The Virtuous Concubine

Since she was wearing lavender clothes today, she simply chose a lavender jade bracelet and headpiece, and then used purple iris powder to paint her eyes and cheeks, and then added a layer of pink to neutralize the coolness of the purple itself.

Now she took good care of herself every day, her skin was as white as fine porcelain, and she didn't need to put on powder at all, so she just used the fine brush used for painting, dipped some well-mixed eyebrow powder and lightly brushed her eyebrows, then she found a silver hairpin and burned it with a candle for a while, curled her eyelashes with the hairpin, and then used the tail of the hairpin to lightly hook some iris powder and drew two lines on the outer corners of her eyes.

These two strokes instantly made her look more lively, like a mysterious mountain ghost or elf. Malu was very satisfied as she looked left and right in the mirror. She added a string of South pearls and a pair of purple jade rings and jade hairpins to her hair, which made her look more elegant and graceful.

After doing all this, she stood up and turned around gently, the hem of her ink-and-orchid skirt swaying gently with her movements. Her rings and ornaments jingled, and Malu looked like a blooming orchid, swaying gracefully in the wind.

After all this, Malu's transformation made Bai Xia and Bai Fu beside him stunned. Their queen is always so beautiful, whether she is plain-faced on weekdays or gorgeous after being carefully dressed up today, it makes people can't help but be moved.

The queen rarely dressed like this after she became pregnant. Usually, she was as beautiful as a lotus emerging from water, always exuding a natural purity. But today, she was like a blooming orchid, elegant and noble, which formed a huge contrast with her usual appearance.

The two were just sighing when they heard that Eunuch Wei Zhu had arrived. Bai Fu came to her senses immediately, knowing that the matter was urgent, and hurried to the flower hall, but she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, as she always had a bad premonition.

Didn't Eunuch Liang just come here? Ma Lu didn't care, she just asked Bai Xia to help her fix her hair. She always felt that this short bun with a swallowtail bun didn't suit her outfit today.

Bai Xia knew Malu's preferences very well. She gently adjusted Malu's hair and carefully added a few delicate pearl flowers. Before she was done, Bai Fu came in with a gloomy face. She was always steady and rarely showed her emotions like this. Bai Xia saw this and secretly thought that something was wrong, and she felt the seriousness of the matter.

Malu was facing the mirror, and saw Bai Fu coming back in a hurry, with a serious look on her face. It was obvious that what Wei Zhu had just told her was very important. Malu had no choice but to turn around and look at Bai Fu calmly, waiting for the news she would convey.

As she moved, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Bai Fu stood in front of Malu and hesitated for a long time before speaking with a stammer: "Your Majesty, the Emperor...The Emperor asked you to cook a few dishes and send them over for tasting."

Malu raised her eyebrows and said, "Didn't you say you were going to Yonghe Palace tonight? Why do you still need to make it and send it over?"

Bai Fu didn't know how to start, so she simply closed her eyes, made up her mind, and told the truth: "The emperor was dining with Concubine Jing, and he said he missed the dishes you cooked, which were new and exotic flavors not available in the palace..."

Her voice became smaller and smaller, almost disappearing into the air.

Malu's face immediately darkened, and he wished he could slap Kangxi twice.

Although her family background was ordinary, Malu had never been looked down upon like this! At this moment, she realized that in the emperor's heart, her identity was just Jingpin's maid and cook. This feeling made her feel an indescribable humiliation and indignation.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, but her voice was still trembling: "Do you miss the food I cooked? Or do you miss it when you dine with Concubine Jing? Are you flattering me or humiliating me?"

Bai Fu opened her eyes and saw Malu's face, her heart tightened. She knew that her words might have touched the Empress's sore spot, but she couldn't help but tell the truth. Hiding it from the Empress would only make her angrier.

She knelt down quickly, pleading in her voice: "Your Majesty, please calm down. We dare not speculate on the emperor's will, but please take care of yourself. You still have the prince and princess in your belly who need to be taken care of, Your Majesty——"

Malu was silent for a moment, but her body could not help but tremble. When she opened her eyes again, there was no anger in them, but a firmness and determination. Her voice was as cold as ice: "Where is Wei Zhuren?"

Bai Fu lowered her head: "Eunuch Wei came over to convey the order and then left..."

Malu sneered: "You're so quick to slip away, are you afraid that I'll be angry?" As she said that, she walked out. Bai Fu and Bai Xia were so scared when they saw her, thinking that she was going to do something, they quickly hugged Malu's thighs tightly and begged: "My queen, where are you going? Please think twice! Don't hurt yourself because of a momentary anger, my queen!!"

Malu stopped and looked down at the two people entangled with her, a trace of helplessness flashed across her face.

She swung her legs and said, "You don't have to be afraid. I won't do anything irrational. I just want to go to the kitchen and prepare some dishes for our emperor and Jingpin to taste."

Bai Fu and Bai Xia looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion, not understanding why Malu would cook in person under such circumstances. But they also knew their identities, and did not dare to ask more questions, so they could only stand up silently and follow Malu.

As Malu walked away, she asked someone to chase Wei Zhu and ask him to come back to get the food. Malu walked into the kitchen, and the maids and eunuchs in the small kitchen seemed a little at a loss when they saw her suddenly come.

She looked around and gave clear instructions: "Bai Fu, go prepare the ingredients for West Lake Vinegar Fish. Bai Xia, help me make Song Sao Fish Soup."

Bai Fu and Bai Xia took the order and quickly began to prepare. Bai Fu picked fresh grass carp and handled it carefully, while Bai Xia, under Malu's guidance, began to stew the fish soup, with the right heat and seasoning.

Malu herself was not idle either. She poured a full pot of vinegar into a small pot next to her and filled another pot of water with chilies, stirring them constantly.

This is not the end yet. She asked the system in her mind: "Do you have anything that can amplify your sense of taste?"

The system hated it too. Kangxi really didn't treat his tasker as a human being! It quickly searched and immediately found something suitable: "There is no taste enhancer, but there is pure industrial chili essence and vinegar essence. It is guaranteed to be colorless and super flavorful. Do you want it?"

Malu: "I want the 10x one, if I have points, just deduct them!"

The system's voice was a little gnashing: "No need, this is for you." It was now secretly watching Kangxi and Jingpin through video. The two of them were chatting happily, and they even said they wanted to carefully comment on the dishes made by Malu!

Malu felt better after hearing that. After the vinegar and chili water were boiled, he added water directly and took the opportunity to pour the industrial chili essence and vinegar essence directly into them. After it was done, he gave it to Bai Xia, Bai Fu and others and asked them to put it in when cooking.

As the dishes were gradually completed, the kitchen was filled with tempting aromas. Seeing that they were ready, Malu nodded, stopped Bai Xia and Bai Fu who wanted to try the taste, and asked them to hand it over to Wei Zhu directly, and then went out with her for a walk, she wanted to relax.

Bai Xia and Bai Fu felt that their queen had been wronged today, so it was okay for her to walk. They did not ask any more questions, but just followed her instructions silently. They carefully packed the dishes and handed them to Wei Zhu who was waiting outside the door. They took Ma Lu back to take off some of her pearls and jade jewelry so that it would be lighter when walking.