Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 274: Father Emperor probably can’t tolerate you anymore

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Father Emperor probably can’t tolerate you anymore

Murong Jiu’s chopsticks hadn’t stretched out when they were stopped by Divine Doctor Zhai’s glance.

"The aroma of that dish is so spicy and pungent, do you think your old master can’t smell it?"

"Master, I’ll just taste a tiny bit, I promise only that much," she assured.

She gestured with her fingers, looking pitiful.

Unfortunately, her master wasn’t falling for it, and Murong Jiu could only look at Jun Yuyan for help.

Jun Yuyan comfortingly patted the back of her hand and said, "I’ll taste it first. If it’s not too spicy, Ah Jiu should be able to handle a tiny bit."

"You’re just indulging her," said Divine Doctor Zhai with a cluck of his tongue, swiftly picking some up to taste. After chewing a few times, he immediately reached for a bowl of soup and took several sips.

"It’s spicy, girl, too spicy! What kind of chili pepper is this, even hotter than cornus officinalis?"

"It’s not that exaggerated, Master. You just can’t handle spicy food at all!"

Jun Yuyan had already taken a bite courteously, swallowing without change of expression. It was only after the third mouthful that he felt it was a bit spicy.

Actually, the amount of chili pepper in this sautéed eggs dish was not a lot, and they were finely chopped, serving as seasoning. He got a small piece for Murong Jiu and said to Divine Doctor Zhai:

"Uncle Zhai, Ah Jiu is craving something spicy, let her taste the flavor. This amount of spice won’t affect her much."

Xiao Wen also nodded, "It’s really not that spicy, Grandpa Zhai, let the Princess Consort have a taste."

With both the youngster and the adult saying so, and with Murong Jiu looking at him with pitiful eyes, what could he do but nod in agreement? But it was only this one bite; any more was not allowed. She could eat to her heart’s content after her confinement period was over, with no more restrictions.

Murong Jiu, although only tasting a tiny bit of spice, was immensely satisfied.

This sautéed eggs with chili was so delicious, she swore to herself that once she was no longer on a restricted diet, she would add chili pepper to every dish!

Divine Doctor Zhai, who could not handle spicy food, could not comprehend her love for chili peppers and shook his head, "I think, instead of calling it chili pepper, we might as well call it hot pepper, to differentiate it from black pepper,"

The terms "foreign" and "barbarian" often described things introduced from the outside, and many such items were liked to include one of those words, like foreign cakes, foreign cucumbers, and so on.

Murong Jiu’s eyes lit up, feeling that her master made a lot of sense.

Black pepper and chili pepper are completely different things, but if chili pepper was called hot pepper, one could immediately know its flavor from the word "hot."

Seeing Murong Jiu interested, Jun Yuyan suggested, "Then let’s follow Uncle Zhai’s words. When we cultivate more seeds and begin trial plantings throughout Great Yan, we can name it hot pepper and promote it among the people."

Divine Doctor Zhai did not expect his suggestion to be taken seriously. The thought of everyone in Great Yan calling it hot pepper, paving the way, made him blush with modesty, and he took several more bites of the sautéed eggs with chili pepper.

The string beans on the table were delicious too. One dish was stewed with meat, the aroma infusing it, making it tender and flavorful. Another was stir-fried with cloves of garlic and a few dried Sichuan peppercorns for fragrance, making them even tastier with their crispy texture.

But what Murong Jiu liked most was the sautéed eggs with persimmons. The eggs were coated with the red sauce made from the persimmons, tasting sweet and sour, a completely different experience from eating them raw, and delicious whether mixed with rice or noodles.

This meal of novel dishes gave Murong Jiu a new appreciation for their flavors and the confidence to promote them nationwide.

And the old Peasant Officials dining in the Glazed Pavilion, who were surprised by the flavors, had never expected that these seeds from overseas could create such stunning tastes. They were only concerned with yield and hadn’t considered flavor, thinking that as long as the yield was high, there would be no fear of starvation in years of famine.

Truly an unexpected delight.

Lady Jing, along with Chang Chonghai and Xiao Qin, their family of three, dined in the small house in the front courtyard.

Lady Jing was even more excited because she and the old Peasant Officials watched over these vegetables every day, personally watering and fertilizing them, watching them bloom and bear fruit, watching them become dishes on the table.

Thinking of how, in the future, these vegetables would also become the food on the tables of the people of Great Yan, she felt a sense of pride for having been part of it.

Chang Chonghai also repeatedly praised her, not only commending Lady Jing but also admiring Princess Consort’s vision for the long-term, actually thinking to have the overseas fleets bring back seeds of various crops. Which ordinary person would have such foresight?

Of course, it was also thanks to Prince Ling’s support. Otherwise, the Princess Consort wouldn’t have had such smooth sailing.

In comparison, the other three Princes seemed even more like straw sacks and rice bags, only caring about immediate gains, only fixated on the throne, uncaring for the people of the world.

Initially, coming to Prince Mansion to protect the Princess Consort was purely to repay a favor.

But now, Chang Chonghai truly believed that only Prince Ling was fit to be the ruler of the world, and only a living bodhisattva like the Princess Consort was fitting as the mother of a nation.

Apart from them, no one else was worthy to sit on the throne and behind the empress of Great Yan.

It wasn’t only Chang Chonghai’s family who thought this way; the people of Capital City felt the same.

Recently, an envoy from the Xiongnu arrived, bringing with them the Third Prince of the Xiongnu as a hostage to Great Yan, along with tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, and several millions in gold and silver, as well as the much-needed grain for Great Yan. What excited people the most was that the Xiongnu designated a thousand acres of grassland for compensation – it was a natural pasture for horses and sheep.

Ceding lands and paying compensation, well, think back to when the Xiongnu armies pressed to the border, causing countless people to panic, several generals died at the Frontier Pass, people’s complexion changed at the mention of Fire-thunder, hearts filled with dread, thinking the Xiongnu would continue to press forward triumphantly. But they were defeated by Prince Ling and General Fu, left in utter disarray without a chance to fight back, dealing a heavy blow to the Xiongnu, forcing them to bow their heads in submission to Great Yan again.

How could it not fill people with pride and glory? The Xiongnu thought they were strong, but in the end, weren’t they just corpses strewn through the valleys, defeated by their own prized Fire-thunder?

Therefore, people’s adoration grew even more for Prince Ling, General Fu, and others, including the Princess Consort who gave birth to twins deemed as lucky stars.

With the once-in-a-century Seven Star Chain Beads, and those miraculous auspicious signs, all the people believed that Great Yan would surely become stronger and more prosperous in the future.

As time went on, more and more people of Great Yan learned of these events, and those supporting Prince Ling grew in number.

In the hearts of the people, Prince Ling was even more beloved than the Emperor.

Just like several years back, when the triumphant Yu Yan emerged victorious, becoming Great Yan’s War God. But, unlike before, Yu Yan now had his full strength, and the Emperor could no longer plot to wound or disable him.

Wounded, so what? Didn’t he still lead soldiers to victory?

Besides, wasn’t the Second Prince also disabled? I’ve heard that it was his writing hand that was ruined. If he becomes the Emperor, I’m afraid he wouldn’t even manage official documents properly.

Many people started to disdain the Second and Third Princes, and instead, they eagerly hoped that the Emperor would appoint Prince Ling as the Crown Prince.

However, the Emperor only began to attend court sessions after the Lantern Festival on January 15th this year, so those ministers planning to advise the Emperor to appoint a successor would have to wait a while longer.

This year, the Imperial Palace had a quieter New Year than in years past, and the concubines didn’t dare hang big red lanterns outside their palace gates, fearing it would displease the Emperor.

Additionally, since Consort Jing was always crying and the occasional passing palace maid could hear it, many thought it highly ominous. Yet no one dared to speak out; who didn’t know how much the Emperor favored Consort Jing?

The Third Prince was still recuperating in the palace, his condition fluctuating between good and bad. It was heard that the burns were secondary issues – the main concern was the crushing of his hand bone, and despite a long period of recovery, that hand still could not move.

Moreover, there were whispers within the palace that the Third Prince’s untreatable disease could not be cured.

Perhaps it was because of the burns and the injuries from being smashed, after taking so many medicines, a condition that was originally curable became even worse.

When news reached Prince Ling’s Mansion, Murong Jiu, upon hearing it, felt some concern, "Your reputation is on the rise, but given Father’s selfish and biased nature, I fear he will be even less tolerant of you."