Chapter 22 - In The Kitchen

Ni Qing is standing up straight away releasing herself from Jin Yu embraces. She cannot let Lin Yue to see her acts of disloyalty as his fiancée until she tells him personally. She fixes her dress and hair before standing further away from the Emperor who absolutely are not happy with the separation and disturbance of his private time with her.

"Duty come first… remember," Ni Qing is telling him to remember his duty as the emperor of this country.

"Let him inside the tent…"

Lin Yue is coming inside the tent and bow to the emperor. He saw Ni Qing is inside already with the emperor which make him feel suspicious with both of them. Overall, he still a normal man who can not accept if someone else vying for his women. Regardless, his position as the Emperor of this country, he can not let his women got snatch in front of his nose.

"What do you need?" Jin Yu is feeling annoyed with the disturbance during his private time.

"Your highness… I will set up another two-royal tent for you and your highness Bai Lan King next to this humble tent. I believes this is belong to Miss Ni and as women, I can not let her to share tent with you or other male soldier," Lin Yue is giving him the reason.

"how about you? Are you going to defy my wish now?" Jin Yu is smashing the table in front of him to vent his anger which make Lin Yue and Ni Qing bow kneel down and face the ground. Eunuch Wang is stepping back to see his master wrath to come out.

"I am apologizing for my presumptuous act, your highness" Lin Yue is telling his royal highness emperor for his impudent word.

"I am going to use this room with Ni Qing. She is going to become my royal maid in this tent. Do you have any objection?" Jin Yu is instructing them his oral edict. He will not let Lin Yue to covet his eyes to his wife. He has to draft their royal marriage edict as soon as possible so she is legally belonging to him.

"I am accepting your royal edict, your highness," Lin Yue did not push his idea again toward his emperor.

"Your highness… I really have to make dinner for the whole troop now… this is part of my job, I will be back soon," Ni Qing is using this opportunity to run away for her life.

She is walking to the common kitchen where she can find more luxurious ingredient delivers from Fujian due on the Emperor presence. Ni Qing eyes is glittering with all the good stuff in front of her.

Eunuch Li is arranging all the stuff to start preparing for the emperor dinner. The reason for Eunuch Wang to take him is his skill in the kitchen and other stuff to help Eunuch Wang daily job.

"Do not worry… I will cook for the dinner tonight…" Ni Qing is using the apron and fold her sleeves. Xiao Nie follows her to the kitchen and carried the bubble prince on her arms. He already wears a baby cloth. Ni Qing is handing Xiao Nie a banana to feed the little baby.

"Young miss Ni… Today I will cook dishes for his royal highness dinner… Please go back to his majesty side," Eunuch Li is taking the knife in her hand.

"How about the soldier and the others person in this barrack? Give me the chicken," Ni Qing is instructing the Eunuch Li with the only chicken on his hand.

"Miss Ni… this is the only chicken that we can get from the city… I have to rationing the amount," Eunuch Li is holding the chicken tightly with all his mighty power. He can not let her to get into his chicken.

"Wang Bo… did you manages to catch any fish from the river for dinner?" Ni Qing is asking Wang Bo who is confused with her instruction.

"No… Miss Ni…" He answers her honestly while scratching his head.

"Can you take this eunuch Li to catch some nice and fat fish for our two-king dinner while they are discussing their plan?" Ni Qing is instructing Wang Bo to move this eunuch of her way. Wang Bo is really happy to do his job when Ni Qing is going to cook them dinner. Xiao Nie is smiling to see her miss action. Wang Bo is dragging the eunuch out from the kitchen and leaves the chicken behind. Eunuch Li is looking at the chicken away with his glassy watering eyes to leave the chicken behind.

In the kitchen after they left, Ni Qing is making a vegetable chicken soup for everyone. They will eat radish pickle, tomato egg, chicken vegetable soup and rice. She makes her caramel cake as dessert after the main food. She adds two more vegetable dish for Emperor Jin Yu and the King of Bai Lan. Ni Qing is working hard to cook food for almost fifteen thousand people. At least, she is working with the same crew in the kitchen who knows her well.

Wang Bo comes back with Eunuch Li with a lot of fish in their hand include some cockles. They drop it in the jar for tomorrow dishes. They can smell the delicious food in the air. However, Ni Qing is still making porridge for the baby and the wounds soldier from Bai Lan.

She remembers that they need to nourish their wound, so she asks Xiao Nie to get some of herb and medicine from Ni Sheng drawer. She will make them wound decoction as always for the wounded soldier. It might taste horrible, but it is really work the charm to heal the wound from inside. She makes her signature caramel candy to ease the horrible taste. She makes enough for everyone to have the candies. She sneaks in pieces of candies into her mouth to taste it, which make her remember the warm feeling from her mother.