Chapter 431: Chapter 431 Palace Banquet (3)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“I’m afraid that’s inappropriate of me; as a commoner, I cannot sit on this seat.” Zhou Ying shook her head and smiled.
The Third Prince couldn’t figure out what the Empress Dowager was thinking, so he stood up and said, “Imperial Grandmother, don’t scare her. I’m still counting on her to cook a few delicious meals for me.”
“Oh, that means her cooking isn’t bad.” The Empress Dowager asked in surprise.
At the same time, seeing her neither servile nor overbearing attitude, she knew that Zhou Ying was not afraid of her. It was just that it was not easy to press on further due to her imperial status.
After that, she asked her personal maid, Nanny Liu, to bring a stool for Zhou Ying to sit on her right.
“Yes, her cooking is quite to my taste.” the Third Prince replied.
“Really? What’s your specialty?” The Empress Dowager turned to look at Zhou Ying.
“Egg Fried Rice,” Zhou Ying replied after a moment of surprise.
“Egg Fried Rice, it’s a very simple dish.”
“Yes, but it tests one’s skills the most.
“In addition to not sticking to the pot, the rice also needs to be separately dipped in the egg, so that the egg and rice fragrance blend and permeate each other until they fuse into one. This is so that there is egg in the rice and rice in the egg.”
When the Empress Dowager heard her description, she immediately imagined what her Egg Fried Rice looked like. She couldn’t help but nod and say, “Now that you say it, I’m indeed craving a plate. When you have time, cook some for me to try.”
“At your command.” Zhou Ying nodded.
After that, the Empress Dowager asked the Third Prince a few more questions, especially about his daily life.
Finally, she asked, “Do you have a girl you like? If you do, you must tell your grandmother. Otherwise, it will be too late once the marriage is decided tonight.”
“No, I don’t have anyone.” The Third Prince shook his head.
All these years, he had been staying in Dongyang. For safety reasons, he rarely left his residence, which meant he had no chance to interact with girls. How could he find a girl he liked this way?
“So, what kind of person are you looking for? You must have a rough idea, right?”
“There are two main points. One is to be strong-willed, and the other is to be upright.
“I’m rarely in the capital. So, as long as she can support the family and teach our child well, that would be great.”
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. “You’re right. If a woman doesn’t have a good heart and a strong will, she can’t be the daughter-in-law of the royal family. Even if she became one, it wouldn’t be a stable relationship.”
This was an essential trait of the royal family, especially true being an empress. Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager sighed as she remembered a girl from the Zhou family.
Just then, someone led a group of elderly imperial madams in and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Third Prince.
“Imperial Grandmother, elders, please continue your talks. We’ll take our leave now.” The Third Prince stood up.
“Greetings, Empress Dowager. I will take my leave.” Zhou Ying followed suit and bowed.
“Grandson, you guys can go. As for Zhou Ying, do stay, and I’ll bring you over later.” the Empress Dowager said to the three of them.
After that, she asked Zhou Ying to sit back down.
“I’ll leave it to Imperial Grandmother.” The Third Prince hesitated for a moment before nodding. He turned around and left Longevity Palace with Gu Chengrui and Zhou Huaiming.
After they left, a hunchbacked old woman in her sixties looked at the Empress Dowager and asked, “Empress Dowager, could this be the girl that the Third Prince has taken a fancy to?”
“For that, you’re wrong. She’s the girl who was wed into the Gu family to wash off Ping Yang’s bad luck. I like this child’s temperament.” The Empress Dowager shook her head and introduced Zhou Ying.
“She’s King An’s Consort. She got along quite well with your grandmother a few years ago.”
“This commoner, Zhou Ying, greets Consort An.” Zhou Ying stood up and bowed.
“Do raise your head. How’s your grandmother now?”
“She’s quite healthy. When she’s busy, she does some farm work. When she’s free, she goes outside to bask in the sun and chat with the other older women in the village..”
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