As the carriage traveled, Su Peisheng noticed that the head steward of the imperial kitchen was almost upon them, bowing anxiously to him.
Su Peisheng's heart jumped instantly. Many of the servants from the Imperial Household Department looked down on the Fourth Prince. After all, Lady Wuya came from a prestigious family in the Imperial Household Department. Although Consort Tong loved the Fourth Prince as her own son, the bloodline between Lady Wuya and Yin could not be ignored.
"Master, the head chef of the Imperial Kitchen has arrived!" Su Peisheng had intended to make things difficult for the head chef, but upon noticing that the surrounding guards were all listening intently, he had no choice but to report as soon as possible.
"Let him in!" Yin released Qingyan, and the two straightened their clothes and sat directly on two cushions. Qingyan leaned against the armrest, holding a storybook in his left hand and continued reading.
The head chef of the imperial kitchen has come to request an audience.
She understood after a moment's thought.
The breakfast sent to the imperial tent was the trigger; those people must have received a hint from the Emperor to come and collect materials from her.
She and Yin exchanged a glance, wondering how these stewards would persuade her.
The head steward of the Imperial Household Department looked at Qingyan, who was leaning lazily against the cushions and did not steal a glance in his direction. He couldn't help but feel a little flustered. Would the Fourth Princess Consort easily let go of the raw materials in her hands?
After all, the materials they promised are all in the capital. Various problems may arise on the way back to the capital. To put it bluntly, if His Majesty is injured and the Crown Prince takes over, Yinzhi and Qingyan will be the first targets of attack.
The ingredients obtained by the Imperial Kitchen were prepared by Yinhe Qingyan.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess!" The head of the Imperial Kitchen looked at Qingyan, pondering how to plead with Yin.
"Why has the chief steward come here? It should be time to prepare lunch for Father Emperor and the ladies of the palace." Yin Hui didn't bring it up himself; he put down the memorial in his hand and asked directly.
The head chef of the imperial kitchen felt a chill run down his spine. When the Fourth Prince was in the Princes' quarters, the people in the imperial kitchen had indeed been quite negligent. Now, they were getting their just deserts.
He swallowed nervously, his eyes constantly darting to observe Yin's expression.
As expected of a royal prince, the Fourth Prince maintained a consistent expression on his face, though he grew increasingly uneasy inside.
"Fourth Master, this servant hopes to obtain some ingredients from your small kitchen," the head chef of the Imperial Kitchen said cautiously.
In fact, he was more like making a deal with Qingyan. As the secret owner of Linglong Pavilion, she should value interests more.
"What?!" Yin exclaimed in astonishment. "You must be mistaken. My little kitchen can't possibly compare to the imperial kitchen!"
Qingyan chuckled inwardly. With just one sentence from Yin, he had silenced everyone, preventing them from saying another word.
“This servant understands. However, Your Majesty wishes to eat some refreshing cold dishes. This servant has inquired repeatedly and heard that your kitchen has purchased some seasonal vegetables from the county town. I hope that Your Highness can spare some for this servant.” The head of the Imperial Kitchen said awkwardly, “This servant can exchange some ingredients from the tribute from foreign vassals.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin's face darkened instantly, and he handed his vegetables to the imperial kitchen.
Absolutely not!
After all, these foods are highly taboo, and the imperial kitchen is a mixed bag of people. If someone were to tamper with the food, they would ultimately be the ones to be condemned.
Never be a sucker!
Yin quickly used spatial telepathy to warn Qingyan that this door must not be opened.
"Steward, these were all purchased by the servants of the manor. I'll have someone give you the address, and you can go and purchase them yourselves." Qingyan gave Yin a reassuring look and spoke directly to the head steward of the imperial kitchen.
Early that morning, Consort Tong had promised her that after returning to the capital, she would be allowed to select the tribute materials from the foreign vassal states from Emperor Kangxi's private treasury. However, his promise was still somewhat lacking.
The steward was in a bad mood; he couldn't offer any assurances regarding the things the Fourth Master was worried about.
The work in the imperial kitchen was basically a job where you had to be extremely careful and fearful, because if you made even the slightest mistake, your whole family could be imprisoned.
If the Fourth Master could hold the fort, they would be better off.
"Fourth Princess Consort, lunch is about to be prepared. If I start now, it will be too late." The head steward was trying to get Yinhe and Qingyan involved.
"You don't need to deliver lunch to the imperial tent. As for the concubines' lunch, you'll have to figure out your own." Yin said directly.
The news that Kangxi had ordered his small kitchen to prepare lunch must have reached the ears of the princes; they didn't need to hide it too much.
"Fourth Princess Consort, I had no choice but to come here. His Majesty sent Eunuch Li to deliver a decree, also saying that I was sent to inquire about this matter." The head of the Imperial Kitchen found that the young couple ignored his promise, so in the end, he chose to use Emperor Kangxi to pressure them.
"Oh, it's Anda?!" Yin's lips curled up slightly. "Su Peisheng, go and invite Anda over!"
Yin knew Li Dequan's shift schedule. He and Liang Jiugong worked in shifts, and today happened to be Li Dequan's day off.
Whenever Emperor Kangxi went on an inspection tour, Li Dequan and Liang Jiugong would accompany him, each serving 12 hours a day.
"Yes!" Su Peisheng quickly instructed his apprentice to invite Eunuch Li over.
As soon as he finished speaking, the head chef's heart jumped into his throat. Li Dequan had only hinted at it, without saying anything explicitly. He... would definitely be used as a scapegoat.
A moment later, Li Dequan lifted the curtain and came in.
"Greetings to Fourth Master and Fourth Princess!" Li Dequan bowed respectfully.
After Li Dequan got up, he saw the head of the imperial kitchen kneeling to the side and realized that he had made a mistake again.
"Anda, sit down first!" Sulan followed in and personally brought a cup of warm tea to Li Dequan's side.
"Fourth Master, what do you want to ask me?" Li Dequan always kept a distance from the princes, but he had a good private relationship with the Fourth Master and was always fair.
"That's right," Yin said directly. "The head of the Imperial Kitchen mentioned that Father Emperor has decreed that we should provide the Imperial Kitchen with the seasonal vegetables it needs. Xiao Guai was going to have the purchasing staff from the residence take them there, but the head of the kitchen said it wouldn't be possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, the head chef of the imperial kitchen broke out in a cold sweat. The Fourth Prince's words clearly revealed the meaning he was implying.
"This servant did not hear that the master gave such an instruction. How could you do your job?" Li Dequan immediately tried to shirk responsibility.
His Majesty merely said that the Imperial Kitchen should learn more from Qingyan's small kitchen, but who would have thought that it would be interpreted like this in this person's mouth.
"Oh, Anda, I've sent the purchasing team over. Could you have the manager go and ask them?" Qingyan didn't want too many strangers in the car. The twins were still asleep, and she was worried they would be woken up.
"Yes, Fourth Master, rest assured, this servant will handle it well." Li Dequan glanced at the head of the Imperial Kitchen and then led his men away.
The carriage curtain was lowered, and Qingyan relaxed. The manager was quite capable, directly asking her for something ready-made. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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