First Concubine

Chapter 168 Killing two birds with one stone (1)

 At the dinner table, there are several dishes on both sides of the men's and women's tables: good weather, dragons flying all over the world, and family reunion. After listening to Ping'er's report, the old man looked at several dishes that seemed familiar but also unfamiliar. For the first time in his life, he had a look of surprise and amazement: "Tell me the name of the dish again!"

Ping'er pointed to the kelp and crucian carp tofu soup: "The weather is good." Then she pointed to the yellow and orange edges, the white and tender slices, and a carrot-carved faucet, with a long onion "Wandering Dragon" poured all over with marinade. "Dragon soaring all over the world." Finally, the Diaozi fish is wrapped in noodles and deep-fried until tender yellow. It is connected end to end to form a circle, with ten small pearl **** made of glutinous rice surrounded in the middle: "Family reunion."

 Zhuge Xiaotian glanced around with sharp eyes and noticed that his son and two grandsons were salivating. Then he picked up a chopstick and picked up a fish cake, and then everyone started to move.

Behind the screen cupboard, the old lady also picked up a chopstick of fish cakes. After taking a bite, she felt smooth and delicious. Her eyes almost fell out of her eyes. She even forgot about the rule of not talking when eating or sleeping. : "What is this Dragon Soaring Four Seas made of? It looks like fish, but it has a different flavor."

Shui Linglong personally served a bowl of kelp, crucian carp and tofu soup to the old lady, and another bowl to Leng Youru. Over there, Qiao Hui also served a portion to Zhen and Zhuge Shu. Everyone took a sip of the soup. Everyone looked surprised, even the cold and cold Youru drank three sips in a row.

Shui Linglong smiled and answered the old lady's question: "The main raw material is grass carp, as well as meat and eggs."

 “How to do it?” the old lady asked.

Shui Linglong said gently and authentically: "First remove the fish bones and cut off the fish head, then chop the fish meat and fat into pieces, mix with egg white, add a little salt, green onion, and **** powder, stir into fish paste, and mix into a square shape. Steam it in a steamer for two-quarters of an hour, then spread the egg yolk on the surface for another half-quarter of an hour, then take it out and slice it, and you're done."

Everyone continued to eat without thinking about the fact that the dishes were made by Shui Linglong. After all, almost no one here, old or young, could work in the kitchen. Even if they did, it would only be through lip service.

Men eat faster than women. After about a quarter of an hour, all the plates on the table were bottomed out. Seeing that there was still the last piece of fish cake left in the middle, Zhuge Xiaotian and Zhuge Liuyun stretched out their chopsticks at the same time, looked at each other and stiffened their arms at the same time. . I thought about giving in to my son, and the son thought about being filial and filial to me. For a second, Zhuge Yu waved his arm and the fish cake went into his mouth. The father and son made a "swish" sound and looked at Zhuge Yu murderously. Prince An broke into a cold sweat. Fortunately, he originally planned to do it, but he was just a beat behind his elder brother.

As people get older, they are not picky about food and have little interest in it. Zhuge Xiaotian thought that this would be the end of his old age, but today, for the first time, he felt that he still had more to eat.

Ping'er reminded: "You have eaten three big bowls, but you can't eat more, or you will accumulate food."

Zhuge Xiaotian wiped his mouth and said seriously as always: "The dishes in the kitchen are well cooked today. I'll give you a reward."

Ping'er hid her face and smiled: "Old Master, if you really want to reward me, you have to pay for it yourself. I can't afford it."

Zhuge Xiaotian frowned when he heard this: "What do you mean?"

Ping'er pointed to the three large plates that had been swept away and said: "The smooth weather, the prosperity of the world, and the family reunion were all done by the Crown Princess herself. Can you tell me whether the slaves can afford a reward?"

Zhuge Xiaotian was dumbfounded. After staring at the three empty plates for a while, he said: "Give my golden pen to the imperial concubine."

Golden Hui Brush is a fetal hair brush made of pure gold. It was given by Zhuge Xiaotian's grandfather. Zhuge Xiaotian always regarded it as a treasure, even Zhuge Yu was not willing to give it to him, but now he gave it to Shui Linglong.

Shui Linglong cooked food, but it was not a dish. Zhuge Xiaotian didn't know whether Shui Linglong enjoyed it or not. Zhuge Xiaotian only knew that there was a room full of female relatives, including the old lady who had suffered a lot during the march and war with him. Never willing to cook, a concubine born in Zhuangzi was raised by a woman who was expelled from the imperial family by her family. The hardships involved are self-evident. If he didn't frequent the kitchen, how could he cook as good a dish as the imperial chef? Pianshui Linglong never showed any complaints or grievances to win their sympathy.

The sympathy card is not easy to play. Crying and showing weakness like Zhen's method does not work in the Zhuge family, which values ​​violence against violence and respects the strong. This was a conclusion Shui Linglong came to accidentally while massaging Zhuge Yu's injuries. Therefore, what Shui Linglong showed to the old lady was a skill she had honed in adversity. The stronger it was, the more hardship she had put in. A battlefield warrior like the old lady understood the direct ratio between blood, sweat and merit the most, and was the most favored. People who bow to difficulties. She had thought that this move could soften the old man's cold attitude towards her, but she never expected that the old man would give such a valuable thing to her. She was really... flattered!

After leaving Tian'anju, Qiao Hui took Shui Linglong's hand and said enviously: "Sister-in-law doesn't show her real face. I only know that my sister-in-law is good at embroidery. I didn't expect her cooking skills to be so good. When I get well, what will my sister-in-law do?" Taught me?"

Shui Linglong smiled and nodded: "After you give birth to your nephew safely, if you want to learn, I will teach you."

 Qiao Hui thought of her mother-in-law's eyes full of joy when eating those dishes, and then looked at the frank and generous Shui Linglong, and suddenly realized that it was quite a blessing to have such a sister-in-law. Qiao Hui patted the back of Shui Linglong's hand and said softly: "I thank my sister-in-law first. Last time the eldest princess came to see me, she brought a piece of dark agarwood satin. My eldest brother matches this color. I will ask Xiu'er to give it to me later. Send it to my sister-in-law.”

 In fact, Qiao Hui shared a lot of the things that the eldest princess gave to Qiao Hui... Shui Linglong thought about it for a while, but did not say the words of rejection: "Okay, as long as you paid the tuition fee in advance."

The only one who was dissatisfied was Zhuge Yu. As soon as he returned to Mo Heyuan, he pushed Shui Linglong onto the bed and sat up, half squatting, and carefully inspected her hands to see if there were any scratches or scratches. Didn't he have any in the kitchen? After entering and almost burning it, he was worried that Shui Linglong was just a novice in the kitchen like him: "You, you, don't do such tiring work when you are pregnant! What if you bump into her? What to do if it burns your eyes and hands?"

  Exactly what Mrs. Zhong said! Shui Linglong smiled. Zhuge Yu was very serious, and his cold eyes stared straight at her! If it would make her behave, he would **** in her a hundred times without hesitation!

“Is it delicious?” Shui Linglong asked with a smile.

"snort!"

“Is it delicious?” Shui Linglong asked, still smiling.

"snort!"

Shui Linglong leaned over and kissed his handsome face: "Is it delicious?"

Zhuge Yu instantly succeeded, but still forced himself to frown: "It's delicious, but I don't want you to have to work hard."

Shui Linglong raised her hand and slowly smoothed the word "Chuan" between his eyebrows, looked at him as tenderly as water and said, "Believe me, I usually don't force myself to do things I don't want to do. If I don't want to, I won't." Whoever can barely get me, I enjoy it."

Zhuge Yu drew inferences and said, "What about you and me? Did you marry me of your own free will? You have always been good to me after marriage and you didn't force yourself at all?" A very expectant look!

Precisely, marriage and the initial relationship between husband and wife are special cases outside the ordinary. For her, marriage is an indispensable part of life, but marrying him was the best choice at the time. As for the thoughtfulness after marriage, To a large extent, it was to gain his long-term favor and make it easier for me to live in the palace. Of course, the human heart is made of flesh, and feelings can be cultivated. Especially when faced with a monster so handsome that people hate him, Shui Linglong knew that her heart had beat hard for him at some point. Perhaps he used his imperial edict to control her. During his marriage, maybe it was when he rescued her from the blood bats or assassins, or maybe when he threatened Zhen Shi and Leng Youru for her... But it was far from the point of deep love. It's not entirely true that I didn't force myself.

Zhuge Yu's eyes dimmed, but soon returned to normal. He touched her reddish cheek and said with a smile, "Don't force yourself in the future."

Shui Linglong whispered: "Now...there is no need to force it."

Zhuge Yu's eyes regained their luster, he stood up, leaned over and clasped her head, and kissed her lips lingeringly.

 After Shui Linglong fell asleep in his arms, Zhuge Yu dressed up and went to the study in the outer courtyard to handle some official duties. Anping opened the door and came in. He told the story of Shui Linglong's fishing as if he was playing tricks: "Your Majesty, how did your job go?"

Zhuge Yu put down the secret letter in his hand and said calmly: "Well, not bad, let's do this from now on."

Anping smiled and refused to leave. Zhuge Yu raised his thick eyebrows and looked at him: "Is something wrong?"

Anping scratched his head and felt a little embarrassed. Zhuge Yu said in a deep voice: "You look like a big girl, are you ashamed?"

Anping put down his hands and rubbed the corners of his clothes again. As if he noticed something wrong, he stiffened his arms and hung them by his sides. He said with a smile: "Your Majesty, my servant...can I have a wife?"

Zhuge Yu laughed: "Do you think it's such a big deal? Let me know who you like in the house."

Anping's eyes flashed, and he bowed happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The next afternoon, Ping'er came to the Mohe Courtyard with a bamboo basket in her hand. The general meaning was that the old man was in the lotus pond fishing in a high spirits today and caught a basket of fish for the Crown Princess to watch or eat. As arranged by the Crown Princess. Shui Linglong glanced at the pouring rain and cooked the meal herself. For dinner, there were two more fresh dishes on the tables on both sides - pickled fish and casserole fish head.

On the afternoon of the third day, Uncle Yu came to the door and brought a piece of fresh venison and a lively wild duck. The general meaning was that the Crown Princess was in need of nourishment, and the venison and wild duck were both excellent ingredients. The Crown Princess invited Enjoy it. As expected, for dinner, there was a plate of braised deer tenderloin and a red braised mallard duck on both sides of the table.

 The mother in charge of the dining room clearly felt that there had been more food in the past two days. Zhuge Yu, however, couldn't bear it anymore and was furious. The woman he married was not meant to be a cook for you! If you have the ability, let your ladies do it!

 The old lady shrugged and said she would only eat sweets.

Leng Youru turned over a page in the storybook and found that this princess did not touch Yang Chun Shui with her ten fingers.

At the beginning of March, Zhuge Shu turned fourteen. According to the current laws of the Zhou Dynasty, a girl turns fourteen and has hairpins. The mansion held a grand ceremony for Zhugeshu. Mrs. Yao was invited to be the guest of honor and Zhugeshu had her hair pulled back and hairpins changed. . The reason why Mrs. Yao was invited was not only because Mrs. Yao was highly respected, but also because Dong Jialin came to visit on the same day.

As a concubine, Dong Jialin was carried into the palace from the side door on a sedan chair. She was dressed in pink and became a member of the Zhuge family. That night, Prince An rested in Dong Jialin's yard.

“Second Young Mistress, please rest, it’s very late.” Xiuer took a cloak and put it on the thinly-clad Qiao Hui.

Qiao Hui looked quietly in the direction of Bauhinia Courtyard alone, shedding two tears silently and sighed: "Turn out the lights and lock up."

 In the Mohe Courtyard, Shui Linglong used scissors to cut the agarwood satin sent by Qiao Hui. The color and craftsmanship were both good, and it was indeed a good thing. Zhifan helped hold down the corner of the cloth: "Miss, I just heard from Amber that the second young lady locked herself in the room when she returned to Pingtingxuan. The fourth lady went to visit her, but she didn't pay attention. Second Young Lady didn't pay attention to her when she went to visit her. Young lady...are you sad?"

 Sadness is inevitable. Which woman is willing to have the same husband as someone else? In this society where men are superior to women, the generosity of the legitimate wife is balanced by power, and the forbearance of the concubine is determined by status. No one calls out "sister, sister" from the heart.

Shui Linglong shook her head and sighed: "It's a knife horizontally, and it's a knife vertically. I don't want to be open, and the sad days are still to come." They had just passed the door. Dong Jialin was a normal woman. She would probably get pregnant and give birth to a child. Seeing the concubine It was much more angry than seeing my concubine in the nest.

Zhifan smiled: "The eldest lady is lucky! You don't have to do anything. Naturally, our prince will not cause trouble for the eldest lady!"

Shui Linglong put down the scissors and said, "You go to Pingnanhou Mansion early tomorrow morning and tell me that I am unwell and ask Concubine Shui to come and visit me."

Zhi Fan was stunned. She didn't know that Shui Linglong had tricked Xun Feng through Shuiling Stream last time, but she also understood that the two sisters had always hated each other... Moreover, the eldest lady was in good health, so she pretended to be sick. Why did Second Auntie come here?

The next afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and Shui Lingxi came to Moheyuan as promised. Compared to the dejection last time, she felt a little more proud this time. One advantage of Xun Feng is that he always looks for problems within himself first. It was Shui Lingxi's greed that Shui Lingxi took the initiative to make bait, but it was his fault in judgment that fell into Shui Linglong's scheme. He was still aware of these reasons, so he did not criticize Shui Lingxi too much. He just warned her sternly not to act rashly again.

 In the Nuan Pavilion, the two sisters were sitting on the Kang. There were several seasonal fresh fruits on the coffee table, such as oranges, tangerines, and pipa; Shui Lingxi picked up a piece of jujube and yam cake, glanced at Shui Linglong's hand covering her stomach when she sat down, and said with a smile: "How long have you been pregnant, eldest sister? Why can't you tell?"

Shui Linglong twitched the corners of her lips and said, "Three months ago, in the early spring, my clothes were thick and I didn't show much affection."

Shui Lingxi put down the cake that had been brought to her lips, blinked her eyes and asked, "Can I touch it?"

Zhi Fan, who was standing aside, frowned!

Shui Linglong took a sip of warm water and said bluntly: "I'm not used to it."

Shui Lingxi hit a wall and ate the jujube and yam cake in a dull mood. To be honest, she felt a little guilty. Last time, she promised Shui Linglong to frame Xun Feng, but ended up telling the truth about everything. Xun Feng didn't tell her what happened, but she couldn't tell from the angry and bloodthirsty look in Xun Feng's eyes. Guess Xun Feng failed. I really don’t understand, she said everything, why did Xun Feng still lose?

Shui Linglong waited for Shui Lingxi to finish a piece of pastry, then she said with a bright smile: "I called the second sister here because I want to fulfill my promise to the second sister."

Shui Lingxi's hand shook, and two drops of the tea she just picked up spilled out. She smiled softly and said: "I...I'm so excited..."

“I’m so excited. I thought the second sister didn’t want to leave Pingnanhou Mansion again!” Shui Linglong said with a half-smile as she looked at her at a loss.

Shui Lingxi lowered her eyes to cover up the panic that flashed through her eyes, and said bravely: "How could it be? I don't want to stay in that place for a moment, so I hope to leave as soon as possible. It's just that the matter is very important, and I don't want to implicate my eldest sister. , Sister is so worried, I... I have endured it for so long, and I don’t care about it for a day or two. "

Shui Linglong gave her an angry look: "Hey - what did the second sister say? You and I are sisters. We don't talk about friendship, but we must keep our trust. You helped me severely injure Xun Feng, making him unable to even go to court in the morning. Go, and in return, I will rescue you immediately!"

Shui Lingxi's soul almost flew away when she heard "You helped me severely injure Xun Feng, making him unable to even go to court in the morning"! Why did she have the illusion that Shui Linglong actually knew her disguise and expected that she would inform Xun Feng, so she deliberately conveyed false news to Xun Feng through her? ! In this way, in Xun Feng's eyes, wouldn't she become Shui Linglong's ally? Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, Shui Lingxi said in a trembling voice: "Eldest...eldest sister, have you thought of...a solution?"

Shui Linglong held her cold hand, narrowed her eyes, and said sternly: "As long as the second sister cooperates a little bit, I promise you with my life and fortune that you will be able to successfully escape from Pingnan Hou Mansion!"

Shui Linglong took out a painting from the box on the side and said to Shui Lingxi: "To be honest, I accidentally saw this painting in the warehouse when I was helping the old lady run the house, so I took it because it was novel. "As he said that, he spread the scroll on the kang. Before Shui Lingxi could see clearly, Shui Linglong quickly put the scroll away.

Shui Lingxi thought that her little family was not on the stage, and said casually: "It's just a painting. I'm sure my father won't say anything."

 It seems that Xun Feng did not tell Shui Lingxi about the treasure map. Shui Linglong blinked, placed one arm across the coffee table, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice as if she was afraid of being known: "Second sister, you can't underestimate this painting. If my guess is right, It is the Mobei treasure map "Guanyin Buddha Lotus" that Long Live Lord has been looking for! "

 (End of this chapter)