The warm sunbeam in spring slowly lit up the palace wall.

After getting up in the morning, Gu Yunxi went into the small kitchen and made two snacks by herself.

One was called "Peach Blossom", and the other was called "Bayberry". They were all one of the 28 delicious foods mentioned in her mother Pei Rushi's book, The Exquisite Collection of Delicacies.

It was mentioned in the book that first mashed the cabbage from foreigners; mixed it with white vinegar to make a pink juice; mixed an appropriate amount of wheat starch and potato powder; kneaded it into a dough; cut it into small portions; and then pressed it into a round cake.

Each small flour cake was wrapped with pork, Magnolia, red medicine, Wuling, honey, pearl powder, and poria cocos powder, and the seal was pinched into the shape of peach blossoms.

After steaming, the small sweets in the shape of peach blossoms would show a crystal-clear pink, which was extremely appealing to people's appetite, namely "Peach Blossom".

At first, Gu Yunxi thought that "Peach Blossom" meant the shape of the dessert.

However, when she realized what those main materials meant, she realized that her mother had another meaning by naming it "Peach Blossom".

The so-called "Magnolia", "red medicine" and "Wuling" were actually petals of Magnolia, peony and peach.

It was recorded in medical books that these three kinds of flowers had the function of clearing away heat and dredging blood vessels. Women ate them to nourish blood and body.

The face was as beautiful as peach blossoms. This was the meaning of this name.

As for "Bayberry", Gu Yunxi thought its cooking method was similar to that of sweet dumplings.

Mixed the glutinous rice flour with an appropriate amount of milk and kneaded it into a small ball. Wrapped it with hawthorn mud, ginkgo and rock sugar. After cooking in the water, rolled the broken rice dyed with Monascus powder, and fried in an oil pan until the rice was broken and fluffy.

Took the sweet dumplings out of the pot and drained the hot oil.

Those sweet dumplings were ruddy and eye-catching, and the grain on the burnt and crisp shell was like a ripe red bayberry.

Gu Yunxi put them in the center of the paste white plate and decorated them with emerald melon slices as leaves, which became a stunning food.

Knowing Imperial Mother Xiao had a bad appetite, Gu Yunxi thought that the filling of "Bayberry" was moderately sour and sweet. Compared with the real bayberry fruit, it tasted better, which was an appetizer for people with poor appetites.

Gu Yunxi put the two newly made snacks into two food boxes respectively. Despite the dissuasion of Zhiqi, Gu Yunxi went straight to Cining Palace in sedan.

She was very clever and knew that she beat Commandery Princess Jingle yesterday. Imperial Mother must be unhappy.

Instead of waiting for her to come and punish her, it would be better to go to the Cining Palace to "plead guilty".

Anyway, she was a young generation. It wouldn't be impolite to take the initiative to greet the Empress Dowager.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the Cining Palace, Tongjiang kept them outside the palace on the grounds that because Imperial Mother Xiao was uncomfortable.

Gu Yunxi didn't push and respectfully presented the "Bayberry" and turned around to Miaoyin Hall.

Noble Concubine Hui didn't refuse Gu Yunxi. Hongjing led them to the Main Hall where hot tea and snacks were already prepared.

On the way into the hall, Hongjing was still explaining that her master was lying down because of the cold last night. She got up to dress up when she knew that a guest came.

Gu Yunxi sat beside the small table and casually drank the tea. Her heart was full of suspicions.

Interestingly, Imperial Mother Xiao in the Cining Palace and Noble Concubine Hui in the Miaoyin Hall both fell ill after the rain of last night.

Gu Yunxi thought that Imperial Mother Xiao didn't want to see her so she made the excuse of being ill, but why did Noble Concubine Hui do so?

She said she was ill. Then why did she call her in and wait?

After a while, a light voice came slowly behind the pearl curtain, "Is sister Yun here? I didn't know that so I got up late in the palace. At present, I am not well-dressed. Let's just talk with the curtain between us."

Gu Yunxi put down the teacup immediately and bowed sitting on the chair. She said, "It's me. I haven't met you since I went here, so I come today without knowing that you are uncomfortable. Sorry for bothering you."

The other side stopped and said suddenly, "Since you are here, there's no need to say that."

Gu Yunxi rose her eyebrows.

She was unhappy when hearing what she talked back.

Perhaps she noticed that her words were a little abrupt just now, so the woman at the other end of the curtain immediately softened her tone.

"Oh, what do you usually do in Jingyang Palace? What are you good at, guqin, chess, calligraphy or painting?"

Gu Yunxi's eyelashes slowly shook, and she said in smile, "Sorry for that. I was raised up by the chief maid of Youzhu Garden, and I was not clever, so I can't do anyone of them."

Laughter rushed out of the bead curtain, with a clear sound, like ice breaking, and Gu Yunxi was at a loss.

After laughing enough, another sentence came out contemptuously.

"Everyone knows that you are the most favored by His Majesty in the imperial harem. You must be good at something. Are you being modest or selfish and unwilling to share with me?"

Gu Yunxi opened her mouth slightly and knew that she had to be insulted by others today.

"I helped the work in the kitchen of the Garden when I was a child, so I learned some cooking method, but I didn't learn well."

At that time, in Miaoyin Hall, the chief maid Hongjing said, "Your Grace, what she said is true, and she comes here to give you dishes made by herself."

"Oh, sister Yun, please bring them to me."

Gu Yunxi stood up, held the food box in her hands and followed Hongjing to the bedroom.

She took every step carefully and kept thinking in her heart.

Although she didn’t know what the hostess of Miaoyin Hall wanted to do, there wouldn't be mistakes if she acted and spoke carefully.

Noble Concubine Hui finished dressing up. She wore pair of flying fairy bun decorated with filigree hawksbill shell emerald rose hairpin and a golden seven tailed phoenix head tassel hairpin in the center, noble and beautiful.

She was wearing a smoky purple silk skirt with spring flower and hundred birds on it. Each pattern was hooked with bright red silk thread sandwiched with light gold, glittering in the light.

Compared with this gorgeous lady, when seeing the enchanting Gu Yunxi approaching, the brilliance of the star in this lady’s eyes gradually lit up, and then fell into the cold dark abyss.

The light honey snow rolling brocade dress looked more beautiful on a slim young woman.

On the soft yarn and satin, the pattern of bees and butterflies playing with spring peach blossoms was made by sprinkling embroidery, which was really rare.

There were not many beautiful hairpins on the double knife bun which was only dotted with sporadic tourmaline, silk beads and flowers, pressing two sheep jade tassels, shining and dazzling.

Noble Concubine Hui looked at Gu Yunxi's creamy, white and tender face quietly. Her heart seemed to have been stung by many bees who wanted to live and take off with their wings.

A voice in her head always lingered, "Bah! It's better to see her in person. What an ill beauty, b*tch!"

"Greetings, Your Grace."

Gu Yunxi squatted lightly and raised the food box over her head.

"Stand up."

Noble Concubine Hui responded lazily, as if the voice was squeezed from between her teeth, and her lips didn't want to move anymore.

"You and I are both concubines serving His Majesty. There is no need to be polite in private. What do you bring? Take it close to me."

"Yes."

Gu Yunxi approached closely and opened the food box in front of the dressing table.

The five flowers inside were small and exquisite, and the color of pink was very much like the spring peach petals all over her body.

While the woman in front of the bronze mirror was amazed, she was immersed in hatred in her heart.

"What is this?" Noble Concubine Hui pretended to disdain.

Gu Yunxi replied slowly, "Peach Blossoms, is a dessert similar to crystal dumplings. The filling is sweet and can be eaten cold. If you eat it often, you can keep your face beautiful."

Noble Concubine Hui was in silence.

Kept beautiful?

Was it ironic to send me? Did she mean that I was older than her and not as good-looking as her?

Noble Concubine Hui didn't open her eyes and said, "Just put it there."

Gu Yunxi frowned and did it.

Just as Gu Yunxi was about to step aside, Noble Concubine Hui suddenly shouted, "Stupid thing, didn't you see sister Yun waiting for me for a long time, but you can't even wear a hairpin for me. Useless!"

She raised her hand and slapped on the face of a little maid beside her.

After two slaps, the food box fell to the ground, and the little maid knelt on her knees, half of her face flushed with fingerprints.

Sneering at the overturned snacks on the ground, Noble Concubine Hui covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh, my sister, I'm really sorry. I was so angry that I knocked over your carefully prepared dessert."

"It's all right. I'm still young. I don't need to use these anti-aging things."

"Xuanxue, go and pick them up and feed them to Benben. It won't waste my sister's kindness. Although Benben is a dog, he is generous and not picky about food."

With pride, Noble Concubine Hui looked up at Gu Yunxi and asked with a smile, "Sister, you won’t be mad, will you?"

Noble Concubine Hui really didn't hit people in the face and swore without spitting dirty words.

Gu Yunxi pressed her anger and said with a smile, "It's nothing but just a few snacks. It's OK whoever eats them. By the way, dogs are naturally the most kind. Sometimes they know more about interpersonal relationship than people."

Noble Concubine Hui almost burst out of blood.

Lady Yun was also aggressive.

Her fists were clenched and her face changed. Then she turned to the bronze mirror, held the Beaded Flowers in her hair, and smiled softly.

"Hey, I am embarrassed for the first time to meet you. The servants in my palace are not as good as yours. They can't even serve me to wear a pin."

"Now, we don't need to mind that much between us. Can you help me to wear a hairpin?"

"Why not?"

Gu Yunxi scolded secretly in her heart but still smiling. She took a flower hairpin covered by Phoenix and butterflies and tried it around the woman's bun.

It seemed that Noble Concubine Hui deliberately insulted Gu Yunxi. Every time the hairpin approached, she would tilt her head.

Gu Yunxi couldn't hold her temper. Her face turned cold and she said, "Don't move, Your Grace. Or I can't help you."

Noble Concubine Hui immediately glanced over and smiled.

"Why? You're annoyed when I only order you a few things. Yesterday you were very energetic. You invited all concubines to a banquet and a drank with His Majesty."

Gu Yunxi was stunned. Looking at the beautiful face in the bronze mirror, she suddenly forced the hairpin into the woman's plump bun.

"Oops, it hurts."

Noble Concubine Hui covered her head and shouted. Blood flowed from the fingers.

“I said, don't you move."

Before Gu Yunxi's fierce voice stopped, she picked up another hairpin on the table and put it on the Noble Concubine's face.

Her beautiful face approached the frightened woman, and Gu Yunxi smiled darkly at the bronze mirror.

The cold hairpin gently touched the woman's face, emitting a threatening light in the sun. Gu Yunxi said, "Your Grace, didn't I warn you not to move? If you move again, I'm afraid you can't have this beautiful face anymore..."