Chapter 490 The Banquet
Jiang Huan couldn't help but laugh as she watched her sisters instantly win over by the food and their attitudes completely change.
She stood up, neatly rolled up her sleeves, and said with great interest, "Such good things can't be wasted. I'll cook them myself today!"
"Your Majesty is going to cook yourself?" Mingzhu's eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course,” Jiang Huan said with a smile, “the crabs must be cooked fresh to be truly delicious, and the lotus root and water bamboo should also be prepared while they are fresh. You wait here, I’ll go to the small kitchen and get busy. I guarantee you’ll never forget what you’ve tasted.”
After saying that, she hurriedly led the palace servants and carried the ingredients to the small kitchen.
About an hour later, the Weiyang Palace was filled with fragrance.
The table was laden with delicious dishes prepared by Jiang Huan. In the center was a large bowl of crab meat lion's head meatballs with golden broth, next to which was a crystal-clear lotus root drizzled with amber-colored osmanthus syrup, and a plate of stir-fried water bamboo shoots, which were simply cooked with oil and salt, yet retained the sweet and crisp texture of the water bamboo shoots to the fullest extent...
In addition, there were several refreshing stir-fried seasonal vegetables and a pot of warm Shaoxing wine.
Just as the group sat down and were about to pick up their chopsticks, a voice announced from outside the hall that Huo Lin had arrived.
He walked in with steady steps, dressed in casual clothes. His expression was much gentler than when he was at the morning court, but his innate sense of authority was still undeniable.
His gaze swept over the table full of delicacies, finally settling on Jiang Huan's smiling face, and he naturally sat down beside her.
"Has Your Majesty finished your official duties?" Jiang Huan picked up the serving chopsticks, took a piece of lion's head meatball, and placed it on the plate in front of him. "Try it quickly, I made it while watching the heat."
Huo Lin hummed in agreement and picked up his silver chopsticks.
He first tried the lion's head meatballs, which were tender and flavorful with a rich crab aroma. They were indeed delicious. He then tried the sweet lotus root and water bamboo shoots in turn, his movements elegant but fast.
[Her control of the heat was excellent, and the flavor was just right; her cooking skills are getting better and better!]
There are just too many people. Who can eat this little bit of food?
As Jiang Huan listened to his inner thoughts, she saw Huo Lin finish eating what was on his plate and put down his chopsticks.
Then, he did something that left everyone speechless.
The esteemed Emperor himself picked up the serving chopsticks on the table and calmly began to distribute the dishes.
He steadily picked up a lion's head meatball and placed it on Jiang Huan's plate, saying gently, "You've been busy for so long, you should eat more."
Then, he looked at the remaining food on the table, pulled the plate of crabs closer to himself, and instructed the palace maid standing beside him, "Have the imperial kitchen steam some more crabs and send them over immediately."
He paused, then added, "The Empress has been working hard on palace affairs lately and needs to be well-nourished. The Empress and I have small appetites, so what's on the table is enough for the two of us."
After saying that, he scooped most of the sweet lotus root from the dish onto Jiang Huan's plate, and also scooped a lot of water chestnuts onto it, until the plate in front of Jiang Huan was piled up into a considerable small mountain, before he seemed to remember that there were other people at the table.
"The remaining stir-fries are also quite good. Use as much as you like. The crabs that will be sent from the Imperial Kitchen later should be even plumper."
The implication was clear: the best food on the table is reserved for my Empress; you can wait for the imperial kitchen.
Princess Mingzhu blinked, looking at the suddenly reduced amount of food in front of her, and then at the mountain of plates piled up in front of Jiang Huan. Her mouth was slightly open, and she didn't react for a moment.
He Ling remained calm, her lips twitching slightly as she lowered her head and silently ate the water chestnuts that had been picked up from her plate earlier, inwardly complaining.
The Emperor's possessiveness of food... no, it's more like his protectiveness of the Empress's heart is a bit too obvious.
Do you think they can compete with the Empress?
Seeing that most of the sweet lotus root she had been longing for had been taken away, Ayina blurted out, "Stingy!"
Jiang Huan was also quite helpless. She gently kicked Huo Lin under the table and gestured with her eyes: That's enough for you.
Huo Lin received her signal, but remained calm on the surface.
Why are you kicking me? Am I not telling the truth?
[She's been worrying about palace affairs lately, so what's wrong with her eating well?]
[They want to eat it, but doesn't the imperial kitchen have it? It's just a bit unpalatable, why do they have to fight over these few bites?]
Jiang Huan was both amused and exasperated by his twisted logic. This man was incredibly jealous and had a whole set of reasons for protecting his food, all while maintaining a serious demeanor.
The meal continued in this eerie atmosphere.
Mingzhu and Heling exchanged a glance, then buried themselves in their food, not daring to look around or say anything more, for fear that the Emperor would take away the few remaining dishes in their bowls.
Ayina channeled her grief and anger into her appetite, devouring the crabs that the imperial kitchen later brought, silently adding another debt to Huo Lin's record in her mind.
During a break in the meal, while the others were chatting, He Ling leaned close to Jiang Huan and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Majesty, there's something I feel is a bit off."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huan's expression immediately became more serious, and she put down her chopsticks: "What's wrong?"
He Ling frowned and lowered her voice even further: "It's my system. In the past few days, it has occasionally emitted some electrical noise, intermittently."
Jiang Huan felt a chill run down her spine. He Ling's system was her greatest asset and the source of many policies that benefited the country and its people. If there were any abnormalities, it would be no small matter.
"An electrical sound? How long has it been going on? Are there any other symptoms?" Jiang Huan asked with concern.
"It started in the last few days, it's intermittent, like a bad connection, but other functions are normal." He Ling shook her head, also a little confused. "I'll observe it for a while longer, maybe it's just a minor problem."
Jiang Huan nodded and kept the matter in mind.
"Okay, let me know if anything seems wrong." She secretly decided that she would have He Ling check again carefully later, or see if there were any clues.
After the meal, Huo Lin was invited by officials from the front hall to discuss matters and left first.
Jiang Huan and the others moved to the flower hall to drink tea and digest their food. Mingzhu held her teacup, reminiscing about the crab feast they had just enjoyed. She also thought of Huo Lin's stingy manner and couldn't help but want to complain again.
She leaned closer to the window, pretending to look at the scenery outside, but actually said to He Ling and Ayina who were beside her, "What do you mean, Uncle Huang...?"
Before she could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the window: "Uncle, what?"
"Ahhh!"
This sudden movement terrified Mingzhu. She tripped over the footstool by the window, lost her balance, and fell forward with a scream.
Just as she thought she was about to fall to the ground in a sorry state, a pair of strong arms reached out in time and caught her steadily.
Mingzhu felt dizzy and her heart was pounding. She opened her eyes in shock and found herself half-lying in a strong embrace.
When she looked up, she met Shen Yi's smiling peach blossom eyes.
"Princess, be careful."
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