Chapter 299

This thought occurred because the officials had not yet seen the ingredients. Moreover, the Emperor initially didn’t think it would be very good. It was evident that this was just a small egg. True, it might be considered a valuable ingredient now, but His Majesty didn’t believe that such a small egg could be included in every meal. Until he knew if it was truly good or if it had good ingredients, he reserved judgment.

If it weren’t for the unusual enthusiasm of his elder brother and son, he wouldn’t have been convinced by Official Mu and his furen’s decision.

When he heard that his brother and son had arrived here, he had a negative thought about it. He even thought that their clear support for Official Mu was tantamount to courting death. But who would have thought that when he actually saw them, it felt completely different.

Neither of them seemed afraid that he would punish Furen Mu. Instead, it was as if they themselves were angry and wanted to punish Furen Mu. Yet, the first thing they did was ask for food. If this wasn’t unusual, then what was?

He looked at the food that was served directly to the Wang of the land and the prince competing for the high position, and he glanced at the consort who adhered to the rules more than anything else. Seeing the sparkling eyes of the three, even though they tried to hide it, was unsuccessful. He then looked at the food in front of him once more.

He picked up the chopsticks, but before he could take a bite, he heard a strange sound.

"Why haven’t you brought me a spoon yet!" The Second Prince loudly reprimanded. He rubbed his hands together like a child. It was one of the rare moments when his son behaved like the adorable little prince he once was. So, he put down his chopsticks to watch them again.

After getting the spoon, the Second Prince didn’t even wait for him to start eating. He used the spoon to scoop the thick soup, blowing on it with puckered lips. Seeing this comical sight, he looked at his elder brother, who usually had a serious demeanor and didn’t care much about food. His brother had to engage in battles daily and had no time to consider which foods were delicious or not. But now that image was being shattered.

"Fuu," the sound of a woman’s blowing was heard as both were trying to scoop the thick soup. He saw Consort Jia, his beloved daughter-in-law, behaving improperly.

She was entirely disregarding her image, having already scooped the soup into her mouth without anyone noticing. When he looked again, she was blowing on her mouth with steam wafting out, looking just like a starving woman.

This made him look at the bowl filled with dark brown food, similar to honey, once more. It was as if he wanted to question it, asking if it was really so good that it warranted such behavior.

He hesitated no longer and scooped the strange food into his mouth. The heat surprised him at first, but then he was astonished by the deep aroma that seemed eager to enter his stomach as quickly as possible, stimulating his appetite. The rich flavor made him shudder.

Before he knew it, all four nobles were eagerly scooping the food from their bowls. Even the Emperor, who had started last, finished at the same time as the others. The sight of all four behaving in such a manner left the onlookers deeply shocked.

"Your Majesty, should we have my people distribute this food to the refugees?" Yueqian asked after seeing that the four had finished. This food should be eaten while hot to boost metabolism and provide ample energy to fill those who had not eaten for a long time.

"Regarding that..." However, it was the Emperor who hesitated this time. He looked at the four tall, large pots and understood that it must be this wonderful food. He didn’t dare say he wasn’t full yet, because there was plenty of food, and its benefits were likely sufficient for one person to feel satisfied from one bowl. But his long-dormant appetite was now craving more.

Nonetheless, duty had to come first. Hundreds of people still needed this food. How could he, as the Emperor, tell others to wait until he was full? Just thinking this made him feel as though he was crying inside. He started to understand his brother’s, son’s, and daughter-in-law’s behavior more clearly now.

It turned out that Furen Mu had never been stingy, but rather too generous—too generous indeed! How could she dare to use food worthy of the imperial table to feed the refugees?!

No one knew how Yueqian understood the nobles’ thoughts. She cleared her throat slightly before speaking.

"Because one pot can serve about 150-200 people, there is still one large pot for everyone. So, allow me to distribute it for everyone to taste and provide feedback," Yueqian suggested, offering a way out. The Emperor no longer felt uneasy after that.

There were many officials around, but only a few dozen here. There would still be plenty of food left for them to eat more. Therefore, permission was granted swiftly.

A silent order was given to the court ladies to set aside some food in a pot, so they could continue eating it once they returned to the palace. Although the eunuchs and court ladies didn’t understand, they quietly complied.

How could the servants attending to the royals be foolish? They knew that orders were absolute. Once commanded, they had to execute it. Some things were better left unasked and unknown; knowing too much could cost them their heads. They understood when to ask questions and when to remain silent.

At first, many officials were confused and didn’t understand what was happening with the Emperor and the royal family. But once they tasted the so-called braised fish maw soup, they understood immediately. Initially, they didn’t want to eat it, not wanting to lower themselves by consuming something made from cassava flour, typically eaten by the poor. If not for the Emperor eating it himself, they would have criticized it.

However, after tasting it, they completely changed their minds! Who wouldn’t want a second or third serving? Unfortunately, the pot was nearly half gone before they knew it, leaving them with only one bowl each and a lingering, unfulfilled desire.

"Furen Mu, is this food really made from cassava flour? It’s incredibly delicious," Furen Chang said after finishing her bowl, not even leaving any broth behind.

"It was excellent, Furen Mu. Otherwise, my mother, who always says eating quickly is impolite, wouldn’t have finished this bowl in just three minutes," Chang Mei joked happily. She admitted that this meal was truly wonderful.

"Thank you all for enjoying it. Next time I make it at home, I’ll share some with you," Yueqian promised them, bringing joy to Furen Chang and her daughter.

Yueqian herself was very happy. She had been in the Bai Region for a long time, and perhaps only the Chang family had been willing to help her despite the risks. This was the greatest show of support for Yueqian, and she regarded them as dear friends.

The nobles and royal family members didn’t take long to depart. In the end, the matter concerning Yueqian became a rumor once more, that she wasn’t trying to be stingy with her assistance at all. She had prepared food that even the palace couldn’t match for the people, earning widespread praise yet again.

While Yueqian was very happy, a terrifying atmosphere arose within the inner palace.

"No... Noble Consort, please calm down," the close court lady tearfully begged Noble Consort to control her emotions. After she had brought news about Furen Mu and found that her use of cassava flour in cooking had become popular, Noble Consort almost went into a rage. She tore up all the scriptures she had painstakingly copied throughout the day. One must remember that she was currently being punished and had to copy scriptures for the Empress every day. However, today she could not contain her anger at all.

The beautiful woman never thought that dealing with a tiny ant named Yueqian would be this difficult. Even though she had willingly entered the palace, offering herself to a man with many wives, thinking it would give her the tools to completely deal with the other side, she ended up failing repeatedly.

In the end, her position was still insufficient to handle Yueqian, that villainess who kept her face hidden, wasn’t it? If that’s the case... if that’s the case, then...

"I want to get pregnant. Send word to the Wei family to find the best way for me to conceive a male child," Noble Consort Wei’s stern voice echoed. This was the starting point for her to rise and trample on them once again.

As long as her son became the Emperor of the Bai Region, whether it was the honored furen or anything else, it wouldn’t matter! She would drag that woman down and have her executed!

Meanwhile, in a Taoist temple, the towering statue of the Buddha trembled slightly, causing fear. The revered monk, sitting in his chamber, observed the changes in the temple and felt a tinge of sorrow.

The image of a young boy lingered in his mind—a boy who might kill everyone in the world out of sheer anger. Now, it became clearer, as if this event was really going to happen.

"Amitabha," the monk like him couldn’t interfere too much with worldly matters. He could only let everyone’s karma unfold as it would.

Inside the Mu manor, Yueqian and Mu Heng, who had just returned from making arrangements, looked lovingly at their son. The little boy gazed at his parents with wide eyes, raising his hands adorably. Yueqian’s lips curled slightly with confidence. She knew that her son, like her, seemed to have had the chance to live again through the conditions of another’s life.

She didn’t know where her son came from, but he knew how to joke around and even use modern devices she had brought out. This indicated that he likely came from the same era as her, and now he knew that she was from there too.

Despite this, Yueqian kept this secret to herself. She didn’t even tell her husband. It was a secret that would stay with her, as sharing it might bring trouble to those who knew. Secrets weren’t always good; many could bring hardship to those who learned them.

"Our child is as smart as you," Mu Heng hugged his wife lovingly. He tried to kiss her cheek, but Yueqian pushed his chest away gently.

Knowing that their child was more precocious than they had thought, Yueqian didn’t dare to do such things in front of him. Although their mother-son bond made her always think of him as her son, and he likely felt the same way, she could tell from his expressions. Often, he showed anger when she was mistreated. Of course, being the child of the villainess like her, he couldn’t show all his feelings. Fortunately, he had known since he was a baby, so Yueqian tried to teach him like she would an older child who understood things.

He had to control his emotions as much as possible, gradually aligning the plans with his intentions. If he revealed everything from the start and got caught, the plan’s failure rate would be very high.

Of course, she only taught him when no one else was around. If Mu Heng was present, she acted as if their son was just a baby who didn’t understand anything, making her husband believe the same. Otherwise, how could she dare to do this?

"Let the baby rest. Let’s go to our room," Yueqian whispered to her husband softly. She knew what he wanted and what he intended to do next. He might not be concerned, thinking the child was just a baby who understood nothing, but Yueqian thought differently.

This was a habit of Mu Heng. He had lived in a small house without separate rooms his whole life. He assumed that when he was a child, his parents probably did the same. It was the hardship of the poor, but things are different now.

Their child had Wan Gui to look after him, while they had their private room to spend the entire night together.

Mu Heng actually wanted to have another one or two children, but Yueqian didn’t want that, so she took precautions and always told him. She didn’t want to risk having more children.

One of her children was a lovely girl, but her body wasn’t as healthy as it seemed. Even now, she worried greatly about her daughter, fearing the dangers that the master had warned about. Her son, on the other hand, had memories from the past, just like her. Ultimately, no one knew what his original memories were, which worried Yueqian even more.

If she had another one or two children and they were all special like this, wouldn’t she go crazy?