AEOGA CH25

“No matter.” Xie Chongjin swept his gaze across the crowd, noticing how exhausted each of them truly was. Usually, they were all exceptionally handsome and elegant young men, but at this moment, they could hardly bother with their grooming and appearance.

Even Hua Yan, who cared the most about his image and loved dressing up, had forgotten to apply his usual cosmetics, showing up completely bare-faced. A true beauty had no fear of going makeup-free; his features remained incredibly striking.

“You have all worked hard for the imperial court. We shall not discuss state affairs today,” Xie Chongjin announced. “We have only invited you all to stay for lunch to express the gratitude of this Empress and myself. Starting tomorrow, you are granted three days of rest to recoup your strength.”

Rooting out three years of accumulated corruption in under two months was an unimaginable workload. They were genuinely exhausted. However, the situation back then had been critical and brooked no delay. When even the Emperor himself stayed up reading official documents by lamplight until dawn and still had the energy to attend court the next morning, what right did they have to not work hard? They had to grit their teeth and push through.

Now that the situation had temporarily settled, it was only natural to give these exhausted subordinates a vacation to rest. Only after resting could they have more abundant energy to work. After all, humans were not draft animals. Even draft animals needed rest.

Liu Yansheng said, “Loyally serving Your Majesty and the nation is our duty. There is no need for Your Majesty to thank us.”

Nevertheless, everyone was visibly delighted about the holiday. After all, none of them wanted to die of overwork at such a young age.

Hua Yan finally mustered the strength to speak, “Is there food? That’s wonderful! I worked so late last night that I didn’t even eat dinner, I’m absolutely starving…”

None of them were surprised by the Emperor keeping them for a meal. This was akin to everyone working together to accomplish a grand feat; once it was over, there had to be a celebratory feast to reward their hard work.

As everyone took their seats around the dining table, Yun Luo clapped his hands twice. Soon, palace servants filed in carrying arrays of exquisite dishes.

Qin Yulong sniffed the air. “Smells incredible.”

Wang Yiming stared at the fragrant, dazzling spread of dishes and swallowed his saliva. “Wow, is this authentic imperial cuisine? It looks even more delicious than the food at my family’s restaurant.”

Everyone knew Changli was poor and had been consciously practicing frugality. Moreover, when they got busy, they often couldn’t spare time to eat properly, treating meals as quick tasks to finish before rushing back to work. For the past two months, their meals had basically consisted of coarse tea and simple food with very little meat or oil. Wang Yiming had practically wept over it; he ate far better at home than in the palace.

This time, however, the spread was unprecedentedly lavish. There were over twenty dishes, each beautifully plated with a perfect balance of fish and meat, exquisite in color, aroma, and taste. It was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. The celebratory feast was indeed generous, defying their usual budget.

Xie Chongjin said, “Yun Luo, sit down as well.”

Yun Luo arrested people late into the night every day and had performed outstanding service; he deserved a seat at this celebratory feast.

Yun Luo’s eyes flickered slightly. He didn’t utter any trembling words of fear about sharing a table with the Emperor and Empress. He simply bowed, answered with a respectful “Acknowledged,” and found an empty seat to sit down. He simply did as the Emperor commanded.

As the enticing aromas wafted around them, everyone wanted nothing more than to dig in immediately, but they still maintained decorum on the surface, waiting for the Emperor and Empress to pick up their chopsticks first. If those two didn’t move, no one dared to start.

Xie Chongjin was the first to pick up his chopsticks. He placed a piece of fish into Lu Xuechao’s bowl. “Qingshu, eat more meat.”

Then, he added a piece of cabbage. “Eat more vegetables, too.”

Next, he added a few shrimp. “Shrimp is also your favorite.”

In no time at all, the food in Lu Xuechao’s bowl was piled as high as a small hill, and he hadn’t even picked up his own chopsticks yet.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Xie Chongjin asked solicitously.

Glancing at the unshelled shrimp, he suddenly realized. “I’ll peel them for you.”

In the past, when the two of them ate, they disliked having servants wait on them. Whenever Lu Xuechao cooked, Xie Chongjin was responsible for peeling shells and removing bones at the table. He had long since grown accustomed to this. He didn’t mind the grease on his hands, nor did he feel that doing the work of a servant lowered his status. Since Qingshu could wash his hands to make broth for him, what did these small gestures matter?

What was a normal routine to Xie Chongjin, however, looked like this to the onlookers: “…”

Absolutely shocking.

They could tell that the Emperor really wasn’t trying to show off his affection on purpose. His movements and tone were simply too natural and practiced, as if peeling shrimp for the Empress was a matter of absolute course. And precisely because of this, it showed just how deeply in love they were.

Lu Xuechao pressed down on Xie Chongjin’s hand as he went to peel the shrimp, whispering, “There are still people here.”

In the past, they only behaved this way when they were alone. Now, with so many eyes on them, Lu Xuechao felt rather self-conscious. In matters of affection, he had always been thin-skinned. He would feel embarrassed and annoyed even upon learning that Xie Chongjin had shared their love story with others; being pampered in front of so many people made him feel even more awkward.

Xie Chongjin raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice similarly. “Just because people are here doesn’t mean I can’t peel them for you?”

Lu Xuechao pursed his lips.

Xie Chongjin chuckled. The more he looked at him, the cuter he found him. He teased in a whisper only the two of them could hear, “Why are you so shy? Your ears are completely red…”

Lu Xuechao picked up a meatball with his chopsticks and stuffed it directly into Xie Chongjin’s mouth, turning his head away to focus on eating.

Shut up, I don’t want to hear you talk.

Xie Chongjin chewed and swallowed the meatball with a smile, looking in exceptionally high spirits. He spoke aloud to the table, “Everyone, please help yourselves.”

Everyone: “…”

Thank you. We haven’t even started eating, but we’re already stuffed to the brim with dog food.

They watched as the Emperor and Empress whispered sweet nothings to each other as if no one else were in the room, whispering until the Empress’s face flushed, and even feeding each other. They might as well sit at the dogs’ table.

Once the Emperor and Empress picked up their chopsticks, the rest of the group threw away their reservations and began digging in.

They had originally planned to remain prim and proper in front of the Emperor and Empress, making sure not to eat too much or too ravenously, aiming to look elegant, dignified, and refined.

But the moment the food entered his mouth, Hua Yan’s eyes went wide.

“So delicious! What is this dish called?”

“Emerald White Jade,” Liu Yansheng recited the courtly name of the dish. “In common terms, it’s just cabbage.”

Hua Yan: “…Of course I know it’s cabbage. I’ve just never seen it prepared this way.”

Cabbage was a very common vegetable, and the people of Changli usually stir-fried it. However, stir-frying made it lose its moisture, leaving it with a yellow, unappealing color and an average taste. This cabbage, however, retained a vibrant, fresh color—a jade-white translucent stem with a crisp green leaf—truly fitting the name of Emerald White Jade. Tossed with a bit of sugar, it tasted incredibly crisp, sweet, and refreshing, making it impossible not to want another bite.

Hearing this, Fu Xinian also took a piece of cabbage, tasted it, and marveled, “Jade dew condenses on fresh leaves, white cabbage drapes in a green silk skirt.”

Hua Yan: “The Tanhua Scholar is indeed a man of culture.” Composing a poem just like that; he was far more educated.

Seeing that even Fu Xinian had written a poem to praise it, the others grew curious. They quickly reached for the cabbage, and after tasting it, they all praised its crisp sweetness. At this point, they threw all elegance out the window, abandoning the table of delicacies to fight for the cabbage.

With everyone grabbing a piece, the plate of cabbage was practically emptied in the blink of an eye.

Helian Xi felt his mouth water. The cabbage was far from him, and he held his chopsticks in hesitation for a long time, ultimately feeling too embarrassed to reach out like the others. At Changli’s celebratory feast, it was already strange enough for him—a person from Xifeng who had contributed nothing—to be sitting here. He couldn’t go and grab food from others. Even if the Empress didn’t treat him as an outsider, he couldn’t act like one of them.

The plate was soon completely empty. The very last piece of cabbage was swept up by Qin Yulong next to him.

It seems I really won’t get to eat any, Helian Xi thought, lowering his eyes in disappointment. He buried his head in his rice, pretending he had no interest in the cabbage.

Suddenly, a leaf of cabbage landed on his rice. Helian Xi blinked in surprise and turned his head, only to see Qin Yulong speaking stiffly, “I don’t eat vegetables. Finish it.”

Qin Yulong had absolutely no fondness for this young prince. It was just that seeing Helian Xi staring longingly at the plate of cabbage for so long, hesitating to lift his hand several times… it looked rather pitiful. It was just a single piece of cabbage; giving it to him was no big deal. Otherwise, people might think Changli was abusing him, letting a foreign prince go without even a bite of cabbage.

It was absolutely not because his heart had softened!

Helian Xi: “…”

If you don’t eat vegetables, why did you grab it in the first place? Besides, I just saw you eat two pieces of cabbage earlier.

He was the proud Ninth Prince of Xifeng. Even if he starved to death, he would never eat a piece of cabbage thrown to him as charity by Qin Yulong!

Helian Xi stuffed the cabbage into his mouth and let out the same praise as everyone else: “So delicious.”

…

Once the cabbage was gone, everyone felt a wave of emptiness. The other dishes were also delicious, but what they craved the most turned out to be a simple dish of cabbage; the aftertaste was truly endless.

“The preparation of this fish is also very novel. It’s cut into a peculiar shape, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet and sour,” Shen Hezhou remarked. “Has a new imperial chef arrived at the palace?”

He had lived in the palace for three years and knew what the imperial meals tasted like. Today’s dishes were indeed generally better than usual, but the styles weren’t overly innovative. The only two dishes they had never seen before were that cabbage and this fish.

When the others tasted it, they were instantly blown away, launching a new battle over the food. To hell with dignity and refinement—no one could resist gourmet food!

“Fish can actually be made to taste like this?”

“Which chef made this dish? He’s a treasure.”

“What is this dish called? My father is a gourmet himself and has tasted dozens of fish preparations, but he’s never seen this one.”

Lu Xuechao explained, “This dish is called Squirrel Mandarin Fish. After slicing, it is marinated with seasonings, coated in starch, deep-fried in a wok, and drizzled with sweet and sour sauce.”

Everyone looked like they understood, yet didn’t quite understand.

Except for Lin Chanzhi, almost none of them knew how to cook. Even Lin Chanzhi hadn’t expected the produce he grew to taste this delicious. The cabbage was grown by him. Two months wasn’t a long time, only enough to harvest some cabbage and garlic sprouts. He had cooked the cabbage himself before, and while it tasted better than ordinary restaurants, it was absolutely nothing like this.

The skills of the imperial kitchen were indeed extraordinary.

The luncheon ended with both host and guests thoroughly satisfied. Every dish on the table was swept clean like a gust of wind. Though everyone was full, they still wanted more.

Xie Chongjin asked, “Are there any dishes you all particularly liked? We can have the imperial chefs prepare them more often in the future.”

Hua Yan said joyfully, “Then this subject won’t stand on ceremony? Naturally, it’s those two: the Emerald White Jade and the Squirrel Mandarin Fish… If the Emerald White Jade is merely refreshing, the Squirrel Mandarin Fish is simply divine! You wouldn’t find another place capable of making it even if you searched with a lantern.”

Qin Yulong chimed in, “This subject also agrees those two are the best. I’ve only just finished this meal, and I’m already thinking about the next.”

Liu Yansheng added, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for the hospitality. This subject only fears that after eating this once, I won’t be able to get used to anything else in the future.”

…

The Emerald White Jade and the Squirrel Mandarin Fish received unanimous praise from the entire harem.

Xie Chongjin nodded, and then delivered a shocking revelation.

“There is no need to thank this Emperor. Thank the Empress instead.”

“Both of these dishes were personally made by the Empress.”

Of course, this is also the only time, Xie Chongjin added silently in his heart.

Because no one else knew how to make them the first time, Lu Xuechao had personally cooked while the chefs watched and learned. Now that the recipes were written down, the chefs could just follow them.

To let Lu Xuechao cook for others—while others ate the food, Xie Chongjin would only consume jealousy.