Chapter 230: Mung Bean Cake

Because it was raining, the afternoon lessons were not long.

At the start of the shen hour, the young masters had finished their lessons.

Master Shen leisurely packed up his teaching tools, thinking, Today there's a light rain; if the roads are bad, I'll stay at the Wangfu.

If the roads are good, I'll head back and buy a tasty roasted chicken on the way.

A new small shop has opened in Jing Cheng; its storefront is modest and its reputation is not well known.

However, Master Shen had previously tried that shop's roasted chicken and found the flavor decent.

If he can return home today, he plans to buy one……

All right, buy two then.

The household has many people, and the little ones are still greedy for snacks.

However, chicken meat is warm in nature; eating too much easily causes internal heat, and roasted chicken is even more likely to do so, so his wife doesn't want the children to eat too much.

So he still can't buy too much; he has to keep it under control.

Being a grandfather isn't easy either.

Master Shen hummed a leisurely little tune while slowly packing up his things.

The young masters of the Wangfu, however, couldn't wait; they had the servants pack up their belongings, and they themselves happily rushed to the main courtyard.

Among them, Feng Xuanrui rushed the fastest.

To avoid the rain, he had no choice but to wind through these corridors of the residence; the paths inside were not easy to walk, wet and slippery in the rain, and a moment's inattention could easily cause a slip.

So he controlled his speed, but not his volume: "Little sister, I'm here!"

Feng Xuanbin's short little legs couldn't keep up; he followed for a while, realized he couldn't keep pace, and gave up.

But, being small‑bodied with a loud voice, he shouted: "Little sister, Seventh Brother is here too!"

……

When those two young masters shouted, practically the whole Wangfu knew: the young masters had finished school.

Princess Consort of Qi was sitting to the side at that moment, listening as Sui Sui told her about writing letters to her older sisters and brothers.

Sui Sui wanted Mother Consort to help her as a reference.

After all, she and her two older sisters are still children, so their considerations might not always be thorough.

So she still needed Mother Consort to give her a guiding eye.

The letter was Sui Sui's words, written by Shen Hua Tang.

When she put pen to paper, she tried to keep it as simple as possible, yet she would unconsciously embellish certain words.

The result was……

Sui Sui listened as Tangtang Jiejie read aloud for a while, and then some words she didn't understand.

The little girl looked at herself with a blank expression, and the Princess Consort of Qi couldn't resist such temptation.

She picked her up, gave her a rub, and then held her in her arms.

Shen Hua Tang also noticed that after a bit of polishing, some words lost their original simple meaning, which made her a bit embarrassed.

Princess Consort of Qi didn't mind at all; after all, letters between children don't need to be overly formal, nor tightly supervised—just as long as the kids understand.

Sun Ronglin and Lian Ruoyi are both noble‑born young masters and misses, educated from childhood.

Therefore, Shen Hua Tang's polishing, Sui Sui doesn't understand, but they certainly do.

Thus, there's nothing to worry about.

Seeing Sui Sui nestled in her embrace, feeling shy, the Princess Consort of Qi smiled and gently patted her.

She had barely patted twice when she heard Feng Xuanrui shout from the courtyard: "Little sister, I'm here!"

That earth‑shaking shout directly startled the Princess Consort of Qi.

She amusedly watched a group of princes, damp with steam, rush in; she was about to speak up to remind them, but Feng Xuanrui reacted fastest, swiftly grabbing a nearby cloth to tidy himself up, then standing a moment by the door until the steam on him lightened, after which he entered.

The others followed behind, imitating his actions.

Seeing them cherish their little sister so, the Princess Consort of Qi's heart warmed as well.

Prince Qi took a medicinal bath and then went to sleep.

After all, his health is poor, so he needs nurturing; he might also be a bit withdrawn.

Princess Consort of Qi also wasn't in a hurry to disturb him.

What would bothering him achieve?

Would arguing lead to fighting over treasures?

The young masters had attended a lesson for an hour, each one tired and hungry.

Although they hadn't expended much today, mental exertion still counts as consumption.

Feng Xuanrui first stroked Sui Sui's hair, then snuggled with his sister before shouting: "Mother Consort, I'm hungry, I'm hungry!"

When he shouted, Feng Xuanbin also started calling out.

The others, being older, felt embarrassed to shout.

But a few years ago, they too were among those who shouted.

Thinking of this, they still feel rather embarrassed.

Today's dessert is bean cake, made by steaming a mix of mung beans and red beans, with added seasonings.

The steamed cake tastes very light, but its texture is extremely delicate when eaten.

Besides that, there are candied plums and dried cherries.

The tea is based on a warming black tea, but only the lightest infusion is taken, leaving just a faint tea aroma; then red dates, longan, osmanthus honey, peach‑kernel peanut crumbs and the like are added as accompaniments, making the whole drink clink and clatter lively when sipped.

Sui Sui really likes drinking something like this.

Because eating and drinking, one cup is enough.

Of course, if you're too greedy, you could also eat two dried cherries or some plums.

But the dried cherries are fresh, and she likes to eat them.

Watching Sui Sui eat until her little face became round and plump, Princess Consort of Qi watched from the side, and her brows and eyes couldn't help but curve.

She thought, since it rained today, perhaps tomorrow the cherries over at Zhuangzi will have ripened considerably.

However, in view of what happened last time, she doesn't dare to speak of what to eat this time.

She really fears it might become fully cooked overnight!

One or two times is still an auspicious sign, but when it happens often, she truly has no explanation!

At this moment in the inner palace, the Empress Dowager was also pondering the matter.

If Princess Consort of Qi can notice it, the Empress Dowager also has the Emperor's investigative data, which is even more detailed; can she still not see any clue?

Moreover, Princess Consort of Qi had suddenly gone to Lanruo Si before, publicly saying she went to pray for blessings before, and now to fulfill a vow.

But the Empress Dowager couldn't guess that this also has something to do with Sui Sui.

This child...

has a good destiny.

The former Chen family, and later the Jin Yang Marquis Residence, failed to catch the wealth and luck bestowed by Heaven; they simply lacked that fortune.

Heaven even looks down on them, showing how much they are despised by everyone!

Princess Consort of Qi kept it hidden, and the Empress Dowager could understand her worries.

Even if Qi Wang Fu is prosperous, there is still an Emperor above it.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager helplessly shook her head and clenched the prayer beads in her hand.

Her two sons...

One is overly shrewd, the other overly foolish.

This makes her often doubt...

whether they were not properly allocated at birth?

But they aren't twins; there's an age gap of several years.

How can this still be unbalanced?

The Empress Dowager couldn't figure it out, finally concluding: the Emperor follows her, and Prince Qi resembles the Late Emperor.

The Emperor, on the Empress Dowager's mind, was at this moment listening to Marquis Protecting the State talk about the coal matters.

The corresponding coal data has been fully compiled, and the new samples have been produced in considerable quantity by the Ministry of Works.

They are just waiting to present them to His Majesty, so His Majesty can see the effect of this thing, and then proceed with further decisions.

Marquis Protecting the State had previously complied with Prince Qi's request; now entering the palace, he must offer many flattering words and also speak of the importance of the coal, and...

The importance of the coal mine.

Second watch at 19:00.