The Beauty of the Imperial Kitchen

[50% bonus side stories! A similar upcoming novel, A Taste of Elegance, is open for follows. Please add it to your collection~]

Rong Jiao was a junior palace maid in the Imperial Kitchen. Under her aunt's protection, she lived a carefree life, spending every day thinking up new dishes to make.

But then her aunt suddenly passed away. Because Rong Jiao was beautiful but foolish, the Empress Dowager used her as a pawn and sent her into the imperial harem.

Rong Jiao shrank back and decided to stay obediently in her own palace, cooking delicious dishes and living out her days as a low-ranking concubine.

But the emperor chose her to attend him first.

Before the sedan chair came to take her away, Rong Jiao found the handsome, reserved guard she'd recently met and grown fond of. In tears, she told him they probably wouldn't see each other again.

Who would have thought that when she saw the emperor that night, she'd be dumbstruck?

Wasn't this the guard she'd said goodbye to just a few days ago?

One late night, Shen Luli left his weighty imperial robes behind, changed into casual clothes, and took an aimless stroll through the palace after burying himself in government affairs.

Unexpectedly, he spotted a dejected little palace maid by the entrance to the Imperial Kitchen.

When she looked up, her lotus-petal face and willow-shaped brows made Shen Luli's heart skip a beat.

"Would you... would you like some dough-drop soup?" The little maid's voice was soft and sweet, and her clear eyes held a glimmer of hope.

Shen Luli was silent for a long moment, but in the end he agreed.

Years later, Shen Luli was grateful he'd made the right choice.

After Rong Jiao was named empress, Shen Luli dismissed the rest of the harem. Stories of the emperor and empress's harmonious love spread throughout the capital.

Everyone said the empress had such clever hands and made such delicious soups that she'd won both the emperor's stomach and his heart.

Shen Luli smiled when he heard this. "Jiaojiao is certainly a wonderful cook, but that dough-drop soup back then... Never mind. I won't say it, or Jiaojiao will come pinch my cheek again."

Only he knew just how many flavors his lovely Jiaojiao had to offer.

[Reader's Guide]

1. This is a one-on-one romance with a happy ending and plenty of food.

2. The female lead is a sweet, naive character who grows over time.

3. The male lead's harem is purely for show, except for the female lead.

4. This is a slice-of-life story with a slow pace. Everything serves the main couple's story.

[The dishes in this book are mostly based on Song Banquet and Small Collection of Nourishing Foods.]

--- A Taste of Elegance: Blurb ---

[Blurb subject to change]

Food streamer Yuan Wangshu opens her eyes to find herself a low-ranking palace maid in the Imperial Kitchen.

The palace has a rule: maids who reach the age of twenty-two may apply to leave.

Yuan Wangshu rolls up her sleeves and sets her goal: save up as much money as possible, then leave the palace and open a shop!

With her excellent cooking skills, she becomes a palace food official at a young age.

Water-bright dumplings and snow-glow soup, lotus-leaf fish parcels, all giving off a delicate fragrance.

Golden chicken and mountain-and-sea wraps, embroidered meatballs bobbing in simmering broth.

Everyone in the palace, including the emperor, eats their fill and praises the food to the skies.

Only the Crown Prince's heir, Gu Xihe, finds something to criticize from time to time.

Looking at the heir's gorgeous, strikingly handsome young face, Yuan Wangshu sighs. Never mind. It would be a shame to hit a face that pretty.

*

But palace intrigue is every bit as vicious as they say.

One dish of crab-stuffed oranges drags the entire Imperial Kitchen into the scandal, and everyone is sent to the Directorate of Punishments.

Yuan Wangshu never expected the heir, who had always disliked her, to offer her a helping hand.

After the Imperial Kitchen is cleared of blame, Yuan Wangshu escapes the turmoil. She thanks the heir, then asks the Empress Dowager for permission to leave the palace.

The imperial city loses a palace food official named Yuan, while the capital gains a restaurant called Yuan's Eatery.

But on the day she leaves the palace, Yuan Wangshu glances back and sees Gu Xihe's pale, incredulous face.

She laughs to herself: the heir has a good heart, but he's far too picky.

Hmph. This girl's done catering to him.

Yuan Wangshu puts the incident out of her mind and devotes herself to running her restaurant.

Puffy wontons, delicious taro dumplings, shrimp-floss rice porridge.

Crispy sausages, spicy chicken, pepper-salt ribs, and crispy rice with mandarin fish in soup.

People throughout the capital say the dishes at Yuan's Eatery are not only novel and fun, but also a feast for the eyes and palate. It's worth waiting in line for days!

And what's more, the proprietress Yuan is a beauty worthy of Xi Shi!

One day, Yuan Wangshu is locked in a war of words with someone looking for trouble.

Her voice rings like an oriole's, and her clever retorts come one after another. She doesn't use a single dirty word, yet leaves her opponent red-faced and fuming.

After winning handily, Yuan Wangshu turns and meets a pair of peach-blossom eyes: thirty percent aggrieved, thirty percent shocked, and forty percent disbelieving.

...Why is Gu Xihe here?

Well, it seems her Yuan's Eatery has become so famous that even the palace has heard of it.

Theme: Love life and look forward to better things