Chapter 17 A Soup Warms the Phoenix's Heart, A Report Shocks the Heavens

Emperor Liu Sheng, draped in a dazzling bright red robe, walked into the Imperial Kitchen.

Inside the Imperial Kitchen, it was bustling with activity.

Dozens of imperial chefs and assistants were busy preparing meals for the Emperor and the masters of the various palaces.

The appearance of Emperor Liu Sheng immediately caused a small commotion.

He was too young.

So young that he seemed completely out of place in the red robe that signified his status as a fourth-rank Chief Eunuch.

The Imperial Kitchen manager, Li Dequan, was a pot-bellied man. He recognized the official uniform and dared not be negligent, hurriedly wiping the oil from his hands as he came forward to greet him.

"This eunuch looks unfamiliar. May I ask what brings you to the Imperial Kitchen?"

"Cining Palace, Emperor Liu Sheng."

Emperor Liu Sheng only uttered four words.

The fat on Li Dequan's face trembled, and his smile immediately became incomparably enthusiastic.

"Oh! So it is the newly appointed Chief Steward Liu! My apologies, my apologies!"

He had long heard about the meteoric rise of the new favorite at Cining Palace.

"I wonder what instructions Chief Steward Liu has for coming here in person?"

"I would like to borrow a stove."

Emperor Liu Sheng got straight to the point.

"Ah?"

Li Dequan was stunned.

It was his first time hearing of a Chief Eunuch wanting to cook himself.

"Chief Steward, this is..."

"The Empress Dowager is unwell and has a poor appetite. I am somewhat skilled in the culinary arts and wish to make a soup from my hometown for Her Majesty to express my filial piety."

Emperor Liu Sheng spoke with high-sounding words.

Upon hearing that it was for the Empress Dowager, Li Dequan dared not say a word of nonsense.

"It is only right! It is only right!"

He immediately bowed and scraped, personally leading Emperor Liu Sheng to the cleanest and most spacious stove.

"Chief Steward, please use it! If you need any ingredients, just say the word, and we will prepare them for you immediately!"

"No need."

Emperor Liu Sheng waved his hand.

"Lotus root and pork ribs are enough."

Soon, the freshest lotus root and high-quality pork ribs were delivered.

Emperor Liu Sheng rolled up his sleeves, revealing his sturdy forearms.

He did not use the flashy knife skills of the imperial chefs; he simply blanched the ribs, peeled the lotus root, and cut it into chunks.

His movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

Then, he put all the ingredients into a huge earthenware pot, added clear water and a few slices of ginger, covered it, and simmered it over low heat.

The whole process was so simple that the imperial chefs watching from the side were a bit confused.

"This... isn't this too crude?"

"Just stewing it like this, what kind of flavor could it have?"

However, as time passed, an indescribable, rich aroma began to waft out from the gaps in the earthenware pot, thread by thread.

It was not the greasy scent of ordinary meat soup.

It was a complex aroma that was sweet, rich, and carried the unique fragrance of lotus root.

Just smelling it made one's appetite stir and mouth water.

The watching imperial chefs stretched their necks and sniffed hard, their expressions changing from disdain to shock, and finally to deep admiration.

The greatest truths are the simplest.

Sometimes, the simplest cooking method is actually the best at bringing out the inherent flavor of the ingredients.

An hour later, the soup was ready.

Emperor Liu Sheng lifted the lid of the earthenware pot.

An even richer aroma, mixed with the steaming heat, burst forth and instantly filled the entire Imperial Kitchen.

The soup was milky white and clear to the bottom.

The ribs were stewed until tender and falling off the bone, while the lotus root was soft, glutinous, and fragrant.

Li Dequan couldn't help but swallow his saliva after just one look.

"Chief Steward, your skills... are superb!"

He exclaimed sincerely.

Emperor Liu Sheng ignored his flattery, simply ladled a bowl, packed it in a food box, and carried it back to Cining Palace himself.

...

Cining Palace, inside the sleeping quarters.

The atmosphere was stifling to the extreme.

The Empress Dowager reclined on the soft couch, her complexion even paler than before.

The imperial physician had just visited, checked her pulse for a long time, but couldn't say what was wrong, only prescribing some formulas to calm the spirit and replenish qi.

The dinner sent from the Imperial Kitchen was a table full of delicacies, but she couldn't even be bothered to glance at it.

Head Eunuch Wang Defu and Qin Shuang stood by, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Just then, Emperor Liu Sheng returned.

He carried the food box, his brand-new red robe looking particularly striking in the candlelight.

"This servant, Emperor Liu Sheng, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager lifted her eyelids listlessly; seeing it was him, she frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Didn't I tell you to go collect your robe? Why did you take so long?"

There was a hint of displeasure in her tone.

"Replying to Your Majesty."

Emperor Liu Sheng knelt down unhurriedly, holding the food box high.

"This servant was outside the Bureau of Imperial Attire and smelled the aroma of food wafting from the Imperial Kitchen. This servant dared to think of Your Majesty's poor health and lack of appetite, so I took the liberty of stewing a bowl of soup from my hometown for Your Majesty."

"I ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness for my delay."

"Soup from your hometown?"

A ripple finally appeared in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

Seeing this, Head Eunuch Wang Defu immediately stepped forward and scolded in a shrill voice.

"Audacious servant! How precious is the Empress Dowager's health? Her meals all have set rules. How can a servant of unknown background like you just make whatever you want?"

"If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"

He was trying to smear Emperor Liu Sheng.

Emperor Liu Sheng didn't even look at him, but instead cast his gaze toward the Empress Dowager, his face full of sincerity.

"This servant would rather die than show even half a point of disrespect to Your Majesty."

"For this bowl of soup, this servant is willing to stake my life on it; there is absolutely no problem with it."

The Empress Dowager looked at his open and honest demeanor, then looked at the table full of dishes that she had no appetite for, and her heart stirred.

"Present it."

She said indifferently.

Qin Shuang stepped forward, took the food box, opened it, and brought the bowl of steaming lotus root and pork rib soup before the Empress Dowager.

A sweet, refreshing aroma instantly entered the Empress Dowager's nostrils.

Her spirits lifted.

"This taste... so familiar."

She picked up a spoon, ladled a spoonful of the milky white soup, and gently put it into her mouth.

The soup entered her mouth, warm and rich.

A rich, fresh sweetness instantly exploded on her taste buds.

It was not a taste built up by seasonings, but the authentic flavor of the ingredients themselves, perfectly fused together after long-time stewing.

The Empress Dowager picked up a piece of pork rib.

The ribs had been stewed until tender; with a gentle nudge of her chopsticks, the meat fell off the bone.

The meat was soft and glutinous, melting in her mouth, filled with the fragrance of meat.

Finally, the lotus root.

The soft, glutinous lotus root had absorbed the essence of the meat soup. With one bite, strings of lotus fibers stretched, and it was sweet with a hint of savory, leaving an endless aftertaste.

As the Empress Dowager ate, her eyes unexpectedly turned red without warning.

She remembered her childhood.

In the residence in her hometown of Jingchu, every autumn, her mother would use freshly dug lotus root from the pond in the backyard to stew a pot of this soup for her.

Back then, her father was still there, and her brother was still there.

The whole family sat together, drinking hot soup, happy and harmonious.

That taste was exactly the same as this bowl in front of her.

A bowl of soup stirred up all her homesickness and beautiful memories that had passed away.

"Good... delicious."

Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible choking.

She put down the spoon and, for the first time ever, ate the entire bowl of soup, including the meat, clean.

After eating, she felt a warm current rise from her stomach, spreading through her limbs and bones; the irritability and discomfort of the past few days dissipated quite a bit.

"Reward!"

The Empress Dowager was greatly pleased, pointing at Emperor Liu Sheng and saying with full vigor.

"Reward him with a handful of gold beans!"

Immediately, a palace maid brought over a tray covered with golden beans, at least twenty or thirty of them.

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your heavenly grace!"

Emperor Liu Sheng was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed to thank her.

The atmosphere in the sleeping quarters was swept clean of its previous depression and became harmonious.

Head Eunuch Wang Defu stood to the side, watching Emperor Liu Sheng, who was surrounded by everyone like the moon among stars, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.

However, just at this moment.

"Report—!"

A palace maid came tumbling in, looking terrified, and fell to her knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty! It's bad! A large-scale plague has broken out in the Prince of Yan's fiefdom, with countless deaths and injuries. The local officials are helpless, and an eight-hundred-li urgent report has just been sent into the palace!"

"What did you say?!"

Hearing this, the smile on the Empress Dowager's face instantly froze.

She stood up abruptly, grabbed the palace maid by the collar, her voice trembling.

"Gou'er... how is my Gou'er?!"

The palace maid was scared out of her wits and said tremblingly.

"The report says... says that in order to appease the people, the Prince of Yan went to the epidemic area in person. Now... now he has also contracted the plague, has a high fever that won't break, and has... has been in a coma for three days!"

"Boom!"

Like a bolt from the blue.

The Empress Dowager felt the world go black before her eyes, her body swayed, and she fell straight backward.

"Your Majesty!"

Qin Shuang and Head Eunuch Wang Defu were terrified and hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

The entire Cining Palace fell into chaos.