Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 261 So Sour It Makes Me Lie Down

This year, an additional special imperial examination was held. In order to select talents with more practical abilities, the emperor decreed that after this imperial examination, subjects such as Mingjing and other subjects would be abolished, and only the Jinshi subject would be retained. The focus of the imperial examination would be placed on the interpretation of classics and policy essays.

In addition, Qu Renshao (Qu Baolin's father) submitted a memorial advocating the abolition of the imperial examination system, which caused a great uproar in the court.

This story begins when the emperor ascended the throne. Even though he showed leniency towards the many followers of Prince Yu and Prince Heng, there were still dozens of vacant positions in the court.

The Emperor promoted several people in several places, but most of them were military officers. Therefore, in the memorials submitted after the New Year regarding the vacant positions for civil officials, there were many recommendations from veteran ministers such as Prince Rui. The recommended candidates were all sons of powerful and noble families, and their quality varied greatly, with many being incompetent or mediocre.

Qu Renshao's direct memorial to the emperor offended many high-ranking officials and nobles, and the court debated for more than a month. Although the emperor had deliberately instigated this matter, it had been a very troublesome time.

After court that day, the emperor changed into casual clothes, boarded the carriage at Huining Palace, and went directly to the side hall where Hua Yan was.

When Hua Yan received Xia'er's message, she was enjoying a newly made winter melon drink. The pine and cypress incense sent by Madam Yun was burning in the hall, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Before anyone could react, the Emperor had already stepped into the palace.

Hua Yan rose and bowed, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

The Emperor gazed at the beautiful face of Hua Yan, as lovely as the moon in the clouds, and then observed the furnishings in the palace. Although they were very simple, they were arranged in a certain order. In addition, the palace was filled with tranquility, which made the Emperor feel pleasing to the eye and relieved much of his worries.

"This place is so peaceful and comfortable, it has given me a good place to relax."

Seeing the Emperor staring longingly at the drinks on the table, Hua Yan instructed Lü Liu to go to the kitchen to fetch winter melon and make a few more cups. Unexpectedly, as she turned around, the Emperor had already picked up her half-cup and drunk it all in one gulp...

"Uh...Your Majesty, this is a sour drink."

The moment it entered his mouth, he nearly doubled over from the sourness. The Emperor was struggling to control his expression; he had never endured such hardship since becoming Emperor. Jingming watched from outside the door, his heart pounding with fear, and Xia'er was equally apprehensive.

After rinsing his mouth with the tea offered by Hua Yan, the Emperor felt utterly humiliated but dared not lash out. “What is this sour drink made of? I have never seen anything like it before.”

Hua Yan apologized, saying, "This is a New Year's gift that Lady Yun sent to Consort Chun's palace before the festival. It is called 'Li Mu' or 'Li Meng Zi' and was brought from overseas by the merchant's manager. I have loved sour things since I was a child, and Consort Chun has given me a lot of them. Today, Your Majesty has also come at the right time, as the winter melon has just been made into this sour drink."

Upon hearing this, Jingming coughed lightly and whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Lin'an also presented a basket of these to the palace before the New Year, and you even took a special look at them with interest at the time."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly. "The fruit is so green and juicy, it looks beautiful on display. I never expected that when it's made into a drink, it would be sour... but it's quite refreshing and can really invigorate the mind."

At this moment, Green Willow hurriedly arrived with Winter Melon and presented several cups of freshly made drinks. The Emperor felt a sour taste go straight to his lungs.

Hua Yan was seeing this "vivid" side of the Emperor for the first time, and she chuckled inwardly. She took a spoonful of honey that Dong Gua had brought and put it into the sour drink. "This drink is a first attempt and is not yet fully prepared, but I suppose adding some honey can neutralize the sourness of the Li Mu. Would Your Majesty like to try it again?"

After hesitating for a moment, the emperor finally took a small bite. This time, he was mentally prepared and found it to have a unique flavor.

Seeing this, Hua Yan smiled slightly, and the Emperor's lips also curled up slightly. "It tastes sweet and sour, with an excellent flavor. The lady is intelligent and always able to draw inferences from one instance to another."

These words refer to her "stealing" someone's skills during their last chess game. Hua Yan replied, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

Among the concubines in the harem, perhaps only Hua Yan could frequently surprise the emperor. "...At the court assembly tomorrow, let all the civil and military officials have a taste as well. Jingming, I entrust this matter to you."

Finally, he added, "Honey is precious, so there's no need to add it."

Jingming was stunned and didn't react for a moment, but Huayan had already instructed Donggua: "Donggua, make more and send it to Taiji Palace first thing tomorrow morning."

Jingming quickly thanked her, "Thank you very much, Your Excellency. I dare not trouble you. I will bring someone to Huining Palace tomorrow to collect it."

After Jingming and the others left, Hua Yan asked, "Was today's court service extremely tiring?"

...

(“Limu” and “Limengzi” were the names for lemons during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty had frequent foreign exchanges, and novel species from overseas were constantly being introduced. Some scholars believe that lemons may have been introduced into China during the Tang Dynasty through the Silk Road or maritime trade routes.)

The sour drink made with winter melon mentioned in the text originates from a drink called "Limu Keshui" from the Yuan Dynasty. It was a sweet and sour beverage that the Mongols tasted during their westward conquest of Central Asia. In Mongolian, "Limu" ​​means "lemon," and "Keshui" means "Sharibe" or "Sherbe." Therefore, "Limu Keshui" is essentially a lemonade.