After the Substitute Male Bride Fled, the Emperor Turned Dark - Chapter 20

Walking out of Cining Palace hand-in-hand with Xiao Huan, the palace attendants followed at a distance.

Fang Zhiyan looked curious and asked softly, “Why did Your Majesty come?”

At this time, the sun was slanting toward the west, and it was nearly seven in the evening.

“I was worried the Empress Dowager would make things difficult for you.”

There was no concealment; the answer was very direct.

Fang Zhiyan could not describe the feeling in his heart. “Your Majesty did not need to make a special trip. I had a way to resolve it.”

“I had to come,” Xiao Huan glanced at him, his tone neutral. “Otherwise, Concubine Zhuang would have successfully been grounded again.”

Fang Zhiyan truly could not help but laugh this time, and it became uncontrollable, causing his shoulders to shake slightly. Xiao Huan’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he turned his head, unable to stop the corners of his own mouth from curling upward.

After he finished laughing, Fang Zhiyan sighed inwardly. Without realizing it, he had already begun to get along with Xiao Huan so harmoniously.

“The Imperial Kitchen made a few Jiangnan dishes today. Do you want to go try them?”

Fang Zhiyan’s smile faltered for a moment before returning to normal. “Is there a cook from Jiangnan?”

“The Imperial Kitchen replaced some cooks yesterday. I noticed your taste leans toward the Jiangnan style, so I had Li Mao hire a few people from outside. See if you are satisfied.”

That small moment of alarm was dissolved by his calm, unhurried words.

Inside Zhongcui Palace

Consort Shu listened to the report of everything that had happened at Cining Palace with little interest and gave a cold laugh. “Consort Zhao truly loves to stir up trouble.”

A maid massaged her shoulders and echoed with a smile, “Indeed. It is likely the Xue family is applying pressure, so she is doing everything possible to compete for favor.”

The women of this harem could be described as noble, but they were even more helpless. While they seemed infinitely glorious, they were actually under invisible pressure from all sides.

Consort Shu stared at the screen for a long time and gave a self-mocking laugh. “What is the point of all this fighting? Everyone is just cannon fodder. By my calculations, the real protagonist will not appear for another two years.”

The maid said nothing. Her Ladyship often talked to herself, saying things they could not understand.

Inside the Imperial Kitchen

The Imperial Kitchen was bustling with people. The head eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs, “Everyone, be meticulous! Bring out your best skills! If you are lucky enough to earn a good word from Her Ladyship, your good days will begin!”

The cooks standing at the stoves were all Jiangnan chefs carefully selected by Li Mao from famous wine shops and restaurants in the capital. Every one of them possessed exquisite skills, and all wanted to use this opportunity to rise to greatness.

Qiu Runzhi of Yunlai Hall was among them.

He wore a coarse cloth cook’s robe. His posture was upright, and his features carried a scholarly air that made him look out of place among the other cooks who were covered in the scent of smoke and fire. He had grown up in Gusu and left his family three years ago to make a living in the capital. For these past years, he had been a pastry master at Yunlai Hall, living a comfortable enough life through his craft.

Having heard today that the palace was recruiting Jiangnan cooks, he came with the intent to try his luck. He carefully selected his ingredients and worked with slow, deliberate precision to make Gusu’s most famous Osmanthus Sugar Cake. The cake was soft and waxy, with a rich fragrance of osmanthus.

Staring at the pastry, Qiu Runzhi sighed. This was the favorite sweet of both him and his best friend from Gusu. Thinking of his friend far away, an image of the familiar-looking lady in the pavilion during the Thousand Lantern Festival flashed through his mind again.

However, during the moment he turned to fetch more ingredients, his colleague Wang Xiaowu acted quickly. He took away the Osmanthus Sugar Cake that Qiu Runzhi had finished and left his own inferior plate of pastries in its place, completing a deceptive switch.

When Qiu Runzhi turned back, he saw Wang Xiaowu smiling at him. He felt it was strange. The restaurant where Wang Xiaowu worked was a rival to Yunlai Hall, and they had never been on good terms. Wang Xiaowu covered his food box with both hands and looked around guiltily. “The palace is so strict; it makes one feel breathless.”

Qiu Runzhi simply thought he was nervous and offered a few words of comfort.

Tasting the Dishes

Shortly after, the head of the Imperial Kitchen presented the prepared dishes and pastries to Xiao Huan and Fang Zhiyan.

Fang Zhiyan sat at the table, his gaze sweeping over the Jiangnan dishes before freezing on the plate of Osmanthus Sugar Cake. The appearance, the plating, and even the technique of sprinkling the osmanthus were exactly like the flavor of his old home in Gusu.

He picked up the silver chopsticks and lightly lifted a piece into his mouth. The soft, sweet texture dissolved on his tongue, and the familiar fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled his nose. His best friend in Gusu came from a family that had made pastries for generations, surnamed Qiu. Uncle Qiu would always give the unsold cakes to the neighbors.

This flavor had at least seventy percent of Uncle Qiu’s skill.

Could it be Qiu Runzhi? His best friend from Gusu. Three years ago, Uncle Qiu had taken Qiu Runzhi away, saying they were going to Yangzhou to open a shop. Could they have come to the capital? But that was not right; he had received a letter from his friend a year ago. The letter said the father and son were doing business in Yangzhou and that it was going well, telling him not to worry.

Suppressing the speculation in his heart, he praised as if casually, “This pastry is quite well-made and suits my taste.”

The head eunuch immediately beamed and shouted in a high-pitched voice, “Quick! The cook who made the Osmanthus Sugar Cake, come forward for your reward!”

Wang Xiaowu immediately ran out from the crowd of cooks and knelt to kowtow. Qiu Runzhi stood in the back with his head lowered, his mind going blank for a moment. He remembered that Wang Xiaowu had not made osmanthus cake, but that was no longer important. Because he had just stolen a glance and discovered that the noble Concubine Zhuang looked seventy percent similar to his friend from Gusu!

The moment Fang Zhiyan looked at Wang Xiaowu, his brow furrowed slightly. The cook before him had a strange face and a cramped demeanor; it was not the person he had imagined. He discreetly scanned the crowd, and his gaze suddenly fixed on Qiu Runzhi in the corner. His body stiffened, and his hand gripping the silver chopsticks tightened.

Qiu Runzhi. It really was him!

Wang Xiaowu waited for his reward for a long time and looked at the noble lady guiltily, only to be scolded by a nearby eunuch.

Fang Zhiyan withdrew his emotions and looked up calmly. “Did you make this pastry?” Wang Xiaowu grit his teeth and admitted, “It was my handiwork.”

Fang Zhiyan smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He looked at Xiao Huan. “Then, what does Your Majesty think?” Xiao Huan set down his book and looked up. “Since you like it, let him stay.”

Ultimately, Wang Xiaowu became the only lucky winner. The cooks who were not selected were given reward money by the palace attendants and sent out of the palace.

Qiu Runzhi walked quickly and tucked some silver into the hand of a young eunuch, lowering his voice to ask, “Eunuch, who was that noble lady just now?”

The young eunuch looked at the silver in his hand and laughed. “That is the Emperor’s most favored consort, one of the former ‘Two Beauties of the Capital.’ Do you understand now?”

Qiu Runzhi stood frozen on the spot, a tidal wave of shock rising in his heart.

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