Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Once something is started, the thoughts can't be stopped. Being in a high position means you have to think things through carefully. The people in the palace live a tiring life, probably because you have to carefully consider every word.

The Empress pondered the Empress Dowager's words and the closeness of her relationship with the Empress Dowager, which naturally required much consideration. Meanwhile, Yao Jinse had just had lunch with Consort Chen.

Because of Consort Chen's arrival, the Imperial Kitchen couldn't very well send two different set meals to Yuxiu Palace, so Yao Jinse had someone add some money to prepare a small banquet. As a result, the lunch sent by the Imperial Kitchen was particularly exquisite.

However, this exquisiteness still held a deeper meaning in the eyes of Yao Jinse and Chen Meiren.

"People in the palace are always good at changing their tune depending on the wind. You took the princess to the Empress Dowager's palace yesterday. Although the Empress Dowager hasn't said anything yet, you can see this attempt to curry favor is already underway, can't you?"

Chen Meiren's words were full of sarcasm, but Yao Jinse just smiled and didn't take them seriously.

Even if she didn't go to the Empress Dowager's palace, the regular meals at Yuxiu Palace were still quite good. After all, she relied on the powerful Consort Gui, and probably still held some power. Naturally, Yao Jinse wouldn't let herself and her daughter suffer any losses.

But Consort Chen wasn't wrong. She had seen examples of the imperial kitchen charging extra for extra dishes before, and what was delivered today was indeed a bit too good.

Within the imperial city, everything is done according to rules and regulations; even a meal has its own set of natural rules.

The meals delivered to each palace by the Imperial Kitchen were basically prepared according to the purchases made that day, and adjusted according to the corresponding portions allocated to each concubine. If there were any dietary restrictions, the concubines would naturally inform them in advance.

The Imperial Kitchen was the main place to serve the Emperor. Although the meals of the other ladies in the harem also needed to be prepared, there was always a priority.

Consorts and concubines in the palace who had their own small kitchens could cook for themselves. Generally, concubines with such facilities held high positions and had considerable influence in the harem, ensuring that the imperial kitchen would not suffer any losses.

Those who lost face were either of low status and had no money, or they were punished by the emperor—the latter being the worst.

After all, the imperial kitchen was managed by people, and everyone loves money. So, lower-ranking concubines with money could pay for extra dishes themselves. However, if they were punished, the imperial kitchen could openly send them cold rice and spoiled dishes.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, Yao Jinse had seen so much that she naturally understood how common these petty and torturous skills were in the harem. Therefore, she also knew that the imperial kitchen's attempts to curry favor would not appear out of thin air.

The fact that even the size of chickens and ducks and the quality of vegetables and meat can be used to cut corners and squeeze money out of customers makes this kind of deliberate flattery, which is not usually seen, seem rather abrupt.

Of course, the imperial kitchen's so-called attempt to curry favor was nothing more than the special dish that was delivered today.

It's two bowls of chicken broth tofu pudding.

Although Yao Jinse had never eaten this dish before, she had heard of it in her previous life. It was a dish where you could eat chicken but didn't see any chicken. It looked exactly like ordinary tofu pudding, but in reality, it was a very time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive dish.

This dish looks almost identical to regular tofu pudding, but it is actually made by mixing finely minced chicken breast with beaten egg whites. Moreover, the chicken broth used as the base is very time-consuming to make. Even master chefs may not be able to make a clear chicken broth as clear as water in their entire lives.

Even the imperial kitchen, which gathers the best chefs from all over the world, wouldn't dare say that everyone has this skill. This kind of precious dish takes the most time to prepare, but it is still within Yao Jinse's rations. Even though Consort Chen is not here today, this dish will still appear on Yao Jinse's table as usual.

So what Chen Meiren said in a flattering way was actually not bad.

The fact that the head chef of the imperial kitchen would spend time preparing such a precious dish shows that the eunuch in charge of the imperial kitchen is a very thoughtful person. It is said that one should be opportunistic, and even before the wind has blown, he already knows to slightly veer in this direction.

The Imperial Kitchen is a place that has both advantages and disadvantages. The head chefs are relatively easy to deal with, but the eunuchs and maids working there are a completely different story. If they don't curry favor with the noble masters, they will have nowhere to turn if they fall into trouble.

After all, that's how things are in the palace. No one knows who will suddenly rise to power. If your own family gains power, that's fine. But if your enemy has an easier time, it's easy to imagine who will suffer.

"Unfortunately, their efforts were probably in vain. I couldn't say anything to the Empress Dowager, nor did I receive any favors."

"It doesn't matter whether it's there or not. It's just a dish anyway. Even if we don't send it to you, someone else will make it and eat it."

Chen Zhiluo ate her portion of chicken broth tofu with a small silver spoon. It has to be said that the chef in the imperial kitchen was very skilled. The dish was indeed amazing. She even forgot to speak when she ate it.

Seeing her like this, Yao Jinse also began to focus on eating and stopped saying anything.

That's how things are in the inner palace. As a concubine of low rank, even if she spoke out, probably not many people would listen, so there was no point in saying anything.

Anyway, the Empress is a shrewd woman who manages her subordinates, so she won't cause any absurd incidents like spending five taels of silver on an egg. As for the food and drink in our own rations, we should just eat and drink normally and not worry about these things.

After lunch, the next thing to discuss is the gift that was given out.

Consort Chen's idea was to follow the example of previous years at the Prince's Mansion and add another sum of money, but the amount of this sum was not easy to determine.

Yao Jinse had a different idea. She hadn't come here when these people were in the Prince's Mansion, but she still remembered them.

Back then, the gifts weren't very expensive; they were just things like cloth and clothing fabrics. This was because everyone was relatively poor and didn't have much savings.

But nowadays in the harem, not to mention anything else, the rewards given by the emperor during his ascension to the throne and during these festivals are already quite substantial. Sending these things again would be somewhat inappropriate.

"If you ask me, it's ultimately about showing our sincerity. The items don't necessarily have to be luxurious. Consort Zhao, being a consort, has seen far more good things than we have. It would be better if we made them ourselves, which would better show the bond between sisters."

Yao Jinse's words clearly indicated she had an idea. She pulled Consort Chen into the inner hall and began selecting outfits. (End of Chapter)