She turned her head and told Xiao Xiazi, who was serving the emperor, and said: "Move the sweet white glazed jade pot and spring incense burner farther away. It is filled with ambergris. The aroma is too strong and affects eating."

Xiaoxiazi hurriedly agreed to do it.

While the two were chatting, they heard the thin and pointed voice of the eunuch outside saying softly: "Your Majesty, Concubine Chun wants to see you."

The eunuch's voice is always as thin as silk. If you are not used to hearing it, you will definitely find it irritating.

An Lingrong pursed her lips and smiled: "Sister Chun is here."

The emperor's eyes were smiling like crescent moons, shining brightly, and he ordered: "Call her to come in. She happens to be having a meal too, so there are more people and it will be more lively."

The thick bright yellow heavy brocade blessing curtain outside was raised, and a graceful woman walked in with lotus steps.

At that time, the ground was covered with a thick plain red gold velvet carpet. Her footsteps were extremely light and she fell silently on the ground.

The long blue and shiny silver Mingxia satin skirt raises ripples like floating waves, like dots of light overflowing.

Because of his youth, even the pearl flowers are so bright and soft, and the pink tourmaline is a flower in full bloom.

The ruby ​​particles are the delicate stamens, the topaz buds are waiting to bloom, and the green tourmalines are the five-petal leaves.

Her face was as bright as the rosy clouds in the sky, reflecting the emerald green on her temples. It was like a soft cloud of clouds hitting her eyes.

When the emperor saw Chun Bin, he smiled and extended his hand to signal her to stand up: "No need to be polite, it's cold outside, why are you here?"

Chunbi said timidly: "I have been stewing bird's nests for a long time. I heard that the emperor and Concubine An were having a meal, so I specially brought it to the emperor and Concubine An to taste."

An Lingrong didn't understand the meaning of her words, so she smiled slightly and said: "Chun'er's bird's nest must have been specially prepared for the emperor, and I have benefited from it.

Chun'er came just in time, the emperor is talking about giving you a reward. "

Chun Bin was surprised and delighted at first, and could not hide the joy that overflowed from the corner of her lips. She bowed repeatedly to thank her.

The emperor admired her charming look and was very satisfied.

Chun Bin said crisply: "The emperor just wanted to reward me, and I also prepared new bird's nests and presented them to the emperor in a new and clever way. I really understand the emperor's wishes."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at the emperor, her eyes wide and charming.

The emperor was fascinated by what he saw. Chunbi looked a little shy and did not meet his eyes. She turned her head and called out: "Yue'er, give me the bird's nest I prepared."

Yue'er Xizi carefully took out a bowl of bird's nest powder from the five-pointed red patterned food box. Chunbin said softly: "My hometown is rich in vermicelli made from mung beans. My mother's mother's mother asked someone to send some to the palace. It turns out that It's just something for a small family to eat freshly.

My concubine got up early and simmered pigeon eggs and golden needles, and then added three ounces of bird's nest to the stew. She asked the emperor and Concubine An to try it out. "

An Lingrong glanced at the cup. The fine powder was almost white, and the bird's nest was even more transparent white. At a glance, she saw that the cup was full of white frost, almost overflowing with it.

An Lingrong suppressed a trace of surprise escaping from her heart and said calmly: "Three taels of bird's nests cost a lot."

Yue'er said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have been worrying about this snack since I got up early. I was afraid that the emperor would be used to the dishes of the imperial cuisine, so I just asked him to taste it."

As long as the emperor likes it, he is not afraid of spending anything. "

The emperor glanced at it, and the smile on his lips became thicker and thicker. He could hardly bear it anymore. He turned to look at An Lingrong and said: "When it comes to cooking, Concubine An is also very good at it. This bird's nest powder, An What do you think, Concubine?"

An Lingrong looked at the dazzling array of dishes on the table, smiled slightly, and spoke as clear as a pearl.

"Chun'er's bird's nest is a bowl of fine powder and plain white, but the color is quite refreshing."

She paused and looked at Chun Bin who was overjoyed. She didn't want to say anything further, but when she thought of Chun'er's recent interactions with the Queen, she suddenly felt a little mischievous.

So, she said with a smile, "Bird's nest is a precious thing. It is not allowed to be used lightly. If it must be used, it must be soaked in boiling water from Tianquan first. A woman with skillful hands must use a silver needle to pick out the black silk and fine hair in the light. , not even a trace should be left, so as not to damage the taste.

If you use tender chicken, freshly picked mushrooms and a good fire method to boil three kinds of soup, the fire method is best to use Jinhua products. After simmering carefully, remove the debris and skim off the fat, leaving only the clear soup and simmering it slowly is the best. .

Secondly, you can also cook shredded mushrooms, shredded bamboo shoots, crucian carp belly, tender pheasant slices and bird's nest together in the soup. Shredded meat and shredded chicken are commonly used among the people. This is because eating shredded chicken and shredded meat has a mixed taste, rather than just eating bird's nest.

Nowadays, Sister Chunbin uses three ounces of bird's nests to cover the bowl of noodles, which is mixed with fine powder. At first glance, it looks like a bowl full of white hair, but it is not as delicious as it is. "

The emperor sneered: "The things are expensive and sufficient, but if they are not prepared properly, they are really like beggars selling themselves to get rich, and they reveal their poverty."

He stared at An Lingrong and smiled, "You are good at delicious food, but you just don't reveal the truth easily. Now that you are telling the truth, you can be a master of the royal chef."

An Lingrong said calmly: "I'm showing off. I should have washed my hands and made soup to serve my husband, but with the beauty of the royal cook, my meager skills are nothing. I'm just like Chun'er, serving the emperor with my heart."

The emperor seemed to have remembered something, and his face was as happy as a child's.

"I remember that you made a winter melon and bird's nest dish before, and it tasted very good.

The softness of peeled winter melon is combined with the softness of bird's nest, and the clear color of bird's nest is combined with the clearness of winter melon. It is simmered with chicken juice and mushroom juice. It is pure and mellow in the mouth. It will be unforgettable once you try it. "

He sighed rather sadly, "It's just that you are not willing to do it now."

An Lingrong shook her head with a hint of slyness in her mouth.

"If you try it once in a while, you will never forget it. If you eat it often, it will be nothing rare.

Moreover, my concubine has become unskilled after not cooking for many years. If she doesn't cook well, she won't even be able to preserve the deliciousness in the emperor's memory, so she might as well not cook it. "

An Lingrong's joy and slight anger were clearly visible at the corners of her brows and eyes, and the two of them responded to each other, just like an ordinary couple.

Concubine Chun stood nearby, listening to An Lingrong's comments every word, her face already red with embarrassment like a boiled shrimp.

The emperor's last words made her even more ashamed that she became the bowl of bird's nest powder sandwiched among the meals on the table, and she cooled down in embarrassment.

It was Yue'er who quietly touched her arm, signaling her to leave immediately.

Concubine Chun tried her best to force out a smile and said: "The Emperor and Concubine An were having dinner. I felt cold, so I decided not to accompany you, so as not to harm the health of the Emperor and Concubine An."

The palace was as warm as spring, and she felt that her back was sticky with sweat, sucking into the thin and slippery cloud silk clothes, making her breathless.

The emperor was talking to An Lingrong and just nodded curtly without paying much attention.

Chunbi turned around in a hurry, as if she couldn't wait any longer. She turned too quickly and bumped into the sweet white glazed dark flower grape jade pot spring incense burner beside her. The burner turned over and the ambergris inside spilled out. Most of the time, the hall was filled with a sweet aroma, almost suffocating.

The emperor frowned unconsciously, glanced at Concubine Chun, and immediately said to Xiao Xiazi: "Just now Concubine An asked you to put the incense burner farther away because she was afraid that the aroma would be too strong and affect your mood when eating. Why are you still so careless? ?”

Xiao Xiazi hurriedly knelt down to apologize. Chun Concubine heard that the emperor was displeased and leaned forward uneasily: "Your Majesty, I forgive you. It was my concubine who accidentally knocked over this white porcelain incense burner. It was not Xiao Xiazi's fault."

The emperor stared slightly, then laughed: "White porcelain? How can this be white porcelain?"

He calmly waved his sleeves and said in detail: "This is sweet white glaze, produced in the Yongle kiln of the former Ming Dynasty.

The sweet white glaze is extremely shiny, as white as gelatin, and as plain as snow. You can almost see people's shadows, and you will feel gentle, sweet and pure at first sight, so it is called sweet white. It is so valuable and rare, how can it be compared with ordinary white porcelain? "

Those few words were like an unexpected slap in the face, which made Chun Bin almost unable to stand.

Chun Bin's figure trembled slightly, but fortunately Yue'er was holding her tightly behind her. She tried her best to hold herself together and trembled to apologize.

"I am ignorant, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The emperor waved his hand, as if he didn't want to say any more.

"Based on your background, you won't end up like this. That's all, just kneel down."

The emperor told his ministers to "kneel down" to be polite. If he said this to his concubine, he would not want her to spend more time in front of him.

Chun Bin was originally a newly crowned noble, but now she felt that there was no place for her to stand, so she had no choice but to retreat.

An Lingrong looked at her hurried back and saw the palace attendants retreating. Fang smiled slightly and said, "The emperor seemed to like Chun'er very much in the past."

The emperor smiled lightly: "No, it's just that the palace people are making noise. They always say that Chun'er is favored because he looks like you. Do you like it?"

An Lingrong curled her lips: "What's there to like? I don't believe such words."

The emperor laughed: "Ah! It turns out that you think Chun Bin is not beautiful enough, so it is not because she looks like you that you win my favor."

An Lingrong turned slightly and said half-jokingly: "Because I don't believe that people can be replaced by each other, and their appearance and temperament will not be repeated.

The emperor likes Chun'er, so he naturally has her irreplaceable advantages. "

The emperor smiled and pinched her face: "Rong'er, then, you also have your irreplaceable benefits."

An Lingrong glanced at him sideways, her eyes almost watering.

"I also know that I have a lot of shortcomings, and others can't learn from them."

The emperor took her hand, hugged her in his arms, bit her earlobe and said with a smile, "Then I'll tell you what's wrong with you."

In the palace, the atmosphere is full of spring.

The cold wind outside the palace was so cold that it could corrode bones. Chun Bin stumbled to the jade steps and felt a cold sweat all over her body, which penetrated her bones and penetrated her heart.

Yue'er panicked and held on tightly: "Don't worry, little master. You spent a long time and braved the cold to deliver it. The emperor knows this painstaking effort."

Seeing no one around, she complained in a low voice, "It's all Concubine An's fault. What are you showing off? She's just a person with a poor family background!"

Chunbi pinched Yue'er's arm tightly, and said in a hoarse voice with a sore face: "Don't talk nonsense, it's just that I am shameless and ignorant.

Concubine An's family is in Jiangnan, so don't I also come from a poor background? Otherwise, why would he be sent to the palace to be raised at such a young age? "

She gritted her teeth and held her breath for a long time, looking back at the brightly lit Yangxin Hall, focusing on each word.

"Originally, it was the Emperor who gave me a glimmer of hope. He smiled at me and told me that I could change my family's fate on my own, but I didn't know how to make a bird's nest. Didn't I feel shameless?

The emperor has not withdrawn his decree of reward, so he has saved his face. "

Yue'er said worriedly: "Then what are your plans?"

Chunbin suddenly grabbed Yue'er's chin, twisted her face to face her, and said hoarsely: "Yue'er, look carefully, is my face still there? Have I gotten older or become ugly?"

Seeing her fierce expression, Yue'er was so frightened that her heart was beating wildly. She hurriedly smiled and said, "My queen has a beautiful face. My young master is as beautiful as a flower and is in the prime of youth."

Chun Bin's hand dropped heavily, like unloading a huge boulder.

She touched her face and said sadly: "Yue'er, it's not that I don't know why I am favored.

For the emperor's momentary interest, for a man's occasional desire, and more importantly, my face that has lost weight now somewhat resembles the shadow of Concubine An and Concubine Wan? Don’t I even know? "

Yue'er hurriedly supported her body and said softly: "Your Majesty, Concubine An has a noble position. You are like her, so it doesn't mean you are lucky.

What's more, even though they are exactly the same, you are much better than Concubine An and Concubine Wan when they were young. "

Chunbi managed to hold herself up, her face gradually becoming as calm as cold water.

She wrapped herself tightly in the blue cloud satin and brocade cloak, and the sound seemed to burst out from the bottom of her throat and from the pit of her heart.

"Yes, I am naturally blessed to be favored because I look like Concubine An, and to win the favor of the Queen. I am naturally blessed to give birth to my brother.

No matter how ignorant I am, as long as this face is here and as long as I don't make a big mistake, I won't end up in the cold palace like Concubine Wan.

Because when the emperor looks at my young face, he will remember the past, and he will naturally be particularly graceful.

And I'm still young, Concubine An understands. I'm slowly learning, and one day I will understand.

She knows how to do something and won't do it easily. I want to do everything better than her, so that's the best plan. "

After the dinner in the palace was finished, there was a little palace maid waiting on her, holding tea and gargling her mouth. Everyone was busy, but there was no sound and no chaos at all.

When Su Peisheng saw that everything was done, he came in and said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Jiang from the Taiyuan Hospital has something urgent to ask for."

The emperor's face darkened slightly, and An Lingrong understood: "I, my concubine, will retire first."

The emperor waved his hand and smiled brightly: "No need, you stay in the Yangxin Hall tonight.

Su Peisheng sent someone to wait for Concubine An to take a bath. "

An Lingrong turned around and left, and then walked to the back hall. She felt that her left ear was empty. When she touched it, she realized that the white jade earring she was wearing had disappeared.

Her heart sank slightly, thinking that this was the love gift given by the emperor before, and with a bit of drunkenness, she went to Dongnuan Pavilion without thinking much.

When she returned to the palace after bathing and dressing, the emperor had also changed into bright yellow pajamas and was waiting for her.

On the high beams of the dormitory of Yangxin Hall, bright yellow brocade curtains drooped down all over the place. In the corner, there was a golden dragon cauldron burning fine red sandalwood incense. Wisps of blue smoke gradually spread upwards and faded. The whole hall was solemn and quiet.

An Lingrong's expression softened the moment she stepped in, and she was as gentle as usual.

The emperor lowered his eyelids and said lazily: "It smells like bergamot, it smells really good."

He stretched out his hand to her, half-smiling.

"Come, come closer, let me smell it carefully, it seems that there is still the sweet fragrance of cardamom."

An Lingrong smiled quietly and walked to the Shuanghe copper candlestick in front of the couch. Just as she was about to blow out the candle, panic and hasty footsteps suddenly sounded outside. The knock on the door had obviously lost its sense of proportion. The emperor frowned and said: "More and more. The more unruly you are! Come in and reply!"


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