Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 124 Walking in the Imperial Kitchen

Ye Jiayao said solemnly: "All the land in the world is yellow earth, and all the people in the world are the emperor's subjects. These mountains and rivers, every blade of grass, every stone and every soil belong to the emperor. Even the common people are the emperor's subjects. Why should the common people not give up? The common people offered their gifts to the emperor, but he did not appreciate them. That is the common people's sorrow."

Helian Jing had nothing to say. Who could resist such flattery?
The prince also laughed secretly, seeing how Li Yao coaxed the emperor. The emperor had been worried about Simon's affairs recently and hadn't been so happy for a long time.

The emperor smiled and said, "Li Yao, what you said is very much to my liking. How about I summon you to the imperial kitchen?"

Ye Jiayao's heart skipped a beat, thinking, I'm flattering too much. Although entering the imperial kitchen is the ultimate goal of all chefs, it is not her goal. She just wants to make money and live a free life. If she enters the palace, she won't be so free. The palace rules are strict, like an invisible tight ring. What's more, she is a woman dressed as a man. If she is discovered, she will be charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor and her head will be moved.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. It's just... I'm used to being free and unrestrained among the people. Sometimes I don't know how to speak well and may offend people. There are so many masters in the palace, and not everyone is as kind and amiable as the emperor and the empress. I'm afraid that once I enter the palace, I'll worry about the weight on my neck every day and won't be able to cook happily." Ye Jiayao said tactfully.

The queen was a little displeased at first, as refusing the emperor's grace was a serious crime. But seeing that the emperor was smiling and didn't seem angry, and that Li Yao described her as amiable, she swallowed her words back.

It was clearly a rejection, but she sounded so interesting when she said it, and coupled with her nervous expression, it was really funny. The emperor said, "If you don't enter the imperial kitchen, if I want to eat the dishes you cook, won't I be able to eat them?"

Ye Jiayao said hurriedly: "If the emperor wants to eat the dishes made by me, just let me know and I will rush over to cook for the emperor without delay. I guarantee there will be no delay."

The emperor really wanted to summon him into the palace, but he didn't want to force him. However, it would be too troublesome to summon him every time.

The Queen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, why not appoint him as a waiter in the Imperial Kitchen? He won't be officially on duty in the Imperial Kitchen, but it will be convenient for him to come to the palace and cook the imperial meals. It's the best of both worlds."

"The Imperial Kitchen Assistant?" The Emperor pondered. This was a new term. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He said, "Li Yao, then I will appoint you as the Imperial Kitchen Assistant. You can enter the palace at any time to prepare meals for me."

Ye Jiayao knew that the imperial chef had no official rank and was just a servant who cooked for the emperor and the masters in the palace. The people in the imperial kitchen were even lower in status, but this identity had great advantages and was many times better than any chef outside. If she told others that she was qualified to cook for the emperor, she would be so proud.

He immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude and gladly accepted the order.

In the Liuli Palace, Zhao Liuli stood up suddenly with excitement.

"What? Li Yao entered the palace? The emperor ordered him to cook the imperial meals?"

"Yes! It's in the Zichen Palace. The Queen and the Prince are both there." said the palace maid Xiaoya.

Liuli was so angry that her teeth were itching. Li Yao was against her, but the emperor not only did not punish Li Yao, but also summoned him to cook the imperial meals. What did that mean?
"Go, go and have a look."

Xiaoya hurriedly advised: "What does the princess want? Don't forget what the Queen Mother told you. We are going to Puji Temple tomorrow. This is a good opportunity for you and Lord Xia to ease the atmosphere. Don't make trouble for Li Yao. It's not worth it."

Liuli's eyes were cold: "What do you know? I'm not that stupid. Some mistakes are enough to be made once. I will never allow myself to fall in the same place twice."

After that, Liuli walked out of the palace. Xiaoya was confused. Was the princess going to settle accounts with Li Yao or not?
Ye Jiayao and Helian Jing left Zichen Palace with a smile.

Ye Jiayao played with the Imperial Chef sign in her hand and said with emotion: "I never thought that I would become an Imperial Chef. I thought I would never have anything to do with the word Imperial Chef in my life."

"Your cooking skills are so good, sooner or later you will be appreciated by the palace. Most imperial chefs are selected by the chief steward of the imperial kitchen, but you are the one appointed by the emperor. You are much more glorious than other imperial chefs." Helian Jing was also happy for her. This was a blessing in disguise.

Ye Jiayao curled her lips and said, "Forget it. The imperial chef can only be glorious outside the palace. In the palace, he is just a servant. There is no glory at all."

Helian Jing hurriedly covered his mouth and whispered, "Don't dare say such things here. It will be disastrous if someone hears it."

Ye Jiayao slapped his hand away: "Look, there is no one else here except the two of us."

She is not the kind of rough person who speaks without thinking.

Helian Jing looked around and found that there was no one there. He scratched his head awkwardly, his palms felt hot and his heart beat a little faster. Just now, his palms touched Yao Yao's lips. The soft and slightly cool feeling was very wonderful.

“However, what makes me happiest is not this brand, but the fact that the snow skin mooncake leaves have been included as tribute. Let’s see who dares to covet the secret recipe in the future.” Ye Jiayao was still angry when she thought of that shameless Concubine Mei.

"Is Concubine Mei really after your secret recipe? Xiaochuan actually guessed it right. Xiaochuan said that the owner of Jubaozhai is a relative of Minister Mei." Helian Jing frowned.

Ye Jiayao was at a loss: "Isn't Jubaozhai a place for buying antiques? What does it have to do with him?"

Helian Jing sneered, "You don't know this. Jubaozhai and Juxiangyuan Bakery have the same owner, but Jubaozhai is more famous in Jinling City. The owner, Mei Laojiu, used to make cakes in the Imperial Kitchen. He accidentally broke his leg many years ago and became a cripple, so he left the Imperial Kitchen. He also likes antiques, so he opened Jubaozhai and Juxiangyuan."

"Your snow skin mooncakes are selling so well, so many people are jealous."

Ye Jiayao suddenly realized what was going on. So that's how it was. It seems that if you don't have some background to rely on, you really can't survive in Jinling City.

"By the way, how did you know that I was summoned to the palace?" Ye Jiayao asked puzzledly. She asked Deng Haichuan to inform Chunyu.

Helian Jing said: "Deng Haichuan came to find me and said that he couldn't find Brother Chunyu. Brother Chunyu went to Puji Temple to do some work. My brother was not there either. He went to the military camp. I had no choice but to come to the palace myself and ask the prince for help."

"But Concubine Mei is too arrogant. The prince sent Xiaochuan to ask for you, but she lied and said you had left the palace a long time ago. If I hadn't asked Ping An to stay outside, she would have kept it a secret. I was so angry that I kept cursing outside, which alarmed the emperor."

Ye Jiayao said embarrassedly: "I'm bothering you again." Helian Jing raised his eyebrows unhappily: "What do you mean by trouble or not? Your business is my business."

Ye Jiayao nudged him with her elbow and said with a smile, "Xiao Jing, that's really nice!"

"Hey, both of you stop right there." A delicate voice came from behind.

Ye Jiayao and Helian Jingqi frowned, what a narrow road for enemies to meet.

Zhao Liuli walked over leisurely, holding her chin high, looking at Ye Jiayao proudly. Ye Jiayao cupped her hands and bowed slightly: "I greet the princess."

"Li Yao, last time the emperor said as a punishment that you must send me a portion of any delicious food you have in the future. I heard that you made a snow skin mooncake again, why didn't you send it to me?" Liuli asked.

Ye Jiayao looked at Helian Jing, who coughed twice and whispered in her ear, "It seems like this happened, but no one took it seriously."

Uh...then you should tell her!

Ye Jiayao smiled awkwardly and said perfunctorily: "I thought the princess was still angry with me! I didn't dare to send her off."

Liuli snorted coldly: "Aren't you very brave? How dare you not dare?"

"No, no, I have already reflected deeply and I know I was wrong. My lady princess, please be magnanimous and forgive me this time." Ye Jiayao sincerely apologized this time. She didn't want to continue to pester the issue and make everyone worry about her again and again and risk their lives to stand up for her.

"Liuli, just raise your hand and this matter will be over..." Helian Jing wanted to speak up for Ye Jiayao.

Liuli raised her hand to stop him: "This matter has already passed. I don't have the time to be angry all day long."

Hmm? Ye Jiayao and Helian Jing were both surprised. Is it really over?

Liuli asked impatiently, "What's with that expression on your face? Are you disappointed that this princess is no longer angry?"

"No, no, I'm so happy that I can't even express it all. Princess, I'll send you mooncakes later. Tell me what flavor you like and I'll make it especially for you." Ye Jiayao said hurriedly.

Liuli curled her lips: "That's more like it."

Xiaoya said, "The princess likes to eat sour and sweet food."

Liuli said, "Okay, Xiaoya, let's go."

Liuli left without hesitation, leaving the two of them with a proud back. Ye Jiayao was still a little confused. Did they just turn hostility into friendship? Liuli was such a proud person, and he suffered a great loss at her hands. Normally, it was equivalent to a deadly grudge. But she just said it casually and it was over? Was there any trickery here?

Helian Jing smiled and said, "That's great, Liuli is not angry anymore, and you don't have to worry about her making things difficult for you anymore."

Ye Jiayao snorted twice and forced a smile. Why did she become more worried?

"Let's go to the Yong'an Marquis Mansion to see Zhao Qixuan." Helian Jing said.

"But I have to go back to Tianshangju. I've been out for most of the day. Everyone must be worried." Ye Jiayao said. Although she really wanted to know whether Zhao Qixuan and Su Su had made any progress that night, she had to go back and report that she was safe.

"No, no, I have already sent Ping An to Tianshangju to report the news."

So, Ye Jiayao went to the Yong'an Marquis Mansion with Helian Jing.

Zhao Qixuan hadn't gone out for two days and had closed the door to visitors, but when he heard that Helian Jing and Li Yao had come, he asked someone to invite them in.

Ye Jiayao was shocked when she saw Zhao Qixuan's appearance.

"Zhao Qixuan, why have you become a pig-head?" Helian Jing started yelling.

Zhao Qixuan gave a bitter smile, which caused the wound at the corner of his mouth to twitch. He gasped again and said incoherently, "Don't mention it. Su Su beat me up."

Ye Jiayao looked at his horrible appearance and said, "He really has the heart to do this. He's so cruel. He looks like a very gentle man."

赫连景安慰他：“你别难过，打是亲骂是爱，他把你揍的这么惨，说明他爱你爱惨了。”

The corners of Zhao Qixuan's mouth twitched again and again: "Just let someone beat you up and see."

Helian Jing glanced at Ye Jiayao, his face inexplicably turned red, and he muttered shyly: "If the person I like beats me up, I don't care!"

　Thank you for the tips from You Are the Only One and Kill Jesus I Am God. Thank you to all the friends who like Mengqi. Ye Jiayao will work harder.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)