Li Ying recalled the emaciated and frail appearance of the queen, as well as her sorrowful look, tormented by the loss of her beauty. A thought flashed through her mind.
"Your Majesty, the queen has been having trouble sleeping and eating every day. I'm being so bold, but I once heard of a recipe for a beauty - nourishing soup. If Your Majesty could bestow this soup upon her, I'm sure she will be able to recuperate in peace, and her beauty will surpass what it used to be."
The emperor waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "I'll follow your advice, Lady Li. Hurry up and write down the recipe. I'll reward you handsomely!"
Li Ying knew that he had misunderstood her intention. She took a cautious step forward and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, since the queen gave birth, you've sent countless rewards to the central palace. However, the queen has remained gloomy. In my humble opinion, what the queen desires is not gold, silver, or earthly pleasures."
"The queen regards Your Majesty as her husband. She must be longing for your tender care. I'm being so bold, but if Your Majesty could cook this soup for the queen personally, the queen will surely..."
However, before Li Ying could finish her words, the beautiful concubine Li, who was standing beside them, widened her almond - shaped eyes and laughed out of anger.
"Li Ying, you're really so audacious!"
"Everyone knows that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, let alone Your Majesty, who is of such noble status. How could Your Majesty condescend to cook some soup just to make a woman happy! Li Ying, you're really so audacious!"
Her willow eyebrows stood on end, and several guards were about to drag Li Ying away.
Su Buchi and Lu Xunguang were both shocked. They quickly knelt down and said in unison, "Your Majesty!"
Although Li Ying was being held down, she struggled to raise her head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger and listen to me!"
"The queen and Your Majesty have been a couple since youth, with years of deep affection. How could she be simply dismissed as an 'ordinary woman'?"
Su Buchi also said, "That's right, Your Majesty. In recent years, many women have achieved great success in business. If Your Majesty could cook a bowl of soup for the queen personally, on the one hand, it would show the harmony between the emperor and the queen; on the other hand, it would let the people all over the country know that Your Majesty treats men and women equally and values women. Isn't it a win - win situation?"
The emperor's eyes darkened slightly. It was obvious that he was calculating in his mind. After a long while, he finally waved his hand, signaling the guards to let go of Li Ying.
"If that's the case, then I'll go with you and take a look."
The cooking method of the beauty - nourishing soup that Li Ying mentioned was not very complicated.
The rice and glutinous rice had been soaked in water for a long time, and the Chinese yam had been peeled and steamed until it was soft and sticky.
At Li Ying's order, the servants mashed the Chinese yam into a smooth puree.
They boiled the water and cooked the porridge. When it became thick, they added freshly ground soy milk, Chinese yam puree, and rock sugar and continued to boil.
The soy milk gave the porridge a unique bean fragrance and a sweet after - taste. The Chinese yam added a smooth and refreshing taste without being greasy. With a few bright red wolfberries as a garnish, the steaming porridge looked like red plum blossoms blooming sporadically on a vast expanse of white snow, adding a touch of freshness to the sweltering weather.
For this "Meiling Congee", all the emperor really needed to do was to stir it slightly in the large urn. It was really a piece of cake.
However, the congee tasted sweet and smooth in the mouth. The fragrance of the grains, the bean fragrance, and the Chinese yam puree blended perfectly. The faint fragrance seemed to carry the simplicity and honesty of the soil.
Even though the emperor usually had a poor appetite, after being nursed back to health by the nine - roasted bamboo salt and having a thorough salt therapy today, he felt an unusual hunger in his stomach.
Lu Xunguang understood his meaning and quickly and respectfully presented a bowl of Meiling Congee in front of him.
The emperor actually drank two bowls before he praised, "It's truly wonderful!"
Li Ying, who was standing beside him, introduced softly at the right moment, "This Meiling Congee not only nourishes the stomach and spleen but also has the effects of maintaining beauty, whitening the skin, and moistening the lungs. Although it looks simple and plain, it is extremely nutritious and is most suitable for the queen to replenish her body..."
Before she could finish her words, the emperor had already waved his hand. Two young eunuchs quickly carried the still - warm urn and rushed straight to the queen's bedroom.
He pondered for a moment and then wondered, "The words 'Meiling' seem to be a woman's boudoir name."
Li Ying didn't try to hide it. She said generously, "Your Majesty is wise. Lady Meiling is a woman from my hometown. It is said that her husband was deeply in love with her. When he heard that she loved Chinese parasol trees very much, he planted Chinese parasol trees all over the city just to make her smile."
The emperor nodded and said, "The phoenix will only perch on Chinese parasol trees, eat bamboo shoots, and drink sweet spring water. It knows what is right and wrong and stops when it should. This is exactly in line with the queen's usual temperament."
"Someone, spread my order. From today on, plant Chinese parasol trees everywhere in the desolate areas of the capital. Let it be a blessing from the queen to shelter the common people!"
Such extreme favor had never been seen before in history.
Moreover, the "Meiling Congee" was cooked by the emperor himself, who was of the most noble status. Looking at the entire harem, which concubine could have such an honor?
After the queen drank the congee and hugged the little prince, she couldn't help but shed tears.
The deep affection between the emperor and the queen was widely praised both inside and outside the court and became a much - told tale.
Those with ulterior motives couldn't help but secretly speculate that since the emperor valued the queen so much, although the little prince was still young, he might be the one to inherit the throne in the future...
As for Li Ying's salt therapy club, they simply made the "Meiling Congee" their signature dish. All the reserved guests could have a bowl to satisfy their taste buds.
This club was originally under the name of the eldest princess. Now, with the double blessing of "the emperor's visit" and the "Meiling Congee", the people in the capital were all eager to try it and flocked to it.
Li Ying recorded the accounts clearly one by one. When she presented them to the eldest princess for inspection, although the eldest princess had expected that the club would make a lot of profit, she still couldn't help but show a look of surprise when she saw the figures on the paper.
"A Ying, this..."
Li Ying smiled and bowed, "Your Highness, please rest assured. I will send the quarterly profits to the eldest princess's mansion in full."
As a merchant, one must never be greedy. She understood this principle.
Moreover, salt trading was a government - run business. Although she came up with the idea of the salt therapy club, she would never dare to really make a fortune from this business. She only hoped to get the protection of the eldest princess and the queen to help Lu Xunguang.
The queen drank the "Meiling Congee" every day and was nursed by the imperial doctors in the palace. Within a month, the haggard and sickly look that had been lingering on her face disappeared. She became radiant and more beautiful than before.
Li Ying received some rewards. The queen trusted her even more and was even more looking forward to her claim that she had a way to repair the ugly stretch marks on her abdomen.
Everyone was overjoyed, except in Concubine Li's palace, where it was completely silent. The maids and eunuchs were all on their best behavior, lying on the ground and not daring to even breathe loudly.
"That Li Ying is really so audacious! She is just a commoner, yet she dares to stand in front of this palace and try to stop me like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
Concubine Li's beautiful face was distorted. She angrily smashed a glass cup on the ground.
The emperor had not come to see her for many days. She had already heard the rumors in the palace that "Concubine Li had fallen out of favor".