"Your Majesty, the food has arrived. Should it be placed in the corridor or inside the room?"

Guan Zhiyue struggled to her feet from the rocking chair and looked at the Consort Xian, whose eyes were sparkling, and said, "Then let's put it in the room!"

Upon hearing that it was placed in the room, Consort Xian's eyes widened immediately. She quickly got up, took Guan Zhiyue's arm, and excitedly pulled Guan Zhiyue into the room.

"Fanfan... I'm here, I'm here."

When Bilian saw that the two had arrived, she opened the covered lunchbox and took out a plate of boiled cabbage and a dish of boiled carrots.

When Consort Xian saw this, her eyes widened, she let go of Guan Zhiyue's hand and ran towards the table.

Looking at the two plates of boiled vegetables on the table, he pointed at Guan Zhiyue and then at the two plates of vegetables on the table, his mouth agape in surprise.

"This...this...."

"You wretched servant! Did you eat all the good food and leave this for Her Majesty?"

Consort Xian pointed at Bilian with some annoyance, and Bilian was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud.

Holding the food box in her hand, Bilian kowtowed repeatedly to Consort Xian, saying, "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. This is the food served in our Cold Palace."

"What? I've long heard that the food in the Cold Palace is bland, but I never imagined that such blandness meant that the meals would at least have some meat and vegetables."

"I never expected it to turn out like this. The Emperor is truly heartless."

Guan Zhiyue sat in the main seat and said to Bilian, who was still kneeling, "Get up! Go down and eat with the palace servants! You don't need to serve us here."

Bilian obediently agreed, stood up from the ground, bowed, and withdrew.

Guan Zhiyue looked at Consort Xian and said, "Sister He, let's eat!"

The Consort Xian sat down somewhat reluctantly, looking at Guan Zhiyue with concern and a pained expression, and said in a pitiful tone, "Sister, the food in the Cold Palace is so austere, can your body handle it?"

Guan Zhiyue said with a smile, "This is a low-fat meal that I ordered the kitchen to make, so what's wrong with it?"

Besides, this is good for my health; by eating less oily and greasy food, I can lose weight faster.

When Consort Xian heard Guan Zhiyue's words, she thought that Guan Zhiyue was comforting herself and Guan Zhiyue in order to cover up the fact that the food in the Cold Palace was bland.

Seeing that Guan Zhiyue had started eating, Consort Xian also started eating so as not to upset Guan Zhiyue. The boiled vegetables, which were without oil or salt, made He Jiao's eyes see stars.

One bite of cabbage was impossible to swallow, but seeing Guan Zhiyue sitting in the main seat eating with great relish, as if she were enjoying some kind of delicacy, made her eat faster.

Consort Xian looked at Guan Zhiyue, who was eating heartily, her eyes red, and didn't know what to say. She lowered her head and tried to sob as she chewed the boiled cabbage in her mouth.

Guan Zhiyue raised her head and looked at the Consort Xian, who was looking down, but didn't say anything and continued to eat her boiled cabbage and boiled carrots.

Consort Xian swallowed the cabbage in her mouth, raised her head, and said with slightly moist eyes, "Sister, I'll be going now. Please continue eating!"

Without waiting for Guan Zhiyue to say anything, he took a step and ran towards the entrance of the Cold Palace.

When Bilian finished eating, she saw Consort Xian running out with her head down. She scratched her head in confusion and went into Guan Zhiyue's room.

Then I saw Guan Zhiyue sitting at the table, enjoying a plate of boiled cabbage.

"Your Majesty, Consort Xian, she..." Bilian pointed to Consort Xian, who had already disappeared, and asked Guan Zhiyue.

Guan Zhiyue let out a soft burp and said, "Maybe they saw that the food in our palace was too meager, so they went back to their own palace to eat!"

Bilian stopped her hand, which was about to go forward to clear the dishes, somewhat embarrassed.

Looking at the food on the table, she nodded in agreement and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Kitchen said today that Your Majesty's meals from now on will be prepared according to the Empress's standards. You..."

Guan Zhiyue smiled and said, "If that's what you're saying, then wouldn't I have to gain even more weight?"

"How about I cut off seventy or eighty pounds of flesh from my body and give it to you?"

Bilian was quite frightened by Guan Zhiyue's words and said hastily, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say! Besides, what would I do with your body?"

Guan Zhiyue reached out and pinched the several layers of white flesh on her stomach, sighed sadly, and said, "Sigh! See? Nobody wants you except me. If you're smart, you'd better leave quickly so I can have some peace of mind."

Bilian, who was cleaning up the leftovers, watched as her mistress pinched the layers of fat on her belly and spoke.

Shaking her head in a daze, she knew she had to hurry up and get out of this terrifying place. What was wrong with her mistress? Had she gone mad in the Cold Palace? Why was she talking nonsense to her stomach?

After Guan Zhiyue finished her sigh, she struggled to her feet, supporting herself on the edge of the table, and continued to walk back and forth in the shade of the corridor.

Guan Zhiyue would break into a sweat as soon as she moved, and her clothes would soon be soaked through.

"Your Majesty, it's so hot outside, why are you out here?"

Guan Zhiyue smiled as she looked at Bilian walking in from the doorway, then sighed and said, "Your mother just had lunch and wants to walk around to help with digestion, otherwise when will I ever lose this weight!"

"Your Highness, it's so hot today. You can come out this afternoon. Come on! Let me help you back to your room!"

Guan Zhiyue shook her head and said, "Go and prepare some hot water for me! I'll take a bath first."

"yes."

Seeing that Guan Zhiyue still refused to return to her room, Bilian had no choice but to give up and headed towards the bathroom next door.

Consort Xian returned to her residence, Zhongcui Palace.

Qiuwen hurried to greet her. Seeing her mistress with tears in her eyes, she thought something terrible had happened and quickly asked, "Oh dear, Your Highness! Where have you been?"

"We've been looking for you everywhere! What happened to you? Did someone bully you?"

As she walked, Consort Xian sobbed, "I'm hungry. I want to eat."

"Go quickly and serve me my meal."

When Qiu Tong heard that her mistress hadn't had lunch yet, she quickly sent someone to fetch the meal.

Consort Xian sat down at the table in the room with a somewhat aggrieved expression. Thinking of the food she had seen in the Cold Palace, she couldn't help but pout and was about to cry.

"Waaaaah..."

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Has someone bullied you?" Qiuwen asked as she poured water for Consort Xian.

The Consort Xian sobbed, "The Empress... Her Majesty the Empress... Waaaaaah ┭┮﹏┭┮"

Qiu Tong had a fiery temper, and upon hearing the name "Empress," she didn't even listen to the rest of the conversation.

He immediately started cursing, "This Empress, really, she doesn't even know how to behave herself while she's locked up in the Cold Palace, and now she's actually bullying our Empress."

“Yes! Who says otherwise?” Dieyi quickly chimed in.

Seeing that others were agreeing with her, Qiu Tong became even more enthusiastic.

"Our Empress is kind-hearted, which is why she didn't want to argue with her. Now look what's happened, she's actually made our Empress cry."

"No, I must go to the Emperor and ask him to make a decision for our Empress."

Consort Xian listened to the maids' conversation, sobbing, and sensed that it was getting out of hand. She quickly spoke up to stop them, saying, "Stop!"

The four personal maids looked at each other, then turned to look at Consort Xian, whose eyes were red and whose face was covered with tears.

Some of them said angrily, "Your Highness, look, you've been bullied, and you're still stopping us."

Consort Xian raised her hand and haphazardly touched her face, then looked at the group and said, "Who said I was being bullied? I'm saying the Empress is too pitiful."

The four personal maids were completely stunned after hearing their mistress's words. What was their mistress up to now?

Speaking of the four maids beside Consort Xian, Guan Zhiyue would definitely laugh so hard her cheeks would ache if she were here. The names Consort Xian gave them were really hilarious.

The maids' names are Qiuwen (first maid), Qiutong (second maid), Zhuier (third maid), and Dieyi (fourth maid). These maids' names are relatively conventional, at least not too unpleasant to hear.

If you were to see the three eunuchs in the outer courtyard, you'd probably laugh your head off.

As they were talking, Consort Xian's meal was brought over. A young eunuch rushed in and said to Consort Xian, "Your Highness, the meal has arrived. Would you like to eat it in the main hall or have it placed in your room?"

Consort Xian thought for a moment and said, "Bring it to my room to eat."

"Yes, Your servant obeys!" Xiao Juezi bowed respectfully and headed towards the door. Soon after, the eunuchs and maids who were delivering the food came in one after another.

The maids were unaware of what was wrong with the Empress when they saw her swallow hard as she looked at the table laden with delicacies.

After the palace maid who brought the meal left, before Qiuwen could even serve her any food, she reached out and picked up the roasted and braised chicken from the plate in front of her.

They ate heartily, tearing at their food with oily mouths, occasionally letting out exclamations of delight.

Seeing that her mistress was only eating braised chicken, Qiuwen was afraid that her diet was not balanced, so she quickly picked up some stir-fried lettuce from the side and put it into the bowl in front of Consort Xian.

Before Qiuwen could even put her chopsticks into the bowl, Consort Xian ate the food in one bite. Seeing this, several maids picked up their chopsticks and fed some vegetarian dishes to Consort Xian.

While eating, Consort Xian said, "Her Majesty the Empress is so pitiful. You have no idea that she can only eat two plates of boiled vegetables without oil or salt for lunch. Unlike me, I can eat such a big table of meat and dishes, and they are so delicious."

"Originally... hiccup..."

"Your Highness, please have some water first, be careful not to choke!" Dieyi quickly brought over a cup of water and fed it to Consort Xian.

After drinking the water, Consort Xian began to eat again and continued to tell the others, "You all don't know, but I couldn't swallow a single bite while eating with Her Majesty the Empress."

The Empress ate that oil-free and salt-free food with great relish. The Empress is so pitiful! No, I think from now on, we should have all the food sent to the Cold Palace for lunch.

Upon hearing this, the maids quickly advised, "Your Highness, please stop! If Granny He finds out about this idea, she'll give you a good scolding."

"Her Majesty the Empress has her own destiny, so you should listen to what Granny He says."

"You're waiting here in Zhongcui Palace for the Emperor to summon you to his bedchamber. You should be taking care of the Emperor's affairs, why are you also meddling in the Empress's matters?"

Qiuwen looked at Consort Xian with some disapproval and said.

Seeing that Consort Xian had stopped eating the braised chicken, Dieyi quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, please think of the two consorts in our side halls."

They're all putting in their best effort now, figuring out how to get the Emperor to summon them to his bedchamber!

Consort Xian shook her head. She had no intention of sleeping with that emperor. Wasn't it good enough for her to eat and sleep in Zhongcui Palace every day? Why would she want to sleep with this emperor?

"I want that chicken, hurry up and give me this, and that one too, oh yes, there's that one over there..."

Consort Xian thought about it and felt it was too complicated; eating was much more relaxing and enjoyable.

They quickly directed them to pick up this and that, and the whole table of food was eaten up clean, their round bellies being the best proof.

Here in the Cold Palace.

Guan Zhiyue stood up from the bathtub, feeling completely revitalized. Now she has to take a bath twice a day to feel comfortable.

"Your Majesty, would you like to take a nap for a while?"

Guan Zhiyue yawned and said, "Okay, let's go lie down in the yard for a while!"

"By the way, has all the wasteland over there been cleared out yet?"

Bilian thought for a moment and said, "Yes, it has all been cleaned up and the soil has all been turned over."

"Did you go and buy the vegetables I asked you to have someone buy last time?"

Bilian helped Guan Zhiyue to the rocking chair in the corridor and said, "We've got it back. Do you need it now?"

Guan Zhiyue lay back in the rocking chair, closed her eyes, and held a palm-leaf fan in her hand, saying, "Wait a while! Have them turn the ground upside down and then sprinkle it all with well water. Sprinkle plenty, don't worry about wasting water."

"It would be best to soak the turned-up soil thoroughly before sowing, and then start sowing in the evening when the sun goes down. Also, how is the chicken coop construction going?"

"Everything is ready. Now we're just waiting for the chicks to arrive so we can put them all in."

Guan Zhiyue nodded and continued, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Physician Li to prescribe some realgar powder, the more the better, to sprinkle around the vegetable garden and chicken coop."

Bilian nodded in agreement as she fanned Guan Zhiyue.

"Have the chicks been finalized? I need ten hens and eight roosters."

Bilian nodded, lowered her head and whispered, "It's all ready. I even asked someone to have the young general prepare it behind the backs of the master and the eldest young master."

Guan Zhiyue nodded with great satisfaction and said, "My second brother has finally found a place to use his talents!"

Bilian twitched her lips awkwardly after hearing Guan Zhiyue's words. Could she say that when the young general heard about this, his eyes widened in surprise?

He even complained with a tearful expression that his sister had been reduced to raising chickens to make a living.

Guan Zhiyue dismissed the servants and drifted off to sleep in the corridor, enjoying the gentle breeze and the swaying rocking chair.

The clearing of the Cold Palace area has been completed in the last two days.

Everyone followed Guan Zhiyue's instructions and divided the land into small square plots.

A relatively wide rectangular area has been reserved for seedling cultivation.