Li Qiji thought about it for a while, then felt a headache coming on and decided to stop thinking about it. He then followed the smell to the kitchen.

"My beloved concubine, what delicious food are you making?"

"I could smell it from afar. I wonder if there will be any dinner for me tonight?" Li Qiji walked into the kitchen and saw Guan Zhiyue waving a spatula and stirring something in a pot.

Guan Zhiyue turned her head to look in the direction of the voice and saw Li Qiji with a faint smile on his lips saying, "Oh, Your Majesty's nose is really sharp, isn't it?"

Li Qiji: "..." I have a joke to say, but I don't know if I should.

"Heh, what does the Empress mean by this?"

Guan Zhiyue chuckled and tossed aside the spatula in her hand, looking at Li Qiji and saying, "Your Majesty, I was just praising you for your skill!"

Guan Zhiyue looked at Li Qiji, her eyes darting around as a plan formed in her mind. She walked over and took Li Qiji's arm, saying, "Since Your Majesty is here, then I won't go looking for anyone to help. You can come and assist me!"

Li Qiji, looking at Guan Zhiyue who was fawning over him, narrowed his handsome eyes and looked down at her, asking, "What does the Empress want me to do?"

"Hey, let's peel the scallions. These scallions need to have their heads and tails removed. Since we're here, let's do it ourselves!"

"After all, Your Majesty, you know that we people in the Cold Palace all take care of ourselves and have enough to eat."

Li Qiji looked at the pile of fresh scallions in the corner, their roots still covered with thick soil and some unidentified objects on them.

"Alright! But I don't know how to handle this. I'd appreciate it if the Empress could teach me properly!" Li Qiji grabbed Guan Zhiyue's waist and casually dragged her to the corner where the scallions were kept.

Guan Zhiyue smelled the woody scent on Li Qiji and felt a slight itch in her nose.

He reached out and rubbed his nose, and soon his nose turned bright red. Li Qiji looked at Guan Zhiyue and felt that she was extremely cute at this moment, just like a little white rabbit, so charming.

Especially today, she was wearing a white dress, revealing her fair and slender arms. It must have been for the convenience of cooking, as she had tied her clothes up with a strip of cloth for easier access.

Two fair and tender arms were dangling in front of Li Qiji, and Li Qiji swallowed hard, seemingly lost in thought.

Whether it was the aroma of food in the kitchen or the person in front of me, I was lost in a fantasy.

Guan Zhiyue lifted her skirt and squatted down, picking up a small bunch of scallions and starting to trim the ends. After peeling off the thick outer skin, the white scallion tails were exposed, and then the withered yellow parts of the scallion tips were pinched off.

"See? It's that simple. Once you've finished, I need to go back to cooking. Whether we can eat soon tonight depends on how fast you peel the scallions." Guan Zhiyue taught Li Qiji and then turned to leave.

Li Qiji glanced down at the scallions, then called over Ji Wu and Hua Quan. He himself was someone who never lifted a finger to cook, so how could the emperor of a country cook for himself?

Guan Zhiyue rolled her eyes at Li Qiji, who was strolling leisurely with his hands behind his back as he walked up to her.

"Weren't you peeling onions over there? What are you doing at the stove?"

Li Qiji arrogantly said, "As the ruler of a nation, why would I need to cook for myself?"

Guan Zhiyue: "......" Fine! You're awesome, whatever you say goes.

Li Qiji looked at Guan Zhiyue without saying anything, and then kept stirring the things in the pot. Although he didn't know what kind of meat was in the pot, it smelled delicious, and he couldn't help but swallow.

Guan Zhiyue looked at Li Qiji standing in front of the stove without saying a word, and continued working on what she was doing.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Debao came running in happily and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the windows have been installed, and they look absolutely gorgeous!"

Guan Zhiyue nodded in satisfaction and said, "Okay, now that it's installed, tidy up my room and we'll get ready to eat."

Upon hearing that dinner was about to be served, Liu Debao happily replied, "Alright, this servant will go and give the order right away."

So Liu Debao ran away, and Li Qiji continued to stand straight in front of the stove as the Kitchen God!

Upon seeing the Emperor, Bilian knew that her mistress would definitely not be eating with them tonight, so she obediently ordered two maids to wash the bowls and plates that would be used for serving rice separately later.

Because they eat directly from bowls, so that they can finish the food, but the emperor and empress don't use bowls; they definitely need separate bowls and plates.

When Bilian brought a pile of bowls and plates to Guan Zhiyue, Guan Zhiyue pouted in boredom, but said nothing and still separated them according to the master and servant.

Guan Zhiyue packed a portion of all ten dishes; two people eating ten dishes would be enough to make them sick of it.

In her household, it's unacceptable to eat only a little bit of a dish or to use only three bites. Everything on the table must be finished; wasting food is shameful! The "Clean Plate Campaign" is the best way to show respect.

So she prepared a separate meal for two people and instructed someone to bring it to her room.

——

"I never imagined that the Empress's cooking skills would get better and better!" Li Qiji circled the dining table and said to Guan Zhiyue, who was carrying two bowls of white rice.

Guan Zhiyue placed the white rice in front of him and said, "This isn't the first time Your Majesty has eaten this. My cooking skills have always been excellent."

Li Qiji was not annoyed. He immediately sat down with a flick of his sleeve, and Hua Quan quickly took out a silver needle to test for poison.

"Go down! You don't need to serve us here!" Li Qiji said.

Hua Quan and Ji Wu also went downstairs, leaving only Guan Zhiyue and Li Qiji in the room, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Guan Zhiyue kept her head down, picking at her food, without even glancing at Li Qiji. However, Li Qiji was the kind of person who didn't talk while eating or sleeping, so he ate on his own, but his eyes never left Guan Zhiyue.

He wasn't afraid of poison, but he wasn't entirely afraid either. He just picked whatever Guan Zhiyue picked up, and after ten dishes, he started to improvise, and every dish he made was quite delicious.

"Your Majesty, are you afraid that I might poison the food?" Guan Zhiyue asked, looking at Li Qiji who was picking up food from behind her chopsticks.

Li Qiji coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, you are mistaken. This is the first time I have eaten these things. There are so many varieties that I don't know where to begin."

Guan Zhiyue turned her head to look at Li Qiji and thought to herself, "Damn it, every time you eat, the imperial kitchen serves more than ten or twenty dishes. How can you tell me that there are too many dishes and it's dazzling?"

I'll endure it!

He's the emperor, we can't mess with him! We have to be patient!

Guan Zhiyue mentally prepared herself, trying her best to restrain the primal force surging within her...