By Noon, she stopped eating dishes from the Imperial Kitchen, instead making a mess in her own kitchen. She had been assigned a palace maid skilled in cooking, who began guiding her on the long road of learning to cook.
Because the original host had never cooked before, she couldn’t tell grains apart and was unable to distinguish sugar from salt. At the beginning, she had to pretend the food she made, which was inevitably terrible, was tolerable. In such situations, she was too ashamed to poison others with her cooking, eating what was edible and discarding the rest. Fortunately, she didn’t cook much each day, so it didn’t lead to much waste. Get full chapters from novel•fire.net
When she didn’t eat her fill, she would cook something in her space. After all, the food delivered by the Imperial Kitchen was handed out to everyone in Yikun Palace, and everyone kept the secret, following all of her commands, even managing to keep it from Cining Palace and the Imperial Study.
However, whether others knew about it was the business of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. After all, in a place where Hidden Guards were omnipresent, you could never be too careful.
During the day, she wasn’t worried. Hidden Guards couldn’t possibly be watching her from the rooftop. But at night, whenever she entered her space, she would pull down the bed curtains to conceal her activities and ensure her privacy remained undiscovered.
Yuan Yuan’s conjectures were spot on. Through the Hidden Guard, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had indeed learned of Yuan Yuan’s cleverness. Because of her transformation and her cautious approach to food, the Empress Dowager became more convinced that someone was indeed trying to harm her.
"It seems the girl has sensed something and has thought of this way to protect herself."
The Empress Dowager’s tone was full of sorrow and concern. Thinking of the expansive harem, even with her protection, it was impossible to guarantee absolute safety.
"The Emperor must also be aware by now, right?"
"Your Highness, Empress Dowager, if we are aware, then surely the Emperor, with the ancestral Black Flame Guards at his service, must know even earlier."
"Hehe, what does it matter if he knows? At best, he might treat it as a trivial matter. As long as he does not interfere, I can tolerate it. But if I find out that he played a part in harming Yuanyuan, I will have him removed from his throne just as he ascended it!"
"Lady, please calm your anger. This servant believes that ever since our Empress woke from her disappearance, she seems much more intelligent than before. Look at her now, truly running, hoeing the ground, and earnestly planting vegetables. It doesn’t seem like she’s just playing around. Moreover, she’s eating much less than before, a drastic change. Perhaps something happened in the past three days, or someone has given her advice?"
"No matter the reason, it’s clear there’s something wrong with Yuanyuan’s body. That slut Mrs. Yuan Wen is definitely taking revenge on me. Have you found the doctor as I instructed? When can he enter the palace?"
"Your Highness, rest assured. The General Mansion has already sent word, and he can enter the palace soon. However, we have to find a way to avoid all prying eyes, so we’ve set the time for tomorrow night."
"Good, then send a message to Yikun Palace in advance, clearly informing Yuan Yuan to lower her guard somewhat against me."
"Yes, this servant will personally convey the message."
When Nanny Liu had dismissed everyone and told Yuan Yuan that the Empress Dowager had found a doctor from outside the palace to examine her, Yuan Yuan, with her cleverness, immediately understood the Empress Dowager’s intentions. Pretending to be oblivious, she asked no further questions. Some things didn’t need to be clarified; as long as they were understood, that was enough. Her gratitude towards the Empress Dowager deepened.