Cining Palace was very lively today, and the palace was filled with the sounds of children laughing and playing. Such scenes are rare in the palace.
There are a lot of rules in the palace. Under normal circumstances, you are not allowed to move around. Even if Zhu Youjian and other younger brothers and sisters want to see Zhu Youxiao, they must notify and approve them in advance.
Concubine Liu took the initiative and summoned all the concubines and princes from various palaces and courtyards here for a family banquet, which could be regarded as a practice for Zhu Youxiao.
"Concubine, when will the emperor's brother come?"
The youngest Zhu Huiti looked at the food on the table eagerly, but she was so greedy that she swallowed her saliva several times.
Li Kangfei touched her head and said:
"The Emperor's brother is busy with government affairs and needs to wait a little longer. If Huiti is hungry, she can have some snacks first!"
After saying that, someone brought two plates of snacks in front of her, but the little one was not interested in such things. After eating two pieces of cakes, she found it boring, and started to look at the suckling pig in the middle infatuatedly.
Concubine Li Kang naturally discovered it, but there was nothing she could do. No one would dare to touch the chopsticks until the emperor came.
"Imperial sister, if you are hungry, you can't keep watching, otherwise you will get hungrier and hungrier. Go out and play with the emperor. Seventh Sister and the others have toys made by the emperor's brother himself!"
Zhu Youjian, who was as big as a brat, was about to pull Zhu Huiti out after saying this, but this little guy refused to do anything, and no one could do anything to her.
Concubine Liu was also amused, clapped her hands and said:
"Huiti, come to me."
The little guy had no choice but to reluctantly jump off the stool and look at the little suckling pig on the table as he walked.
The little guy felt that she had been greatly wronged, so she lay in the arms of Mrs. Liu and cried loudly. Mrs. Liu quickly patted her back gently to comfort her.
It is indeed quite late now, but Zhu Youxiao has too many political affairs to deal with today.
There were already a lot of memorials accumulated in the Palace of Qianqing, and he would soon have to go on a personal expedition, so he had to finish all the government affairs in the past few days.
Zhu Youxiao, who had been busy all day, happened to walk into the gate of Cining Palace. He heard faint cries and immediately ordered Wang Chaofu to check.
Two sisters, Zhu Huiyan and Zhu Huijing, who were playing outside the palace, saw Zhu Youxiao coming, put down their toys and ran towards him.
Zhu Youxiao held a nanny in one hand and said:
"Sixth sister and seventh sister, have you missed your imperial brother?"
The two said in unison:
"think!"
And Wang Chaofu also walked over quickly and said:
"Your Majesty, it's the Eighth Princess who is starving and crying."
Zhu Youxiao laughed and said:
"Let's go eat!"
Before entering the palace, Zhu Youxiao said loudly:
"What little glutton is crying? If you keep crying, you won't get anything to eat."
As soon as they entered the door, they saw Concubine Li Kang, Concubine Fu Yi, and Concubine Chun, bowing and saluting:
"Welcome Your Majesty!"
Zhu Youxiao put down his two sisters and said:
"No gifts!"
"The emperor is here. This kid is really hungry here."
Zhu Youxiao reached out to take Zhu Huiti from Concubine Liu's arms, scratched her nose, and comforted her with a look of doting:
"Eight sisters are hungry, why don't you eat first? Come on, sit down and eat now!"
Zhu Youxiao put him on the stool and sat down nearby. Just as Mrs. Liu was about to remind him, she was stopped by Zhu Youxiao's small movement of pressing her hand.
Because the seat he was sitting in was not the main seat, but Zhu Youxiao felt that it didn't matter. He could just have a casual meal at home. Why did it have to be so complicated?
"Everyone has been waiting for a long time. I have a lot of things to do recently, so just sit down and have a meal."
Only when Zhu Youxiao gave the order could the others sit down, and then they had to wait for him to move his chopsticks before they could formally eat.
And you can't gorge yourself, you can't make any chewing sounds, you can't pick up too many vegetables with one chopstick, and you can't eat too much in one bite, you have to chew slowly and slowly.
After Zhu Youxiao took a bite of the dish, he personally pulled out a pig's trotter and put it on Zhu Huiti's plate. Seeing the little guy nibbling the pig's trotter happily and contentedly, Zhu Youxiao was also very happy, showing a long-lost smile.
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Originally, children were not allowed to sit at the same table as adults, but Zhu Youxiao changed the rules after the last New Year's Eve. Although it was a royal family banquet, it was just a family banquet, and what was done was so clear-cut.
Eating should be lively and lively, and it is also an excellent way to promote relationships. What's the point of eating in a deserted place? It's better to eat alone.
As Zhu Youxiao ate, he found that except for himself, the others didn't eat much at all, and they all felt the same when eating.
Concubine Liu is old, and she has been fasting and chanting Buddha's name, which is understandable, but Concubine Li Kang, Concubine Fu Yi and others are only in their thirties, how can their stomachs be so small?
The same goes for several other children. By observing their expressions, Zhu Youxiao knew that they really wanted to eat and liked to eat, but they just didn't eat much, secretly saying that the royal family was really in trouble.
Zhu Youxiao stood up in person, put a chopstick dish into everyone's bowl, distributed the suckling pig equally with his own hands, and said:
"When you eat, you eat. There is no need to be restrained. You are all my closest people, so relax a little."
Several imperial concubines looked at each other, no one dared to move first.
Upon seeing this, Mrs. Liu hurriedly said:
"What the emperor said makes sense. The family doesn't have to be so restrained. You can eat whatever you want, and be sure to eat well."
The emperor and the concubine both spoke, and everyone else felt relieved. They were indeed much more relaxed than before.
Zhu Youjian even held a pig head and began to chew it. Seeing his younger siblings devouring it, Zhu Youxiao felt that they were not just hungry.
The suckling pig was quickly divided up by several little guys. Looking at their unfinished expressions, Zhu Youxiao doubted that they could still eat one.
"How is the food in each palace? Who is responsible for it?"
"Back to your Majesty, the food in each palace is based on the standards set by Lord Jiajing, and the Superintendent of Food is usually in charge!"
Emperor Jiajing did this unreasonably. Why did he only open a small kitchen for himself and let the concubines and princes eat in the big dining hall?
No wonder he is so greedy. This is the reason. Zhu Youxiao, the food supervisor, has also eaten the food. The taste is really unflattering.
This diet is very important. The royal family naturally does not have insufficient oil and water, and has a simple diet, but it also needs to be nutritious.
"From now on, the food in each palace will be provided according to my standards, and there will be no need for you to pay for it. It will come from my internal funds."
"Wang Banban, gathered the ceremonial supervisor, the royal horse supervisor, and the cooks from the East Factory together to establish a new yamen, let's call it Shangshanfang, which will be responsible for the meals of each palace."
"In addition, we will find some chefs from different places outside the palace to come into the palace, so that everyone can taste the delicacies of other provinces."
"yes!"
Concubine Liu also smiled and said:
"The emperor is really thoughtful, everyone will be in a good mood in the future!"
When several younger siblings heard that the chef was being replaced and that they would have delicious food to eat in the future, they all clapped their hands and applauded.
Zhu Youxiao also secretly said that growing up in a royal family, unless you are the heir to the throne or very favored, it is really not as good as being happy in an ordinary family.