Empress Niohuru resumed her work.

This was the first time she had been in charge of these matters since her investiture, and the Empress was also holding her breath, wanting to do a perfect job for the Emperor.

The Empress placed the wolf-hair brush back on the brush holder and leaned back in her chair. She was slightly hungry but had little appetite, and simply closed her eyes, wanting to rest. Two palace maids came forward at the opportune moment; one lit sandalwood incense, while the other went behind the Empress and gently massaged her shoulders to loosen her muscles.

Even so, the empress's brow remained furrowed.

Suddenly, a fragrance wafted into the palace from outside. The calm and gentle sandalwood was powerless against it. The fragrance was so strong that it stimulated the Empress's taste buds and tempted her appetite. Even someone as resolute as Empress Niohuru couldn't help but swallow.

The Empress did not want to pay attention.

But her stomach was in turmoil, her intestines rumbling in frustration, urging the Empress to discover and explore the source of the fragrance.

What was even more terrifying was that the fragrance was growing stronger, meaning it was getting closer and closer. The queen, with her eyes closed, heard a creak, and a cold wind blew in with the increasingly intense fragrance. If before it was just a faint, elusive allure to the queen, now it was like a fragrance bomb detonating in the room.

The Empress could no longer hold back.

She opened her eyes, looked up with a hint of curiosity, and happened to meet Wan Changzai's gaze.

If you say Wan Changzai isn't timid, she doesn't say much in front of me, not even a single flattering word. If you say Wan Changzai is timid, she brought in food herself, even though I said I had no appetite, and she looked determined to get it.

Wan Anran was full of confidence.

She led a palace maid carrying a tray and walked to the Empress, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress."

The Empress called for her to rise.

She looked at the large pastel bowl with a hint of curiosity: "What's inside?"

Wan Anran chuckled.

She didn't intend to keep them in suspense, but instead presented the large famille rose bowl to the Queen with both hands. The moment the lid was lifted, a burst of steam carrying an even richer aroma wafted out, and the red broth revealed when the steam dissipated surprised the Queen.

The Empress examined it carefully for a long time.

She finally found many familiar things inside, and covered her mouth to exclaim softly, "...Isn't this the 'offspring bun'?"

The large, famille rose bowl contains a bowl of steamed buns shaped like descendants.

The problem is that this bowl of steamed buns looks completely different from the usual snow-white ones; the surface is covered with red broth and white sesame seeds.

"Your Majesty, please try it!" Wan Anran was full of confidence in this bowl of red oil dumplings. Thinking of the taste she had just experienced in the kitchen, she licked her lips again.

It's a little embarrassing to admit.

Because she hadn't eaten enough before, Wan Anran ate two large bowls of the red oil buns as soon as they were ready.

It can be described in just two words: Delicious!

She said confidently, "These are spicy red oil steamed buns, they're super delicious!"

It sounds more like they're trying to coax a child.

The Queen should have said she had no appetite, but the tempting aroma made her swallow hard, and the words of refusal lingered on her tongue before she swallowed them back down.

Why don't you give it a try?

The Queen picked up a spoon, scooped up a steamed bun, blew on it, and slowly put it in her mouth. The bun skin, having absorbed the broth, was very soft and had a spicy flavor different from pepper. Swallowing it ignited a fire in her stomach.

The empress slightly opened her mouth, making a slurping sound without regard for her image, her cheeks flushed, and sweat began to bead on her forehead and nose.

It seems that even the Queen was a bit stimulated by eating spicy food for the first time.

Wan Anran quickly instructed the stunned palace maids: "Go and fetch a cup of water or milk, and remember it must be cold!"

The palace maids had never seen the Empress look like this before.

Upon hearing Consort Wan's instructions, they hurriedly fetched cool water, milk, and towels, and carefully wiped away the Empress's sweat.

The head palace maid, Yinghe, looked at the red soup and felt uneasy.

In front of everyone, she didn't think Consort Wan had any ill intentions, but she felt that perhaps Her Majesty the Empress wasn't suited to eat this. Yinghe reached out to move the pink bowl away, but unexpectedly, the Empress slapped her hand away!

"Master, Master?"

"I'd like to try some more." The Empress's gaze was fixed on the large famille rose bowl, and she protectively moved the bowl closer to herself.

The spiciness is truly irresistible.

The Empress scooped up another bun, squinted her eyes, and savored it. Even after finishing the bowl, she still wanted more: "Another bowl, please! By the way, who made this?"

"It was made by Chef Zhao."

"It's him again? Granny Zhou, here's a reward."

After rewarding Chef Zhao, it was natural that Consort Wan should also be rewarded.

The Empress pondered this over and over, still unsure what to do, when suddenly she remembered something: "Speaking of which, did you bring your calligraphy practice with you?"

Wan Anran: …………

She paused for a moment, then answered dryly, "Uh, no, I didn't bring any."

The Empress rose with a smile and gestured for Consort Wan to follow her inside. The two walked one after the other through the hall, past a large sandalwood screen, and into the inner study. Several nanmu wood bookshelves stood in one corner, crammed full of various books. In addition, a writing desk, a painting table, and a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) were also provided.

The Empress walked until she reached the desk before stopping.

She gestured for Wan Changzai to sit down: "Come, write one and let me see it."

Do we have to do it again?

Wan Anran's face was numb. If this was a reward, she didn't want it at all. But the Empress's beautiful face and starry eyes were focused on her... Hmm, thinking that the beauty in front of her would look down in disappointment and be depressed, Wan Anran took a deep breath and stepped forward without hesitation.

Her movements remained graceful, and her handwriting was still too much to bear. Wan Anran blushed, lowering her head to stare at her instep, not wanting to see the disappointment in the Empress's eyes.

Surprisingly, after examining the writing for a while, the Queen did not sigh but instead smiled and said, "For a beginner, your handwriting is not bad."

not bad! ?

Wan Anran suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open. Then her face crumpled up, and she said dejectedly, "Your Majesty, please don't try to comfort me. I know my handwriting is terrible."

"It's much better than I expected."

As if possessed, the Empress reached out and rubbed Wan Changzai's head.

Unlike the concubines in the palace who liked to adorn themselves with head full of jade ornaments, Consort Wan did not have a single hairpin or tassel on her head. Her long, black, and shiny hair was simply tied into a bun at the back of her head, with nothing but a flat hairpin, which made it feel soft to the touch.

Hearing praise for the first time, Wan Anran's eyes lit up with a hint of joy. She jumped up and down with delight; if she had tails and ears, she would probably be swaying around in circles. Wan Anran proudly held her head high and puffed out her chest: "That's right, that's right, I also think I wrote quite well."

The Empress was immediately at a loss for words, neither laughing nor crying.

She finally understood why Consort Xuan sighed when she talked about Consort Wan. She reached out and tapped Wan Anran, then pulled out a few booklets from the bookshelf: "These are my old calligraphy practice books. Take them back and practice copying them. Remember to practice large or medium characters first, and start practicing small characters once you are familiar with the feel of the hand."

Wan Anran knew nothing about calligraphy, but Empress Niohuru in front of her was clearly an expert. What she said must be right! Wan Anran, holding a stack of books, earnestly agreed. The only unexpected thing was that just as she was about to leave the inner study, the Empress stopped her.

Empress Niohuru pointed to the seat: "Sit down."

Wan Anran sat down stiffly, her lips twitching slightly: "This concubine... writes here?"

Empress Niohuru nodded with a smile: "The wind and snow are raging outside. You can copy here for a while, and I will have someone send you back later."

Wan Anran reluctantly agreed.

She calmed herself down, focused all her attention on the book in front of her, and began to write carefully, stroke by stroke.

Seeing how earnestly she was writing, the Empress smiled and left.

By the time Wan Anran felt her wrists getting sore, four or five large characters had already been placed beside her. She held the characters and looked at them with satisfaction when a palace maid lifted the curtain and entered, smiling as she placed tea and snacks on the table: "Please enjoy, Your Highness."

The snack was freshly baked leaf-wrapped rice cake.

The soft glutinous rice flour dough is chewy and has a hint of orange fragrance. The filling can be either savory or sweet. For example, Wan Anran first tried a filling of winter bamboo shoots and fresh pork, which was savory and delicious. The next one was filled with black sesame, which tasted a bit like tangyuan (glutinous rice balls).

Both flavors are delicious!

Wan Anran happily finished her plate of leaf-wrapped rice cakes and tea, and it was time to return to Xianfu Palace.

With a smile, Granny Zhou saw the group off at the palace gate.

This time, Wan Anran didn't have to squeeze into a sedan chair with Consort Xuan; there were four sedan chairs parked outside the Kunning Palace. Not only that, Zhou Mama also presented the Empress's gifts one by one. Wan Anran received two sets of jewelry: one set was gilded and inlaid with kingfisher feathers and floral and butterfly patterns, and the other set was gold-engraved and inlaid with jewels. The two sets of jewelry included everything from hairpins and hair ornaments to hair clips, rings, and bracelets, and were extremely gorgeous.

Even someone like Wan Anran, who doesn't like dressing up, liked it very much. She happily accepted it, thinking about how to thank the Empress when she saw her the next day. Unfortunately, Granny Zhou regretfully said that the next few days would be even busier, and Her Majesty the Empress had decreed that Consort Xuan and her party did not need to come for the time being.

Wan Anran was slightly disappointed.

However, once she returned to Xianfu Palace, she cheered up again, looked at the thick layer of snow, and stretched.

Let's build a snowman tomorrow!