Border Cook

Chapter 650: Fear and Anticipation (4K Large Chapter)

The emperor treated them like this, and probably treated others like this too.

Those who think they have a strong foundation and want to control the overall situation are actually a bit self-righteous and their cleverness may backfire.

After all, how could a person who could sit on the dragon throne and expand the territory all the way be such a stupid person, and how could he tolerate the ulterior motives of others?
Many times, the surface and the inside are often completely different situations.

What they need to do is to be loyal.

Xia Mingyue understood this and nodded slightly. Lu Qiyan held her hand and said, "I've been busy all afternoon and now I'm hungry. Did you ask someone to prepare a meal?"

"Of course." Xia Mingyue called Yin Qiao and asked the servants to bring over the prepared food.

The dough is soft, light and fragrant, and the delicious chive and egg dumplings each contain a whole shrimp.

The garlic lettuce is extremely refreshing and delicious, and every bite has a crispy feeling.

The cucumbers grown in the greenhouse are small but very fresh. There is no need to cut them into pieces. Just pickle the whole cucumber with chili pepper, garlic, ginger, pepper, salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and other seasonings. Each cucumber is extremely crispy, sour and appetizing.

The Dongpo pork elbow is extremely rich and can be eaten in big mouthfuls. It has a bright color, crispy skin and tender meat. Every bite is extremely satisfying.

Lily and lotus seed rice porridge is sweet and soft, and can reduce noise and reduce internal heat. After eating all the buns and dishes, have one or two bowls, and your whole stomach will feel comfortable...

The meal was rich and delicious, and the three of them enjoyed it very much, especially Lu Qiyan and Xia Yunji, who felt it was so satisfying that they didn't care too much about their eating manners.

Sure enough, the food at home is always the best.

The taste is one thing, but what’s more important is the relaxation and comfort. It is so much better than those extremely restrictive banquets and dinners out there!
Xia Mingyue and her family of three enjoyed their dinner very much, but Fan Jinglan was bored and uninterested during her dinner in the palace.

Seeing this, the Queen Mother picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of bamboo shoots into Fan Jinglan's bowl. She asked with concern, "Lan'er looks like she has a poor appetite. Is the food not to your taste?"

"That's not the case." Fan Jinglan shook her head and denied it. "The food in the palace is made of carefully selected ingredients, and the royal chefs are very skilled. The dishes they make are exquisite and delicious."

“But although the dishes are exquisite, they lack the warmth and warmth that ordinary people have, which makes people subconsciously feel a little unfamiliar.”

The Queen didn't quite understand what Fan Jinglan wanted to express, and was a little confused. But the Queen Mother understood and put down her chopsticks. "Who did something to make Lan'er so sad? Lan'er, just tell me, I will definitely make the decision for you!"

Hearing the Queen Mother say this, Fan Jinglan stood up and walked to the Queen Mother. After pouting, she snuggled into the Queen Mother's arms, her face full of grievance.

It's full of coquettishness.

The Queen Mother gently patted Fan Jinglan's back and laughed, "It's been a long time since I've seen Lan'er so unhappy. Let me guess, the person who can make Lan'er so upset must be someone that Lan'er doesn't think is easy to offend. There is probably only one such person, and that is the Emperor."

"Lan'er, am I right about what I said?"

Fan Jinglan nodded aggrievedly.

it is as expected.

The Queen Mother caressed Fan Jinglan's forehead lovingly, "Then Lan'er, tell me, how did the Emperor bully us, Lan'er?"

"Madam Xia has arrived in Beijing. I went to talk to her today."

"Lan'er doesn't like Lady Xia the most, so talking to her should be a normal thing."

"That's what you said, but the house where Madam Xia lived after arriving in Beijing seems to have been purchased recently. From what Madam Xia said, she only knew the location of this house after arriving in Beijing. But before Madam Xia even arrived in Beijing, the emperor knew where Madam Xia's house was and told me."

Fan Jinglan said, "Even if Commander Lu reported his residence, he would not submit a memorial to the emperor until he arrived in Beijing. But the emperor knew about this so early. Can this be understood as the emperor sending people to keep an eye on Commander Lu and Madam Xia and others?"

"The emperor would treat them like this, and I think he would treat others like this as well. So is our Fan family also experiencing the same thing?"

"Although when I get along with the Emperor, I always emphasize the importance of treating the emperor first and the ministers second, but when I think of this, I feel very sad. I feel that the Emperor, who usually treats me very kindly, is so distant and cold..."

When Fan Jinglan said this, her body trembled slightly.

Part of it was sadness, and part of it was anger, and some fear.

Under the imperial power, no one is special.

After listening to Fan Jinglan's words, the Queen Mother sighed, "Lan'er, you have always been straightforward. If you have any questions in your heart, you always ask the other party directly. But this time you did not go to the emperor but told me first, which is enough to show that this matter really makes you sad."

"However, you can rest assured. The emperor has never had such thoughts or actions towards the Fan family. I can guarantee this. As for the couple Lu Qiyan and Xia Mingyue you mentioned, they are rising talents and can be used. The emperor is willing to cultivate them, but he is also worried about their stance, so he will inevitably pay more attention to them."

"After all, you know the current situation. The country and the government seem stable, but in fact, there are undercurrents beneath the calm. If we want to achieve true peace in the world, we have to do many things. Your uncle, the emperor, is really helpless."

"I can only say that he was too obvious in what he did, which made people feel a little annoyed. But Lan'er, think about it. Your uncle the emperor knows that you are a smart person, but he deliberately did this in front of you. His intention is nothing more than to make you tell them, as a reminder."

"If you look at it from another angle, doesn't it also mean that your uncle the emperor is not too behind the scenes and doesn't tell others?"

Fan Jinglan was silent for a long time, and finally raised her head to look at the Queen Mother, "I understand, but this matter really cannot happen again. Commander Lu, Madam Xia, and even Madam Xia's brother, Commander Xia, are all people of good character."

"Okay, okay, I will tell the emperor, don't worry." The Queen Mother patted the back of Fan Jinglan's hand and said affectionately, "Now, you need to eat well."

"Yes." The queen asked the palace servant to bring a glass cup over, "I specifically asked the kitchen to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for Lan'er. It is the most delicious."

"Yeah!" Fan Jinglan nodded excitedly, returned to her seat, and picked up the chopsticks and spoon again.

The winter bamboo shoots in the bowl are made together with the delicious Jinhua ham. They have a crispy texture and are full of the fresh fragrance of the ham. The taste is indescribable.

The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is rich in ingredients and has a rich soup. One sip of it reveals its freshness and richness, which is incomparable to ordinary food. The scallops in particular are Fan Jinglan's favorite, and she thinks they taste better than abalone and sea cucumber.

Delicious food always makes people happy and forgets some worries.

Fan Jinglan was also like this at this time. The sadness just now seemed to be a thing of yesterday. She had completely turned over a new leaf and was immersed in the delicious food. Seeing Fan Jinglan eating heartily, which was completely different from the way she couldn't eat when she first sat down, the Queen Mother and the Queen smiled at each other.

Especially the Queen Mother, whose face was almost as smiling as a golden chrysanthemum, "Eat slowly, there are still a lot of them, all made especially for you."

"I like to eat with Lan'er the most. Whenever I see Lan'er eating, I think the food tastes especially good."

The Queen smiled and said, "Now I just hope that if Lan'er gets married in the future, her husband's family will be in the capital, so that I can often have meals with Lan'er."

"Yes." The Queen Mother nodded.

But all this is based on the premise that Fan Jinglan is willing to get married.

Thinking of this, the Queen Mother asked tentatively, "The New Year's Eve banquet that I mentioned to Lan'er before..."

"No problem." Fan Jinglan agreed without hesitation.

no problem?
The Queen Mother and the Empress were both somewhat incredulous, "Really?"

Fan Jinglan actually agreed to show her talent at the New Year's Eve banquet. Does that mean that she also wants to find an ideal husband as soon as possible?
Then this matter will be easier to handle!
All the young talents in Beijing, no, to be more precise, all the young talents in the world, as long as Fan Jinglan likes them, they are all welcome!
"Of course it's true." Fan Jinglan nodded very seriously, "But the talent I will show at that time may be a little special."

special?

The Queen frowned slightly, "Lan'er, do you mean to show off your martial arts skills?"

"That's right!" Fan Jinglan nodded again, excitedly, "And in order to make the boxing and kicking skills more attractive, I found a suitable opponent to spar with."

This made the queen silent for a long time.

After all, what kind of good person would exchange kung fu skills with others at the annual and very rare New Year's Eve banquet in the palace?

But if this was done by Fan Jinglan...

It seems very normal!
But even so, the queen still wanted to persuade Fan Jinglan, "Um, Lan'er..."

"It's quite innovative. Lan'er will surely make a splash." The Queen Mother agreed with this very much. "Lan'er, just do as you say."

"Okay!" Fan Jinglan's smile deepened. "Thank you, Queen Mother."

"Okay, okay, stop being so polite. Finish your meal quickly and go check on Yufei to see if she has finished her homework," said the Queen Mother with a smile.

Xiao Yufei is the third princess born to the Queen. She is only fourteen years old this year. During the day, she studies and attends classes with the other princesses, learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, cooking, etc.

The reason why she didn't come to eat together today was because she failed in needlework and was punished by her master to embroider a purse. Xiao Yufei was stubborn and refused to eat until she finished the embroidery, so she stayed in the palace to work hard alone.

"Okay." Fan Jinglan agreed excitedly again, and she ate the rice much faster.

After dinner, Fan Jinglan was allowed to go first, while the Queen Mother and the Empress talked for a while in the bedroom.

The Queen was still a little worried about the banquet. "Mother, do you really want Lan'er to show off her martial arts skills at the banquet on New Year's Eve?"

"Is this true?" The Queen Mother laughed. "At the New Year's Eve banquet, the other noble ladies are all good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but Lan'er is different. She will definitely attract attention. It's very interesting. I'm suddenly looking forward to this year's New Year's Eve banquet."

"But, will this delay Lan'er?"

"How could that be? The Queen should understand that if someone is dissatisfied with Lan'er because of this, then he is naturally not Lan'er's good man. Besides, didn't the Queen see that?"

"What did you see?" The Queen was stunned and a little ashamed. "I am stupid, please enlighten me, Mother."

"Think about it, Lan'er is always very resistant to the talent show at the New Year's Eve banquet, but this year she agreed so readily, and she even had to compete with someone when she showed off her martial arts. Don't you think the person she found to compete with her is very exciting?"

The Queen Mother smiled in a mysterious way, and the Queen immediately understood what she meant. "I see. Then I really have to look forward to it. But I am very curious about what kind of person caught Lan'er's eye?"

"Will we not know then?" The Queen Mother said with a smile, "If we know too early, there will be no sense of anticipation."

The so-called sense of anticipation is that the answer must be revealed at the end, that's what makes it interesting.

"Yes." The queen responded with a smile.

At night, the emperor came to pay his respects to the empress dowager.

The emperor was extremely filial and would pay his respects to the emperor every day, rain or shine. If time permitted, he would often serve him tea and soup.

The same is true today.

When the emperor came, he brought a pair of green-glazed gall-shaped vases specially for the empress dowager. The glaze on the vases was glossy and even, with unique crackle patterns, which looked very elegant.

The Empress Dowager liked it very much, and ordered someone to cut some plum blossoms in full bloom and place them in the box and then placed it on the table beside the bed.

"The emperor is thoughtful." The queen mother smiled. "Logically speaking, the emperor just gave me such a good thing, I shouldn't have spoiled his interest. But tonight when Lan'er was having dinner with me, she felt very sad. After asking her carefully, I found out that it had something to do with the Lu couple..."

The Queen Mother paused, and then continued, "The Emperor has his own ideas and decisions regarding state affairs. I am in the harem and should not have said much. But the Emperor was wrong in that he should not have borrowed Lan'er's hand and let her wade into the muddy water."

"Lan'er has grown up beside me since she was a child. The emperor should be very clear about her position in my heart. Seeing Lan'er sad and scared today, my heart is broken."

"The emperor is the emperor now. If it were in the past, I would never give up and would definitely give the emperor a good beating!"

Being scolded by his mother, the emperor was filled with shame. "It is my fault, please calm down, mother. But I do have many concerns. After all, the Lu couple is now involved in a wide range of issues, so I need to spend more time thinking about it."

"Secondly, Lan'er is not young anymore. I think being frank and honest is a good thing, but she needs to grow up. If she is still so naive, I am a little worried about Lan'er's future..."

"Nonsense!" The Queen Mother interrupted the Emperor.