She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth; the pastry was sweet but not cloying, fragrant and delicious.
The little girl generously shared with those in the carriage: "Ah Tao, Ming Yan, Xiao Chen, you can try it too. I had Ah Tao buy two portions."
Ah Tao and Ming Yan both declined.
The servants must have self-awareness not to accept the master’s offerings lightly.
Finally.
The little girl in the light red dress insisted, threatening noisily, "This portion is for you. If you don’t eat it, your wages for this month will be forfeited, withheld by me for not listening to the master’s words."
Looking at the two maids in front of her, Ye Zhi treated them well within her capabilities.
Especially silly Ah Tao, who regarded her young lady as more important than herself, often praised her to Ming Yan privately, using words such as ’a celestial being on earth’... These made Ye Zhi laugh and cry.
The two, upon hearing this, felt somewhat relieved and shared a piece of Furong Cake.
The little girl’s gaze pricked at the boy beside her: "Xiao Chen, aren’t you going to eat it?"
"No." The little traitor turned his head away, a bit awkwardly.
"Well, look over here." Ye Zhi reached out, turned his small head back, and coaxed, "Open your mouth, ah."
Caught off guard, the little traitor followed her command, slightly opening his mouth, and the next second, a piece of Furong Cake was stuffed into his mouth.
Ye Zhi, seeing her success, became cheerful: "Try it, it’s delicious."
Ignoring his dumbfounded expression.
In a blink, she happily ate the pastry herself.
Enjoying life alone~
Inside the carriage, it was harmonious, filled with laughter and chatter as the horse trotted through the snow and soon arrived at Longhua Temple.
The entrance to the temple was heavily guarded.
Today, Emperor Jingping visited Longhua Temple with his wife and children.
Dozens of princes and princesses, along with many concubines, formed a vast and mighty entourage.
In plain view, the Imperial Guards heavily guarded the surroundings of Longhua Temple, while in secret, the Six Gates’ death warriors and hidden guards lay in wait.
Longhua Temple covered a vast area, the largest temple in the Capital City and during the Daqing Dynasty, capable of accommodating thousands.
Emperor Jingping did not forbid common civilians from coming to worship.
When the Ye Family arrived, the temple was already crowded.
Ordinary people rarely get to see the Emperor in person and were eager to catch a glimpse of his majestic presence upon hearing of his visit to Longhua Temple.
The entrance was heavily guarded with layers of supervision so that too many people could not enter at once; they had to wait for worshippers to exit before the next batch could enter.
The one guarding the entrance happened to be Father Ye’s colleague, Gu Ping, a Third Grade Central Governor.
On the Lantern Festival day, Ye Yuan took a day off to accompany his family to worship, seeing his colleague on duty, their eyes met, and he could see the jealousy, envy, and hatred in the Central Governor’s eyes.
Ye Yuan stepped forward to greet him: "Ah, Old Ping, are you on duty today?"
This tone, as if he was saying, "Today’s weather is nice."
The Central Governor ground his teeth, wasn’t this pouring salt on his wound? Colleagues were happily on vacation, yet he received the notification of the Emperor visiting the temple, armed and armored, he came to guard the gate unhappily.
Despite the bitterness in his heart, he maintained a composed facade, conversing with Ye Yuan: "Oh, isn’t it Old Yuan? What a coincidence."
In his peripheral vision, he noticed Old Mrs. Ye behind him and greeted her.
Ye Yuan stroked his goatee, looking towards Longhua Temple: "I am here to accompany my wife for worship. How long has the Emperor been here?"
Reluctantly absent from court duties, he hoped not to see the Emperor, genuinely unwilling to face the boss.
"Not long, about the time of one incense stick."
Upon hearing this, Lord Minister’s despair was profound, life seemed joyless.