Qiao Lan stood up slowly and glanced at the emperor on the stage as if inadvertently. She saw that he was a young man in his early twenties, with red lips and white teeth, wearing bright yellow clothes and sitting on a high seat. He looked particularly festive.
The fifteen or sixteen-year-old woman in gorgeous clothes sitting next to the emperor must be the queen. Her face was painted with rich makeup that did not match her age, and her eyebrows revealed the arrogance of a little daughter.
Qiao Lan's first reaction was that the emperor and empress looked too young! Younger than she thought!
Qiao Lan had heard people say privately about the turmoil in Beijing a few years ago, saying that the place where the incident happened was in the palace, and many people died in the palace. Qiao Lan didn't know what happened to the late emperor, and no one dared to talk about the royal family's affairs to the outside world.
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Your Majesty has already succeeded to the throne for several years and is still so young.
It's not that Qiao Lan is biased against young people, but that she has read a lot of history books and learned enough historical lessons.
As the king of a country, there are only a few young men who can survive and become famous throughout the ages. Those who cannot survive will not be able to make waves in history.
It’s getting harder and harder to say!
Qiao Lan sighed in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face.
Sitting next to the wall, drinking tea and having a banquet in silence.
After the emperor called Qiao Lan over, he didn't say anything else. He seemed to have called a guest in at random.
Then the banquet started. Many dancers came up to dance and play music. During the period, some ministers stood up and took the initiative to dance. Qiao Lan could see some of them from sitting a few meters away. The ministers' dancing postures could not be compared to those of the dancers who had received professional training.
Compared with them, they are very honest and honest.
At the end of the dance, the dancers and ministers all received awards, some were promoted, and some made a fortune. Those who watched were happy, and those who danced were even happier.
Only the young queen sitting next to the emperor looked worse and worse.
Qiao Lan glanced at it occasionally and sat leisurely behind others drinking tea and eating barbecue.
There are no fresh vegetables in winter. The main dishes on the banquet are meat dishes, which are boiled, stewed and roasted. Each portion is quite large. There are also several plates of dipping sauces on the side, including salt granules and sugar granules. The rest are just
It's honey soy sauce and a sweet and sour brown sauce.
Qiao Lan couldn't tell the appearance, and vaguely thought in her mind that it should be made of plums or other preserved fruits. There were also several kinds of preserved fruits on the side.
Because Xu was sitting in the inner hall and had the honor of the emperor, most of the things that were served were hot. But in this winter, hot dishes will get cold after being left for a while. Qiao Lan deserves to eat a few more bites while they are hot.
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It is her duty to cherish food!
There were few women in the palace, and most of the people sitting around Qiao Lan were high-ranking adults.
Some adults might want to talk to Qiao Lan, but they saw Qiao Lan tasting the dishes on the table one after another, as if she didn't want to talk to outsiders, so she could only pick up the wine glass next to her and take a sip of tea.
He Lanfeng, who was sitting in the center of the hall, drank tea and porridge alone. Because he was not in good health, he could not eat too greasy food, and because of his special status, he could allow the people in the imperial dining room to make his own meal.
The porridge made in the imperial kitchen was definitely not bland white rice porridge. He Lanfeng occasionally moved the spoon to reveal the extremely finely chopped fish fillets in the porridge.
There were many royal relatives around He Lanfeng, but he had no desire to talk. He even didn't watch much of the singing and dancing in the palace. He would occasionally touch his lips with his fist and cough lightly, revealing a fragile beauty.
He Lanfeng and Qiao Lan were like two strange magnetic fields in the hall, unable to blend into the joyful atmosphere of the hall. One on the left and the other on the right, they were quiet, lonely, and eating with their heads down.
When the banquet was in progress, the silent atmosphere was finally broken!
"I got a bottle of good wine a few days ago. As for the wine in the palace, the whole room will be filled with fragrance..."
Qiao Lan looked up and saw that the small white porcelain vase with slight flaws that she had bought for three taels of silver was carefully held up by the eunuch.
The bottle was small when bought, and the alcohol Qiao Lan distilled was not much, only two to three hundred milliliters.
"... Good wine is hard to come by. Today I am happy, so I will share this wine with you dear ones..."
How can such a small amount of wine be distributed among the hundreds of people in this hall? One drop for each person?
The two maids worked together to bring a small stove with a charcoal fire, then carefully picked up the white jade bottle, poured the wine in the bottle into the stove and simmered it.
The palace maids came one after another, four of them were holding palm boards with a row of small and exquisite wine glasses on them, and two of them were holding a large pot.
As soon as the cork of the wine was lifted, the aroma of the wine slowly flowed in the hall. As the fire in the stove heated up, the smell of the wine seemed to travel farther. Everyone's eyes no longer wandered around singing and dancing, but all stared at the fine wine in the stove.
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Qiao Lan didn't drink much, so she didn't quite understand Beijing's drinking style. She looked at the stove where the wine was being cooked and was a little confused. She was originally worried that the alcohol content she had distilled was too high, so what could happen to the emperor if he drank it.
As soon as the charcoal stove is cooked, the alcohol inside will evaporate quickly.
Qiao Lan gradually felt relieved, but then she saw someone picked up the copper cauldron on the stove and poured it into the wine jar next to it. The maid then poured the wine ladle by ladle and brought it to the people in the palace one after another.
Evaporate first, then blend, Qiao Lan feels completely at ease!
The wine was distributed along the way, including a small cup at Qiao Lan's desk, which was only one-third the size of an ordinary tea cup.
After all, it was the wine that came from me, so it would be weird not to take a sip.
Qiao Lan held the wine glass and took a sip. She could taste the turbidity of the rice wine and the strong smell of blended alcohol. Qiao Lan had never drank any high-alcohol wine in her daily life, and she only felt it was stronger than beer.
After drinking the fine wine, the atmosphere at the banquet became more intense. Many adults got drunk and congratulated the emperor for his eternal blessings. The singing, dancing and the sound of silk and bamboo could be heard in the hall.
There were many people sitting at the table who did not get up to celebrate. Qiao Lan felt like a quail and did not take the initiative to speak.
Even so, the banquet continued late into the night. Whether they were drunk or sleepy, everyone swayed out of the hall with the help of a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
Qiao Lan also took the opportunity to go to the side hall to find Wang and others.
The atmosphere in the side hall is obviously much cooler than the main hall. The sound of silk and bamboo music cannot be heard clearly, and even the candlelight is a bit dim.
Qiao Lan didn't care to ask the Wang family how they felt about the banquet, and took them straight to the palace gate to prepare to go home.
Along the way, Qiao Lan was stopped by many women, who offered to visit her, and by the way, she gave Duan Sitong some gifts.
It was not easy for Qiao Lan to refuse the meeting gift, and it was even worse to take someone else's things for free. He only said that when the garden at home was decorated, he would definitely invite them to come and have a look.
The women received the invitation and left with satisfaction.
After Qiao Lan got on the carriage and walked away, a spacious carriage waiting not far away lowered the curtain corner.
Through the heavy curtains, I could vaguely hear the conversations of the people on the carriage.
"What do you think of Mr. Qiao?"
"She is a woman who knows how to protect herself wisely. She is much better than her late husband." An old voice commented.
"Should we send someone to get close to the Duan family?"
"No need, a mere old woman can't cause any trouble. When her children and grandchildren become officials in the court, there will be plenty of opportunities."