Palace Intrigue?: I Make the Emperor Cry by Rewinding Time!-Chapter 99 - 94: Rewarded

The atmosphere in Changle Palace was oppressive, and everyone was on edge.

There used to be a joke that after eating the diet of movie stars and models for three days, you’d understand why they always wore sour expressions. The Empress Dowager was now in the same situation. From her upbringing, eating less and fasting were believed to be good for the body and could prolong life. Moreover, she genuinely had no appetite due to illness, and she was truly hungry, which only made her more irritable.

The Empress, who was scheduled for the first day, was fine, but Lady on the second day began to notice signs of the Empress Dowager venting her frustrations.

Seeing that Lady was being picked on all day, her trusted palace maid felt indignant on behalf of her mistress. However, the always composed Lady seemed indifferent: "The Empress Dowager has her reasons. She is the most esteemed woman in all of Yan Chi and also the Emperor’s mother. I should understand if she vents her frustrations on us juniors due to her illness." She wouldn’t take any cold remarks to heart, even if she were punished.

In one aspect, the Empress Dowager was very similar to the Emperor; they both were generous with rewards.

"Since you are worried about me, you shouldn’t go anywhere these two days. Just stay here and keep me company."

With a nonchalant remark from Lady, she couldn’t step out of Yanxi Palace for these two days, except to pay respects to the Empress.

"Yes."

"What is it? Are you unwilling?"

"Being by my sister’s side is something this younger sister desires greatly. How could I be unwilling?"

Consort Ji lowered her head deeply, hiding the worry in her eyes.

...

Having finished recounting prior events, we now return to Yun Jiao’s situation.

Yun Jiao rested her chin on her hand and thought. The old mistress said that the Empress Dowager’s bad mood stemmed from hunger. If this were in "Deep Palace," the player would have the option to select dishes that would pique the Empress Dowager’s appetite, thereby gaining her favor and avoiding being reprimanded.

So, what exactly did the Empress Dowager wish to eat?

During her first visit to tend to the Empress Dowager’s illness, she carried in a tray with a bowl of plain porridge, without even a side dish. The moment the Empress Dowager, who had just finished a dose of bitter medicine, saw this, her face immediately crumpled.

Yun Jiao’s keen gaze fell on the two palace maids beside her: "Xue Ya, Gong Mei, have you two been hiding unparalleled medical skills from me?"

"Mistress, this servant knows nothing."

"This servant knows nothing either."

With a "I suspected as much" expression, Yun Jiao withdrew her gaze. How rare was it to find palace maids with medical skills! If these two were skilled in medicine, they wouldn’t have been assigned to someone as obscure as her, a little Servant Consort: "Do you have any connections in Changle Palace?"

Both shook their heads in unison.

The kind of mistress dictates the kind of palace maids.

These two are truly as useless as she was!

Yun Jiao got up: "Forget it, I will try again and again."

This time, she arrived at Changle Palace early and stumbled upon Consort Jiang pleading with the old mistress: "Old mistress, please persuade the Empress Dowager for me. I still wish to stay here and tend to her. I was wrong earlier and made the Empress Dowager unhappy, but I’m sure Concubine Xi can’t serve her well either. The Empress Dowager can’t do without me!"

"Little mistress, please come again next time. The Empress Dowager has already sent you back..."

The old mistress looked troubled.

At this moment, Yun Jiao had no choice but to speak up: "Consort Jiang?"

Meeting in a narrow passage, Consort Jiang had to bow to her.

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying, glaring at Yun Jiao.

"I pay my respects to Concubine Xi."

Yun Jiao had more pressing matters, so she didn’t dwell on Consort Jiang’s disrespectful expression and told her to rise: "Since the Empress Dowager has asked you to leave, you should not linger here."

"I am worried for the Empress Dowager, afraid that Lady might not handle everything."

Yun Jiao turned to look at the old mistress:

"The words of the Empress Dowager should not be delayed, quickly see Consort Jiang out."

"Yes, Concubine Xi."

The old mistress shivered and only managed to see this great figure out half-pushing, half-dragging.

Meanwhile, Yun Jiao headed straight to the small kitchen—knowing the chef at Changle Palace was quite cunning. Aware of the Empress Dowager’s foul mood, and to avoid getting into trouble, they let the menu be decided by the concubines and the Imperial Physicians serving on that day. This way, if the Empress Dowager was displeased, it would fall first on the concubines, not on them. And the safest and most conservative choice was plain porridge.

Imagine following doctor’s orders, drinking water all day until your mouth tastes bland, with the only flavorful thing each day being the herbal medicine.

Who wouldn’t go mad living like that?

This time, when the eunuch asked her, she said: "No porridge, make noodles instead, with shredded lean chicken, leave out the oil."

Yun Jiao also picked some side dishes for the porridge that weren’t spicy or greasy.

"I need salt water, honey, and warm water."

She prepared a glass of honey water, salt water, and clear water separately.

Once everything was prepared, Yun Jiao went in to tend to the illness, catching Doctor Zhang in action, who advised with a grimace: "After two days of eating less, the Empress Dowager should eat a little."

"I am not hungry."

The Empress Dowager kept a straight face: "After I finish this medicine, you can leave."

A palace maid brought over a bowl of pitch-black herbal medicine, and its smell made Yun Jiao shudder slightly.

The Empress Dowager’s taste buds were no different from an ordinary person’s. She drank the medicine with a frown, placing her hand gently over her mouth, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit. Seeing the situation wasn’t good, Doctor Zhang, feeling fortunate that the Empress Dowager had earlier dismissed him, quickly bowed and took his leave.

Yun Jiao, however, stopped him to ask if it was alright for her to eat.

The answer was naturally yes.

An experienced patient knows what they can eat, right?

The Imperial Physician dared not propose anything; seeking no merit but also no fault.

Surprised that Yun Jiao had brought noodles instead of porridge, the Empress Dowager, who had remained expressionless, slightly moved her brow: "I am not hungry, but Concubine Xi is considerate."

"If Lady isn’t hungry, just drink some sweet water first, and then try a little noodle afterward. I personally made it, afraid it might not suit Lady’s taste."

Knowing that it would be hard for the elder to save face, Yun Jiao coaxed with a smile.

She helped the Empress Dowager rinse her mouth twice with salt and clear water to remove any bitter taste of the medicine, and then slowly drank warm honey water: "The honey from Lady’s small kitchen is indeed of excellent quality. I checked the medical books; it is also known to nourish the middle and energize the spleen and stomach."

"Concubine Xi can practice medicine?"

The Empress Dowager was surprised.

"I have no such skills, just that knowing I was to tend to the illness, I prepared in advance, for I had never taken care of a patient before."

The warm water in which the honey dissolved carried a floral scent that refreshed the mind, something Yun Jiao had considered. There was a small amount of citron—later known as lemon—in Changle Palace, although not as refined or of the quality bred in later generations. Lemon water, too, can whet the appetite, but she valued the fragrance of honey.

To awaken a patient’s appetite, you must stimulate all their senses.

Sure enough, the Empress Dowager, who had initially intended to drink only a couple of sips to honor Concubine Xi, drank more than half of the honey water. Realizing she’d had enough, Yun Jiao quickly said: "For the effort I put in, Lady should just try some of the noodles I made."

"You child, I really can’t refuse you anything."

She was really hungry and took the opportunity: "Fine, just bring it over." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The golden chicken broth had all the oil skimmed away, garnished with fresh green scallions and a sprinkling of crispy garlic, making an appealing presentation—the cooking eunuch had hinted that the Empress Dowager usually avoided such foods with a strong aroma.

The amount she served wasn’t much, and she gambled that the Empress Dowager, being human, also craved "junk food" occasionally.

The old mistress nearby wore a look of anxiousness.

The Empress Dowager took the bowl and started to eat slowly.

Once she had finished the entire bowl of noodles, she set the bowl down and smiled: "Getting old, the body doesn’t hold up; even a slight headache can cause great sickness." In Yun Jiao’s view, the Empress Dowager isn’t that old, in modern terms, she’s just a middle-aged lady. But, holding a high position, she can’t throw tantrums like younger ones. If she indulged herself, not only would all palace servants kneel to beg her, but even the Emperor would be alarmed to advise... Better forget it, poor food and sleep greatly affect mood.

After eating her fill, the Empress Dowager felt rather embarrassed and found Concubine Xi more and more pleasing.

Even the Empress didn’t get a pleasant reception when she came to tend to her, yet the Empress Dowager talked to Concubine Xi for quite some time, invited her to stay for dinner, and even gave her gifts when she left.

It’s hard to say what the Six Palaces thought, but Consort Jiang’s mind was shattered.