After a night of diligent study of authoritative classics such as "The Pregnancy Safety Manual for Women," "Golden Prescriptions for Pregnancy and Childbirth," and "Royal Childcare Guide," Xiao Che appeared at Kunning Palace early the next morning with light dark circles under his eyes but unusually excited.
He felt he had been reborn, no longer the complete novice who knew nothing about pregnancy. Now, he was a self-proclaimed "pregnancy nutrition expert," possessing a wealth of theoretical knowledge.
With the theoretical knowledge in hand, the next step is naturally to put it into practice!
The first step in putting this into practice is to start with the most crucial element – diet!
"Issue my decree!" During breakfast, Xiao Che looked at the seemingly ordinary bowl of bird's nest porridge in front of Lin Wanwan, and his brows instantly furrowed. "From today onwards, all of Her Majesty the Empress's meals, from procurement to cooking, every step of the process must be strictly recorded! The final menu and finished product must be personally reviewed by me before they can be presented!"
The moment this imperial decree was issued, the entire imperial kitchen was on high alert.
Li Quanfu, the chief chef, was sweating profusely as he carried the newly prepared lunch menu to the imperial study, his legs trembling.
Are you kidding me? His Majesty is going to personally review the menu! This is unprecedented since the founding of the nation! It means that from now on, every bite of food the Empress eats will be a matter of life and death for all of them!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please take a look." Li Quanfu held the menu high above his head.
Wang Dequan took it and presented it to Xiao Che.
Xiao Che took the menu, his eyes sharp and scrutinizing, his expression even more serious than when examining a military report concerning the provisions of a million-strong army.
“Hmm… Steamed Crab with Egg White…” He read out the first dish name, then with a flick of his vermilion brush, a glaring red line crossed the dish name, and said in an icy voice: “The ‘Pregnancy Safety Manual’ says that crabs are extremely cold in nature and are harmful to pregnant women! Cross it out!”
“Yes, yes…” Li Quanfu sweated even more profusely.
Xiao Che's gaze continued downwards.
"Spicy rabbit meat... Rabbit meat promotes blood circulation and may cause miscarriage! Cross it out!"
Another red line.
"Osmanthus-flavored lotus root slices: Lotus root is cooling in nature and should not be eaten in large quantities. Please keep them for now, but reduce the quantity by half."
"Eight-Treasure Duck... uses a variety of ingredients, and the spice composition is unknown, which may cause adverse reactions. Redo it! Replace it with the simplest clear chicken soup, and only mild red dates and goji berries are allowed as side ingredients!"
“This… ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’? The name is quite nice,” Xiao Che’s brows furrowed even deeper, “What ingredients were used?”
Li Quanfu hurriedly reported in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, we used sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, and fish maw..."
"Stop!" Xiao Che interrupted him impatiently. "Seafood is considered 'heaty' food; what if it triggers internal heat? And it's so oily; how will the Empress digest it? Redo it! Replace it all with the lightest seasonal vegetables! Remember, all vegetables must be freshly picked this morning from the Royal Vegetable Garden on Jade Spring Mountain, still covered in dew!"
The red brush dances, and the red lines crisscross.
A menu that was originally rich and appetizing was completely transformed under Xiao Che's drastic revisions. Almost all the dishes with a touch of meat, a touch of spice, or a touch of novelty were cut off, leaving only bland vegetable soups and stews.
Holding the menu that had been criticized "completely," Li Quanfu retreated with tears in his eyes.
However, did he think that was the end of it?
No, this is just the beginning of a nightmare.
An hour later, as the imperial chefs were preparing lunch strictly according to the "imperial decree," a figure that terrified everyone arrived at this smoky and oily place.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, what brings you here?!" Li Quanfu was so startled when he saw the bright yellow dragon robe that he almost dropped the soup spoon in his hand.
Xiao Che, however, seemed oblivious to his horrified expression. With his hands behind his back, he paced through the smoke-filled imperial kitchen like a general inspecting a military camp, his gaze sharp as an eagle.
"I've come to see if you're all acting in accordance with my orders."
He walked up to a royal chef who was chopping vegetables, stared at the greens on the cutting board, and suddenly said, "Stop."
The imperial chef was so frightened that he trembled all over and almost chopped off his own hand with the cleaver.
Xiao Che pulled out a small jade ruler from his robes, measured the chopped greens, and then his face darkened: "Uneven lengths and thicknesses! How can the Empress's food be so rough? Chop it again! Every piece of vegetable must be one inch long and three-tenths of an inch wide, with no error exceeding the slightest margin!"
The imperial chef froze on the spot, his hands trembling as if he had Parkinson's disease, holding a ruler and a cleaver.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Che walked to the stove where the soup was stewing, lifted the lid and smelled it. His brows furrowed again: "The heat is too high, the nutrients are being lost! Turn off the heat and simmer it over a low flame! Remember, the soup must not boil, it must always be kept at a state of just about to boil!"
The imperial chef in charge of stewing the soup, with a mournful face, began to blow air into the stove.
The most distraught was the imperial chef responsible for processing the fish.
“These fish bones,” Xiao Che pointed to the already cleaned sea bass and said in an authoritative tone, “have they all been removed? I want you to use your hands to feel every inch of it! Make sure not even the smallest soft bone is left! If the Empress gets a bone stuck in her throat, you… will all pay with your heads!”
Upon hearing this, the imperial chefs were stunned and almost resigned en masse.
...
At lunchtime, when Lin Wanwan looked at the bland, watery "nutritious meal" on the table, which seemed to be specially prepared for ascetics, she finally understood what it meant to be unable to cry.
A plate of greens, each stalk cut to the exact length as if measured with a ruler; a bowl of chicken soup, so clear you could see the bottom, containing nothing but a few red dates; a plate of fish, repeatedly inspected, now reduced to a paste...
She swallowed a mouthful of bland vegetable leaves with difficulty, then looked up at Xiao Che, who was sitting opposite her, looking at her expectantly.
Her Emperor sat upright, his bowl and chopsticks untouched, his entire attention focused on her. His eyes were filled with a "praise me" signal, and the familiar emoji above his head conveyed a tragic sense of self-sacrifice.
It was a chibi-style little emperor with a turban that read "Victory is assured" tied around his head. He was holding a spatula in one hand and a "Pregnancy Safety Manual" in the other, like a warrior ready to die for his cause.
[For the health of my wife and baby, I'll do anything! .jpg]
Looking at this meme, all of Lin Wanwan's complaints and helplessness instantly turned into a feeling of being deeply moved and amused.
What else could she say?
She could only swallow her tears and eat the entire "nutritious meal of love," bite by bite.
However, the suppression of the taste buds is ultimately unbearable.
Late that night, Lin Wanwan was awakened by an intense craving for spicy food. She tossed and turned, her mind filled with images of hot and sour noodles, spicy rabbit, and boiled fish.
I just couldn't hold back anymore!
She glanced quietly at Xiao Che, who was fast asleep beside her, then tiptoed out of bed like a kitten stealing cream and slipped into her small kitchen.
Hidden in the small kitchen were some spicy pastries, wrapped in oil paper, that she had previously asked Ruolan to secretly prepare. She carefully took out a piece, preparing to pop it into her mouth and enjoy this moment of sinful pleasure.
"Cough cough!"
A dignified cough suddenly rang out behind her!
Lin Wanwan froze, nearly dropping the pastries in her hands. She stiffly turned her head and saw that her Emperor had somehow appeared at the door, dressed in his nightgown, arms crossed, looking at her with a serious expression, as if he had caught her red-handed stealing from the national treasury.
"Your Majesty," Xiao Che's voice was filled with the heartache of being caught red-handed on night patrol, "in the dead of night, instead of resting, you were here... stealing forbidden food! Do you know your crime?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com