Xiao Zhao's eyes instantly widened, even forgetting the meat pie in her hand.
"Does my lady have a solution?"
Jiang Huan blinked at Xiao Zhao and smiled meaningfully. "With so many people in the palace, who says we need to personally handle the ingredient purchases?"
Xiao Zhao immediately grasped the implication in Jiang Huan's words. "My lady wants to find someone to buy them for us?"
Thinking she could still enjoy Jiang Huan's cooking in the future, Xiao Zhao became instantly happy. But her joy lasted less than a second before worry clouded her face again.
"But who would be willing to help us?"
Several mistresses in the rear palace particularly enjoyed bullying her lady, and even the servants from those palaces treated Jiang Huan with disdain.
Jiang Huan immediately understood Xiao Zhao's concerns and patiently guided her.
"Which place in the palace has the most abundant ingredients?"
Xiao Zhao suddenly realized: "The Imperial Kitchen!"
The Imperial Kitchen was responsible for the emperor's meals, making it difficult for rear palace consorts to interfere.
But they had neither personal connections nor imperial favor – what could they use to bribe anyone?
Xiao Zhao grew increasingly troubled, feeling it was completely impossible.
"My lady, the Imperial Kitchen has plenty of benefits, but we're as poor as church mice."
"Vulgar."
Jiang Huan lightly tapped Xiao Zhao's forehead and smiled slyly, her mind full of schemes.
"Who said bribing people only requires money?"
She took a bite of her meat pie and crooked her finger at Xiao Zhao.
Suspicious, Xiao Zhao leaned closer. Jiang Huan immediately shared her scheme, and Xiao Zhao's eyes grew brighter with each word.
If everything developed according to her lady's plan, it might actually work!
Excited, Xiao Zhao shot to her feet. "I'll go now!"
Jiang Huan looked up at the suddenly standing Xiao Zhao and waved her hand.
"What's the hurry? They're not going anywhere. Eat first."
"But…"
"No buts," Jiang Huan interrupted, pulling Xiao Zhao back down and stuffing another meat pie into her hand. "Look at this golden, fragrant meat pie. Are you willing to abandon it?"
Xiao Zhao wasn't willing. Xiao Zhao chose to sit and eat the pie.
Seeing this, Jiang Huan felt quite satisfied and leisurely took another bite of her own pie.
Mmm, so delicious. Her cooking skills were truly excellent!
After both had eaten their fill, Xiao Zhao cleaned up and left the West Side Hall to linger near the Imperial Kitchen.
She secretly observed the servants coming and going from the Imperial Kitchen, carefully screening potential targets according to Jiang Huan's instructions.
But before Xiao Zhao could select someone, someone approached her first.
A fair-skinned, kind-faced, somewhat plump young eunuch came up to Xiao Zhao for routine questioning.
"Which palace are you from? What's your name? What are you doing around here?"
Xiao Zhao didn't answer immediately, carefully examining the person before her.
Hmm, this physique, these conditions – completely matching what her lady said would make a suitable candidate!
But with people coming and going nearby, this wasn't a good place to talk.
Xiao Zhao mysteriously glanced around before whispering, "Sir, could we speak somewhere private?"
De Shan looked strangely at Xiao Zhao, unsure what she wanted.
"Is there something that can't be said here?"
Seeing De Shan unwilling to follow her, Xiao Zhao looked down at his stomach again and pulled out an oil-paper package from her robe.
"Sir, this servant came here to ask for your help. If you're willing, I'd like to offer this delicacy to you."
De Shan looked as if he'd heard something quite amusing.
"Excuse me, but this is the Imperial Kitchen we're talking about?"
What extraordinary delicacy could this little palace maid possibly produce? This was like brandishing an axe before Lu Ban, the master carpenter.
Moreover, as Wang Degui's junior apprentice, he frequented the Imperial Kitchen most often, tasked with delivering dishes to the emperor. Was there any delicacy he hadn't tasted?
De Shan paid no mind. "No matter how delicious your food is, can it possibly surpass that from the Imperial Kitchen?"
"Of course," Xiao Zhao replied with certainty. "Why don't you try a bite yourself, sir?"
Seeing she wasn't joking, De Shan grew surprised.
Skeptical, he glanced at Xiao Zhao a few more times, his curiosity piqued.
Since he had nothing better to do, he followed her to a secluded spot nearby.
"What delicacy is this? Open it and let me see."
Xiao Zhao no longer held back. Under De Shan's expectant gaze, she unwrapped the oiled paper.
A golden meat pie, now cold and limp, lay wilted on a lotus leaf.
The anticipation in De Shan's eyes vanished instantly. He snorted through his nose.
"This is it?"
Seeing his disdain, Xiao Zhao hurriedly said, "Sir, don’t underestimate this pie! It tastes wonderful!"
Thinking that since things had come this far, having a bite to tide him over wouldn’t hurt, De Shan picked up the meat pie and took a bite.
This would also serve to dismiss the little maid and keep her from pestering him further.
Though cold, the crust remained flaky and delicious, while the filling, rich with meaty flavor, spread across his palate.
De Shan froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he couldn’t resist taking another bite.
He had never tasted anything so delicious!
One bite led to another.
Seeing De Shan thoroughly enjoying it, Xiao Zhao seized the moment and suddenly snatched away the remaining half of the pie.
"Oh, sir, perhaps you shouldn’t eat any more. How could such coarse fare be worthy of your esteemed palate?"
"Wait!"
As the pie was taken from him, De Shan immediately grabbed her wrist.
Only when he met Xiao Zhao’s sly, smiling eyes did he realize he had lost his composure. He quickly covered it up with a cough.
"I… I just didn’t want to waste food!"
Xiao Zhao knew she was halfway to success.
She had always said her mistress’s cooking was unparalleled—no one could resist it!
Obligingly, she returned the pie to De Shan and waited until he had finished the entire thing before speaking leisurely.
"So, sir, was I right or not?"
As the saying goes, one who accepts food is beholden; one who accepts gifts is softened.
De Shan’s attitude toward Xiao Zhao was no longer as impatient as before.
"Speak. What do you want me to help you with?"
Xiao Zhao, seizing the opportunity, promptly replied, "Sir, it’s like this. This humble maid is Xiao Zhao, a servant attending to Changzai Zhuang. I’d like to ask you to help purchase some ingredients."
De Shan was curious. "You’re a maid serving your mistress. What do you need ingredients for?"
"Sir, you may not know," Xiao Zhao said, her face falling. "My mistress is often shortchanged and has to tread carefully in the palace, always watching others’ moods. She prepares her own meals, but now that she’s been confined for many days, there’s not a grain of rice or flour left in her quarters. The meat pie I gave you today was our last bit of food…"
Xiao Zhao’s tone was mournful. She wiped her sleeve across her face, deliberately rubbing her eyelids until they were red.
"The day before yesterday, when my mistress cooked porridge, she had to fish out the rice grains one by one with an embroidery needle! And look at this dress of mine…" She lifted the hem of her skirt and shook it, revealing a large hole where oil stains had attracted mice. "Just look! The mice were so hungry they gnawed on my skirt as if it were a pancake!"
She let out a sob, pulled out a handkerchief, and blew her nose with a thunderous honk.
"Your Grace, please see reason! If this continues, my mistress won't even be able to afford to keep a mouse!"
After listening for a while, De Shan felt somewhat bewildered.
Was there really such a pitiful consort in the palace?
For the sake of this meat pie, he could offer some help, but he couldn't be too reckless.
"Alright, alright, stop with the pitiful act. The Imperial Kitchen still has some scallions and noodles left. Do you want them?"
"Is that all there is?"
"That's all," De Shan replied firmly. He wasn't the manager of the Imperial Kitchen, and being able to provide these items was already quite generous.
Xiao Zhao didn't believe it—how could the vast Imperial Kitchen only have such meager supplies?
She wanted to ask for more, but De Shan insisted that was all there was.
Xiao Zhao had no choice. With a worried and dejected expression, she eventually took the scallions and noodles.
After all, having something was better than having nothing.