Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 522: Everyone can make porridge. Isn't this just nonsense?

Because the Empress Dowager was not feeling well these days, many ladies in the capital came to visit her. However, the Empress Dowager was impatient to see people and only summoned her close and familiar ones a few times.

The Dowager Lady had been visiting the Empress Dowager frequently when she was still the Queen. Although there was a difference between the monarch and the minister, after years of getting along, the Dowager Lady's generous and gentle nature was quite compatible with the Empress Dowager's temper. Sometimes when she was bored, she would summon the Dowager Lady to the palace to chat.

These days, the lady comes more often.

However, the guards in front of the door were also a little puzzled. This wife of the Grand Tutor had just come yesterday, so why did she come again today? She must have heard that the Emperor was angry, so she came to see the Queen Mother again.

The two waited for a while, and then they saw an old eunuch hurried over. He said to the Madam, "Thank you for waiting for me, Madam Lu. The Empress Dowager asked me to come and pick you up. Let's go in now."

The lady smiled and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Qin."

Shen Yu originally thought that this palace should be the same as the palaces seen in modern times, magnificent and splendid, and it would take a long time to walk to the end.

But in fact, it didn't take long after following Eunuch Qin that they arrived at Kangning Palace where the Queen Mother lived.

I wonder if it was because the Emperor wanted to make it convenient for him to visit the Empress Dowager after court service that he built her palace very close to the palace where he held court.

After entering the palace, Eunuch Qin led the two to the warm room of Chunhui Palace where the Queen Mother lived.

The lady led Shen Yu to pay her respects, and then she heard a weak and lazy voice from above: "Everyone, stand up and take your seats."

The lady thanked him and sat down before asking, "What's wrong with the Queen Mother? Why are you so listless today?"

An old lady sitting at the top sighed quietly, "Alas, I always feel a blockage in my stomach. If I don't eat, the emperor will get anxious and angry. If I force myself to eat a few bites, I always feel very uncomfortable being there."

Shen Yu stood behind the lady with his back straight, watching her carefully, not daring to look up at what the empress dowager looked like.

With the corner of his eye, he saw a corner of a robe in the color of autumn fragrance hanging down beside the imperial concubine's couch.

It seems that the Queen Mother is reclining on the chaise longue. If she was not extremely uncomfortable, she would not be leaning there so lazily.

Shen Yu was sitting there thinking secretly when he heard the Queen Mother calling Old Madam Lu and said, "Luo Yao, I don't want to see you today. I am really not in good spirits."

"But the guards came to report that you brought a cook with you, and they couldn't bear to refuse your kindness."

"The emperor has summoned all the chefs in the capital to try cooking. There is really nothing new. Let's sit down and talk. There is no need to let the cook cook."

The lady said, "Don't be so hasty to refuse, Queen Mother. This cook is my granddaughter-in-law who has not yet married into the family."

"It was for the Queen Mother that I called her all the way here from Anping County."

"The flavors in small places are very different from those in the capital. Let her try it. If she doesn't like it, she can just not eat it."

When the empress dowager heard that this young cook came from such a far place and was the unmarried wife of Lu Bangyan, she became a little interested.

She sat up straight and asked with a smile, "Oh, you came here specially."

"I know this girl. A few days ago, the emperor received a memorial from Lu Bangyan requesting to be allowed to return to the capital to get married. He said that he wanted to marry the daughter of a merchant in Anping County where he was the county magistrate. Please allow the emperor to return to the capital to get married."

"The Emperor told me this just to amuse me."

"I admire how handsome Lu Bangyan is. He won the second place at such a young age. I wonder what kind of girl he is that makes him so willing to marry her."

Then he said to Shen Yu: "Miss Shen, right? Come forward and let me have a look."

When Shen Yu heard that he was being mentioned, he hurried to the middle and squatted again to salute. After standing up, he raised his face slightly so that the empress dowager could see him clearly.

The Queen Mother took a look at him, smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, he is a well-behaved child."

"Just go sit next to the Madam."

Shen Yu hurriedly bowed again to express her gratitude. A little palace maid had already brought a cushioned round stool and placed it next to the lady's seat.

Seeing Shen Yu sitting down, the Queen Mother said with interest: "I heard that you are a good cook. What dishes can you make? Tell me."

Shen Yu stood up again and was about to reply, but the Queen Mother waved her hand: "This is not the court, and I have been with Madam Lu for many years, so I am not an outsider."

"Just sit down and talk. It makes me tired just to see you stand up when I ask you a question."

Shen Yu bowed again to express her gratitude, then sat down again and said in a clear voice, "In reply to the Queen Mother, my daughter has opened a restaurant in Anping County, and she can cook all kinds of dishes."

"But because it's a small place, the restaurants serve home-cooked dishes that ordinary people like to eat, and the ingredients are also common and inexpensive."

The Queen Mother smiled upon hearing this, and looked at the young girl in front of her with admiration: "Only a good cook can say that he can cook home-cooked dishes. To be able to make home-cooked dishes so popular, he must have good cooking skills."

"I wonder what dish you are going to prepare for me when you come to the palace today."

As she spoke, she deliberately said picky: "Let me make it clear first, I don't want to eat those mutton, bear paws, and bird's nests."

"The dishes served at the daily price are either fat chickens, big ducks, mutton pots, or stewed bird's nests. They are so greasy that just one look is enough."

"These days, I can only eat meat porridge, but it's barely half a bowl."

"I don't know how the cooks cooked it, but the porridge was so greasy. If it weren't for the pickled vegetables, I wouldn't be able to eat it."

As soon as Shen Yu heard it, he understood the empress dowager's problem. No wonder she had poor digestion and stomach discomfort.

This is because the spleen and stomach are out of balance after catching a cold. At this time, one should eat a light diet, but the imperial kitchen still cooks oily food, and even a bowl of porridge is meat porridge. How can one bear this?

Shen Yu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. My uncle is a doctor. I consulted him before coming here. He said that in your case, you should eat light and fresh food."

"If the Queen Mother trusts me, I will cook you a bowl of porridge and two dishes of pickled vegetables. You can have a refreshing meal. Do you think it's good?"

Old Madam Lu didn't expect that Shen Yu actually planned to make porridge for the empress dowager.

Everyone can cook porridge. This girl is just fooling around.

She was originally full of confidence in Shen Yu, but now she was worried. However, since the Queen Mother was sitting in front of her, she could only smile and say, "Miss Shen, don't be ridiculous. The imperial chef in this palace can make porridge."