Sizhen was puzzled, and looked at Jianning with big black and white eyes.

Although she didn't speak, Jian Ning understood what she was going to say.

Jian Ning smiled mysteriously: "You'll know in a while." ”

Sizhen didn't ask, and together with Jianning, he went to the side hall with the Queen Mother and her party.

After sitting for a while, I saw a number of clever eunuchs, carrying several dining tables, holding hundreds of vermilion lacquer boxes painted with gold and dragons, orderly and entering the hall.

After the dining table was set, several eunuchs with white sleeves took the vermilion lacquer box, took out the food inside, and put it on the table one by one.

In addition to the staple food in the imperial diet, there are Manchu dishes such as white meat and blood sausage, sauerkraut pork ribs, sauce skeleton, chicken stewed mushrooms, peppercorn tender drunk chicken, fish belly Tibetan mutton, soft fried fish, spicy bean paste, sticky glutinous dumplings, and pickles, as well as Shandong dishes such as dregs fish fillet, boiled shrimp slices, fried oyster yellow, steamed Jiaji fish, braised sea cucumber with green onions, fried mullet flowers, braised clams, and dried scallops with hibiscus.

The ancestral home of the Confucian family is from Shandong, and this Lu cuisine is clearly specially prepared for Sizhen.

Sizhen didn't say much, walked up to the queen mother, and said softly: "The queen mother thinks about the courtiers everywhere, and the courtiers are really ashamed!" ”

The Queen Mother glanced at the queen and said softly: "The mourning family didn't think about it so carefully, this is the queen's credit, saying that you are recovering from a long illness, and you can eat more when you see the hometown dishes." The queen is the most painful on weekdays, the emperor, don't you say? ”

Fu Lin was asked by the Queen Mother, no matter how much he hated Meng Guqing, it was not easy not to answer.

He replied sullenly, "Hmm." And there was no more follow-up.

Sizhen saw the queen showing a happy expression for this word, her age is still young, although she still doesn't know about the relationship between men and women, but she also knows that the queen is happy that the emperor answered the queen mother's words.

She couldn't help but feel an inexplicable feeling in her heart: in this palace, even if she is as noble as the queen, she will still be happy and sad for the emperor's words and deeds!

She secretly reminded herself to be careful in the future, not to be as frank and straightforward to the emperor as before.

The eunuchs set up the meal, the queen mother pulled Sizhen and Jianning to sit on both sides of her, the emperor and the queen sat at the other end of the table, and Su Mala cloth rice, concubine Ba Shi, Chen Le'an, Concubine Gongjing, and Concubine Duanshun waited next to the soup.

The palace maids handed over dishes and towels from time to time, plus the eunuchs who set up the meal, and the side hall was crowded for a while, but they couldn't hear it at all, and they didn't even make a sound from the dishes and chopsticks.

Although the Dingnan Royal Mansion also has the rule of eating and sleeping silently, it is still inferior to the royal family.

Sizhen couldn't help but be careful, before doing anything, he took a look at Jianning first, as Jianning rinsed his mouth first, washed his hands, and then took two sips of tea from the palace maid before raising the basket to eat.

Although she is the queen, Meng Guqing still waits for the queen mother to eat according to the rules of her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and she sees that there is white meat and blood sausage that the queen mother loves to eat in the middle of the dining table, so she softly ordered someone to bring it over.

Because the little eunuch who came over with the food looked a little nervous, the queen took a second look.

At this glance, we can see the clues.

This bowl of white flesh and blood sausage is slightly different from the others.

"What's going on?" The queen asked softly.

The little eunuch put down the bowl, immediately knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly: "The queen mother forgives the sins, the queen mother forgives the sins, because the golden bowl that is usually used has a person who does not know where the food bureau has received, so temporarily replace the ......"

Before the queen could speak, Concubine Duanshun on the side persuaded: "Queen Mother, although this bowl is not gold, but it is also used in the palace on weekdays, don't be unhappy about it, the emperor is also here today, you will do it!" ”

Fu Lin listened clearly, put down the chopsticks in his hand, and said angrily: "I heard that the queen likes luxury, and wears utensils, all of which are decorated with pearls and jades. ”

"Do you know that now the army is increasing, the salary is increasing, but the treasury is beyond its means, and some of the people can't even eat, but the things you use are not gold tools, slaves, are you worthy to be my queen and the mother of a country?"

The queen bit her lip, aggrieved, and she opened her mouth to explain: "Your Majesty, the concubine is just a ......"

"Needless to say, I've been patient with you for a long time, and I'm so disappointed that you're so extravagant." Fulin said disappointedly.

The queen is pampered, and when she comes to this imperial city, she is patient everywhere, and now she can't help but get angry when she sees that the emperor doesn't even allow her to explain.

A smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she said sarcastically: "If you listen to it, you will be clear, and if you listen to it, it will be dark, the emperor's heart has already made a conclusion to the concubines, naturally seeing that the concubines are not satisfactory in everything, and the concubines don't want to say anything, just the emperor, this world is yours, the Forbidden City is yours, even the life of the concubines is just a matter of your words, what?" Is the emperor planning to abolish the concubines for a bowl? ”

She raised her hand and slapped Concubine Duanshun, "Don't think that this palace doesn't know what you're thinking, you can't wait for the emperor to dislike this palace, so as to make room for you people, don't dream, this queen of the Qing Dynasty can only be worthy of our Borzigit women." ”

Concubine Duanshun covered her face and looked at Fulin with pity: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the concubines don't mean that, the concubines just don't want the queen to send out the minions on such a day, so she persuaded a few words......

Fu Lin shouted sharply: "Meng Guqing, in front of me, you are so arrogant, do you really think that I dare not abolish you?" ”

The queen raised her head, held back the tears in her eyes, looked at Fu Lin, and tried to show a smile: "In this world, now the emperor is in charge, is there anything you dare not do?" ”

Concubine Gongjing came over and persuaded the queen in a low voice: "Queen Mother, you don't say a word, the emperor is angry at this time, and when he is angry, you can explain to the emperor well......"

"Explain? What to explain? Explain why the emperor wants to add crimes to this palace again and again, and explain how this palace endures humiliation and burdens? The emperor only sees what he wants to see and hears what he wants to hear, and there is nothing to explain in this palace! The queen's tone was not without sarcasm.

Although they spoke in low voices, the empress dowager, who was talking to Sizhen, still found out about the dispute between the emperor and the queen, and she shouted: "What are you doing? What a raw meal, do you want anyone to eat it? If there is anything, let's talk about it after eating, you all sit down for the mourning family and have a good meal. ”

Fulin and the queen both sat down, the little eunuch holding the bowl was dragged down, Concubine Duanshun covered her face, pitifully looked at Fulin from time to time, and then looked at the queen, although the silence was restored during the banquet, although from time to time there were palace maids who brought dishes to Sizhen's bowl, Sizhen felt that her stomach was full.

She looked at the stubborn queen and the gloomy emperor, and finally understood why Jianning said that this meal would not be good today.