flstandardbreds Chapter 124 One Basket of Tribute Oranges
Chapter 124 One Basket of Tribute Oranges
Although it was never definitively confirmed whether Consort Qing was behind the scheme, the Emperor still decided to demote her to Noble Lady Qing and order her to reflect on her actions in seclusion for a month.
Consort Qing stared at the Emperor expressionlessly, her lips tightly pressed together. She neither offered any defense nor showed the slightest dissatisfaction with the punishment she had received, and silently accepted the decree.
Watching coldly from the sidelines, Su Nuannuan pondered to herself, "Why do I always feel that Consort Qing seems to have completely given up on the Emperor?"
At the same time, since Consort Su was innocently implicated in the incident and suffered a miscarriage, she was promoted to Noble Lady Su.
After settling matters concerning Consort Qing and Consort Su, the Emperor allowed Su Nuannuan and the other two to return to their respective palaces, while he and the Empress proceeded to Anning Palace.
After returning to Cuiwei Palace, Su Nuannuan pondered for a moment, then summoned Li Quan and instructed him, "Tomorrow morning, go to the Imperial Hospital and invite Physician Liu to come and check my pulse to ensure my well-being."
While she was with Consort Su earlier, Su Nuannuan caught a glimpse of Physician Liu. Now, she was filled with curiosity and eager to know the cause of Consort Su's miscarriage.
However, upon further reflection, if she were to hastily summon Physician Liu for questioning as soon as she returned to the palace, it would likely invite criticism and lead people to mistakenly believe that she was eager to find out the details of Consort Su's miscarriage.
Around noon, Li Quan directed several servants to carefully carry in a basket. The basket was tightly wrapped in a thick cotton quilt, and upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be filled with fresh oranges.
"Your Majesty, these are top-quality tribute oranges specially sent by the Imperial Household Department." Li Quan bowed slightly, gave a respectful salute, and reported softly.
Two eunuchs who were delivering tribute oranges hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Su Nuannuan with fawning expressions: "This servant greets Consort Zhuang, may Your Highness live a thousand years!" Their submissive demeanor seemed as if they were afraid that they might displease their noble mistress at the slightest mistake.
Su Nuannuan's gaze fell on the orange basket wrapped tightly in a cotton quilt. A hint of curiosity and anticipation flashed in her eyes. She casually asked, "Were these tribute oranges only delivered to me? Or did all the other sisters receive some?" Her voice was clear and melodious, yet it carried a hint of imperceptible authority.
Upon hearing the question, one of the young eunuchs quickly stepped forward and cautiously replied, "Your Highness Consort Zhuang, this year's tribute oranges are produced in very limited quantities, making them quite rare. Therefore, the Empress Dowager received three baskets; the Empress received two baskets; and Consort Qin, Consort Li, and you each received one basket. As for the other ladies, I'm afraid they won't have the chance to taste this delicious fruit this time." After speaking, he secretly glanced at Su Nuannuan's face, and seeing that she showed no abnormality, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"I see..." Su Nuannuan nodded thoughtfully, indicating that she understood. Then, she turned to Li Quan beside her and instructed, "Li Quan, give the reward."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Quan responded, then reached into his sleeve and took out two red envelopes that he had prepared beforehand, and handed them to the two eunuchs with a smile.
Upon seeing the red envelope, the two eunuchs were overjoyed. Their eyes widened, and their faces were filled with barely suppressed excitement. They hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, shouting, "Thank you so much for your generous reward, Consort Zhuang!" Their tearful gratitude made it seem as if they had received an immense blessing.
"Get up." Su Nuannuan remained calm, simply waving her hand to signal them to stand up.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The two eunuchs kowtowed gratefully, then slowly stood up and carefully backed away towards the door, only turning to leave after they had exited the room.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan was gazing gently at the basket full of brightly colored and fragrant tangerines in front of her. After thinking for a moment, she instructed, "Li Quan, take half of this basket of tangerines and send it to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Li Quan replied respectfully, then beckoned to two other eunuchs. The two men quickly approached, lifted the bamboo baskets containing the tribute oranges, and steadily walked towards the outer room. Once there, they gently set down the baskets and began to carefully sort the tribute oranges.
Inside the room, Su Nuannuan turned to Jinse and continued to instruct, "Jinse, give one of these remaining oranges to everyone in the palace. Remember to tell everyone to keep the peels after they finish eating the oranges, don't throw them away, I have a use for them."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jinse smiled and curtsied, happily agreeing, and on behalf of everyone in the palace, expressed her gratitude to Su Nuannuan: "This servant thanks Your Highness on behalf of everyone."
Just then, Yaoqin, who was standing to the side, looked puzzled and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of having so many orange peels?"
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and patiently explained, "I plan to turn waste into treasure and use these orange peels to make some orange-scented pills."
Upon hearing this, Yaoqin suddenly realized and then covered her mouth and chuckled: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. However, when it comes to the art of incense making, Zhixiang is the most proficient in our palace."
"Zhi Xiang is only familiar with expensive and high-quality fragrances. She may not know about fragrance pills made from waste materials like these," Su Nuannuan said softly to Yaoqin beside her with a smile.
As they were talking, Jinse walked in gracefully, carrying a plate of brightly colored tangerines. Jinse first gently placed the plate in front of Su Nuannuan, then turned and left to distribute the delicious-looking tangerines to the other palace servants.
Su Nuannuan reached out with great interest and picked up a plump, round tangerine from the plate. Just as she was about to peel off its golden skin herself, Yaoqin's gentle voice reached her ears: "Your Majesty, why don't you let me peel this tangerine for you?"
However, Su Nuannuan gently shook her head, still smiling as she replied, "No need. Eating oranges is more fun when you peel them yourself. Besides, the white pith is quite a treasure, so there's no need to clean it too thoroughly." With that, she skillfully began peeling the tangerine in her hand, and soon a fresh and pleasant fruity aroma filled the air.
Su Nuannuan broke off a segment of the crystal-clear orange and put it in her mouth. After chewing it carefully, she smiled with satisfaction: "Mmm, it tastes really sweet and juicy! It's just a pity that our two little ones are still too young to enjoy such a delicious treat."