Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"His Highness the Crown Prince seems to have gone out of the palace. I heard that when he came back, his face was swollen, and then His Majesty immediately placed him under house arrest."

The Empress threw down the scissors in her hand, frowned, and said, "Prepare the carriage for the Eastern Palace."

"Yes."

A large group of people arrived at the East Palace.

As soon as she entered, before the Empress could even speak, Nangong Jing, whose head was swollen like a pig's, rushed forward.

"Mother! Mother, you've finally come! Mother, you must help your son! I beg you, Mother!"

Nangong Jing shed tears and snot all over the Empress's gorgeous palace dress.

The Empress looked at him with disappointment and frustration. She had made so many efforts and shed so much blood to ensure that the Crown Prince would succeed to the throne, but the Crown Prince was not up to her expectations at all and only knew how to eat, drink and have fun.

"Speak, what have you done this time? Explain clearly so I can find a way to lift your confinement."

"Mother! You don't need to lift my confinement. I'm perfectly fine staying in the Eastern Palace. I only have one request: please send someone to deliver some of Consort Shen's food to me every day!!"

Nangong Jing's eyes lit up, full of anticipation: "It's that newly arrived Lady Shen, Mother. This is my only hope, please!"

Empress: "..."

What was that? What did she hear?

Madam Shen's food? What the heck?

The Empress was completely bewildered and had no idea what was going on.

"Mother, Lady Shen's food smells amazing, absolutely delicious! Father couldn't bring Lady Shen into the palace himself, but I managed to do it. Father must be resentful of me, which is why he's confined me to my quarters!"

"Not only that, Father Emperor has also ordered that I am only allowed to eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables. Mother Emperor, I really can't stand it."

"I'm so anxious and restless because I can't eat Lady Shen's food, I'm practically dying!"

Nangong Jing unleashed a torrent of words.

After a whole day of fussing, he hadn't been able to eat a single bite of Shen Niangzi's food. The thought that he wouldn't be able to eat for the next three months made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Beautiful women aren't appealing anymore, and games aren't fun anymore.

All I want to do is cry.

The Empress finally understood; it turned out that all this commotion was because of a cook from outside the palace.

"Hmph, she's just a cook from outside the palace, is it really necessary? Can't you focus on your duties? If you had any integrity, I wouldn't be working so hard..."

"Mother, you don't understand!!" Nangong Jing shouted, interrupting the Empress. "Lady Shen is no ordinary cook."

"Her cooking is absolutely amazing. The reason Father Emperor wanted to move the capital was because he wanted to eat Lady Shen's cooking..."

"What?" The Empress's beautiful eyes widened. "Wasn't it because you dreamt of the late Emperor?"

She had advised the emperor to move the capital countless times, but he was as stubborn as a mule and kept bringing up the late emperor.

After all that, it turns out it was all for the sake of eating a young lady's food?

Is that correct?

"Those are all excuses from Father. Father wants to eat Lady Shen's cooking, but he is afraid of affecting Lady Shen's mood for cooking, so he came up with the idea of ​​moving the capital."

"Mother, compared to Father, I am more rational. I have brought Lady Shen into the palace, so there is no need to move the capital."

At this point, Nangong Jing even added a touch of self-praise.

He quickly put on a pleading expression and said, "For the sake of your son solving the problem of relocating the capital, Mother, could you please help me? I really want to eat Lady Shen's cooking."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's face turned red with anger, her hands clenched into fists, and her teeth clenched tightly.

The father and son are both absolutely awful.

She was actually quite pleased with the emperor's growing incompetence, as it would allow her son to ascend to the throne easily.

But her son, at such a young age, started learning about eating, drinking, and having fun.

Now they don't care what they eat anymore.

"You, just stay in the Eastern Palace and stay put." The Empress snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Nangong Jing knelt on the ground and cried out, "Mother, I beg you! Without Lady Shen's food, your dear son will starve to death!"

"Please, please help your son! Your son really wants to eat it!"

The Empress was angered again and retorted, "Then you might as well starve to death."

He left the East Palace directly.

Her anger subsided slightly after she returned to her Kunning Palace.

"It's utterly absurd that a mere cook could sway His Majesty to move the capital and cause the Crown Prince such unease!"

"Go, investigate! Find out exactly who that cook is!"

This whole thing is ridiculous. She wants to see what this cook is capable of that makes the emperor and the crown prince so infatuated.

......

At Pei Yuan's residence.

All the ministers crowded in the courtyard, talking incessantly:

"Your Excellency, Lady Shen has entered the palace! What are we going to do? We won't be able to eat her!"

"According to the diners around, Madam Shen was most likely brought into the palace by the Crown Prince."

"What should we do? Madam Shen must be in deep trouble right now. We have to think of something to do!"

"..."

Pei Yuan frowned; even he, who was usually calm, was starting to lose control at this moment.

He had suffered from anorexia for many years and could not eat anything. It was only after meeting Shen Qing that he began to appreciate the joy of eating.

These days, his complexion is getting better and better, and his body is much stronger.

In a sense, Shen Qing was his benefactor.

In this situation, his benefactor is in trouble, and he simply cannot stand idly by.

"Since Madam Shen has already entered the palace, it will be difficult for her to get out again," he said, frowning.

"His Majesty and the Crown Prince have probably tasted the benefits now. Unless some unforeseen event occurs, I'm afraid they won't easily let Lady Shen leave the palace."

force majeure??

The ministers frowned in thought, wondering what kind of force majeure?

Minister of Revenue Yan Wenli slapped his forehead: "I know! As long as His Majesty and the Crown Prince are no longer His Majesty and the Crown Prince, then Lady Shen can be released, right?"

"His Majesty is not His Majesty, the Crown Prince is not the Crown Prince..." Xin Heng, the Minister of Works, murmured to himself.

Minister of Rites Zhou Chongdian: "This, this, don't talk nonsense!"

Then we'll have to talk about rebellion.

This is a matter that could cost you your head, and not just one person's head, but the entire family, including nine generations of relatives!

"In my opinion, His Majesty is incompetent and the Crown Prince is useless. We should choose a wise ruler, even if not for Lady Shen, but for the sake of the people!" Yan Wenli said frankly.

As the Minister of Revenue, he had the worst life. He always had to find ways to raise money, and everyone in the court was asking him for money.

Sure enough, as soon as Lady Shen entered the palace, someone came to say that there was no need to move the capital, and that she should return the 20 million taels of silver that she had taken from His Majesty's private treasury.

Pay him back? What will he use to pay him back?

That money wasn't even enough to cover the deficit; it was all spent long ago.