I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 26: Palace Maid and Favored Concubine, Professional Mismatch

When she was still at home, she often ate the snowflake crisps from Zhang’s shop in the county town.

Later, I entered the palace and became a maid, but I had fewer opportunities to see it, let alone taste it.

Caiyue raised her eyes and glanced at the person sitting opposite her.

Even when she was sitting down to eat, her manners were no worse than those of a lady from a wealthy family.

Under the candlelight, her jade-white skin seemed to be glowing, making her appearance even more beautiful.

Caiyue lowered her eyes and stared at the half piece of snowflake crisp in her hand.

It was a small piece, covered with a layer of white icing. From the bite point, you could see several kinds of nuts and kernels mixed together. The tiny sugar crystals solidified at the edge reflected the candlelight.

If it weren't for the help of the person opposite her, she wouldn't have been able to eat this little snowflake crisp.

The palace is such a place where the powerful are flattered and the weak are bullied.

If you want to eat well and dress well, you have to climb up.

Her fingertips tightened inch by inch, Caiyue lowered her head and put the remaining half of the snowflake crisp into her mouth.

——The taste of snowflake crisps is indeed very sweet.

Chu Liuzheng didn't notice Caiyue's abnormality, she was chewing a piece of snowflake crisp and feeling worried.

[It’s over! Giving away Bihen Cream and Snowflake Crisps, when has Eunuch Zhou ever been so considerate to a little palace maid? ]

[With such attentiveness, Zhou Yuande must want to have sex with me! ]

[Damn it! I don’t want to! ]

After finishing a plate of snowflake crisps, a young eunuch suddenly ran over and said, "Your Majesty has summoned Lord Fan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, to the Wenhua Hall for a discussion. He has already entered the palace. The two girls should quickly prepare tea."

[The tyrant summoned his ministers to the palace to discuss matters in the middle of the night. Did he want to select a model worker of the modern era? ]

Chu Liuzheng complained in his heart, never thinking that it was he who caused Fan Hong to run to the palace in the middle of the night.

Caiyue followed Chu Liuzheng and stood up, asking, "Sister, what kind of tea does Mr. Fan prefer?"

"Jasmine tea." Chu Liuzheng said as he carried out the teapot, "Lord Fan is from Fuzhou, which is famous for its tea. This jasmine tea brewed in the cellar is one of its famous products."

"Next time I'm not around and you're not sure what kind of tea to make, you can ask the adults where they're from and use the tea that's grown there."

"Adults generally like to drink tea produced in their hometown. If it is not available or you don't have time to ask, just choose green tea. You may not like it, but you won't go wrong."

"But," Caiyue stared at the jar beside Chu Liuzheng and the reddish-brown tea leaves inside, wondering, "Since Lord Fan likes to drink jasmine tea, why did my sister take the Dahongpao?"

Green tea and oolong tea are so different, it’s impossible to get the wrong one.

"What kind of tea to brew depends on the time." Chu Liuzheng put the teapot back and closed the cabinet door.

"It is already midnight, and everyone is tired. Your Majesty has summoned Lord Fan to discuss matters, so naturally he needs to make some refreshing tea. Jasmine tea is fragrant, but it is not as refreshing as Dahongpao. Dahongpao is also one of the teas produced in Fuzhou, and Lord Fan also likes to drink it."

[Da Hong Pao is a fermented oolong tea, which contains more caffeine than green tea. Drinking coffee will certainly help you stay alert.]

This is a lesson learned from experience, Caiyue took note of it.

Chu Liuzheng took the copper kettle off the stove and poured water into the teacup. Seeing that Caiyue was taking it seriously, he added, "The Tieguanyin produced in Anxi, Fuzhou is also good. It has a unique orchid fragrance and a sweet taste. Its refreshing effect is similar to that of Dahongpao."

Caiyue asked in confusion: "Then why not choose Tieguanyin?"

"Of course it's because His Majesty prefers Dahongpao." Chu Liuzheng blinked at her and whispered, "There's not much Tieguanyin left. If you want to make some tea, you have to go to the inner storehouse and get the right brand and register. It's not a hassle. It's the middle of the night, so let's take a break." The hostesses of the Tea Palace were mainly there to serve the emperor, and the ministers who came to discuss matters were just there as a by-product. Naturally, the emperor's preferences were given priority.

Caiyue nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but sigh: "Sister knows so much!"

"Practice makes perfect." Chu Liuzheng smiled, counting the time in his heart, lowering his head to cover the teacup, "When you stay in the imperial court for a few more months, you don't have to remember them. These things will go into your mind by themselves, and you can't forget them even if you want to."

Caiyue took the mahogany tray off the shelf and brought it over, saying with a smile: "I'm not very smart, so I'll need my sister to teach me more in the future."

Chu Liuzheng glanced at her.

[I want to teach you more, but you are aiming to climb the dragon bed, so it will be useless for me to teach you more. Palace maid and concubine, these professions are really not suitable.]

Caiyue felt an inexplicable palpitation in her heart. She always felt that Chu Liuzheng's glance was very sharp, as if he could see through her from inside out.

But when she looked closely, the other person still had those watery almond eyes with a faint smile on his face, no different from usual.

"Let's go." Chu Liuzheng picked up the tray and motioned Caiyue to follow.

*
Imprisonment.

"Chu Shangming!" A Jinyiwei stood outside the prison cell's fence, knocked on the fence with his embroidered spring sword, and shouted loudly.

The prisoners who were still awake in the cell all looked over, but were glared back fiercely by the Jinyiwei, who then shouted, "Chu Shangming!"

In the corner, a young man dressed as a scholar was sleeping soundly. Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name loudly. He woke up with a start and answered subconsciously, "Yes!"

The Jinyiwei took a look at the man and saw that he was indeed a handsome scholar, so he opened the cell door and said, "Come here! You are lucky, someone from above is protecting you. You can go out now."

Chu Shangming was overjoyed. He quickly ran out through the crowd and thanked the Jinyiwei.

"Officer, I have a classmate named Chai Zhicheng, who was also arrested by mistake. Can he come with me?"

"Him?" The Royal Guard looked at him with a half-smile, "He is the remnant of the Fifth Prince. It was because of him that you were arrested. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been in prison."

"Ah?" Chu Shangming's eyes widened in surprise. "Master Cha, is there any misunderstanding here? Brother Chai is a pure and kind person. How could he be the remnant of the fifth prince?"

"You are a bookworm who doesn't know how to judge people. You are being sold and still helping others count money." The Jinyiwei sneered and was too lazy to talk to Chu Shangming. He pointed his embroidered spring knife at him and said, "Do you want to leave? If not, I will catch you back!"

"Let's go!"

How could Chu Shangming dare to stay any longer after he deliberately scared him?

Without even bothering to ask who had gotten him out, he walked out quickly, fearing that he would be caught again.

After he was released from the imperial prison and the sounds of screams and executions faded away, Chu Shangming let out a long sigh of relief.

"How could such a good man like Brother Chai be the remnant of the Fifth Prince? Did I make the wrong friends again?"

He raised his hand and patted his head: "Oh! If only You Miao hadn't entered the palace, I could ask her."

Youmiao is a diminutive of Chu Liuzheng, which is taken from: "An Liuzheng turns back and forth, the sound is young and wonderful and then rises again."

The names of the three brothers and sisters of the Chu family were all chosen by Chu's father, who brought gifts to the village and asked the teacher who ran a private school in the village to help him choose the names. He just wanted to give his children nice names.

Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng and Yu, three of the five names are used.

"We have to hurry home. Mother and little sister must be worried sick."

Chu Shangming didn't care about etiquette, he stretched out his long legs and ran towards home.

(End of this chapter)