Throw them out of the palace and never use them again?

Granny Tu's knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground. Her voice was filled with sorrow as she crawled a few steps on her knees, crying out her innocence: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please hear my explanation! This Consort Wan is ordering His Highness the Crown Prince around and feeding him all sorts of rubbish—I am a servant of the late Empress, and my heart is entirely devoted to His Highness the Crown Prince, entirely for His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The piercing sound pierced through the entire Xianfu Palace.

Not only did Crown Prince Bao Cheng, Wan Fu, and Wan Anran hear it, but even Consort Xu in the west wing came out to look around, and even Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara, who were talking in the front hall, rushed over.

The group quickly stepped forward to pay their respects to the Emperor.

Compared to the caution and prudence of everyone else, Crown Prince Bao Cheng appeared quite at ease. Ignoring the old woman prostrate on the ground, he excitedly ran to Kangxi's side. Pointing to the food with a hint of pride, Bao Cheng exclaimed, "Father! Come and try some! I made this myself!"

The anger in Kangxi's eyes suddenly dissipated.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he took the Crown Prince's hand and led him toward the bamboo corridor: "Oh? Was it made by Bao Cheng himself? Then I must have a taste."

Granny Tu tried to beg for mercy again.

Liang Jiugong gave a signal to the palace servants around him, and the imperial eunuchs treated Granny Tu much more roughly than before. They stuffed a rag into her mouth, and in just a few breaths, Granny Tu completely disappeared from the sight of the masters.

As the emperor, Kangxi's dignity and reputation could not be violated in the slightest. Anyone who dared to deceive the emperor would face the consequences, as seen in the case of Granny Tu.

Knowing full well that it was all Tu Mama's own fault, Wan Anran felt a chill run down her spine when she saw how proud Tu Mama had been of being someone left behind by the late Empress and someone of the Crown Prince. In just half an hour, she had ended up like this.

The crown prince was also standing up for himself.

Wan Anran was not a saint, and of course she would not lend a helping hand to the enemy. She lowered her head and composed herself, carefully reminding herself in her heart—this was not a novel but reality. In this world where imperial power reigned supreme, she must remember her true self and never let power cloud her judgment.

Wan Anran calmed himself down.

She took a step forward, just as Prince Bao Cheng, who was walking ahead, stopped. He turned around and looked in the direction where Granny Tu had been dragged away, and reached out to tug at the corner of Kangxi's robe: "Father, for the sake of today being the second day of the Lunar New Year, please don't beat Granny Tu."

Wan Anran happened to see the Crown Prince's eyes.

Clear-eyed and innocent, without any shadows, even if he is hailed as a genius, the Crown Prince before us is still just a four-year-old child. Despite being just a child, everyone in the palace either avoids him like the plague or fawns over him. The fact that he didn't turn into a spoiled brat in such an environment is already a testament to Kangxi's excellent upbringing.

Moreover, he even remembered to plead for his wet nurse.

Wan Anran's heart gradually softened.

The same goes for Emperor Kangxi.

How could he not see the Crown Prince's innocent heart? Nowadays, everyone believes in the old saying that blood must not be shed during the New Year, otherwise the whole year will be unlucky. Of course, that's just talk. Just like investigations will still be conducted, arrests will still be made, and even if you anger the Emperor, being flogged or demoted will not be delayed until after the New Year.

Who gave the Crown Prince the right to speak?

Kangxi's brows relaxed, and he turned to Liang Jiugong, saying, "Didn't you hear what the Crown Prince said? Pass down the order to spare Granny Tu the beating!"

Liang Jiugong bowed and agreed.

The Emperor smiled, and the atmosphere in Xianfu Palace suddenly relaxed—until Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara saw the iron lid on the stove. Their expressions were strange; it was obvious who had come up with the bad idea, and they both turned their gazes towards Wan Anran.

Xu Changzai glanced at it.

She covered her mouth and gasped softly, "Using...using an iron pot lid to cook for His Highness the Crown Prince? That...how dirty must that be? Consort Wan...you...you're being so unhygienic."

Even Consort Xu had to plead for Tu's innocence.

If she were Tu Mama, she would also be frightened by Wan Changzai's casualness. Xu Changzai's schadenfreude was almost overflowing, and she felt that the emperor was about to lash out at Wan Changzai.

Consort Xuan's brow twitched.

She was about to explain for Wan Anran when she discovered that the Crown Prince had already launched an attack on Consort Xu: "Consort Wan ordered the palace servants to wash this pot lid three times. I saw it with my own eyes, and it wasn't dirty at all."

Bao Cheng pouted.

He repeated to Kangxi, "It's really not dirty. Before doing this, Wan Changzai washed his hands with me. Washing your hands thoroughly will prevent stomach aches and illnesses."

"Is that even possible?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Bao Cheng rattled off everything Wan Anran had said to Khan Ama, not even missing a single adjective describing Wan Anran.

Emperor Kangxi glanced at him sideways.

Consort Xuan sighed, speechless.

Noble Lady Nara couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Wan Anran's face burned down to her ears.

She wished she could dig a hole in the ground right then and there and crawl inside.

Why insist on talking about nose or anything like that...

Now look what's happened; for example, the nose has lost both its appearance and its inner qualities.

Thinking about it carefully, although Wan Changzai's words were vulgar, there was still some truth to them. Kangxi nodded thoughtfully. Even a room would get covered in dust over time, let alone a person. Heaven knows how much dust and garbage has accumulated on the hands and bodies of palace servants?

It's always better to be cautious.

Thinking of this, Kangxi readily agreed: "What Consort Wan said is simple, but it makes a lot of sense. In that case, I will issue an imperial edict ordering that palace maids and eunuchs must wash their hands and clean themselves before serving their masters."

Liang Jiugong should be the one.

Regardless of his intentions, Kangxi's gaze turned to the food on the iron lid.

Originally, Consort Xu had hoped that the Emperor would reprimand Consort Wan, but instead, she was sent back to her room by Liang Jiugong. Her pretty face darkened with anger, but she dared not vent her anger and could only sulk in her room. Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara withdrew with shrewd expressions, and before leaving, they instructed Wan Anran to serve the Emperor and the Crown Prince well.

One prince alone is troublesome enough, and then there's also serving Master Kang... Wan Anran sighed inwardly. When she turned around, she found that one adult and two children were already gathered around the stove.

The golden-brown, crispy fried chicken was placed on the iron pot lid, sprinkled with a strange, off-white sauce—was this the mayonnaise we had last time? It didn't quite look like it. Kangxi was still a little confused, while Crown Prince Yinreng, who was eager to impress his father, rolled up his sleeves and personally picked up a piece of fried chicken with his chopsticks.

The fried chicken nuggets, glistening with long, flowing sauce, were expertly coated with a thick layer of cheese by Bao Cheng's chopsticks—his movements clearly showed he'd done it several times before. He presented the chicken nuggets to Emperor Kangxi: "Father, please try some!"

Kangxi smiled and nodded.

The intimate and harmonious scene between father and son made Wan Fu unable to help but show a hint of envy. Wan Anran patted his head and said, "Later, let's invite Sister Nara to eat together too!"

Wan Fu nodded.

He tiptoed and whispered in Wan Anran's ear, "Wan Changzai, don't worry."

Wan Anran was slightly taken aback.

Then she heard Wan Fu whisper, "The Crown Prince's mother has passed away, but I have a mother, Consort Xuan, and Consort Wan. Therefore, I will give my father to the Crown Prince."

Wan Anran felt a pang of tenderness in her heart.

She vigorously rubbed his head: "Wan Fu is such a good boy!"

Historically, empresses died less than a year after being conferred their titles.

Wan Fu did not live to see the Emperor rename all the princes; the current Crown Prince was still a good child.

A thought, an idea, gradually surfaced in Wan Anran's mind. She felt Wan Fu's warm body beneath her hands, met his slightly questioning gaze, and gave him a warm smile.

Give it a try!

It's never wrong to try!

When Kangxi turned around, this was exactly the scene that came into view.

The winter sun shone through the gaps in the tree branches, casting dappled golden light on Wan Changzai's hair and between her eyebrows. A gentle smile played on her lips, her eyes incredibly soft, as warm and comforting as the winter sun.

Emperor Kangxi's heart skipped a beat.

He blinked, then thoughtfully looked away.

Wan Anran was unaware of Kangxi's gaze.

The young prince hadn't yet grown his hair into a braid; it was still a fluffy ball coiled at the back of his head. Wan Anran thought it felt nice to the touch and rubbed it vigorously.

Wan Fu shook his head vigorously like a drowning puppy, puffing out his cheeks in protest: "Wan Chang, let go of me!"

Wan Anran grinned, even kneading the fabric more vigorously: "I won't let go! I won't let go! What can you do to me?"

Wan Fu took off running.

He ran towards his father and his elder brother, the crown prince, shouting for help.

Laughter and commotion once again echoed in the backyard of Xianfu Palace.

After the commotion on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the imperial harem returned to peace once again.

Of course, this is only the surface.

The Imperial Household Department was in turmoil, with personnel changes in the Guangchu Division and the Imperial Tea and Dining Room causing considerable controversy.

Consort Wuya of Chengqian Palace was also implicated.

Her grandfather happened to be the current head of the Imperial Kitchen, who was not only severely reprimanded by the Emperor but also fined three years' salary and demoted. In addition, due to the incident at the beginning of the year when she angered Consort Tong, most of Consort Wuya's palace servants were also replaced, making her life much more difficult than before. Ju Bai had already heard a lot of rumors about Consort Wuya, and she told them to Consort Wan as if they were jokes.

Some were implicated, while others were unjustly implicated.

For example, on this day, Ju Bai rushed into the east wing with great joy: "My lady! My lady! This servant has heard some good news!"

"What good news?"

Wan Anran immediately put down her work and adopted a spectator's stance. Seeing this, Haitao was both amused and annoyed. While tidying up, she muttered, "Master! If this continues, we won't be able to finish making the insoles before the Emperor's birthday, let alone before summer!"

Wan Anran pretended not to hear.

She rested her chin on her hand, gazing intently at Ju Bai, urging, "Tell me quickly, tell me quickly!"

Ju Bai was bursting with excitement: "My lady, Consort Wuya's grandfather has been stripped of his position as head of the kitchen—"

"Didn't we talk about this last time?"

"Yes!" Ju Bai whispered excitedly, "But does Your Highness know who has been promoted to head of the kitchen?"

Wan Anran shook her head blankly.

Hai Tao's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed softly, "Could it be...?"

Orange and white nodded heavily.

She couldn't hide the joy on her face, and exclaimed excitedly, "It is indeed your father, Lord Thorbi, my lady!"

Wan Anran gasped.

Upon waking up in the palace, Wan Anran had never met the original owner's parents. She only knew that the Wan Liuha family had close ties, and that the parents and grandparents were all alive. They were from the Inner Palace, which is what later generations called the Xin Zhe Ku.

Wan Anran only learned this upon arriving at the Qing Palace.

This Xin Zhe Ku is not the same as that Xin Zhe Ku. Those who were registered as bondservants without committing a crime had the same status as other bondservants, with no distinction of rank. For example, her grandfather was originally the treasurer of the Guangchu Division of the Imperial Household Department, her brothers had served as first-class imperial bodyguards and ministers of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and her father was the treasurer of the Imperial Kitchen, a subordinate of Uya Noble's grandfather, Ecan. Of course, their relationship is now reversed, and Uya Ecan has to go home and eat his own food.

Daily meals were of paramount importance in the palace.

Those who could attain the position of head of the imperial kitchen were all, without exception, the emperor's confidants! No wonder Ju Bai was overjoyed upon receiving the news and rushed back to report it.

Having taken over the original body, it's natural that the original body's parents also need to be taken care of. Wan Anran was naturally overjoyed with Torbi's promotion. Of course, in addition to her joy, she also solemnly instructed Hai Tao and the other two: "This concerns the Emperor and the masters' daily diet, so we must be extra careful to avoid bringing trouble to Father."

The three men's expressions turned solemn.

They said in unison, "Don't worry, Your Highness, we understand!"

The Xianfu Palace was filled with joy.

The Chengqian Palace was quiet and still.

A hint of melancholy lingered in Consort Wuya's eyes as she sat by the window, lost in thought. A series of bad news had left her distraught. Touching her belly, she murmured to herself, "The only way to solve everything now... is to conceive the Fourth Prince!"

If others heard this, they would probably be horrified.

The princes in the palace have already reached the tenth prince, so where did the fourth prince come from? Perhaps only Wan Anran would realize the problem if she heard it.

Wuya was very depressed.

Originally, she wanted to cultivate a good mother-son relationship with the Fourth Prince and would never be like that foolish Consort De who threw away a gold nugget while treating a clod of dirt as a treasure. However, faced with her current predicament, she could no longer care about her original plans and was determined to get pregnant as soon as possible, ascend to the rank of Consort, and get away from this damned Chengqian Palace!

As for the Fourth Prince...

She was his biological mother; with a few tricks, how could she be afraid the child wouldn't be close to her? Having made up her mind, she quickly summoned her trusted palace maid: "The matter I asked you to handle... have you done it?"

The palace maid nodded solemnly.

Consort Wuya finally felt relieved. Gazing at her serene face in the bronze mirror, she murmured to herself, "You are the protagonist of this novel, everything will go as you wish."

As for the unexpected Wanliuha clan.

Consort Wuya's eyes darkened slightly. Originally, out of consideration for their past friendship as palace maids, she had only driven her away. But now? She scoffed and smoothed her long hair: "Don't blame me for being heartless and ruthless."

Wan Anran sneezed.

Haitao quickly got up to close the window shutters, and then called to Zisu to light the charcoal fire: "The weather this year is really strange, there is still no sign of it getting warmer."

After the New Year, the sun disappears and never returns.

Today, the sky outside is also covered by thick dark clouds, and the cold wind blowing in through the gaps is chilling straight to the bone.

Holding a hand warmer, Wan Anran stared blankly at the charcoal fire, deciding that today's lunch would be a bowl of hot soup noodles—what Wan Anran really wanted to eat was snail rice noodles. Unfortunately, that stuff smelled terrible, and if she ate it in Xianfu Palace... she'd probably be kicked out by Consort Xuan.

In order not to be kicked out of the house, Wan Anran said regretfully, "Have the kitchen put in some freshly made chili sauce, some green vegetables and thick slices of meat, and the noodles should be the thin kind."

Haitao smiled and agreed.

The warm soup noodles were served in no time—the head of the kitchen at Xianfu Palace had made a special trip for it. If in the past he had been currying favor because of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, or the Ninth Prince, this time it was undoubtedly because of the newly appointed Lord Tolbi.

This was an unexpected benefit.

Wan Anran smiled as she accepted the purse, but a slight thought stirred within her.

Since that's the case, could we ask Ama to help us find something? Like tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The former can be used to make all sorts of sauces and dishes, and as for the latter two, not to mention the production volume, just thinking about potato starch, sweet potato starch, cumin potatoes, French fries, pan-fried potato pancakes, hot and sour shredded potatoes, dry-fried potato slices, baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato cakes, taro balls, cheese-baked sweet potatoes... cough cough, just thinking about it makes Wan Anran's mouth water.

In the past, Wan Anran could only think about it and sigh at most, but now she could put this idea into practice. After slurping down her noodles, Wan Anran propped her arms on the table, cupped her cheeks, and continued to dream about a bright future.

"My lady...my lady! Your drool is practically dripping!" Hai Tao said, both amused and exasperated, pushing the basket in her hands in front of Wan Anran. "Let's hurry up and get started!"

"do what?"

“Making insoles… Oh? Your Highness, Ninth Prince? This servant greets Your Highness and Ninth Prince!” Hai Tao knelt down subconsciously.

Wan Anran also stood up and bowed.

The Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince have been visiting so frequently lately that Wan Anran has become somewhat accustomed to it. She diligently began rummaging through the insoles in the basket, while Crown Prince Bao Cheng asked curiously, "Does Xianfu Palace like to send insoles?"

Wan Anran stopped moving.

She looked slightly taken aback: "Huh?"

Hai Tao immediately understood the meaning behind it.

Sure enough, the next second Crown Prince Bao Cheng said, "During the New Year, I opened many New Year's gifts. I remember that Xu Changzai from across the street gave me insoles." It's just that Father Khan didn't like them and casually gave them to Liang Jiugong.

"and……"

Bao Cheng leaned over and looked at it for a long time, then gave a disgusted look: "Wan Chang, your taste is terrible. What are you doing embroidering two pheasants on it?"

Wan Anran blushed.

She exclaimed indignantly, "This is clearly a pair of lovebirds!"

Bao Cheng was greatly alarmed.

His pupils dilated, and his fingers trembled slightly: "These are actually mandarin ducks?"

That's way too much!

Wan Anran was furious and embarrassed. Her face flushed red as she muttered, "It doesn't look like a chicken at all. At most, it looks like a wild duck... right?"