The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 108 Flattery

"That's right." Consort Zhen got up and walked over as well: "I also need to learn from Her Majesty the Empress. When we return to the palace, if this greedy girl pesters me to make it for her, I don't know what to do."

"Mother shouldn't try to learn. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to make it as delicious as the Empress's," Jiang Wanying praised.

"Look at this child, so much delicious food can't shut her up, and she's even learned to flatter." Consort Zhen couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

"Mother, what I said is true. If you don't believe me, ask the eldest prince if it tastes good."

As soon as Jiang Wanying finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Wenlan. Jiang Wenlan, who had been silent until now, seemed a little flustered. He hesitated for a while before slowly nodding: "Your Majesty's cooking is delicious. It is my honor to be able to eat the candy skewers bestowed by Your Majesty."

The moment Jiang Wenlan's voice fell, the entire main hall of Kunning Palace fell silent for a second.

Consort Zhen and Consort Liang exchanged a glance.

I used to envy and be jealous of Consort Li's favor with the emperor.

Now that I'm a mother myself, I really can't bear to see scenes like this.

The few words spoken by the eldest prince brought a pang of sadness to the two of them.

"If the eldest prince wants to eat anything delicious in the future, he can come to Consort Zhen's palace. Although Consort Zhen is not as skillful as the Empress, she can have the kitchen staff make it for you and Wan Ying to eat together." Consort Zhen bent down and patted Jiang Wenlan's head.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty Zhen." Jiang Wenlan crossed his arms in gratitude.

"Alright, alright, eat up, this sugar will burn if you keep cooking it any longer," Consort Liang said, trying to smooth things over.

"Go." Shen Qingwan placed a candied apple in Jiang Wenyuan's hand: "Go and give one to Consort Shu, so she can try it and see if it's good."

"good……"

Seeing Shen Qingwan playing happily with the children, Consort Liang subtly pulled Consort Zhen aside. She deliberately lowered her voice and spoke in a language only the two of them could understand: "Are you crazy? How dare you say that the First Prince should dine in your palace? In the eyes of others, this will cause a lot of gossip. If the Emperor thinks that you have other intentions, it may cause a rift between you."

Consort Zhen's face turned pale: "Look at my mouth! I only said it because I felt sorry for that child. He was always alone, with only his nanny and eunuchs by his side. He didn't even have a close friend. I spoke carelessly. Luckily, my sister reminded me. What should I do now?"

"It's fortunate that it was in front of Her Majesty the Empress. If it had been in front of other people, I'm afraid they would have been suspicious."

Consort Zhen sighed deeply.

Just now.

The voice of a eunuch announcing the arrival came from the entrance of Kunning Palace.

"The Emperor has arrived."

Shen Qingwan hurriedly put down the bamboo stick in her hand and walked to the center of the main hall to pay her respects.

"See your Majesty, long live your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at the candy skewers in Jiang Wanying's hand: "What are you busy with? I can hear laughter and cheerful chatter from the Empress's palace from far away."

Shen Qingwan stood up: "Your Majesty, today is the first day of the New Year. The prince and princess happened to come to the palace to pay their respects. On a whim, I made some food for them. Would Your Majesty like to try some?"

Shen Qingwan picked up the oranges that had just been wrapped in sugar and placed them in Emperor Yuanwu's hand. "The sugar coating is crisp and sweet, and paired with the sweet and sour oranges, the taste is indeed novel. Besides oranges, is there anything else?" Emperor Yuanwu asked.

Shen Qingwan coated each of the fruit skewers she had prepared with syrup and handed them to Emperor Yuanwu.

Each piece is a small piece, and even after eating them all, it doesn't feel like too much.

"It is indeed a good product; the imperial kitchen can learn to make it." Emperor Yuanwu nodded with great satisfaction.

"The culinary skills of those in the Imperial Kitchen are naturally superior to mine. These are just some common folk tricks. The reason Your Majesty hasn't eaten them before is because you are the Emperor," Shen Qingwan couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in a drawn-out tone, "What do you mean by that?"

"The food prepared by the Imperial Kitchen for the Emperor should be mostly common items. Things that are only available at certain times of the year are naturally not easily presented to the Emperor. If the Emperor were in a good mood one day and ordered something that was only available all summer, wouldn't the Imperial Kitchen lose their heads if they couldn't make it?" Shen Qingwan spoke calmly, while making a few more dishes and stuffing them into the hands of the princes and princesses.

Consort Liang and Consort Zhen exchanged a glance, and a chill ran down their spines.

They seemed to have found the root cause of the Empress's lack of favor: she used to be arrogant, willful, and unreasonable, acting as if she were missing a screw.

Although things have changed a lot now, some things are etched into her bones, as if what she just ate was not a chestnut, an orange, or an apple, but the courage of a bear and the gall of a leopard.

How dare they speak to the Emperor like that?

New Year, new beginnings, not new ways to die!
Just as they were feeling uneasy, wondering how to plead for mercy if Emperor Yuanwu were to blame them, Emperor Yuanwu suddenly spoke up: "Then for lunch today, let the Imperial Kitchen prepare some things that I don't usually eat."

"Didn't His Majesty just eat something he doesn't usually get to eat?" Shen Qingwan picked up a freshly made sugar skewer and waved it in front of Emperor Yuanwu. "Why make things difficult for those servants in the Imperial Kitchen on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

Emperor Yuanwu sighed, "The Empress will be considerate of these servants."

"The harem is my home. Who wouldn't protect their own in their own home?" Shen Qingwan said sullenly. "If the Emperor has no objections, I will have someone serve the meal. It's rare that all the children are here. Consort Shu, Consort Liang, and Consort Zhen, don't leave. Take the children and have lunch together in Kunning Palace."

“This…” Consort Zhen glanced cautiously at Emperor Yuanwu: “This is not appropriate. I will not disturb Your Majesty and Empress’s meal.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s rare that His Majesty isn’t tied up with official duties today. You few can stay and let the children get closer to His Majesty.” After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Emperor Yuanwu: “Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Emperor Yuanwu felt as if he were completely at the mercy of the Empress, having been fed and controlled by her.

When he first came in, he saw several children surrounding the Queen, laughing innocently, and a touch of emotion stirred deep within him.

This was the first time he had ever seen the children laugh so happily. It seemed that they always looked serious and reserved when they saw him. Could it be that he, as their father, was usually too strict with them?
"nature."

Emperor Yuanwu walked up to Consort Shu and clapped his hands at the Third Prince: "Come here, let your father hold you and see if the Third Prince has gotten a little heavier?"

Consort Shu rose from the Emperor's seat and handed the Third Prince to Emperor Yuanwu.

Jiang Wenlan and Jiang Wanying watched this scene quietly from the side. However, Jiang Wenyuan, who was still young, saw his younger brother being held by Emperor Yuanwu and ran to Emperor Yuanwu's side. With his sticky hands from eating, he tugged at Emperor Yuanwu's robe and said, "Father, I want Father to hold me too."

(End of this chapter)