latelenovela Chapter 100 A Plea for Help from Miss Zhixiang
Chapter 100 A Plea for Help from Miss Zhixiang
"Your Majesty, this servant has returned." Jinse tiptoed into the hall and respectfully bowed to Su Nuannuan, who was sitting at the small table.
Su Nuannuan was holding a calligraphy brush and intently drawing a pattern for making a doll on a piece of paper.
Hearing Jinse's voice, she slowly put down her pen, looked up at Jinse, and asked with a hint of expectation in her eyes, "What did the Emperor say?"
Jinse took a deep breath and then answered softly, "Your Majesty, the Emperor... the Emperor said he will come to Cuiwei Palace tonight." After saying this, Jinse couldn't help but secretly observe Su Nuannuan's expression.
As expected, when Su Nuannuan heard that the Emperor was coming, her previously calm expression instantly darkened. She frowned and muttered to herself, "What a nuisance! What is he doing here so late at night?"
After a moment of silence, Su Nuannuan seemed to have thought of something. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to Jinse and coldly ordered, "Go, find a way to leak this news to Consort Jiang. Let's see if she has the ability to kidnap the Emperor from me."
Jinse felt a little worried after hearing Su Nuannuan's words. She hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and cautiously advised, "Your Majesty, perhaps we shouldn't do this. After all, if the Emperor really doesn't come to our Cuiwei Palace for a long time, I'm afraid those gossipy people in the harem will start talking nonsense again, thinking that you have fallen out of favor."
"What I want is not favor, but a rare moment of peace and quiet."
"If His Majesty could come less often, I could enjoy a few more days of peace and quiet." Having said this, Su Nuannuan waved her hand impatiently, urging, "Hey! Don't just stand there, hurry up and get this done. Remember, you must make sure to leak the news casually."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jinse replied weakly from the side.
She simply couldn't understand why her mistress had become so resistant to the Emperor's favor ever since giving birth to the prince. Was she afraid of becoming pregnant again? But if she really was worried about that, she could simply take contraceptives afterwards!
Although they couldn't drink it openly, fortunately, Physician Liu was on their side, so it shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish this.
Just as Jinse had not yet stepped out of the room, Zhixiang and Yaoqin returned. Zhixiang said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has granted your request to prepare brand new reunion cakes for the upcoming Reunion Festival."
Immediately afterward, Yaoqin chimed in, "Your Majesty, after the Empress Dowager tasted your stuffed reunion cakes, she praised you for your skill and ingenuity. She also said that these new-style reunion cakes taste much better than the traditional ones!"
"By the way, Your Majesty, this is a special gift from the Empress Dowager to you." Yaoqin said respectfully, handing a small and exquisite brocade box to Su Nuannuan with both hands.
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly and gently took the brocade box with her slender, fair fingers. She slowly opened the box, and inside lay a warm, white, and smooth mutton-fat jade lotus pendant, as white as solidified cream. The lotus pendant was crystal clear and flawless, shimmering with a soft light under the sunlight, as if it contained endless auspicious energy.
Su Nuannuan carefully examined the lotus pendant in her hand, her eyes revealing her delight. After a moment's thought, she turned to Tingxue beside her and softly instructed, "Tingxue, could you please take this mutton-fat jade lotus pendant and make a beautiful inlay, then turn it into a brocade brocade ornament?" As she spoke, she handed the brocade box containing the lotus pendant to Tingxue.
Tingxue hurriedly stepped forward, respectfully accepted the brocade box with both hands, and bowed her head, replying, "Yes, Your Highness. This servant will certainly handle this matter as soon as possible, please rest assured, Your Highness." Then she bowed and turned to leave to begin making the brocade jacket.
Then, Su Nuannuan turned her gaze to Zhixiang, who was not far away, and said with a smile, "Zhixiang, you will be in charge of making the reunion cakes needed for the Reunion Festival."
Upon hearing this, Zhixiang hurriedly took a small step forward and replied with a troubled expression, "Your Majesty, there are a large number of reunion cakes needed for this Reunion Festival. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to complete this task by myself alone."
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and patiently explained, "Of course I don't want you to make so many reunion cakes yourself. There's the Imperial Kitchen, right? The chefs there are highly skilled and experienced. Wouldn't it be much more efficient to have them make them? You just need to go to the Imperial Kitchen to provide guidance and supervision."
Zhi Xiang still seemed to have some concerns, and muttered softly, "But Your Highness, the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen are always arrogant and may not listen to my orders."
Su Nuannuan smiled confidently and comforted her, "You don't need to worry about that. Just do as I instruct you. When the time comes, the steward in charge of the Imperial Kitchen will come to you for guidance and assistance." Hearing this, Zhixiang's worries lessened a little, and she nodded to show that she understood.
Before he could finish speaking, Li Quan limped in.
Su Nuannuan noticed an interesting phenomenon. Whenever Li Quan was in a hurry and walking briskly, his limping leg would become unusually agile, and his movements would be so fast that it was unbelievable; no one could tell that he was disabled. However, as soon as he returned to his usual unhurried and leisurely state, the limp would immediately become apparent, just like now, with each step appearing rather difficult and strenuous.
"Your Majesty, Chief Steward Zhang of the Imperial Kitchen is requesting an audience," Li Quan reported to Su Nuannuan with a slight bow.
"Oh? Let him in." Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan sat up slightly and waved her hand in greeting. Her voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a hint of languor.
Having received permission, Li Quan turned and slowly withdrew outside the door. A short while later, Zhang Liang, the head chef of the imperial kitchen, strode into the hall. He bowed respectfully to Su Nuannuan and said, "This servant Zhang Liang greets Consort Zhuang."
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly and said softly, "Rise. Steward Zhang, may I ask what brings you to my Cuiwei Palace today? You should know that my Cuiwei Palace doesn't seem to have much interaction with your Imperial Kitchen." As she spoke, her beautiful eyes looked at Zhang Liang with a half-smile, her tone revealing a hint of curiosity and doubt.
Meanwhile, Jinse and the other three palace maids, having already understood each other's intentions, each found a suitable spot to stand aside, quietly awaiting what might happen next. The atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly became somewhat subtle.
"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Liang nodded hurriedly, his face full of a fawning smile, as if he was afraid that the slightest hesitation would displease the other party. He nodded and bowed, appearing extremely humble.
"Your Majesty, I have dared to trouble you, but I have come to earnestly request Miss Zhixiang's assistance."