Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1034 - 1032_1

Chapter 1034: Chapter 1032_1

Once the two maids had finished their bows, the Empress Dowager commanded, "Continue!"

Continue? Continue with what? The two maids were puzzled momentarily before they understood - they were to keep picking up fallen leaves! No slacking! Thus, the pair hastily bowed again, "Yes, Empress Dowager!"

Then they quickly squatted down and resumed working.

They hastened their actions, hoping to quickly remove all the fallen leaves from the flower bed and leave this place.

As the Empress Dowager was present, the pressure was immense! A little carelessness might cost them their heads!

Seeing them quietly working, the Empress Dowager’s face darkened, and she couldn’t help but say, "You can continue your conversation!"

Reminder to talk?

Upon hearing this, the frightened maids immediately knelt down: "Empress Dowager, forgive us. We understand our mistake. We must not talk anymore!"

Watching their reactions, the Empress Dowager frustratedly questioned, "Forgive what? Do you two have mud in your heads? Didn’t I tell you to keep talking? Can’t you understand my words?"

The two maids exchanged glances, uncertain whether the Empress Dowager’s intention was for them to continue their conversation.

The nanny, who had been serving the Empress Dowager for years, understood her intent and prompted, "Weren’t you just talking about how that girl Ziwei gave birth to a chubby boy? Continue telling us how she gave birth to a chubby boy and what special methods she used. The Empress Dowager is a devout Buddhist and is especially interested in stories of divine blessings."

At this, the Empress Dowager’s face lightened up.

The two maids exchanged glances again. They realized she was referring to the significance of their visit to Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth.

The younger one among them proceeded, "There is indeed a particular way to pray to Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth: if you visit on the first of the month, you are praying for a son, and if you go on the fifteenth, you are praying for a daughter! You also need to cast the sacred cup. If the sacred cup reveals one upright and one overturned when cast, it means that Mother Guanyin has accepted your sincerity and will grant your wish.

If the sacred cup reveals two upright or two overturned, you need to continue praying on the first or fifteenth day of the following month, until Mother Guanyin accepts your sincerity."

When she finished speaking, the maid lowered her head slightly, standing respectfully and motionless.

The Empress Dowager was deep in thought after hearing these words.

So that’s the case? Tomorrow is the first of the month, so she should ask Shen Xiao’er and Du Yijin to prepare some offerings in advance for the temple visit.

"What kind of offerings are required?"

"Things like jujube, lotus seeds, longan, and other fruits will do! You cannot offer meat, and after praying, you should not consume meat and should abide by a vegetarian diet for a month."

A fasting period of a month? Is that enough sincerity? A fasting period of 81 days at minimum is necessary, surely!

"Is that all?" The Empress Dowager asked again.

"Yes, Your Majesty, that is all."

"You may retreat now!"

The Empress Dowager nodded after hearing their words, then said to her nanny, "Take me back. Summon Princess Rui and Crown Princess of Prince An to greet me in the palace!"

"Yes!"

...

As the weather was sweltering, Xiao’er was preparing fresh juice with her maids, intending to put it in the ice cellar and enjoy it during the hottest part of the afternoon.

Xiao’er found this hand-pressed juice far more refreshing than the machine-processed ones of her time.

However, the most delicious juice was made in the kitchen of the space portal, which was intelligent enough to retain all the goodness of the fruit and remove the rest. It was simply perfect.

"Neal Young, once the juice is ready, have Zhao Yong deliver some to my parents’ Marquis Mansion, and bring some fresh fruits to the farmers in the flower field, to help them fight off the heat. With the weather as hot as it is, the farmers responsible for the flower fields have it rather tough," Xiao’er said as she strenuously pressed the watermelon juice.

"The weather is so hot, won’t the juice not be cold by the time it gets to the Marquis’s Mansion?" Yang Liu replied.

"It doesn’t matter, we can just put some ice cubes in when the time comes."

"Also, when the fruits in the farm are ripe, have Zhao Yong send several carts to the military camp. Especially the watermelons, they are incredibly refreshing and juicy. Everyone loves them!" Xiao’er’s villa had enjoyed good harvests in recent years, and a multitude of fruits was produced. Every year, Xiao’er would send some to Shangguan Xuanyi’s guardsmen to give them a treat. Otherwise, relying solely on the provisions supplied by the Imperial Court, they wouldn’t even have a chance to taste a single fruit all year round.

"Among all the people I’ve met, Princess is the most generous. Some people would rather let their fruits rot on the trees than share them with others!"

And yet, Xiao’er didn’t pick subpar fruits to give to the soldiers in the camp. Those rotten fruits were disposed of by her orders.

The fruits that weren’t up to par or weren’t aesthetically pleasing but were still edible did not meet Xiao’er’s standards. The farmworkers of the villa, who were unwilling to discard the fruits, would keep those for their consumption. When they couldn’t finish them, they would give some to the nearby villagers, who were delighted to receive them.

Xiao’er didn’t intervene in this. However, she didn’t allow anyone to consume fruits with even the smallest blemish, even when the bad part was cut off. This behavior of hers caused distress amongst many fruit farmers. It pained them when they had to throw away fruits that had only slightly rotten, but still tasted good with the rotten part cut off. They couldn’t comprehend why perfectly good fruits were being wasted!

Meanwhile, Xiao’er and the rest of them continued with their work. Just as they finished half of their tasks, a eunuch from the Cining Palace arrived to fetch Xiao’er for a visit.

Xiao’er glanced at the glaring sun outside and hesitated. She really didn’t want to set foot outside!

Yet she resigned herself to her destiny, changed into palace attire, and prepared herself to meet the most powerful woman in the world.

Then she ran into Du Yijin who had also been called to the palace by the Empress Dowager.

Having someone accompany her relieved Xiao’er’s frustration a little.

Once they reached Cining Palace, to their surprise, the Empress Dowager gave an immediate audience without posing any difficulties. She then asked them to prepare lotus seeds, jujube, and so on, and accompany her to the temple of the Goddess of Childbirth the next day.

The Empress Dowager insisted that they personally purchase these items and even dispatched a nanny to oversee them.

Enough is enough! Xiao’er thought with exasperation.

There were plenty of supermarkets. She could easily have sent someone to buy and deliver them. Instead, she was made to go out under the scorching sun to make the purchases.

However, the Empress Dowager’s attitude this time was different from the past. There were no veiled slights, so Xiao’er didn’t hold it against her. She reasoned that if purchases had to be made, so be it!

Xiao’er and Du Yijin went to the supermarket together, asked the shop owner to get everything the Empress Dowager requested ready, and waited while having tea in the accounting room.

When the shopkeeper was ready, they each paid him with the silver and personally handed over their purchases to the nanny commissioned by the Empress Dowager.

The nanny took the items, showed them to the Empress Dowager, then left.

As to whether Xiao’er and Du Yijin personally selected the items, she kept it a secret when the Empress Dowager inquired.

She had no choice; after all, Princess Rui and the Crown Princess of Prince An were younger than the Empress Dowager!

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