The Imperial Kitchen's Little Consort

Jin Baoyi had been known around the capital since childhood as a bit of a simpleton. She was slow-witted and clumsy with words, yet among the younger generation of the Four Imperial Cuisine Families, she had the most discerning palate.

No matter what food she tasted, she could tell at once if it had a little too much salt or a little too little vinegar. She was also incredibly skillful: whatever she made turned out delicious.

Baoyi's father had never expected much from her. The imperial kitchen was a trade passed from father to son, not daughter, and they couldn't exactly let a young woman go into the palace to wield a wok.

By sheer chance, his silly girl came along with him to the palace for the first time and tasted poison in the imperial dishes!

The Emperor looked down at her as if choosing a kitten and casually picked her: "That tongue of yours hasn't gone to waste. The palace is full of clever people, and we're short on fools. Stay here."

This left the whole Jin family frantic. Wasn't this a disaster? They were really going to let a halfwit cook for the nobles? They didn't have enough heads for the entire clan to be executed!

Baoyi had been transported into this world at the age of three. She knew she was stupid; she'd been the same in her previous life.

She'd opened her eyes in the body of the second daughter of an imperial cuisine family. And, well, she was still a simpleton.

Fortunately, fools were blessed with fool's luck. In this life, her father doted on her, her mother loved her, and her several brothers protected her. So what if she was a little slow?

There was just one bad thing.

The Emperor was incredibly handsome, but he was also mean-spirited and loved teasing her.

At first, he'd say, "This fruit was brought over from overseas. Try it..." It almost made her teeth ache with sourness! "This wild bird was offered by a foreign kingdom. Give it a taste..." The meat was tough and gamey! "And this river fish from the south. Give it a sniff..." Ugh, she hated that stinky pickled fish!

Later, in the depths of winter, snow blanketed the red palace walls.

Baoyi played in the snow with the palace attendants beneath the covered walkway. They built plenty of snowmen and chattered about collecting the snow to make a clear, fresh soup with pine mushrooms and bamboo fungus.

The heated room inside was stifling. Li He glanced through the window.

Baoyi wore a bright red cloak. Beneath her hood was a pair of clear, bright eyes, her long lashes dotted with snow, her cheeks and nose rosy. She looked just like a soft, frosty persimmon.

Though he was the Son of Heaven, he had been born without a mother and hated by the late Emperor.

For ten years, he had lived in loneliness, with no one to show him warmth, right up to this very day.

He sent everyone else away, drew her into his sable cloak, bent down, and kissed her deeply. "Little Fool, stop tasting this and that..."

Baoyi was left reeling from the kiss, then heard him murmur against her lips:

"...Taste me, too."

A guide to the feast:

1. A bitter young emperor vs. a sweet, adorable, foolish imperial chef

2. The female lead is a naive sweetheart who just loves good food. She won't become clever, so don't read if that bothers you.

3. A leisurely, slow-burn story in a fictional dynasty, with delicious food and sweet romance. There are no serious villains, and all the main and supporting characters are carefree and a little airheaded.

4. The blurb has been screenshotted.

Theme: Be happy for a lifetime.