"I see that your good days in the palace are over, Liu Fu!"
As soon as Xiao Che uttered those words, as cold as a judgment, he brought a bloody end to the fate of Liu Fu, the head of the imperial kitchen.
He gave Liu Fu no further chance to explain or beg for mercy.
"Guards!" he roared. "Throw this lazy, negligent servant who nearly caused a disaster into the imperial prison! Interrogate him thoroughly!"
"Investigate thoroughly!" His voice echoed in the silent palace, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Investigate everything that happened during his tenure! Procurement, expenses, personnel allocation... find out the slightest mistake! Anyone implicated with him will be severely punished!"
"As for the Imperial Kitchen..." Xiao Che's gaze, like a cold knife, swept over the palace servants kneeling on the ground outside the hall. "Strictly punish them! All those involved are suspended from their duties and investigated! Until the matter is clarified, the Imperial Kitchen will be taken over by the Imperial Guards!"
A series of orders were issued swiftly and decisively, without any mercy.
This is the wrath of the emperor.
When Liu Fu heard the words "throw him into the imperial prison and interrogate him severely," he completely collapsed, like a lump of mud that could not be plastered on a wall. He was dragged out by two fierce imperial guards with expressionless faces.
What was initially a seemingly accidental "allergy" incident meticulously planned by Lin Wanwan eventually escalated into a massive storm that swept through the entire imperial kitchen.
What happened in Kunning Palace spread like wildfire throughout the entire harem in the shortest possible time.
The one who reacted the fastest was naturally the one in Cixi Palace, the real "mastermind behind the scenes".
In less than half an hour, Qin, the most capable nanny by the Empress Dowager's side, arrived at Kunning Palace in a hurry with a large amount of rewards and tonics.
They claimed they had come to visit the frightened emperor and empress.
In reality, they came to probe the situation and try to... salvage the situation.
At that time, the red rash on the back of Xiao Che's hand had subsided considerably thanks to the imperial physician's emergency treatment, but the excruciating itching still tormented him. His face was so gloomy it could drip water.
As soon as Qin Mama entered the room, she knelt down and cried out, saying that when the Empress Dowager heard about this, she was so heartbroken that she almost fainted, and all she could think about was His Majesty's safety.
After playing the victim, she began to cautiously and tentatively whisper in her ear to the head of the imperial kitchen, trying to find a successor.
"Her Majesty says that the Imperial Kitchen is a vital place for serving His Majesty and cannot be without a head for even a day. Fortunately, Her Majesty has a distant nephew who has shown exceptional talent in cooking since childhood and is also very honest and reliable. If we could let him take over the Imperial Kitchen, he would be one of our own, which would put Her Majesty and His Majesty at ease..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Che coldly interrupted her.
"One of our own?"
Xiao Che sneered, his laughter filled with endless mockery and coldness.
He looked at Granny Qin and said, word by word, "I found something forbidden in my meals. Now you're telling me you'd only feel more at ease using someone 'one of our own'?"
"Go back and tell the Empress Dowager." His voice was no longer respectful as before, but only held the unquestionable majesty of an emperor. "My health and my meals are none of the business of my maternal relatives!"
"The maternal relatives are not allowed to interfere in the inner palace"—these eight words were like eight resounding slaps to Qin Mama's face, and also to the face of the Empress Dowager behind her.
Granny Qin's face turned deathly pale instantly. She dared not utter another word, could only kowtow and apologize, then slunk away with her entourage.
Silence returned to the sleeping quarters.
Xiao Che's chest heaved violently from anger and itching, clearly indicating that he was quite furious.
Lin Wanwan knew that the time had come.
She personally carried a cup of warm, calming herbal tea to Xiao Che's side.
She didn't say much, but simply handed him the teacup with the gentlest and most considerate gesture.
Xiao Che took the teacup, took a sip, and his volatile emotions calmed down a little.
Lin Wanwan looked at him, her face showing a mixture of lingering fear and hesitant timidity.
She hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up a great deal of courage and cautiously speaking, "Your Majesty... I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."
"Speak." Xiao Che's voice remained cold and hard.
“The position of head of the Imperial Kitchen is currently vacant, which is certainly not a long-term solution.” Lin Wanwan lowered her eyes and spoke softly, “Since His Majesty does not trust the person recommended by the Empress Dowager, then… then I would like to humbly recommend someone to His Majesty.”
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze taking on a scrutinizing look.
Lin Wanwan immediately feigned a somewhat panicked expression and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand! The person I recommended is not a member of my family, much less a relative of the imperial family."
"His Majesty has also met that person."
"Yes... she is a cook in my small kitchen, the one in charge of cooking."
"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Che's eyes.
"Yes." Lin Wanwan nodded and said sincerely, "This person is named Zhang Gui. He was originally an old servant in the Imperial Kitchen, but he was too straightforward and not good at scheming. He offended Liu Fu and was thus relegated to a less desirable position in our Kunning Palace."
"I have been dealing with him every day these past few days. I have discovered that he is an excellent cook, meticulous in his thinking, and most importantly..."
Lin Wanwan raised her head, meeting Xiao Che's probing eyes, and said, word by word, in an extremely sincere and pure tone:
"He is honest and kind, but timid and unambitious. He only listens to... what I, Your Majesty, say."
That last sentence is the key.
Being meticulous means he can do his job well.
Honesty and integrity mean that he cannot be easily bought off.
The phrase "only listen to us" is meant to show Xiao Che that this person is absolutely safe, absolutely reliable, and completely "one of our own."
One who is loyal only to the Emperor and Empress, and has no connection with any other faction in the palace.
Xiao Che fell silent.
He looked into Lin Wanwan's clear eyes, which held a mixture of sincerity and a cautious timidity.
There was no scheming, no ambition in those eyes, only pure, caring concern for him.
a long time.
He finally nodded slowly, very slowly.
"Approved."
...
Three days later, the position of head chef of the imperial kitchen was finalized.
Zhang Gui, a cook in the small kitchen of Kunning Palace, rose to become the new master of the entire imperial kitchen.
This appointment once again shocked the entire harem.
No one expected that the biggest beneficiary of this turmoil would be the Empress's people.
For a time, Kunning Palace became even more popular.
On his first day in office, the newly appointed head of the imperial kitchen, Zhang Gui, quietly did something under the pretext of "inspecting the medicinal herb warehouse and verifying the categories."
He secretly made a copy of the medicinal herbs for the emperor's afternoon soup that was sent to Kunning Palace every day. He packed it in a food box and, under the cover of night, personally delivered it to Ruolan, who was already waiting outside.
Late at night, inside the Kunning Palace.
Lin Wanwan looked at the medicinal herbs on the table, which were exactly the same as those Xiao Che used daily and emitted a strong bitter smell. A cold, confident smile slowly appeared on her lips.
She picked up one of the ingredients and gently sniffed it.
That familiar, faint aroma of bitter almonds wafted through the air once more.
Withered heart grass.
She knew it was there.
Now that we have the sample, how far are we from completely unlocking all the secrets of this poison?
No.
It's not far off.
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