Free Web NovelChapter 248: Chapter 248: Great Chef Ah Wu: Zhen Won’t Eat, Take It Away
Wei Ting’s face was as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant, his eyes dark and dull.
Everyone who saw him assumed he had been reprimanded again and was now utterly disappointed in the Emperor.
The relationship between this sovereign and his subject had reached a dead end.
After the morning court session ended, it was still some time before noon.
Emperor Wu Su was reviewing memorials, glancing up from time to time at the water clock placed on the right side of the hall.
The floating indicator in the water clock hadn’t moved in what felt like an eternity. "Li Yuzong," Emperor Wu Su said impatiently, "go see if that water clock is broken."
Li Yuzong went over to inspect it. A thin stream of water was still flowing, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.
’The Emperor is complaining that time is passing too slowly...’
Li Yuzong announced with righteous conviction, "Reporting to the Holy Emperor, the water clock does indeed have a problem. It’s no longer accurate."
Emperor Wu Su frowned. "Replace it with a new one."
Li Yuzong ordered Little Dongzi to fetch a new water clock from the Imperial Household, then served some tea and refreshments.
"Holy Emperor, these are some new pastries from the Imperial Kitchen."
Catching the scent of the pastries, Emperor Wu Su continued writing, his Imperial Brush moving in fluid, unbroken strokes. "I am not eating," he said in a low voice. "Take them away."
Li Yuzong ordered a Palace Attendant to take the tray away.
Emperor Wu Su looked up. "Wait."
Li Yuzong asked cautiously, "Holy Emperor, shall I bring them back?"
Emperor Wu Su disliked these colorful, saccharine pastries, but they looked exactly like something Ji Qingwu would enjoy. The last time they were in Cining Palace, he had watched her eat the crab-and-roe pastries with such relish.
He lifted his chin. "Have them sent to the Empress Dowager’s palace."
Remembering that spies from Xijin were still lurking in the shadows, Emperor Wu Su added, "Send a portion to the mistress of each of the main palaces as well."
*
「Cining Palace」
The Empress Dowager had shooed Ji Qingwu off to prepare lunch. ’This was not something she had ever foreseen.’
Fanghua, along with two junior Palace Attendants, led Ji Qingwu to the small kitchen.
Ji Qingwu wandered around after entering. The kitchen was surprisingly well-equipped.
It wasn’t until a Palace Attendant came forward and tied up her wide sleeves with silk-and-linen bands that Ji Qingwu realized something was wrong. Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned back. "Aunt Fanghua, do I really have to cook this myself?"
She had assumed that the chefs would have everything prepared, and she would just have to stand aside and watch them work. That way, if the Emperor asked how a dish was made, she would be able to answer.
At most, she figured she would just hold the spatula and stir the ingredients a few times, and that would count as her having cooked.
Fanghua smiled. "The Empress Dowager’s intention is for you to cook it yourself. That is the only way to show your sincerity."
Ji Qingwu had no idea where the Empress Dowager found such confidence in her.
Gazing at the basket of exquisite and rare ingredients, she was suddenly overcome by a sense of powerlessness, like a eunuch in a brothel.
’But she didn’t know how to cook...’
Her cooking skills were just enough to pass muster with Jiu Jiu. For a child, as long as the food was reasonably balanced and nutritious, it was fine.
But in the palace, it was nowhere near presentable.
Ji Qingwu stood before the small kitchen’s stove, racking her brain for a long time.
With Fanghua and the other Palace Attendants just standing by and watching, Ji Qingwu found it even harder to think. In the end, she simply shooed them all out.
Alone in the small kitchen, Ji Qingwu looked around before finally picking out a few common ingredients.
Outside the door, Fanghua could clearly hear the WHACK-WHACK of a cleaver hitting a cutting board. Though she couldn’t judge the knife work, she could tell there was no shortage of force behind it.
Less than an hour had passed before Ji Qingwu pushed open the kitchen door.
Fanghua asked in surprise, "Fifth Missy, is there something you need?"
Ji Qingwu stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "I don’t need a thing. We can serve the meal now."
The aroma of cooked food wafted out of the doorway, but the scents were so jumbled that Fanghua couldn’t make out any particular dish.
"Fifth Missy, you’re already finished?"
Ji Qingwu nodded. "Yes. Please have someone pack it into the food containers, Aunt."
Fanghua glanced inside and saw there was only a single dish on the stove.
She began hesitantly, "But..."
The Imperial Kitchen’s daily lunch consisted of sixteen courses; serving only one dish would seem far too shabby.
Ji Qingwu wasn’t concerned. ’The Empress Dowager asked me to cook, so she should have been prepared for this outcome.’
She asked, "Has the Emperor arrived?"
"The Holy Emperor just arrived. He is in the front hall speaking with the Empress Dowager."
Fanghua took a small tray from the Palace Attendant behind her and presented it to Ji Qingwu.
Her eyes lit up. She picked up a pastry with a red crust and took a bite.
After swallowing, Ji Qingwu’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction. "You’re the best, Aunt," she said gratefully. "You knew to bring me a snack to tide me over."
A gentle smile touched Fanghua’s face. "It wasn’t my doing. Eunuch Li himself brought this over from the imperial court."
At these words, Ji Qingwu’s face began to turn as red as the pastry she was holding.
In a low voice that only the two of them could hear, Fanghua whispered, "The Holy Emperor is always thinking of you, you know."
Ji Qingwu’s eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, she returned to the small kitchen.
Fanghua heard another round of crashing and banging from inside. When Ji Qingwu emerged again, her pale green blouse was dusted with flour.
Ji Qingwu had just rolled down her sleeves.
Fanghua said, "Fifth Missy, we must hurry over now."
Ji Qingwu replied, "I checked the time. We should make it. There’s no need to rush."
"We must!" Fanghua insisted.
It was still a little while before the usual time for the meal, but Li Yuzong had already sent Little Dongzi to urge them along.
It seemed that because the Emperor was anxious, his eunuchs were anxious too.
On the way from the small kitchen to Cining Palace, Ji Qingwu was hurried along by Aunt Fanghua. Her steps were rushed, and the jade pendants at her waist chimed with every movement.
She had just stepped into the hall and had not yet had time to curtsy when the Empress Dowager rose from her ornate throne.
"Qingwu, my dear child. I told you not to trouble yourself, yet you insisted on making me a meal to show your filial devotion."
Ji Qingwu: "..."
Emperor Wu Su had been there for some time, sitting in awkward silence with the Empress Dowager. Just as the Empress Dowager was about to send Shixi to hurry things along, Ji Qingwu appeared.
After finishing her curtsy, Ji Qingwu looked up to find the Emperor’s gaze fixed on her waist.
She glanced down as well. There was no flour on her clothes, but the tassel of her jade pendant was still swaying.
The tips of Ji Qingwu’s ears burned. Not daring to meet Emperor Wu Su’s eyes, she lowered her gaze and said, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, we may begin the meal."
The group moved to the dining hall.
Two Palace Attendants walked in, carrying a large food container.
From within, they produced a blue-and-white, foliate-rimmed platter. When set down, it took up a third of the table.
It was a stark contrast to the usual delicate refinement of palace cuisine, exuding an air of rustic boldness.
Everyone except for Ji Qingwu and Fanghua was left speechless at the sight.
Emperor Wu Su gazed at the dozen or so different meat and vegetable dishes piled onto the platter and asked, unable to suppress a smile.
"And what is this all-encompassing masterpiece of a dish called?"
Ji Qingwu said, "...I forgot." ’She had learned it from a farmer’s wife she had stayed with while she was on the run.’
She said earnestly, "It looks messy, but it tastes delicious and it’s very filling."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager struggled to force the words from between her teeth.
"Qingwu, is this all you made?"
"There’s more."
From a smaller food container, Ji Qingwu produced a plate of shredded chicken and cucumber salad, as well as some corn cakes she had made.
The cakes were still steaming, releasing the natural, sweet aroma of corn.
The Empress Dowager said with mixed emotions, "You were away for so many years. Your life must have been truly difficult."
While the Empress Dowager was still speaking, Emperor Wu Su had already reached out with his chopsticks to take a piece.
Ji Qingwu watched him intently, swallowing nervously...
