Chapter 248 Chef Awu, I don’t want to eat it, take it away
Wei Ting's face was as pale as frost and his eyes were gloomy.
Everyone who saw him thought he had been scolded again and was completely disappointed with the emperor.
This pair of king and minister has reached the end of their road.
After the morning court session, there was still some time before noon.
While reviewing memorials, Emperor Wu Su would occasionally look up at the clepsydra on the right side of the hall.
The floating arrow in the clepsydra remained motionless for a long time, and Emperor Wu Su said impatiently, "Li Yuzong, go and have a look, is the clepsydra broken?"
Li Yuzong walked over to check and found that the thin stream of water was still flowing and there was nothing unusual.
The Emperor is complaining about how slowly time passes...
Li Yuzong said righteously: "Your Majesty, there is indeed a problem with the clepsydra. It is not very accurate."
Emperor Wu Su frowned and said, "Switch it to a new one."
Li Yuzong ordered Xiao Dongzi to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to bring up a new clepsydra and also brought up some tea and snacks.
"Your Majesty, these are the snacks newly made by the imperial kitchen."
Smelling the cakes, Emperor Wu Su wrote with his imperial handwriting without stopping, and said in a deep voice: "I don't want to eat it, take it away."
Li Yuzong ordered the palace servants to take away the tray.
Emperor Wu Su raised his head and said, "Wait a minute."
Li Yuzong asked carefully, "Your Majesty, shall I release you again?"
Emperor Wu Su did not like this colorful and sweet-smelling snack, but he knew at first glance that it was something Ji Qingwu would like. Last time in the Cining Palace, he saw her eating crab roe crisps with the same fragrance.
He raised his chin and said, "Send it to the Queen Mother's palace."
Emperor Wu Su thought that Xi Jin's spies were still in the dark, so he said, "Send a copy to each palace master."
*
Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother sent Ji Qingwu to prepare lunch, which was something she had never imagined.
Fanghua brought two palace maids and led Ji Qingwu to the small kitchen.
After Ji Qingwu came in, he looked around and found that the place had everything you need.
Until the palace maid came forward and put on the silk and linen shoulder straps for her and tied up the wide sleeves.
Ji Qingwu realized that something was wrong. He turned around with a look of surprise and asked, "Aunt Fanghua, do you really want me to do this myself?"
She thought that the cooks had prepared all the dishes, and she would just stand aside and watch the production process, and when the emperor came and asked how the dish was made, she would just have to answer.
At best, she would just reach out, grab the spatula, and flip the vegetables a few times and she would think she had done it herself.
Fanghua smiled and said, "The Queen Mother meant that you should do it yourself, so that your intentions can be revealed."
Ji Qingwu really didn't know where the Queen Mother got her confidence from.
Looking at the delicacies in the food basket, she suddenly felt as powerless as a eunuch going to a brothel.
She won't do it...
My cooking skills are fine for fooling around, but as for cooking for children, as long as the combinations are reasonable and the food is nutritionally complete, it will be fine.
When it was brought to the palace, it was completely unpresentable.
Ji Qingwu stood in front of the stove in the small kitchen, thinking hard for a long time.
Fanghua and the palace maids around her just watched from the sidelines. Ji Qingwu couldn't think of anything else, so he simply cleared everyone out.
She was the only one left in the small kitchen. Ji Qingwu looked around and finally picked out some common ingredients.
Fanghua, who was outside the door, could clearly hear the clanging sound of the kitchen knife hitting the chopping board. Although she couldn't tell how skilled the knife was, it must have taken a lot of force.
Less than half an hour later, the door of the small kitchen was pushed open by Ji Qingwu.
Fanghua asked in surprise: "Fifth Miss, is there anything you need?"
Ji Qingwu stood at the door with his hands on his hips and said, "You don't need anything, you can prepare dinner."
The aroma of food wafted out from the door, but the smell was mixed and Fanghua couldn't tell what it was.
"Fifth Miss, are you ready now?"
Ji Qingwu nodded and said, "Okay, please ask Auntie to arrange for someone to put it in the food box."
Fanghua took a look and found that there was only one dish on the stove.
She said awkwardly: "But..."
The imperial kitchen has to prepare sixteen dishes for lunch every day. Isn't it too shabby to have only this one dish today?
Ji Qingwu didn't care. Since the Queen Mother asked her to prepare the meal, she should be mentally prepared.
She asked, "Is the Emperor here?"
"The emperor just came over and is talking to the queen mother in the front hall."
Fanghua handed the small tray in the palace servant's hand behind her to Ji Qingwu.
Her eyes lit up and she picked up a piece of red-skinned pastry and took a bite.
After Ji Qingwu swallowed it, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction and he thanked her, "Aunt really cares about me and knows to send me some food to fill my stomach."
Fanghua softened her expression and said with a smile, "This is not because I feel sorry for you. It was sent by the eunuch Li in front of the emperor himself."
Hearing this, Ji Qingwu's face began to turn as red as the dessert.
Fanghua whispered in a voice that the two of them could hear clearly, "The emperor has always been thinking about you."
Ji Qingwu's eyes flickered, and after thinking for a while, she returned to the small kitchen.
Fanghua heard a lot of commotion inside again. When Ji Qingwu came out again, his light green shirt was covered with flour.
Ji Qingwu had just put down his rolled-up sleeves.
Fanghua said, "Fifth Miss, we have to go there quickly."
Ji Qingwu said: "I checked the time, it should be in time, there is no rush."
Fanghua said: "Urgent!"
It was still a while before the normal meal time, but Li Yuzong sent Xiao Dongzi to urge them.
It seems that the emperor is anxious, and the eunuch is anxious too.
On the way from the small kitchen to the Cining Palace, Ji Qingwu was urged by Aunt Fanghua all the way. He walked hurriedly and the rings on his waist jingled.
As soon as she entered the hall, before she could salute, the empress dowager stood up from the throne.
"Qingwu, you kid, I told you not to work hard, but you insisted on cooking a meal for me to show your filial piety."
Ji Qingwu: “…”
Emperor Wu Su had been here for a while, and the Empress Dowager was just sitting there with him. Just as she was about to ask Shi Xi to urge him to come, Ji Qingwu appeared.
Ji Qingwu finished her ceremony and looked up to see the emperor's gaze fixed on her waist. She also looked down and saw that there was no flour on her clothes and the tassel of the jade pendant was still shaking.
Ji Qingwu's ears were burning, and she didn't dare to look at Emperor Wu Su. She lowered her eyes and said, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, you can have your meal now."
Several people moved to the dining room.
Two palace servants came in carrying a large food box.
He took out a blue and white plate with a folded rim and a sunflower-shaped pattern. When placed on the table, the plate took up one third of the space.
It was a change from the exquisite appearance of the palace meals and was full of luxury.
Except for Ji Qingwu and Fang Hua, the others were speechless after seeing it.
Emperor Wu Su looked at the plate which contained more than ten kinds of meat and vegetable dishes and couldn't help but ask with a smile.
"What is this dish that is the culmination of all that is called?"
Ji Qingwu said: "...I forgot." This was what she learned from the peasant woman she was staying with on her way to escape.
She said sincerely: "It looks messy, but it tastes delicious and fills you up."
Hearing her words, the Queen Mother struggled to squeeze out the words from between her teeth.
"Qingwu, is this all you did?"
"There are others."
Ji Qingwu took out a plate of cold shredded chicken and cucumber from the snack box, as well as some corn tortillas she had made.
The cake was still steaming, and the natural aroma of corn was overflowing.
The Queen Mother said with mixed feelings: "You have been away for so many years, life has been really hard."
While the Empress Dowager was speaking, Emperor Wu Su had already picked up a piece of food with chopsticks.
Ji Qingwu stared at him closely and swallowed his saliva...
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