Consort Tong was unhappy.
She had already embarrassed herself at Ning Shou Palace, but then she was angered by the news that Consort Wuya had been demoted to the rank of Changzai.
As the saying goes, what the superiors do, the inferiors will follow.
Having just left a bad impression on the Emperor and Empress Dowager, Consort Tong feared her favorability would plummet once again. Consort Tong secretly wept, and Granny Zhao and Granny Xu also harbored resentment towards Consort Wuya.
“Your Majesty, at least Consort Miao has been promoted to Consort Miao. The Emperor will surely know that it was Consort Wuya’s idea!” Granny Zhao said gently.
Consort Tong was slightly moved.
Xu Mama chimed in, but she also had another idea: "Your Highness, I heard that Consort Wan of Xianfu Palace has been promoted to Noble Lady."
Granny Zhao became anxious.
Why bring up Consort Wan? Has Granny Xu forgotten that Consort Wan is a thorn in your side, Master? Granny Zhao glared, and Granny Xu continued in a deep voice, "Master, there have been rumors in Chengqian Palace that Consort Wan is arrogant and often makes outrageous statements with grand ambitions. That's why we decided to take this opportunity to remove her from the palace. But..."
Granny Xu frowned slightly: "Now that I think about it, Consort Wan doesn't seem like that kind of person. Consort Wuya is more like it!"
Consort Tong and Granny Zhao were both taken aback.
As if struck by lightning, their thoughts suddenly became clear. Consort Tong frowned in deep thought, and after a moment whispered, "Does Granny Xu mean that there's someone in Chengqian Palace interfering?"
The sound fell heavily above the person.
The more Consort Tong thought about it, the more sense it made. Wanliuha was beautiful but of humble origin. From the moment she entered Chengqian Palace, Consort Tong wanted to promote her to secure the emperor's favor and also try to have a child with her. However, rumors suddenly arose, and Consort Tong's attitude towards her changed. Instead, she favored Wuya, who was slightly less beautiful but had a more obedient and docile personality.
Think about how Wuya has repeatedly harmed her.
Then, thinking back to Xianfu Palace, which had frequently attracted the Emperor's attention since Wanliuhashi woke up, Consort Tong's mind went blank for a moment: "So I've left behind a troublemaker!"
Granny Zhao's expression turned serious.
She pondered for a moment: "No wonder that ever since the mistress purged the palace servants around Consort Wuya, there have been fewer people in the palace who speak well of her..."
The more the master and servants talked, the more they felt that Consort Wuya was mysterious. Finally, Consort Tong made the final decision: "Move her to the side room and have someone keep a close watch on her. Report any problems to us immediately."
This is the reason why Wuya Changzai was moved out of the side room.
This time, however, Consort Wuya was truly wronged. Who could have imagined that after a serious illness, Consort Wan's heart had changed completely? And who could have imagined that with Consort Wan as a comparison, the palace servants naturally thought Consort Wuya was gentle and kind? Without Consort Wan to compare her to, Consort Wuya was nothing more than an ordinary, unremarkable, and even somewhat picky and willful concubine.
Consort Wuya, who was in the backyard, was unaware of Consort Tong and the others' considerations for her. Her brows furrowed with anger. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, finally managing to calm herself down: "What are you all standing there for? Help me pack my things!"
Miao Chang looked disappointed.
She had originally wanted to let Consort Wuya vent her anger so that her master could suppress her, but she didn't expect Consort Wuya to back down.
Chaos reigned in Chengqian Palace.
Wan Anran, far away in Xianfu Palace, continued listening to Ju Bai's gossip: "And, there's also Consort Xu."
"Uh-huh!"
"I heard she was demoted to the rank of Lady-in-Waiting!" Ju Bai couldn't hide her schadenfreude: "She talked a lot about the young mistress with the people of Yongshou Palace, so this demotion is just plain deserved!"
When they were in Xianfu Palace, Consort Xuan was keeping her in check, so Consort Xu couldn't openly show her respect. Instead, she secretly sabotaged her and did disgusting things all the time. Wan Anran and Hai Tao were so annoyed back then, but now they're overjoyed to hear that she's having a bad time.
There's a ton of good news today.
Wan Anran stretched out a big yawn, full of energy: "Haitao, let's order a few dishes and have a drink today, let's have a good time."
"My lord—drinking will lead to trouble."
"Okay, okay, this time we won't drink, we'll just eat something!" Wan Anran obediently raised her hands in surrender. She rolled her eyes and said, "Let's go ask Master Xuan and Sister Nara what we should eat."
Laughter filled the Xianfu Palace.
After much thought, it turned out that barbecue was the perfect dish for everyone to eat, drink, and have fun together. Wan Anran, Consort Xuan, and Noble Lady Nara sat leisurely under the eaves. Strangely, there were more than ten kinds of barbecue sauce. After asking around, they learned that the Emperor and the Crown Prince were quite fond of cheese and mayonnaise, and frequently ordered barbecue and fried chicken. Naturally, the people in the Imperial Kitchen did not want to fall behind and secretly developed more than ten kinds of sauces.
It's not something I usually take out.
The main reason is that Consort Wan has a good palate; that's why the imperial kitchen wants to get some feedback from her.
Wan Anran: ...She's familiar with this routine!
In her past life, when she was a food vlogger, she had reviewed a lot of food. Before Consort Xuan could frown and scold her, she flicked her sleeve and signaled the palace servants to bring out the roast meat, eagerly planning to conduct a review of the Qing Dynasty palace roast meat sauce.
To evaluate the taste, the same ingredients and the same amount of barbecue sauce must be used for testing. Different barbecue sauces paired with different ingredients will produce different results, which increases the number of tests. After arranging everything according to Wan Guiren's requirements, a large piece of barbecue was already in front of us.
The imperial kitchen cooks cannot come without an imperial decree.
The eunuchs they dispatched already had serious expressions, and their gazes held a chilling tension.
Consort Xuan was dumbfounded.
Noble Lady Nara couldn't hide her smile, while Wan Fu watched the scene with excitement, looking around in bewilderment, unsure of how to begin.
Wan Anran instructed Haitao to bring over clean water and a basin.
She would take a bite of roasted meat, offer a comment, rinse her mouth, and then savor the next piece. Her professional-sounding tasting demeanor completely bewildered the group of young eunuchs. Most of them were illiterate and could only try their best to remember what Consort Wan said, their foreheads beaded with cold sweat.
Consort Xuan touched her forehead.
Lady Nara laughed so hard she collapsed in the corridor.
Seeing the young eunuchs working so hard, just like he was studying diligently before a test the next day, Wan Fu was almost moved to tears. He called over a few palace maids to help him, and they managed to write down all of Wan Fu's comments.
Wan Anran said her mouth was dry.
Zisu quickly served the milk tea that had been prepared beforehand. She gulped down a large cup in one go, wiped her mouth, and said with lingering satisfaction, "That was refreshing! Come on, let's continue!"
Should we continue?
The eunuchs were dumbfounded. One of the senior eunuchs stammered, "Noble Lady Wan, Noble Lady Wan, shall we... shall we stop here for today?"
This is nothing!
Wan Anran declared righteously, "Since they've all been sent over, how can we show favoritism?"
For some reason, Wan Guiren's figure seemed to grow taller for a moment.
The young eunuchs looked on with admiration, and one after another, flames roared behind them. Even Consort Wan hadn't told them to stop, so how could they? The young eunuchs responded in unison, each one concentrating intently on the roasted meat in front of them.
After tasting all the meat sauces, Wan Anran selected her top ten. The problem was that these barbecue sauces had very different flavors; some were suitable for lamb, some for pork, and others for vegetables or other things. It was difficult for Wan Anran to rank them in order of preference.
What should we do?
Wan Anran turned her gaze to Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara, who gave her innocent looks. Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara had already used quite a bit; how could they possibly have time for a tasting event? The two shook their heads repeatedly and huddled together, chattering about their reading experiences… well, they weren't interested anyway.
Wan Anran had no choice but to give up.
Her gaze shifted to Wan Fu: "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since Wan Fu had a gathering with the Crown Prince and the First Princess since the Empress fell ill, hasn't it? Ninth Prince, would you like to invite them over for a meal?"
"Have the Crown Prince and the First Princess temporarily help you eliminate the experimental subjects?" Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara's expressions turned serious. Just as they were about to give Noble Lady Wan a good talking-to, Wan Fu's eyes lit up. Before the two of them could speak, he cheered and ran out. It was clear that Noble Lady Wan's plan suited his taste perfectly.
Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara: "...Look what you've done!"
Surprisingly, Wan Fu, who had just left, returned.
Just as Consort Nara was feeling gratified that her child had grown up and finally knew what he should and shouldn't do, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the eldest princess walked out from behind Wan Fu.
Among them, Crown Prince Bao Cheng was quite pleased with himself.
He surveyed the scene in the courtyard of Xianfu Palace, his eyes crinkling with delight: "This time, I've won! I knew Consort Wan would celebrate!"
This was the first time the eldest princess had ever seen so much roasted meat.
Her small mouth formed an "O" shape as she asked with romantic innocence, "Is this a barbecue feast?"
"...Yes, that's right."
"Once the Empress Dowager recovers, could we hold a celebration at Kunning Palace as well?" The eldest princess asked expectantly.
Kangxi reached out and ruffled her hair: "Okay."
He let the Crown Prince and the eldest princess come forward to taste it, while he looked at Consort Wan with a half-smile: "It's a pity that I promoted you to Consort, but you didn't even think of me at the barbecue banquet."
Wan Anran was stunned.
Immediately afterwards, she felt a chill run down her spine, and she felt goosebumps all over her body. She really couldn't stand the intimacy the emperor spoke of.
This is the final boss!!!
It took Wan Anran a great deal of effort to suppress her discomfort. With no interest in continuing the tasting event, she smiled and offered a skewer of grilled meat to Kangxi, saying, "Your Majesty, would you like to try some?"
Hurry up and eat your food.
After silencing the unusually eccentric Emperor Kangxi with food, Wan Anran turned her gaze to the others. Meanwhile, Consort Xuan had already moved a distance away, chatting amiably with the eldest princess, while Noble Lady Nara gazed tenderly at the Ninth Prince, casually introducing various sauces to the Crown Prince, as if she were taking over the tasting event.
Wan Anran: …………
She lowered her head and composed herself, first secretly encouraging herself, then thinking about the increased allowance and treatment after being promoted to a Noble Lady—Wan Anran's mood suddenly soared, and she looked at Kangxi with a gentler expression.
This is the big boss who is closely related to her treatment! After adjusting her mood, Wan Anran gave Kangxi a gentle smile: "Your Majesty, what do you think of the taste of this?"
Emperor Kangxi tasted plum blossom pork.
Each pig yields only five or six pounds of pork shoulder, with marbling resembling marble. The perfect balance of lean and fat, it's tender, juicy, and requires minimal seasoning—just a touch of salt is enough to enjoy its flavor. The more you chew, the better it tastes.
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction.
After enjoying the light pork shoulder, Wan Anran served pork belly next. It was served with shredded scallions and cucumber strips, and if you liked, you could also add a clove of garlic. Wrapped in lettuce, the flavor was unforgettable.
This is just the basic way to eat it. Then Wan Anran smiled and said, "This is the sauce that I just selected. Would Your Majesty like to try it?" She held the meat slices with one hand and used chopsticks in the other to bring them to the Emperor's mouth.
Emperor Kangxi stared blankly at the slices of meat.
He had only taken a bite earlier to give Lady Wan face. As for now… just as Kangxi was wavering between eating and not eating, the ever-observant Liang Jiugong stepped forward: “This servant will attend to Your Majesty…”
I'd be even happier if I didn't have to be fed.
Since Liang Jiugong wanted to take over, Wan Anran was happy to agree. She paused, then naturally stuffed the meat into her mouth, cupped her cheeks, and hummed contentedly: "So delicious!"
Emperor Kangxi's face darkened.
His gaze was piercing, fixed on Liang Jiugong. If his gaze could turn into blades, Liang Jiugong would probably be chopped into mincemeat on the spot.
Liang Jiugong: …………
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