The Empress Arrives: Rebirth of Concubine Hua

Chapter 342: Sharing Dinner
The Yangxin Palace was warm but not stuffy, providing just the right level of comfort.

When Nian Shilan stepped over the threshold, Yinzhen had just washed his hands and sat down at the table.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health~"

Yinzhen listened to Nian Shilan's voice, which seemed even more gentle and charming when she lost her naive tone.

A big smile appeared on his face and his eyes looked bright.

"Get up. You are dressed warmly today. The fur on your clothes is very nice.

It suits you very well, it is elegant and graceful, and you are indeed the one I love."

Yinzhen's words clearly sounded like admiration and pride for the woman he loved, but Nian Shilan did not feel happy when she heard them.

Nian Shilan thanked him and walked slowly to Yinzhen, but she was not in a hurry to eat. She just stretched out her hand tenderly, waiting for Yinzhen to shake it.

Sure enough, Yinzhen frowned and said.

"Why are your hands so cold? Didn't the servant who followed you go out and get you a hand warmer?"

Nian Shilan felt her little hand being wrapped in Yinzhen's big hand. He stroked Nian Shilan's hand. When he glanced at Songzhi behind Nian Shilan, Songzhi had already knelt down in fear.

But Nian Shilan spoke with a pouty tone.

"Your Majesty has wrongly blamed me, the concubine. My hands and feet are always cold in winter, and it is only the beginning of winter now.

I thought it wasn't that cold, so I didn't ask the servant to bring a hand warmer.

The emperor felt sorry for the concubines in the harem who were afraid of the cold, so he ordered the heating to be turned on early.
I still feel hot. Besides, it's winter now, and I'm always worried about whether the soldiers on the front line are wearing warm clothes.

No matter how little money the palace saves, it is a token of our appreciation for the relief efforts on the front line, so I only chose warmer clothes to wear.

When the snow falls, the capital will become even colder, so I will use the hand warmer again."

Yinzhen held Nian Shilan's hand, which was gradually warming up, and smiled.

"Since I ascended the throne, although the national treasury is not very full, there is still some money to spend in the palace.

I don't expect you women to save a little money. If people find out, they will say that I am too harsh on you.

How much does your little hand warmer cost? Just use it as you wish."

Nian Shilan let go of Yinzhen's hand and walked to the seat opposite the table. Songzhi hurriedly got up from the ground, carefully took off Nian Shilan's cloak and put it away.

The warmth that she withdrew from Yinzhen's hand still remained in Yinzhen's palm, causing Yinzhen to feel a little lost.

Nian Shilan waited until everyone was seated firmly before speaking.

"Your Majesty is concerned about the great affairs of the state, but I am concerned about the trivial matters of firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea.

Let me give you an example. Take the small hand warmer for example.

Each time it costs one or two taels of high-quality silver charcoal, and it needs to be changed five or six times a day.

One person needs about 20 kilograms of silver charcoal per month. Silver charcoal is expensive now.
I have looked at the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This winter, one pound of silver charcoal costs four taels of silver, and the monthly expense for hand warmers is eighty taels.

You, the two Empress Dowagers, and the Empress Dowager spent more on this item of expenses, and the rest was spent on the imperial concubines and some concubines of the previous emperor.

Then there are the young ladies we see every day in the palace, and the accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The expenditure for this item is nearly 1,800 taels of silver per month."

Having said this, Nian Shilan paused and continued.

"I have said too much at this moment. Your Majesty, why don't you have your meal first? After the meal, I will talk to you again."

Nian Shilan stopped talking, and Yinzhen smiled and said, "Okay, let's eat first! Today I asked the imperial kitchen to prepare all your favorite dishes, do you think they are okay?"

Nian Shilan looked at the table full of dishes that she used to love to eat, with braised shark's fin, stir-fried phoenix tongue, cherry meat, and steamed pigeon with flower ling as the main dishes, and supplemented by emerald tofu, fairy stew, bamboo shoots with chicken marrow, steamed shad, and Longjing shrimps, as well as several exquisite dim sum.

Su Peisheng and Songzhi stood beside Yinzhen and Nian Shilan respectively, waiting to serve food to the two masters.

Nian Shilan looked at the dishes and said.

"Your Majesty's love is too great for me. Now is the best time to eat deer tendons.

The emperor likes to eat this, and I don’t know if the imperial kitchen has made it today.”

What she was thinking in her heart was that in her previous life she was always thinking of ways to please Yinzhen.

If one day Yinzhen sent someone to tell her that he wanted to have a meal in her Yiku Palace, she would definitely get up early and watch the small kitchen carefully prepare Yinzhen's favorite dishes.

Nian Shilan still remembers the detailed cooking methods of shark skin chicken soup, fresh mushroom cabbage, and roasted deer tendons.

Nian Shilan was having a meal with Yinzhen while recalling the situations in her previous life, when she suddenly heard Yinzhen say.

"Shilan, have you been worried lately? You talk less in front of me and are not as lively as before."

Nian Shilan had just swallowed a mouthful of Eight Treasures Sweet Soup. She picked up the silk handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth and said with a smile.

“I heard that when the Emperor and the Empress were dining together, they said, ‘Don’t talk while eating, and don’t talk while sleeping.

I followed the rules and stayed awake, not daring to speak casually during the meal, so as not to disturb the emperor's interest in the meal.

Besides, I am not young anymore. There are many concubines in the palace. As a concubine, I should set an example. "

Yinzhen had a mouthful of food in his mouth. Before he could swallow it, he heard Nian Shilan say this. He immediately opened his eyes in surprise.

He quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, and Su Peisheng was so panicked that he hurriedly held up the prepared soup with both hands.

"Hey, Your Majesty, please slow down."

Yinzhen stretched out his hand to block the soup, leaned forward towards Nian Shilan, and said with a smile.

"You are seven years younger than me, Shilan. That's right! When you say you are not young anymore, aren't you also talking about me?
But I feel that I am in my prime! What's more, I don't like the Queen to talk too much, why are you doing the same?"

Yinzhen's words didn't sound like a question, but more like curiosity, wanting to find out the truth.

Nian Shilan rolled her eyes in her heart, but her face remained calm. She even sat up straight, looking very dignified. She suppressed her smile and said.

"Your Majesty is right. I am seven years younger than you, but I have been helping the Empress these days.

You should be more stable. The emperor seems to be seven years younger than me today, which makes me feel wrong. "

Yinzhen asked curiously.

"What illusion? Tell me about it."

Nian Shilan just smiled and said nothing. He waved his hand and asked the servants to clear the table, indicating that the meal was ready.

After the servants had finished packing and left the Yangxin Palace, only Yinzhen and Nian Shilan were left in the palace. Nian Shilan leaned close to Yinzhen's ear and whispered.

"My illusion is..."

But she just said "yes" for a long time and then stopped talking, which made Yinzhen unable to bear it any longer. He picked up Nian Shilan and walked towards the inner room.

Nian Shilan hooked her hands tightly around Yinzhen's neck, pretending to be nervous.

"What is the emperor doing? We have just finished our meal and it is not yet time for bed!"