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

Ever since the late-night rice noodle incident, Xiao Jingshi has been unable to forget that bowl of bright red chili oil.

Ye An'an also discovered a new source of amusement: feeding this hypocritical Crown Prince.

However, she has more important things to do right now.

Her savings are almost gone!

Although she was a concubine of the Crown Prince and received a generous monthly allowance, many of the exotic spices and ingredients she used were not available in the palace and had to be purchased from outside the palace at exorbitant prices.

If this continues, we can't just sit around and do nothing until our savings run out.

She needs to find a way to make money.

The best solution would be to monetize her culinary skills. However, opening a restaurant within the palace was clearly impractical; she needed a partner who understood the market and had free access to the palace.

And she couldn't think of anyone else as a potential partner besides Crown Prince Xiao Jingshi.

The problem is, how do I convince him to take me out of the palace and agree to my "unorthodox" money-making plan?

Ye An'an's eyes darted around, and a plan came to her mind.

We still have to use the old method—opening up the way with delicious food.

She wants to make teppanyaki.

Grilled tofu, grilled squid, grilled chicken wings... just thinking about them makes my mouth water.

But to make these, you need key spices such as cumin and chili powder, which the palace just happened to not have.

Isn't that the best reason?

Ye An'an first asked Chen Zhu to find a way to get a small packet of cumin powder from outside the palace, and then asked the palace's internal affairs department to get a large iron plate.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

That afternoon, Ye An'an calculated the time and estimated that the two little princes should be out of school, so she set up her teppanyaki stall in the courtyard.

The hot iron plate is scorching hot. Brush a layer of oil on it and place the chopped tofu pieces on it.

"Sizzle—"

When tofu comes into contact with hot oil, it makes a beautiful sound, and the surface quickly turns golden brown.

Ye An'an is sprinkled with salt and chili powder, and finally, the soul of the dish, cumin powder, is sprinkled on top, and a strong and domineering aroma instantly fills the entire Tinglan Water Pavilion.

This flavor is even more potent than hot pot and pancakes combined; it has an extremely strong penetrating power.

She then placed the pre-marinated chicken wings on the hot plate, offering two flavors: "Extra Spicy" and "Honey-Glazed Non-Spicy".

The fat from the chicken skin is rendered out and drips onto the hot plate, making a sizzling sound and enhancing the aroma.

Sure enough, not long after, the two little gluttons—the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince—came to the door following the aroma.

"Crown Prince's sister-in-law! What delicious food are you making again!"

"It smells so good!"

Ye An'an smiled and handed each of them a skewer of grilled tofu and a honey-glazed chicken wing.

"Eat slowly, it's hot!"

The two little ones didn't care about the heat; they opened their mouths and took bites, their mouths greasy with oil, their eyes squinting with happiness.

"It's so delicious! Even better than the dumplings we had last time!"

"Uh-huh!"

The three people were enjoying their meal in the courtyard.

Ye An'an herself held an extremely spicy chicken wing, hissing and laughing from the spiciness, yet she couldn't bear to stop eating it.

She calculated the time; Xiao Jingshi should be back around that time.

……

Meanwhile, in Fengyi Palace.

Empress Wei was holding a bowl of bird's nest, but she couldn't taste it.

Ever since she ate the steamed dumplings and oden that Ye An'an brought her, she has been craving the delicious taste.

Although the food prepared by the imperial kitchen was exquisite, it always felt like something was missing.

It lacks... the warmth and lived-in feel.

"Granny Gui, tell me, how exactly are those shrimp dumplings made? The skin is so thin, and the filling is so fresh." She couldn't help but ask Granny Gui beside her.

Granny Gui replied in a hoarse voice, "This old servant does not know. It must be a concubine's unique skill."

Empress Wei put down the bird's nest, her curiosity growing with each passing thought.

She suddenly stood up: "Let's go take a look at Tinglan Water Pavilion."

She wanted to see what her daughter-in-law, who always managed to come up with novel gadgets, was tinkering with today.

Granny Gui was somewhat surprised, but she immediately followed.

The Empress's entourage proceeded in a grand procession toward the East Palace.

……

Ye An'an was getting a little anxious as she watched a plate of chicken wings almost empty and Xiao Jingshi still hadn't returned.

Just then, a shrill voice came from the courtyard gate, breaking the joyful atmosphere.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

"puff!"

Ye An'an almost spat out her mouthful of chicken wing.

The seventh and ninth princes were so frightened that they dropped the chicken wings they were holding, their faces turning deathly pale.

Oh no, I've been caught red-handed by my mother for sneaking a bite!

The courtyard was instantly thrown into chaos, with people and horses falling over. Fuyun and Chenzhu quickly knelt down to pay their respects.

Ye An'an didn't even have time to wipe her mouth. She hurriedly hid the chicken wing in her hand behind her back, then curtsied and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Empress Wei walked in slowly, surrounded by a group of palace maids.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled a strong yet unfamiliar fragrance, very overpowering, but also very tempting.

Then she saw this ridiculous scene.

Her daughter-in-law, Ye An'an, the Crown Prince's concubine, still had red chili oil on the corner of her mouth, and seemed to be holding something in her hand.

Her two adopted sons, the seventh prince and the ninth prince, looked like two little quails who had done something wrong, with their heads down, their mouths greasy, and a half-eaten chicken wing lying at their feet.

In the center of the courtyard, something was sizzling and roasting on a huge iron plate.

The whole scene was a mess... and hilarious.

Looking at these three men caught red-handed, a rare crack appeared on Empress Wei's usually dignified face.

She didn't speak, but her gaze fell on the iron plate.

The golden tofu and crispy chicken wings on top exude a deadly allure.

She unconsciously swallowed.

The atmosphere became quite awkward at one point.

Ye An'an was inwardly groaning. What day was it today? How was she going to handle this?