That bowl of plain noodles seemed to become a key, quietly unlocking a long-sealed door deep within Xiao Che's heart.
Since that night, although he remained the same majestic and profound emperor, when he looked at Lin Wanwan, his eyes would always unconsciously reveal a trace of dependence and tenderness that even he himself was unaware of.
The emojis above his head have become increasingly diverse. In addition to his daily complaints and mood updates, there are now more "clingy" messages such as "[I want to watch the rain with my wife.jpg]" and "[Today's memorials are so boring, I want to go back to Kunning Palace.gif]".
His relationship with Lin Wanwan grew increasingly intimate amidst the everyday meals they shared.
Kunning Palace had become his true "home".
However, there is never a peaceful and tranquil life without a reason. When a light is too dazzling, it will always hurt some eyes that are used to darkness.
Lin Wanwan's "favoritism," especially her "favoritism in cooking," deeply stung a very important department in the palace—the Imperial Kitchen.
His Majesty the Emperor now dine only in the Kunning Palace, and even his daily tea and snacks are prepared by the Empress's small kitchen. This news is no longer a secret, but rather a "new rule" known to everyone in the palace.
This was nothing short of a resounding slap in the face to the imperial kitchen, whose duty was to "serve the master's meals."
This means that their skills have been completely rejected.
Their existence became dispensable.
Especially the newly appointed head of the imperial kitchen, Steward Wu.
This Chief Steward Wu was said to have been a renowned chef among the common people. He was later recruited into the palace and, with his superb carving skills and exquisite seasoning, he rose through the ranks to become the chief steward. He originally intended to work diligently and achieve something to secure his position in the palace.
But he never expected that he would encounter the biggest setback of his career as soon as he took office.
His prized culinary skills, however, were no match for the Empress's small kitchen in the Emperor's court.
The menus he painstakingly designed every day, featuring delicacies from land and sea, and rare ingredients, could not compare to a bowl of the most ordinary hot noodle soup in Kunning Palace.
How could the proud and arrogant Steward Wu tolerate this?
Over time, a feeling called "jealousy" quietly spread throughout the imperial kitchen. They dared not resent the emperor, much less offend the empress who was currently enjoying the emperor's favor. Thus, this resentment and unwillingness, which had nowhere to be vented, could only be expressed through some underhanded tricks to secretly trip them up.
That morning, the Imperial Household Department delivered the day's ingredients as usual.
The young eunuch in charge of purchasing food, with a fawning smile on his face, opened the food boxes one by one and asked Ruolan to take a look.
Ruolan was all smiles at first, but when her gaze swept over the so-called "fresh ingredients," her smile gradually froze.
"Eunuch Liu, is this what you brought today?" Ruolan's voice carried a hint of suppressed anger.
The food boxes, which should have contained the freshest and finest ingredients, had changed.
The bass, which should have been lively and jumping, now lay listlessly on the ice with cloudy eyes, clearly no longer fresh.
The basket of vegetables, which should have been fresh and vibrant, had many insect holes on its leaves, and some leaves had already turned yellow.
What's even worse is that those few white radishes were no longer the plump and symmetrical ones they used to be; instead, they were crooked and misshapen, clearly second-rate goods that had been rejected by others.
This is hardly the "royal" ingredient supplied to the small kitchen of Kunning Palace! It's clearly scraps that even the lowly maids in the laundry department wouldn't want!
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch surnamed Liu maintained his smile, but with a hint of sarcasm: "Oh, Miss Ruolan, you don't know this. It was Chief Steward Wu who gave the order, saying that the palace has been experiencing continuous rain lately, resulting in poor harvests and a tight national treasury. His Majesty advocates frugality, so naturally, expenses have to be tightened."
He talked about being frugal, but his eyes revealed a smug look of enjoying the show.
"You!" Ruolan's face flushed red with anger.
What do you mean by a shortage of supplies in the palace? This is clearly the Imperial Kitchen deliberately making things difficult by abusing their power over the procurement of ingredients! They dare not do anything openly, so they use these trivial matters to undermine and sabotage others.
"I'm going to find Manager Wu right now to argue with them! Their Imperial Kitchen is going too far!" Ruolan was furious and turned to leave.
"stop."
A cool and calm voice came from behind her.
Ruolan turned around and saw that Lin Wanwan was already standing behind her.
"Your Majesty!" she cried out in grievance, pointing at the ingredients and complaining, "Look at all this stuff they sent! How... how can this be used to cook for His Majesty!"
Lin Wanwan ignored her and slowly stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the pile of "misshapen and cracked fruits".
She looked at the not-so-fresh fish, at the vegetables with wormholes, and at the few radishes that grew in a very imaginative way.
Instead of showing any anger, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Your Majesty, how can you still laugh?" Ruolan was so anxious she almost stamped her feet.
Lin Wanwan stopped her and said softly, "What's the rush? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Since they've already delivered the challenge to the gates of Kunning Palace, wouldn't it seem cowardly if we didn't accept it?"
"A challenge?" Ruolan was taken aback, not understanding what she meant.
Lin Wanwan understood, of course.
This is the Imperial Kitchen declaring war on her.
Not daring to provoke her in other ways, they decided to challenge her in her most prized skill: cooking.
They assumed that by giving her these inferior ingredients, she wouldn't be able to prepare a meal that would satisfy the emperor. If the emperor even once frowned and said, "It's not good," their goal would be achieved.
They could then prove to the world that the Empress's "divine skills" were nothing more than a collection of top-quality ingredients. Once the best ingredients were gone, she would be just as helpless as a skilled cook without rice.
What a brilliant, open strategy. What a masterful, albeit underhanded, attack from a specialized field.
Unfortunately, they chose the wrong opponent.
Lin Wanwan slowly bent down and picked up the most oddly shaped radish from the pile of ingredients. The radish was crooked and twisted, like a dancer in a strange pose.
She tossed the radish in her hand, smiled slightly at the anxious Ruolan, and that smile carried a strong confidence and a hint of sharpness that was not easily detected.
"Go," she said to Ruolan. "Go to the Imperial Study and tell His Majesty that tonight, I will use these leftover scraps from the Imperial Kitchen to make him a 'magical' finale meal."
"Huh?" Ruolan was completely dumbfounded. Use these things to cook a grand meal? And she had to inform His Majesty beforehand? Wasn't this just exposing her own shortcomings?
Lin Wanwan didn't explain further, but instead turned her gaze towards the direction of the imperial kitchen in the distance, her eyes instantly becoming sharp.
Want to compete with her in cooking?
Are you trying to limit her performance with ingredients?
That's really...
He's courting death.
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