I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

Soon, an unprecedentedly strong aroma wafted from the small kitchen in Tinglan Water Pavilion.

Ye An'an rolled up her sleeves and stood in front of the stove with a serious air about her.

She asked Fuyun to mix flour with mixed grain flour and water to make a batter of the right consistency, and asked Chenzhu to chop scallions and cilantro into small pieces. She also found a jar of her mother's homemade secret-recipe soybean paste in her dowry.

Everything is ready.

Ye An'an instructed the eunuch to stoke the fire, heat a flat-bottomed iron pan until it was scorching hot, and then brush it with a thin layer of oil.

She scooped up a spoonful of batter and poured it into the center of the pan. Then, she picked up a specially made bamboo dragonfly, flicked her wrist, and quickly spread the batter evenly into a thin, round pancake.

"Wow—" Fuyun stared in astonishment. "Your Highness, you can do this too?"

"Back in the day, I was..." Ye An'an almost let slip that she was "the last apprentice of Grandpa Wang, the pancake vendor downstairs," but quickly corrected herself, "...I learned it from books in my dreams. It's called fast food—convenient, quick, and delicious!"

She kept talking while her hands kept moving.

As soon as the batter solidified, she cracked two eggs onto it, then gently mashed them with the other end of the bamboo dragonfly, spreading them evenly over the entire surface of the pancake.

Sprinkle with a pinch of black sesame seeds and bright green scallions. The aroma of egg, scallions, and sesame seeds blend together and explodes in the kitchen, making your stomach rumble.

Once the egg mixture had solidified, she deftly flipped the pancake over with a spatula, turning the crust golden brown and slightly charred, with an enticing tiger-skin pattern.

Next, she quickly brushed on a layer of soybean paste, and then added chopped fried dough sticks and a few lettuce leaves according to her own taste.

Finally, fold both sides towards the middle, then fold it in half again, and a steaming hot and fragrant pancake is ready.

"Done!" Ye An'an proudly handed the first pancake to Fu Yun, "Try it!"

Fuyun was already drooling over the aroma, and not caring that it was hot, she carefully took it and took a big bite.

"Waaaaah—!!"

Her eyes widened instantly, her mouth was stuffed full, and she couldn't speak, she could only nod frantically.

The crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the eggs are soft and tender, the sauce is savory and fragrant, the fried dough sticks are crispy, and the lettuce is refreshing... all the flavors and textures blend together perfectly, making it so delicious that you'll want to cry!

Chenzhu watched from the side, not saying a word, but constantly swallowing her saliva.

Just then, a little maid named Cui Die had a sudden inspiration. Taking advantage of the extra batch she had made, she secretly took some of the failed attempts and sneaked out of the kitchen.

Cui Die was a second-class maid assigned by the Imperial Household Department. She was quick-witted and always dreamed of rising to the top.

Cui Die felt this was a good opportunity for her to show off. When she arrived at the main kitchen, she carefully packed the pancakes into a food box and excitedly ran towards Jingming Hall.

……

Inside Jingming Hall, Xiao Jingshi had just finished processing several urgent military reports and was picking up his teacup to moisten his throat.

Changting bowed and walked in, carrying an exquisite food box in his hands.

"Your Highness, Cui Die, a palace maid from Tinglan Water Pavilion, has brought breakfast." Chang Ting's expression was a little strange.

As soon as the food box was opened, a rich and complex aroma wafted out.

He was extremely fastidious about cleanliness and had very strict requirements for food. He only ate a few dishes prepared by specific chefs in the imperial kitchen, and they had to be light and delicate.

The thing wrapped in oiled paper in front of him clearly did not meet any of his standards.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Your Highness, the palace maid said it was called... pancake." Changting tried hard to recall.

It smelled somewhat delicious, but the thought of that persistent woman made me lose my appetite.

"Take it away." Xiao Jingshi's tone was completely calm, as if the tempting aroma had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Yes." Changting sighed inwardly, knowing this would be the outcome.

He carried the food box out, and as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Cui Die still waiting anxiously outside the hall.

"Eunuch Changting, has His Highness... has His Highness eaten?" Cui Die asked expectantly.

Changting shook his head: "Your Highness is not hungry, you can take it back."

Cui Die's face fell instantly, her disappointment evident.

Looking at the steaming pancake in the food box, and smelling its mouthwatering aroma, Changting said almost unconsciously, "But... it would be a shame to just throw this away."

Cui Die understood what Eunuch Changting meant and thought it made sense. If she could please Eunuch Changting, how could she not get close to the Crown Prince? Nodding and smiling obsequiously, she said, "To have won Eunuch Changting's favor is enough to show that my skills haven't been wasted. Please, Eunuch, resolve this matter."

So Changting stood under the eaves of Jingming Hall and quickly devoured the huge pancake.

After finishing the meal, he had only one thought: My God, what divine deliciousness this is! It's the biggest loss of his life that His Highness didn't eat it!

……

Meanwhile, at Tinglan Water Pavilion, Ye An'an and her two maids had already finished a pancake each and were now enjoying their tea with great satisfaction.

"Aunt Fuyun, Cuidie is back." A young maid who was in charge of sweeping ran in to report.

Fuyun immediately went to greet her and asked, "Cuidie, where did you go in such a hurry so early in the morning!"

It's no wonder Fuyun had these concerns. Since her master was out of favor, she needed to keep a tight grip on the inner court to prevent anyone from infiltrating and causing a major disaster.

Cui Die's face was a little pale, and she stammered, "I...I went to the restroom."

"They saw you get discharged from the hospital," Fuyun pressed, pointing to the maids as she asked.

"I...I really have a terrible stomachache," Cui Die said, her voice growing softer and softer.

Upon hearing this, Fuyun exploded: "Still lying! Still lying! Tell me, did you send the Empress's pancakes to Jingming Palace?!"

Ye An'an paused in her tea-drinking, looked up at Cui Die, and her eyes turned cold.

She wasn't concerned about the pancake itself, but rather about the maid's unauthorized actions.

Today she dares to take things as if they're the owner, tomorrow she'll dare to cause trouble outside under her own name.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong. I just felt... I felt... I didn't want to waste Your Majesty's skills..." Cui Die was so frightened that she knelt down with a "plop".

"Why don't you take charge of this courtyard?" Ye An'an put down her teacup. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. "You dare take my things without permission? That's theft. Chen Zhu."

"This servant is here." Chenzhu immediately stepped forward.

"Go, take Cui Die to Steward Liu and tell him that my Tinglan Water Pavilion is too small to accommodate such a great figure. Let her go back to where she came from," Ye An'an said calmly.

This outcome is worse than a beating.

These servants, seeing their master out of favor, overstepped their bounds. Using the jade butterfly to establish authority was just the right thing to do! The fate of the palace servants who were sent back to the Imperial Household Department by their master was predictable.

Cui Die was terrified and clung to Ye An'an's leg, crying, "Your Majesty, spare me! This servant will never dare to do it again! Your Majesty!"

Ye An'an didn't even bother to look at her again.

Chenzhu, expressionless, dragged the wailing Cuidie outside.

Before she had gone far, Cui Die, as if grasping at a straw, suddenly shouted towards a middle-aged eunuch at the courtyard gate, "Steward Liu! Steward Liu, save me! The Crown Prince's concubine is trying to drive me away without reason!"

The visitor was none other than Steward Liu, one of the stewards of the Eastern Palace.

He had come to check on the commotion at the Crown Prince's concubine's residence after hearing about it, but he never expected to stumble upon this scene.

Steward Liu was always one to treat people differently based on their status, and he felt that this newly arrived concubine of the Crown Prince was out of favor, which was a good opportunity to take advantage of her.

He cleared his throat, adopting a bureaucratic air: "Your Highness, what's going on? To send a palace maid out of the palace for such a trivial matter, isn't that... a bit too harsh?"

His words implied that Ye An'an was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Ye An'an slowly stood up, walked to him, and smiled.

"Does Steward Liu mean that I need your permission to dispose of the maids in my own courtyard?"

"That's not what I meant, it's just..."

"Just what?" Ye An'an's smile vanished, her eyes suddenly turning cold. "Just think that I, the Crown Prince's concubine, am just a figurehead, so you want to come and give orders? Steward Liu, you certainly have quite the airs of an official."

Just as tensions were about to rise, a clear, cold voice suddenly came from the courtyard gate.

"What's all the noise about?"

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Xiao Jingshi, dressed in casual clothes, standing not far away with a cold expression.

Behind him followed Changting, who looked guilty.

Manager Liu and Cui Die's faces turned deathly pale instantly.