Chapter 205.2 |
Having witnessed such a dramatic scene in the morning, the neighbours of the Mao Family were left pondering. Some felt uneasy because they had also been once beneficiaries when His Majesty, who was still a prince, had brought his men to save them.
Most of those who lived here were not high-ranking officials. They were neither high nor low, unable to afford guards and the walls of their homes were not tall. When the rebels caused chaos that day, many families here suffered. Fortunately, His Highness Jin Wang arrived in time. Afterward, they were brought to Jin Wang Manor, where they could rest peacefully within high walls. The consort was amiable, the servants were obedient, and they lacked neither clothing nor food. Needless to say, they were grateful.
However, as time passed, many people forgot the hardships of that day and the feeling of having survived a disaster.
…
The Mao Family.
Madam Mao entered the house and quickly walked inside. She picked up a cup of tea from the table and started drinking.
“I was so thirsty.”
Imperial Censor Mao, also sweating profusely, entered the hall and sat down on a chair.
After drinking water and feeling relieved, Madam Mao asked, “Husband, do you think this plan will work?”
This was Imperial Censor Mao’s true way of dealing with the world. Without powerful support or the ability to understand others, with his irritating personality, he would have long been sent back to his hometown to farm long ago. His ability to pass through the Hongjing dynasty peacefully was nothing more than a thorough understanding of the intentions of those in power.
“But I still hope to be able to help niangniang.”
Although Madam Mao had only met the consort a couple of times in passing, she genuinely felt that the consort was a kind person. Because her husband was disliked by others, Madam Mao was not well-received either. However, the consort did not look down on them because of it. Such genuine kindness was hard to come by.
Based on this, Madam Mao believed the consort was worthy of the empress’ position.
Although the Mao Family’s matter was a trivial one, somehow it spread throughout the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and all the households and government offices heard about it. At that moment, there were those who scorned, those who despised, those who sneered, and those who remained silent.
It must be said that Imperial Censor Mao and Madam Mao were truly annoying. They always spoke and acted in a way that hit people in their sore spots. Scholars valued dignity and gratitude. How could they tolerate being mocked and insulted? Although the men did not interact with the consort in the past, when they lived in Jin Wang Manor, the servants always mentioned how they were following the consort’s arrangements.
The reason the fig leaf served as a fig leaf was that everyone silently chose to ignore it. Now that the fig leaf had been torn off, those who cared about their reputation couldn’t afford to make their dissent too obvious.
Of course, this was only a small part of the population. Another part, who claimed not to have received any favours from Jin Wang Manor, saw themselves as standing on the side of righteousness to condemn them. However, Emperor Jin’an finally gave a response at this time. He issued a decree establishing Yaoniang as the empress, sending it to the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites.
This was Emperor Jin’an’s second time issuing an imperial decree. The major decisions of the dynasty were made by the cabinet. If the Emperor’s intentions were not appropriate, the cabinet and the Imperial Censor had the right to reject the decree.
But the so-called rejection was only a method, not a means. To put it bluntly, the whole world belongs to the emperor, and as a courtier, refuting the emperor’s wishes once after another could only mean one was tired of living.
Refuting a decree was merely a way of testing and implicitly conveying their feelings. It lets His Majesty know that the decree was not appropriate. If His Majesty was scrupulous, he naturally wouldn’t issue the decree again. However, if His Majesty insisted on his own opinion, the subordinates could only find other methods and wouldn’t resist directly. Of course, looking at past dynasties, there were also those who confronted the emperor head-on, but their fates were inevitably miserable.
The cabinet only served to restrain imperial power; it was never a check on it.
The decree had already been sent to the Ministry of Rites and would soon be announced to all officials and proclaimed throughout the country. Even if they wanted to delay it, they could only delay it for three days at most. If they tried to delay it for longer, the entire Ministry of Rites would be accused of dereliction of duty.
One decree caused waves beneath the surface. Although it was already night, those who needed to act had already started their movements in secret.
Meanwhile, in Yangxin Hall, things were also busy.
Today, Emperor Jin’an returned late. Yaoniang had already sent someone to inquire, and Emperor Jin’an said he would be back soon. So after ordering the servants to deliver the food to Qianqing Palace, Yaoniang had the two children wait for Emperor Jin’an to return. Erbao was hungry, so she fed him some pastries first.
When it was dark, Emperor Jin’an returned. After cleaning up a bit, Emperor Jin’an changed into casual clothes and joined Yaoniang and the two children for dinner.
Yaoniang tried a different approach today. The lamb stew she had sent to Qianqing Palace had been favoured by the Emperor Emeritus, and he had mentioned it a few times. Yaoniang had sent it twice already and didn’t dare to send it again. Lamb, although nourishing, was inherently heaty, and the Emperor Emeritus was in a state of recuperation. Eating too much of it was not suitable. But recently, the Emperor Emeritus had developed a taste for it and couldn’t get enough.
Yaoniang was at a loss and had to find another way. Following Mother Xue’s suggestion, she stewed the lamb and then removed the meat, using the lamb broth to cook other dishes, retaining the flavour without overdoing it.
In fact, this way of eating was not uncommon. It had been popular in the capital for a while, mainly using lamb or other meats as the main ingredient. Even when cooking vegetables, they used this method to add a more meaty flavour. It originated from the common people’s households, due to their limited resources but a craving for meaty flavours, they added tofu and vegetables to the meat broth. It was called a “meat pot,” but in reality, it was a pot of vegetarian food.
Of course, those in the palace were more meticulous with eating, emphasizing freshness and texture, so as soon as the food was cooked it was eaten. All in all, it was quite enjoyable.
In theory, it was good, but unfortunately, Erbao and Xiaobao were both too young with short arms and small hands. It was unsafe for them to fish for food in the boiling broth. Moreover, both of the little ones didn’t like to be served when eating. Yaoniang had a clever idea and asked someone to cut many bamboo skewers. They skewered the food, both meat and vegetables, on the skewers and cooked them in the broth. Afterwards, they dipped them in a special sauce and ate them, giving them a unique flavour.
After trying it once, Erbao loved it and asked Yaoniang to make it for him every day. Surprisingly, Emperor Jin’an seemed to enjoy it as well. His appetite increased, which made Yaoniang, who had been worried that he ate too little every day, pleasantly surprised. After all, the people below him had exhausted all their efforts to prepare various delicacies and dishes.
And at Qianqing Palace, the Emperor Emeritus also liked it very much. It turned out to be a success in more ways than one.
After the family had a satisfying meal, all of them were sweating. Although it was already February and not too cold, it was still a rare occurrence.
The palace maids and eunuchs came to serve them, washing their hands and faces. They also drank some tea to help with digestion. Fucheng walked in from outside and whispered something in Emperor Jin’an’s ear. Emperor Jin’an just nodded slightly and didn’t speak.
Afterward, Fucheng left, and Yaoniang looked at him curiously. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
