Chapter 1 — Female Cultivator and Marquis of the Palace

I have been a royal chef in the Marquis Palace for ten years. From large and small holiday banquets, to breakfast and soup for each house, everything is handled by us alone. Up and down in the government, there is no one who does not love my skills. Even Marquis often says that as long as A Lien is here, the mouth will never suffer. But recently, the lady invited back a female chef. Just because of one sentence: "Her ancestors used to work in Ngu Thien Phong", the lady immediately ordered me to be her kitchen assistant from now on, no longer needing to be the main chef. My heart suddenly tightened, but in the end I still bowed my head and said yes. Later, I heard the ghosts talking and learned that the newcomer's monthly salary amounted to two taels of silver. As for me, I devoted myself for ten years and only got one denarii each month. That night, I sat and counted the days with my knuckles. In just half a month, my employment contract will expire.

01

The day Van Nuong entered the kitchen, I was making sweet soup for the young master of the three rooms. She glanced over indifferently, her expression arrogant.

“In sweet tea you have to put lotus seeds, why do you put peanuts?”

I patiently explain:

"The young master criticized the lotus seeds as bitter. The peanuts have a sweet taste, suitable for people's taste."

"Lotus seeds have a bitter taste, can neutralize the sweet taste of honeydew melon, and have the effect of clearing heat and nourishing the mind. How can you change it arbitrarily? Change it."

Her voice was stern, completely carrying the posture of a master teaching a disciple. I put the last peanuts in the bowl, put the sweet tea on the tray, refusing to give in.

"Eating breakfast is meant to relieve fatigue. If every food only thinks about its effectiveness, why not take medicine directly?"

Van Nuong's face darkened and she called my name word by word:

“A Lien!”

"My lady hired me to manage the kitchen, of course the dishes must be cooked by me. If everyone relied on their seniority but refused to listen to management, wouldn't the kitchen be in chaos?"

I suddenly remembered that the day before Van Nuong entered the palace, the maid next to her specially came to remind her.

"Her ancestors were once royal chefs, and were praised by the Queen Mother. My wife spent a lot of effort to invite her here. You absolutely must not offend her."

Being silent for a moment, I bent down and picked each peanut out of the bowl. Only then did she nod in satisfaction.

"You must remember, cooking methods are the essence of ancestral wisdom and cannot be changed arbitrarily. Later you will understand the magic."

The miracle has not yet been seen, the news that the young master is angry has already spread. The maid of the three rooms quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed me, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she questioned:

“Ah Lien, was the bowl of sweet tea brought to you in the afternoon made by you?”

I don't answer, just ask the opposite:

“What's going on?”

"The lotus seeds inside were extremely bitter. As soon as the young master tasted one piece, he broke the entire bowl. The third lady sent us to ask what was going on."

I had already predicted this result. The young master's favorite thing is sweets. The third lady is afraid that his teeth will be damaged, so she usually doesn't give him food. Only this sweet soup dish only uses chilled fruits, not sprinkled with honey, so the third lady reluctantly allows it. Now that you bring a bowl that doesn't suit your taste, why wouldn't you get angry? Seeing me lower my eyes and think, the maid sighed give me a push.

"Quickly say it! Everyone in the palace knows that you understand the preferences of each room the best. If there's anything going on, please give me a solid sentence, so I can come back and report."

Facing her urgent eyes, I just said in a low voice:

"Go ask Van Nuong. Now the kitchen is no longer under my control."

After saying that, I turned around and walked out. From behind came the sound of an angry maid stomping her feet.

"It's interesting, even in the kitchen students have started to push responsibilities to each other."

02

In the evening, the manager called me and Van Nuong to the front.

“Who made that bowl of sweet tea?”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. We are both silent. The manager's eyes fell on Van Nuong.

"You're in charge of the kitchen, you say it."

"A Lien did it. I just entered the palace and don't understand the details of each room."

With just one light sentence, she wiped away her responsibilities. At first I thought that if Van Nuong's character was good, other things could gradually harmonize. But now, that little bit of hope has completely disappeared. I calmly spoke:

"It was Van Nuong who ordered me to give up the peanuts and insisted on following the ancient remedy to give the lotus seeds. I made it clear that the young master was afraid of bitterness, but she didn't listen."

Van Nuong immediately frowned and objected:

"But you never said that the young master's personality was so stubborn. You clearly hated me for taking over the kitchen so you deliberately dug a hole to harm me!"

“Stop arguing!”

The manager sternly interrupted the dispute. Van Nuong was silent, but her back was still straight. The manager thought for a moment then lowered his voice:

"What Van Nuong said makes sense. She just arrived, A Lien, you have deep seniority, you should have helped more. Today's incident is considered your negligence, deducting half a month's salary. In the future, you absolutely must not miss public work because of personal resentment."

I stood motionless in place, only feeling a cold stream from the soles of my feet running straight to the top of my head, my arms and legs were stiff. Based on what? It's clearly Van Nuong's fault, the one who gets punished is me! After the manager left, Van Nuong looked down at me from above and snorted coldly.

“Write down the tastes and preferences of each room in a book and give it to me tomorrow morning.”

I immediately refused:

“It cannot be delivered.”

“You refuse?”

I looked straight at her and said every word clearly:

"It's not that I can't accept it, it's that the time is too tight. Each of the masters in the Marquis Palace has their own pickiness and taboos, they are extremely meticulous and inconsequential, and they absolutely cannot finish writing in one night."

“So when can you give it?”

“Early next month.”