Concubine Zhen had not allied herself with the Empress.
Jiang Xinyue watched him act silently, a cold smirk hidden in her eyes.
Hah!
So he wanted to play this game with her?
Let's see who's the better actor!
"Brother?"
Consort Jin, who had witnessed the entire scene while standing at the entrance of Hexi Palace, spoke up. Noble Consort Ye followed closely behind as they both stepped into the front courtyard.
Consort Jin rushed in and grabbed her brother's sleeve. "Brother, what's happening? Why are you tied up?"
She was merely feigning ignorance.
Jiang Xinyue smiled. "Don't worry, Consort Jin. It's just a misunderstanding. Your Majesty, please release them! Otherwise, Consort Jin might think I'm causing her trouble again."
With this playful remark, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed. The Emperor ordered the release of Zhu Erlang and the Jin Family Young Master, sending them back to the guards' quarters.
Consort Jin felt she could no longer understand Concubine Zhen.
She was Consort Li's ally, and in the past... no... even now, she had always been causing trouble for Concubine Zhen.
Before, she had worked with Consort Zhang. Later, when Consort Zhang fell out of favor and was demoted, she conspired with Noble Consort Ye, all to bring down Concubine Zhen.
But today, with such a perfect opportunity - she could have accused her own brother of being the culprit, which would have spelled doom not just for her, but for their entire Jin family.
Why didn't Concubine Zhen implicate her brother?
Was it really because she was kind-hearted and unwilling to wrongly accuse an innocent person?
Noble Consort Ye, however, paid no mind to their grudges. As soon as she saw the Emperor, her eyes lit up with a dazzling gleam. She rushed towards him, nearly colliding with Jiang Xinyue. Fortunately, Wang Dequan stepped in front of Jiang Xinyue, gently pushing Noble Consort Ye away.
The Xuanwu Emperor retreated a few steps in alarm, and guards immediately raised their swords to block Noble Consort Ye, preventing her from getting closer.
"Your Majesty!" Noble Consort Ye cried out anxiously, but to no avail. She could only push against the guard in front of her and glare at them fiercely.
The Emperor sidestepped Noble Consort Ye and embraced Jiang Xinyue. "Zhu Qianyi, Jin Wuyong, you have suffered unjustly this time. I hereby appoint you as my personal armed guards. Report for duty in the palace tomorrow."
"We... thank Your Majesty for this great honor."
"Your Majesty, I..."
"Wang Dequan!" The Xuanwu Emperor's head began to throb at the sound of Noble Consort Ye's clamorous voice. He quickly said, "I will be dining with Concubine Zhen. Please escort the others out."
With that, he ignored Noble Consort Ye's displeased expression and led Jiang Xinyue into the hall.
It would take some time for lunch to be served. Jiang Xinyue specifically sent Xi Que to bring Imperial Chef Gao, giving him a chance to make an impression on the Emperor. Whether he could seize this opportunity would depend on his own abilities.
Although it wasn't yet midsummer in May, ice blocks were already being supplied to the imperial kitchen. Many precious ingredients needed to be preserved with ice.
"This fresh steamed bass is for the Empress to eat tomorrow. Of course, we need this ice. Concubine Zhen, if you want to eat fresh butterfly fish, you'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow!"
"Li Guitian, don't push it too far. I applied for this ice from the Chief Steward two days ago. It was allocated for my use. If the Empress wants to eat fresh steamed bass, you should have applied for ice in advance. You forgot to apply, and now you're trying to take mine. What kind of logic is that?"
"What are you implying?"
Imperial Chef Li sneered, "Are you suggesting that the Empress's desires should come second to Concubine Zhen's? Do you dare say that in front of the Empress?"
"You-!"
Imperial Chef Gao pointed at him. "Don't try to change the subject. We're talking about applying for ice in advance. Let's stick to the facts and be reasonable."
"In the palace, putting the Empress first is the rule. What's this, Imperial Chef Gao? Is Concubine Zhen coveting the Empress's position, refusing to yield like this?"
This accusation was a serious crime. Imperial Chef Gao couldn't possibly respond to it. He was so angry he could only pant heavily, refusing to budge an inch from the ice chest.
Li Guitian had already won over about half of the kitchen staff. At his signal, a group of people rushed forward to snatch the ice.
"You- you let go-"
"Bang!"
"Ouch!"
Wang Dequan had heard everything clearly from outside the door. He was about to enter and stop the fight, prioritizing the Emperor and Concubine Zhen's lunch, when a flying chest hit him squarely in the eye as he stepped in.
With a cry of pain, Wang Dequan fell to the ground, feeling dizzy and seeing stars.
He felt a coldness between his legs, and looking down, he saw that a chest full of ice had spilled onto his lap.
"Lord Wang!"
Everyone in the kitchen was stunned. The responsible chefs all knelt on the ground, trembling like sieves.
Xi Que shouted, "Li Guitian, how dare you ambush Lord Wang! Do you know the consequences of your actions?"
Li Guitian's face turned as pale as paper. He knelt on the ground, kowtowing. "Lord Wang... please forgive me. I didn't mean to... No! It wasn't me... It was him... He wouldn't give me the ice, that's why this happened. It's all his fault."
He pointed at Imperial Chef Gao, retreating in fear.
Wang Dequan took the handkerchief Xi Que offered and pressed it against his bleeding forehead. He hadn't heard anything else, just Xi Que whispering in his ear that Li Guitian had ambushed him.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. He extended a hand, pointing at Imperial Chef Gao. "You, come with me to Hexi Palace to serve the Emperor and Concubine Zhen's meal. Hurry up."
When the Emperor dined, besides having food tasters, there were also serving chefs. For each dish the Emperor sampled more than twice, the serving chef had to announce its name, explain how it was prepared, and describe its benefits and effects on the body.
That's why Jiang Xinyue had called for Xi Que.
Imperial Chef Gao quickly donned his chef's attire, pushed his ingredients cart, and selected three assistants who had helped him earlier. They followed behind Wang Dequan and Xi Que, pushing a stove.
The large gash on Wang Dequan's forehead looked painfully deep.
Xi Que pulled out some medicine from her sleeve. "Lord Wang, if you go in like this, you might frighten the Emperor and Concubine Zhen. This is a healing balm I always carry with me. Why don't you apply some first?"
Her white handkerchief was now stained with blood, looking disturbingly gruesome.
Wang Dequan had no choice but to instruct his adoptive son Tang Shiliang at the main hall entrance of Hexi Palace to lead the imperial chefs inside to serve, lest they delay the Emperor's mealtime.
Meanwhile, Xi Que led Wang Dequan to a side hall, calling for Xiao Xuanzi to join them in helping to treat the wound on his forehead.
The Hexi Palace had some common hemostatic medicines on hand. Xiao Xuanzi rummaged through the storeroom to find them and bandaged Wang Dequan: "Eunuch Wang, you must not let water touch this wound. It could become infected if it gets wet, and that would be quite troublesome."
Wang Dequan drew in a sharp breath and waved his hand: "This old one understands. Don't fuss over me anymore, hurry along to attend to Concubine Zhen."
