After the New Year, Pei Shangshi noticed that Wu Zhenzhen’s culinary skills had advanced by leaps and bounds—she could now prepare imperial cuisine dishes with about ninety percent accuracy. When asked how she achieved this, Wu Zhenzhen replied, “When I want to learn any dish from the imperial cuisine, I still prefer to ask the chef who makes that dish for instruction. I carefully observe their temperaments and preferences. If they love money, I offer generous tuition and directly ask them to teach me. If they love fame, I frequently praise their exquisite culinary skills to others, and when it reaches their ears, they naturally feel pleased. When I then ask for their guidance, they’re happy to share. If they care neither for fame nor profit, I pay attention to what they lack. Some love tea, so I give them the imperial tea His Majesty granted me. Some enjoy wine, so I quietly replace the strong liquor they keep in the kitchen with more fragrant and mellow wine, leaving beside it vegetarian sobering ice that I made myself. Others need help with personal matters—for instance, if they or their family members fall ill, I immediately request Hanlin medical officers to diagnose and treat them… Treating them this way, they reciprocate with kindness. In the future, when they see what I want to learn, they actively teach me… However, there are exceptions. That Chef Li is completely unmoved by either soft or hard approaches—no matter what I do, he ignores me.”
Hearing this, Pei Shangshi smiled faintly, “He is the most stubborn person in the imperial kitchen, so naturally he’s not easily swayed. But it doesn’t matter. It would be best if he’s willing to teach, but if not, don’t force it. Just handle things well, don’t anger him, and each of us should do our own duties properly.”
After tasting Wu Zhenzhen’s stir-fried pork shreds, the Emperor became quite interested in her folk dishes. When the Emperor ate outside of regular meals, it was called “casual consumption.” Since Wu Zhenzhen’s arrival, casual consumption had gradually increased. The Emperor had tried her plum blossom soup noodles, mountain and sea pouches, chicken broth wontons, and wine-braised jade mushrooms. One day, he even ate a rabbit hotpot called “Stirring the Sunset Glow” during the nighttime when he normally didn’t eat.
One day, Cheng Yuan came from Cifu Palace to deliver a message from the Empress Dowager. It happened to be mealtime, so the Emperor invited him to dine together in Jieming Palace. During the meal, the Emperor praised Wu Zhenzhen’s culinary skills with a smile, saying to Cheng Yuan, “Wu Zhenzhen is so dedicated that given time, her future achievements will surely be no less than those of Chef Liu and Food Service Liu from the previous dynasty… Only one thing is bad—since she’s been attending to me, I always have to loosen my belt by one notch.”
Cheng Yuan smiled and bowed, “Seeing Your Majesty’s radiant complexion and increasingly robust health, I know that Food Preparation Wu is exceptionally intelligent and has superb culinary skills.”
After the meal, the Emperor left Jieming Palace to return to Funing Palace. Cheng Yuan escorted the Emperor out of the palace gate, and after respectfully seeing him off, was about to return to Cifu Palace when he heard Wu Zhenzhen calling from behind, “Sir Cheng, please wait.”
Cheng Yuan turned around unhurriedly, looking at her with a faint smile. When she approached, he bowed deeply to her, “What instructions does Food Preparation Wu have?”
Wu Zhenzhen returned the courtesy, then said, “Previously I asked you about my mother’s whereabouts, and you said I was merely an insignificant palace woman without the qualification to inquire. So now, do I have the qualification to ask again?”
“Who doesn’t know that you are now a newly favored person by His Majesty’s side? If you have questions, I naturally dare not refuse to answer,” Cheng Yuan replied with neither servility nor arrogance, his tone sounding very polite.
Wu Zhenzhen said, “I only want to know where my mother is and whether she’s still safe.”
Cheng Yuan bowed slightly and said gently, “If you’re willing, I’ll come to the South Palace again tomorrow. I’ll ask His Majesty to allow me to bring you to Cifu Palace on an errand, and we can arrange for you to meet your mother along the way.”
Wu Zhenzhen agreed. The next day, Cheng Yuan indeed came to Funing Palace again, saying that the head chefs in the North Palace had heard of Wu Zhenzhen’s iron wok stir-frying technique and were very envious. If His Majesty permitted, they hoped she would come to Cifu Palace to draw up plans for iron woks so the North Palace could have replicas made.
The Emperor quickly agreed, letting Wu Zhenzhen go with Cheng Yuan. After thinking, he also instructed Wu Zhenzhen, “You might as well stay overnight at Cifu Palace tonight. At the fourth watch, I’ll have Yin Rui bring two Palace Guard attendants to fetch you, and you can conveniently go to Chen’s Noodle Shop in the middle section of Imperial Street at Qinghe District to bring me back a few quail pastries.”
Wu Zhenzhen accepted the order and immediately followed Cheng Yuan out of the South Palace.
Cheng Yuan had Wu Zhenzhen board the carriage and took her north, but instead of going directly to Cifu Palace, he circled around the palace city and stopped at the foot of one side of Phoenix Mountain. Cheng Yuan then ordered the carriage driver to wait there while he took Wu Zhenzhen up the mountain, following a winding path through dense forest toward the mountainside.
After climbing for a while, the mountain path gradually widened and the scenery ahead became more open. Not far ahead, a rocky outcrop jutted out, facing the palace city below. Behind the outcrop, the terrain was flat, and under the cover of verdant pines and cypresses stood a solitary grave built of brick and stone.
Cheng Yuan stopped and indicated the solitary grave. Wu Zhenzhen was startled and immediately rushed over, clearly seeing the inscription on the tombstone: “Tomb of Palace Woman Wu.”
“This… what is this?” Wu Zhenzhen stood in the cold mountain wind, trembling all over as she pointed at the tombstone and asked Cheng Yuan.
“This is your mother’s grave,” Cheng Yuan slowly walked up to her and said plainly.
“You’re lying. My mother was in good health and wouldn’t leave me so quickly.” Wu Zhenzhen glared angrily at Cheng Yuan and shouted, “Don’t think you can deceive me by randomly pointing to some grave!”
“I can swear on my life that your biological mother is buried beneath this ground,” Cheng Yuan calmly met Wu Zhenzhen’s gaze, his tone gentle but carrying unquestionable authority. “I personally selected this burial site for her, and I personally watched her being buried… The characters on this tombstone were also written by my own hand and carved by others.”
Though spring had arrived, the weather was still very cold this year. Snow remained on the mountain, and his hand slowly brushed over the tombstone, causing a layer of remaining snow to fall with a rustling sound. Wu Zhenzhen stared blankly, her gaze moving to the tombstone. She saw that the carved marks looked fresh, as if the stone had been erected within the past year.
“Your mother was originally a palace woman by the late Emperor’s side who had gained his special favor, so the Empress Dowager also rather disliked her.” Seeing Wu Zhenzhen quiet down, Cheng Yuan began to narrate. “Later, she fell in love with someone outside the palace, escaped from the palace, and gave birth to you. After her husband died, she changed her name and took you to Pujiang, where she raised you to adulthood. However, the late Emperor issued an edict on his deathbed ordering that she be found and made to die as a burial sacrifice, so for all these years, she constantly faced pursuit from Cifu Palace. When she was in the palace, she and I had a close private friendship, and I always wanted to help her resolve this calamity. When I encountered her in Pujiang, I decided to bring her back to Lin’an immediately because your carelessness had led Ji Jinglan to discover that she wasn’t an ordinary person. I had to place her under my protection so Ji Jinglan wouldn’t continue investigating. I planned to return to Lin’an and persuade the Empress Dowager properly—the past was the past, and it would be better to be merciful and spare her life. I would have her formally apologize to the Empress Dowager and seek her forgiveness. With my current capabilities, I believed I could accomplish this, and thus she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear and could continue living peacefully with you. But unexpectedly, on the journey to Lin’an, acting from kindness, she cared for a young girl suffering from typhoid fever at an inn. As a result, she contracted this terrible disease herself and died soon after arriving in Lin’an.”
Having finished speaking, Cheng Yuan took out a letter and handed it to Wu Zhenzhen. Wu Zhenzhen took it and opened the letter. The small, elegant script met her eyes, beautiful as orchids and bamboo—it was indeed her familiar mother’s handwriting.
This was a letter her mother had written to her before dying. Wu Zhenzhen hurriedly read through it and found that the causes and consequences described in the letter were exactly as Cheng Yuan had said, without the slightest discrepancy. Moreover, her mother had advised Wu Zhenzhen afterward that life and death are determined by fate, so she shouldn’t be overly sorrowful, nor should she blame or resent others. Ji Jinglan, Cheng Yuan, and the Empress Dowager were not evil people—they had merely done what they felt they should do. She herself had failed the late Emperor and was unworthy of his favor, and was willing to apologize to the late Emperor beneath the nine springs as soon as possible. She hoped Wu Zhenzhen would take good care of herself in the future, treat others with kindness, know how to cherish blessings, be grateful, find a good person soon, and live the rest of her life in peace and joy.
The characters were written quite calmly without any disorder, suggesting they couldn’t have been written under Cheng Yuan’s coercion. After reading, Wu Zhenzhen believed about eighty or ninety percent of it. Her heart was immediately filled with great grief. She knelt before the grave, calling “Mother” repeatedly and crying loudly.
Cheng Yuan added, “Soon after you entered the palace, you questioned me about your mother’s whereabouts. I was afraid that you didn’t understand palace regulations then, and that in your concern and confusion, upon hearing the terrible news, you might do something reckless, so I didn’t tell you immediately. Now, after this year of experience, you’ve become much more steady and your knowledge has greatly increased. I believe you can understand these matters, so I decided to tell you the truth. The dead cannot be brought back to life, but you must continue living. Fortunately, you’re intelligent, resilient, and have a pleasing personality, so surviving in this palace isn’t difficult. Moreover, you’ve encountered an enlightened era where talented people won’t be buried by the mundane world. Continue your training, properly hone your skills, and your future prospects won’t stop at Food Preparation.” He paused and added, “If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can tell me, and I’ll help you.”
Wu Zhenzhen had no heart to listen to his later words. She collapsed before her mother’s grave, crying until she could barely breathe. Cheng Yuan didn’t comfort her but stood silently to one side, watching over her and listening to her sorrowful cries echo among the mist-veiled colors of the four mountains, until dusk spread into the peaks and valleys, when he urged Wu Zhenzhen to leave with him.
Cheng Yuan and Wu Zhenzhen rode in the same carriage to the North Palace. Along the way, Wu Zhenzhen gradually suppressed her tears and began to reorganize her thoughts, recalling matters about her mother. After a while, she asked Cheng Yuan, “Was my mother a Royal Kitchen woman?”
Cheng Yuan replied, “No.”
Wu Zhenzhen asked again, “Then why did she have Chef Liu’s recipes?”
Cheng Yuan lowered his eyes in thought and said, “They were good friends. It’s not surprising that Chef Liu gave her recipes as gifts.”
Arriving at Cifu Palace, Cheng Yuan still didn’t forget to bring brush and ink for Wu Zhenzhen to draw iron wok plans to fulfill his duty, but he didn’t let her meet other palace women. He had someone arrange sleeping quarters for Wu Zhenzhen to rest early.
The next day at the fourth watch, as soon as the North Palace gate opened, Yin Rui came to fetch Wu Zhenzhen. Accompanying him was not an attendant but Zhao Ai.
“I had just received His Majesty’s verbal order when the Second Prince happened to know about it. Then he happened to be passing by the Palace Guard office, so he went in to tell me that he happened to have nothing to do today and wanted to ride along the palace city for a stroll, so he might as well come with me,” Yin Rui told Wu Zhenzhen with a smile.
Zhao Ai elbowed Yin Rui in the chest, and as Yin Rui stepped back with a smile, he moved forward to speak with Wu Zhenzhen but discovered her eyes were red and swollen, her expression melancholy. He immediately asked with concern, “What happened? Who bullied you?” Seeing Wu Zhenzhen didn’t answer, he frowned, “I’ll go ask Cheng Yuan.”
Wu Zhenzhen immediately called out to stop him, saying sadly, “I’m fine… I just dreamed about my mother last night.”