Potatoes were sliced as fine as silkworm threads. Spiritual flame burst from his palm, instantly heating the spirit-weapon-grade wok Ye Zhen had personally refined.
Fragrant soybean oil went into the wok, followed by chopped chilies, scallion segments, and spices. Amid the sizzling, their aroma spread.
He poured the silken potato shreds, soaked in clear water, into the wok. Increasing the fire in his palm, he stir-fried them a few times, sprinkled in fine salt, and two breaths later, tipped them onto an oddly shaped yet crystal-clear stone platter.
"Try it!"
Ye Zhen brought the stone platter to Princess Changle, who had been waiting nearby.
Holding a pair of simply fashioned jade chopsticks, she gently picked up a bite and put it into her mouth. Her slender, lovely brows immediately relaxed like crescent moons, and a smile like a hundred flowers blooming rippled across her lips.
"Hmph, at least your cooking hasn't declined. It still tastes the same. Delicious!"
Afterward, Princess Changle abandoned all concern for propriety, bite after bite disappearing into her mouth as she feasted heartily.
The speed left the maids beside her staring dumbfounded.
They had served Her Highness for so long, yet no matter how delicious the food, she had only ever symbolically taken a single bite.
Never, never had she eaten so freely and without regard for her image as she did now.
Seemingly noticing the maids' astonishment, Princess Changle did not pause her chopsticks and merely gave a soft snort. "You may leave."
As the two maids departed, this rear garden of the Barbarian Spirit Hall seemed to become a private, secluded space of its own.
By the time Ye Zhen finished making his final dish—something he considered rather exquisite, though to a true imperial chef it would have been no better than rubbish—
the