Erqing sighed and said: “This is a blessing, anyone who dares to refuse it is disrespecting the ancestors and the gods! A minister once ate it and threw up, he was even beaten with a cane eighty times!”
To disrespect the ancestors and the gods to be punished with eighty strokes of the rod.
Wei Yingluo's heart fluttered, the moment was fleeting, she had found a great opportunity and she would not miss it. Wei Yingluo's eyes narrowed slightly, she smiled sweetly at Erqing and said: “I suddenly remembered I had some unfinished business, I'll talk to you next time.” With that, she lifted the hem of her skirt and walked quickly outside.
Erqing stares blankly at Wei Yingluo's back, muttering: “You've only just come back from an errand...”
The guard's office.
“Squeak squeak squeak” Hailancha winked at Fuheng and made a strange sound.
Fuheng looked at him inexplicably and asked: “What's the matter with you today? Have you lost your mind?”
Hailancha was frustrated and said meaninglessly: “Alas, there is no understanding between us, no more games, look over there, see who it is?”
Fuheng looked over and there was a young girl in court dress standing in the distance. Fuheng immediately got up, tapped Hailancha on the shoulder and said: “I'll be back soon.”
Hailancha watches Fuheng striding towards Wei Yingluo, tuts twice and said: “This is a blossoming of the iron tree, ha!”
Fuheng's steps were quick, in a few moments, he had covered most of the distance but when he was really close to Wei Yingluo his steps slowed down again.
The girl was standing under a willow tree, her figure was like a weak willow, she was lost in thought but when she heard the footsteps she quickly looked back at him, her eyes were clear with his reflection, Yingluo smiled at him and called out crisply: “Young Master.”
There are indeed flowers blooming in his heart, layers of them, Fuheng unconsciously asked in the softest of tones: “What brings you here?”
Wei Yingluo handed Fuheng a small paper packet, “I came to give you this.”
Fuheng opened it, gently squeezes a little and observes it and said suspiciously: “Is it pretzel salt?”
Wei Yingluo nodded and said in an attentive and thoughtful manner: “Tomorrow is the big festival day, I heard that the meat is half cooked and tasteless, people are often punished for eating it, so I have prepared pepper salt for the Young Master, when people are not looking, you can quietly put a little on it and it will be ready to eat.”
Fuheng handed the paper bag back to Wei Yingluo, saying disapprovingly: “Yingluo, this is not right.”
As the packet was handed to her, Wei Yingluo suddenly took it with Fuheng's hand and pushed it back, her glistening eyes met Fuheng's and advised: “Young Master you can hide a packet up his sleeve, there were so many people there, who would notice?”
The delicate softness of the young girl's celluloid palm was like a fire, the moment it touched Fuheng's, he immediately withdrew his hand, making his face flush all the way to the tips of his ears.
Wei Yingluo, as if she could not see the red tips of his ears, naturally withdrew her hand and said with a smile: “I'll take it as a gift, the Empress Niangniang is still waiting for me, I'll leave now.”
The cascade of blooming flowers slowly wilted, Fuheng watched Wei Yingluo walk away and clenched the paper bag in his hand.
The next day and the main hall of the Kunning Palace.
The rituals of the great festival, two large pots are set up in the hall of the Kunning Palace, steaming hot, white meat rolls over. The eunuchs respectfully place the cooked pork on the offering table, which is dedicated to the Manchu god Murihan. The Shaman Priestess sings a prayer and plays music, the sound of “Eloo loo” is heard from time to time, while beating the tambourine and shaking the golden bell.
Hongli and the Empress were in front of the crowd, the courtiers in line, amidst the sound of the tambourine, all bow down to the god Murihan. After the ceremony, Hongli and the Empress are seated on the southern bed, the ministers are seated on their respective cushions.
As soon as Liyu gives a clap, the eunuchs bring up the pork with a preliminary separation of the front and back elbows. Hongli himself cuts off a piece with a dagger, Liyu shouted: “Please eat the meat, my lords!”
Wei Yingluo and the court ladies came forward, each holding a plate, with a large piece of white water meat prepared, accompanied by a small knife and a piece of cotton paper.
Hong Xiao sat cross-legged on a felt cushion, looking at Wei Yingluo with a condescending look, full of scorn. Wei Yingluo's posture is very humble, bending slightly on his knees, holding up a tray for Hong Xiao to take the knife. Hong Xiao grunts coldly, the cotton paper brushed the dagger, he slashes down hard, the white meat splits into several pieces under the knife, the soup splashes out, splashing Wei Yingluo's cheeks.
Wei Yingluo Yingluo, with an unchanging smile, when Hong Xiao has finished cutting the meat, she puts away the knife and the cotton paper as if nothing had happened, puts the tray into the other trays and returned to the Empress.
It is then time for everyone to enjoy the white meat, Hongli cuts a slice and is about to eat it, when Wu Shulai suddenly approached Hongli, whispered something in his ear, Hongli turned pale, stabbed the knife in his hand to the table and said in a stern voice: “Give Zhen a report immediately!”
Everyone in the hall was stunned, Wu Shulai waved his hand, the eunuchs swarmed over him and took the meat out of the ministers' hands. The courtiers looked at each other in confusion, they all fell to the ground in fear.
The eunuch examining Hong Xiao's tray of white meat shouted: “Your Majesty, we have found it!”
Wei Yingluo bowed her head and hid her smile without a word.
Erqing sighed and said: “This is a blessing, anyone who dares to refuse it is disrespecting the ancestors and the gods! A minister once ate it and threw up, he was even beaten with a cane eighty times!”
To disrespect the ancestors and the gods to be punished with eighty strokes of the rod.
Wei Yingluo's heart fluttered, the moment was fleeting, she had found a great opportunity and she would not miss it. Wei Yingluo's eyes narrowed slightly, she smiled sweetly at Erqing and said: “I suddenly remembered I had some unfinished business, I'll talk to you next time.” With that, she lifted the hem of her skirt and walked quickly outside.
Erqing stares blankly at Wei Yingluo's back, muttering: “You've only just come back from an errand...”
The guard's office.
“Squeak squeak squeak” Hailancha winked at Fuheng and made a strange sound.
Fuheng looked at him inexplicably and asked: “What's the matter with you today? Have you lost your mind?”
Hailancha was frustrated and said meaninglessly: “Alas, there is no understanding between us, no more games, look over there, see who it is?”
Fuheng looked over and there was a young girl in court dress standing in the distance. Fuheng immediately got up, tapped Hailancha on the shoulder and said: “I'll be back soon.”
Hailancha watches Fuheng striding towards Wei Yingluo, tuts twice and said: “This is a blossoming of the iron tree, ha!”
Fuheng's steps were quick, in a few moments, he had covered most of the distance but when he was really close to Wei Yingluo his steps slowed down again.
The girl was standing under a willow tree, her figure was like a weak willow, she was lost in thought but when she heard the footsteps she quickly looked back at him, her eyes were clear with his reflection, Yingluo smiled at him and called out crisply: “Young Master.”
There are indeed flowers blooming in his heart, layers of them, Fuheng unconsciously asked in the softest of tones: “What brings you here?”
Wei Yingluo handed Fuheng a small paper packet, “I came to give you this.”
Fuheng opened it, gently squeezes a little and observes it and said suspiciously: “Is it pretzel salt?”
Wei Yingluo nodded and said in an attentive and thoughtful manner: “Tomorrow is the big festival day, I heard that the meat is half cooked and tasteless, people are often punished for eating it, so I have prepared pepper salt for the Young Master, when people are not looking, you can quietly put a little on it and it will be ready to eat.”
Fuheng handed the paper bag back to Wei Yingluo, saying disapprovingly: “Yingluo, this is not right.”
As the packet was handed to her, Wei Yingluo suddenly took it with Fuheng's hand and pushed it back, her glistening eyes met Fuheng's and advised: “Young Master you can hide a packet up his sleeve, there were so many people there, who would notice?”
The delicate softness of the young girl's celluloid palm was like a fire, the moment it touched Fuheng's, he immediately withdrew his hand, making his face flush all the way to the tips of his ears.
Wei Yingluo, as if she could not see the red tips of his ears, naturally withdrew her hand and said with a smile: “I'll take it as a gift, the Empress Niangniang is still waiting for me, I'll leave now.”
The cascade of blooming flowers slowly wilted, Fuheng watched Wei Yingluo walk away and clenched the paper bag in his hand.
The next day and the main hall of the Kunning Palace.
The rituals of the great festival, two large pots are set up in the hall of the Kunning Palace, steaming hot, white meat rolls over. The eunuchs respectfully place the cooked pork on the offering table, which is dedicated to the Manchu god Murihan. The Shaman Priestess sings a prayer and plays music, the sound of “Eloo loo” is heard from time to time, while beating the tambourine and shaking the golden bell.
Hongli and the Empress were in front of the crowd, the courtiers in line, amidst the sound of the tambourine, all bow down to the god Murihan. After the ceremony, Hongli and the Empress are seated on the southern bed, the ministers are seated on their respective cushions.
As soon as Liyu gives a clap, the eunuchs bring up the pork with a preliminary separation of the front and back elbows. Hongli himself cuts off a piece with a dagger, Liyu shouted: “Please eat the meat, my lords!”
Wei Yingluo and the court ladies came forward, each holding a plate, with a large piece of white water meat prepared, accompanied by a small knife and a piece of cotton paper.
Hong Xiao sat cross-legged on a felt cushion, looking at Wei Yingluo with a condescending look, full of scorn. Wei Yingluo's posture is very humble, bending slightly on his knees, holding up a tray for Hong Xiao to take the knife. Hong Xiao grunts coldly, the cotton paper brushed the dagger, he slashes down hard, the white meat splits into several pieces under the knife, the soup splashes out, splashing Wei Yingluo's cheeks.
Wei Yingluo Yingluo, with an unchanging smile, when Hong Xiao has finished cutting the meat, she puts away the knife and the cotton paper as if nothing had happened, puts the tray into the other trays and returned to the Empress.
It is then time for everyone to enjoy the white meat, Hongli cuts a slice and is about to eat it, when Wu Shulai suddenly approached Hongli, whispered something in his ear, Hongli turned pale, stabbed the knife in his hand to the table and said in a stern voice: “Give Zhen a report immediately!”
Everyone in the hall was stunned, Wu Shulai waved his hand, the eunuchs swarmed over him and took the meat out of the ministers' hands. The courtiers looked at each other in confusion, they all fell to the ground in fear.
The eunuch examining Hong Xiao's tray of white meat shouted: “Your Majesty, we have found it!”
Wei Yingluo bowed her head and hid her smile without a word.
