A palace maid led the two through the snow-covered garden, past the magnificent palace buildings, to a small door on the side of Fengzao Palace. (Latest and fastest updates, free reading)

A palace maid was already waiting by the door. Upon seeing the two, she quickly led them to a warm room to the side.

Caixia stood by the door, glanced up, saw the two of them, and hurried over to greet them. She warmly took Shi Lan's slightly cold hands to warm them up, and then led the two of them into the house.

After removing the heavy cloak and inviting them to sit, Caixia brought over two cups of hot tea and said softly, "Your Majesty is presiding over the palace banquet in front. If you two ladies are hungry, you may have some tea and snacks first."

A fresh fruit platter and delicate pastries were already prepared on the table. The faint aroma of fruit mixed with the sweet taste tempted Shi Lan, who hadn't eaten much that morning, and made her a little hungry.

Caixia's job was to serve others. When she saw Shilan glance at the pastries, she immediately picked up a piece of the steamed sweet and soft jujube cake, put it on a plate, and handed it to Shilan.

Shi Lan smiled and thanked Cai Xia.

Caixia smiled and turned to put a piece on Pan Jinxuan's plate as well.

The hot tea on the table was steaming. Caixia was worried that Shilan would get thirsty, so she half-lifted the lid of the cup so that it wouldn't be too hot to drink later. Then she peeled a golden tangerine, removed the white pith, and placed it in front of Shilan.

Pan Jinxuan ate her pastries in small bites, her big eyes watching Caixia busy herself, a thought flashing through her mind.

Shi Lan ignored all of this. After finishing the jujube cake, she ate two pieces of lotus seed and lily bulb pastry, drank a couple of sips of tea, and then reached for the red bean and green cake.

Caixia quickly stopped her, saying, "Good wife, you can't eat anymore, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy the palace banquet that Her Majesty bestows later."

Upon hearing about the palace banquet, Shi Lan's eyes lit up.

Having traveled through so many worlds, she had never even attended a palace banquet, and she was quite curious about what the emperor ate.

Seeing that she obediently put down her chopsticks, Caixia breathed a slight sigh of relief, handed her a peeled tangerine, and said, "Madam, have this first to moisten your mouth. I'll go check on the front so they don't get lazy and let the food get cold."

At this time of year, even steaming hot dishes would cool down in just a few breaths. However, there are always those who want to please the emperor. The craftsmen developed a food box that, although made of wood, had an inner layer of iron and a bottom layer that could hold a charcoal stove to keep it warm. This ensured that the dishes were still very hot when they arrived at the emperor's table after passing through the imperial kitchen. However, this food box was much heavier than the ordinary ones.

What Caixia meant by being lazy was that she was worried they would switch the food boxes.

The thick brocade curtain embroidered with golden osmanthus flowers rose and fell. Two palace maids stayed behind to attend to the servants, while the others followed Caixia to fetch the food box. In the blink of an eye, only Shilan and Pan Jinxuan remained in the room.

Shi Lan ate half a tangerine, but found it too sweet, so she put it down.

Pan Jinxuan put down the plate she had finished eating and asked Shi Lan in a low voice, "Fourth Sister, Lady Qian is so kind to you."

Shi Lan blinked, not understanding who she was talking about.

Pan Jinxuan glanced cautiously at the doorway, leaned closer, and whispered in Shi Lan's ear, "That's the woman you called 'Sister Caixia' earlier; she's the lady-in-waiting who serves the Imperial Concubine."

Shi Lan then realized that this person also held an official position.

Shi Lan, mimicking Pan Jinxuan, whispered in her ear, "So, we can't call her Sister Caixia?"

Pan Jinxuan shook her head and said, "I don't know, my mother told me to call her that."

Shi Lan nodded, meaning that it didn't matter what it was called.

A gust of cold wind blew in through the doorway, and the palace maids entered gracefully. In the blink of an eye, they had set out the table, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks. Caixia led four palace maids in and greeted Shilan with a smile, "Ladies, come quickly! Her Majesty has specially ordered the head chef to personally prepare shark fin and fish maw soup, which is still hot right now."

As she spoke, she carefully put down the food box she was carrying and took out a soup bowl from it.

Shi Lan and Pan Jinyue sat down at the table together. Cai Xia removed the other ingredients from the soup bowl and scooped out only the almost orange-yellow chicken wing powder, placing it in front of the two of them.

A few wisps of steam rose from the small soup bowl, the clear broth soaked in glistening powder that was almost as fine as a strand of hair, and a faint aroma wafted from the glistening oil.

Curious, Shi Lan scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The aroma of chicken mixed with the freshness of fish diluted the slight bitterness, leaving only a lingering sweetness in her mouth.

Shi Lan nodded in satisfaction. As expected of imperial cuisine, it was indeed different from what she ate elsewhere.

Pan Jinxuan was still a little reserved. Watching the dishes in front of Shi Lan disappear quickly, she blushed with embarrassment.

Shi Lan watched her sip the food slowly and said, "Big sister, you should eat quickly. This dish has been sitting for quite a while. If you don't eat it soon, the oil will solidify on top, and you won't be able to eat it even if you want to."

Pan Jinxuan blushed even more at her words, and glared at Shi Lan with her big, watery eyes, but without any hint of fierceness.

Shi Lan shrugged, then lowered her head again and started eating, much like a stubborn mule.

Pan Jinxuan could only look at Caixia with embarrassment and earnestness, and whispered, "Ms. Qian, please forgive me. Fourth Sister has only been back for a short time and has not yet learned some etiquette. I will teach her later."

The implication was that she should keep it a secret and not tell the Imperial Concubine.

Caixia nodded with a smile, which was taken as her agreement.

Pan Jinxuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Caixia smiled to herself.

Since meeting Shi Lan last time, Cai Xia knew that this young lady held a very special place in the heart of the Imperial Concubine. Moreover, although Shi Lan ate quickly, she was elegant and poised, clearly having been trained. However, looking at Pan Jinxuan's pleading expression, she couldn't help but sigh. It was rare to see such genuine care for sisters in wealthy families.

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