However, the current situation still inevitably makes her feel sad and regretful.
"Sister, what are we having for dinner?" Chu Nian was already starting to worry about dinner. "I don't want to eat boiled noodles in salt water. It's so unappetizing, there's not even a tomato in it."
In the imperial harem, the concubines would eat better if the emperor was present, but if the emperor did not visit them, their evening meal would basically be boiled noodles in salt water.
Chu Susu asked, "What does Niannian want to eat?"
Chu Nian licked her lips and murmured, "I want to eat roast duck, drunken crab, and sweet and sour pork ribs..."
She rattled off a list of dishes the Empress had never heard of before, leaving the Empress completely bewildered. She said, "Niannian, I've never even heard of any of these dishes you've mentioned."
Chu Nian scratched her head and said helplessly, "So, we need to quickly gather the ingredients I mentioned so we can make really delicious dishes!" She felt that she had never been so worried about food even in the apocalypse, since there were still plenty of seasonings available back then.
Seeing her listless expression, Chu Susu suggested, "Why don't I have the imperial kitchen bring some snacks to satisfy your cravings!"
Chu Nian nodded. Speaking of snacks, she suddenly wanted cake. Come to think of it, this world already has sugar, eggs, and flour; making a cake should be possible, right?
Uh, how do you make a cake again? Chu Nian was once again frustrated about not having a portable system: When can I get her to configure the hardware?
Chu Nian had transmigrated several times and had seen cake recipes more than once. Although she hadn't made a point of memorizing them, thanks to the powerful memory brought by her strong soul, she could still recall quite a few recipes after careful recollection.
Using the kitchen tools available in this world, Chu Nian found a relatively simple method to make it, and immediately dragged Chu Susu to the imperial kitchen.
Leaving aside the surprise and shock of the imperial chefs upon seeing the two empresses arrive, Regent Li Xiao was walking out of Xukun Palace, pondering the empress's words, "Do not enter the inner palace without being summoned," when he was stopped halfway by Xiao Jia, the eunuch beside the emperor.
The emperor was not surprised at all when he learned that Li Xiao had entered the palace and met with the empress; Li Xiao had done this countless times before.
In the past, whenever the emperor learned of these matters, he would feel furious and wish he could immediately behead Li Xiao. But this time, his strongest feeling was curiosity; he wanted to know how Li Xiao was being treated in Xukun Palace, and his anger was far less intense than before.
To be honest, Consort Lian and the Empress used to be at odds, constantly fighting each other, which annoyed the Emperor. He longed for the day when these two women could settle down and live in peace.
But now that they have truly quieted down and are living in peace, the emperor finds this situation much more troublesome than before: he feels that the two women have joined forces against him!
Although the military tally was handed over to the Empress, Li Xiao knew very well that even if the Empress hated him, she would definitely not like the Emperor. So no matter what the relationship between the Empress and him was, she would never side with the Emperor.
He wasn't worried that the Empress would use the Imperial Guards to help the Emperor deal with him. Therefore, upon hearing that the Emperor had summoned him, he wasn't concerned. He strode confidently toward the Qianqing Palace, and on the way, he asked Xiao Jia why the Emperor had summoned him.
Xiao Jia, a confidant of the emperor, said, "Your Highness will know when you get there." He didn't want to follow in Chu Shu's footsteps. Serving the emperor meant it was best to listen to him. Although the regent held real power, at least he was farther away. A local official was more powerful than a distant one!
Li Xiao didn't ask any more questions and leisurely made his way to the Qianqing Palace. After paying his respects, he was even "kindly" offered a seat by the emperor.
The emperor got straight to the point: "I just heard that the prince went to Xukun Palace..."
Li Xiao interrupted him halfway through his sentence, saying somewhat dejectedly, "I will not enter the inner palace again unless summoned by the Empress." He thought that he should be obedient now, and just wait for Chu Susu's anger to subside so that the two of them could return to how they were before.
The emperor was surprised. He knew that the regent had somehow begun to covet the empress, whom he himself had sent to the palace, and that the empress seemed to treat the regent differently as well; but he hadn't expected that, judging from Li Xiao's dejected state today, he seemed to be in the same boat as himself—having also made a fool of himself in Xukun Palace.
Thinking of this, the emperor felt extremely pleased, but a look of surprise appeared on his face as he asked, "Why do you say this, Minister Li?"
Li Xiao did not answer, but stared at him for a moment, and said, "I felt that Your Majesty was weak when I went to court before, but now I see that Your Majesty is much better."
The emperor quickly clutched his chest and coughed.
Li Xiao: ...Are you even this half-hearted when faking illness?
The Emperor said, "Cough cough... My dear minister, my illness comes and goes... cough cough..."
Li Xiao remained silent for a long time before asking, "Your Majesty summoned me here because there is something important to discuss?"
Emperor: "Has Minister Li met with the Empress and Consort Lian?"
Li Xiao: "Of course I have seen it."
The Emperor asked, "My dear minister, did you go to see them because you have important matters to discuss with them?"
Li Xiao simply wanted to see Chu Susu; there was nothing else to discuss. But he couldn't answer like that—saying to the emperor that he wanted to cuckold him? Li Xiao couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "The Empress has already taken the imperial guards' military tally."
The Emperor was startled: What do you mean? The Empress has always been of one mind with the Prince, but today she took the Imperial Guard's military tally... As the head of the harem, what does she want by taking the Imperial Guard's military tally?
His first thought was: the empress wanted to launch a coup on behalf of the regent.
But then I thought, if the Empress really wanted to do that, would Regent Li Xiao be able to say it so frankly to the Emperor here?
So he quickly rejected the idea and asked, "The Empress took the Imperial Guard's military tally? Why?"
Li Xiao replied, "I believe that the Empress is implementing the theory of checks and balances that Consort Lian spoke of."
The emperor's lips twitched slightly. He asked, "She asked you for it, and you just obediently gave it to her?"
Li Xiao: "Yes."
The Emperor said, "I never imagined that the powerful Regent would listen to the Empress so much."
Li Xiao: "She is the empress I recommended." Saying this only evokes immense irony and...sorrow. Just how muddled was he?
Emperor: "So you're just going to obediently listen to her?"
Li Xiao: "I believe that there is really... no other way to make amends to her." He wanted to beg for her forgiveness! To beg her to turn back!
Emperor: "Make amends? Is she being treated unfairly as my empress?"
Li Xiao: "His Majesty already has Consort Lian."
Emperor: "But she is my Empress. Not yours! Do you even understand?"
Li Xiao: "His Majesty already has Consort Lian."
Emperor: ...That line again! Has the Regent lost his mind?
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