Chapter 158 - The Public Kitchen

"It is something different in the taste... can we go and get the porridge from the public kitchen?" Ni Qing is begging the emperor.

"Do I have anything important today?" Jin Yu is asking his eunuch if he has any special event.

"No... your highness..." eunuch Wang is informing his master of the schedule, but eunuch Li already receives so many requests from all concubines. He got a headache conveying all their message and gift include the food.

"Can we go, please….?" Ni Qing is giving him a puppy eyes look to her husband for her sudden carving when Jin Yu nodded in his wife direction. He is going to change his official robe into the outside outfit. This time, Xiao Nie and Eunuch Wang are following their master while Eunuch Li need to stay back. He got a sudden headache to hear about he has to stay back in the palace and deal with all the problems. It will be a huge headache to deal with the concubine who is doing all the things to bribe the eunuch to work in the emperor place. They think the eunuch has the power to arrange and stir the emperor schedule.

"Eunuch Wang, how about the gift from the concubine and they beg to get a visit from the emperor?" Eunuch Li is whispering to his superior for some advice.

"You take care of it… if he knows about all of this thing, he will be angry and not included the empress reaction…" Eunuch Wang is telling him about all of the problems.

"Mr Wang…" Eunuch Li wants to cry as the maid of the concubine keeps sending the goods toward the emperor palace.

The emperor and empress are using their outside outfit and ride the carriage toward the poor area in the outskirts city.

"I get to go outside the palace when I married you…" Jin Yu is making his comment after he looks outside the window.

"Do you regret it?" Ni Qing is asking him about the comment from her husband.

"Why should I regret it? if I can abdicate and leave outside the Palace door then I will be more than happy to leave everything…." Jin Yu is smiling to look at her beautiful tender face.

"This is the first time for me to hear someone do not want to become an emperor. Every time people want to kill and fight to be in your position, you told me that you want to abdicate… who will feed me? Who is going to support my monthly allowance?" Ni Qing is asking her husband about their future life.

"You… you have more than enough business for us to live a decent life," Jin Yu teases his wife for their future life if Jin Yu abdicate the throne.

"Why should you hold my thigh? I supposed to hold my husband thigh and not the other around… should I find the other thigh?" Ni Qing is asking herself about the other solution.

"Don't you dare to find another thigh to hug, or I will punish you double the amount from last night?" Jin Yu is threatening her if she dares to think about another man.

Ni Qing is giving him a sharp look when she still feels pain all over her body from his attack last night. She wants to curse toward her husband power on the bed. It is not only one- or two-time, last night, they did it almost a few times that Ni Qing lost count of it. she needs to find out from another couple about their sexual activities.

"Your highness, we are arriving in the area… unfortunately, we can get closer to the public kitchen," Zhang is reporting toward the emperor.

"It's fine… we can walk to the area…" Ni Qing is answering on behalf of her husband. She knows the area well enough and this time, hopefully, they just serve the second batch.

This is the place where young Ni Qing gets her food when her mother scolds her badly. She makes fill the porridge into her stomach because she was starved by her mother. At least, she will be full when she sneaked back home.

They are walking to the public kitchen who got guarded by the whole soldier. This is not usual for this place when people queue for the steam bun and rice congee. There is a long line on the road with the wooden bowl in their hand while the people are screaming in the front line. The soldier is pushing back their queue as the kitchen close.

"Why is it closed? What time it is?" Ni Qing is asking toward Eunuch Wang. She still sees the time not yet even finish lunchtime.

"I will find it out, your highness," Eunuch Wang is retreating to the front line when the emperor sees the old lady got shove back to her back by the soldier. His instinct toward the people as their emperor got awaken and he directly kicks the soldier to help the fallen lady. Jin Yu helps the old lady to wake up and Ni Qing is helping her to the nearby bench.

"Who are you dare to kick official officer? I will put you into the jail and get torture for bodily harm toward the officer," The soldier is screaming and tell his subordinate to catch the emperor who is imposing his stern aura.

Zhang is managing to draw his sword toward the soldier who dares to come closer to the emperor. there is Xi Kai also taking out his sword to protect the emperor. Eunuch Wang and the head of the public kitchen is coming out from the office. The head of the public kitchen is kneeling on the floor toward the emperor.

"All of you go inside the office… Wang, turn on the fire and start cook the food again…" Jin Yu is ordering his eunuch to make another food for the line.

"I will cook for them… tell all the people on the line to wait… Xi Kai can you get me some of your noodles from the factory and Nie, buy as much as vegetables and some meat to cook…." Ni Qing is instructing her subordinate when she walks into the kitchen.

Eunuch Wang is already turn on the fire for the stove. Ni Qing is making hot water with salt boiled ready for the noodle. She is asking the staff to get her more spices from the storage.

It won't take a long time for Xi Kai to push a whole cart of noodles directly to the kitchen. He is unloading the noodle to the kitchen for Ni Qing to cook them. Xiao Nie is coming with a full cart of meat, chicken and green vegetable. Eunuch Wang is paying the vendor after they are finishing unloading the cart.

Ni Qing is starting to cook all the ingredients in the kitchen. She makes a noodle soup with some meat and vegetable instead of plain congee and steam bun. The kitchen staff still making steam bun for them.

In the public kitchen office, Jin Yu is sitting in the office with Zhang on his back. He is tapping his finger on the table and giving out his devilish aura.

"Your highness, I can explain for everything…. We have to out rationing the rice and we do not have enough rice for the congee…" The head of the kitchen reports toward the emperor.

"How can? I literary check and just approves for the minister of agriculture to open our rice storage for the people. We supposedly give them the rice and not cooking for them and then if we are cooking for them then it is only a little part of them. The queue outside is outrageous and yet you turn them down with unhuman way," Jin Yu is smashing the inkstone in front of the head of the kitchen. All of the people inside the office is kneeling and put down their head on the floor to realise their emperor really angry.

"We only receive ten sacks of rice and not more… I am not lying as I got it written on the book for all the rice receives…" The head of the public is reporting to the emperor.

"Where is the book? Zhang, call Zhao Yu and the minister of agriculture here…!" Jin Yu is commanding Zhang to get them here to the office of the public kitchen when Jin Yu still reading the report for the rice. It is stating correctly in the book that the kitchen only receiving ten sacks of rice. They also only receive five sacks of rice. No wonder the people keep come and asking for the food where they are receiving so little.

Jin Yu is thinking so hard with his suspicion. Someone tries to tamper with the rice distribution in his country to make the people to revolt from hunger. It is not the same with the report in the palace. the discrepancies in the total amount are too big and the rice is missing.