Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 1438 - 257, Grant of Mandate (54)

"I can’t believe how quickly Big Brother changes his mind," Su Qiuyu said subconsciously, blinking in realization before speaking in a frustrated tone, "Oh, it’s nothing. I had asked her to help me deal with that little bitch Lin Yuan, but Cousin didn’t want to meddle in my affairs. Humph, if she doesn’t want to care about my business, then why should I answer her questions? I won’t tell her anything!"

Su Tianyou turned back in surprise, "What did she ask you?"

Pouting, Su Qiuyu seemed to find an outlet for her complaints in front of her elder brother, "Cousin asked if the Crown Prince had been to our mansion when he got into trouble years ago, and whether I remember seeing anything. How long ago was that? How could I remember? Was I even ten years old at the time? Hey, I can’t even remember my own age, let alone remember that accurately."

"What does she need that for?"

Su Qiuyu was so engrossed in complaining about Princess Cuiwei’s lack of sympathy for not dealing with Lin Yuan that she didn’t even notice the unusual tension in Su Tianyou’s voice when he asked the question.

"Who knows? I told her I was too young to remember, and then she stopped asking. Oh right, Cousin also warned me not to tell anyone else. Oh no, how could I forget! Big Brother, you mustn’t tell anyone else, especially Second Brother, he can’t keep his mouth shut, make sure he doesn’t find out. If Cousin Cuiwei finds out I didn’t keep my promise, she will definitely scold me."

As Su Qiuyu continued to ramble to herself, she didn’t notice that Su Tianyou had already stiffly left the garden.

Finally, the palace banquet was over, and the Lin Yuan Sisters hurried onto the carriage, rushing home. Nothing mattered more than catching dinner at their place. They spent the entire day in the palace with only desserts and tea, and now, after eagerly waiting for the banquet to start, let’s just say, the food was disappointing.

By the time they got home, Lady Liu and Lin Jiaxin had already finished their dinner. Seeing the girls come in, starving and crying out in hunger, Lady Liu quickly sent Hai Tang to the kitchen to see what was left to eat.

"Weren’t you at a palace banquet? Isn’t a banquet supposed to be about eating? Why did you all come back hungry?"

While grumbling, Lady Liu took some pastries from Mother Zhang to tide them over, "You’ll have to wait a bit for dinner, so have some dessert to hold you over first."

To their dismay upon seeing the pastries, all the girls waved their hands vigorously as if they had seen some terrible poison, "No, no, I can’t eat any more desserts! Today at the palace, all I had was desserts!"

Lady Liu was taken aback but quickly instructed Mother Zhang to take the pastries away, growing even more puzzled.

Xiao He, being less picky, actually ate some food at the palace banquet and wasn’t as famished as the others, so she complained to Lady Liu with a pained expression, "Mother, you have no idea, the food at the palace was so bad, it’s not even as good as what I make!"

After saying this, she couldn’t help but add, "They say the Imperial Chefs are the best in the world, but I feel like these chefs haven’t even completed their apprenticeship. Big Sister, if the Imperial Chefs are of this standard, wouldn’t you be able to become an Imperial Chef if you entered the palace?"

Lin Wei laughed at Xiao He’s candid remark, finding it to be nothing but the truth.

Xiao Linshuang had also returned with them to the Lin family home that day. Fearing there wouldn’t be food if she went to the General Mansion, she used missing home as an excuse to come back with Lin Yuan.

"Sister Xiaohe, you couldn’t be more right! I even wondered if those Imperial Chefs deliberately made unappetizing dishes because they disliked us. But then, when the palace maids weren’t looking, I switched my dish with someone else’s, and alas, it was still just as bad!" freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Lin Wei and the others all nodded in agreement.

Lady Liu, however, rolled her eyes in silence. With so many guests attending the imperial banquet, how could it be that only they didn’t eat their fill? Clearly, it was Lin Yuan’s culinary skills that had spoiled their taste buds, and yet here they were maligning the Imperial Chef’s cooking.

As they grumbled, Hai Tang had already brought over the meal with a few maids. The kitchen ladies had cleaned up everything and gone to rest; only one remained on night duty in the kitchen. Therefore, they had only prepared a few bowls of noodles, nothing too complicated.

Although it was only the most ordinary chicken soup noodles, the sisters relished them so much one would think they were little urchins who had fled a disaster, if not for knowing they had just returned from the palace.

Xiao Yongyan obediently sat next to Lin Jiaxin and, watching her sisters devour their delicious meal, couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

After eating the noodles, Lin Yuan and the others told Lady Liu about Xiao Linshuang’s act of saving the princess at the imperial banquet today and also mentioned the Imperial Decree bestowed upon Lady Liu by the Emperor.

Upon hearing she had received an Imperial Decree, Lady Liu was so excited that she didn’t sleep at all that night.

The next day, as expected, a Eunuch who announces imperial decrees came to the door, and Lady Liu received the weighty Imperial Decree with immense excitement.

Lin Jiaxin teased from the side, "The old girl has actually become a Lady of the Decree, tsk tsk, looks like there’s no place for me in this house anymore."

Lady Liu gave him a sharp look and scolded, "Want a place? Take good care of your son. When your son becomes the First Scholar, you as his father can finally sit on an equal footing with Madam here."

Seeing Lady Liu deliberately teasing her husband, Lin Yuan and the others burst into hearty laughter.

The Eunuch who announces imperial decrees also brought a token for Xiao Linshuang that granted her free access to the Book Pavilion. With this token, Xiao Linshuang could go to the Book Pavilion to read books at any time during the month.

Seeing Xiao Linshuang so eager to learn, both Lady Liu and Lin Jiaxin felt greatly comforted.

As Tian Hui had said, the Lin Mansion was indeed very lively these days. Lin Yuan detested socializing with those people the most, and after eating breakfast each day, she would stay in Dong Tian.

Lady Liu initially escaped the bustle by going to the General Mansion for a few days, but it was not a solution to keep avoiding the situation. Reluctantly, she accepted a few invitations from ladies she had some prior contact with and who seemed quite amiable.

However, with regard to those ladies and misses who were duplicitous, she was determined not to associate with them. Although the saying goes, ’Better offend a gentleman than a villain,’ with Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng around, she trusted that those people wouldn’t dare to gossip behind her back.

On the day of the imperial banquet, Lin Yuan had also discussed with Yan Ruchun about opening a shop together, but it had been three days since leaving the palace and Yan Ruchun had yet to visit her at Dong Tian. That day, while she was calculating accounts in her room, Yan Ruchun’s Maid brought her a message. It said Yan Ruchun was tight on funds and couldn’t open the shop for the time being, repeatedly expressing apologies.