As the officials and nobles received such an answer, they were all bewildered but could only return to their respective lodgings as arranged by the eunuchs.
That night, many people slept uneasily.
Emperor Jingming retired to the Empress’s quarters.
Although it was a temporary palace, the floor heating was burning vigorously, making the room as warm as spring.
The Emperor and Empress lay on the same bed, but neither could fall asleep.
After tossing and turning countless times, Emperor Jingming simply got up and walked to the window.
The smoke-blue window gauze obscured the view outside.
Emperor Jingming pushed open the window, and a bone-chilling wind instantly gushed in.
Light footsteps came from behind, and then an outer garment was draped over his shoulders.
“Your Majesty, be careful not to catch a cold.”
Emperor Jingming turned his head to see the Empress standing beside him, her hair loosened, with concern in her eyes.
Emperor Jingming pointed outside, his tone indescribable: “Empress, look, the snow has stopped.”
The Empress glanced outside.
It was late at night, but strings of large red lanterns hung along the corridor outside. The orange-red light from these lanterns now merged into a sheet, illuminating the courtyard outside brightly.
The snow had indeed stopped, with piles of snow in the corners of the courtyard and on the eaves, a dazzling expanse of white.
The Empress nodded slightly, her voice gentle: “Yes, the snow has stopped. We can return to the palace tomorrow.”
Emperor Jingming was silent for a moment, then laughed self-mockingly: “In the past, every time I came to Mount Cuilo to offer sacrifices to Heaven, I always secretly hoped to stay outside for a night, thinking it would be novel and interesting. But now that I have the chance, I’m eager to return to the palace…”
“Your Majesty, no one could have anticipated such an event—”
Emperor Jingming waved his hand, stopping the Empress’s consolation, and said with a bitter smile: “Although that’s true, if we were in the palace, how could the Crown Prince and Consort Yang possibly—”
The Empress moved her lips but didn’t contradict him, only sighing inwardly.
The Crown Prince had committed such an act against moral principles, yet the Emperor still thought it was because he had provided the opportunity, rather than considering that a rotten person would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.
It seemed the Emperor had not completely given up hope on the Crown Prince.
With this realization, the Empress became even more cautious in her speech.
Finding the conversation uninteresting, the Emperor closed the window: “Empress, go and rest.”
In the Yuhe Garden of the Prince of Yan’s mansion, Jiang Si woke up groggily.
Hearing the movement, A-Man asked in a hoarse voice: “Mistress, would you like some water?”
Jiang Si sat up: “Bring me a cup of warm water, please.”
A-Man quickly brought a cup of warm water.
Jiang Si took the cup and drank a couple of sips, then got off the bed and walked towards the window in her slippers.
“Has the snow stopped?”
On the cold winter night, being pregnant, she dared not casually open the window to look, only staring at the hazy outside through the window gauze.
“It has stopped,” A-Man, though not understanding why her mistress was particularly concerned about the weather changes today, would unfailingly carry out her mistress’s instructions.
Whether the snow had stopped or not was something she had specifically checked before lying down.
Jiang Si showed a faint smile: “That’s good, he should be coming back then.”
A-Man was good at inquiring about matters, and upon hearing this, she immediately smiled and said: “Yes, this servant heard that today the Emperor led the nobles and officials to offer sacrifices to Heaven in the suburbs, and due to the snow and wind, they stayed overnight outside. Now that the snow has stopped, they should be able to return tomorrow.”
Jiang Si looked out the window, murmuring: “I meant A-Jin should be coming back.”
A-Man didn’t hear clearly for a moment and hurriedly asked: “Mistress, what did you say?”
Jiang Si withdrew her thoughts and glanced at her, smiling: “Nothing. Go and rest. Remember to tell the kitchen to make steamed pork tomorrow morning.”
Pork with alternating layers of fat and lean is cut into uniform chunks, blanched, and then stewed with seasonings before being sliced and arranged on dried green beans. Salt, sugar, and other ingredients are added, with garlic paste being indispensable. After being placed in a steamer basket, a large bowl of fragrant steamed pork is ready.
Eating tender steamed pork with sour green beans soaked in meat flavor on a cold winter day is simply an unparalleled delicacy.
A-Man couldn’t help but swallow at the thought and suggested: “This servant thinks it would be even more delicious to spread some fermented bean curd and steam it in the basket.”
Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh.
Yu Qi likes to eat steamed pork, but when it cools down, it becomes full of grease and unpalatable. In winter, it must be eaten hot right out of the steamer to be delicious. He had been in the Imperial Clan Court for several days, and during meal deliveries, this dish wasn’t available, so naturally, he couldn’t eat it.
A-Man’s serious discussion about how to make steamed pork more flavorful made Jiang Si very happy.
She adored A-Man’s simplicity, living in the present moment with zest.
“Then let’s make one bowl with fermented bean curd and one with garlic paste, and we’ll taste which one is better tomorrow.”
A-Man happily agreed and helped Jiang Si back to bed, looking forward to the next day’s arrival.
In the Imperial Clan Court, Yu Jin stared at the ceiling, also unable to sleep.
It had been several days since he had seen A-Si.
If only he had known, he should have endured a bit, then he wouldn’t have been separated from A-Si.
Yu Jin turned over, then turned over again, flipping back and forth on the bed like a pancake.
The guard on duty couldn’t help but peek in.
Yu Jin shot him a glare and beckoned him over.
The guard approached: “Does Your Highness have any instructions? Do you want some water?”
Yu Jin sat up, lazily saying: “It’s too cold to drink water, I want to eat steamed pork.”
The guard was stunned.
Had he heard wrong?
“You didn’t hear wrong, I want to eat steamed pork.”
The guard’s face twitched: “Your Highness, I have no way to get you steamed pork right now.”
“Can’t get it?”
The guard nodded vigorously: “Can’t get it.”
“You can’t even get steamed pork?”
The guard was almost ready to kneel: “Your Highness, the Imperial Clan Court isn’t a restaurant. Even in broad daylight, let alone in the middle of the night, we can’t just make steamed pork whenever we want.”
To be honest, this lord was in prison, not in his princely mansion.
Yu Jin let out a long sigh, saying dejectedly: “Indeed, it’s not as comfortable here as in the prince’s mansion. It’s better to get out early.”
The guard’s mouth twitched, feeling somewhat contemptuous.
Did he think the Imperial Clan Court was a place one could leave at will? This place was specifically for detaining royal relatives, and without the Emperor’s order, once you’re in, there’s no getting out.
The Prince of Yan had struck the Crown Prince; based on his experience, he would be confined for at least half a year.
“Go fetch some paper and a brush then.”
“You want to write a letter?” the guard guessed.
Yu Jin glanced at him, impatiently saying: “What letter? I want to draw a bowl of steamed pork to look at.”
The guard: “…” He was certain that someone like the Prince of Yan would be confined for at least a year, not long enough for him to slap himself in the face!
Yu Jin, however, sighed deeply in his heart.
He wanted to eat steamed pork, missed A-Si even more, and even felt a bit of longing for Er Niu’s dog-like face.
The next day, the sun came out early, and as it rose higher, it melted the thin layer of snow on the ground.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to depart for the palace,” Pan Hai, who had barely slept all night, requested instructions.
Emperor Jingming rose, his wide sleeves swishing: “Return to the palace!”
“Depart—” The high-pitched chant disturbed the tranquility of Mount Cuilo, and soon a dragon-like procession slowly descended the mountain path.
The snow had melted, but the ground was still a bit slippery. The procession took much longer than the journey there but finally returned to the imperial city.
Looking at the familiar golden tiles and red walls, Emperor Jingming let out a light sigh.
Finally, back, it was time to settle accounts.