Chapter 86

Chapter 86

"Mother!" Xiaoyuanping, seeing Consort Zheng, ran over happily.

Consort Zheng, coming back to her senses, looked down at her excited son and asked, "So happy?"

Xiaoyuanping nodded, "Yes!"

Xiaoyu, Minghe, and Danzi came over to greet her.

Consort Zheng said, "Lord Xiaoyu, thank you for your hard work today."

"It was nothing. The Second Prince is very independent and easy to care for," Xiaoyu replied.

"Lord Xiaoyu, I'll come to play with you all again tomorrow," Xiaoyuanping expressed his fondness for Xiaoyu, his elder brother, and Minghe, wishing to spend every day with them.

"Lord Xiaoyu will be busy tomorrow, and the Crown Prince and young Lord Ming have to see off the Northern Progress envoys, then it's back to their studies," Consort Zheng informed.

Xiaoyu and his nephews all nodded in agreement.

Xiaoyuanping's face fell, "Then, when can I play with them again?"

"Wait for our day off," Minghe suggested.

Xiaoyuanping asked, "When is your next day off?"

"In six days," Danzi answered.

"Six days? That's so long, I'll be grown up by then!" Xiaoyuanping frowned.

Consort Zheng chuckled, "If you become an adult in six days, you'd be a deity."

Minghe joked, "You need six hundred days to grow up!"

"Six hundred days?!" Xiaoyuanping exclaimed in surprise.

Danzi and Minghe nodded together.

The three children chattered away.

Xiaoyu couldn't quite follow their logic.

Eventually, Xiaoyuanping agreed to wait six days before playing with Danzi and Minghe again.

Seeing the day growing darker, Xiaoyu didn't linger. After bowing to Consort Zheng, he took the two children back to the Prince's residence and headed straight to the kitchen to slice beef.

Danzi ran over to ask, "Uncle, what are you doing?"

"Making beef jerky." Dajing valued agriculture and cattle, prohibiting the slaughter of oxen for casual consumption. Beef was rarely eaten in the palace, and it was only after the Northern Progress envoys' long stay and the finalization of the joint military plan that Emperor Yongxi sacrificed a cow for celebration. Xiaoyu thus had this much beef.

"Why are you making beef jerky?"

Here we go.

Such a barrage of questions rivaled Xiaoyuanping's.

But Xiaoyu always patiently answered Danzi and Minghe, explaining, "The Northern Progress envoys, including Wu Erqu, are returning home tomorrow, so I’m making beef jerky for them to eat on their journey."

"Then I'll help Uncle," Minghe offered, coming over.

"I'll help too," Danzi added.

Since it wasn't bedtime yet, Xiaoyu agreed.

The two children started peeling onions and scallions.

Xiaoyu reminded them, "Be careful not to irritate your eyes."

"If we don't break them, they won't sting our eyes," Danzi said.

"Brother's right!" Minghe agreed.

Xiaoyu continued slicing the raw beef into thin pieces, filling a whole basin. He then added the scallions and onions that Danzi and Minghe had peeled, along with bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, salt, soy sauce, sugar, and cumin powder, mixing them all together to marinate for an hour.

He took the two children to the naan pit, where they also baked some sweet potatoes. After enjoying the meal together, he chatted with the children beside the pit until they fell asleep in his arms. He then carried them to their respective beds in their rooms.

He continued to bake naan and beef jerky.

While the naan was quickly baked, the beef jerky also dried out in the heat, becoming tough and hard. He then steamed the beef jerky in a pot for half an hour.

The beef jerky was thoroughly cooked, filling the room with its aroma. The surface was glossy and the meat firm yet chewy, flavorful in every bite.

Naturally, the beef jerky was dry.

He laid out the slices of beef jerky on a cutting board and then went to sleep.

The next morning, Minghe and Danzi were amazed at the sight of the beef jerky filling the room.

"So much!" exclaimed Danzi.

"It smells so good," Minghe commented.

Xiaoyu tasted a piece of the jerky. After a night of air-drying, the surface had lost its moisture and oiliness, yet the jerky remained tender and not too dry, with a rich flavor. Most importantly, it was perfect for long journeys, as it could be stored for a long time.

"It's delicious!" the two children said together.

"Come on, let's pack it up to give to the Northern Progress envoys," Xiaoyu instructed.

The two children eagerly helped with the task.

The envoy from Beijin, Wu Erqu, and other courtiers like Pei Yanli and Lu Ming had just reached the guest-sending hall.

"Envoy Wu Erqu!" Egg called out.

Everyone turned to see Xiao Yu, Ming He, and Egg, each carrying a hemp sack. Xiao Yu held a large one, while Ming He and Egg had smaller ones. They looked as if they had just returned from a market, somewhat out of place and amusing in the grandeur of the palace, yet undeniably endearing and approachable.

Pei Yanli and Lu Ming were stunned.

Other courtiers were quite curious.

"What's this? Carrying hemp sacks to curry favor? How disgraceful!" Zheng Weirong inwardly scorned them, but was then startled to hear Wu Erqu excitedly exclaim, "Beef jerky! Naan! Tomato sauce! Bean sauce!"

Zheng Weirong was taken aback, wondering if the Beijin envoy actually liked these items.

Not just Wu Erqu, but others from Beijin also looked thrilled, their eyes shining with excitement.

Xiao Yu and his group had stolen the show again!

Zheng Weirong was seething with irritation.

"Envoy Wu Erqu, the journey home is long and tiring. These snacks are a token of appreciation from the Great Prince and myself," Xiao Yu said with a smile.

Wu Erqu was extremely fond of the food prepared by Xiao Yu. Having met him a few days earlier and witnessed his cooking, he greatly admired and liked the young chef. Now receiving these substantial snacks as parting gifts, he was immensely touched and quickly bowed in gratitude.

Xiao Yu helped him up, "Envoy Wu Erqu, there's no need for formalities. This is the hospitality of Great Jing."

"Exactly right!" Emperor Yongxi said, joining them with a smile.

Everyone bowed in respect.

"Please rise," Emperor Yongxi said, looking at the large and two smaller hemp sacks, "Xiao Ziqing, your choice of snacks and these sacks are excellent, very convenient for Wu Erqu and his party to carry."

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. This was a joint effort by the Great Prince, Ming He, and myself, not just my own work," Xiao Yu responded.

Just as expected!

Zheng Weirong thought bitterly, convinced that Xiao Yu always tried to cast the Great Prince in a favorable light.

Zheng Weirong glared fiercely at Xiao Yu, as if wishing to eliminate him.

Emperor Yongxi and Wu Erqu were surprised to hear that the Great Prince and Ming He also participated.

"Yuanheng, what did you do?" Emperor Yongxi asked.

"Father, Ming He and I peeled onions and added firewood to the naan pit. However, most of the work was done by Xiao Ziqing," Egg replied with proper etiquette.

Neither overly slow nor seeking excessive credit!

Impressive indeed!

Not only was Emperor Yongxi satisfied with Egg's response, but several courtiers also nodded in approval.

Wu Erqu directly praised the Great Prince's character.

Emperor Yongxi was delighted to hear this.

Pei Yanli and Lu Ming exchanged a glance with Xiao Yu, nodding in satisfaction.

Wu Erqu then heartily thanked Xiao Yu and his nephews, accepting all the gifts without hesitation. After bidding farewell to Emperor Yongxi and giving Xiao Yu and his nephews a friendly smile, he left the palace with Pei Yanli, Lu Ming, and others.

Emperor Yongxi looked towards Xiao Yu and his nephews, praising their actions once more and rewarding them. Then he said, "You have worked hard; go back and rest."

Egg responded, "Father, I don't need to rest. I want to study with Ming He."

Egg spoke the truth, but to Emperor Yongxi and the courtiers, it seemed the Great Prince was not only concerned with state affairs but also dedicated to learning, truly a blessing for Great Jing.

Emperor Yongxi said with a smile, "Good, go back and study."

"Uncle... Xiao Ziqing should rest," Egg added.

"Alright, you study, and Xiao Ziqing rests."

"Yes." The uncle and nephews bowed and then turned to leave.

In the presence of Emperor Yongxi, the courtiers again praised the Great Prince.

Emperor Yongxi appeared humble, but his mouth remained upturned in a smile.

Witnessing this scene, Zheng Weirong felt a sense of panic, as if Xiao Yuanheng was on the verge of becoming the Crown Prince. He knew he had to take action!

Unaware of Zheng Weirong's intentions, Xiao Yu dropped the two children off at Residence No. 1 and then went to the small kitchen next to Residence No. 9.

Having been busy preparing food for Wu Erqu and his party from last night to this morning, the kitchen was in disarray.

Without his direction, the palace staff didn't dare to clean up. Now with some free time, Xiao Yu began to tidy up himself.

As he was sealing the naan pit, a small figure ran over: "Xiao Ziqing, what are you doing?"

Xiao Yu looked closely and saw it was Xiao Yuanping: "Second Prince."

"Hmm," Xiao Yuanping nodded.

"Why have you come here?"

"I'm here to play," Xiao Yuanping said.

"Didn't we agree yesterday that you would come today to play with the grand prince and Ming He?"

"Right, I'm here to play with you today."

"..." Such a little one, yet skilled in wordplay, truly the brother of the male lead. Then, Xiao Yu noticed something amiss. He didn’t see Xiao Xiangzi and Xiao Liangzi and asked, "Did you come alone?"

Xiao Yuanping nodded proudly: "Yes!"

"Does Empress Zheng and the palace maids know?"

"If they knew, they wouldn't let me come!"

"You child!" Xiao Yu quickly put aside his work and hurriedly led Xiao Yuanping out of the courtyard.

"Xiao Ziqing, where are we going?"

"Back to Fufang Palace." Xiao Yu could have handed Xiao Yuanping over to the palace staff, but considering he is the Second Prince, any mishap would be his responsibility. He must personally deliver him to Empress Zheng.

"Why?"

"Your mother and the palace maids will worry if they find you missing."

"But—"

"Perhaps your mother is already in tears." Seeing Xiao Yuanping walking slowly, Xiao Yu picked him up and hurried to the inner palace. From a distance, he saw Empress Zheng, Xiao Xiangzi, Xiao Zhangzi, and others calling for Xiao Yuanping. He said, "Look, your mother's eyes are red."

"Mother!" Xiao Yuanping shouted loudly.

Empress Zheng, usually slow and graceful in speech and manner, ran over without regard for her image, taking Xiao Yuanping into her arms and holding him tightly.

Xiao Yu explained what had happened.

With tearful eyes, Empress Zheng looked at Xiao Yuanping and for the first time slapped him on the bottom: "Who allowed you to run off like that?"

Xiao Yuanping, having been scolded, didn't cry but admitted his mistake, "Mother, don't cry. I won't run off again."

Consort Zheng's heart softened instantly, hugging Xiao Yuanping tightly again. After a moment, she managed to hold back her tears and her emotions stabilized slightly before she thanked Xiao Yu.

"It's nothing. Children may be small, but they are quick-witted and fast. Adults should pay more attention to their thoughts and actions to avoid such situations," Xiao Yu said.

"Xiao Ziqing speaks the truth," Consort Zheng agreed.

"Then, Consort Zheng, please communicate well with the Second Prince. I shall take my leave now."

"Take care, Xiao Ziqing."

Xiao Yu then walked out of the inner palace.

"Xiao Ziqing," suddenly a female voice called out.

Xiao Yu turned and saw a palace maid, pretty and clean-looking, whom he didn't recognize. He asked, "What can I do for you?"

"My name is Qiu Meng, a servant of the Third Princess. The princess was flying a kite today, and it accidentally got stuck in a tree. I can't reach it. Could you please help?" Qiu Meng pointed towards the tree.

Looking up, Xiao Yu indeed saw a kite tangled in the tree. No other palace staff were around, and he was much taller than Qiu Meng. He easily reached and retrieved the kite, handing it to her.

"Thank you, Xiao Ziqing. If you're not busy—"

"I am very busy." Being in the inner palace was different from other places. Xiao Yu only entered here with the Empress Dowager's permission, and this time it was an emergency, so he had entered with her token. As an outsider, lingering here was inappropriate. He turned and walked away quickly, planning to report the incident to the senior eunuch later.

"Xiao Ziqing," Qiu Meng called out.

Xiao Yu continued walking quickly without looking back.

The smile on Qiu Meng's face disappeared instantly.

"Qiu Meng, Qiu Meng, did you get the kite?" Xia Ruo ran over and asked.

"Got it," Qiu Meng suddenly appeared shy.

Xia Ruo asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Xiao Ziqing just helped me get it," Qiu Meng said.

"Oh, then give it to the Third Princess," Xia Ruo said, taking the kite and walking away.

Qiu Meng rolled her eyes at Xia Ruo and then shared the story with others.

Returning to the royal residence, Xiao Yu suddenly remembered where he had seen Qiu Meng before.

Yesterday evening!

The palace maid who was rushing around yesterday evening was Qiu Meng!

Why did he run into her again today?

He felt a sense of unease.

Meanwhile, rumors about him and Qiu Meng began to spread in the inner palace. The next day, Pei Yanli and Lu Ming, returning from the training ground and heading for lunch, saw several palace staff chatting.

"It's Xiao Ziqing, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's him! He's now a favorite of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor!"

"He's taken a fancy to Consort Xian's maid, Qiu Meng?"

"How did he take a fancy to Qiu Meng?"

"You don't know? He often goes to the inner palace."

"He's the Great Prince's lifesaver, and the Great Prince now calls him Uncle! That's why the Empress Dowager specifically allows him to enter and exit the inner palace with a token in urgent situations."

"So he really has an affair with Qiu Meng?"

"Definitely involved!"

“……”

Pei Yanli paused in his steps.

Lu Ming spoke up sharply, "What are you all talking about?"