Shen Qingwan looked at the pastries placed on the ceramic plate on the table and was surprised herself.
It turns out that she is so talented that she achieved such good results on her first attempt. Shen Qingwan was very happy.
But how to approach the prince next made her feel troubled.
It would be fine if he was still the crown prince of the Eastern Palace. By sending food to the Eastern Palace, he could take the opportunity to build good relationships with the maids around him and prepare for getting close to the crown prince in the future.
But he is the emperor now, and his status is much higher than before, and it will no longer be her turn to deliver meals to him.
The designated father-in-law is responsible for food.
Shen Qingwan suddenly thought of Leng Xiang's story of offering flowers to Buddha.
She thought her arrangements were so thorough that no one would find out, but in the end she was still discovered by the housekeeper.
Shen Qingwan strongly suspected that the emperor had spies from the Queen's side, watching his every move.
She shuddered.
If this person was on good terms with the nanny in charge of the imperial kitchen, then it would not be surprising that Leng Xiang was caught.
This seems a bit tricky.
After thinking for a long time, Shen Qingwan still felt that she could not take the risk.
This was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and she could not find any reason to support herself in bypassing the imperial kitchen and moving around wherever the emperor frequented.
But if she could visit the Queen more often, her chances might be greater.
Shen Qingwan decided to get closer to the people in the Queen's Palace to facilitate future actions.
Thinking this way, Shen Qingwan's plate of pastries had a place to go.
After she finished, she was not in a hurry, but carefully decorated the box before taking the food box to talk to the housekeeper. When she arrived, the housekeeper was enjoying the cool air and listening to the little housekeeper reporting on the situation of the palace maids in the past few days.
"Well, you performed well. I will give you monthly allowance this month. You should work harder in the future."
The young steward was so delighted to receive the praise that he almost hugged the nanny's thigh to show his loyalty. Shen Qingwan sighed repeatedly when she saw this, thinking that he was really a servile and fawning person who took advantage of his power to bully others.
He was as domineering as a proud rooster in front of them, but as obedient as a cat in front of the nanny, not daring to say a word of disobedience.
After the person left, the nanny turned her gaze from the tea bowl back to Shen Qingwan.
He asked, "What's the matter? What's that thing you're holding in your hand?"
Shen Qingwan wanted to use her to get ahead, so how could she hide it? She immediately told the housekeeper all her thoughts and actions.
"Mammy, don't underestimate this mint cake. The one I made is a little different from the ones in the palace. It's made with fresh fruit juice and very little sugar. It tastes sweet but not greasy, and doesn't stick to your teeth. It's really good stuff. This recipe was passed down from my family. It was my favorite when I was a kid."
The nanny picked up a piece and tasted it herself, then a smile appeared on her face.
By the time she swallowed a piece of cake with tea, she felt more than just happy.
"How many of these peppermint cakes do you have?"
Shen Qingwan knew there was a way. No matter whether the old nanny wanted to use it to bribe the queen or someone else, as long as the queen heard about it, she would have no worries about not having the opportunity to get close to her in the future.
Shen Qingwan had other thoughts in mind, so she naturally didn't hide them at this moment, so she said openly: "Madam, you have sharp eyes and golden pupils. Even if I want to steal something, it won't escape your eyes."
The housekeeper found what she said very funny.
Shen Qingwan is now considered a capable palace maid by her side, so she deserves this treatment.
She didn't want to be too harsh on the servants, so seeing that Shen Qingwan was very well-behaved, she left a few for her to eat.
"Okay, look at your greedy look. Mammy didn't say she won't leave any for you. Just go and fill two plates and send them over. You can handle the rest."
This means that a plate will also be brought for Fu Mochen.
Shen Qingwan was overjoyed. She was about to take the first step, so she was extremely careful and would not allow herself to take a wrong step.
As soon as the housekeeper left, Shen Qingwan arrived at Murong Wan's room.
She had been punished a lot in recent days, and her legs and body were not in good shape. She always felt powerless when doing work. The steward saw it and immediately reported it to the housekeeper.
There was nothing else to say, just telling her to stay in her room and recuperate, and not to move around to avoid worsening the wound. Although it seemed like a special favor, she couldn't get the money for the next few days.
Murong Wan heard the door open, looked up and saw Shen Qingwan's figure appear in front of her, and her cold and lonely heart felt a little comforted.
Ever since she told the young master of the Jin Mansion about her miserable situation in the palace, not only did she not receive sympathy, but people became cold towards her.
Only then did Murong Wan begin to understand. The world is no longer the same as it used to be. She used to think that others were attracted to her beauty, and even if they used her connections in the palace to open up business opportunities for the Jin family, they still had feelings for her after all.
I didn't expect it to turn out like this in the end.
It's really stupid.
Shen Qingwan had noticed that something was wrong with her a long time ago. She had been in a low mood for the past two days. Because they were not close, it was difficult to get to know her clearly about some things, so she could only pretend not to see them.
"I brought you some mint cakes, which are carefully checked by the housekeeper. They can cool you down and relieve the heat in this weather. You should get up and have some, so you don't have to lie in bed and lose your patience and become restless."
Murong Wan looked at the green pastries and her mouth was already watering before she even put them in her mouth. Then she smelled the aroma emanating from the plate and couldn't help swallowing.
"Get up if you want to eat. I brought you some good tea and asked a maid to make it for you."
Shen Qingwan waved her hand, and the little palace maid who had been waiting outside to take care of Murong Wan came forward to take the tea leaves and went out to make tea.
The housekeeper was quite kind and accepted Murong Wan's gift with no guilty conscience.
Although not everything went her way, it wasn't too difficult for her either.
Apart from the necessary punishment, it was not too harsh.
Murong Wan took a bite of the sweet and fragrant pastry. She was delighted by the delicious taste and had the energy to find out why Shen Qingwan came.
"You want me to get better quickly and go out to help you, right?"
Murong Wan guessed so.
She knew what kind of person Leng Xiang was. She was so ambitious that how could she tolerate Shen Qingwan taking away her favor in front of the housekeeper? She would definitely find a way to get it back.
She had a grudge against Leng Xiang. The fact that she had exposed Leng Xiang to satisfy her own selfish desires was enough to make her hate her. It was not worth doing a few things for her former benefactor.
So he said, "Sister Chen, if there is anything you need me to do, just tell me. I am the one who is in charge of supervising that little girl. I have let her slack off these past two days. I don't know what shady things she has been doing. Sister, don't worry. I will be well the day after tomorrow. When I get out, I will definitely help you get rid of this anger."