Chapter 131 Searching for the Cook
Jiang Huan sat by the window, looking at the sky outside, mentally reviewing the sachet incident from that morning.
"Your Majesty," Xiao Zhao said, bringing in a bowl of freshly brewed calming soup, her eyes still a little red, "drink some soup to calm your nerves."
Just as Jiang Huan took the bowl, a series of hurried and familiar footsteps came from outside the hall, carrying a sense of oppression.
[Who dares to touch her? I'll skin that person alive!]
[Was she hurt? Was she frightened?]
A series of furious and anxious thoughts exploded in Jiang Huan's ears like lit firecrackers.
Huo Lin walked up to her in a few steps, his gaze carefully sweeping over Jiang Huan.
From top to bottom, it looks like a sophisticated scanner.
It seems like he's alright.
[His face was a little pale; he must have been frightened.]
[I might as well have her come to court with me tomorrow, sleep in my Yangxin Hall, and stay by my side every step of the way. Let's see who dares to lay a hand on her then!]
The air pressure around him was low, and the air in the entire hall seemed to stagnate as a result.
The palace servants held their breath and lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.
Jiang Huan wanted to speak up to ease the tension, but Huo Lin didn't give her the chance.
He turned to Granny Deng: "Where is he?"
Granny Deng's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately replied, "Her Majesty is kind and has already ordered that the person be expelled from Weiyang Palace."
"Expelled?" Huo Lin raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Too easy on her."
[How dare you use such underhanded methods to harm her, and then think you can just walk out of the palace gates so easily?]
"Wang Degui, go find out where that palace maid is. Let her spend the rest of her life in the dungeon."
Wang Degui bowed in agreement and quickly withdrew.
Jiang Huan opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
He has his own principles, and she knows Huo Lin won't act recklessly.
Will she think I'm too cruel? But someone like that can't be let off easily.
Since she's a soft-hearted person, then I must be the ruthless blade for her.
After the order was given, Huo Lin's fear subsided by a third, and when he looked at Jiang Huan again, his eyes were filled with tenderness.
"Were you scared?"
Jiang Huan gently shook her head and playfully patted the back of his hand.
Don't worry, she's not a soft-hearted goddess anymore.
"I'm not that easily scared."
"He can still joke with me; it seems he's truly alright."
Huo Lin breathed a slight sigh of relief, but when he saw the calming soup on the table, his brows furrowed again.
"Has the imperial physician come to see you?"
"I've examined it, and everything is fine. I just prescribed some calming remedies."
Jiang Huan patted her small arms and legs and answered gently.
[After staring at these monsters and demons all day, it's time to give your eyes a good rest.]
"I will thoroughly investigate this matter."
Huo Lin gently pulled Jiang Huan's fidgeting hands and tenderly held those small hands in his palms.
His voice was deep and resolute: "There will never be a next time."
Jiang Huan also looked up at Huo Lin, her eyes filled with smiles and trust.
"Yes, after all, our Emperor is incredibly powerful."
Huo Lin lowered his head and smiled faintly. Their eyes met in mid-air, and the violence that had been suppressed in his chest suddenly and strangely dissipated.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Consort Jia's palace was completely different.
The vase was swept to the ground with a crisp sound.
Her beautiful face was contorted with anger, and her carefully drawn eyebrows stood up straight.
"You shameless woman! What a shameless woman! She's always using tricks to seduce the Emperor!"
The trusted palace maid who came to deliver the message knelt on the ground, her head bowed low, her voice trembling.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has personally issued an edict ordering a thorough investigation. Do you think he might..."
"A thorough investigation?"
Consort Jia snorted coldly, "Investigate? Can you trace it back to me? A stupid and lowly servant girl deserves to die. It's just a pity that she couldn't completely extinguish Jiang Huan's hope."
She meticulously planned her scheme using the most subtle and inconspicuous methods; even the palace maids weren't her own people.
The original plan was to secretly cripple Jiang Huan's foundation, preventing her from ever bearing an imperial heir and completely depriving her of any means of resisting her.
Unexpectedly, it was destroyed by a gust of wind!
To everyone's surprise, the Emperor was so enraged that he wanted to investigate personally!
This undisguised protection nearly consumed Consort Jia with the flames of jealousy.
"Jiang Huan, Jiang Huan!" Consort Jia chewed on the name repeatedly.
Why should a woman of humble origins receive such unique favor from the emperor?
She came from a prominent family and was among the first to enter the palace, yet she could only watch helplessly as that vile woman monopolized the emperor's favor.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..." The palace maid trembled with fear.
"Calm down? How can I calm down?"
Consort Jia suddenly stood up and paced anxiously in the hall.
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became, and the more frustrated she felt.
She used to be the most honored person in the harem besides the Empress Dowager, but what about now?
Rumors have already started circulating, saying that she is no match for Jiang Huan, and that even if she comes from a prominent family, so what? Sooner or later, she will be trampled underfoot by Jiang Huan...
"His Majesty must have been bewitched by that vile woman using some kind of sorcery."
She stopped abruptly, her eyes filled with obsession.
"Yes, that must be it. I remember that His Majesty was particularly fond of the food made by that vile woman."
She can do just that, even if it's just making food.
"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Consort Jia muttered to herself, as if grasping at the last straw.
She turned abruptly and sternly ordered her trusted palace maid, "Immediately send a message to my brother, tell him to find the best chef in the capital... no, in the whole country! And be quick!"
The palace maid was taken aback: "Your Highness, what are you doing...?"
A determined flame ignited in Consort Jia's eyes.
"I will personally learn how to cook imperial cuisine. Doesn't the Emperor like her cooking? I want to see if he will still cherish her after I've mastered it and surpass her."
She refused to believe that with her intelligence and beauty, plus the help of the world's top chefs, she could not defeat Jiang Huan.
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