Blissful Days After Widowhood

Empress Zhou was the city she entered with the rebel army when the new dynasty was established more than a year ago.

At that time, her heart was still closed, and her whole mind was tied to Lu Zhao alone, not to mention the capital, and even rarely went to other places in the palace.

Now the eldest son has been retrieved, and the younger son has also gone to the Wenhua Hall for class, and can let go. At this time, Queen Zhou remembered in a trance that she hadn't come out to see for a long time.

Emperor Zhengyuan arranged a bodyguard for her, and specially transferred Qian Sansi to Queen Zhou for a day.

Qian Sansi said: "The servant's apprentice is now following His Royal Highness King Lie, and I heard from His Highness that the general's wife is not in the mansion, but in the restaurant. Let the general's wife rush back immediately."

With her status as a queen, of course, she can go directly to the British mansion, drink tea and eat snacks, and wait for Gu Yin to return home. But that would be too high.

Qian Sansi saw it, so she brought Queen Zhou to Shiweitian.

Queen Zhou nodded and said that it should be like this.

The two were talking, and the guards hid. Empress Zhou only had two palace maids by her side, who looked like ordinary female guests.

And when they are near Shiweitian, there are more female guests.

Many people still know each other and go in hand in hand while chatting at the door.

Empress Zhou followed behind them and saw them go up the stairs directly after entering the restaurant, and she followed them up.

At the junction of the second and third floors, Qian Sansi was stopped.

The maid's attitude was very polite and said: "This guest officer, the elegant house on the third floor only serves female guests, please stay."

Qian Sansi looked at Empress Zhou inquiringly, and Empress Zhou said, "Is it an elegant house that only serves female guests? This is a bit new."

Qian Sansi said knowingly: "Then the old slave will not follow the madam. If the madam needs it, she can call the old servant at any time."

Empress Zhou nodded and went all the way to the third floor, where she had her own maid to make a curtain for her.

After bypassing the big screen, the decoration and furnishings in front of her made her eyes bright.

The light-colored fabric sofa, the small table, and even a small vase and a small plate are all refreshing.

Queen Zhou chose a small table for one person and sat down. Seeing her, Ge Zhuer guessed that she was here for the first time, so she brought the menu in person.

Like many female customers who came to Light Food Ya She for the first time, Queen Zhou did not know how to order the names of so many unfamiliar desserts.

She didn't know that these are things that are unique to food, and she thought she was ignorant and rather cramped.

Gezhuer explained softly: "As soon as Madam returns, I will introduce more. Most of the desserts on this menu are made by our owner, and they are not sold elsewhere. Many customers don't know how to order it when they first come back. Look at this creme brulee, it's made with sugar and eggs, it's tender and sweet..."

Gezhuer's gentle temperament made people feel like a spring breeze, and Queen Zhou quickly recovered from the embarrassment.

"Then do as you said." Queen Zhou said with a smile.

Ge Zhuer responded and called the waiter to place the order first, and then explained: "The rest is easy to say, I and the chef in the store can make it, this is the creme brulee, it is The owner's new research has very strict requirements on the heat, and now only our owner can do it in the store, so please wait for a while."

Queen Zhou nodded understandingly, and asked again: "I listen to you, it seems that these desserts were researched by your owner and then taught you how to make them?"

Geel nodded with a smile, "That's it."

Not long after that, Ge Zhuer and the waiter brought some desserts ordered by Queen Zhou.

All of them were introduced by Ge Zhuer. Although there are many varieties, the quantity of each serving is not large. The total amount is just enough for an adult woman to eat. There is no such thing as randomly recommending slaughter people because they are new customers.

This naturally made Queen Zhou's perception of Yashe to a higher level.

Queen Zhou tried the desserts one by one, and they all tasted really good.

There was a sudden burst of laughter at the adjacent table, lively but not noisy.

Empress Zhou looked at the prestige, and saw several young women sitting in one place, holding some silver foils she had never seen before, and the woman in the middle was pasted With a face on the note, he is cupping his hands and begging other women for mercy, saying he has given up.

They are not much younger than Queen Zhou, but they are all in high spirits and very fresh. Empress Zhou couldn't help bending her lips when she saw it, and took a second look.

Shiweitian has a lot of small board games, but it is still the most popular card games that endure. Although the female guests used chips, they did not gamble. The ones who lost the most had to pay the bill and put a note on their face.

Seeing that Queen Zhou came alone again, Mrs. Lu, who lost the most, invited her to come and play together.

Queen Zhou waved her hands again and again, saying that she would not.

Mrs. Lu said: "This is very simple, it's called fried golden flower, I'll tell you once."

Queen Zhou is not a playful person, but she can't help but listen carefully.

After Mrs. Lu finished speaking, she invited Queen Zhou to take a look. If she was really not interested, they would naturally not force her.

Because the two sides are close to each other, when the table is put together, everyone can play in one place.

Queen Zhou heard Mrs. Lu explain how to play, and after two more rounds, she knew it.

Before she left, Mrs. Lu also said to others, "This lady is a novice, don't bully others. If she loses, she will be credited to my account."

The female guests who often stay in Yashe are all short of money, and it doesn't matter who pays the bill, but this is a sticker on the face, but it is not allowed to take it off before leaving!

Others laughed narrowly: "How does Mrs. Lu keep accounts? You don't have any spare space on your face!"

Other people couldn't help laughing when they heard it, and Queen Zhou also chuckled and said, "No, if I lose, just post me."

Mrs. Lu whispered: "You can be careful, these people are cunning! I can't protect myself, and I can't stick my face."

Although it was a petition, it used a voice that everyone could hear, which made everyone laugh for a while.

Although this is the first time for Queen Zhou to play, the game is more like a psychological battle than a lucky game.

She is very powerful, that is, no matter what card she gets, her face will not change.

Moreover, everyone is not familiar with her and can't figure out her character. She just looks at her face and thinks that she is a real person, but I didn't expect that she would dare to "steal chicken" with a few loose plates!

After a few rounds, Queen Zhou has more and more chips in front of her, while other people have more or less stickers on their faces.

Mrs. Lu couldn't laugh, saying that no one should laugh at anyone now.

In the interval between playing cards, everyone must chat.

Empress Zhou didn't say anything about her family, just listened quietly.

Listening, she couldn't help but think of some old things.

The moment when Emperor Zhengyuan took on Concubine Feng was the worst time for their relationship.

After she was diagnosed with a second pregnancy, she immediately turned away Emperor Zhengyuan, who was still the King of Righteousness at the time. She was about to tell Emperor Zheng Yuan directly that she was still close to him at that time, just to have another child.

Emperor Zheng Yuan is not a fool, so he is quite depressed.

At that time, the Rebels were already winning, and many people with active hearts took this opportunity and wanted to send their girls to Emperor Zhengyuan.

Emperor Zheng Yuan came to ask her and said that if she refused, he would reject those people.

It was she who didn't take it seriously and asked him to accept whoever he liked, and that's how Feng Guifei came to be.

Feng Guifei was pregnant two months later than her, and there were two more princes of the same age in the palace.

In fact, now that I think about it, it is not all smooth sailing for everyone, and there are more or less troubles.

But the women in front of them, they complained and complained, but they were not depressed, and they had a free and easy feeling that they were not happy with things and not sad about themselves.

How do you feel about living? The situation of this worldly woman is already difficult, and if you don’t know how to take care of yourself, then you really have no way to live!”

Queen Zhou was inspired. Fortunately, the eldest son was back. After her mood changed, she thought about the past, but she felt unfamiliar, as if it happened to someone else, and didn't feel annoyed.

When she came to see her, Gu Yin couldn't help but be surprised: "Huang... Mrs. Huang, why are you here?"

Empress Zhou also laughed, "I have something to look for you, Qian Sansi heard that you are usually here, and I really did not come here wrong."

Empress Zhou was also a little embarrassed. She really had something to do, but she had so much fun that she almost forgot about her business.

Since she knew that she was here to look for Gu Yin, Mrs. Lu and the others moved their table with discernment, and returned to the seat next to them, no longer disturbing.

Queen Zhou pointed to the seat in front of her and invited Gu Yin to sit down.

"Is this the pudding that lady said?" Queen Zhou picked up the silver spoon, tasted it, and nodded again: "She recommended it well, it is really fragrant and smooth."

When she spoke, Gu Yin was also looking at her quietly.

Empress Zhou wore a lilac-colored brocade robe today, unlike the solemn makeup in the former palace, only lightly covered with powder. The hair was not in a high bun, but a simple woman's bun. Although he was not as young as when he was dressed up solemnly, and showed some years of age, he looked a lot more approachable.

Of course, the biggest change is that Queen Zhou's spirit is completely different, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are completely different. People don't have to get along with her as carefully as before.

After tasting the pudding, Queen Zhou said frankly and honestly: "I came to ask Mrs. Ali's preferences, next month is his birthday, I want to do something for this child, give him a surprise."

I came here for this, Gu Yin smiled and said, "I dare not ask you for advice. His Royal Highness King Lie seems to have no special hobbies. One is that he likes stewing elbows, and the other is that it is smaller Sometimes, I made a wish to be a hero in white..."

arrive. The second is even more interesting, just because of that little wish, Gu Ye "abducted" Song Shiliu home.

Gu Yin thought that Empress Zhou would definitely be interested in Gu Ye's past, so before she could ask further questions, Gu Yin explained both things.

Sure enough, Empress Zhou was attentive and listened very seriously.

Gu Ye returned to the palace after the new year. For nearly two months, from his mouth, Queen Zhou already knew a lot about the past.

However, the child's memory is limited, and his narration is not as interesting as Gu Yin.

Queen Zhou wanted to have a good chat with Gu Yin for a long time, but as a mother, she put herself in Gu Yin's shoes and thought, if she adopted a child herself, she would take care of her like a parent for several years , In the end, the child was recognized by the family and became their child. I was afraid that even if the other party was a royal family and a mother, he would be somewhat unhappy in his heart.

So, although Queen Zhou had the intention to show affection to the British government before, she only sent some things to her from time to time, and there was no other special move.

But Gu Yin was frank and unhappy, making Queen Zhou feel that she was thinking too narrowly.

"I was thinking in front of me, how can there be such a clever little brat? I found out later..." Gu Yin smiled and said in a low voice: "So he is your and His Majesty's child, so naturally There are dragons and phoenixes among people, and they are different from ordinary children. Like the fried golden flower you played with Madam Lu just now, His Royal Highness King Lie played better than anyone else."

Empress Zhou couldn't help laughing when she heard this, "You brought him up well."

Now Gu Ye is smart and sensible, and he is not domineering and indomitable because he is better than others, or his status is nobler than others, but with a pure heart, warm everyone around.

Ask yourself, even if the eldest son is not lost, Queen Zhou does not think that he can be raised better than now.

A family who can raise such a child is naturally a good family who teaches by words and deeds.

Gu Yin couldn't help laughing, "I said that you were born well, but you said that I taught well. This can't be heard by His Royal Highness King Lie. His Highness is fine, but I can't help it. Boasting, knowing that we praised him like this behind his back, his tail should be up in the sky."

Empress Zhou also laughed, looking at her with her eyes while laughing: "Then this is not up to me, don't be..."

Queen Zhou took the initiative to make a joke, Gu Yin naturally had to take over, she pretended to be serious: "But I didn't teach it, you can't do this. The good thing is to follow you, the bad thing is I teach."

Gu Yin couldn't hold back when she was talking, and smiled again: "There's one thing, I'm not good at teaching."

Queen Zhou looked at her inquiringly, Gu Yin lowered her voice, like a secret, "His Royal Highness is a money fan like me and likes to make money."

Empress Zhou couldn't help but laugh for a while, "Silver is a good thing. We are all ordinary people. We all came from poverty in the past. How can we not need money for food, clothing, housing and transportation? I also like it."

The distance between the two suddenly narrowed a lot.

Both of them were born as peasant girls. At first, they were talking about Gu Ye, and then they talked about things in the village.

Unconsciously, a long time passed.

Gu Yin had eaten the best bird's nest sent by Queen Zhou before, and she wanted to return the gift. It was obviously not enough to chat with her. She also invited Queen Zhou to the massage department downstairs.

I was afraid that Queen Zhou would be uncomfortable for the first time, so Gu Yin accompanied her. The two washed their hair and massaged together. Did a nice makeup.

In the evening, it was time for Queen Zhou to return to the palace. Now she finally knows why there are so many female guests in this restaurant. It is really comfortable here!

The guests like Mrs. Lu are very kind, making the overall atmosphere here a rare harmony and relaxation.

"It's a pity that you didn't come by coincidence. Today, the tickets for the drama on the fifth floor are all sold out, and there is no place for extra seats." Gu Yin personally sent Queen Zhou out, "The reception was not good. , I'm really sorry."

Queen Zhou said no, she was the most pleasant afternoon.

Knowing that Queen Zhou was going back to take care of Lu Zhao, Gu Yin sent her to the intersection without delaying her work.

Qian Sansi handed over, and then took the group back to the palace.

When returning to the palace to transfer to a sedan chair, Queen Zhou also politely thanked Qian Sansi, saying that I would have bothered him to follow him and waited downstairs for so long.

Qian Sansi didn't feel bothered. Although he did wait for a long time, he didn't just wait.

Gu Yin saw Queen Zhou coming, and when she asked, she learned that Qian Sansi came with her.

The day before, Gu Ye mentioned that he wanted a cook who was good at Huaiyang cuisine. Today, it was a coincidence that a Huaiyang cook came during the recruitment.

Gu Yin sent a message to Shopkeeper Zhou, and Shopkeeper Zhou introduced the cook to Qian Sansi.

The shopkeeper Zhou is also doing things properly. He doesn't mention that the cook is thinking about money three times. He just says that the store has hired a new cook. I don't know the depth. .

The authentic Huaiyang dishes were delivered to the table, Qian Sansi had tasted the taste of his hometown, and he understood—

How can a restaurant like Shiweitian not be able to appreciate the depth of a chef?

And it just happened to be the flavor of his hometown, so it's not likely to be a coincidence.

Can know his hometown, know that he misses the flavor of his hometown, and has a connection with Shiweitian, then of course only Gu Ye.

Qian Sansi stood in front because Feng Guifei of Yonghe Palace was too deceiving and did not take eunuchs like them in the eyes.

In comparison, Gu Ye, who is polite to everyone, is more worthy of assistance and trust.

But this time, Qian Sansi was quite touched.

Qian Sansi said no, "This chef is very skilled, and only cooks for me when he goes to my house, that's overkill. Just let him stay here, I can do it whenever I have time. can come."

Gu Ye has already made a gesture to him, so he should also get off the donkey along the slope, so that we can get closer and closer!

So after Empress Zhou finished speaking, Qian Sansi respectfully said "don't dare", and said, "This is an errand assigned by Your Majesty to a servant, how can a servant dare to work hard? I like it there, and the minions also like the dishes there very much."

After a pause, Qian Sansi said again: "So this is not a hard job, but a beautiful job! The next time you go, you have to remember the old slave."

"Do you want to go next time?" Queen Zhou stopped and thought: "Is it inconvenient for the identity of this palace?"

"Where can I do it? Although the maiden has a high status, but the front..." Qian Sansi looked around, making everyone back away, and then lowered his voice again: "His Majesty in front of you is still out of service every now and then. Palace, I went to see His Royal Highness King Lie. There is also the Empress Dowager, who also went out to the palace several times to go to the theatre. Besides, His Royal Highness King Lie is a person of pure and filial piety. His Royal Highness must be very happy when the Empress and the General’s wife get along well.”

Empress Zhou recalled that she met Gu Ye in the palace a year later. It was the first time their mother and son met, but Gu Ye was no stranger to Emperor Zhengyuan and the Queen Mother. It must have been seen outside the palace.

And Qian Sansi is right, the eldest son is definitely happy to see that kind of situation. In the past, it was the eldest son who always put himself in her shoes and worked hard for his younger brother. As a mother, she should have done something to make him happy.

Thinking of the cozy atmosphere of Qingshi Yashe, Queen Zhou couldn't help bending her lips again, "Bengong knows."

…

Later, Gu Yin and Gu Ye returned to the British government.

Meeting each other, Gu Ye asked, "I heard that the Empress has left the palace today, is she coming to our house?"

Gu Yin said in surprise: "You are well informed."

Empress Zhou said she came here because she wanted to surprise Gu Ye, so she would definitely not tell him.

"It's not that I'm well-informed, I sent Lu Zhao back after school first. I didn't see her, and only when I asked the palace staff did I know that she was out of the palace." Gu Ye analyzed while drinking tea. Said: "The Empress does not know anyone else in the capital. Who else can I go to other than ours? Could it be that I guessed wrong?"

Gu Ye got his answer, and asked nervously: "Then...then how are you getting along?"

"Very good." Gu Yin gave him a suspicious look, "What are you worried about?"

Gu Ye scratched his head and blushed slightly, "I'm not worried that you two will pinch me."

Gu Yin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Gu Ye's face turned even redder from her smile, "Why are you laughing! I am such a good child, but I have two mothers. Isn't it normal for you to be jealous for me?"

Gu Yin saw that he was going to be annoyed by the laughter, so she held back her smile and said, "The lady is very kind, and it didn't happen as you expected. I think there must be a good boy, It was handled well up front, that's why it's like this."

Gu Ye raised his chin proudly, "That's for sure."

Although Queen Zhou is her own mother, she has a natural sense of closeness to him, but Gu Ye's memory of the time before he went missing has been completely blurred. He doesn't blame his mother for losing him. Still closer to Gu Yin, who raised him.

But he knew that if he showed that he only knew his foster mother and forgot his own mother, it would definitely make Queen Zhou uncomfortable, and Gu Yin might be blamed.

So in the past, in front of Queen Zhou, Gu Ye would not talk about "my mother" like before.

He also sincerely cultivates the mother-son relationship with Queen Zhou little by little, just like Gu Yin taught him, exchange sincerity for sincerity, so there is now the best of both worlds.

"But still my mother has the ability, good craftsmanship, good personality, and can get along well with everyone." Gu Ye turned on the sweet mouth mode as usual.

Gu Yin gave him a funny look, but she knew very well in her heart that what happened now had nothing to do with her ability.

It was Queen Zhou who came here with kindness from the very beginning.

Just like the first time the Queen Mother and the Wang family met in the palace, because the Queen Mother approached the Wang family with kindness, they could hit it off at first sight.

However, one code is one code. Although Gu Ye is happy that they are getting along well, he is still a little disappointed.

After he had used the morning meal and finished his homework, he washed up and rested in his room.

Tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, then got up and touched his mother's house.

Gu Yin was already lying down, and suddenly there was a small bulge in the bed next to her, and she was not surprised.

Gu Ye twisted his fingers while burying his head in Gu Yin's ear, and asked softly: "How can you not be unhappy at all? Am I not your baby boy? Like I know the future One day, my mother will have other children. I love others as much as I do, but I am still not happy... I have an extra mother! Maybe one day I will be closer to others than to you..."

He rambled a lot, Gu Yin was about to fall asleep, but after listening to his words, she laughed again.

"Then I'm not happy, is it okay? Do you have to pinch me and the Queen like a cockfight?"

"That's not what I meant, that is... Even my mother can be a little unhappy. A little bit, a little more is actually fine, but I'm afraid of causing trouble for you and our family. "

Gu Yin stretched out her hand and stroked his chubby little back, "Okay, I won't tease you. I'm not unhappy, it's not because I don't treasure you. It's Ono, you know, everyone All are a single individual. You are not my appendage, my property. To love someone is not to impose one's will on him, but to see him happy, to see him happy...like you Recognizing your biological parents, I can see that you are much happier than before. When I look at you like this, naturally I am only happy for you..."

After speaking, Gu Ye did not respond. Gu Yin thought he was asleep, but she really felt sleepy, so she tucked the other small quilt next to him, and then tucked him in. Tucked the quilt, closed his eyes again.

When Gu Yin fell asleep, Gu Ye raised his head with red eyes.