Chapter 201

201 Chicken essence (1)

Looking at da Qing Yi’s back, Emperor Yuan jing’s face was expressionless, like a cold and hard statue.

There were 24 palaces in the inner court of the Imperial Palace, where Emperor Yuan jing’s concubines and children lived. Emperor yuanjing’s harem was not lively at all. Chuxiu Palace had not accepted young and beautiful women for more than ten years.

Wei Yuan arrived at the Empress’s Palace with ease. He entered the palace and saw the Empress sitting on a soft couch.

This motherly Empress had lost a lot of weight when she entered, and her round and dignified face had become sharp and charming.

She was an extremely beautiful woman. She was nearly forty years old, but she was still as beautiful as before. Although she was no longer as lively and bright as when she was a young girl, the years had carefully carved her inner meaning. Her mature and dignified charm was not comparable to ordinary girls.

“Why is Lord Wei here?” The Empress smiled faintly and stared at da Qing Yi’s face. The lines of his face were hard, his nose was high, his lips were thin, and his eyes were deep, containing an indescribable vicissitudes of life.

The White hair on his temples made him look more mature and charming.

“I heard that the Empress is sick?” Wei Yuan lowered his head.

“He’s fully recovered,” the Empress said with a smile.

“His Majesty said that the Empress’s appetite has not been good recently and asked this lowly official to come and take a look.”

The smile on the Empress’s face faded, and she looked at him calmly. “He asked you to come? Does Lord Wei not know that bengong is sick?”

“I’ve been busy with work lately. I didn’t know that the Empress was sick,” Wei Yuan said hesitantly.

The Empress turned her face to the side and said in a calm tone, “”Bengong is tired.”

“Empress, drink less tea. It’s not good for your spleen and stomach …” Seeing the Empress’s impatience, Wei Yuan bowed and said, “”This lowly subject will take his leave.”

“Wei Yuan!”

The Empress suddenly called out to him.

Wei Yuan didn’t turn around.

“….”The Empress opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but because of various concerns, she didn’t say anything in the end.

A thousand words were hidden in her beautiful eyes, but Wei Yuan couldn’t see them.

Wei Yuan left the Empress’s Palace. A light breeze blew, and his green robes fluttered in the wind.

He really did not know that the Empress was sick, because the spies he had planted nearby had been removed by Emperor Yuan jing some time ago. The Empress did not know about this.

These things could not be said in public, so he could only let the Empress misunderstand.

In front, the tall Princess huaiqing was leading the palace maids and guards over.

She was wearing a White Palace dress embroidered with bright plum blossoms. She had a large cloak to keep out the cold. She was cold, elegant, and refined.

She was very different from her mother when she was young.

“Lord Wei!” Princess huaiqing saluted.

“Your Highness,” Wei Yuan returned the bow and explained, “”His Majesty heard that the Empress has a poor appetite and is unwell, so he asked me to come and visit on his behalf.”

Princess huaiqing replied with an ” mm. her father had stopped coming to the harem for a long time. Every day, he only thought about immortal cultivation and longevity. He would only pay attention to the concubines in the palace who were sick, but usually he would send someone to visit them.

“The palace maid who serves in the palace said that mother has not eaten much recently.” Huaiqing said.

“After being sick for a long time, if you go on a hunger strike, your body will suffer from an illness.” Wei Yuan furrowed his brows, but in front of Princess huaiqing, he hid his worry well and only expressed the worry that a Minister should have.

Princess huaiqing gave a light smile and did not seem to be worried. Her voice was cold and crisp, and it had a texture to it.”I was just about to summon Xu Qi ‘an. Since I’ve met Lord Wei here, huaiqing will save the guards from making an extra trip.”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?” Wei Yuan asked, stunned.

Princess huaiqing said,”Xu Qi ‘an has a special recipe that can increase the taste of food by a hundred times. The taste is unforgettable.” Imperial mother’s appetite isn’t good, it’s just the right time to try this recipe.”

…..

Xu Qi ‘an paid out of his own pocket to invite song tingfeng and Zhu guangxiao to listen to a song. The two colleagues listened to the song and completed the inheritance of life.

This was Xu Qi ‘an’s way of compensating them. Especially song tingfeng, who had donated five taels of silver to the health Hall. He was a wastrel without a family. Living expenses were secondary, but if he didn’t have the money to go to the Imperial Academy, he would have the sadness of his balls.

After leaving the hook, Zhu guangxiao and song tingfeng were extremely satisfied. The three of them did not walk for long before they were stopped by a Gong on a horse. The gong complained,”Where are you guys going to fish? I can’t find him after half a day.”

“What’s the matter?” Xu Qi ‘an asked.

“Duke Wei has invited you.” The copper Gong said.

The one invited was naturally Xu Qi ‘an. Song tingfeng and Zhu guangxiao knew their own capabilities. They waved goodbye to their kind colleagues and continued their patrol.

After returning to the Yamen and entering the noble spirit building, Xu Qi ‘an saw Wei Yuan, who was reading a book by the table.

“I heard from huaiqing that you have a secret recipe that can enhance the freshness of dishes,” the chief eunuch said as he put down the book.

Was huaiqing such a gossiper? He even went around talking about such a small matter … Xu Qi ‘an was stunned for a moment. it’s just a small trick. It’s not worth Duke Wei’s concern.

“The Empress has not had a good appetite recently, and her body is weak. I want to try your formula.” Wei Yuan said gently.

The Empress is huaiqing’s birth mother, and huaiqing asked Wei Yuan to ask 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 gently buckled the back. A jar the size of a head fell out, and he reached out to catch it steadily.

The fruits of Rong Caiwei and Song Qing’s labor were all here. He only left a small bottle of chicken essence for her.

Wei Yuan opened the jar and sniffed it. He frowned. He smelled a slightly pungent umami.

“This thing is called chicken essence.” Xu Qi ‘an said.

chicken essence was a mixed product with MSG and guanyote as the core ingredients. The two ingredients complemented each other.

Speaking of which, the two words ‘chicken spirit’ could be said to be broad and profound. It had a total of three meanings, one of which was the seasoning in front of him.

The other type was when a chicken became a spirit monster, called a chicken spirit. The other was a special product that only men had.

He closed the lid and returned the jar to Xu Qi ‘an. Wei Yuan called for an official, “”Ask the chef to cook a bowl of noodles.”

Xu Qi ‘an understood and followed the clerk out.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Qi ‘an came back with a bowl of egg and meat noodles and placed it on Wei Yuan’s table.

“Take a bite and help me test the poison,” Wei Yuan nodded.

“….”There was only one pair of chopsticks, so Xu Qi ‘an took a bite from the other end.

He waited for a moment to make sure that the small gong wasn’t poisoned to death by the noodles he had brought up before picking up his chopsticks.

“Maybe the poison was spread on the chopsticks,” Xu Qi ‘an said.

“Get out!” Wei Yuan shouted angrily.

Xu Qi ‘an didn’t leave. He grinned. After spending so much time with father Wei, he knew that Wei Yuan wasn’t someone who would really get angry. He had a good temper.

As expected, Wei Yuan ignored her and lowered his head to eat.

As he chewed the chewy noodles, he was a little surprised by the taste of the noodles. He felt the first impact on his taste buds from the chicken essence. When he took a sip of the soup, Wei Yuan’s eyes lit up.

“How is it?” Xu Qi ‘an asked expectantly.

“So many chefs can’t make such a taste even if they put in their blood, sweat, and tears.” Wei Yuan nodded his head in satisfaction. The Empress was used to eating the delicacies in the palace. Apart from her lack of appetite, she was also sick of the food in the palace.

Xu Qi ‘an could feel the approval in father Wei’s eyes.

Wei Yuan took out a porcelain bottle from the box and handed it to Xu Qi ‘an. The latter took it and poured some of the contents into the bottle.

Then, he handed it back to Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan shook his head and didn’t take it. He looked at the jar and said, “”The bottle is for you. That’s mine.”

Xu Qi ‘an’s expression froze.

…..

Dusk.

The palace maids brought out stacks of delicious food, and the rich fragrance of the food filled the room. However, the Empress’s expression was sullen and she frowned unhappily.

“Bengong said to prepare a bowl of clear congee.”

“Duke Wei has just sent over the secret recipe,” the palace maid said softly,”and instructed us to make some good food for the Empress.”

Another Palace maid said with hope, “”Empress, have a taste.”

They had already tried it, and the taste was different and unforgettable. After living in the palace for so many years, he had tried all kinds of delicacies on behalf of his Masters.

Only today’s taste was an unprecedented taste experience, and one couldn’t help but feel that the delicious food they had eaten in the past was just mediocre.

Hearing that it was Wei Yuan’s arrangement, the Empress sighed. She scooped a bowl of soup with some resistance and tasted it with a frown.

The strong umami exploded on his taste buds. Gulp … His throat rolled and he subconsciously swallowed it down.

Then, the Empress drank the soup mouthful by mouthful without any resistance or disgust.

“Bengong is suddenly a little hungry, scoop some rice.” The Empress handed the bowl to the palace maid and stared expectantly at the delicious food on the table.

…..

The next day, just after seven o ‘clock, the eunuch from the Empress’s Palace came to the watchman’s Yamen with a batch of gold, silver, and Jade.

Wei Yuan met the eunuch in the noble Qi building. This eunuch was obviously an old acquaintance of Wei Yuan. He sat casually at the table and drank the tea that Wei Yuan made himself.

“Where did Duke Wei find the secret recipe? the Empress ate it happily last night.”

Wei Yuan stared at him and asked nervously, “”You don’t have any aversion to food? How much did you eat?”

The eunuch smiled and said,”I ate more than I ever did. More than when I was in good health.” When I woke up early today, the Empress asked for lunch for the first time.”

Wei Yuan smiled sincerely.

In the afternoon, Xu Qi ‘an was called to the palace by Princess huaiqing. In the bright room, he saw the young and familiar Princess with a chest that could be placed on the table.

She was as cold, noble, and beautiful as ever. If one didn’t look at her voluptuous figure, one would think that the princess was a pure white Lotus on a snowy mountain.

“Today, bengong had lunch at mother’s place. Your recipe seems to have been improved?” Princess huaiqing asked.

“It’s all thanks to senior brother song and miss Caiwei.” Xu Qi ‘an said.

Princess huaiqing nodded. I miss that taste a little, but mother is stingy and doesn’t give it to me. Do you still have more?”

“There’s no more.” no! Xu Qi ‘an immediately shook his head. I gave the entire jar to Duke Wei and sent it to the Empress.

Actually, he did have one. He still had a small bottle, but he couldn’t give it to huaiqing. He had to frame it.

It was not that the princess of Lin an had a high position in his heart, but the mounting was too noisy. The emperor’s harem was not big, and the novel thing like chicken spirit would eventually reach Lin an. It didn’t matter, it was a gift from Wei Yuan.

However, Princess huaiqing knew who the real “instigator” was. With huaiqing’s two-faced nature … At that time, she would be like a resentful wife who knocked over a vinegar jar and vent her anger on Xu Qi ‘an.

After all, in the heart of the princess of Lin ‘an, Xu Qi’ an had long abandoned the dark and joined the light, becoming her underling.

Princess huaiqing frowned. but I heard that Wei Yuan sent it to mother … It’s half a jar of chicken essence.”

“What?” Xu Qi ‘an was stunned and looked at huaiqing.

Huaiqing also looked back at him, and the two of them fell silent.

[ PS: in the middle of the night yesterday, my vitality was greatly damaged. Today, it’s gone. ]