Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 539 You don't have to worry about these things, I'm happy that they reward you mor

When I first took the cooking class, the chefs never mentioned anything like "mastery" or "rules".

On the contrary, I am very happy to see students willing to sign up to learn, and feel that the skills I have learned throughout my life have been passed on and are loved and recognized by people.

Therefore, Shen Yu agreed without any psychological burden.

When the Empress Dowager and the Emperor saw Shen Yu's straightforward answer, they both showed satisfaction on their faces.

Shen Yu hesitated for a moment, but still asked the only worry in her heart: "I dare to ask the emperor, how long will this course take to teach?"

"I...I'm getting married next month, and I can't stay in the palace or the capital forever."

The emperor found the right candidate, and the frustration he had just felt because the two chefs refused and he couldn't vent his anger had long gone.

He said straightforwardly: "Don't worry about that. You just need to teach the first batch of soldiers, and then let these soldiers become masters, and then teach other soldiers."

"In this way, even if the first batch of soldiers who learned how to cook come back for duty later, as long as there are people in the team who can cook pasta, there will be no need to worry about the problem of lack of cooks."

When Shen Yu heard this, she no longer had any concerns and quickly agreed: "My daughter will definitely teach them as soon as possible and make sure they can cook all the noodle dishes commonly eaten in the north."

The emperor laughed happily and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I will go back and approve Zheng Jian's memorial and make this kid happy."

"If they can be patient for a few more days, he and his soldiers will be able to eat Taiping noodles and auspicious fruits in the south during the New Year."

As he spoke, he stood up and said goodbye to the Queen Mother, "I have disturbed you for half a day. I will go back to review the memorials. You should also go to bed early."

Seeing the emperor's relaxed expression, the queen mother smiled and nodded, saying with concern: "State affairs are important, but the emperor should not be busy too late, and rest early."

The emperor responded with "yes" again, bowed, and walked away with big strides.

When the Queen Mother saw the Emperor had left, she said to Shen Yu cheerfully, "You have helped the Emperor solve his problem, so I want to reward you. I don't know what reward you want, but you can always tell me."

Shen Yu didn't expect the Queen Mother to suddenly ask this, so she waved her hand and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my duty to ensure that the soldiers have good food and to protect the people in the south, not for the Queen Mother's reward."

The Queen Mother nodded and praised: "You are indeed a good child, not arrogant or impatient, and you are reasonable and restrained."

"This reward must be given, otherwise who would be willing to be loyal to the Lord in the future?"

Speaking of rewards, Shen Yu thought of the list of gifts he received today, and hurriedly knelt down again.

The Queen Mother thought Shen Yu had finally come to her senses and was ready to ask her for a reward, so she looked at her with a smile and said, "Girl, just stand there and talk. There's no one else here right now, so tell me what reward you want."

Shen Yu said, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother. I don't want any reward, but I want to report the difficult things I encountered today to you and ask for your guidance."

Seeing Shen Yu's serious words, the Queen Mother stopped smiling and asked, "Oh, what's the problem? Tell me about it."

Shen Yu hurriedly said, "This afternoon, the Queen and the Imperial Concubine each gave my daughter a generous gift."

"When I returned to the Misty Rain Pavilion, I found that the ladies in each palace had sent me a generous gift. The gifts were all very generous, only slightly less than the gifts from the two ladies."

"I roughly estimated the market value, and it would be over four thousand taels of silver."

"It is an honor for me that the ladies think highly of me, but the gift is too generous, and I feel uneasy."

"I feel like this is undeserved and I don't know what to do."

"I beg the Queen Mother to give me some advice on how to deal with the gifts sent by the ladies."

The Queen Mother laughed after hearing this, and hurriedly said to Zhenniang beside her: "Zhenniang, help Miss Shen up quickly."

"The concubines in the harem are vying for attention and using this girl as a scapegoat. Look how scared she is."

Zhenniang answered yes and hurried over to help Shen Yu up.

Although it was as warm as spring in Chunhui Hall and the carpet on the floor was thick, Shen Yu still felt a dull pain in his knees from kneeling, but he did not dare to show it on his face.

The Queen Mother said gently: "Don't worry, Miss Shen, they are willing to give it to you, just rest assured and take it."

"The Queen thought that your preparation of the meals had improved my appetite and that you were showing filial piety to her, so she gave you this reward."

"The other concubines saw that the emperor and the empress had given rewards, so they naturally wanted to follow suit."

"It's just that the Imperial Concubine and Concubine Hui are used to competing with each other, so they gave more rewards."

"As a girl, you don't need to worry about these harem matters. I'd be happy if they reward you more."

"When you return to the Lu family, I'll have someone deliver them all to you."

"These are all your dowry from now on. You earned them with your own ability. They are more enviable than what your parents give you."

"When the wedding day comes and these dowries are carried to the Lu family, I wonder how many young men will envy Lu Bangyan for marrying such a pretty and capable woman."

The Queen Mother started laughing as she spoke.

After hearing what the Queen Mother said, Shen Yu felt a little shy, but he also felt relieved and smiled with relief.

Early the next morning, Shen Yu had just prepared two breakfasts for the empress dowager in the small kitchen: soft rice cake with walnuts and red dates and preserved egg and lean meat porridge, when he was called over by someone sent by the emperor.

There was a man in a military officer's robe waiting for the emperor.

After Shen Yu saluted, the emperor pointed at the man and said, "This is the Shenwu General Zhou Kun. When you go to teach the soldiers who are selected to learn cooking, he will always be by your side and be your assistant. If you need any items or utensils during teaching, just tell him."

Shen Yu quickly responded yes and saluted and greeted General Zhou Kun.

General Zhou was tall and strong, with a loud voice, and he spoke very straightforwardly: "Miss Shen, where do you think it would be suitable for you to teach? I will go back and select someone, and we will start the lecture tomorrow."

"Help them learn quickly so that they can be sent to the south. Then the soldiers can eat the food earlier."

Before Shen Yu could speak, the emperor said, "Miss Shen still has to take care of the Queen Mother's diet, so the class will be held in the afternoon every day."

"The soldiers are all in the barracks, so let's choose the big kitchen in the barracks as the location for the class."

"Starting tomorrow, you will come and pick up Miss Shen to the camp every day, and send her back in person in the evening."

"During the class, you should stay by Miss Shen's side and help her urge the soldiers to practice diligently. If they learn quickly, they can reach Zheng Jian in the south before the New Year."

General Zhou quickly responded, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will make all the arrangements. If any of the soldiers are lazy or disobedient, they will be punished by military law."