Chapter 298

While the other officials sympathized with Furen Mu’s unfortunate situation, Yueqian simply smiled, unconcerned. For her, cooking for the commoners or the Emperor made no difference. With unique ingredients and dishes never seen before, the diners were sure to be impressed.

Previously, the two meals provided were a simple soft rice porridge for breakfast and small cassava flour pellets for lunch to aid digestion. However, tonight’s dinner was going to be special.

In fact, in Yueqian’s opinion, she felt even happier knowing that the Emperor and his entourage would taste food made from cassava flour. This would eliminate future criticisms. After the Emperor’s praise, no one could use her cassava flour distribution to the refugees against her again.

Soon enough, the Mu family’s food distribution team arrived, showing that their food had been prepared long before the Emperor’s decree. Many people were eager to see the outcome.

"Furen Mu, I’ve secretly instructed the Chang family’s manor. After your food is distributed, they will send some fruits as well. Please tell His Majesty that it was prepared by the Mu family," Furen Chang, nearby, said, covering her mouth with a fan.

Hearing that, Yueqian understood her intention. Furen Chang was worried that the food Yueqian prepared might not satisfy the Emperor. Everyone knew Yueqian had made food from cassava flour and other cheap ingredients, which put her at risk of being punished.

So, Furen Chang offered her help. Previously, Yueqian had saved her daughter to be safe. Now that Yueqian was in danger, Furen Chang was not afraid of being caught and facing punishment for conspiring to deceive the Emperor. She just wanted the Emperor to see that Furen Mu was not stingy or unwilling to spend on the refugees. The fruits would undoubtedly be more expensive.

Yueqian appreciated Furen Chang’s goodwill but wasn’t afraid of what she had done. So, the beautiful lady turned to Furen Chang and said,

"You don’t need to worry about this. Those fruits are expensive. You should keep them for your household or make juice for better profits," Yueqian advised. She didn’t want to rely on someone else’s money to survive.

Furen Chang paused for a moment, looking at Furen Mu who stubbornly refused her goodwill. However, upon seeing the confidence in Yueqian’s eyes, Furen Chang decided to trust the other party.

She had heard that Furen Mu had created many miracles, and she hoped that this time, she would succeed once again.

"Your Majesty, the Mu family’s food convoy has arrived. Shall we begin the distribution?" A soldier, who had been waiting for the Mu family’s food convoy, quickly reported.

The Mu family had initially declared their intention to utilize the space in the refugee grounds fully, so they prepared the food at Mu manor. Every time food was brought, it came in a convoy of carriages and wagons, typically consisting of 4-5 carts depending on the quantity of food.

For this meal, there were only four carriages, fewer than in the morning and at noon. This puzzled the onlookers even more. Everyone thought that Furen Mu would be in trouble, facing this situation at the most difficult time.

"Bring it in and distribute it. Also, let the officials here taste it so that there are no doubts," the Emperor commanded. He placed great importance on the cooperation of his officials. If they were unwilling to help and let the people starve, they shouldn’t be officials by his side.

In the ruler’s ideal, a noble should be able to assist the populace. He didn’t care about corruption or personal gain as long as it didn’t harm the country and the people and they weren’t caught committing mindless corruption. In that case, they could remain his officials.

He had fought many battles for the throne and knew that every family acted for their own benefit. Even he, as the Emperor, needed power to protect himself, let alone others.

But all of this had to be within the scope he could accept...

The Mu family’s carriages slowly entered, and the soldiers became a bit tense. They saluted the highest authority with stiff postures, just like Yueqian’s people. Whether it was Yang Ji, Wan Gui, and others, they followed to distribute the food and check the refugees’ satisfaction. But who would have thought that today, the Emperor would want to taste their food?

For Yang Ji, this was the first time she had the honor of cooking for such a high-ranking person, and it was a privilege for her to have this opportunity. With tears welling up in her eyes, Yang Ji served the food herself, as if they were ready to spill over in her joy and pride.

Yueqian watched her trembling-handed servant with a small smile, contrasting with the misunderstanding of others who witnessed the scene. Even Furen Chang thought Yueqian’s servant was worried about the food, as their trembling hands might indicate fear.

Yang Ji carefully brought the food forward, handing it to the court ladies, and waited for the eunuchs and the court ladies to check for poison before the food reached the Emperor.

"Furen Mu, is this meal... just a single bowl?"

Furen Chang’s question seemed quite foolish. It was normal for the distributed food to be just one dish. However, Furen Chang and others felt it was inappropriate to serve the Emperor a single dish. At least in his presence, shouldn’t this meal be more special than the others?

"Did you prepare this meal yourself?" The Emperor looked at the food with slight surprise before asking Yang Ji.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty, but the methods and everything else were taught by Furen Mu," Yang Ji stammered, too excited for words.

"Does that mean you have prepared this meal before?" The high-ranking individual’s continued interest in the food piqued the curiosity of the officials and onlookers, who wondered what kind of dish was being served to captivate his attention.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty. This is a meal that Mu manor prepares once a month."

"Hmm? Is that so?" The Emperor nodded in acknowledgment. He glanced at Furen Mu and then at Official Mu, neither of whom showed any reaction.

This seemed to confirm that this was indeed a dish they regularly prepared and ate. It made the Emperor curious about how the Mu manor was managed and why it was Furen Mu who proposed and taught the dish.

However, before the Emperor could taste the food, a soldier rushed in with news that captured everyone’s attention.

"Your Majesty, the Wang has arrived with the Second Prince and the Consort," the soldier reported, causing the high-ranking individual to furrow his brows in surprise.

The officials began whispering among themselves. They understood that the Wang and the Second Prince were overly zealous, likely worried that Official Mu would be in trouble. This demonstrated just how important Official Mu was to the Wang and the Second Prince. Supporters of the Crown Prince were delighted by this display from the Second Prince’s faction, thinking that if there were any punishment, both high-ranking individuals would have to share it.

The Second Prince himself was deeply regretful. It would have been better to let Furen Mu take the blame. He could have claimed ignorance of the situation. Who would have thought both royals would arrive personally?!

Others might not know, but Yueqian could easily guess their intentions. She looked slightly fatigued, and Mu Heng glanced at his wife with a mix of wanting to laugh and cry.

The three of them didn’t come to help. They likely heard that Furen Mu was making "Braised Fish Maw Soup" for the refugees. These thick-skinned individuals had probably wanted to come all along, but it would have been inappropriate to take food from the refugees. Once they heard that the Emperor would be dining with the refugees, they seized the opportunity to rush over.

As Yang Ji mentioned, the Mu manor often prepared a variety of dishes, including Braised Fish Maw Soup, about once or twice a month. It was a delicious and nutritious dish but difficult and time-consuming to make, so it wasn’t made frequently.

Once or twice, these nobles visited the Mu manor to play with Xihao and ended up sharing a meal, and the three were very fond of it. However, they didn’t get many chances to enjoy it.

Of course. Other meals were also well-liked, but they could be made in the palace. The Braised Fish Maw Soup, however, required specific ingredients and seasonings that were hard to come by locally. This was because Yueqian used ingredients from her modern department store, such as light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and other seasonings, creating a complete and flavorful dish.

So, their visit today wasn’t to help but to satisfy their own appetites!

Before the soldiers could even invite them, the three of them appeared in front of the Emperor’s tent. The Wang, trying to hide his shamelessness, acted relaxed, pretending he wanted to assist the Emperor with the inspection. However, his demeanor puzzled his younger brother, who sensed something was off.

"Furen Mu, serve the braised fish maw soup to me, the Second Prince, and Consort Jia," the Wang settled into his seat, giving a few words to the Emperor before immediately ordering Yueqian.

The beautiful woman’s eyebrow twitched slightly before she instructed Yang Ji to proceed. She felt a slight urge to scold the hungry individuals but couldn’t do so in the current situation. All she could do was try to smile naturally.

Fortunately, there were intelligent people in the room...

"Hmm? Brother, how do you know what this dish is called?" The ruler, far from being a fool, pointed to the dish in front of him and narrowed his eyes at his older brother suspiciously.

".................." The Wang realized he had slipped up. He knew the name of the dish because he had tasted it before and couldn’t forget its flavor. Although he had eaten similar dishes, the taste was incomparable. It highlighted just how much more delicious this braised fish maw soup was.

When he heard that Furen Mu was preparing braised fish maw soup, he was shocked because he knew how difficult it was to make and the numerous ingredients it required. Deep down, he felt a bit resentful because it meant this exquisite dish was being made for the refugees. Previously, he had tried to persuade Furen Mu to make it again, but she had refused, citing its difficulty and time consumption with numerous excuses, making him give up.

This frustration almost drove him to storm the Mu manor to confront her directly, but he held back, knowing it wouldn’t look good. In these challenging times for the common people, how could he be angry at her for not making the dish he wanted to eat?!

"This dish is called braised fish maw soup?" The Emperor, who had grasped something, turned to Yueqian. The beautiful woman nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Does this really have a lot of ingredients? Is this really made from cassava flour?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Even though I’ve heard rumors that cassava flour is cheap and that Furen Mu is unwilling to spend money, anyone who sees these ingredients and still spreads such rumors must lack common sense. Additionally, I’ve tasted the broth made from pork bones, simmered for a long time until it melts into the soup. There’s also a small egg. The refugees are truly fortunate to have you taking care of them."

"As someone who seeks to help, I genuinely thank you for doing your job so well. It’s fitting that I appointed you as the First Ranked Furen."

When the Emperor praised her, everyone below was stunned. They hadn’t seen what the food looked like; they only saw a tall pot and couldn’t see inside. When they scooped it up, some had tasted it but didn’t view the meal positively. It wasn’t until the Wang and the Second Prince arrived, and even the Emperor changed his attitude easily.Wasn’t this favoritism too much?