Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1012 - 1010_1

Chapter 1012: 1010_1

After entering the palace, Shangguan Xuanyi first took the rice dumplings to the Cining Palace for the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was delighted to see her grandson come to see her bearing rice dumplings.

"Yi’er is so dutiful. He didn’t forget to send me a part of the dumplings made at home. Someone bring me a portion so I can taste how these dumplings are!"

No sooner were the Empress Dowager’s words out than arrangements were made: poison testers tested and food tasters tasted. The Empress Dowager was cautious, and anything that entered her mouth absolutely could not be carelessly prepared.

"The thoughtful one is the Princess. She made them herself and had me deliver some to you, dear great-grandmother. She will come to pay her respects to her grandmother on Dragon Boat Festival. She mentioned that since the dumplings are made of glutinous rice, great-grandmother should not eat too much at once as they are hard to digest."

Having heard this, the smile on the Empress Dowager’s face faded.

Those were made by that old hen that doesn’t lay eggs? No wonder her grandson brings such poor gifts to her.

A pheasant is a pheasant — even if it puts on a phoenix’s robe, it can’t become a phoenix and it can’t change its petty nature! Delivering dumplings? It’s surprising she has the nerve! Does the Empress Dowager lack just this single dumpling?

And about coming to the palace to pay respects on Dragon Boat Festival -- is she paying respects? She won’t be content until she infuriates me to death!

"Is that so? How thoughtful!" The Empress Dowager’s tone became significantly chillier.

Thinking about how her grandson had to marry Shen Xiao’er - an unproductive mountain pheasant - and now in his twenties without a single child, she couldn’t help but feel anxious:

"Yi’er, don’t mind great-grandmother’s nagging, but you’re not getting any younger. General Di is already a father of two children, yet we see no sign of yours. You should think about how to expand the royal family. You and Miss Rui’an have been married for over two years now, right? And not a single egg! This only proves she is not blessed! She is not blessed enough to give you a son, to expand the royal family and be..."

Shangguan Xuanyi’s face turned cold at these words, and he abruptly stood up: "Great-grandmother, there’s no woman in this world more blessed than Xiao’er! Please do not say these things again in the future, I have handled my child’s affairs! My father is waiting for me in the study room to discuss matters, I should take my leave now."

With that said, Shangguan Xuanyi marched off.

If words are not well-received then more talk is useless, especially when she speaks this way about the woman he loves, he does not want to hear a word!

The Empress Dowager was quite enraged by his words: There’s no woman more blessed than that mountain pheasant! As an Empress Dowager, the mother of the world, how could she be less blessed!

Indeed, a fox still has its allure; her normally sensible grandson has been led astray by her!

So what if she’s a bit prettier? She doesn’t believe there isn’t a more beautiful girl in this world!

The Empress Dowager firmly believed that her grandson would be ruined if he continued to be charmed by that mountain pheasant!

She did not coin the term ’femme fatale’! It’s been there since ancient times!

Not only her grandson, but even her emperor-son and other grandsons were all entranced by that pheasant, unable to discern right from wrong!

Thinking of something, the Empress Dowager paled. Shangguan Xuanyi left just like that, and she couldn’t even mind her anger!

It cannot be, this world cannot be ruined by a woman! She must find an even more beautiful girl to bring her grandson back!

Shangguan Xuanyi left swiftly, not caring about the Empress Dowager’s reaction.

He thought the Empress Dowager was too idle and always causing trouble!

At the moment, the palace maid brought in a plate of cut dumplings: "Empress Dowager, the dumplings are here."

"You bring me these cheap foods to make me upset? Take them away and feed them to the dogs!" The Empress Dowager angrily said after casting a glance at the still-steaming dumplings.

The maids were taken aback upon hearing this. Just moments ago, the Empress Dowager was eagerly talking about eating the dumplings, and now she doesn’t want to eat them anymore!

"So, you don’t want the rest of the dumplings?"

"No, I don’t! Take all of them away and feed them to the dogs!"

"Yes!" Although the maid was surprised, she dared not say anything and quickly withdrew.

The older the Empress Dowager got, the harder it was serve her. She refused to hear any word of dissent!

The tasks she’d ordered didn’t allow for any delay, making things hard for the numerous nannies and maids of Cining Palace.

Thinking of something else, the Empress Dowager worried that even loyal watchdogs would be tempted by wild pheasants. She rushed to stop a maid: "Wait, get rid of them all! Don’t risk harming the dogs!"

"Yes!" The maid obeyed gracefully and retreated.

The maid brought the rice dumplings back to the small kitchen of Cining Palace. The maid assigned to taste testing, seeing that the rice dumplings in the plate hadn’t been touched at all before they were sent back, asked in surprise, "Didn’t the Empress Dowager eat them?"

She didn’t even eat such delicious rice dumplings?

"She didn’t. The Empress Dowager said to throw them all away!"

On hearing this, the taste testing maid’s eyes widened: Throw away? Throw away these heavenly delicacies?! This was simply wasteful!

Just as the other maid was about to dump the rice dumplings from the plate into the garbage barrel, the taste testing maid swiftly grabbed the plate from her: "No! If the Empress Dowager won’t eat them, I will!"

Such delicious rice dumplings should not be wasted!

She only had one tiny taste and was already craving more. She sighed to herself, wishing she could have just a bit more!

Now heaven had heard her inner thoughts: the Empress Dowager wasn’t eating them. This was truly a blessing!

"But, the Empress Dowager said to throw them all away, even feeding them to the dogs is not allowed! She said not to harm those dogs!"

"Something so delicious shouldn’t be wasted. Of course, we can’t feed dogs rice dumplings! Dogs don’t eat sticky rice! Don’t worry, the Empress Dowager won’t know whether you’ve thrown them away or not. Just pass all these rice dumplings to me!"

"Are they really that delicious?" The other maid asked, intrigued by the dramatic "food protecting" actions of the taste test maid.

As a taste testing maid for the Empress Dowager, she had tried all sorts of exotic delicacies and exquisite dishes, but she had never seen anything make her defy the Empress Dowager’s orders like this.

"Try some! It’s so good it’s worth dying for!" The taste testing maid planned to get the other maid hooked too. She forked a small piece of rice dumpling and fed it to her.

It really pained her to share the dumplings, but if she didn’t share them, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to eat any at all. So she made the hard choice to part with some!

The maid was forced to take a bite of the dumpling. As soon as she chewed down, her taste buds were instantly awakened! She couldn’t help but chew it, then swallowed.

"Is it delicious?" The taste testing maid asked.

The maid nodded: "Yes, it is indeed delicious!"

"Are we still throwing them away?"

The maid shook her head: "No!"

The taste testing maid shook her head too: "Actually, we’re supposed to ’throw them’ into our stomachs!"

The other maid started nodding vigorously like a pecking chicken: "Right, it is definitely best to ’throw them’ into our stomachs!"

Just then, two more maids entered: "What are you ’throwing’ into your stomachs? Oh, there’s rice dumplings to eat!"

Both of them unceremoniously grabbed a piece, took a bite, and then couldn’t resist eating more.

"This is mine!" The taste testing maid quickly protected the remaining dumplings in the basket.

"It’s also mine!" Another maid hurried to snatch some too.

"If there’s something tasty, we should all eat it together!" The other two maids heard and, upon realising that these were discarded by their master, started grabbing as well.

Then two nannies came in, and the remaining rice dumplings were quickly divided among everyone!

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