Looking at the back of the big blue robe, Emperor Yuan Jing's face showed no expression, like a cold and hard sculpture.

There are twenty-four palaces in the imperial palace, where Emperor Yuan Jing's concubines and children live. The harem of Emperor Yuan Jing is not at all lively, and the Chuxiu Palace has not accepted any young and beautiful women for more than a decade.

Wei Yuan came to the main palace of the harem, the palace of the Empress, with ease. After being announced, he entered the palace and saw the Empress sitting on a soft couch.

The Empress, who was the mother of the world, had become much thinner, and her round and dignified face had become sharp. She was an extremely beautiful woman, nearly forty years old, still elegant and graceful. Although she had lost the lively and bright demeanor of her youth, the years had carefully sculpted her inner beauty, and her mature and dignified charm was not comparable to that of an ordinary young girl.

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"Why did Duke Wei come?" The Empress smiled subtly, gazing at Wei Yuan's face, which had hard facial lines, a high nose, thin lips, deep eyes, and an indescribable sense of vicissitudes. The frosty white at his temples made him even more mature and charming.

Wei Yuan bowed first. "I heard that the Empress was ill?"

The Empress smiled and said, "I have already recovered."

"His Majesty said that the Empress has not had a good appetite lately and asked me to come and take a look."

The Empress's smile faded, and she looked at him calmly, "Did he send you? Duke Wei didn't know that I was ill?"

Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and said, "The court affairs have been busy lately, and I didn't know that the Empress was ill."

The Empress turned her face away and said calmly, "I'm tired."

"Empress, drink less tea. It's not good for your stomach..." Seeing the Empress's impatience, Wei Yuan bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

"Wei Yuan!"

The Empress suddenly called out to him.

Wei Yuan turned his back and didn't look back.

The Empress opened her mouth to say something, but because of various concerns, she didn't say anything in the end.

A thousand words and ten thousand words were all hidden in her beautiful eyes, but Wei Yuan couldn't see them.

Wei Yuan left the Empress's palace, and the breeze blew, with his blue robe fluttering.

He really didn't know that the Empress was ill because the spy he had placed nearby had been removed by Emperor Yuan Jing some time ago, and the Empress was unaware of this.

These things couldn't be said publicly, so he could only let the Empress misunderstand.

In front of him, the tall figure of Princess Huai Qing was leading palace maids and guards over.

She was wearing a white palace dress embroidered with bright plum blossoms, covered with a warm cloak, cold and noble, pure and elegant, different from her mother's youth.

"Duke Wei!" Princess Huai Qing bowed.

"Your Highness." Wei Yuan bowed and explained casually, "His Majesty heard that the Empress has a poor appetite and is ill, so he asked me to come and visit on his behalf."

"The palace maids who serve in the palace said that the Empress has indeed not been eating much lately." Huai Qing said.

"After a long illness, if you starve yourself, your body will leave behind hidden illnesses." Wei Yuan frowned, but he hid his worry well in front of Princess Huai Qing, only expressing the concern that a courtier should have.Princess Huaiqing smiled lightly, seeming unconcerned. Her voice was crisp and full of texture: "I was just planning to summon Xu Qi'an. Since I've encountered Wei Gong here, I'll have the palace guards make an extra trip."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Princess Huaiqing said, "Xu Qi'an has a special recipe that can make food taste a hundred times better and unforgettable. Since Mother isn't feeling well, it's the perfect opportunity to try out this recipe."

...

Xu Qi'an paid for Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to listen to music at the theater. While they listened, they completed their inheritance work for their lives.

This was Xu Qi'an's way of making it up to them, especially Song Tingfeng. He had donated a full five liang of silver to the health center. As a single, wayward man, living expenses were not his priority. If he didn't have the money to go to the official brothel sector, he would be sad.

Leaving the theater, Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng, who were satisfied with their meal, were stopped by a copper gong rider after walking for a short while. He complained, "Where are you guys going fishing? I've been looking for you for ages."

"What's the matter?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Wei Gong is requesting your presence," the copper gong said.

Naturally, it was Xu Qi'an who was being summoned. Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao knew their place and waved goodbye to their generous colleagues before continuing their patrol.

Returning to the yamen and entering the Haohui Building, Xu Qi'an saw Wei Yuan sitting by the desk reading a book.

The eunuch put down his book and said, "Huaiqing said you have a secret recipe that can enhance the flavor of dishes."

Was Huaiqing really so nosy? This was such a small matter... Xu Qi'an was stunned for a moment. "It's just a small skill, not worth Wei Gong's concern."

"The Empress has been experiencing poor appetite and weak health lately. I want to try your recipe," Wei Yuan said gently.

The Empress was Huaiqing's birth mother. Huaiqing asked Wei Yuan to find me for chicken essence... Xu Qi'an nodded in realization. Seeing that there was no one in the tea room, he took out a small jade mirror and lightly tapped the back. A jar the size of a head fell out, which he caught smoothly.

Chu Caiwei and Song Qing's labor was all in here, and he only left a small bottle of chicken essence for Chu Caiwei.

Wei Yuan opened the jar and sniffed it, frowning instantly. He smelled a slightly pungent flavor.

"This is called chicken essence," Xu Qi'an explained.

Chicken essence is a mixture of monosodium glutamate and nucleotides, which complement each other.

Speaking of which, the term "chicken essence" is profound and has three meanings. One of them is the seasoning seen before them.

The other is that the chicken has become a monster called a "chicken demon." There is also a kind that is a unique product for men.

Closing the lid and returning the jar to Xu Qi'an, Wei Yuan called for a clerk, "Have the chef cook a bowl of noodles."

Xu Qi'an understood and followed the clerk out.

After fifteen minutes, Xu Qi'an returned with a bowl of chicken and egg noodles and placed it on Wei Yuan's desk.

Wei Yuan nodded. "Take a bite and help me test for poison."

"... "There was only one pair of chopsticks, so Xu Qi'an took a bite from the other end.

After waiting for a moment and confirming that the little copper gong was not poisoned by the noodles he brought, Wei Yuan started eating with his chopsticks.

Xu Qi'an said quietly, "Maybe the poison was on the chopsticks."

Wei Yuan was stunned and angrily said, "Get out."Xu Qian didn't leave and smirked. After spending so much time with Wei Dad, Wei Yuan was someone who wouldn't truly get angry, with terrifying inner strength.

Sure enough, Wei Yuan ignored him and lowered his head to eat noodles.

Chewing on the firm noodles, he was surprised by the taste, experiencing a first-time sensation of his taste buds being stimulated by chicken essence. When he took a sip of the soup, Wei Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"How is it?" Xu Qian asked expectantly.

"Even the best chef couldn't make this taste," Wei Yuan nodded in satisfaction. The Empress was used to eating exquisite delicacies from the palace, and her own loss of appetite contributed to her being tired of the palace's food.

Xu Qian could feel Wei Dad's approval in his eyes.

Wei Yuan took out a porcelain bottle from the grid and handed it to Xu Qian, who took it and poured some from the jar into the bottle before returning it to Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan shook his head and didn't take it, looking at the jar. "The bottle is for you, that's mine."

Xu Qian's expression suddenly became dull.

...

At dusk, palace maids brought in stacks of delicious dishes, filling the room with the fragrance of food. However, the Empress looked tired and displeased, frowning.

"I said to prepare a bowl of plain porridge."

The palace maid whispered, "Wei Gong just sent over a secret recipe and told us to make something good for the Empress."

Another palace maid said hopefully, "Empress, please try it." They had already tasted it and the flavor was different from anything else, unforgettable. They had tried all kinds of delicacies during their years in the palace, but the flavor today was an unprecedented taste experience, making them feel that the delicacies they had eaten before were mediocre.

As it was arranged by Wei Yuan, the Empress sighed and reluctantly took a bowl of soup, frowning as she tasted it. The strong umami flavor exploded on her taste buds, and she swallowed unconsciously. Then the Empress drank the soup without any resistance or disgust.

"Suddenly, I feel a little hungry. Serve the rice," the Empress handed the bowl to the palace maid, eagerly looking at the table full of delicacies.

...

The next day, just after dawn, the eunuchs from the palace brought a batch of gold, silver, and jade to the Nightwatcher's yamen on behalf of the Empress.

Wei Yuan received the eunuch at the Haoyi Tower. This eunuch was obviously an old acquaintance of Wei Yuan's and he sat casually at the table, drinking the tea Wei Yuan had brewed himself, and said with a smile, "Where did Wei Gong find the secret recipe? The Empress was delighted with what she ate last night."

Wei Yuan stared at him, somewhat nervous, and asked, "Did she get tired of eating? How much did she eat?"

The eunuch laughed, "She ate more than usual, even more than when she was in good health. This morning, the Empress asked about the lunch menu."

Wei Yuan laughed sincerely.

In the afternoon, Huai Qing Princess summoned Xu Qian to the palace. In the bright and elegant room, he saw the mature and beautiful Princess, whose chest could be placed on the table. She was as elegant, noble, and beautiful as ever. If he didn't look at her plump body, he would think that the Princess was like a lotus on a snow mountain, pure and spotless.

"I had lunch with my mother today, and it seems like you've improved the recipe?" Huai Qing Princess asked.

"It's all thanks to Senior Song and Junior Caiwei," Xu Qian replied.Princess Huaiqing nodded, "This palace misses that taste a little, but mother is too stingy to give it. Do you still have some?"

"No." Xu Qian immediately shook his head. "I gave a full jar to Grand Preceptor Wei and sent it to Empress Mother."

He actually still had a small bottle, but he couldn't give it to Princess Huaiqing. He had to keep it for Biaobiao.

It wasn't that Princess Lin'an held a high position in his heart, but Biaobiao was too good at making trouble. The Emperor's harem was not small, and this novel thing like chicken essence would eventually spread to Lin'an. It didn't matter, after all, it was sent by Wei Yuan.

But Princess Huaiqing knew who the real "culprit" was, and with Huaiqing's cunning... Biaobiao would become like a resentful woman who had knocked over a vinegar jar and vent her anger on Xu Qian.

After all, in Princess Lin'an's heart, Xu Qian had already abandoned the darkness and joined her ranks as a lackey.

Princess Huaiqing frowned slightly, "But this palace heard that the chicken essence that Wei Yuan sent to Empress Mother... was only half a jar."

"Hmm?" Xu Qian was stunned and looked at Princess Huaiqing.

Princess Huaiqing also looked at him, and the two fell silent.

PS: Yesterday at three in the morning, I was exhausted and today I have nothing left.