The Grand Empress, Wang You, arrived at the cold palace where Chu Yu Lan resided, precisely at the time indicated on the note.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress," Wang You knelt and performed a deep bow.
"Please rise, Eunuch Wang," Chu Yu Lan (Xiao Wen Qiang) quickly extended a hand to help him up. "I am no longer the Empress of old, Eunuch Wang need not perform such a grand courtesy."
"Regardless, in this servant's heart, Your Ladyship will always be Her Majesty the Empress, a consort worthy of my deepest respect," Wang You said, head bowed.
"I haven't yet thanked Eunuch Wang for your help last time. That girl, Xiao Li, she gets so flustered she disregards everything. Did she cause you any trouble by rushing to find you like that?" Xiao Wen Qiang was referring to the incident when Wang You had shielded her from Noble Consort Qin's torment shortly after she arrived in this world.
"I appreciate Your Ladyship's concern. This servant is unharmed. And now, this servant is no longer someone whom any concubine can arbitrarily humiliate," Wang You said, with a hint of pride.
"Indeed! You are now the Emperor's favored attendant. I've heard the palace maids say that other consorts come to you to inquire about the Emperor's preferences!" Xiao Wen Qiang teased.
"Your Ladyship is too kind. Favorite or not, this servant remains the Emperor's servant!"
"There's nothing wrong with that. Being called a favorite means you're doing well. But I know you've always been this excellent. After all, we've known each other since we were children." Xiao Wen Qiang began to play on their past.
Recalling those times, a look of longing appeared on Wang You's face.
"Eunuch Wang, you can see my current predicament. Do you have any good ideas to help me change my situation?" After reminiscing, Xiao Wen Qiang got straight to the point.
Wang You finally looked up and studied the Empress's eyes carefully. Seeing that she was serious, he slowly said, "Your Ladyship, you willingly came to the cold palace. The Emperor has not stripped you of your title. Why not find a reason to return yourself?"
"Wang You, are you still playing coy with me? If the Emperor's heart was with me, why would I be in this cold palace? If the Emperor did not agree, do you think I could leave?" Xiao Wen Qiang touched the corner of her eye. "I know his heart is with Cold Consort Xian now, isn't it? Although the world says he loves me so much, am I not the one who knows best whether he truly loves me or not?"
Wang You's lips moved slightly, but he ultimately did not utter a denial. He merely lowered his head and sighed, "Your Ladyship, please be more optimistic!"
"I am optimistic now! Before, I wasn't, which is why I desperately sought death and came to this cold palace in despair. Now, I've decided to win back the Emperor's heart!" Xiao Wen Qiang looked at him with bright eyes. "So, Eunuch Wang, can you help me?"
"This servant does not know how to proceed," Wang You finally relented. Chu Yu Lan had once been a dream he dared not even imagine in his youth.
"Just pass me information like what the Emperor has been eating recently, what he likes, when he's free, and so on!" Xiao Wen Qiang finally smiled.
"Alright!" After much thought, Wang You agreed.
...
That night, Situ Chuan Qiong was reviewing memorials when Wang You knocked on the study door.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has brought a late-night snack and is waiting outside."
"Oh? So late, why has she come all of a sudden?" Situ Chuan Qiong finished the last memorial and put down his brush, a look of confusion on his face.
"This servant does not know. Her Ladyship only said she had something to see Your Majesty about," Wang You replied, head bowed. It was he who had revealed the Emperor's free time.
"Invite her in!" Situ Chuan Qiong replied. After all, it was the first time the Empress had come to find him since her confinement in the cold palace, so he ought to grant her this courtesy.
Chu Yu Lan (Xiao Wen Qiang) entered carrying a food container. "Greetings to Your Majesty, has Your Consort disturbed you?"
"No, I have just finished with my work. Does the Empress have something to discuss?"
"Nothing particularly important. I just woke from a dream and remembered so many of our past moments. So, on impulse, I made a pot of noodles myself. Would Your Majesty be willing to share it with me?" Xiao Wen Qiang opened the food container, revealing fragrant scallion oil noodles.
Situ Chuan Qiong, who had many memorials to deal with that day and hadn't eaten much dinner, found his stomach rumbling upon seeing the scallion oil noodles.
"Since that is the case, I shall dine with the Empress," he said.
Xiao Wen Qiang took out two small bowls she had prepared and portioned out the scallion oil noodles.
Wang You stepped forward promptly and tested the food for poison with a silver needle. After confirming it was safe, he handed Situ Chuan Qiong his utensils.
"The scallion oil noodles the Empress made are truly superb. Even the imperial chefs in the palace cannot replicate this taste," Situ Chuan Qiong praised as he ate heartily.
"Eat more if Your Majesty likes it. Your happiness brings me joy," Xiao Wen Qiang said, also eating with him.
"Lan'er, you mentioned waking from a dream just now. Did you recall something unpleasant?" Perhaps it was the noodles, but Situ Chuan Qiong's address to her became more affectionate.
"Not at all! I was merely recalling our days fighting on the battlefield together. Does Your Majesty still remember when you first ate this scallion oil noodle I made?"
"Hmm... I remember. It was probably around the time we went to fight the Mongols for the second time!" Situ Chuan Qiong recalled.
That was their second time on the battlefield. Compared to the first time, when they were still somewhat panicked, they were both much calmer this time. However, their detachment, in pursuit of the enemy, had become separated from the main army.
They were trapped in a small border town, with all the soldiers dispersed and hiding among the local populace, disguised as civilians.
Situ Chuan Qiong and Chu Yu Lan pretended to be a young couple eloping because their families disapproved. They fled here.
They came to a farmhouse and asked for a bowl of water.
The farmer and his wife, seeing their ragged clothes and dusty faces, noted their exceptionally bright and spirited eyes. When they told them they were an eloping couple, the farmer and his wife welcomed them warmly.
"Actually, my old man and I eloped too. Back then, my father was a gambler and wanted to marry me off to a dying old rich man to settle his debts. My old man took me and ran away," the farmer's wife said as she cooked them a pot of scallion oil noodles, recounting her story.
At that time, both of them felt that these scallion oil noodles were the most delicious food in the world after eating them. Chu Yu Lan then asked the farmer's wife for the recipe. The general's daughter, who had never worked in the kitchen before, went into the kitchen for the sake of the man she loved, and that's when she learned this method.