My Fair Princess: The Queen's Rebirth

The atmosphere at the competition site was extremely lively.

The chefs in the imperial kitchen were busy coming in and out.

"Every one of you needs to be more efficient with your movements," the head cook said seriously. "Whoever wins first place today will be an honor for our Imperial Kitchen, understand?"

The cooks responded while busying themselves, "Yes."

The head cook looked at everyone and continued, "If anyone makes a mistake in front of the Emperor, it will bring shame to our Imperial Kitchen."

The voice just fell.

Xiao Luzi brought Xiao Lizi to the imperial kitchen.

The head cook saw Eunuch Lu coming, so he hurried to greet him and said respectfully, "Hey, Eunuch Lu, why are you here?"

Xiao Luzi coughed lightly. "I had nothing better to do, so I came to see how your preparations were going. I brought Xiao Lizi with me to show you the way around, and you two can get to know each other so you don't have any inconvenience later."

"Yes."

In the Qianqing Palace.

The emperor sat in the center.

The rest of the people sat down in order.

Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei and Qing'er sat next to each other, while Erkang, Ertai and Xiao Jian sat opposite them.

Yongqi and Zhihua sat in the first seat respectively.

Xiaoyanzi looked at Ziwei and Qing'er and said, "When will the crispy duck be served? It's taken so long."

"Xiaoyanzi, please be patient." Ziwei held Xiaoyanzi's hand tightly.

Qing'er also nodded and said, "Yes, I think it should be soon."

"Okay." Xiaoyanzi noticed that there were bamboo sticks on each table. She picked up a stick and asked, "Ziwei, Qing'er, what are these sticks for?"

"This should be used for voting." Ziwei guessed.

The voice just fell.

Xiao Luzi suddenly brought the chefs from the imperial kitchen to the Qianqing Palace. The chefs respectfully placed the crispy ducks they had made neatly on the long table.

"May the Emperor live long and long."

"Good luck to the Empress Dowager, good luck to the Empress Dowager, good luck to the Concubine Ling..."

Everyone paid their respects and bowed to their masters.

Little Swallow complained impatiently, "By the time they've all greeted each other and done their bidding, I'm afraid the crispy duck will be cold, and it won't taste good if it's cold."

After Xiaoyanzi finishes speaking.

The emperor, who was sitting at the top, suddenly spoke up, "Xiaoyanzi, what are you mumbling about down there? I see you look a little unhappy. Why don't you speak out and cheer us all up?"

When Xiaoyanzi heard the emperor talking to her, she stood up from her seat and walked straight to the center of the hall.

Xiaoyanzi bowed and then repeated what she had just said, "Father Emperor, I know that what I said was a bit direct, but I am telling the truth."

Ertai also stood up from his seat at this moment, "Father Emperor, I think what Xiaoyanzi said makes sense. After all, a delicacy like crispy duck must be eaten while it's hot. If it gets cold, the skin won't be crispy anymore."

After Ertai and Xiaoyanzi finished speaking.

The Emperor stood up and slowly walked down. He looked at everyone seriously, then at Ertai and Xiaoyanzi, and said, "You two are wrong. I bet you all think crispy duck must be hot to maintain its crispy and delicious texture. But a truly well-made crispy duck will always remain crispy and crunchy whether it's hot or cold, and even melt in your mouth without being greasy."

"What? Father Your Majesty, you're not lying to us, are you?" Xiaoyanzi looked at the emperor in surprise. "Father Your Majesty, it's not like I haven't eaten crispy duck before. How can any crispy duck in the world still keep its skin crispy after it gets cold?"

The emperor smiled and said, "Little Swallow, today I will let you taste what real crispy duck is."

The voice just fell.

Little Leo at the door came in with another serving of crispy duck, and then a young eunuch following Little Leo took a few portions of meat with duck skin from the crispy duck and respectfully placed them in front of everyone.

Xiaoyanzi took the plate doubtfully and put the crispy duck into her mouth and started chewing it.

"Father Emperor, this... this... is absolutely delicious." Xiaoyanzi looked at Ertai in surprise again, "This is the first time I've eaten such delicious crispy duck. The skin is not greasy at all, it actually melts in your mouth."

Ertai was about to speak when the emperor interrupted him.

"Then let the competition officially begin," the emperor ordered. "Everyone may begin tasting now. Finally, everyone should place their bamboo sticks next to the crispy duck they think is the most delicious. The winner is the one with the most votes."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Xiaoyanzi couldn't wait to taste it.

After a round of preliminary trials, three crispy ducks with the highest votes and the same number of votes were finally selected.

The Empress Dowager, the Queen, and Concubine Ling all looked at the three crispy ducks on the table with worried expressions. The Empress Dowager turned to look at the Emperor and asked, "There are only these three left on the table, so these three should be the winners, right?"

After hearing what the old Buddha said, the emperor shook his head mysteriously and said, "Old Buddha, let's wait a little longer. We will know the outcome in a while."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?" The Empress Dowager looked at everyone with confusion and continued to ask, "I'm confused all of a sudden. Isn't the result obvious now? Could it be that Your Majesty saw that the three votes were the same, so you changed your mind?"

Just as the emperor was about to speak, Qing'er suddenly walked over to the old lady and explained with a smile, "Old Lady, did you misunderstand the emperor? I remember the emperor just said that this real crispy duck always retains its crispy texture whether it's hot or cold..."

"That's right." Ertai also agreed, "I guess the emperor just wants to wait a little longer, wait until the time is up, and then continue to taste the three crispy ducks to see which one still has the crispy and delicious skin."