Leng Ruo Li’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light as she surveyed the two large bamboo baskets filled with goods and two large wooden vats containing living creatures in the kitchen corner.
So much seafood! Prawns, sea cucumbers, scallops, crabs, abalone, squid, and more. Leng Ruo Li rejoiced inwardly; she hadn't eaten seafood since coming to this ancient era, and it seemed she was in for a treat today.
While contemplating how to prepare the seafood, Leng Ruo Li instructed the kitchen staff on how to handle it. Prawns, abalone, and scallops could be blanched or steamed with minced garlic and vermicelli. Crabs would be steamed, sea cucumbers stewed with millet, and squid stir-fried with chili. Each dish prepared would be a fragrant and substantial delicacy.
Lost in thought, Leng Ruo Li immediately began processing the seafood with everyone else. Since the imperial kitchen had many hands, the seafood was quickly prepared. Leng Ruo Li made the garlic sauce, sliced chilies, and stewed the millet. Every seafood dish was personally prepared by her.
The entire kitchen staff gathered around to watch Leng Ruo Li prepare the seafood. Soon, a fragrant aroma filled the entire imperial kitchen.
An hour later, the aromatic seafood dishes were served. Everyone’s mouths were watering, and they couldn't stop swallowing. They had never seen such tough seafood transformed into such fragrant dishes, and they were filled with curiosity. However, this seafood was reserved for the Emperor and Empress Dowager, so they could only look.
In truth, Leng Ruo Li also wanted to try the seafood herself, but with so many people in the imperial kitchen and so little seafood, she felt helpless.
Meanwhile, at Longevity Palace, Jun Mo Han was playing "Fight the Landlord" with the Emperor and Empress Dowager while they chatted.
"Han'er, I've been waiting for an hour. Why hasn't Li'er finished preparing the seafood yet? My stomach is about to become flat," the Emperor grumbled impatiently.
"You're the Emperor, yet you're still as gluttonous as a child," the Empress Dowager said with a hint of amusement.
"Mother, your son is merely curious about how that girl Li'er transforms those sea creatures into delicious cuisine," the Emperor argued.
"Father, please be more patient. Li'er has probably finished preparing the delicacies and sent them over," Jun Mo Han said calmly.
Just as he finished speaking, Leng Ruo Li and Palace Madam Gong entered, followed by a group of maids and eunuchs carrying plates.
"Father, Imperial Grandmother, Li'er is back," Leng Ruo Li said with a smile, looking at the three of them.
"Li'er, have you finished preparing your seafood? Father and your Imperial Grandmother haven't eaten lunch yet, all in anticipation of tasting your seafood," the Emperor asked expectantly, looking at the trays carried by the palace attendants behind Leng Ruo Li.
"Father, your daughter-in-law has finished everything," Leng Ruo Li replied with a sweet smile.
Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li instructed the maids and eunuchs to serve the several seafood dishes and small stir-fries she had prepared, and they prepared to eat.
The aroma of the dishes immediately made the Emperor put down his half-played game of "Fight the Landlord."
"Mother, let's quickly go to the table and eat lunch. My stomach is starving," the Emperor urged the Empress Dowager.
"Alright, I am also very eager to taste the seafood prepared by Li'er," the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
Then, the four of them gathered around a table and began to eat happily.
"Li'er, this garlic steamed prawn is so fresh! And this spicy stir-fried squid, sea cucumber stewed with millet, braised abalone, and garlic scallops are all incredibly delicious. Next time they pay tribute with seafood, I'll keep it all and invite your father and elder brother over. We'll have another grand seafood feast," the Emperor said with a chuckle, looking at the delicacies on the table.
"Certainly, Father. Next time there's seafood, Li'er will cook for you again," Leng Ruo Li complied with the Emperor's wishes.
And so, the lunch concluded with everyone eating very happily.
After the meal, the Cold King and his consort bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress Dowager and immediately departed the imperial palace.
Then, they boarded their carriage and slowly made their way through the streets. As they approached Qianmen Street, their path was blocked by a crowd of onlookers.
"Your Highness, Your Consort, today seems to be the day to escort Prince Ning's birth mother to her final resting place. The street ahead is packed with many onlookers, and our carriage cannot pass."
At this moment, Ye Ying, who was driving the carriage for the Cold King and his consort, reported truthfully.
"Then drive the carriage to the side and park it. We can go to the teahouse opposite to take a look," Leng Ruo Li said, observing the situation on the street through the window.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ying quickly drove the carriage to the side of the street and helped the Cold King and his consort dismount.
After dismounting, the Cold King and his consort slowly entered the second floor of the teahouse opposite, finding a high-class private room near the street with a window. They stood there, observing the commotion below.
They stood for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea when they saw Prince Ning, Jun Mo Xiao, leading a young girl, and slowly escorting Consort Jing's coffin down the street below.
Consort Jing's funeral appeared very simple. Prince Ning had buried her in an ordinary coffin. Because she was a criminal who had betrayed the Emperor, even though the Emperor did not trouble Prince Ning, he dared not make elaborate arrangements for his mother’s funeral for fear of displeasing the Emperor.
Jun Mo Xiao and the young girl were both dressed in mourning clothes, their faces filled with grief, their eyes red and swollen from crying. Their steps were heavy, like walking corpses, as they slowly made their way down the street.
"Jun Mo Han, who is that woman beside Prince Ning?" Leng Ruo Li asked curiously when she saw the woman.
"That woman is Princess Anle, Jun Ya Nan, Consort Jing's daughter, and Prince Ning's biological sister," Jun Mo Han immediately enlightened Leng Ruo Li.
"Oh, so it's her. In the original owner's memories, I heard of this Princess Anle, but the original owner never met her," Leng Ruo Li said, looking at the young woman below.
"Princess Anle was sent out of the capital by Consort Jing to study when she was just a few years old. She rarely returned to the capital. Even for the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday, Consort Jing didn't let her come back," Jun Mo Han briefly introduced Princess Anle's situation.
"Oh, oh!" Leng Ruo Li nodded indifferently after hearing this.
The two had just chatted for a while when they heard the gossipy onlookers below discussing Consort Jing.
"Do you know what offense Prince Ning's mother committed that led the Emperor to imprison her?" a gossipy man in the crowd asked in a low voice.
"That's a royal matter. How could we common folk know such things?" A man in the crowd replied indifferently.
"Oh, you don't know, but I heard about Consort Jing being imprisoned!"
As soon as he said this, the gossipy man piqued everyone's curiosity.
"Then quickly tell us, what exactly did Consort Jing do to be imprisoned by the Emperor?" everyone asked him curiously.
Immediately, the gossipy man began to chatter nonsensically, "I'm telling you, she..."
Leng Ruo Li and the Cold King, standing upstairs, heard the people below discussing Consort Jing. They both shook their heads. However, of all that the man said, only one thing was correct, and that was that Consort Jing had betrayed the Emperor.
"These people are really too gossipy. I'm even worried that Prince Ning might trouble them," Leng Ruo Li said, then turned her head to look at Prince Ning, who had just walked past beneath their window.