Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 597 The Heavenly Fire in Kunning Palace
Imperial Room,
Fireworks are lingering and aroma is overflowing. The windows on all sides are wide open, and the hot steam of cooking and stew comes out of the windows.

At this time, the imperial dining room is the kitchen, and the sounds of pots and pans are intertwined, not to mention how lively it is. The dishes cooked on the stove are always two portions. If one portion is not cooked well, there will be a replacement. Of course, The leftover dishes will be delivered to other palace stewards. This is an old rule in the palace.

Outside the imperial dining room,

There has long been a team of eunuchs waiting in the lobby with food boxes. As soon as a dish is prepared, someone will pick it up, put it in the food box and cover it. After all the dishes are finished, they will go to nourish the heart together. Send it to the palace.

There are a certain number of dishes for His Majesty's meals. There are seven or forty-nine dishes for each meal, and they cannot be repeated. Therefore, it is not easy in the imperial kitchen. Fortunately, the supply of the Imperial Household is sufficient, and the daily consumption cannot be used up. The remaining ingredients are either Either they were resold to the concubines in the harem, or they were bought by various supervisory bureaus and spent some money to serve as food and drinks.

Therefore, the royal dining room has the most money. How come Eunuch Tian didn't know that other people were jealous, so he divided the collected money into three parts, one for Governor Dai of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one for the Royal Horse Supervisor, and kept the rest for himself. Half of the money and the rest were given to the other ministers in charge of Shang Gong. Only then did they stop complaining. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he sat firmly in the imperial kitchen for more than ten years.

"Godfather, godfather, His Majesty's meals have been prepared. The steward father-in-law led a team to deliver them to you. The rest of the people are cleaning up the kitchen, and my son has brought you some food and drinks."

Tian Da knocked on the door and then pushed the door open. Tian Er followed behind with a bottle of good wine. But just as they entered the house, it was dark inside. The two groped their way to the table and put the Put the food box lightly on the table, then take out the fire stick and blow it, light the oil lamp,

Just after lighting the candle, there was light. When I turned around, I saw Eunuch Tian sitting on the kang, looking at the two of them with his eyes open. They were so frightened that they swallowed their saliva and did not dare to move.

"Humph, little brat, how can such a big deal happen with just this little courage?"

"Okay, let's go."

After speaking, he took out a long black strip from the secret compartment on the wall behind him, and then a brocade bag, placed it on the bed, and ordered,
"The two of you carry your things and the food boxes and follow the food delivery team. Tonight, His Majesty will have dinner at Kunning Palace. When you arrive at the palace gate, when no one is paying attention, you two throw these two things away. It’s on the old tree in the yard in front of Kunning Palace, don’t ask anything else.”

Tian Da endured his fear and did not tell lies. He was really afraid of thunder. The feeling of loneliness was still fresh in his memory. Tian Baoliang glared at him and cursed,

Tian Er didn't say much and responded.

Tian Da also instantly understood that what was a huge good thing was obviously a disaster. As for the addition of two more dishes, turning it into forty-nine dishes, it was just a trick.

Although Tian Da behind him was reckless, he was not a thoughtless person. When Tian Er said this, he fell silent. It didn't look like a good thing.
"What should I do?"

"Your Majesty, why did you think of me coming here today?"

Eunuch Tian closed his eyes after chasing him away.

"it is good,"

"You worthless thing, you are afraid of even this little thing, so why are you still staying in the palace? Come here, I will tell you something, and it will be done. From now on, you will be the sons of the Za family. If you can't handle it, just leave it up to you. ”

Tian Er thought for a while, and that was probably what Manager Tian meant. The pastries in these two food boxes were also newly made. They must have been ordered by his godfather, so he had no choice but to make them. It was just that there were two more dishes, which would be troublesome.

"That's all. But if there are two more meal delivery guys, they can adapt to the situation. I'll deal with it."

When Tian Da was still confused, he was pulled out of the door by Tian Er, and then quickly walked into the imperial dining room, took a food box and packed some pastries, and then ran out quickly to catch up with the food delivery team. Because of the number of people There are so many of them, so they don’t go very fast.

"When you arrive at Kunning Palace, you will go up a flight of stairs, and there is an ancient tree in the center. Fortunately, it is unattended. When we pass by, you cover me and I throw the things directly onto the treetop without anyone noticing. Then follow up and come back after finishing the meal, but we still have to think of a way to deal with the palace, there are two more dishes today. "

"Well, godfather, I was a little scared just now. There were clouds outside and it seemed like it was going to rain. My son has been afraid of thunder since he was a child."

Tian Er, who was walking in front, didn't understand what Eunuch Tian meant, but the danger in the palace was no less dangerous than on the battlefield. How could God open his eyes today and let Eunuch Tian recognize him as his godson? The reason turned out to be this. What's weird about that ancient tree? .

Kunning Palace,
In the main hall,
Empress Jiang was smiling happily, sitting next to Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong, her face was slightly red, the phoenix hairpin on her bun seemed to feel the joy of her master, and the phoenix tail hairpin was also swaying from side to side,

The two of them looked at each other in confusion. They really didn't know why their godfather was like this. What were these two things that looked so dark? They wanted to ask. Tian Er quickly put the things in his arms and hid them away and asked,
"Godfather, my son understands, so go ahead and get things done."

Although Tian Da didn't realize it, he followed Tian Er's example and walked at the back with a food box.

"Tian Er, what's going on, we don't even know why you did this."

"Tian Da, don't even think about it. If we asked clearly, you and I would still be alive."

"Oh, I can't come yet, haha,"

Emperor Wu drank some tea, smiled heartily, and looked at Kunning Palace. Since the three princes left, it has indeed become a lot deserted. He felt a little emotional in his heart.
"Yu Qing, you have been suffering a lot these years."

Queen Jiang Yuqing looked at His Majesty's somewhat old face, her eyes turned red, and she replied hazily,
"Your Majesty, it's not hard for me to be a concubine, but Your Majesty, if you have long hair, you must take care of your dragon body."

"Hey, I know, but there are some things that I have to do personally and I can't let go. But don't worry, Yu Qing, I will keep your words in mind and I will definitely take good care of myself."

Zhou Shihong wiped the tears from the corner of the queen's eyes with his sleeve and saw that his wife's eyes also had wrinkles. Time makes people grow old.

"As long as your Majesty remembers it, I will feel at ease. I will go to Jing'an Temple to offer incense the day after tomorrow. I will report to the Queen Mother and have sent letters to the wives of various families in the capital in advance, so that my trip will not be delayed."

"Well, the queen has taken the trouble. I asked the imperial army to escort you, and then Luo Yunhou will lead the army outside. I think nothing will happen. When you get there, the queen must pay attention to the Queen Mother's actions,"

Emperor Wu hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke. Although the eldest princess could not come out, the people in the south of Jingnan were in chaos, and there were always questions in her heart. Is there any connection between the Jingnan Marquis Mansion and the south?
The Queen looked at His Majesty's thinking and thought of the eldest princess Zhou Xiangxue who lived in seclusion in Maple Leaf Valley in Beishan. Could it be that His Majesty was worried about her?
"Your Majesty is worried about the eldest princess. She has been living there in seclusion for ten years."

"Yeah, it's been ten years. The more you hold back, the bigger your plans become. Neither of my two sisters is simple."

"And Princess Yongcheng?"

The emperor and empress talked, and the more they talked, the more worried they became.

Outside Kunning Palace,

The steward who was leading the way looked back at the team and saw someone walking too slowly, so he cursed.
"Hurry, follow up. It's like you haven't eaten. If anyone falls behind, go back and serve him with two whips. Don't blame the Zajia family for not reminding you. Your Majesty is happy now. If anyone ruins the master's mood, it won't be with two whips. It’s over.”

As soon as the threat was said, the whole team obviously walked more carefully. Everyone kept their heads down and took small steps to follow. They all held the food boxes in their hands, for fear of making a mistake. In this way, the long queue walked from the imperial kitchen to the harem Kunning Palace.
along the way,

The imperial guards patrolled back and forth, and there were dense sentries at the intersections of the palaces. Since the change that day, Emperor Wu sent an order to Baoning Hou, and the palace guards added two posts to ensure tight security.

Tian Da and Tian Er looked around and couldn't see clearly. Only the lantern in the hand of the eunuch who was leading the way could illuminate some of it. The rest of the place couldn't be seen clearly because of the dark clouds.

But it's also a good thing. This way, when you act, you will definitely not attract attention.

Not long after leaving,
After entering the harem, I came to Kunning Palace. I saw a majestic palace with bright lights all around. There were also many imperial guards guarding Kunning Palace. Fortunately, the ancient tree was far away. On the flat ground in front of Kunning Palace.

The team delivering dinner happened to be passing by. Tian Er gave Ambassador Tian a wink, and then saw that the steward did not look back. He quickly took a few steps to the side, then took out the brocade bag and long things from his arms, and directly It was thrown on the treetop. Tian Da was holding the food box in front of him. After seeing the thing thrown up, he said anxiously,
"Hurry, come back quickly."

"coming."

Tian Er dodged and returned to the back of the team. Tian Da returned the food box smoothly.

Although the speed was very fast, in the quiet night, some noises still attracted the attention of the leader. Looking back, the team was still following. He glanced around suspiciously, but there was nothing strange.

"When we get to Kunning Palace, please pay attention to the Za family and leave quickly."

Then he lifted his legs all the way up the steps and entered the palace under the inspection of the Forbidden Army guard.

"Your Majesty, the meals from the imperial kitchen have arrived."

Dai Quan stood beside Emperor Wu, looked at the letter Xiao Yunzi delivered to him at the door, and then lowered his head to speak.

Only then did Emperor Wu realize that it was indeed getting late.

"Pass the food around and let them bring it in. The queen and I will have a good meal tonight."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In response, Dai Quan raised his head and waved to Xiao Yunzi. The latter understood, turned and left.

Following the sound of sporadic footsteps, a group of young eunuchs filed in one after another with their heads bowed. Then under Dai Quan's gaze, they opened the food boxes. Xiao Yunzi led the two young eunuchs and served the dishes one by one. The meal was brought to the table where His Majesty ate, and the eunuch had to take a bite before it was served.

The table on which His Majesty dines is not an ordinary people's home. Just any square table or round table will do. Instead, it is a large altar table. The order of serving dishes is not fixed each time. The dishes His Majesty wants to eat each time can only be random. With one finger, the eunuch who is waiting will take a bite and bring it over. Each dish must not be repeated more than three times.

Just like that, a table full of dishes was laid out. Just when it was coming, Dai Quan raised his eyebrows and wondered why there were two more dishes among the 7749 dishes. He walked over calmly, and then looked at the end of the table. I stretched out my hand to pinch the two pastries on the table. They were soft and warm. They had just been made. I took one pastry and broke it open. There was nothing strange inside. After putting it down, I took out another pastry from the lower layer and asked a person behind me. The serving eunuch ate it,
Seeing this scene, the people around him, as well as the steward who led the team, turned pale and did not dare to speak.
Wu Emperor Zhou Shihong naturally saw it, and felt strange in his heart. He noticed Dai Quan's unusual behavior and glanced at the dishes on the table suspiciously. Some of them were still steaming. Could something be wrong?
"Dai Quan, do you have a question?"

Dai Quan was still checking the number of people when they arrived. He counted them again and found that there were indeed two more people. The monkey boy didn't know where he came from. He glared at the steward leading the team with a cold face.

"Back to Your Majesty, there are two more dishes today, and there are two more people delivering the food. This old servant is feeling a little strange."

"Oh, there are actually two more. It's interesting. Then you can ask which two are more."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Wu had no expression on his face and quickly stared at the eunuch below. The daily dishes were fixed. How could there be two more dishes?
Dai Quan looked back at the little eunuch below. Before he could speak, Tian Da and Tian Er knew they couldn't hide. Tian Da suddenly pulled Tian Er's hand and stood up first.

"I'm reporting to the Governor that the two servants took the wrong food box and took the wrong way. They followed us all the way. We don't dare to deceive them."

"I am reporting to the Governor, it is the food box that two servants are carrying. The pastries in it are freshly made. I thought that the team who had just delivered the food forgot to take it, so I followed them with the food box. The servant was timid and did not dare to talk to the steward. Say, just follow the team.”

Tian Da and Tian Er knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Dai Quan squinted his eyes and quickly looked at the two of them. They were handsome and slightly thin. Judging from the clothes, they were the lowest-ranking eunuchs who had just entered the palace, but the clothes were from the imperial kitchen. Could it be that he is from Tian Baoliang?

"Oh, so you have good intentions. Are you from the imperial kitchen?"

"The Governor knows it well, and I dare not lie to you. These two servants are from the imperial kitchen. The stewards who went there have all seen me."

Then the two kowtowed again. Dai Quan immediately looked at the steward leading the team, and saw the eunuch sweating on his forehead, and replied with a trembling mouth,
"Go back to the Governor, it's the two of them who have met before."

Then he whispered,
"The Governor and the others were just given a godson by Manager Tian today."

Only Dai Quan can hear it. Although he has doubts, he may not be able to make mistakes.

"Okay, since we are acquaintances, come on, give the pastry and the dishes in the three rows behind each a chopstick for the two of them to eat."

"Yes,"

The eunuch who followed took the dishes and began to pick up the dishes. Then he came over with a plate full of food. Dai Quan hummed before placing the plates in front of the two of them.
"Okay, you two are kind enough to walk all the way and eat these,"

"Yes, Governor,"

Tian Da and Tian Er didn't dare to hesitate at this time and just ate without hesitation. Especially Tian Da, who even licked the plate after eating. The eunuchs looking around were dumbfounded, even the Emperor Wu and the Empress who were sitting there were stunned. I can't help but laugh,
Tian Da burped and put down the plate.
"Give them both some tea,"

"Yes,"

He poured two more bowls of tea for the two of them, slurped it for a while, and drank it all in one gulp. After waiting for a while, the two men's expressions changed, and the eunuch who had just tested the poison did not look strange either. Dai Quan finally had a smile on his face.
"Get up and wait by the side."

"Thank you, Duke!"

(End of this chapter)