Chapter 385 Stealing Food
The unexpected happened so fast that He Ling was almost scared out of her wits.
The stinging pain on the back of her hand brought tears to her eyes. She was shocked and felt wronged, but she couldn't speak for a moment because of the pain.
Jiang Huan was also startled by this sudden situation, but she quickly recovered.
"Stop! Let go! This is a misunderstanding!"
Upon hearing the sound, the guard paused, but did not completely release his grip, watching warily the box on the ground that was still making a slight noise.
Jiang Huan quickly walked to He Ling's side, signaled the guards to let go, and carefully examined the red burns on the back of He Ling's hand. Her brows immediately furrowed.
"Xiao Zhao, quickly go and get the burn ointment, hurry."
Jiang Huan pulled He Ling aside and gently applied a clean, soft cloth soaked in cool water to the back of He Ling's scalded hand to relieve the pain.
She then turned to the guards who were on high alert, her tone calm yet commanding.
"Relax, everyone, don't panic. This is not a dangerous thing. It is a rare overseas remedy that Consort Hui specially found for me, called 'Steam Invigorating and Nourishing Pot'."
She pointed to the box on the ground that was still steaming slightly and making a hissing sound, and continued to deceive people without changing her expression.
"This pot requires a special method to activate the medicinal properties and generate steam to dissolve the rare medicinal materials contained within. The production process is somewhat peculiar. The noise you just heard was a sign that the medicinal properties were being activated and nourishing the mother ingredient, and it was not dangerous."
He Ling, who was wincing in pain, almost forgot her pain upon hearing this and stared at Jiang Huan in disbelief.
[Your Majesty, your lies are too slick! Steam, what network, what nourishing pot? Ugh, I can't even pronounce them properly.]
The guards looked at each other, their wariness and murderous intent instantly replaced by bewilderment.
They looked at the Imperial Noble Consort with her sincere and composed expression, then at the still-smoking "exotic remedy" on the ground, and then considered that the Imperial Noble Consort had indeed been suffering from a poor appetite recently and needed to recuperate.
It seems... to make some sense?
A hint of shame flashed across the face of the leading guard, who immediately took the lead in kneeling on one knee, clasping his hands in apology.
"Your subordinate is ignorant and nearly injured Consort Hui, who was presenting tribute, and disturbed her nourishing meal. I deserve to die! Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
The other guards also knelt down in unison, heads bowed: "Please punish us, Your Majesty!"
Jiang Huan was secretly laughing her head off, but she maintained a calm demeanor and waved her hand gently.
"Alright, ignorance is no excuse. It's good that you're so vigilant. Now you may leave."
The guards, as if granted a pardon, instantly disappeared back into the shadows.
At this time, the burn ointment was also brought out.
Jiang Huan personally and carefully applied the ointment to He Ling, her movements gentle.
"Luckily, it was just a little splash, which caused some red marks, but no blisters."
He Ling sniffled, her eyes brimming with tears, feeling both touched and aggrieved: "Thank you, Your Majesty... I... I just wanted to give you a surprise, who knew it would turn out like this? What a pity, this pot smelled so good."
"What a pity? Who said it's a pity?"
Jiang Huan's eyes darted around, and she deftly wrapped He Ling's hands. Then, with her hands on her hips, she stared intently at the still-steaming self-heating hot pot.
"How could I let this delicious food slip away? No way, absolutely not!" She rubbed her hands together, her face showing the unwavering determination of a foodie. "I'm going to stick with this pot today; I have to get my hands on it!"
She turned to Xiao Zhao and instructed her in a rapid-fire manner: "Carefully pack up that box and take it to the small kitchen. Have the cook reheat it in our hot pot. Remember, don't touch the powder. Keep it away from it."
After giving her instructions, she winked at He Ling and proudly raised her chin: "See? There's always a way to overcome difficulties."
He Ling's eyes lit up: "That's right, Your Majesty is so clever, you can eat it like this!"
Soon, the small kitchen used the copper pot from the palace to reheat the hot pot broth and ingredients that He Ling had brought, as instructed by Jiang Huan, and served it steaming hot.
The red oil is bubbling and the aroma is irresistible; it's the taste of my memories.
Jiang Huan and He Ling disregarded all decorum and sat around the small table, eating with gusto. They were sweating profusely from the spiciness, but it was incredibly satisfying.
The long-awaited spicy and savory flavor awakened Jiang Huan's taste buds, and she ate much more than usual.
"Having some junk food now and then makes life happier."
Jiang Huan sighed contentedly, slurping from the spiciness, yet looking completely satisfied.
He Ling ate until her nose was sweating, and said proudly, "That's right, anything produced by the system is bound to be of the highest quality. If Your Majesty likes it, I'll add other flavors next time!"
After finishing her meal, Jiang Huan instructed the palace servants to remove the cups, plates, bowls, and chopsticks and wash them carefully. She also ordered the windows to be opened wider for ventilation and lit some light lily incense to try to dispel the stubborn spicy smell.
He Ling also got up to take her leave, just then, the sound of a palace servant announcing his departure came from outside the hall.
Huo Lin had just stepped into the inner hall when he paused, immediately noticing a lingering scent in the air. Although the scent had faded considerably, it still lingered faintly in the hall.
Is this hot pot?
[Didn't the imperial physician tell her to eat a lighter diet recently? This smell... it smells like super spicy hot pot broth? Did He Ling bring it?]
[How dare she sneak this behind my back?]
He quickly scanned the entire room. Jiang Huan was leaning against the couch, her cheeks flushed, and she looked much better than she had a few days ago.
He Ling stood frozen in place, head down, twisting her fingers, looking guilty and breathless.
Huo Lin's face was ashen, revealing neither joy nor anger, but the atmosphere around him seemed to have become somewhat subdued.
He glanced at He Ling without saying a word.
He Ling's legs went weak under his gaze, and she hurriedly curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty... I have some matters to attend to in the palace, so I'll take my leave now!"
After saying that, she didn't dare to look at Huo Lin's face, lowered her head, lifted her skirt, and ran away.
Huo Lin then turned his gaze to Jiang Huan.
Jiang Huan felt her scalp tingle from his gaze and decided to strike first.
She looked up and gave a sweet smile: "Your Majesty is back? Did the affairs of state go smoothly today?"
It's a self-heating hot pot after all; the flavor is so strong that it hasn't completely dissipated yet.
But is his nose like a police dog's? He can smell even that tiny bit!
Huo Lin walked step by step to the edge of the couch and sat down, his brows furrowed: "As soon as I arrived, I smelled a pungent, strong odor. Can you eat this now?"
Jiang Huan's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes, here it comes, here comes the interrogation!
She feigned composure, even sniffing in surprise with an innocent expression.
"Really? What does it taste like? I didn't really notice. Maybe it's some new dessert that the kitchen is trying out."
Huo Lin looked at her big, blinking eyes and her lips, which were even redder and fuller than usual, and he understood everything perfectly.
Still pretending? Look at those red lips, they must have been really burned by the spice.
However, her complexion has definitely improved a lot; her cheeks are rosy.
Well, I guess I'll just eat it. It's better than not being able to eat or drink at all these past few days.
But... we can't let her off easily; she needs to learn her lesson.
He gave a soft hum, leaned forward slightly, and closed the distance between them.
"Oh? Is that so? But why does this taste so familiar? It's like hot pot."
He emphasized the word "hot pot" and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips: "Madam, could it be that you secretly ate some while I was away?"
Jiang Huan's face flushed red instantly, partly from guilt and partly from being embarrassed and angry at being exposed.
"Who, who stole the food? You can't just slander someone out of thin air!"
She instinctively retorted, but her voice lacked conviction.
Huo Lin looked at her with a calm and composed expression, his smile deepening.
Jiang Huan was completely exasperated by his gaze. Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, she could only give up and lean against the soft pillow, pouting.
"Alright, alright, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Yes, I ate it, so what? Is it necessary to interrogate me like this? Besides..."
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered the two guards who had jumped out and retorted, "Besides, you've also planted spies in my Weiyang Palace, watching what I eat and monitoring me!"
The more she talked, the more convinced she became of herself. She straightened her back and tried to overwhelm the other person with her imposing manner.
Huo Lin was taken aback by her counterattack and shook his head helplessly.
He reached out and pinched her cheek: "Was I spying on you? I was worried about you. You had no appetite a few days ago, and now that you finally have a better appetite, I was afraid you would eat random things and hurt your spleen and stomach again."
"I ordered people to keep a close watch on you, both inside and outside the palace, for your safety. How did it become surveillance in your mouth?"
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