can't eat them for long, because the watermelon season is only a little over a month, so the next time you eat them you'll have to wait until next year. If you like them, I'll send them to you at this time next year."
Mrs. Du said, "The fruit season is only a little over a month? That's really short. Then I'll wait for you to send it back next year. If your village lord doesn't give it to me by then, I'll come looking for you."
Tao Shan held his face tightly, unable to speak.
Mrs. Du stopped teasing him and said, "Go down and have a rest. Rest here for a few days before going back. I have something for you to take back to your village master."
Tao Shan: “Yes.”
Tao Shan stayed at the Du family for two days, and returned with several boxes full of things. These things were not only given by Mrs. Du, but also by Mrs. Du's family and the emperor, so he came with large and small boxes, and left with large and small bags.