Chapter 294 Instant Noodle Sales
The guards immediately gagged the assassin with a strip of cloth and took him away.
The palace road returned to tranquility. The deputy commander turned to Jiang Huan and said, "His Majesty is discussing matters with his ministers in the Imperial Study. I will escort Your Highness back to Weiyang Palace first, and then report this matter to His Majesty."
Jiang Huan was about to shake her head when she saw the broken soup bowl and the splashed soup on the ground, and sighed helplessly.
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Jiang Huan had just returned to Weiyang Palace under the escort of the deputy commander of the imperial guards when a report came from outside the palace.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Empress Dowager entered, surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
Today she was wearing a dark purple palace dress embroidered with gold phoenix patterns, her hair was neatly styled, and her eyes were fixed on Jiang Huan as soon as she entered the room.
"I heard you were attacked on the palace road. Were you injured? Were you frightened?"
The Empress Dowager quickly stepped forward, took Jiang Huan's hand, looked her up and down, and spoke with a tone full of heartache.
"In broad daylight, how dare such a madman commit violence in the palace! It's utterly lawless!"
Looking at her hypocritical act, Jiang Huan suppressed the urge to pull her hand back.
Unless the Empress Dowager has eyes and ears that can see and hear a thousand miles, what news could travel so fast?
She narrowed her eyes slightly, then put on a polite, gentle smile.
"Your Majesty, I am fine. I was just a little frightened, but thanks to the guards arranged by His Majesty, they came to my aid in time."
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes, but her concern deepened.
"It's alright, it's alright."
The Empress Dowager seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but she did not let go of Jiang Huan's hand and said earnestly, "However, Consort Zhuang, this incident has also served as a reminder to us."
She lowered her voice, sounding very sincere: "There are many people and eyes in this palace, and it's inevitable that some of them have ulterior motives. Your status is different now, and you are deeply favored by the Emperor. Countless eyes are watching you. You were lucky this time to have guards protecting you, but you might not be so lucky next time."
"To be frank, my child, you are lively and likable, but sometimes you are too flamboyant. You always like to wander around the palace, studying those novel foods, and even setting up greenhouses to grow vegetables. This is certainly a good thing, but it is easy to attract attention and cause trouble."
Jiang Huan glanced at him with a mysterious look in her eyes, her heart burning with excitement.
Here it comes, here comes the important part.
First they say she's ostentatious, then they blame her for running around, and the next step is to suggest she stay home all the time?
As expected, the Empress Dowager revealed her true intentions.
"If you ask me, things haven't been peaceful in the Northern Barbarians lately, and with this incident happening in the palace, it would be best if you stayed in Weiyang Palace to calm your mind and avoid going out. If you want to eat or play something, just let the palace servants take care of it. Why do you have to do everything yourself and show your face in public? Don't you think that makes sense?"
These words, seemingly full of concern and thoughtfulness, are in fact veiled in barbs and hidden sarcasm.
But Jiang Huan is no longer the submissive concubine she once was.
She was just about to play a game of cat and mouse with the Empress Dowager, and retort with those words verbatim.
Then a voice announced something outside the hall.
"His Majesty has arrived."
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Lin had already swept in like a gust of wind.
He had obviously rushed over as soon as he received the news, his brows furrowed with lingering anger and deep worry.
"Jiang Huan!"
He spotted Jiang Huan at a glance, immediately stepped forward, completely ignoring the Empress Dowager beside him, grabbed her shoulder and examined her closely.
"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"
[Damn it, if anything happens to her, I'll slaughter that assassin's entire family and it still won't be enough!]
Jiang Huan quickly shook her head: "It's nothing, it's really nothing. It's just a pity about the soup I made for you."
Huo Lin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that she was indeed unharmed, but his expression darkened as he turned to the Empress Dowager.
"The Queen Mother is here too."
The Empress Dowager's expression was somewhat unpleasant after being completely ignored by Huo Lin, but she quickly put on airs again.
She repeated the same theory she had used on Jiang Huan—staying home and focusing on recuperation—to Huo Lin, and added at the end, "Your Majesty, I am doing this for Consort Zhuang's sake, and for the peace and tranquility of the harem."
Upon hearing this, Huo Lin's eyes instantly turned cold.
[Take a break and rest? Stay home as much as possible?]
[That sounds so nice, but isn't it just a disguised form of house arrest!]
[Her affairs are none of the Empress Dowager's business.]
He looked at the Empress Dowager expressionlessly: "I appreciate the Empress Dowager's kindness, but Consort Zhuang's fright was due to the inadequate protection of the palace guards. What does it have to do with her? I have ordered a thorough investigation of the palace and strengthened security. I will never allow such an incident to happen again."
He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Empress Dowager: "As for Consort Zhuang's usual hobbies, such as studying cuisine and growing fruits and vegetables, these are refined interests and ways of sharing my burdens. How can this be considered ostentatious?"
These words demonstrated an extremely firm stance in defending Jiang Huan, directly rejecting all of the Empress Dowager's suggestions.
The Empress Dowager's face darkened, her fingers tightened around her handkerchief, and in the end she could only manage a weak smile.
"It is good that Your Majesty knows the truth. I was just being nosy."
Knowing that further discussion would be pointless, she offered a few perfunctory words of concern before reluctantly leaving with her entourage.
After seeing off the Empress Dowager, Huo Lin finally relaxed completely. He pulled Jiang Huan aside and asked her in detail about the assassination attempt. His expression grew increasingly gloomy as he listened. He immediately dispatched an additional team of elite guards to protect Weiyang Palace day and night.
Just as undercurrents were swirling within the palace due to this failed assassination attempt, another wave of interest in Jiang Huan was sweeping across the palace walls.
After months of intensive preparation, the workshops in Beijing finally produced the first batch of instant noodles, which began to be sold in the capital.
Various versions of legends have long circulated about this magical pasta.
Therefore, as soon as the news of the instant noodles' launch spread, long queues formed in front of several stores early on.
People want to see for themselves what this supposedly miraculous instant noodle is all about.
"It's here! The goods have arrived!"
The moment the workers placed baskets of instant noodles wrapped in moisture-proof oil paper and jars of sealed sauces on the counter, the crowd stirred.
"This is instant noodles? It just looks like dried noodles, is it really that amazing?"
"What's this sauce for? It smells pretty good."
"How much? How much? Give me two pieces to try first!"
Instant noodles are not expensive, and ordinary people can afford them.
Initially, most people bought one or two pancakes and some sauce samples, just to give it a try.
However, when the first person started to prepare the instant noodles at the hot water provided at the shop entrance, following the staff's demonstration, a fragrant aroma immediately filled the entire shop entrance.
"Hey! What's that smell? It smells so good!"
"My God, this smells amazing! It makes my mouth water just smelling it."
The first person to buy instant noodles, under the expectant gaze of everyone, lifted the lid and took a bite.
His eyes widened instantly the moment he took a bite of the instant noodles.
"Mmm, delicious." He mumbled his praise, not caring that it was hot, and slurped up the bowl of noodles in a few bites, finishing every last drop of soup.
"It smells so good! Waiter, give me another ten, no, twenty! And a whole jar of sauce too!"
The effect of this live advertisement was explosive; the queue of people instantly erupted in excitement.
In less than half a day, the first batch of goods from several stores was sold out.
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