Blood Ties

  Yang Lan bid farewell to the old lady with her mother and entered the palace together in a sedan chair, after entering the inner court they arrived at the gate of Cining Palace, as soon as they entered the palace gate there was a gentle and kind-hearted nurse waiting on one side.

  He Hui Chang Gong Zhu hastily walked a few steps forward, stretched out both hands with a hint of warmth on her face, "Why is it you, Old Madam Li? I was about to bring Lan Er along! Is there something urgent that Mother wants?" Her eyes showed a hint of anxiety.

  Mrs. Li hurried to the side of Princess Hui, supporting her arm, with two doting eyes, "The old slave didn't hear that Princess Jing'an had entered the palace, and specially ran over to sell a good one! The Empress Dowager said that it's still cold outside, don't let the princess get frozen again, let someone prepare a sedan chair!"

  Yang Lan had already heard clearly that this was the most favored wet nurse beside the Empress Dowager, surnamed Li. Taking advantage of their conversation gap, Yingying bowed down, "Lan'er pays respects to Wet Nurse Li!"

  "Ah, I'm so old and useless! The Empress Dowager has been waiting for you. Last time when we entered the palace, the Emperor was also there, but I didn't get a chance to say a few words of comfort to her. Now that I hear you've arrived, she's been thinking about it since early morning!" Li Mama saw Yang Lan bow down and immediately stepped aside, only accepting half of the courtesy.

  "Don't keep the empress dowager waiting, let's go!" He Hui and Princess Chang walked up to the sedan chair with smiles on their faces.

  Upon arriving at the Cining Palace of the Empress Dowager, the palace staff were extremely strict and cautious. They walked without making a single sound, which made it imaginable how formidable the Empress Dowager's methods were.

  She entered the Cining Palace and saw a woman with a dignified appearance, majestic eyebrows, and a stately demeanor sitting on a soft couch made of purple sandalwood, carved with peony flowers. From her looks, it could be seen that she was five or six points similar to Princess Hehui Chang.

  "Mother, Hui'er misses you!" And Hui saw Mother and couldn't help but redden her eyes, hastily taking a few steps forward to grab the Empress's hand, her eyes fixed on hers as she carefully examined her, thinking to herself that her mother had lost some weight, but at least her complexion was still good.

  Yang Lan greets the Empress Dowager, wishing her good fortune and longevity. Yang Lan bows down with folded hands, perfectly composed without a hint of nervousness or disorder.

  The empress dowager was delighted at the sight and beckoned to her repeatedly, "Good, good! Good child, come before me and let me take a closer look!"

  Yang Lan looked at her mother and got permission before she stood up and ran over, immediately being hugged by the Empress Dowager who fondled her for a while.

  "Oh dear! You've grown so big! Look at you, you look just like when you were little!" The empress gazed at Yang Lan's small face and couldn't help but think of the past.

  Yang Lan smiled sweetly, "Empress Dowager, I've also brought you a gift! Bi Yun, bring in my gift!"

  Bi Yun immediately brought in a red lacquer wooden carved flower box and silently retreated.

  Yang Lan opened the box, took out a pair of shoes with simple style but fine workmanship inside and handed them over. "Empress Dowager, these were made by Lian'er herself for you to wear at home."

  The empress carefully examined the embroidery in her hand, and indeed it was handmade. Although the stitches were dense but slightly insufficient, it was clear that no one else had been asked to do it for her. Her heart felt a few degrees warmer, "Good child, I know you're filial, don't ruin your eyes. In our family, as long as you can do some basic needlework and not let people gossip, that's enough. Don't make a big deal out of it." As she spoke, her serious face also revealed a few degrees of smile.

  Yang Lan took out a painting book she had organized and said, "Empress Dowager, this is something I painted myself. They are all the interesting things I experienced while traveling in Guangdong. They are all landscapes of mountains and fields. Since you can't go there, I drew them for you. Let me tell you! In our village, there was a big cow that could swim...!" She started talking non-stop.

  She took up the painting book and explained each picture to the empress dowager, her voice was crisp and pleasant to listen to, like a clear spring that refreshed the heart. The empress dowager listened with great interest, occasionally asking questions about the people's livelihood, and Yang Lan was able to answer them all. She told the empress dowager stories of her childhood, which made the empress dowager laugh from time to time, feeling extremely delighted.

  The grandmother and grandson stuck together for a while, until Li said: "Your Majesty, the slaves have added some small touches, I heard that the princess often drinks goat's milk at home, so the slave had someone cook some almond goat's milk, you can use some too! Getting up early and having breakfast didn't eat much!"

  "Mother, are you not feeling well? Should we call a doctor? You must take care of yourself, I'm worried about you from afar and can't visit you often to show my filial piety!" Hearing this, Huiyi became somewhat anxious.

  The empress dowager waved her hand and smiled: "Nothing, I'm fine! Just slept a little less at night. People get older and sleep less, it's nothing serious!"

  Yang Lan followed up by saying: "Empress Dowager, when I was in Guangdong, I saw an old man who was over 80 years old, but he still had a radiant complexion and was full of energy!"

  The empress dowager also took an interest and asked with a smile: "Oh? He's got a great future ahead of him! I wonder how he manages to keep himself so well!"

  "He gets up every morning to practice Tai Chi, and I've even learned it with him! And also, he eats very lightly, mostly whole grains, loves drinking all sorts of bone soups in winter, likes eating five-bean porridge, has a bowl of soy milk every morning, and only eats until 70% full at night. Later, I'll teach you Tai Chi, okay?" Her sweet voice was really pleasant to hear.

  He Hui said, "Not to mention our place, I heard that there is an old man who is very old, but his legs are particularly agile, and his voice is like a bell, not showing any signs of being old and useless!"

  After saying this, Yang Lan became more interested and pulled the empress into the house to teach her Tai Chi hand in hand. This was not something she invented, but rather a popular practice from the Southern region during the Great Chu Dynasty, which had some similarities with the Ming Dynasty.

  However, she learned it very early on because her grandfather was a founding general who practiced this boxing every morning in the backyard during his later years. She saw him practicing since she was little and naturally picked it up.

  No need to say that the empress followed and learned it once, then demonstrated it to Yang Lan again, letting her correct it a bit. After practicing twice, she felt a slight warmth on her body and some sweat came out, feeling relaxed all over, so she smiled: "Needless to say, I've practiced until I'm sweating, it's very comfortable!"

  "That Empress Dowager gets up early every day to practice, isn't that good? Many elderly people in the south get up early to practice too! They say it's good for the body! Lan'er hopes the Empress Dowager is healthy and lives to be a hundred years old!" Yang Lan clapped her small hands with joy.

  The empress dowager also thought it was a good idea to exercise, so she agreed, "Alright, I'll listen to you, let's start practicing in the morning!"

  Yang Lan shouted: "Auntie Li, why don't you go practice with the Empress Dowager in the morning? The two of you can keep each other company!"

  The empress dowager suddenly smiled, her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, "You little thing is looking for someone to stare at me, huh? Alright! Let's practice together, I'll see what effect it has too!"

  The empress dowager was still delighted with her granddaughter's little thoughts, this proposal did not cross the line, and it was not some kind of medicine that would cause trouble if eaten randomly, early rising exercise was still very good.

  "Mother is the one who insists on practicing, and people from the south really admire this Tai Chi fist! Many people practice it, saying that long-term practice is good for the body!" He Hui also nodded in agreement that people from the south like this fist.

  The Empress Dowager was delighted that her grandchildren cared about her, and she nodded repeatedly in delight. Li Ayi also promised to supervise the Empress Dowager every day to make sure she persisted in exercising her body.

  Contract signed, friends can rest assured and collect it in the pit. The quality of Huahua Pit is good, and there are three completed books.