Ji Lingxue glanced at Ruge and said, "Just go if I tell you to. Why are you complaining so much? Mo Xiang is my best assistant. If she gets bullied outside, who can I cry to?"
Ruge nodded reluctantly, but still went obediently.
Xiao Yichen sent two maids to serve her, but Ji Lingxue was not very comfortable with them, so she sent them to do some rough work such as cleaning. Ji Lingxue was now doing very well in the palace, and these maids were very perceptive and did their job well.
Just when Ji Lingxue was feeling bored and considering taking a nap, Zi Su asked to see her with a gift.
Ever since Zi Su was plotted against by Ruge at the palace banquet, Xiao Yichen had no choice but to make her a concubine. Her life in the palace was not easy. Although she was a concubine, she lived the life of a maid.
Ji Yuqing has turned against her. Even if Zi Su lives cautiously, Ji Yuqing can always find some fault to put on her.
Zi Su opened the basket, revealing the delicious fruits inside. "Princess, these are the newly ripe fruits from the orchard in the palace. I picked some for you. Please try them."
Ji Lingxue nodded, "Thank you for your hard work and for bringing it here specially. By the way, you haven't received your monthly salary yet..." Then she took out ten taels of silver from her sleeve and put it in Zi Su's hand, saying, "You look pale and thin. Go to the storehouse to find some herbs to replenish your body later. The weather is getting colder. You haven't made clothes yet, right? I'll ask the tailor lady in the mansion to find you."
Zi Su kowtowed, "Thank you, Princess..."
Ji Lingxue waved her hand and said, "Get up."
Zi Su still knelt on the ground and didn't get up. After a long while, she stammered, "Princess, you are now in charge of the affairs of the palace. Can you make the decision for me and let the prince come to my place occasionally?"
Naturally, the room Xiao Yichen visited most often was Ji Yuqing's. Ji Lingxue also came often, but she never went to her room. If this continued, she would probably fall out of favor, and the rumors in the mansion would increase again.
Ji Lingxue blinked. Which woman's room did she want Xiao Yichen to sleep in at night
Looking at Zi Su's pitiful eyes, Ji Lingxue nodded to indicate that she understood.
Zi Su left with a heavy heart, and Ji Lingxue immediately forgot about it and started to research new dishes. She wanted to make her Qingfeng Yashe a famous restaurant in Beijing, and then she could just lie down and count money until her hands were tired.
Mo Xiang didn't come back until the evening. With a smile on her face, she trotted to Ji Lingxue and said, "Princess, your idea is really good. Our restaurant has received a lot of business in the past few days. The chef also has a smile on her face. All the guests who have eaten here say that the dishes are delicious."
Compared to Mo Xiang's joy, Ji Lingxue didn't show much expression after hearing this, "This is just the beginning, but it's not enough." Her dishes are light and delicious, but they are not suitable for most people's tastes. She needs to research a few more special dishes.
Mo Xiang is full of confidence in Ji Lingxue, "Princess, what else do you think we should do to improve business?"
Ji Lingxue counted on her fingers and shook her head, saying, "Not enough funds... I have to find someone to invest..." Her eyes moved and she suddenly thought of the big boss Xiao Yichen.
Ji Lingxue asked: "Has the prince come back?"
Mo Xiang blinked. The princess finally cared about the prince. This was a good sign. "It seems... he hasn't come back yet."
Ji Lingxue nodded and said, "Then you go and guard the door. When the prince comes back, you bring him to see me."
Mo Xiang ran out in a flash.
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips. This girl was becoming more and more efficient in her work.
At this moment, Xiao Yichen had just dismounted from his horse. His nose felt itchy and he sneezed. Rubbing his nose, he turned around and untied the food box on the saddle.
As soon as I entered the palace, I met Mo Xiang, who smiled attentively, "Your Majesty is back, the princess was just thinking about you, so she asked me to come and pick you up."
Ji Lingxue would miss him. Why did he feel that the man who was being so attentive to her for no reason was either a traitor or a thief
Xiao Yichen nodded and motioned for Mo Xiang to lead the way. He was still wondering what Ji Lingxue was thinking. Could that girl still be holding a grudge from this morning
Following Mo Xiang into the house, Ji Lingxue was not in the house, but there were several plates of exquisite dishes on the table, with a fragrant aroma.
Xiao Yichen's nose twitched, and he couldn't help but pick up the chopsticks to pick up a bite of food and put it in his mouth. The taste was the same as what he had eaten in the palace...
Xiao Yichen looked at the food box in his hand, speechless. He had eaten a meal in the palace that day and had been thinking about the taste of the food. Today he went to the palace specially and asked the chef to make some food to bring back to please Ji Lingxue. He didn't expect that Ji Lingxue also prepared dishes that were even more delicious than those in the palace.
Xiao Yichen: It seems that I won’t be able to please Ji Lingxue today…
Seeing Xiao Yi's changing expression, Mo Xiang suspected that there was something wrong with the food on the table, and asked cautiously: "Prince, are you okay?"
Xiao Yichen raised his hand and handed the food box to Mo Xiang, saying, "This is a reward for you. Please go down. I have something to tell the princess."
Mo Xiang was flattered to take the food box, said "good" several times, and quickly left. This was a reward from the prince, she was so lucky, so blessed.
Mo Xiang walked through the archway carrying the food box, and the next moment her hand felt lighter.
Mo Xiang was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw Ruge leaning against the archway with a food box in her hand. She was opening the lid and looking inside. "What delicious food did you make?"
Mo Xiang's face darkened, and he raised his hand to pat Ruge's hand, "Give it to me, this is a reward from the prince, but there is no share for you."
Ruge successfully avoided Mo Xiang's sudden attack by moving her body to the side. She threw the lid away, grabbed a piece of shortbread, stuffed it into her mouth and nodded, "It smells so good. It's filled with minced meat. Haha, it's really delicious!"
The veins on Mo Xiang's forehead twitched twice. Does this man know the word shame? Taking something without permission is stealing, and that is her delicacy.
Mo Xiang stood on tiptoe and tried to get the food box back twice but failed. She was so anxious that she burst into tears, "Give it back to me... wuwu..."
Ruge felt deeply guilty after hearing Mo Xiang cry, and handed the food box to Mo Xiang: "Don't cry, I'm giving it back to you. I only ate two of your cakes, so you don't have to cry in front of me like this..."
Mo Xiang ignored Ruge and continued to cry. Ruge squatted in front of Mo Xiang with a bitter face, "Don't cry, we are so familiar with each other. I'll just eat two pieces of cake from you, don't be so distressed."
Mo Xiang raised her hand to wipe away her tears and glared at Ruge, "Why are you like this..." She didn't feel sorry for him at all, she was just angry that Ruge teased her.
Ruge touched her nose and said, "Good things should be shared with everyone. At worst, I'll share the delicious food with you in the future."
Mo Xiang chuckled, and since Ruge had protected her for a whole day, she decided not to bother with him.
Ji Lingxue returned to the room holding a plate and looking at the latest leek boxes on the plate. Seeing Xiao Yichen rudely destroying the delicious thing she had carefully prepared for the whole afternoon, the corners of her mouth twitched.
Ji Lingxue said: "Your Majesty, if someone doesn't know you, they would think you have been hungry for two days just by the way you eat."
Xiao Yichen raised his eyebrows, "So..."
Ji Lingxue put down the plate, made a gesture of invitation and said with a smile: "You are the prince, as long as you are happy."
Xiao Yichen looked down at the chive box and asked, "What is this, fried flour?"
Ji Lingxue smiled noncommittally, "You'll know after you try it?"
Xiao Yichen picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and began to eat it. He nodded vigorously and said, "Chives, eggs, dried shrimps, huh... This smells really good..."
Ji Lingxue held up her chin and asked, "My Lord, is it delicious?"
Xiao Yichen nodded, "It's delicious, really delicious." Compared with the greasy delicacies from land and sea, this is much more delicious. "Where did you buy it from? Next time, I will bring my friends to try it."
Ji Lingxue blinked and smiled, "It's the restaurant outside the western suburbs. I went to Marriage Temple with my sister the other day and passed by there and tried it. It tasted really good, so I specially asked Mo Xiang to buy some for me today."
Ji Lingxue deliberately did not mention the name of the restaurant. They were all doing business, and there were no husband and wife in the business world. She didn't want Xiao Yichen to know that the restaurant was opened by her.
Xiao Yichen had no idea what Ji Lingxue was thinking. He ate his meal and thought about other things. It just so happened that his Wangshan Tower was short of a cook, so he would go out of the city one day to see if he could poach someone.
Ji Lingxue said: "My Lord, I have something I want to discuss with you..."
Xiao Yichen came back to his senses and looked at Ji Lingxue, "What's troubling you?" He was so hesitant, could it be about Ji Yuqing's secret
Yesterday he saw Ji Lingxue taking something away on the roof, but he couldn't see clearly what it was. Thinking that the thing was safe with Ji Lingxue, he didn't let the secret guard steal it back, and just waited for Ji Lingxue to tell him.
Ji Lingxue winked at Xiao Yichen and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it's almost the end of the year, are you interested in holding a cooking competition?"
Xiao Yichen put down his chopsticks and looked up at Ji Lingxue. There were stars in her eyes. In the past, he could guess what Ji Lingxue wanted to do after she said something, but now... he was increasingly unable to understand her.
As the saying goes: A man who receives favors from others will be grateful for what he has received; a man who eats from others will be grateful for what he has received. After eating the meal that Ji Lingxue had carefully prepared, he naturally had to do something to help her.
He has always known that Ji Lingxue is a good cook, but she has never entered the kitchen since she came of age.
Xiao Yichen asked: "Why, are you interested in participating?"
Ji Lingxue nodded, looking at Xiao Yichen with sparkling eyes. Her eyes were so full of expectation and hope that he couldn't bear to refuse.
Xiao Yichen said: "I will consider this."
Ji Lingxue nodded, picked up a piece of food and brought it to Xiao Yichen, saying, "Your Majesty, you haven't tasted this dish yet, come and try it, it's delicious."
Xiao Yichen was already a little full, and seeing that Ji Lingxue was so kind to him, he had to accept Ji Lingxue's kindness even though he was full. So, that night, the bloated Mr. Mou couldn't sleep at night, so he had to ask Bai Mo to prescribe medicine for him.
Bai Mo wrote a prescription for Xiao Yichen, and occasionally looked up at Xiao Yichen, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, which made Xiao Yichen look depressed. He hated people who had something to say but didn't want to say it, and kept people in suspense.
Xiao Yichen said: "If you have anything to say, just say it. This expression makes me uncomfortable."
Bai Mo coughed twice and said, "My Lord, you have a good appetite recently, but you can't eat too much. How uncomfortable will it be if you overeat?"
(End of this chapter)