The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 232 I'm really hungry
Compared to him, Shen Qingwan's complexion didn't seem so good.

She had completely lost her interest in brewing tea around the stove, her mind filled with the question of why the original owner's memories of Prince Rui were missing.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Emperor Yuanwu's words brought Shen Qingwan back to her senses, and then she smelled a strong aroma of roasted bread mixed with the fragrance of black tea.

She then realized that the black tea and white sugar she had just put into the earthenware pot had turned brown and almost burned because she hadn't added water for a long time!
“He’s…” Shen Qingwan frowned deeply, paused for a moment, and then said, “He’s frying sugar.”

"Fried sugar?" Emperor Yuanwu curiously peered into the earthenware jar in her hand. "This is the first time I've ever heard of sugar being fried. What new and interesting thing is the Empress up to now?"

Shen Qingwan did not reply to him directly. Instead, she poured some hot water into the earthenware pot. With a "sizzle," the room was filled with a fragrant aroma. Steam rose from the pot. She then added some milk, red dates, goji berries, and rose petals. After the tea was bubbling and brewed for a while, she picked up a teacup and poured a bowl for Emperor Yuanwu.

"Your Majesty, please have a taste."

Emperor Yuanwu took a small sip, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "I really didn't expect that the caramelized sugar would have such a unique flavor. Besides the tea aroma, there is also a faint rose fragrance. It is indeed delicious."

When he looked up at Shen Qingwan, she was pouring the remaining tea from the earthenware pot into the teacup in front of her and savoring it carefully.

She hadn't expected Emperor Yuanwu to come, so the earthenware pot she asked Su Tianhe to go back and get was the one she usually used by herself. If the pot was full, it would only be enough for one bowl. Now that half of it had been given away, it was obviously not enough to drink.

As Shen Qingwan was pondering what to cook next, Emperor Yuanwu couldn't help but speak up again, "I remember you usually like to drink osmanthus tea, so why are you drinking rose tea today?"

If he remembered correctly, the last time he went to Kunning Palace, the tea served in Shen Qingwan's palace was not osmanthus, but jasmine. He had asked her about it at the time out of curiosity.

"Does Your Majesty find today's tea unpleasant because of the rose petals?" Shen Qingwan glanced down at her teacup.

"No, it's just that I'm a little curious. Why has the Empress's taste suddenly changed recently?"

Shen Qingwan chuckled lightly, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. My taste has never changed. Osmanthus is my favorite, but that doesn't stop me from trying some new ones in my spare time."

Just like having a favorite concubine in the harem, it didn't stop Emperor Yuanwu from favoring other concubines, nor did it stop him from bringing one new person after another into the palace.

"Does Your Majesty find rose-flavored tea unpalatable?" Shen Qingwan asked, turning her head to the side.

"No, that's not it." Emperor Yuanwu's expression relaxed slightly as he put the teacup on the table. "I was just curious and asked casually."

"Your Majesty examined the tea in the teacup closely. In addition to rose petals, there were also red dates and goji berries. Goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit essence and improve eyesight, while red dates replenish qi and blood, detoxify and nourish the liver. However, the taste of these two ingredients did not go well with osmanthus, but it inexplicably matched the taste of rose petals. That is why rose petals were used instead of osmanthus petals."

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes widened in surprise. He never imagined that a mere bowl of tea could have so many benefits. He hurriedly picked up the teacup he had just put down and took a big gulp.

Shen Qingwan had already finished the bowl in her hand.

She had the sugarcane peeled, and first placed it on the grill rack of the stove. Then she put some black tea on the sugarcane and waited until it smelled of tea. Then Shen Qingwan put the sugarcane with the tea leaves into a clean earthenware pot, filled it with water, and this time she didn't add milk. After the tea boiled, Shen Qingwan poured another cup for Emperor Yuanwu.

The sweetness of sugarcane, combined with the aroma of black tea, creates a rich tea with a hint of smoky flavor.

Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life, perhaps this is what everyone often calls the comfort of winter.

Emperor Yuanwu, who had been preoccupied with state affairs all morning, was now experiencing a long-lost sense of ease. "The Empress actually knows how to enjoy life," Emperor Yuanwu couldn't help but remark.

Shen Qingwan chuckled lightly, "This is nothing to enjoy. In the harem, people are often bored, so this is just something to do to pass the time."

There was a pause.

Shen Qingwan continued, "I imagine His Majesty has been busy in the Hall of Mental Cultivation all morning and hasn't had lunch yet. I just had the Imperial Kitchen send over some beef and mutton. I'll grill something for His Majesty to eat."

Emperor Yuanwu stared at Shen Qingwan for a while before slowly nodding.

In no time at all, the people in the imperial kitchen had skewered all the meat onto bamboo sticks, just as Shen Qingwan had instructed.

Shen Qingwan skillfully placed the meat on the grill and turned it over. She didn't add anything except some salt. When the fat was grilled until it dripped oil, Shen Qingwan handed a skewer of meat to Emperor Yuanwu, saying, "Your Majesty, please try some."

Emperor Yuanwu originally had no hope for this, because in his understanding from childhood, the more ingredients used in a good soup or stew, the better it would taste.

This bright red raw meat, just placed directly on the charcoal fire to cook, without any salt added, how can it taste good?

He felt that the Empress was just indulging in drinking tea on the boat, but dared not give him a full cup of water, and was deliberately just going through the motions.

But the moment he took a bite, a rich meaty aroma filled his mouth. The meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a delicious, tender, and succulent texture and a hint of saltiness. It was simply a delicacy!
He had never eaten such delicious meat before.

"What kind of meat did the Empress use? It's so fresh and delicious!" Emperor Yuanwu's eyes lit up.

“It’s nothing special. The skewer in Your Majesty’s hand is probably mutton that the Imperial Kitchen usually uses to make roasted mutton for Your Majesty.” Shen Qingwan raised her hand and handed a skewer of beef to Emperor Yuanwu. “Your Majesty, please try this skewer of beef.”

Emperor Yuanwu took a bite and found the taste incredibly delicious. "Could this be the beef that the imperial kitchen usually uses to make braised beef for me?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan nodded with a complicated expression, "I guess so."

Emperor Yuanwu:! ! !

What kind of lousy servants are in the Imperial Kitchen? They only know how to make the same few dishes over and over again. If it weren't for the Empress, he would probably be eating the same uninspired food for the rest of his life.

It's unclear whether the roasted meat was too delicious or Emperor Yuanwu was genuinely hungry.

The two large platters of fresh meat sent from the imperial kitchen were devoured by Emperor Yuanwu in no time.

Shen Qingwan felt her hands were aching from grilling, and Emperor Yuanwu still wasn't full!

The emperor is really hungry!!!

(End of this chapter)