Ever since that late-night rice noodle incident, Xiao Jing shi had been unable to forget that bowl of bright red chili oil.
And Ye An’an had discovered a new source of fun—feeding this Crown Prince who never meant what he said.
However, she had something more important to deal with now.
Her private savings were running out!
Although she was the Crown Prince’s consort and received a generous monthly allowance, many of her strange spices and ingredients didn’t exist in the palace and had to be bought from outside at high prices.
If this continued, she would eventually go broke.
She needed to make money.
The best way was to turn her cooking skills into profit.
But opening a restaurant inside the palace was obviously unrealistic. She needed a partner who understood the market and could move freely in and out of the palace.
And that partner—aside from Xiao Jing shi—she couldn’t think of anyone else.
The problem was: how could she persuade him to take her out of the palace and agree to her “unconventional” business plan?
Ye An’an’s eyes lit up. A plan formed.
The old method again—win him over with food.
She decided to make teppanyaki.
Grilled tofu, grilled squid, roasted chicken wings… Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
But she needed key spices like cumin and chili powder, which the palace didn’t have.
Wasn’t that the perfect excuse?
She first asked Chen Zhu to secretly get a small packet of cumin from outside. Then she had the palace supply office procure a large iron griddle.
Everything was ready.
That afternoon, Ye An’an calculated the time, guessing the two young princes would be out of lessons soon. She set up her teppanyaki stall in the courtyard.
The iron plate was scorching hot. She brushed it with oil and placed diced tofu on it.
Sizzle—
The tofu met the hot oil, producing a wonderful sound. The surface quickly turned golden.
She sprinkled salt and chili powder. Finally, she added the soul of the dish—cumin.
The moment it hit the griddle, a powerful, domineering aroma filled Tinglan Pavilion.
The smell was even stronger than the malatang and pancakes combined. It carried far and wide.
She then placed marinated chicken wings on the griddle, dividing them into two flavors: extra spicy and honey-glazed mild.
The fat from the chicken skin dripped onto the iron plate, sizzling loudly. The fragrance rose to another level.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before the two little food lovers—the Seventh and Ninth Princes—followed the smell and appeared.
“Crown Sister-in-law! What are you making this time?”
“It smells amazing!”
Ye An’an smiled and handed each of them a skewer of grilled tofu and a honey-glazed chicken wing.
“Eat slowly. It’s hot!”
But they didn’t care. They bit in immediately, oil smearing their mouths, their eyes narrowing in bliss.
“It’s so good! Even better than the dumplings last time!”
“Yes!”
The three of them ate happily.
Ye An’an herself held an extra-spicy wing, hissing from the heat yet unwilling to stop.
She was also calculating the time. Xiao Jing shi should be returning soon.
…
Meanwhile, in Fengyi Palace.
Empress Wei was holding a bowl of bird’s nest soup, but she had no appetite.
Ever since she had eaten the shrimp dumplings and oden Ye An’an sent last time, she couldn’t forget the taste.
The imperial kitchen’s food was exquisite, but it always felt like something was missing.
It lacked… warmth and life.
“Nanny Gui, how do you think those shrimp dumplings were made? The skin was so thin, the filling so fresh,” she asked.
Nanny Gui replied hoarsely, “This old servant does not know. It must be the consort’s unique skill.”
Empress Wei set down the bowl, curiosity growing.
Suddenly she stood. “Let’s go to Tinglan Pavilion.”
She wanted to see what new creation her daughter-in-law was working on today.
Nanny Gui was surprised but immediately followed.
The Empress’s grand procession headed toward the Eastern Palace.
…
Back at Tinglan Pavilion, a plate of chicken wings was nearly finished, and Xiao Jing shi still hadn’t returned. Ye An’an was getting anxious.
At that moment, a sharp voice broke the cheerful atmosphere.
“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived—!”
“Pfft!”
Ye An’an almost spat out her chicken wing.
The two princes dropped theirs in shock, their faces turning pale.
They were finished. Caught red-handed!
The courtyard instantly descended into chaos. Fu Yun and Chen Zhu hurriedly knelt.
Ye An’an didn’t even have time to wipe her mouth. She hurriedly hid the chicken wing behind her back and bowed. “Greetings, Mother Empress.”
Empress Wei entered slowly, surrounded by attendants.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she smelled the strong, unfamiliar fragrance—domineering yet irresistible.
Then she saw the scene before her.
Her daughter-in-law, Crown Prince Consort Ye An’an, still had red chili oil at the corner of her mouth and seemed to be hiding something in her hand.
Her two adopted sons, the Seventh and Ninth Princes, looked like guilty little quails. Their mouths were oily, and a half-eaten chicken wing lay at their feet.
In the center of the courtyard, the large iron griddle continued to sizzle.
The entire scene was chaotic… yet oddly amusing.
For a moment, the dignified Empress’s expression cracked.
She said nothing. Her gaze landed on the iron plate.
The golden tofu and fragrant chicken wings were irresistibly tempting.
She unconsciously swallowed.
The atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Ye An’an inwardly groaned.
What kind of day was this? How was she supposed to get out of this situation now?