The Royal Chef

The current Second Prince, Prince Su Xiao Jingyao, is valiant and extraordinary, with peerless good looks. Just as he reached marriageable age, the emperor and empress unexpectedly betrothed him to Pei Xiuzhu, the least noticeable of the Chancellor's daughters, a lazy, food-loving girl who'd rather just laze about. At first, he thought it was nothing more than a political marriage. He could never fall for that round-faced Second Miss Pei. After they married What? She never liked me? She fainted from hunger while trying to help me lose weight because someone had poisoned her? She drools on me at night because she's dreaming about ham and boiled fish? I can't accept this!!! At the start of their marriage The kitchen will take care of my meals. Tell her there's no need to trouble herself. Not long after My wife didn't bring me food today? She must be angry! How do I cheer up my wife? Please, I need an answer urgently! ~~ Pei Xiuzhu was just like her name: from childhood, she'd had skin like jade and a plump, rounded figure. She had no taste for competing with others and spent all day thinking about food and drink. She'd planned to live a carefree life as a happy layabout, but then an imperial decree came out of nowhere, ordering her to become Prince Su's consort. Envy and jealousy spread at once, and everyone waited to see her make a fool of herself They say Second Miss Pei is round-headed and dimwitted. Marrying her won't win her Prince Su's favor. At her first palace banquet after the wedding, everyone saw only a peerlessly beautiful woman, with a slender waist like a willow, even lovelier than Xi Shi. Everyone: "???" A little scene: On their wedding day, Prince Su left to provide disaster relief and didn't come home for more than half a month. Only when he returned did he realize that his household had changed. Day and night, a strange fragrance kept wafting from the rear courtyard. Sometimes it was rich and enticing, sometimes light and savory, so distracting that it made people's minds wander and their mouths water. Some couldn't even sleep at night. At last, he stepped into the rear courtyard and saw a graceful beauty beneath the moonlight, carefully turning a handful of meat skewers over a charcoal fire and earnestly sprinkling on all kinds of seasoning. Prince Su: "...Who are you?" Pei Xiuzhu: "...Your consort." Prince Su: "What are you doing?" Pei Xiuzhu: "I'm hungry, so I'm grilling meat. Would Your Highness like a skewer?" Prince Su: "..." Tsk. He'd left her alone for so long, and she still had such an appetite? With complicated feelings, Xiao Jingyao took a bite and fell into deep thought. Had the food he'd eaten before really been fit for human consumption? A more romantic blurb Orphaned of his mother as a child and raised with difficulty in the palace, Prince Su Xiao Jingyao grew aloof and rarely trusted anyone. That was until a cheerful, optimistic girl who loved food came to his residence. She accompanied him all the way from the capital to the border, then back to the capital. Even the hardest days could bloom into something beautiful with her by his side. Naturally, he would repay her with a lifetime of devotion, keeping her forever in his heart. ~~ Marriage first, love later A silly, food-filled slice-of-life story Perfect to read over a meal My new novel, The Emperor's Consort Only Wants to Gossip, is now underway. Come check it out After three years in the palace, Yan Shu, a beauty of Yongning Hall, had never seen the emperor's face. While the palace consorts tried every trick to win his favor, she was absorbed in a gossip System she'd stumbled upon and had no time for anything else. [The heir of Marquis Linwu isn't even his own son, tsk tsk.] [The stuffy Minister of Rites is secretly sleeping with his daughter-in-law!!!] [Good grief, the upright Princess's Consort has several mistresses on the side.] With juicy scandals like these every day, who even remembers who the emperor is? Then one day, she stumbled upon the juiciest scandal of all [The iron-blooded ruler, so cold and aloof on the outside, is actually impotent.] Yan Shu: "!!!" Wait... Something doesn't seem right... Why did she enter the palace, then? ~~ The new emperor, Yuwen Lan, had two secrets. First, after being struck by a sudden bolt of lightning, he became impotent. Second, after that happened, he gained the ability to read minds. Having encountered one hypocritical face after another, he grew ever colder. Then one day, he heard an unusual thought [So gorgeous, but completely useless. What a waste, tsk.] Yuwen Lan paused and narrowed his eyes at the pretty, pure-looking young woman. [I wonder if he's always been impotent, or if some psychological hang-up caused it?] [If The True Classic of the Plain Maiden and The Secret Book of the Bedchamber don't work, has he tried The Great Rhapsody of Heaven and Earth in Yin-Yang Union?] Yuwen Lan: "???" ~~ Even after she became empress, Yan Shu never figured out how she'd repeatedly danced right on the emperor's last nerve, only to become the most important person in his heart. Maybe... she was just lucky. Theme: Promoting the culture of Chinese cuisine