frightfiction Chapter 1295 Concubine Zhuang is uneasy
Chapter 1295 Concubine Zhuang is uneasy
He paused, a look of helplessness on his face. "It is said that since Concubine Chun's last miscarriage, His Majesty has spoken out, instructing the palace to take good care of Concubine Chun and to nurse her back to health. Naturally, the people in the Imperial Kitchen dare not neglect her."
"But I don't know what's wrong with Concubine Chun these days. Her taste has become more and more picky."
"Last night, she suddenly had an idea and insisted on calling Xiao Qinzi over for questioning. It was because Xiao Qinzi had traveled to the Western Regions with his master in his early years and had seen some of the scenery there."
"Noble Lady Chun summoned him and questioned him for half an hour, asking him what new ingredients the imperial kitchen had recently received and what new dishes he had come up with."
"I also asked if I could try to make some snacks based on her description. Concubine Chun said that the food made by the imperial chef in the palace was always not right, which made her feel uneasy, but she also wanted to eat it very much."
"Little Qinzi complained to someone this morning, saying that Concubine Chun's descriptions were so exaggerated that they really put him in a difficult position. He racked his brains for most of the night and wrote down several pages before he could barely get by."
"When he came out of Shuixi Pavilion, he felt dizzy and kept lamenting the difficulty of this task. He was worried that if the things he made in the past few days could not satisfy Concubine Chun, he would be called back to work on it again..."
After Xiao Mingzi finished speaking, the hall was silent for a moment.
Handan shook her head and said, "Listen, Your Majesty, Concubine Chun is really a troublemaker!"
"Which of the chefs in the imperial kitchen isn't a skilled cook? Even they can't make Concubine Chun's authentic hometown flavor, and she expects a eunuch to come up with a way?"
"From my perspective, she doesn't want to eat at all. She's just unhappy and is taking it out on the servants in various ways."
Fuqiu frowned slightly upon hearing this: "Handan is right. Concubine Chun is too ignorant of her limits."
"Your Majesty sympathizes with her grief over the loss of her son and has offered her many comforts. How could she use a feather as a token of authority and humiliate her subordinates in this way?"
"The Imperial Kitchen has complicated relationships. Concubine Chun is making enemies for herself by acting this way."
Handan looked at Shen Zhinian and said softly, "Your Majesty, do you think you should find an opportunity to teach Concubine Chun a lesson? This will prevent her from becoming even more unruly and corrupting the morals of the palace."
Shen Zhinian did not speak immediately, his eyes were deep and thoughtful.
This statement seems to be reasonable and fits perfectly.
Concubine Chun was born in the Western Regions. It is natural for her to feel homesick and relieve it through food.
Moreover, she was spoiled by nature, and using the emperor's oral order to harass the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen was consistent with her usual style of making trouble.
Everything seemed like an ordinary farce in which concubines in the harem made trouble out of nothing.
But for some reason, Shen Zhinian still felt that something was wrong...
It's so reasonable that it makes people feel a little uncomfortable.
Shen Zhinian thought of the subtle connection between Prince Jin and Concubine Chun...
Although she could never find any concrete evidence, she never really let go of her suspicions.
"Little Qinzi..."
Shen Zhinian softly repeated the name and asked, "Do you know all his details?"
Xiao Mingzi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have checked."
"Little Qinzi was assigned to the Imperial Kitchen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs three years ago. His family is a farmer in the suburbs of Beijing and has a clean background."
"He's usually quite clever, but there's nothing particularly remarkable about him. He's just an ordinary eunuch doing his job. I haven't heard of him having any special connections with any masters, or outside the palace."
Shen Zhinian pondered for a moment, and her voice returned to its usual calmness: "Forget it."
"Since His Majesty has ordered that Concubine Chun be well taken care of, let her eat whatever she wants and indulge in whatever she wants. As long as it's not excessive, there's no need to interfere."
Having said that, Shen Zhinian raised her eyes and looked at Xiao Mingzi, her eyes calm and unwavering: "But I still have to keep a close eye on Shuixi Pavilion."
"Not only Concubine Chun, but also everyone who enters and leaves Shuixi Pavilion, especially... this little Qinzi."
"If he goes there again in the future, who he meets, what he says, even if it's just the slightest bit unusual, you must report it to me immediately."
Xiao Mingzi's heart trembled, knowing that the queen did not completely believe that set of words, and immediately bowed and responded: "Yes! I understand!"
"And over in the imperial kitchen..."
Shen Zhinian raised the corners of his lips slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "Since Concubine Chun wants to taste the flavors of her hometown, you don't have to stop her, you can even... help her."
"I'm also very curious about what the food from the Western Regions tastes like."
Fuqiu instantly understood Shen Zhinian's intention.
The Empress is trying to retreat in order to advance, to see what kind of trouble Concubine Chun wants to stir up by using the excuse of food.
She immediately responded, "Yes, Madam, I will go and give the order right away."
Handan blinked and understood: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"Let's see whether Concubine Chun really wants to eat naan from the Western Regions, or if she's up to something!"
A hint of contemplation flashed across Shen Zhinian's eyes.
Is Concubine Chun's behavior really unreasonable, or is Prince Jin using her to play another trick?
Imperial Kitchen...
It is responsible for purchasing food for each palace. There is a lot of personnel coming and going there, and information flows very quickly. It is indeed a good place to transmit information.
Concubine Chun was able to say a lot of things under the pretext of discussing recipes to conceal her true intentions.
Xiao Qinzi, is this really the key point?
Shen Zhinian picked up the warm tea at hand, took a sip, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
No matter what the other party wants to do, she doesn't mind making the water more muddy.
Only when the water becomes muddy will the fish hiding in the depths be unable to help but emerge.
……
Changchun Palace.
The scent of sandalwood wafts through the small Buddhist hall.
Concubine Zhuang knelt on the cushion, holding a string of smooth red sandalwood Buddhist beads, her eyes slightly closed, silently reciting scriptures.
The sunlight filtered through the high windows and fell onto her plain robe, outlining a solemn silhouette.
Ruoji came over quietly and stood by the door, without making any sound to disturb her, just waiting quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of Concubine Zhuang chanting gradually subsided.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Ruoji calmly: "What's the matter?"
Ruoji then stepped forward and whispered, "Madam, little Caizi has returned and said he has something important to report."
Concubine Zhuang paused for a moment as she twirled her Buddhist beads, then returned to normal: "Let him in."
"Yes."
Little Caizi quickly bowed and entered, his face filled with suppressed excitement and indignation, and saluted neatly: "Your servant pays respects to the Empress!"
"Get up."
Concubine Zhuang's voice remained gentle: "But what have you found out?"
These days, she appeared calm on the surface, but she never stopped her secret investigations.
The dirty water poured down on her was so cruel and poisonous that it nearly drove her into despair. Concubine Zhuang couldn't rest until she got to the bottom of it.