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

Xiao Jingshi's act of asking for another bowl greatly satisfied Ye An'an's vanity.

She beamed and served him another bowl, thinking to herself, "What a cold and aloof prince! In front of delicious noodles, he still has to obediently bow his head."

A pot of mushroom and meat sauce turned lunch at the East Palace into a "rice-annihilation battle".

The two young princes each ate two large bowls, so full they kept burping. Xiao Jingshi also unusually ate two full bowls of rice, something that would never have happened to him in the past.

Ye An'an divided the prepared mushroom and meat sauce into three large, clean earthenware jars.

"Alright, the first perfect dish to eat with rice is done!" She clapped her hands, satisfied.

However, that alone is not enough.

While the mushroom and meat sauce was delicious, it was ultimately a home-style dish. She wanted to add another trump card to Xiao Jingshi's luggage.

That is—crab roe sauce.

As autumn winds blow, crabs get restless. This season is when crabs are at their fattest and most delicious.

Ye An'an immediately ordered the Imperial Household Department to send over dozens of the freshest and most vigorous lake crabs.

The crabs, each with a green back and white belly, golden claws and yellow hair, were waving their arms and legs in the wooden basin, full of vitality.

"Your Highness, what are you going to do with so many crabs? Steam them?" Fuyun looked at the large basin of crabs, somewhat puzzled.

"Steaming is so boring." Ye An'an shook her head. "Today, I'm going to cook a dish for you, a dish so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off."

Making crab roe sauce is a meticulous task that requires immense patience.

Ye An'an first scrubbed all the crabs clean with a brush, and then steamed them until cooked.

The steamed crabs turned an enticing orange-red color, and a rich, unique crab aroma filled the entire kitchen.

Just smelling this aroma is enough to make your mouth water.

But Ye An'an knew that this was just the beginning.

She placed the steamed crabs one by one on the cutting board, and then took out a small tool specifically for dismantling crabs.

Cut, knock, dismantle, pick.

She, along with Chenzhu and Fuyun, sat around a large table and began the long and tedious task of dismantling the crabs.

First, use scissors to cut off the crab legs and claws, then use a small hammer to crack open the crab shell, revealing the golden crab roe and snow-white, crystal-clear crab paste inside.

Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out the crab roe and crab paste and put them into a bowl.

Then, using a small skewer, carefully pick out the crab meat from the crab legs and body, one strand at a time, and put it into another bowl.

This is a task that requires exceptional eyesight and patience.

It took three people a whole afternoon to dismantle all the dozens of crabs.

Looking at the large bowl full of golden, glistening crab roe and crab paste, and another large bowl of snow-white, tender crab meat, Ye An'an was so tired that she could hardly straighten her back, but her heart was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

"Alright, the hardest step is done, the rest is easy."

She cut a large piece of pork fat into small cubes, put them in a pot, and slowly rendered the lard over low heat.

While waiting for the lard to render, she chopped a large amount of ginger.

Crab is cold in nature, so it must be neutralized with a large amount of minced ginger.

Once the lard is rendered, remove the cracklings.

She poured out half of the golden, translucent lard and set it aside, leaving a little oil in the pan. Then she added the chopped ginger and sautéed it slowly over low heat until it released a rich ginger aroma.

Then, she poured the entire bowl of crab roe and crab paste into the pot.

"Sizzle—"

The golden crab roe quickly dispersed in the hot oil, becoming even brighter in color, and an indescribable, ultimate aroma exploded in the kitchen!

This flavor is more "sophisticated" than any other food I've tasted before; it's a pure, concentrated freshness with the taste of the sea.

Ye An'an used a spatula to gently push the crab roe in the pot to ensure it was heated evenly.

Soon, the crab roe began to ooze oil, the golden crab oil blending with the translucent lard, looking incredibly tempting.

After the crab roe was stir-fried until fragrant, she poured in the bowl of crab meat, added cooking wine, salt and a little sugar to taste, and continued to simmer it over low heat.

This process is to allow the crab meat to fully absorb the deliciousness of the crab roe, and to let all the flavors blend together.

Finally, when the sauce in the pot becomes thick and glossy, a golden and incomparably delicious crab roe sauce is ready.

Ye An'an poured it into a white porcelain bowl. Its golden color shimmered with a captivating luster under the light, like a bowl of molten gold.

"Wow..." Chenzhu and Fuyun watched from the side, completely speechless.

They never imagined that ordinary crabs could be transformed into such a luxurious delicacy.

This dish is really too elaborate and too... extravagant.

That evening, Empress Wei sent someone again to "check on" Ye An'an's diet and daily life.

I just wanted to see what delicious food she had made today.

Ye An'an had anticipated this, so she deliberately left a small dish of freshly made crab roe sauce and had a palace servant deliver it to the Empress.

In the Phoenix Palace, Empress Wei's eyes lit up as she looked at the plate of golden, glistening crab roe sauce and smelled its exquisite aroma.

She had the imperial kitchen cook a simple bowl of plain noodles, and then poured the entire dish of crab roe sauce into it without hesitation and mixed it well.

Each noodle was evenly coated with golden sauce.

She picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

The next second, she was completely stunned.

fresh!

So fresh it's domineering! So fresh it's unreasonable!

The sauce, rich in the essence of countless crabs, created a tidal wave of excitement on her taste buds.

She ate the bowl of noodles clean, even drinking the last drop of soup at the bottom.

"Granny Gui..." She put down the bowl, smacked her lips with lingering satisfaction, "Go, pass on my message to the Crown Prince's concubine: I really like the crab roe sauce she made. Tell her to make a lot more tomorrow."

She paused, then added, "No, have her give me the recipe. I want the imperial kitchen to make it for me every day!"

Seeing her mistress's domineering "I want them all" expression, Granny Gui suppressed a laugh and went to carry out her orders.

She felt that ever since this concubine of the crown prince entered the palace, her mistress had become more and more human.