NOVEL WEB
Chapter 18
The palace chef hurriedly knelt down and said, "To respond to Your Majesty, today Consort Zhen herself went to the palace kitchen and took away most of the raw meat, especially...especially the meat reserved for Chengqian Palace. The Consort took away a large portion and said that if Your Majesty asks, just say that she wanted to eat it..."
To dare snatch food from the Emperor, Wang Dequan truly admired Consort Zhen for being bold.
When the Xuanwu Emperor heard it was Jiang Xinyue, half of his anger dissipated, estimating that she was jealous he favored Noble Consort Su, so she was deliberately throwing a tantrum at him.
However, her act of snatching food from the dragon's mouth still left the Xuanwu Emperor with a slight feeling of being offended.
Regarding this, Jiang Xinyue only wanted to say that after being offended so many times, she had become accustomed to it, and habit is a terrifying thing.
She tested the waters by offending him bit by bit, and the Xuanwu Emperor tolerated and overlooked her behavior each time, so she would go a step further the next time, and his tolerance would expand infinitely.
Eventually, no matter what Jiang Xinyue did, he would not think anything was wrong, and might even indulge her.
It was just a gradual accumulation that became habit. Outsiders would think the Emperor deeply loved her, hence allowing her to act so spoiled.
This was the goal she aimed to achieve.
Subtly and quietly training the Xuanwu Emperor was the most crucial task for her to become the favored consort.
When night fell, a rich aroma of meat wafted from Hexi Palace, so fragrant that one could say it permeated ten miles.
The Xuanwu Emperor, who had not eaten his fill, was about to depart for Yanqing Palace in the imperial carriage when he noticed white smoke swirling above Hexi Palace in the distance.
He straightened his body, "Wang Dequan, has Hexi Palace caught fire?"
Wang Dequan also craned his neck to look, "It doesn't seem like a fire, this servant will go take a look."
"Let's go together!"
At the Emperor's command, the eunuchs carrying the dragon carriage promptly set off, having sensed the Emperor's urgency.
The closer they got, the more intense the aroma became, making one's mouth water.
A palace maid who had received a meat bun hand-wrapped by Consort Zhen was happily coming out of Hexi Palace, about to eat the novel and delicious bun, when she saw the imperial carriage stop right in front of her.
She quickly raised the bun over her head with both hands, presenting it, and knelt on the ground, "This servant...this was gifted to this servant by Consort Zhen, who made it herself. Please, Your Majesty, have a taste."
What was she but a mere servant?
She had only helped the Consort move a stove, how dare she eat the meat roasted by Consort Zhen's own hands?
It should be offered to the Emperor instead.
Wang Dequan took the greenery-wrapped bundle and unwrapped it, "Your Majesty, it's beef with garlic slices and green chili peppers, cooked."
The palace kitchen said Consort Zhen wanted raw meat, didn't they? He thought that lady was just throwing a tantrum out of jealousy. Could he have misjudged the situation?
The Emperor's meals must be taste-tested for poisons before consumption.
He raised his chin, "Wang Dequan."
As the Emperor's close attendant, Wang Dequan understood the Emperor's gesture - today, he had no choice but to eat this messy-looking meat dish.
He hoped Consort Zhen was reliable enough that he wouldn't get diarrhea from eating it.
The kneeling young eunuch watched helplessly as his roasted meat was eaten, swallowing repeatedly as drool poured from his mouth, his eyes filled with unfathomable heartbreak.
Could it really be that delicious?
Wang Dequan took a bite, and the spicy aroma shot straight into his nasal cavity. It was so delicious that he nearly swallowed his own tongue.
He never interfered with which consort the Xuanwu Emperor favored, but after eating that piece of meat, he licked his lips with lingering craving, "Your Majesty, you didn't have your fill for the evening meal, did you? The night is still young, why don't you go to Hexi Palace and eat your fill before going to Yanqing Palace?"
It was that delicious!
Truly too delicious!
After exchanging a glance with his master, the Xuanwu Emperor nodded, "Approved."
Since roasting meat produced a lot of smoke, Jiang Xinyue had changed into a gray short robe, her hair covered with a headscarf, looking every bit the roasting meat beauty.
Xi Que and Shuang Jiang had learned her true techniques, busily fanning the flames in the front courtyard of Hexi Palace, their small fans almost smoking from the effort of roasting meat for their mistress.
Jiang Xinyue ate while swaying her petite shoulders, her mouth bulging as she chewed contentedly, her eyes squinting in satisfaction as she bobbed her head, her joyful demeanor infecting everyone present.
Some eunuchs and palace maids were also eating roasted meat, though they dared not sit at the same table as their mistress, instead standing off to the side, taking small but rapid bites.
Wang Dequan was stunned by this scene of master and servants enjoying together, temporarily forgetting how to speak.
The Xuanwu Emperor did not reprimand his old companion's lapse, for even he himself had been entranced by Consort Zhen's rustic charm.
"What are you all eating?"
A thunderous voice fell upon everyone's ears, and all the maids and eunuchs turned to look, terrified into kneeling on the ground. A few who had roasted meat at their lips, not yet blown cool, shoved the scorching pieces into their mouths, heads lowered as they grimaced in pain, yet unwilling to spit them out.
Jiang Xinyue heard the Xuanwu Emperor's voice beside her ear just as she was about to swallow a mouthful of pork belly. Startled, she could neither swallow nor spit it out, only letting out a burp, "Hic...this concubine...hic...greets Your Majesty..."
At Yanqing Palace—
Noble Consort Su waited with bated breath, her gaze piercing the palace road, yet the figure of the Emperor was nowhere to be seen.
Her personal maid, Shuhua, said, "My lady, you've been standing for half a shichen. Go inside and wait! The Emperor flipped your token, he will surely come."
Noble Consort Su's face fell in disappointment, leaning on Shuhua's hand unsteadily before reluctantly walking back.
Consort De was taking a stroll with the second princess to aid digestion after their meal when she noticed Su's troubled expression and could not help but console her, "It is not yet the hour for attending the Emperor. His Majesty has gone to Consort Zhen's palace for a meal. You need not be so anxious, Consort Zhen is an extremely kind person."
The implication was that Consort Zhen surely knew that Noble Consort Su was scheduled to attend the Emperor tonight, so she would not detain him.
Noble Consort Su nodded, "This concubine understands."
Back in her side chambers, Noble Consort Su wept silently, overwhelmed with grievance.
Consort De was clearly biased in defending Consort Zhen.
It was already well past the palace's mealtime, how could the Emperor possibly go to Hexi Palace for an evening meal at this hour?
Rumor had it that when Consort Zhen initially fell out of favor, she regained the Emperor's affection by intercepting him on his way to visit Concubine Chu.
She had only recently gained the Emperor's favor, yet Consort Zhen already felt threatened by her position and was making a move against her?
Why was her life so miserable?
The whimpering cries were fine and broken, like a pitiful, helpless kitten.
"What's the matter, my beloved consort?"
Having been satiated with food and wine by Jiang Xinyue, the Xuanwu Emperor was in a good mood as he entered Noble Consort Su's bedchamber. Hearing her cries, he did not turn away but asked, "Why are you crying?"
Noble Consort Su abruptly raised her head, her swollen, reddened eyes fixed on the Xuanwu Emperor. She hastily wiped away her tears, "Your... Your Majesty, this concubine... thought you would not come."
The Yanqing Palace was far from the Hexi Palace, yet she knew he had visited Consort Zhen there?