Xiao Changyi also paid no heed to the Emperor of Xiyun, and simply placed bowls and chopsticks directly in front of the four people.
It was An Jing who, smiling, explained: "It’s just that some vegetable juice was added while kneading the dough. Depending on what kind of vegetable juice, the dough gets dyed that particular color. For instance, the green dumplings were made with spinach juice."
The Emperor of Xiyun praised her: "Jingjing is clever."
An Jing, however, just sweated. She really didn’t feel flattered by his praise; on the contrary, she thought if her modern-day comrades knew she was being praised for this, they would definitely laugh their heads off.
Before moving his chopsticks, Eunuch Fu, who stood behind the Emperor of Xiyun, wanted to come forward with a silver needle to test for poison, but was stopped by the emperor himself.
An Jing knew about the ancient practice of using a silver needle to test for poison, but she had yet to witness it firsthand. Earlier, when she shared meals with the Emperor of Xiyun, it was always in Jun Palace, and presumably, Eunuch Fu had already tested those meals, so she hadn’t seen it happen.
Now, seeing Eunuch Fu take out the silver needle, An Jing was first startled, then she said with a smile, "Emperor Father trusts me and Changyi so much, we’re both very touched. However, Emperor Father, your well-being is still more important. We can’t completely guarantee that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the dumplings. Although we wrapped them, we didn’t produce the ingredients ourselves. It’s still better to test them, so we can have peace of mind too."
If the Emperor of Xiyun were to fall ill because of eating dumplings, then she and her husband would bear the charge of regicide! They definitely needed to test these dumplings!
Su Chengyu had always been very concerned about the Emperor of Xiyun, his father. After hearing what An Jing said, he added, "Emperor Father, sister-in-law’s words are very sensible."
"This..." The Emperor of Xiyun still seemed somewhat reluctant to test. If they did, he felt it created a distance between himself and his son Yi Er, which he did not want.
Seeing that the Emperor of Xiyun was only looking at Xiao Changyi and not allowing Eunuch Fu to test the dumplings with the silver needle, An Jing discreetly tugged at the hem of Xiao Changyi’s robe under the table.
Xiao Changyi spoke up at last with a single word: "Test."
He paused as if speaking to himself, then added indifferently, "You said you wanted to live to a hundred years old."
The Emperor of Xiyun was initially hesitant still, but upon hearing Xiao Changyi’s latter remark, he immediately instructed Eunuch Fu to use the silver needle and test the dumplings for any poison.
While Eunuch Fu was testing for poison, the Emperor of Xiyun cheerfully said to Xiao Changyi, "Everyone wishes me longevity, but I know I can’t live forever. If I can live to a hundred, that would be more than enough for me."
Xiao Changyi said nothing.
Only after Eunuch Fu tested and confirmed there was no poison did everyone begin to move their chopsticks and eat the dumplings.
An Jing liked dipping her dumplings in vinegar, and now she had an even greater preference for sour flavors. She soaked her dumplings in vinegar until saturated before popping them into her mouth, making the faces of the Emperor of Xiyun and Su Chengyu pucker at the sourness.
Xiao Changyi couldn’t handle too much sourness, but he could eat dumplings with a hint of vinegar. He dipped the dumplings lightly in vinegar and began eating them one by one.
The Emperor of Xiyun and Su Chengyu followed Xiao Changyi’s example in eating their dumplings.
Although the dumplings came in five colors, the taste was much the same, but because Xiao Changyi had made them, both the Emperor of Xiyun and Su Chengyu were greatly satisfied both mentally and emotionally, eating with particular joy.
"Yi Er," the Emperor of Xiyun suddenly said, "since you rarely come back, why not test Chengyu’s horseback archery skills tomorrow. While you’re at it, give him some pointers. He hasn’t had much time to learn and could benefit from some tricks from you."
Her husband was perceptive and sharp-eyed, able to spot the core of any problem with just a glance. However, when it came to teaching others, her husband was not very patient. Therefore, An Jing thought that Xiao Changyi would not agree to it.