Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1231 Epilogue : The atmosphere in the inner house is very bad

"Boom boom boom!"

"My dear, it's time to get up early!"

Early in the morning, a maid was shouting outside.

Today Xie Yan and the princess are going to the palace, one to give some chocolates to Empress Dowager Ye, and the other to work with the chemists on rubber vulcanization.

Xie Yan sat up yawning.

Qingluan was also woken up. She opened her eyes and stole a glance at her lover. The more she looked at him, the more she thought he was so suave. Moreover, he had been so fierce last night that he had made her feel almost dead... Oh, what was I thinking? I was so embarrassed.

Feeling that Xie Yan turned his head to look at her, Qingluan quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Suddenly she felt that she shouldn't continue sleeping, so Qingluan quickly got up and helped Xie Yan get dressed.

"You should sleep a little longer. No one will urge you today." Xie Yan started to put on his underwear. He liked to sleep with his bare chest.

Qingluan sat astride Xie Yan's legs and carefully helped him tie his clothes.

Although she had often helped Xie Yan to dress himself before, her mood at this moment was obviously different. Qingluan felt like a wife serving her husband.

She had a smile on her face and was particularly enjoying this warmth.

Xie Yan was very excited after hearing this: "Do you peek often?"

"I wasn't the only one who peeked," Qingluan actually showed an expression of admiration, "We were so scared at the time that we didn't even dare to breathe. Hehe, the princess knelt down before her husband. Not to mention that it would be embarrassing if the maids knew about it. Liu Lang is really amazing. He made the princess obedient!"

"Get up quickly and don't sit on my lap." Xie Yan could hardly bear it anymore.

Qingluan, however, was like a little goblin. She actually got up and knelt in front of the bed. She raised her head and looked up at Xie Yan, her eyes blurred and her mouth slightly open: "Liu Lang, I want to try it too."

Xie Yan was furious: "I'm in a hurry to enter the palace today, I'll deal with you tomorrow!" Then he shouted outside, "Come in."

The door opened immediately and several maids came in carrying hot water, toothbrushes and other items.

Qingluan hurriedly got up and crawled back into the bed, facing the inside of the bed and not daring to see anyone. The maids all pursed their lips and tried not to laugh when they saw this. At the same time, they were also envious.

Even the palace maids had to sign employment contracts for five years. When the contract expired, they would return to the common people to marry and have children. Only some of them voluntarily renewed their contracts, or those who were accidentally abandoned by the emperor, remained.

The maids around the princess naturally also signed a five-year contract.

But just like the palace maids who stayed voluntarily, as long as they felt that they had the opportunity to become female officials, they would be very determined to renew their contracts and wait for promotion.

Only by becoming a female official in the palace can one become close to the emperor or concubines, or be responsible for managing certain affairs in the palace.

And what about the princess?
To be a maid of the princess, the appearance, figure, conversation and character are all very high. They have not left for the first five years, and now it is the second five years, how can they be willing to return to the people and marry?
They simply look down on ordinary people, and those who do like them would never marry them.

It's quite embarrassing to position myself.

The best outcome would be to be taken in by Xie Yan. Even if she couldn't be his concubine, being able to sleep with him would be good, and it would be even better if she could give birth to a child.

If it really doesn't work, wait until you are older and find a male servant in the princess's house to marry, and then the couple will manage the princess's family business together. At the very least, you can be a small steward in a manor outside the city.

After Xie Yan finished brushing his teeth and washing his face, he was helped by the maids to put on his outer clothes. Then he went to the dressing room to ask the maids to help him comb his hair.

Perhaps it was because Xie Yan was usually very gentle and casual, so these maids were quite bold in front of him.

They did not follow immediately, but stayed in the room for the time being, saying in unison as if jokingly: "Congratulations to Sister Qingluan for getting what she wished for."

Qingluan was so embarrassed that she pulled up the quilt and covered her head.

A maid rushed to the bedside and asked with a smile: "Sister Qingluan, what trick did my husband use yesterday?"

"so rude!"

Qingluan finally couldn't bear it anymore, she sat up and shouted angrily: "Why don't you help your husband comb his hair!"

"Hahahaha!"

The maids laughed joyfully.

Qingluan pointed at the maid beside the bed and said, "Zifeng, you are making fun of me now, but it will be your turn next. Back in the palace, we were both chosen to be by the princess' side, and you will definitely not be able to escape based on seniority."

The blue phoenix flew into the Hehuan Palace, and the purple phoenix carried flowers out of the palace.

The names of these two people come from the same poem.

Zi Feng smiled and said, "I definitely won't run away. I can't wait to get my turn."

"Slut!" Qingluan picked up the pillow and threw it at her.

Zi Feng took the pillow, looked at the burned-out red candle, and teased, "Oh, this candle is still red."

Qingluan pretended to get out of bed and chase after her, but Zifeng threw the pillow back and went out with the maids laughing.

There was no such atmosphere in the princess's house before Xie Yan came.

Because the princess was depressed all day long, her personal maids also became depressed.

Now everyone is very happy and there is laughter every day because the princess has become more cheerful and they don’t have to suppress their emotions anymore.

Everyone likes Prince Consort Xie, not only in the inner courtyard, but also in the outer courtyard!
Even gender is not differentiated.

Zifeng walked briskly, Qingluan got what she wanted, and it might be her turn next, and the days were getting more and more promising. I just don't know if Liulang likes plump women.

Alas, my breasts are too big, and it seems that all literati and scholars hate this.

But Liu Lang would occasionally sneak a peek at my breasts, especially in the summer, several times a day. He must like them, right? At least he wouldn't be disgusted.

You can’t be greedy anymore, or you’ll be gaining more and more fat.

Xie Yan thought he should be more serious at this moment. The maids didn't take him seriously. He had been sitting in the dressing room for two or three minutes, but the maids hadn't followed him.

finally come.

Zifeng picked up the comb and stood behind Xie Yan to comb his hair.

As he was combing his hair, Xie Yan realized something was wrong.

Hey, big sister, can you hold back a little? Why are you sticking your chest close to me? Those two big lumps of yours are scary.

I never made such big movements before. Did I take the wrong medicine today?
Forget it. Considering that it is a first offense, I will be magnanimous and not make a fuss about it.

"Princess, is she still asleep?" Xie Yan asked.

A maid replied, "Your Highness needs to sleep a little longer. He said that he has become more sleepy since he became pregnant."

Xie Yan ordered: "Ask the kitchen to make more cakes or sour snacks and bring them to the princess at all times. The princess may have morning sickness occasionally and may not be able to eat."

Zi Feng said: "Liu Lang is really considerate to His Highness. All the women in the world hope to have such a perfect husband."

Just talk, why are you coming so close to me?
This feeling... forget it, let’s not worry about it.

Xie Yan found that the atmosphere in the inner house needed to be rectified. Staying overnight in Qingluan's room last night set a bad precedent.

They are all too positive, I can’t stand it!

Although he entered the palace early in the morning, Zhu Tangxi slept until mid-morning before getting up.

The couple had a quick breakfast and then took a carriage to the imperial city. They waited for about an hour before being summoned.

When the little emperor was away, the morning was his study time, and great scholars took turns giving lectures every day.

Empress Dowager Ye was reviewing memorials, and Tao Jinfeng was assisting her.

There is nothing much to mark. Usually, they just write the word "可" and then draw a circle around it.

After the couple paid their respects, the eunuch brought in two chairs.

Queen Mother Ye put down her red brush and said, "I heard you are pregnant?"

"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I diagnosed a pregnancy a few days ago." Zhu Tangxi replied with a smile.

Empress Dowager Ye said, "How come you are free today? Why don't you come to see me together, husband and wife?"

Zhu Tangxi took out the gift box and said, "Yesterday, the prince consort made some cakes... well, more like candy. This candy is extremely delicious. Tangxi didn't dare to enjoy it alone, so she specially came to give it to my sister-in-law."

The lady-in-waiting took the chocolate and held it in front of Empress Dowager Ye.

Queen Mother Ye picked up a piece and tasted it, her expression slightly surprised: "This candy is extremely delicious. I didn't expect that young Scholar Xie has such craftsmanship."

Zhu Tangxi began to show off her husband: "He has many skills. He made chili oil by mixing chili powder with spices. He made it for me when he first visited me. I didn't keep it to myself and passed the recipe to Wu Lingfeng. Now it has been passed on to the Beijing Restaurant."

Zhu Tangxi also sighed and said, "Tell her to stop talking nonsense, but she just can't stop talking nonsense. In order to sell spicy shredded chicken, the Exiled Immortal House actually said that this was the love dish of the princess and her husband."

Queen Mother Ye was fed with dog food, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Okay, stop showing off, and show me how to make this candy. What's the name of this candy?"

Xie Yan said: "Princess candy."

After hearing this, Zhu Tangxi became even happier.

The attendant was so full of dog food that he wrote a retaliatory text: "On the sixth day of September, Princess Jing of Qin brought her husband Xie Yan to see the Queen Mother and presented her with a candy called Princess Candy. This candy was made by the husband himself and the princess liked it very much. It was also said that the famous dish in Beijing, Spicy Shredded Chicken, was cooked by the husband when he first met the princess. The princess fell in love with this dish, which shows how good the husband is."

This Spring and Autumn style of writing is clearly a subtle satire on Xie Yan's use of delicious food to hook rich women!

Xie Yan added: "This candy is made from cocoa beans presented by the Mayan king."

"Is there such a thing?" Empress Dowager Ye asked in surprise.

Xie Yan began to talk nonsense irresponsibly: "The Mayan royal family took Coco as their surname. The Mayan country had a lot of gold and silver, but they used cocoa beans as currency, which shows their love for this thing."

"Why don't I remember this being included in the Mayan tribute?" said Queen Mother Ye.

Xie Yan explained: "The natives of the vassal state don't know how to eat, and the food they make with cocoa is very bitter. Your Majesty the Queen Mother may have forgotten that the cocoa presented by the Maya King was handled by the Honglu Temple. After communicating with the Maya envoy, I tried to add sugar and milk to it, and it really made a very delicious candy."

Empress Dowager Ye said to Tao Jinfeng, "You can have one too."

Tao Jinfeng tasted it and immediately said, "This thing can be traded and will be welcomed by the people of our country."

Queen Mother Ye agreed to this and asked to add cocoa beans to the American trade goods and to bring back some seeds for the next year's fleet. She thought of her son again and said, "The remaining...Princess Candy, keep it for the official."

Empress Dowager Ye looked at Xie Yan and joked, "The prince consort is extremely talented. I'm afraid that in ten years, the Ming Dynasty will have a lot of things named after the Qin Kingdom and princesses."

"Sister-in-law is wise." Zhu Tangxi was overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)