Page 432

Lian Hua couldn’t help but ask, "Xiao Qing, is it ready yet?"

Xiao Qing picked up the spatula and pressed down, "My lady, it still needs a bit more."

All Lian Hua could do was wait patiently, noticing the fire seemed a bit too strong, "Xiao Jizi, lower the flame a bit, so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is done."

"Alright, got it." Xiao Jizi originally wasn’t hungry, but watching the delicious-looking meat patties, he started to feel hungry too. He and Xiao Qing were the biggest eaters in Canglan Court.

Finally, the meat patties seemed about done, looking nearly ready.

A loud "gurgle" sounded, exceptionally clear, silencing the entire kitchen in an instant.

Lian Hua touched her stomach, feeling sure it wasn’t her making that noise, and couldn’t help but ask, "Eh, whose stomach was that?"

She looked towards Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing shook her head; she wasn’t that hungry yet.

She looked towards Xiao Jizi who also shook his head. He had eaten a lot for dinner and wasn’t that hungry either.

Lian Hua was perplexed. The source of the "gurgle" was crucial; if it were her stomach growling, she’d have to eat something before returning to the palace lest she embarrass herself in front of His Majesty again.

If it wasn’t hers, then she could take the meat patties back to share with His Majesty, a bite for you, a bite for me, enjoying them together deliciously.

As the three of them were trying to figure it out, a timid voice came from the side, "My lady, it was your servant’s stomach.

All three turned to look and, wow, if it wasn’t Xiao Linzi the blockhead.

While speaking, a strand of clear drool accidentally dribbled from the corner of Xiao Linzi’s mouth. He quickly wiped it away and sheepishly flashed a shy smile.

Lian Hua and the others got goosebumps all at once, hissing through their teeth as their shoulders trembled.

This gesture was something the others had learned from Lian Hua, and now several people in Canglan Court had picked it up.

Lian Hua expressed her distaste, "Xiao Linzi is just too disgusting. Xiao Qing, hurry up and plate a patty for him to try."

Xiao Linzi first shrank back but upon hearing about plating a patty, his eyes brightly lit up. He held out his hands, ready to catch it.

Xiao Jizi couldn’t help but express his disdain with a slap, "You nitwit, aren’t you afraid it’s hot?"

Xiao Linzi kept shaking his head, "Brother Xiao Ji, it’s not hot. That’s how Pang Ya gives me the patties, it’s delicious this way."

Xiao Qing, who was about to grab a bowl, immediately stopped. She directly scooped up a meat patty with her spatula, placing it onto Xiao Linzi’s open hands.

What followed was a performance of Xiao Linzi’s special skill.

They saw him flipping the patty up and down, blowing on it while doing so, taking a bite every now and then.

The patty seemed to roll around in his mouth to cool off before he chewed it twice and swallowed, eating rapidly.

In no time at all, half the patty was gone.

Lian Hua watched in a kind of stupor before turning to ask Xiao Jizi, "Has Xiao Linzi always eaten patties like this before?"

Xiao Jizi shook his head, "No, this servant has never seen it before."

Xiao Qing said, "My lady, I have seen it once before. It was early morning when it was still dim outside. Pang Ya was frying patties, and I saw it while Xiao Linzi was tending the fire."

Having eaten half of the patty, Xiao Linzi was finally not so ravenous anymore.

The patty in his hands was no longer too hot, and he had some breath to spare for a reply, "My lady, it was Pang Ya who trained me in this, flipping patties in the morning. When she’s pressed for time and needs to check if they’re done, she’d toss them straight to your servant.

Now, my lady, your servant is really good at catching patties. "

"Oh..." Everyone suddenly understood. No wonder they hadn’t seen it before. Usually in the mornings, it was Pang Ya and Xiao Linzi who prepared breakfast, while Xiao Qing had to stay vigilant.

Lian Hua seized the key point and couldn’t help asking, "Is the pancake done yet?"

She had wanted to eat it for a while now.

The other two also looked at Xiao Linzi together.

"It’s done," nodded Xiao Linzi, and then said expectantly, "Would master like to see how I catch a pancake tossed in the air? I can catch it every time."

Pang Ya had even praised him, saying that when it came to tasting food, there was no need to worry. She could toss it backward, and he would catch it, saving her a lot of trouble.

Lian Hua immediately said to Xiao Qing, "Quick, dish it out and serve His Majesty’s and my portion, and the rest of you can eat."

Xiao Jizi hurriedly washed his hands, took a plate, placed it under the tray, and put two pairs of chopsticks on the side before coming up to the pot.

Xiao Qing scooped up the pancake smoothly.

The two of them worked together in perfect harmony.

Left holding half a pancake, Xiao Linzi paused mid-sentence as no one was interested in seeing him catch hot pancakes with his bare hands, so he simply buried his head and ate the pancake by himself...

After serving a few, Lian Hua called stop and told Xiao Jizi to carry the pancakes with her to the Side Hall. Once there, she asked him to go back to the kitchen to eat.

With His Majesty there, they generally didn’t need to serve.

Of course, she could carry it herself, and she personally didn’t think it was a big deal. However, if she dared to do so, Xiao Jizi, this guy, would start clinging to her legs and wailing, and Xiao Qing would follow suit.

So, it was better to let him carry it.

As they approached the door, Lian Hua signaled Xiao Jizi to find a young eunuch from the Star Palace and to follow the usual procedures for testing poison.

Steward Zhang had implied that it wasn’t necessary if she had prepared it, but she disagreed.

Firstly, she felt there should be no exceptions to such matters, as they called for the utmost caution.

Setting an exception could lead to carelessness, influencing others to cut corners, which was unacceptable.

Secondly, His Majesty was much more important than she was, and not being familiar with such matters, she wouldn’t want to become His Majesty’s weak spot.

Therefore, as per her insistence, everything from the Canglan Court would go through the poison testing process by a young eunuch from the Star Palace.

The eunuch responsible for testing poison immediately took out Silver Needles to probe for poison. Another young eunuch carefully cut a piece of pancake to test for poison.

Lian Hua paid no mind to the situation there; instead, her gaze shifted to Steward Zhang, who seemed to be wandering around the entrance like a headless fly, appearing somewhat troubled.

She walked over and asked with some confusion, "Chief Steward Zhang, what’s the matter? Is it too dark for you to see?"

Zhang Qing was in a flurry of anxiety. There was something off about the noises coming from the Side Hall. The Emperor kept scolding something angrily, his voice getting heavier with each reprimand, and not letting up at all.

When Zhang Qing had previously stepped out, he caught a glimpse of His Majesty seemingly picking up a book from the corner of his eye.

Hearing these angry reprimands, it seemed as if the Emperor was scolding something within the book.

It had been quite a while since Zhang Qing had heard His Majesty in such a violent rage. Oh boy, he thought, which blind person had left the book on His Majesty’s desk? If he found out who it was, not to mention the Emperor, Zhang Qing himself would have liked to tear that person to pieces.

No wonder both the Emperor and Zhang Qing’s first reaction was to suspect someone seeking favor had presented the book, hoping to win appreciation.

There had been many such incidents before, with court officials sneaking personal requests in their memorials or entrusting uninformed servants from the Star Palace to leave things on the Emperor’s desk, or even more boldly, offering up items on the Emperor’s usual path.

After sorting all that out, things got better.

Moreover, the Emperor had never read casual storybooks before, so naturally, he couldn’t recognize such books or realize that they were meant purely for entertainment and didn’t require deep scrutiny.