Chapter 19: Imperial
Conferment His good mood just now was gone.
Emperor Xuanwu suppressed his smile and ordered Wang Dequan: "I smell, go get some water for bathing."
The barbecued dish that Zhen Ronghua prepared was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his 28 years of life.
He was the emperor, and he was the first to have all the best things in the world. He had never tasted such delicious food, let alone others.
It turned out that he was not indifferent to food, but there was no food that could make him salivate.
Thinking that he had eaten most of Zhen Ronghua's barbecue today, and Zhen Ronghua was so angry that she ignored him when she left, he chuckled.
Noble Lady Su blushed as she looked at the emperor with a beautiful smile. She leaned into Emperor Xuanwu's arms and said coquettishly: "Your Majesty, are you laughing at me for crying?"
Emperor Xuanwu lowered his head: "My beloved concubine used sweet-scented osmanthus hair oil today?"
Noble Lady Su, who had dressed up from head to toe, tied her hair and said: "Does Your Majesty like it?"
He even knew that she had changed her hair oil. The emperor had her in his heart.
If not, how could he only notice her change when there were so many women in the harem?
Emperor Xuanwu laid her down on the bed: "My beloved concubine is naturally beautiful. Even if she doesn't use those, she can still make me fall in love with her."
Noble Lady Su smiled shyly: "I always want to show my best side to Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty won't forget me when he has a new lover."
The extinguished candle brought silence. Wang Dequan shook his head and closed the door of the bedroom.
This noble lady Su still has no tact. How could the emperor be praising her?
She just doesn't like the smell of hair oil, and she doesn't like a mouthful of rouge and powder!
Speaking of pleasing the emperor, it is indeed Empress Zhen Ronghua. Even Concubine Li sometimes doesn't understand what the emperor means, but Zhen Ronghua can understand with just one look without the emperor saying anything.
Maybe this is the difference between sincerity and falsehood!
Poor Zhen Ronghua loves the emperor so deeply, and I wonder how long she can keep the emperor's heart? I
hope it will last a long time, otherwise it will be too pitiful.
The next day, the imperial edict to confer the title of Concubine Su as a concubine came down, but when Concubine Su, who should have been happy, went to Yikun Palace to pay her respects to the Empress for the first time, the emperor issued another imperial edict to confer the title of Concubine Zhen Ji of the sixth rank.
Concubine Su was given a higher rank because she served in the emperor's bed. What was Jiang Xinyue's reason for being promoted?
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the jealous eyes that fell on Concubine Su instantly disappeared by more than half.
Wang Dequan almost doubted that in fact, the emperor did not want to promote Concubine Su at all, but wanted to promote Empress Zhenji. He was afraid that it would be too conspicuous to only confer a title on her, and that she would be plotted against again, so he promoted Concubine Su.
This dangerous thought made Wang Dequan shake his head.
How could it be possible?
He had served the emperor for more than 20 years, and he had never seen him care so much about that woman.
The former Concubine Li was somewhat favored by the Emperor, and that favor alone allowed her to be the favorite in the harem for more than ten years. How long has Empress Zhenji been in the palace?
Impossible.
Everyone envied Jiang Xinyue for her rapid promotion in just three months, but she herself was not very happy.
Zhenji...
In Sichuan and Chongqing, there is a first-class protected animal called... Hazel grouse.
It looks gray.
Above Zhenji is Zhenguiji, who is of the sixth rank...
Zhenguiji...
Emm...
If she had known that a barbecue would lead to Zhenji's promotion, she would rather not have eaten that barbecue last night.
However...
not long after returning to Hexi Palace, Wang Dequan came and said that he would have dinner at Empress Zhenji's place in the evening and asked her to prepare well.
Jiang Xinyue looked at the two large pearwood tables in the courtyard, which were filled with various skewers of meat, pork belly slices and various vegetarian dishes.
There were many more ingredients than last night.
Even Chef Yu from the Yu Kitchen came over and said that he wanted to observe and ask Empress Zhenji for advice.
It turned out that the news that Jiang Xinyue showed off her cooking skills last night and kept the emperor in Hexi Palace had spread throughout the harem.
It was said that the emperor wanted to stay at Zhenji's place last night, but Empress Zhenji persuaded him to go to Concubine Su's place.
It seems that Empress Zhenji is still the most proud person besides Concubine Li.
I have to say that this is a beautiful misunderstanding.
Emperor Xuanwu had no intention of staying in Hexi Palace last night, and Jiang Xinyue did not want to become a target of criticism, nor did she tease him on purpose. She was even a little angry because he had eaten all the meat.
Jiang Xinyue looked up at the sky, as if she had thought of her tragic fate of being used as a cook by the dog emperor in the future.
But, on second thought, if she wanted to get rid of the title of Zhenji, she must do her best to please Emperor Xuanwu.
As the saying goes, if you want to capture a man's heart, you must capture a man's stomach.
This saying is applicable from ancient times to today.
As if she had made up her mind, she changed into a new set of neat clothes, and asked Xi Que and Shuangjiang to help her start marinating the meat.
There was not enough time last night, and the marinated meat was not flavorful enough. To her taste, it was not delicious enough.
But it's still early today, and there's plenty of time, so tonight's barbecue will be perfect.
Pour oil, sprinkle salt, add white wine, green onions, ginger, bay leaves, and five-spice powder, knead and stir, and then let it stand. After a dazzling operation, the chefs were dumbfounded.
Will the food made in this way be delicious?
Not sure, let's wait and see.
"Xi Que."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Jiang Xinyue said: "Go to Yikun Palace, Yanqing Palace, and Shun'an Palace, and invite the Empress, Sister Liangfei and Sister Defei. By the way, let the eldest princess, the second princess, and the third prince come to this palace for dinner."
To make the queen believe that she really has no ambition to compete for the master of the harem, it is not enough to just flatter her with your mouth, and you have to be sincere in your actions.
The summer heat was very high, and Jiang Xinyue was afraid that the meat would go bad, so she asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to transport ice over in batches.
Although it is a bit troublesome, there is nothing we can do about it. Who said that there was no electricity in ancient times, let alone refrigerators!
Yikun Palace -
Concubine Liang was combing the Queen's hair. After hearing what Fenyun said, she was a little surprised: "Did the people in Hexi Palace really say that?"
Fenyun nodded: "Yes, and they also said that several young masters can go together. The little maid also said that Empress Zhenji said that barbecue needs more people to be lively."
Concubine Liang said in amazement: "Other people are eager to monopolize the emperor. What is she thinking? She doesn't seize the opportunity to be alone with the emperor, but wants to call the empress and us over?"
"She is sincere."
Empress Zhu compared the hairpin on her head with the bronze mirror and changed it to a light and elegant one: "Since you told us to wear simple clothes, don't dress too much. The eldest princess should also be simple."
Liang Fei was eager to return home, and Empress Zhu did not keep her, asking her to go back quickly and teach the eldest princess what to say and what not to say.
Zhen Ji gave the opportunity, and whether she could grasp it depended on the eldest princess herself.