Chapter 92 The Empress Grows Fonder of Ji Yuntang

Chapter 92: The Empress Becomes Increasingly Satisfied with Ji Yuntang

The Empress was all for Emperor Jingyang's proposal.

"I believe Your Majesty's suggestion is excellent. The daily procurement of ingredients in the palace costs a ton of silver. By cutting back on the three meals a day, we not only reduce palace expenses but also set a good example for folks out there. That way, everyone'll start valuing food more."

"The grain and silver saved can be used to aid the people in remote areas, cutting down on people starving to death. More regular folks and soldiers in the army'll have enough to eat. In the long run, this is indeed a good thing."

The Empress remembered how two years ago, she had mentioned to Emperor Jingyang the idea of reducing palace allowances, but he wouldn't hear it.

He just said coldly, "The harem shall not interfere in state affairs."

Basically, he told her to stay out of court business.

The Empress had been pretty frustrated about it for a while. But out of nowhere, Ji Yuntang's words today totally changed Emperor Jingyang's mind.

The more the Empress looked at Ji Yuntang, the more she liked her, and she even started seeing Ji Qingqing in a better light.

If Ji Qingqing hadn't butted in to pick a fight with Ji Yuntang, Ji Yuntang wouldn't have dropped that "food is the top priority" line, and Emperor Jingyang wouldn't have given that order.

So in a way, Ji Qingqing actually did something good.

Ji Yuntang really was a lucky charm for their Dongchen Kingdom.

Feeling all happy now, the Empress looked at Ji Yuntang with even more affection. She was already mulling over what to gift Ji Yuntang when the palace party wrapped up.

"Princess Ye, what dishes are you planning to cook? Want me to have someone bring the stove from the imperial kitchen over here?"

Ji Yuntang was speechless.

She quickly said, "No need, no need. I'll just head to the imperial kitchen and whip something up. Just hang tight here, Your Majesty, Your Highness, and everyone."

"Sure thing. The Emperor and I aren't in a rush. Princess Ye, take your sweet time."

The Empress said with a smile, Luo Qingge immediately darted over, grabbed Ji Yuntang's sleeve, and gave her a pitiful look.

"Third sister-in-law, take me along! I can lend you a hand."

Luo Qingge's personal maid, Linglan, twitched her lips. Did the Ninth Princess even know how to help? She was better at chowing down.

Xie Liuzheng also stood up and offered to help, "Princess Ye, let me help you too."

He was dying to know what dish Ji Yuntang was gonna cook.

As soon as Xie Liuzheng finished speaking, Luo Qianxue popped up like a firecracker.

"If Brother Zheng's going, then I, the princess, am going too!"

She was worried about Luo Qingge and Xie Liuzheng being alone together, so she decided to watch them like a hawk.

Ji Yuntang's head was spinning. She was just gonna cook a few dishes—why was everyone so hyped?

She could take Luo Qingge, but there was no way she'd let Luo Qianxue tag along. Ji Yuntang didn't trust Luo Qianxue one bit, afraid she'd poison the food.

So that meant she had to let Xie Liuzheng down.

"Heir Xie, I really appreciate the offer, but I'm just whipping up a couple of simple dishes. I don't need that many helpers. Just having Qingge is plenty."

Xie Liuzheng was a little disappointed but still flashed a carefree, harmless smile.

"Alright then, I'll be waiting to taste Princess Ye's delicious cooking."

Even so, Xie Liuzheng's dislike for Luo Qianxue grew even stronger.

Since Xie Liuzheng wasn't going, Luo Qianxue naturally backed out too. She never planned to help Ji Yuntang in the first place.

In her eyes, Ji Yuntang wasn't even worth it!

Luo Qingge, Ji Yuntang, and one maid from each of them followed along.

It was Ji Yuntang's first time in the palace's imperial kitchen. She had to admit, it was bigger than a basketball court.

On the tables, in the steamers, and in the clay pots, there were all kinds of leftover dishes.

Servants and maids were clearing them out, getting ready to dump them into buckets.

Luo Qingge stopped them just in time. "Stop! Who told you to waste food?"

Seeing it was Luo Qingge, the maids trembled in fear and knelt down. "In response to the Ninth Princess, Manager Liu ordered us to do this."

Luo Qingge frowned. "Go fetch Manager Liu. I have something to ask him."

Soon, a round, middle-aged man in manager's attire arrived and knelt to pay his respects.

"I am Liu Yong, manager of the imperial kitchen. I didn't know the Ninth Princess and Princess Ye were coming. Please forgive me."

Luo Qingge wasted no time and asked directly, "Manager Liu, hasn't the palace's lunchtime already passed? Why is there still so much food?"

"I can see these dishes are still clean, some untouched. Why did you order them to be thrown away?"

Manager Liu breathed a sigh of relief and answered truthfully, "In response to the Ninth Princess, the imperial kitchen prepares extra food for each meal. These are leftovers from the masters' lunch."

"Leftovers cannot be reheated for the next meal. Not only would they be stale, but the flavor would also change. They have to be thrown away."

Ji Yuntang asked curiously, "Then why not give them to the servants?"

Manager Liu sighed bitterly. "Princess Ye, you may not know, but the food for the masters in the palace has strict standards. Even if they leave leftovers, we servants dare not eat them. We can only watch helplessly as they're thrown away."

It was against the rules for servants to eat the masters' food. If word got out, wouldn't it cause chaos?

Moreover, the leftovers were limited, and not every meal had as much as today's.

How would the food be distributed among the servants in various palace departments?

Those who got some would be happy, while those who didn't would complain and slack off.

Over time, everyone would become lazy.

"Then why not create a menu? Write down each master's favorite dishes and cook according to that menu every day. That way, food won't be wasted, the masters will get meals they enjoy, and labor and costs will be greatly reduced, right?"

Ji Yuntang noticed that apart from the Emperor, Empress, and a few main consorts, the meals for other princesses and princes were mostly prepared uniformly. Large batches were made and then distributed to their respective palaces by servants.

But everyone had different tastes. Some dishes might be liked by some and disliked by others.

Disliked food would be wasted for nothing.

Luo Qingge's eyes lit up. "Third sister-in-law, that's a great idea. I have a heavy palate and love spicy food, but I can't stand it when others in the palace don't like spice."

"In my Feiyue Palace, the maids often bring food that's too bland. I don't like it, but I can't throw it away. Sometimes I just take a few bites, but it feels so tasteless."

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