Chapter 4 — The Sixth Prince's Female Chef

Last time, I still followed Tham Vu to visit the queen. At that time, I was so scared that I didn't even dare to raise my head. Now that I'm alone, I'm much calmer. The Queen met me at Phuong Nghi Palace. She is much younger than when I saw her in my previous life. Between the eyebrows there was a little less pain, and a little more majesty. "Raise your head so this palace can see." The Queen said. I listened and raised my head. She looked at me for a moment, then nodded slightly: "It's a delicate lady. Is that pear cooked by you?" "My lady, it was cooked by the women themselves." "Where did the medicine come from?" "It was an old mother who passed it down to the women. Later the women thought for themselves and changed a few more ingredients." I answered, neither arrogant nor self-deprecating, "But the women do not understand medical techniques. This is just an ordinary food remedy that can soothe coughs, but women don't dare to say that they can cure illnesses." My words are very measured. First we clearly state our abilities. I'm not a genius doctor, I only know a few cooking methods. This will not make the royal physician feel that I have offended their authority, nor will the queen have too high expectations for me. Sure enough, the queen looked satisfied. "You are also honest." She said: "Unlike those wanderers, everyone dares to guarantee that they can cure this palace's son. Since you have come, then follow this palace to visit His Highness the Sixth Prince." The Sixth Prince's palace was filled with the faint smell of poison. He leaned on the tower, holding a book in his hand. His face was a little better than the last time I saw him, but still pale due to illness. "Why did the mother come?" He put down the book, clearly surprised to see me. "Is it you?" The queen smiled and said: "The lady you've been talking about these past few days, this palace has invited it to you." The Sixth Prince's ear turned red in an unnoticeable way. "The mother joked." He lightly coughed twice. "I just felt it." I saw that the pear extract was really effective, so I just casually mentioned it." The queen looked at him meaningfully but did not expose it. "The amount of pear extract you brought back is still good. I have asked the doctor to check, it is indeed good stuff." The queen sat down. "If you are willing, I would like to invite you to come back to the palace every few days, cook the pear extract for your highness, and at the same time make some dishes to relax your lungs, my palace I will not mistreat you." What I have been waiting for is this sentence. "The lady has an order, and the people will not refuse." I paused for a moment. "It's just that the people have something they want to ask the lady to fulfill." The queen slightly raised her eyebrows: "You say it." "Recently, the mother has arranged a marriage for the people, taking the people to the Marquis Palace to be concubines." I knelt down, my spine straight. "The people's mother passed away before At the end of her life, she forced the woman to swear that she would never become a concubine. The woman did not dare to go against her mother's will. Please have mercy on the woman and give her a way to live." The queen's expression became magical. "Which Marquis Palace?" "The Marquis of An Binh Palace." "Tham Vu?" The Queen frowned. I bowed my head and said nothing. The Queen was silent for a long time. She has lived in the harem for many years, what dirty things have she never seen? A concubine like me was arranged by my mother to be a concubine. She probably already guessed seven or eight points about what tricks were inside. "This palace already knows." She calmly said: "You stand up first. You can continue cooking the Cao Duong pear for your highness. As for your mother... this palace has its own plans." With this sentence from the queen, the big rock in my heart finally fell. When I left the Sixth Prince's palace,

he called me from behind. "Miss Nguyen." I turned my head to look at him. He leaned against the door frame, his face still a bit pale, but his eyes were very bright. "That pear pear..." He said: "It's really delicious." I was surprised, then I couldn't help but curl the corners of my lips. "Your Highness likes it. Next time the ladies will bring more for your highness." 8 When we returned to Nguyen palace, it was already dusk. My mother sat waiting in the main hall, her face so gloomy that she was about to cry. "Since when have you been able to hold on to the high branch of the Sixth Prince?" She had just opened her mouth to question. "Mother has misunderstood." I respectfully said: "But last time on the way to the banquet, I happened to meet His Royal Highness Luc. He was coughing very badly, so I conveniently gave him a packet of sugar pears. Today, the Queen summoned me to the palace, just because she wanted me to make some dishes. Relax your lungs for your highness." The mother looked at me suspiciously. Perhaps she felt that things weren't that simple, but for a moment she couldn't find anything unusual. "Don't think that clinging to the Sixth Prince can betray the heavens." She smiled coldly. "His Royal Highness's body is weak, who knows how long it can last? Don't bet on the wrong place." I lowered my eyelashes and did not answer. Although my mother's words were harsh, I knew she was telling the truth.