The State of Lu and the State of Dulan had failed to send troops in time to rescue the Emperor during the rebellion of Zhou Pu and the Xia Kingdom. Now, they were on their way to the capital, preparing to plead guilty.
After the court was dismissed, Qin Wuheng did not leave. He followed Qi Shen back to Ziyan Palace and asked how he intended to deal with the two states.
Qi Shen curved his lips into a faint smile. How to deal with them? Under normal circumstances, heavy charges would naturally be imposed. However, this time he had won so comfortably that his mood was rather good. He decided that when the lords of the two states arrived tomorrow, he would not punish them.
The smile on his lips deepened. He could already imagine the anxious, fearful expressions of those so-called spectators among the feudal lords.
Qin Wuheng could not understand his amusement and furrowed his brows. “Your Majesty, this time I feel that Consort Jing is acting rather strangely. Zhou Pu was dealt with so quickly in the Heavenly Prison. Don’t you find it suspicious?”
“Cang Ji has already reported it. Zhou Pu’s injuries were in critical areas. It was the result of severe punishment.”
“Then what Consort Jing said in court today…”
“And what of it?” Qi Shen pushed aside stacks of memorials and began idly playing with a wooden carved figurine.
Qin Wuheng fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “Earlier, some ministers saw that the Remonstrator and the Grand Historian were called away by the eunuch serving Consort Jing. After careful thought, I fear this may be disadvantageous to Your Majesty. After all, Consort Jing is your woman. If she harbors ill intentions and seeks revenge for Zhou Pu, I worry for Your Majesty’s safety.”
Qi Shen paused his hand just as he was about to place a carved child figurine onto a swing.
He said nothing.
The hall fell into complete silence.
Yet Qin Wuheng felt an invisible pressure and chilling aura descend upon him.
He immediately knelt. “This minister has misspoken. I only worry for Your Majesty’s safety.”
With a loud thud, Qi Shen casually threw the child figurine in his hand aside.
“A mere woman. Does she think she can stir up waves within my grasp?”
His expression remained composed, but the suppressed coldness in his voice made Qin Wuheng realize he had crossed a line.
No matter what, Consort Jing was still the Emperor’s woman. Saying she wanted revenge for Zhou Pu was no different from implying betrayal.
Qin Wuheng quickly apologized and withdrew from the palace hall. Yet the moment he turned away, the humble expression in his eyes turned sharp.
Cang Ji hurriedly brought several sugar-preserved fruits to Qi Shen, partly to calm his nerves, or more accurately, to calm his own.
Fortunately, the one who had angered the tyrant was his cousin. He could clearly see that Qi Shen was suppressing his rage and did not wish to punish Qin Wuheng. If it had been anyone else, their head would already have fallen.
Qi Shen had already seen through everything. Jing Xin had changed.
When she returned to the palace from the royal villa, she had been in tears, her beautiful face completely free of makeup. That clean, unadorned look had even startled him for a brief moment.
It was the first time he had seen her without cosmetics. She had always been the type who loved beauty to the extent of sleeping in heavy makeup.
And earlier that morning, she had even spoken in court about wanting to become a “good consort,” a ridiculous statement.
Since ascending the throne, many feudal lords and ministers had sent him beautiful women, all with hidden agendas. He was known as a tyrant, yet he despised such flattery. Most of those women were either dismissed to become palace servants or gifted to officials.
Until Jing Xin appeared.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
Seductive by nature, passionate in bed, and after observing her for a period, he confirmed she had not contacted Zhou Pu since entering the palace. She was greedy for wealth and ruthless in nature, a perfect match for him.
She was the first woman in his harem, and so far the only one.
To be honest, she had narrowly escaped death this time. When Qin Wuheng had suggested using her as bait and sending her out of the palace, Qi Shen had said she did not have the courage to do something like that. Fortunately, she had not disappointed him, while Qin Wuheng had lost this round.
If she had truly done something like that, he might not have spared even a trace of sentiment when killing her.
And yet, that woman who once served him so passionately in bed was somehow starting to look dull to him.
The entire nation called them a pair of shameless lovers. He had once believed they were indeed perfectly suited, yet he clearly understood she was nothing more than a toy, something he looked down upon.
Now that she had not committed a fatal mistake, breaking such a beautiful vase would be a pity.
After all, there was no second vase in the world as beautiful and pliable as her.
The sugar candies were just sweet enough. After swallowing them, Qi Shen casually asked, “What is Consort Jing doing?”
“After returning to her palace, she has been resting. She ordered pastries from the imperial kitchen, and her servants went out to purchase cosmetics and rouge. There has been no unusual activity,” Cang Ji replied.
Qi Shen lazily pushed aside the wooden figurine. Cang Ji immediately understood and placed a soft armrest filled with silk floss for him.
Resting his wrist on it, Qi Shen glanced through a couple of memorials half-heartedly.
“If she dares to cause any trouble with Wen Boyuan or Guan Zong, you know what to do.”
“This servant understands. I will ensure her movements in Tangcui Palace are closely monitored.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?” Qi Shen suddenly flung a memorial aside in anger. “A local magistrate dares to submit such ridiculous reports based on some ruined city god temple rumor? Let him guard his temple instead!”
The entire hall fell to its knees in fear.
Cang Ji crawled forward to retrieve the memorial, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
It turned out to be a report from a newly appointed magistrate who, instead of conforming and suppressing dissent against the tyrant, wrote earnestly about how the local city god temple was said to have a deity pitying the suffering of the people and guiding reform.
Qi Shen did not kill anyone this time, but he ordered all city god temples across the country to be demolished.
Meanwhile, Jing Xin had just received good news from Shou Quan. The ingredients for baking had finally been found.
“This servant carefully tasted and confirmed them according to Your Highness’s instructions. That farmer was eager to sell everything to us. He said these were newly developed ingredients that people did not yet accept,” Shou Quan reported.
Jing Xin tasted the cream Shou Quan had brought back. It was animal-based fresh cream with a rich flavor.
In this era, production efficiency was low and ingredients were very limited. That farmer’s family had accidentally developed this new ingredient, but since no one knew how to use it, it was not accepted by the public.
The next day, Shou Quan brought back low-gluten and high-gluten flour as instructed. Both were newly developed ingredients whose culinary value had not yet been discovered.
Jing Xin understood that none of this was a coincidence. It was as if heaven itself had agreed to a pact with her, a small golden finger granted to her.
She invested in and took over these small household workshops, expanding their manpower and ordering them to supply the royal palace exclusively.
With ingredients prepared, it was time to make tools.
The palace had a dedicated manufacturing department. Jing Xin drew several design sketches.
The Head of the Palace Department, a thirty-year-old woman named Sang Jiao Hu, assumed that the usually beauty-obsessed Consort Jing was designing jewelry. When she saw the strange drawings, she asked in confusion what they were.
Jing Xin instructed, “Follow the details and drawings exactly as I told you. Remember, this is confidential. No one is allowed to know except His Majesty, myself, and you.”
She was worried Qin Wuheng, that scheming man, would help Shen Qingyue steal the idea.
These simplified tools, such as hand mixers, iron ovens, and cream, would not be monopolized by her forever. Once things stabilized, she intended to let the entire nation learn baking. But that would only come after she had firmly secured Qi Shen’s favor.
……
On a moonlit night, a gentle breeze carried a refreshing coolness.
In the courtyard, a white night-blooming flower quietly blossomed.
Normally, the palace maids would have gathered to admire it, but tonight no one even noticed.
Tangcui Palace was filled with a rich aroma of milk and eggs.
The palace attendants had never smelled such a sweet fragrance before and were visibly excited.
The simple oven Jing Xin made was constructed from iron plates and placed inside a newly built stove. Fire was lit underneath and the iron door was closed. At the back, a simple fan mechanism could be turned by hand to circulate hot air.
The first item baked was a simple chiffon cake. The hand mixer was not ready yet, so no cream was made today.
It was the first time using such an oven, and Jing Xin did not fully control the temperature. The surface of the cake cracked slightly, but when she opened the oven door, the aroma filled the air. She knew it had succeeded.
At that moment, Shou Quan rushed in. “Your Highness, may I speak with you privately?”
They returned to the inner hall. It turned out Wen Boyuan had requested Jing Xin persuade Qi Shen not to demolish the city god temples.
The order had just been issued that afternoon and would soon spread across all regions. Because Tangcui Palace had been busy baking, Jing Xin had only just learned of it.
In this era, people deeply believed in deities. Qi Shen had already offended public sentiment, and now he intended to strip even divine protection from the nation. Was he planning to befriend the King of Hell?
A new task had arrived, and Jing Xin felt a headache coming on.
Returning to the courtyard, the palace maids and eunuchs stared at the cake with longing. Jing Xin tasted a piece. It was sweet, slightly cracked on the surface, but the flavor was not affected.
She had the servants distribute it. Everyone had never eaten anything like it before and was stunned. There was too little to go around, and they were still unsatisfied.
The next day, the whisk was still not ready, so the palace servants took turns whipping cream with chopsticks.
Early in the morning, Jing Xin personally baked choux pastry shells. Once the cream was finally whipped, she successfully made cream puffs in one attempt.
Qi Shen seemed to enjoy playing with soft, elastic objects hanging at his waist. Did he like such things?
She brought the cream puffs to Ziyan Palace, intending to use food as a way to begin her “redemption plan.”
It was noon, the sun was scorching hot. Fortunately, the ice in the food box had not yet melted.
However, Jing Xin was stopped outside the main hall by Cang Ji.
“Your Highness, His Majesty is very busy today. He has just finished his meal and is resting. Please wait a little longer.”
There was nothing she could do but wait.
Yet even after half an hour, she was still not summoned.
Chang Huan said, “Your Highness, some of the small ice blocks are beginning to melt.”
Jing Xin had the attendants send another message.
Qi Shen was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Cang Ji reported, “Consort Jing brought pastries for Your Majesty. She is standing outside in the sun, her cheeks already red.”
The blade of the sword reflected sharp light under the sun. Qi Shen did not stop his movements.
“Did Wen Boyuan meet her last night?”
“Yes! The Grand Remonstrator only waited at the outer gate of Lezhumen and met one of Consort Jing’s attendants.”
Qi Shen let out a cold laugh, his movements growing faster and more ruthless. Branches nearby were cleanly severed.
“So she really thinks she can become a good consort? Ridiculous enough to make me laugh.”
Sweat slid down the bridge of his nose as he spoke coldly, “I have eaten every kind of pastry in this world. I will not see her.”