After finishing the glutinous rice dumplings, Huo Lin stayed a while longer at Jiang Huan's place before returning.
Not long after Huo Lin left, Jiang Huan saw a procession of palace servants carrying various items to the West Side Hall.
Leading them was the chief eunuch, Wang Degui.
Jiang Huan blinked and proactively went to greet him.
"Sir, what brings you here?"
When Wang Degui saw Jiang Huan, a smile appeared on his face.
"His Majesty has sent this old servant to deliver these items. All of these are specially bestowed by the Emperor upon Changzai Zhuang."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huan felt profoundly moved—those few bites of glutinous rice dumplings hadn't gone to waste.
Not only had she not suffered a loss, but she had also made a substantial profit.
No loss at all, no loss at all.
She nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, sir."
"Changzai Zhuang, you're too kind. This humble servant is merely conveying the message. It is nothing more than my duty."
Wang Degui finished speaking with a beaming smile, then instructed the servants to set down the items, offered a few words of congratulations, and departed.
After Wang Degui left, Jiang Huan finally had the chance to examine the various rewards. Huo Lin had bestowed many things—gold and silver jewelry, jade ornaments, silks and satins, ointments for her leg injury—but the majority were food ingredients.
Among the bestowed items, ingredients made up half.
It was truly a targeted bribe.
This was the first time she had heard of an emperor bestowing so many food ingredients upon a consort.
She understood this blatant hint clearly!
"What a glutton," Jiang Huan couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
She arranged the delivered ingredients one by one in her small kitchen and discovered that some were even rare finds in the Imperial Kitchen, yet they had been bestowed upon her by the Emperor.
She guessed that the Imperial Kitchen probably had none left.
Jiang Huan raised an eyebrow, feeling delighted.
Recently, she had heard quite a few complaints about the Emperor. It seemed His Majesty held a deep grudge against the meals prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.
But this also made it even clearer that the Emperor enjoyed the food she made.
First, Consort Li's support, then Consort Yu's demotion, and now these rewards…
Jiang Huan had a feeling that the day she would move out of Jin Hua Palace wasn't far off. Her mood soared.
If this trend continued, wasn't it just about getting a promotion, a raise, and currying favor with the boss?
As a qualified workhorse from modern times, she could handle it!
Meanwhile, news of Jiang Huan receiving the Emperor's favor spread rapidly throughout the rear palace.
Wang Degui was the Chief Eunuch, and his presence often represented the Emperor.
Many palace maids and eunuchs from various palaces witnessed him leading servants carrying rewards covered with red cloth to Jiang Huan's quarters.
As someone sharing the same palace with Jiang Huan, Yu Changzai had received the news even earlier.
If it weren't for Jiang Huan, she wouldn't have been demoted and forced to move out of the main hall. Now, she had to watch helplessly as the Emperor rewarded Jiang Huan!?
Yu Changzai flew into a rage. "That vile woman!"
She swept her arm violently across the table, sending everything crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces.
The palace maids, seeing this, knelt in unison.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger."
Yu Changzai's eyes were red-rimmed, filled with jealousy and hatred.
In the rear palace, it would be one thing if the Emperor favored no one.
But showing exclusive favor was absolutely unacceptable. Once it happened, the balance would be broken.
Moreover, this person had neither power nor influence!
Yu Changzai snorted coldly. There was nothing she could do about Jiang Huan at the moment, but there were plenty of others willing to make life difficult for her.
Jiang Huan, just you wait!
A storm was brewing, yet Jiang Huan remained completely unaware of it all.
The next day was the day to pay respects to Imperial Concubine Jia.
Imperial Concubine Jia's palace was already filled with numerous imperial concubines. The moment Jiang Huan entered, the atmosphere in the hall instantly turned stiff.
Jiang Huan also sensed something amiss, but she had no choice but to brace herself and step forward gracefully, performing the ceremonial greeting: "Your humble servant pays respects to Imperial Concubine Jia."
Imperial Concubine Jia did not permit Jiang Huan to rise. Holding a teacup, she carefully skimmed the foam from the tea.
"This consort has heard that the small kitchen in Changzai Zhuang's residence has become even more bustling than the Imperial Kitchen."
"Exactly so," Yu Changzai glared resentfully at Jiang Huan, twisting her embroidered handkerchief tightly. "Yesterday, Chief Steward Wang sent many things to Changzai Zhuang, and the commotion lasted for quite some time."
Jiang Huan's heart tightened, but she maintained a calm smile on her face.
Well, this was clearly an accusation.
"Your Majesty jests. This humble servant merely has some modest culinary skills and was instructed by the Emperor to prepare some dishes for him."
As she spoke, she subtly shifted her kneeling position.
Having just knelt recently, it seemed she would have to endure it again this time.
Alas, when would these concubines understand?
What she was competing for wasn't favor—it was survival.
Imperial Concubine Jia's eyes darkened slightly as she set down her teacup. The cup met the saucer with a crisp sound.
A faint smile hung on her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Sharing the Emperor's burdens is commendable, but Changzai Zhuang must not exhaust herself. Otherwise, the loss would outweigh the gain."
Imperial Concubine Jia's words were clearly a warning to Jiang Huan, telling her not to monopolize the Emperor's favor.
Jiang Huan kept her head lowered but secretly glanced sideways at Imperial Concubine Jia.
Since when has being skilled at cooking become a crime?
She couldn't let Imperial Concubine Jia seize on this any further.
A dull ache began to spread in her knees, and Jiang Huan found it hard to endure.
"Thank you for your concern, Imperial Concubine. This humble servant will take care. However, the Emperor is awaiting the dishes I prepare, which require several hours to complete. I fear delaying His Majesty."
She didn't state it explicitly, but the imperial concubines were all shrewd.
This was using the Emperor as an excuse to escape!
Imperial Concubine Jia's knuckles turned white. Of course, she knew Jiang Huan was doing this deliberately.
But how could she simply let the delay happen?
If the Emperor were to blame her, the next demotion might very well be hers!
Yu Changzai was a living example.
Imperial Concubine Jia had no choice. She snorted coldly and reluctantly waved her hand, allowing Jiang Huan to leave.
Returning to the West Side Hall, Xiao Zhao immediately rushed to greet Jiang Huan, her eyes filled with concern.
"Madam, you've finally returned! Did Imperial Concubine Jia give you any trouble?"
The injuries on Xiao Zhao's face had mostly healed, with only a faint mark remaining at the corner of her mouth, but it no longer prevented her from appearing in public.
Touched by Xiao Zhao's concern, Jiang Huan smiled faintly.
There is still genuine warmth in this world.
She wanted to pour out her grievances to Xiao Zhao, but then she remembered Xiao Zhao's tendency to speak without filter…
Better not invite more trouble.
"I'm fine. With the Emperor's support, they wouldn't dare to harass me."
Xiao Zhao finally relaxed and began chattering excitedly again.
"Now that Madam is favored, you should make those concubines jealous, especially Yu Changzai. She must be furious!"
Jiang Huan was amused by Xiao Zhao's liveliness and couldn't help but chuckle, her mood brightening.
With Huo Lin's backing these days, her life had indeed become easier.
While others used their beauty to compete for favor, she used her culinary skills to win favor, and she was quite content with that.
Thinking about it this way, being Huo Lin's loyal follower wasn't so bad after all.
That's not impossible!