Rumor Has It That I'm Pregnant with His Highness' Child

178 Mixed Noodles

Xiao Juan answered truthfully.

“I’ve already found out that the anti-government poetry case was done by Che Xuekun. Now that I’ve indicted Che Xuekun, Prince Min and his son were wronged and should be released.”

The old emperor looked at him steadily.

His gaze was like a knife, extremely sharp.

Xiao Juan could clearly feel that the old emperor was not in a good mood.

It seemed the old emperor was not pleased with the results of Prince Min’s acquittal.

Back then, the old emperor had hinted to Xiao Juan to take the opportunity to punish Prince Min. It was best if Prince Min died in the prison of the Justice Department.

However, Xiao Juan did not do as he was told.

That pissed the old emperor off. He even suspected that Xiao Juan was secretly colluding with Prince Min. Otherwise, why would Xiao Juan protect Prince Min and his son?

… .

In the Express Dowager’s Palace, Queen Mother Deng invited Yu Niaoniao to sit down and talk.

Queen Mother Deng was in her seventies and her hair was all white.

She did not have to work hard for government affairs. She slept early and woke up early every day. She received all kinds of expensive supplements. Her body was well maintained, and her face was rosy and lustrous. Her health was far better than the old emperor’s.

Queen Mother Deng looked Yu Niaoniao up and down and said kindly, “So you’re the eldest daughter of the Yu family. You’re really beautiful. No wonder Duke Lang likes you.”

Yu Niaoniao blushed. “Your Majesty, you must be joking. Those are all nonsense.”

Queen Mother Deng said, “I’ve lived for so long, what haven’t I seen? Just by looking at your happy little appearance, I know that Prince Lang must treat you extremely well. Why is he treating you well? It’s because he likes you.”

Yu Niaoniao blushed and looked embarrassed.

Seeing this, Queen Mother Deng did not tease her anymore and asked about something else.

“Is Xiuyan doing well at the Langjun Imperial Palace?”

Yu Niaoniao replied obediently, “Everything is fine with Granny Xiu Yan.”

Empress Dowager Deng saw the confusion in her eyes and took the initiative to explain.

“Xiu Yan was originally someone who served me. After Xiao Juan was brought to the palace, I saw that there was no one to take care of him and pitied him. I sent Xiu Yan to take care of his daily life.”

Yu Niaoniao understood. So that was what happened!

She could not help but ask when she saw that Queen Mother Deng was quite easy to talk to.

“How did the Duke get taken to the palace?”

Queen Mother Deng sighed. “This is all Ni Yang’s fault!”

Yu Niaoniao knew that Princess Ni Yang was Duke Lang’s biological mother, but she had never heard Duke Lang mention Princess Ni Yang, and Princess Ni Yang had never appeared in the Duke’s Mansion. Even when Duke Lang got married, Princess Ni Yang did not say anything.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the relationship between the mother and son was very strained.

Yu Niaoniao waited for a moment, but Queen Mother Deng did not say anything. She was about to ask more questions, but Empress Deng changed the subject.

“I heard that you grew up in Bashu. I’ve never been to Bashu. How’s that place? Is there anything delicious and fun?”

It was obvious that Queen Mother Deng did not want to continue talking about Princess Ni Yang.

Yu Niaoniao could not ask shamelessly and could only say.

“Bashu is not as prosperous as the Imperial Capital, but there are many delicious things there. For example, tofu pudding. In the past, I used to eat a bowl of hot tofu pudding every morning in Bashu. There was also red oil handmade and mixed noodles. The taste was also very good…”

At the mention of good food, she couldn’t stop talking about so many delicacies.

Although Queen Mother Deng was not a gluttonous person, she was a little tempted by her words.

“If only I could taste it.”

Yu Niaoniao immediately said, “I can make a bowl of mixed noodles for you to try now.”

Queen Mother Deng was surprised. “You can cook?”

Yu Niaoniao said, “My mother’s culinary skills are very good. I learned from her.”

Her words were true. Madam Xie’s culinary skills were indeed very good. If not for her memories before she transmigrated, she might not have been able to compare to Madam Xie in culinary skills.

There was a small kitchen in the palace.

Empress Dowager Deng really wanted to try the Sichuan delicacies that Yu Niaoniao had mentioned, so she asked someone to bring Yu Niaoniao to the small kitchen.

Yu Niaoniao rolled up her sleeves and started washing the peas.

The first step in making the noodles was to boil the peas.

The peas cooked in bone soup were soft and glutinous, and the soup was thick and smooth.

She kneaded the flour into dough and buckled the bowl.

Then there were the sauces.

She chopped the pork and stir-fried it in hot oil. She added ginger, garlic, bean paste, soy sauce, chili, and other seasonings.

After the dough had risen, she pulled it into thin noodles and cooked it in the pot. At the same time, she scalded two small vegetables.

She poured lard, chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and other condiments into a bowl before adding some dried sprouts and pouring them into the broth. Then she scooped out the noodles and small vegetables and placed them in a bowl. She spread a thick layer of meat sauce and peas and sprinkled a small handful of green onions.

While she was stir-frying the sauce, the fragrance had already drifted out of the kitchen.

Queen Mother Deng could not help but look over at the small kitchen.

When Yu Niaoniao walked out with the bowl of noodles, Queen Mother Deng’s gaze was immediately attracted by the bowl of mixed noodles.

The imperial chefs in the palace sometimes made noodles, but they had never made noodles in this form.

This was refreshing to Queen Mother Deng.

Yu Niaoniao placed the noodles in front of her and reminded her.

“These noodles are a little spicy. Eat slowly.”

She was worried that Queen Mother Deng could not eat spicy food, but without spicy noodles, there was no soul, so she could only put as little chili as possible.

Queen Mother Deng smiled. “I could eat spicy food when I was young. It’s just that I’m old now and have to pay attention to my stomach. My taste gradually faded.”

She stirred the noodles evenly with her chopsticks.

The thin noodles wrapped in a thick sauce immediately became even more tempting.

Queen Mother Deng took a cautious taste.

It was indeed a little spicy, but it was still acceptable.

The meat sauce was salty and fragrant, the peas were soft, and the noodles were chewy. The three were combined, and the taste could be said to be just right.

Queen Mother Deng had eaten too much light food. When she occasionally ate something heavy, she felt unexpectedly good.

She was eating when she suddenly heard the palace servant enter to report.

“Your Majesty, Duke Lang is here to see you.”

Queen Mother Deng put down her chopsticks reluctantly. “Let him in.”

After Xiao Juan finished discussing serious matters with the emperor, he waited for Yu Niaoniao for a long time. He was worried that something had happened to Yu Niaoniao at the Empress Dowager’s place, so he personally came to pick her up.

He strode into the hall and saw that Yu Niaoniao was safe and sound. He could finally relax.

“Greetings, Empress Dowager.”

Empress Dowager Deng noticed that he looked at Yu Niaoniao the moment he entered and immediately understood that he was here to pick up his wife.

She couldn’t help but smile. “You haven’t been apart long, and you’re already anxious to pick her up.”

Xiao Juan said, “Niaoniao is weak. I’m worried about her.”

Queen Mother Deng continued to smile. “I really didn’t expect you to dote on your wife.”

Xiao Juan said, “I’ve embarrassed myself.”

Empress Dowager Deng sighed. “Time sure flies. Back when you were first brought to the palace, you were so young and skinny. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to support you. I didn’t expect you to grow so big in the blink of an eye and even have a family.”