C121 The Cake Was Stolen
C121 The Cake Was Stolen
The Emperor took Her Majesty's hand and led her slowly to the dais, where she sat beside him.
When the three of them had settled into their seats, all of the courtiers and family members who had been invited knelt down and greeted the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress.
"Long live the emperor, long live the empress dowager, long live the empress dowager, long live the empress."
"No need for formalities."
The Minister of the Left then led the crowd to kowtow and congratulate the empress dowager on her birthday. "This subject congratulates Esteemed Empress Dowager on her fortune, which is like the East Sea, and on her longevity more than Nanshan."
Her Majesty looked at her courtiers and nodded in satisfaction.
The emperor waved his hand. "All of you, get up. Today is the sixty-fifth birthday of the empress dowager. The empress dowager is lenient, so everyone should do as they please. There's no need to be formal."
Following that, he whispered to the eunuch beside him, and the eunuch announced the start of the battle.
Everyone thanked him again before returning to their seats.
Following which, the eunuchs began to sing out their orders, and everyone offered their birthday presents. Everyone had prepared a birthday present for the empress, hoping to win the empress dowager's favor.
There were a few princes who'd even displayed a set of boxing techniques like treasures, causing the empress dowager to laugh heartily. She'd even rewarded them with some items, making them all feel extremely happy.
Shen Jingli was not interested in this at all, but for his head, he still sneaked into the house that the King Jing had people arrange for him, and looked at the finished products that Lee Qi had made.
"Where are you going?" Zhan Tialan followed him.
"Why don't you go congratulate the empress dowager on her birthday?"
"I don't want to see the face of some people." Zhan Tialan frowned, as though she had thought of something, and revealed an expression that was as though she had eaten a fly, and was unable to bear it.
"Who is it?" Zhan Tialan had lost her mother when she was young, and had lived with her father in the Northeast Army Camp since she was ten. She had fought on the battlefield when she was sixteen, and now, at twenty-seven years old, no one dared to marry her, nor did anyone dare to offend her.
"My second uncle's family." She had almost expected that her return to the capital was likely to be the doing of her second uncle. She didn't know why, but it wasn't a good thing.
Just for the sake of the money at the General's Estate, they had never paid attention to her. Tonight, however, she heard that someone was looking for her. It was simply laughable.
Every family had its own problems, Shen Jingli couldn't help but think of his Shen Family.
When they arrived at the house, they realised that the eunuch guarding the door was lying on the floor. Shen Jingli panicked and quickly rushed in, but Zhan Tialan also felt that something was wrong and followed Shen Jingli in.
Lee Qi fell to the ground, as if he had fainted, and the cake that they prepared had disappeared without a trace.
"Lee Qi, wake up." Shen Jingli squatted on the ground and shook Lee Qi. He had already used a lot of strength, but Lee Qi was still like a dead pig, causing him to be somewhat angry.
"He's been poisoned by the incense. He probably won't be able to wake up for a while." Zhan Tialan warned, she did not expect that there would be people who would dare cause trouble in the palace, they must be bold.
Shen Jingli reluctantly gave up as he dragged Lee Qi onto the bed together with him and even covered him with a blanket. It was cold in the autumn, so lying on the ground the whole time would catch a cold.
As for the two eunuchs outside the door, Shen Jingli didn't have the kind heart to care about them, but he still covered each of them with a blanket.
"What exactly is going on? What gift have you prepared for Her Majesty? " Zhan Tialan was also someone who had gone through too much trouble.
"A peach cake." Shen Jingli frowned, he had already expected that someone would do something, but he thought that person would poison him, he never expected that they would actually steal his entire cake, how shameless.
"Cake? What is that? " Something she had never heard of. For some reason, Zhan Tialan started to salivate.
"Just a special kind of dessert." Shen Jingli sighed, luckily he was prepared, if not he would have been killed by the shameless guy.
"Let's go back and check the situation." The man took the cake, probably to steal the limelight.
That dessert with a unique Great Yan Dynasty was something that he and Lee Qi had spent an entire ten days of effort on, as well as made countless attempts. If he found out who it was, he definitely wouldn't let that guy go.
Zhan Tialan nodded, she also wanted to see who was so shameless as to steal other people's things in the palace.
When they returned to the Jade Flower Hall, the eunuchs' singing ceremony had also come to an end. At this point in time, they had just finished Ceng Wan'er's congratulatory gift, it was a peach cake.
The empress dowager was born young, and the gifts prepared by the ministers year after year were all of different styles, but they were all the same type. The empress dowager was disgusted by the sight of either jade or jewels, but it was no wonder that these ministers didn't dare to take out anything of the highest quality to make a fool of themselves.
Cake?
The people from the Jade Flower Hall were confused. They knew that longevity peach buns... But what was this cake?
Even Ceng Wan'er was confused, when did her wedding gift become a cake? Besides, what is this cake? Don't let her lose face in front of everyone.
Mu Yu tugged at her and asked: "What gift did you prepare?"
What she prepared was a white jade image of Guan Yin, but somehow it turned into a cake. Did she really not know anything?
Ceng Wan'er wanted to cry, but no tears came out. After a while, a palace maid secretly squeezed to her side and whispered into her ear.
After a while, a few young eunuchs carefully carried something to the center of the hall and placed it on a low table.
"This is?" Her Majesty frowned and tilted her head in puzzlement as she looked at the object before her covered by a yellow cloth.
Seeing the empress dowager's expression, Ceng Wan'er gave a sweet smile before kneeling down, "This subject's daughter, Ceng Wan'er, respectfully wishes the empress dowager, Sun, Moon, Chang Ming, and Pine Crane, Changchun."
"Get up." Her Majesty said lightly.
Shen Jingli looked at Ceng Wan'er who was acting like the empress dowager introducing the cake and looked at the crowd exclaiming in admiration at the exquisite cake before sighing.
"Is that the wedding gift you prepared?" Zhan Tialan did not doubt Shen Jingli at all. Although it was only their first time meeting, she believed that the person Mu Chen had chosen would not intentionally mislead her.
"That is the congratulatory gift the empress dowager wants." Shen Jingli's eyes flashed with a cold light, Ceng Wan'er, that girl has not been taught to you ever again.
"Oh." Her Majesty wanted what she wanted, but she didn't seem to know anything about cakes.
The cake Ceng Wan'er sent to her made the empress dowager very happy. Not only was it exquisite and pretty, it was also very delicious.
Being praised by the empress dowager was such a great honor, that even Dehui County Lord was proud of it, but when they felt proud and proud, all the noble ladies still looked at Ceng Wan'er with hostility.
These noble ladies shared the same attitude. They were proud when they were in the limelight, but resentful when they were in the limelight.
"It's the Prince's Consort." Zhan Tialan's voice sounded, and her intentionally lowered voice contained ridicule.
"She doesn't have the brains to do such meticulous work." Shen Jingli shook his head. That girl Ceng Wan'er was so stupid, he couldn't have done it so quickly.
Zhan Tialan did not say anything, and obviously admitted to Ceng Wan'er's stupidity. Although she stayed in the Northeast Army camp all year long, she would occasionally return to the capital and get to know some of the people in the capital city. Coincidentally, because Ceng Wan'er and Mu Chen had an engagement, and even met once or twice before, she did not have a very good impression of Ceng Wan'er.
With so many court officials present, only Shen Jingli did not deliver the congratulatory gift to the eunuchs.
The emperor was puzzled. He smiled and asked, "Mu Qingyi, why haven't you arrived at the Nanping County Prince to give your congratulatory gift?"
"It can't be that he wasn't prepared, right?" Dehui County Lord interrupted, she wanted to see Mu Chen make a fool of himself. "I heard that Nanping County Prince came from the countryside, and is extremely poor."
was his sealed County Prince, what did Dehui County Lord mean by that?
No matter what, Shen Jingli was the County Prince of the Emperor. Wasn't her words obviously slapping the Emperor's face? How did she give birth to such a stupid daughter?
"County Owner, don't worry. The wedding is on the way." Mu Chen replied.
Dehui County Lord snorted, she only thought that Mu Chen was bluffing, and then became complacent.
It was indeed as Mu Chen had said, Shen Jingli's backup gift was on the way here.
Not long after, everyone present smelled a very fragrant scent. That fragrance directly entered their noses, making them salivate.
"What's so fragrant?"
"Smelling this smell makes me hungry …"
"..."
Although the location of the capital was slightly north, it was actually not far from the Jiangnan border. The people here did not like to eat mutton, and Shen Jingli had only just seen a piece of mutton in the capital before, so he remembered that he wanted to make a roast lamb.
The mutton was soft and tender inside, and the fragrance of the mutton assailed her nose, making it rather suitable for her mouth. The empress dowager had Elder Li take one piece each, and as soon as she took it, she was captivated by the deliciousness of the roast lamb.
"You're pretty good at it." Zhan Tialan laughed as she spoke. He had been guarding the Northeast for all these years and had eaten many roasted sheep before. However, there were very few people that had roasted sheep at Shen Jingli's level.
Shen Jingli laughed, this was just the appetizer, his true wedding present was an ornamental box, rectangular in shape, with a total of three columns. On the surface of the box, there were carvings of scarlet phoenixes, and the box below was hollow.
The empress dowager almost fell in love as soon as she saw it. Her slender fingernails caressed the surface of the box as she muttered to herself, "This Dowager has never seen such a wonderful jewellery box before …"
Compared to the cakes that were gone after eating, this jewelry box could be stored forever. Seeing that the empress dowager was happy, the emperor immediately gave Shen Jingli a lot of things, but the empress dowager also continuously praised him.
Seeing that Shen Jingli was also praised by the empress dowager, a trace of killing intent flashed across Zeng Rou'er's eyes. However, she was also a little complaining to Ceng Wan'er. A useless idiot, not even being able to take care of Shuang-er, still requiring her to help.