Mingyue intended to use incompatible foods to poison Ji Shiyou, but without implicating Yanliu.
After driving Yanliu out of the small kitchen, Mingyue realized a crucial problem: she didn't know how to cook.
Looking at the pile of ingredients on the cutting board, Mingyue pondered for a moment.
Then, she added water to the pot.
Next, she threw all the ingredients in, one after another.
After all, her goal was to poison Ji Shiyou, not to actually cook for him.
Making soup should be the simplest method, Mingyue thought.
The next step was just to start a fire, it was that simple, Mingyue was confident.
However, the part she considered the simplest turned out to be a struggle for a long time.
Her face and body were covered in ash, yet she couldn't get the fire started.
It wasn't until Yanliu returned from the imperial kitchen and gave step-by-step instructions from outside the door that the fire was finally lit.
Watching the flames burn and the ingredients in the pot bob up and down with the splashing water, Mingyue surprisingly felt a sense of accomplishment.
Standing idly by, her gaze fell on the bottles and jars placed nearby.
She believed she had a great talent for cooking. Cooking involved both "peng" (cooking) and "tiao" (seasoning), so why only cook and not season?
Mingyue was eager to try the myriad of seasonings.
This was her first time cooking, and she didn't want any regrets.
So, Mingyue added all twenty-odd seasonings in the small kitchen.
To fully bring out the medicinal properties of the ingredients, Mingyue stayed in the small kitchen for two hours.
The water in the pot was refilled three times.
Under Yanliu's constant urging, the door was finally opened.
"Yanliu, I think I have a knack for cooking. It smells quite good.
If I didn't know it was poisonous, I'd even want a bowl myself."
Mingyue lifted the lid of the pot and pointed at the contents, saying joyfully.
"Heh!"
"The princess's culinary skills are so terrifying that even without using incompatible ingredients, she could kill someone. How dreadful!"
Looking at the sticky, dark, unidentifiable viscous substance in the pot, Yanliu thought to herself.
"Princess, will His Majesty eat this… this meat broth you've made?"
Unsure of what to call what Mingyue had made, Yanliu could only reluctantly call it meat broth.
She suspected that any normal person would find such a frightening dish unpalatable.
"The presentation is indeed a bit lacking, and it's a bit challenging. How can I get him to eat it?"
Mingyue admitted that her creation didn't look very appetizing.
She remembered that Ji Shiyou was a picky eater. When he was a hostage in Wuman Kingdom,
despite the poor conditions, he would rather go hungry than eat something he disliked.
"His Majesty is here!"
Just then, a eunuch's announcement echoed from the entrance.
Immediately after, Ji Shiyou, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode in with imposing steps.
A long procession followed him: guards carrying chests, eunuchs holding boxes, and palace maids presenting trays.
Hundreds of people entered at once. The courtyard of Lanyue Palace, though spacious, was now packed to the brim.
"Greetings to His Majesty!"
It was already dark, and Yanliu hadn't expected Ji Shiyou to arrive at this hour.
Could it be that the princess's scheme had been exposed, and His Majesty had discovered it and come to question her?
Yanliu knelt on the ground, her body trembling involuntarily.
Mingyue remained still, standing there without even looking at Ji Shiyou.
However, she thought to herself, "It's good he's here. I came to meet my end, and I can't blame anyone else."
She needed to find a way to make him drink the "meat broth" she had so meticulously prepared.
"Rise, dispense with the formalities!"
"Mingyue, guess what I brought for you?
Hahaha! What are you doing? Why do you look like this?"
Ji Shiyou seemed to be in high spirits. He walked past Yanliu and approached Mingyue.
He had a look of presenting a treasure, but upon seeing Mingyue covered in dust and with a blackened face,
looking like a little calico cat, he was speechless and burst into laughter.
"Are you trying to die?"
Mingyue finally realized that she had been in the kitchen, starting fires and sprinkling seasonings.
Her current appearance must have been utterly disheveled, and Ji Shiyou was clearly mocking her.
She angrily wiped her face with her sleeve and cursed him.
Seeing her anger, Ji Shiyou immediately stopped laughing and assumed a stern demeanor.
"Replying to His Majesty, the Empress was just cooking, which is why she appeared disheveled.
Please do not blame her; it is this servant's fault.
I failed to properly attend to the Empress's appearance in time. If there is to be punishment, let it be upon this servant."
Appearing disheveled before the Emperor was a grave offense. And the princess had just insulted the Emperor, a crime of great disrespect.
Yanliu was terrified and quickly stepped forward to explain, fearing Ji Shiyou would punish Mingyue.
"It's nothing. I've seen her in even more disheveled states.
What were you saying? She was cooking? What did she make?"
Ji Shiyou had known Mingyue since she was eight years old.
They had climbed trees to snatch bird eggs and waded into rivers to catch fish.
He knew her better than she knew herself, but he had no idea she could cook.
So, upon hearing Yanliu's words, he became very interested.
"Your Highness, Your Highness was cooking and made a pot of meat… meat broth."
The Emperor had asked, and Yanliu dared not withhold the truth, speaking with a guilty conscience.
"Meat broth? I'm hungry. Go and serve me a bowl."
Hearing that Mingyue had personally made meat broth, Ji Shiyou shamelessly declared.
He had never tasted anything Mingyue had made. Today, even if it meant angering Mingyue,
he was determined to taste food prepared by her own hands, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Little did he know, he would regret it for the rest of his life *after* drinking it.
He even looked at Mingyue pleadingly, like a puppy waiting to be fed.
His expression clearly conveyed, "Please, I'm hungry, give me a bowl."
Hearing Ji Shiyou's words, Xing Sheng, who was hiding in the rafters, almost fell down.
He was about to secretly notify Dong Nan and tell His Majesty not to drink the meat broth the Empress had brewed.
It was poison, and the Empress intended to kill His Majesty.
How could he have known that Ji Shiyou would be so eager to drink it?
This was like Old Man Shou Xing drinking arsenic, seeking death!
In Xing Sheng's eyes, Ji Shiyou's actions were…
His weapon, Jian (which also sounds like "cheap")!
Dong Nan's profession, Tai Jian (eunuch, which also sounds like "too cheap")!
Upon hearing Ji Shiyou's request for meat broth, Yanliu immediately knelt on the ground and looked at Mingyue.
She didn't know whether to stop him. The princess wanted to kill Ji Shiyou, and she should cooperate.
But if Ji Shiyou drank the meat broth and died, the princess would surely die. Yanliu didn't want the princess to die.
"Silly girl, must a bowl of meat broth depend on your mistress's approval?
Don't be so stingy. Go and serve me a bowl."
Ji Shiyou misinterpreted Yanliu's reaction as Mingyue's refusal.
He knew Mingyue hated him to the bone and would certainly not agree.
But he still shamelessly insisted on drinking it, urging Yanliu to serve it.
"Ji Shiyou, do you truly wish to drink it?"
Compared to Xing Sheng and Yanliu, Mingyue, though inwardly delighted, remained outwardly composed.
Ji Shiyou's主动 request solved her problem.
What she needed to do now was to set the stage and use words to corner Ji Shiyou.
She didn't want him to back out halfway upon seeing her meat broth.
"I do!"
Ji Shiyou's eyes gleamed. Hearing the tone of Mingyue's words, he knew there was a chance.
So he immediately stated his affirmation, for fear that Mingyue would go back on her word.
"Very well, I will personally serve you a bowl.
You must understand, this is the first time in my life I have cooked.
If you want to drink it, I will share a bowl with you.
But there is one condition: you cannot stop halfway.
A bowl is a bowl, not a drop left.
If you can do it, I will serve it to you.
If you cannot drink it, then forget it!"
Mingyue's face was cold, her emotions unreadable.
But inwardly, she was very nervous, fearing Ji Shiyou would refuse.
"I can, I can. I understand.
This is your first time cooking, and you will surely lack confidence.
Don't worry, as long as it's made by you.
Even if it were arsenic, I would eat it all up."
Ji Shiyou patted his chest in assurance. He would absolutely support Mingyue's first attempt at cooking.
"You are bringing death upon yourself, so you cannot blame me."
Mingyue thought to herself and turned to go to the small kitchen.