The Real Heiress Became So Laid-Back She Became Empress (Food)

By a twist of fate, the daughter of commoners accidentally became the young lady of the Duke of Ning's household, while the true young lady was cast out onto the streets, forced to show her face in public every day just to make ends meet.

When Xue Baozhu's birth parents from an aristocratic family came to find her, she was crouched on the ground tending a fire. She watched helplessly as the elegantly dressed lady rolled her eyes back and fainted.

Back in the Duke of Ning's household, she found herself in an awkward position:

Her aristocratic parents thought her crude and unworthy, and favored their fake daughter instead. "We raised Yue'er for sixteen years, after all. She's just as much a young lady of the duke's household as you are. You mustn't bully her."

Her older brother sneered at her. "Yue'er is the only sister I'll ever have."

The famous young nobleman of the capital, who should have been her fiancé, couldn't bear to look at her. "I won't marry a brainless girl who's all looks and no substance. Yue'er is the only one I'll ever take as my wife. Don't even dream about it."

And the fake daughter, Jiang Jinyue, pulled her aside each day to weep. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. You don't blame me, do you?"

Xue Baozhu raised an eyebrow. "Your family seems lovely. I won't impose."

She returned without hesitation to her adoptive parents and helped out at their little shop.

Golden-fried rice with minced meat, crab-stuffed oranges

Dongpo-style crispy pork, honey-glazed cherries

Before long, their little shop had become a restaurant with branches all across the capital, and the Xue family had risen to become the wealthiest family in the land.

The aristocratic parents who had scorned Xue Baozhu as crude and lowborn regretted it bitterly. They came every day, weeping and begging her to return home.

A little bonus scene:

Baozhu only wanted to live a simple, peaceful life. She never expected things to change after she picked up that guard.

She once said she desperately wanted to read a certain cookbook, but that it had been lost. The very next day, the lost cookbook appeared before her.

She was heartbroken when her birth parents called her culinary skills low and useless. Within days, an imperial decree summoned her to the palace to oversee a state banquet. Her cooking won praise from envoys from far and wide, and her name became famous.

Baozhu suddenly realized that the guard she'd picked up might be a lucky koi who could make people's wishes come true.

On her birthday, Baozhu told her lucky koi guard her greatest wish: she wanted to marry a good man, have a home of her own, and share every meal and every season with someone, even if all they had was simple food and plain tea.

Her taciturn "lucky koi" suddenly spoke. "All right."

Later, as Empress, Xue Baozhu looked at the opulent palace and the table laden with delicacies from land and sea, and held her forehead.

A home of our own?

Simple food and plain tea???

You big liar QAQ

A few things to know before reading:

1. Have takeout ready before you start reading (not really).

2. This is a fictional setting, a very fictional one, with lots of creative liberties.

3. Screenshots have been taken, so behave yourself. Kisses!

Please add my upcoming novel to your reading list

The Young Scoundrel

A spoiled young scoundrel x a princess with princess syndrome

Zhuzhu's version:

In the Great Jin dynasty, women were admired for their talent, and noble young ladies went to school with their male cousins from an early age.

But Zhuzhu, the little daughter of the Duke of Ying's household, was an exception. She cared only for fine clothes and good food. Hating school, she escaped to her maternal grandparents' home in Jiangnan at the age of five.

Zhuzhu said, "My older sisters can win all the acclaim for our family. I'll just focus on eating, drinking, and having fun! (*￣︶￣)"

But her carefree days didn't last. On her coming-of-age birthday, the old duchess of the Duke of Ying's household personally dragged her back to the capital and sent her to school.

On her very first day, Zhuzhu was late.

She made quite an entrance. The whole school heard that the spoiled, idle girl raised in Jiangnan had returned, and that her beauty had made her famous throughout the capital.

The talented young ladies, who had been taught from childhood not to care about their looks, wondered: Weren't we supposed to admire talent?

Song Ji's version:

Song Ji, the current emperor's youngest son, was spoiled rotten and allowed to do whatever he pleased. He was a notorious young scoundrel in the capital.

"Young Master Ji, a new girl has arrived at the Drunken Immortal House. She's beautiful and talented!"

"Forget it. Could she possibly be more beautiful than the Duke of Ying's little daughter?"

"Young Master Ji, haven't you seen her? She's in your school."

Song Ji scoffed. "As if I'd be interested in some useless little girl who never studies."

Just then, the carriage of the Duke of Ying's little daughter happened to pass by. The curtain lifted slightly, and Song Ji caught a glimpse of the breathtaking beauty inside. His Adam's apple bobbed. Maybe I could...

Later, in front of the entire school, Song Ji sat down in front of Zhuzhu, who was crying as she tried to write an essay on statecraft. He snatched the brush from her hand and grinned. "Give me a kiss, and I'll write it for you."

Zhuzhu wiped her tears and shook her head in disdain. "I'm second to last, and you're last. Better not."

Song Ji: "..."

Later on, the unruly young man who had only ever chased cats and dogs and shown off on horseback somehow settled down and became the top scholar in the capital.

Song Ji: It was all so I could help Zhuzhu with her homework!

A little bonus scene:

His friends were celebrating a birthday at the Drunken Immortal House. While the others drank and caroused with the courtesans, Song Ji furiously worked on his writing.

His friends: Young Master Ji, quit writing and come drink with us!

Song Ji, without even looking up: Get lost! Can't you see I'm doing Zhuzhu's homework? If I don't finish, you'll all have to do it with me.

That night, all the courtesans watched as this bunch of young scoundrels grumbled while doing their homework.

#The difficult journey of a troublemaking, underachieving crown prince pursuing a spoiled little princess in ancient times (not really)

#Also known as How I Turned Into a Top Student Just to Help My Wife With Her Homework and Two Underachievers Finding Kindred Spirits

Theme: Love good food, love life