Chapter 253: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Chapter 253: Chapter 206: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Qiankun Palace.

The Emperor had been in a foul mood lately, refusing all visitors who brought soups or snacks. As a result, the number of palace maids from various residences waiting outside Qiankun Palace had dwindled significantly. This also meant the gatekeeping eunuchs had fewer opportunities to lord their power over the maids and accept bribes.

Today, Changxi, who was on duty, spotted a palace maid jogging toward him. He inwardly rejoiced, preparing to lecture her. ‘The Emperor is busy! Who do you think you are? What is your status? He’s not seeing anyone! I won’t pass on a message even if you give me silver!’

‘Unless you give me a lot.’

Princess Consort Zhang, Lu Ronghua, Guo Xiao Yi, and Ma Ronghua were among those who gave a lot.

“Eunuch Changxi, this is a dish made by Lady Shufei herself. May I ask if it can be sent in to the Emperor? Please also pass on a message: Lady Shufei misses the Emperor.”

“…”

The moment he heard the words “Pure Consort,” Changxi deflated.

‘A palace maid from the Pure Consort’s residence!’ he thought. Not only could he not extort a bribe from her, but he also had to serve her carefully.

When the Emperor was in a bad mood, life was difficult for everyone in the imperial court. If they needed to call for reinforcements, the Pure Consort was their only hope. If he blocked a dish made by the Pure Consort’s own hands, he wouldn’t even need her to complain. The Emperor would surely have him beaten with a plank if he happened to ask about it later.

Though these were his thoughts, Changxi’s face lit up with a smile as if he’d just received a thousand silver taels:

“Miss Zhenqiu, please don’t say that. Of course it can be sent in. It’s a servant’s duty. Quick, give it to me. We can’t let a dish made by Lady Shufei herself get cold…”

Many concubines in the harem claimed to cook for the Emperor to show their sincerity, but it was already considered impressive if they simply went to the kitchen to offer a bit of guidance. They would never actually handle the wok themselves. Even that was considered a touching gesture—the kitchen was filled with smoke and fire, hardly a place for delicate, high-ranking masters to linger.

“Oof, this container is surprisingly heavy. It’s a bit of a struggle even for me. It must have been difficult for you, Miss Zhenqiu, to carry it all this way… What kind of soup did Lady Shufei make?”

Zhenqiu said it wasn’t soup.

Changxi asked, “Then what is it?”

Zhenqiu looked troubled. “It’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, made by Her Ladyship.”

Changxi immediately fell silent.

Even in the Imperial Kitchen, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was an undeniably major dish. It was laborious and time-consuming, requiring various ingredients to be prepared in advance and then simmered slowly. In ancient times, without pressure cookers, they could only keep a fire burning continuously with firewood to maintain a constant temperature.

Of course, in the Imperial Palace, manpower was never an issue.

But when the harem concubines sent food to the Emperor, they always sent light fare like snacks or stews, which were simple and easy to eat. Who sends a whole tureen of a major dish? What was the difference between this and sending a whole roasted lamb? How was His Majesty supposed to eat it?!

“This… This servant will take it inside at once.”

Just inside Qiankun Palace, in the outer corridor, was a long table.

On the table sat four small, exquisite soup tureens and food boxes. Changxi placed the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall from the Pure Consort next to them. The behemoth immediately made the four nearby tureens look small, pitiful, and helpless.

Seeing this, Liang Yuyin was puzzled. “It’s not time for a meal yet.”

“This is the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall that Lady Shufei sent for the Emperor.”

“…”

And so, there was one more person in Qiankun Palace rendered speechless by Jiang Xian.

Liang Yuyin bowed and entered the room to announce it. As expected, the moment the Emperor heard that the food was from the Pure Consort, a smile touched his eyes before he even spoke, instantly softening the cold, King Yan-like face he wore when dealing with court affairs. “Bring it in. It’s rare for her to send me soup. Why isn’t she here? Go summon the Pure Consort to accompany me.”

Xie Che was extremely confident.

‘If she’s sending me soup, she must miss me.’

“Yes.”

A moment later, Xie Che saw Liang Yuyin enter, trembling as he cradled a massive tureen in his arms.

Xie Che asked, “What kind of soup did the Pure Consort stew?”

Liang Yuyin replied, “Your Majesty, it is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, made by Lady Shufei’s own hands.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Che, too, fell silent for a moment.

But very quickly, his love-struck brain won out. He commanded, “Bring in another long table… No, forget it. This isn’t the place for a meal anyway. Let’s have dinner served early.” He paused, a playful urge taking over. “Go and find out if the Pure Consort really made this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall herself.”

Xie Che didn’t actually believe Jiang Xian had made it herself.

But he had no intention of blaming her for it; he just wanted to tease her. He figured the Pure Consort must have also been in a joking mood. Otherwise, why would she send a tureen of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?

It was an easy thing to investigate. Bihua Palace only guarded against other concubines, not the Emperor. Jiang Xian never cared about the spies the Emperor planted in Bihua Palace. After all, she had nothing to hide, which saved the paranoid Emperor the trouble of constant suspicion.

However, the results of the investigation were not what Xie Che expected.