Two Five Four, The Height and the Pot

In the eyes of Lord Tong, Cao Yunchan's survival is a kind of betrayal. Her granddaughter Yan Hua died tragically at home, and Cao Yunchan is still alive. Even though she may live a hard life on Huangling, she is still alive, isn't she...
Back then, she taught Tong Yanhua how to control his concubines and prevent the birth of illegitimate sons, but she never thought about the injustice towards women like Cao Yunchan in the Wangfu. She never expected that Cao Yunchan would poison Tong Yanhua right under her nose, preventing him from ever having his long-awaited legitimate son.
The hint from Princess Li made her extremely excited, but compared to sending people to the new king's harem, she was more concerned about her own daughter.
"If the Empress Dowager was still alive, there would be a place to discuss the concerns of the princess." As long as her daughter moved into Jiuhua Palace, there was nothing for Queen Li to worry about. In fact, she looked down on the status of the Li family and didn't want to be manipulated by Princess Li.
Li Cenan heard the words and knew that Miss Tong had taken the bait. She knew very well that once she brought back Mr. Tong, she would become dispensable. However, she had no external support to rely on, so even if the Tong family used her as a stepping stone, she had no choice but to bind her own interests with the Tong family first.
The king trapped her in the Reed Palace, and Li Can'an needed to break through the current predicament as soon as possible. Thinking about it, the only way to surpass the supreme royal power is to talk about filial piety. Hopefully, after the matter is settled, Master Tong and the Tong family will remember the favor I once did for them.
There was another pessimistic voice in her mind, reminding her of the possible consequences of trying to take advantage of others. Li Chen'an did not forget the disdainful look from Tong Yanhua, who always looked down on her. However, because Tong Yanhua mostly targeted Meng Yao, she didn't pay much attention to Tong Yanhua's arrogance.
Both the host and the guest had their own thoughts, but they maintained a tacit agreement to keep up a happy atmosphere. When Lady Tong left the palace, a hint of a smile lingered in the corner of her eyes.
The old nurse who had been accompanying her followed her into the carriage. As the curtain behind them was pulled down, the old nurse finally felt her tense nerves loosen. Throughout the past half day, she had been on edge every single moment.
Old Granny saw Tong Taijun with a pleased expression on her face, opening the food box and chatting.
"We still have a long way to go, so Grandma, have some snacks to keep you going." There is no shortage of tea snacks for entertaining guests in the palace, but they are usually just for show. It's not that the palace snacks are not delicious, the color and aroma are all top-notch. She just wished she could pack them up and take them home to show off to her old sisters.
But she worried that the grease from the pastry would dirty her clothes, so she resisted the temptation of the delicious food and didn't dare to reach out. She was afraid that she would soil the empress's territory if she had to go to the bathroom, so she only dared to take a sip of tea when she was really thirsty.
Although the old lady may not be as shallow as herself, she still cannot be too willful when facing the noble princesses.
When Miss Tong heard her mention it, she felt her stomach perform a song of the empty city strategy. So, she picked up a piece of jade belt cake, put a handkerchief in front of her and slowly chewed on it. "Pour tea for me, I'll have a sip. Send someone back to prepare the meal, tell them to get the pot ready, and let's enjoy eating meat."
The old nanny brewed tea and held it by the side of Tong Taijun, so she could enjoy it. The carriage rocked gently as it moved, and the bowl was only filled halfway to prevent hot tea from splashing and causing harm. The teapot was kept on a small charcoal stove that was carried with the carriage. When she accompanied the old lady inside, there was also a rough servant woman who stayed behind to watch the stove.
"The maid is fortunate to enjoy the old lady's favor and can have a good meal today," the old nanny heard the joy of the young lady and hastily praised. Someone had already ridden back to the mansion to deliver the message. When the old nanny heard this, she leaned out of the car window to give instructions.
"Don't laugh at me, old lady. The servant didn't even dare to touch the tea cup just now and now I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow."
"Coward," mocked Miss Tong. She swallowed the jade belt cake and felt the sugar slowly nourishing her organs. She rinsed her mouth with tea and gave the rest of the desserts to the old maid.
The old lady was overjoyed and thanked Miss Tong repeatedly. She ate a piece of honey cake in front of Miss Tong and put the rest in the box and placed it at her feet. Even if the old lady gave it to her, she couldn't enjoy it right away. The box contained delicacies for the masters to enjoy, and she saved it to bring back to her grandson at home.
"I didn't expect Queen Mother suddenly summoned, I thought Queen Mother would give a banquet at noon!"
Tongtaijun couldn't help sneering. "After all, it's a small door and a small household."
Old Madam San San smiled awkwardly, and shrunk her head in reflection. It's a great disrespect and a capital offense to gossip about the queen.
Tong Tai Jun glanced at the cowering servant, thinking of the useless queen in the palace. When she approached Jianjia Hall, it was nearly noon. Whether it was to dine with close relatives, or to give two places for leisure, it was a matter of course. But Li Cen dared to snatch someone from the Yude Palace, but didn't dare to let her have lunch in the Jianjia Hall. With such a timid character, what great things could she accomplish?
Tong Taijun remembered Li Cenan's repeated attempts to court her, but acquiesced to her proposal since it was in line with the Tong family's wishes. It may not be impossible to let Mingchen take care of her in the future.
After seeing Tong Taijun off, the curtains of Yude Hall were drawn, obscuring the light that had filtered through the stained-glass windows. Not too early or too late, the children giggled as they lay in bed.
Peace closed his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. He pulled up the quilt to cover the overflowing smile, and his happy little feet danced in the quilt, without a trace of sleepiness. "It smells so good."
Amman was not sleepy either, but his mother told him to lie down for a while. He and Ping'an covered themselves with a blanket, listening to his brother whispering softly, and couldn't help but kick him. "Don't move, go to sleep!"
“I'm going to sleep, I'm sleeping.” Ping An surefire across his body, hands folded on his chest. Just to stay with my mother for a while longer, he pretended to be sleepy. He couldn't let his mother know that he was lying, his mother didn't like naughty children who lied.
Zhen'er is the most daring, she climbs into Meng Miao's quilt and wants Meng Miao to hold her and comfort her. No matter how old she gets, she will always be her mother's child. She blinked contentedly and lightly scratched Dongge's chubby little face with her fingers.
"Brother Dong is such a lazy bug in winter, he really can sleep." She thought Brother Dong was pretending to sleep to drive away the annoying old lady, and didn't expect him to actually fall asleep. However, Mama An is so fragrant and soft, she also wants to lie in Mama An's arms and sleep.
When Dongge fell asleep, he was not easily startled, so Mengyao let Zhener play and tease her little brother.
"The more you sleep, the faster you grow. Little brother is growing up."
"I'm growing up too..." Pretending to be asleep, Ping'an couldn't help but interrupt, and then quickly covered his mouth, guiltily saying, "I'm asleep. I'm already asleep."
Amman stifled a laugh, turned his head to look at Ping'an, who was covering his ears and stealing the bell, and twisted his rosy cheeks with amusement and anger, threatening, "If you speak again, I'll make sure you never grow taller."
臻儿掩着小嘴，只敢咯咯地轻笑，以免吵醒冬哥。二弟真是个小傻子！
平安撅起小嘴，果真不敢再吱声。他正闭着眼，看不见阿满脸上的戏谑，当即信以为真。
At the gate of the imperial government office, Tong Luxiang looked far away and saw the family's carriage entering from the corner. He couldn't help but eagerly step down the stone steps to greet them.
Just now the steward came to tell me that the old lady is already on her way home. He also said that the old lady ordered some dishes on the way home and wants to eat hot pot for dinner.
Master Lu Zhongzao had instructed the steward to wait for news in the study. As soon as he heard that his mother had left the palace, he personally stood guard at the gatehouse. Later, when he heard that his mother was ordering food, he pondered that she must have some gains from this trip, and his heart couldn't help but surge.
Master Tong walked out of the sedan chair and, looking up to see his eager son, felt a little guilty for a moment. But she had been a virtuous woman for half her life, and quickly picked up the dignity of Lady Guogong, and calmly got out of the car.
Young Lu Zhong respectfully seated his elderly mother on the high hall and personally took the hot tea from the maid's hand.
"Mother, please have a meal. I will accompany you." No matter how urgent it was, he could not let his mother go hungry.
Just as the words fell, the butler led the servants carrying the meal in one after another. The most eye-catching thing was an enamel pot, and when the lid was lifted, you could still hear the boiling sound.
"It's really exhausting for an old bone like me, I haven't even had a hot meal at this time of day." The table was gradually covered with vegetables, fish, and meat, and the rich aroma of bone soup filled the room. Mrs. Tong only ate a piece of pastry for half a day, and now the hungry bug in her belly was also stirred up.
"Today, let the old lady taste the meat that her son personally grilled." Tong Lvzhong was just offering his filial piety, holding the ivory chopsticks, and standing by his mother's side as a servant.
After years of emotional struggle, there were finally some signs of progress. Taijun saw her son working hard to please her, temporarily setting aside her earlier worries.
"Alright. Let them all go out, and you can serve me. We can eat meat and talk." She was in a good mood, pointing to the old nanny who entered the palace with her and instructing someone to prepare another pot for her. "It's been hard for you to accompany me for most of the day, so go down and eat comfortably."
The old nanny felt grateful and busy expressing her gratitude for the kindness of the old lady before leaving with thanks to Duke Tong.
"If there is anything I can do, please feel free to ask. The old lady can just order me around and see if I am still useful." Duke Tong understood the implied meaning of the old lady's words and wanted to have a private conversation. "Leave the steward waiting outside the door, and the rest of the people can do whatever they need to do."
Yulizhong gratefully appreciated the Duke's care and was quickly escorted out by the butler.
Yulizhong tried hard not to appear too eager, and first served the old lady with two bites of vegetables.
"Haven't eaten yet, have you?" The vegetables were cooked to a soft texture, easily melting in the mouth. Mrs. Tong knew that her son must be eager to ask about the gains of this trip, and hadn't had time to eat. "Don't stand on ceremony, sit down and eat together. I can't chew much of this meat, so you eat more."
After a few words of courtesy, Tóng Lǜzhōng finally sat in the seat below the old lady, scooped up the tofu and pigeon eggs, and continued to help the old lady with her food. During the time when the meat was being cooked, he finally spoke:
“The old lady eats well, and her son looks appetizing too. I think there must be good things happening in the Eastern Palace today, so let the old lady look refreshed.”
Miss Tong's relaxed expression stiffened slightly, and she put down her ivory chopsticks. "There is indeed good news, but it's not because of the Eastern Palace."
"What does this mean?" Tong Lvzhong was confused.
Tong Taijun had eaten half full and felt warm in her stomach, so she gradually explained about Li Queen's invitation. Of course, she spontaneously skipped over the confrontation outside Yude Hall.
However, Tang Lüzhong's first instinct still felt something was not right. Lady Shuyuan, who was highly favored, missed the position of the Empress, which must be related to the discord with the Queen. The old lady did not disclose the internal situation of the East Palace, but unexpectedly reached a tacit understanding with Queen Li. This was completely different from his initial plan.