Chapter 173 The Queen Mother's Difficulties
The next day, Ye Jiayao woke up with a sore back and waist. She couldn't help but feel upset. She had brought trouble upon herself last night and almost burned herself to death. In the end, she didn't get anything out of the question. It was a big loss.

She was half dead, but someone was full of energy. He touched her face like he was playing with a pet and encouraged her, "You performed very well last night. Keep up the good work."

Ye Jiayao picked up a pillow and threw it at him without thinking, "If you keep doing this, you'll be damned."

Xia Chunyu laughed loudly and walked away.

Ye Jiayao was grief-stricken. He was the one doing the physical work, but she was the one who fell down every time. The gap was so despairing.

Qiao Xi came in and reported: "Butler Zhong is here with the mason."

Ye Jiayao hurriedly got up.

The three of them walked around the yard. After listening to Ye Jiayao's request, the mason suggested that the kitchen be built in the right wing room opposite the main wing room.

Ye Jiayao said: "Okay, let's do as you say and start the work as soon as possible. If you do a good job, there will be a reward."

"As for the wages, Manager Zhong, I will pay for it myself. Madam is short of money right now, so I won't trouble you."

Manager Zhong secretly praised that the Second Young Lady was a self-respecting person.

"While we're repairing the small kitchen, it would be best to build a wall here. After all, this is the inner courtyard, and it would be inconvenient for the maids to come in and out." Ye Jiayao said again.

"Yes." The mason gladly accepted the order.

After arranging matters in the small kitchen, Ye Jiayao went to pay her respects to Xia Youshi and the old marquis first.

It turned out that Aunt Wei and Mrs. Qiao were both kneeling in the hall, pleading for Xia Chunli. The old marquis was just drinking tea and was indifferent. It was Xia Youshi who said, "Chunli has already realized his mistake, and he has to go on duty today, so forget it!"

The old marquis snorted coldly, "I don't think he needs to go to the Imperial Academy. He would be embarrassed if he went there. He doesn't study hard, he doesn't work hard, he just knows how to take shortcuts. He wants to get a good review by using such unpresentable means. He has brought shame to the Marquisate."

"Master, even if you want to teach him, you have to do it slowly. You can't make a fat man eat everything in one bite. Just wait and see how he behaves in the future. If he makes the same mistake again, it won't be too late to punish him." Xia Youshi said.

She hoped that the master would punish Chunli by making him kneel for three days and three nights, but she was not his biological mother, so some things were difficult to say and she had to persuade him a little.

The old marquis then said angrily: "Let him go this time and punish him by making him recite the family rules a hundred times."

Aunt Wei thanked her profusely and hurried to the ancestral hall with Mrs. Qiao. When Mrs. Qiao passed by Ye Jiayao, she glared at her with red eyes.

Ye Jiayao remained calm, thinking to herself, "Why are you glaring at me?" As the saying goes, people from the same family stick together. The couple are really alike, both greedy. When they do something wrong, they don't reflect on themselves, but blame others.

Ye Jiayao stepped forward to pay her respects, and Xia Zhuofeng's complexion improved slightly when he saw his second daughter-in-law.

"Jinxuan, I heard that you are going to set up a small kitchen. Make more delicious food in the future." Xia Zhuofeng said.

Ye Jiayao smiled: "Father, my wife has made some spicy cabbage and garlic eggplant. We will move back today. If you want to eat something, just tell your wife. By the way, my wife developed a kind of cake yesterday. It is a very special snack. I will bring it back for your mother to try later."

Xia Youshi's heart was moved. Ye Jiayao said it was very special, so it must be a good thing. She still remembered how sensational the snowy mooncakes were. But she still remained reserved and said lightly, "I heard that you don't want to make new clothes anymore?"

"Mother, I have several new clothes that I haven't worn yet. It's better not to waste them." Ye Jiayao said.

Xia Youshi didn't say anything else, but in her heart she approved of her behavior. She was not extravagant and was never stingy when she should be generous. This daughter-in-law, except for her poor background, was commendable in other aspects.

"You go and do your work, and come back early in the afternoon. I have to go to the palace today. If the Queen Mother has no other opinions, the wedding banquet will be scheduled." Xia Youshi said.

Ye Jiayao then took her leave and took Jiang Yue to the courtyard. Zhong Xiang was already waiting outside.

Ye Jiayao asked Zhong Xiang to chop firewood first. The large load of firewood that Jiang Li chopped last time was used up in the experiments over the past few days. Jiang Yue went to fetch water. Everything was ready. Ye Jiayao gave the cake recipe to Zhong Xiang and asked him to mix it according to the recipe.

"The most critical thing is the heat. If you don't control it well, the cake won't rise. This is the heat and time I recorded. Let Jiang Yue cooperate with you and you can do it yourself." Ye Jiayao let Zhong Xiang figure it out on his own so that he could remember it. Even if Zhong Xiang made a mistake, she would not tell him.

As a result, after the first failure, Ye Jiayao first asked Zhong Xiang to summarize his own experience of failure, and then pointed out where he went wrong. This way, he would remember it clearly and pay attention to it next time.

Zhong Xiang was actually a man with good comprehension and was willing to work hard, so he succeeded the second time.

Ye Jiayao was very pleased: "If you succeed three times in a row, you will pass."

After working in the courtyard for a whole morning, they made three finished products. One of them was made with cream from Zhongxiang. It was crooked and did not look very good. Ye Jiayao asked him to take it to Tianshangju for everyone to eat. The other two were made by her herself. One was given to the Crown Princess and one was to be taken back to Xia Youshi. She would make another one tomorrow for Princess Yide and Xiaojing to taste.

Ye Jiayao went to the Prince's Mansion this time and was summoned by the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess's belly has become very big. It's only been two months since I last saw her, but it's as big as a balloon.

"I didn't expect you to be a woman." The Crown Princess smiled gently, "The Crown Prince was really surprised when he found out."

Ye Jiayao said awkwardly, "I had no choice but to do this. I hope the Crown Prince and Crown Princess won't blame me."

The Crown Princess sighed, "I really envy you for having a life like this. Although it's thrilling, it's colorful." Ye Jiayao could understand the boring lives of these canaries. They had everything they wanted, and the most important things in life were to please their husbands, compete with other women, and then give birth to sons. It was really boring. If she were asked to live this kind of life, she would definitely climb over the wall and run away.

“By the way, what is the name of this snack? It looks very exquisite.” asked the Crown Princess.

"I named it Cream Cake. It took me several attempts to make it. This is the first finished product, so I'm sending it to you first."

The Crown Princess smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful. Even if you don't send me food in the future, please come over and cook more and talk to me."

Ye Jiayao was delighted, thinking that the Crown Princess looked up to her!

"I'm just afraid that the Crown Princess will think I'm too nagging." Ye Jiayao said with a smile.

"I'm still in need of someone who can talk a lot. Tell me what's going on outside."

Ye Jiayao sat with the Crown Princess for more than an hour. Only when she thought of Xia You's instructions did she stand up and say goodbye.

As soon as she returned home, Ye Jiayao went straight to find Xia Youshi.

Xia Youshi was in a bad mood at the moment.

"The Queen Mother is deliberately making things difficult for the Second Young Madam! She's not a chef anymore, so how can she make such a request?" Grandma Sun was worried.

"The Second Young Madam will definitely agree, but this show of power is too strong."

Xia Youshi sighed and said, "I think there will be no peace in our house after Liuli comes in. Jinxuan can tolerate it, but she is not a pushover."

"If these two start a fight, I won't be helping anyone."

"The Second Young Madam is here." The maid outside reported.

Ye Jiayao came in with a box of cake: "Mom, this is the cake I just made. I'll give it to you as a snack."

Because Xia Youshi was preoccupied, she had no interest in any of the delicious food and asked Mother Sun to take it away.

It was a little difficult to say, "The Queen Mother looked at the list you drafted and said it was good. We will follow it, but there is one thing..."

Seeing that Xia Youshi looked a little strange, Ye Jiayao asked cautiously, "Just what?"

"The Queen Mother wants you to be the chef for this wedding banquet."

Ye Jiayao's heart clicked, as if a crack appeared in the earth's crust and magma was bubbling inside.

She is the second young lady of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion and Liuli's second sister-in-law, but the Queen Mother wants her to cook for the wedding banquet herself. Isn't this insulting her? That damn old woman is really thinking of something!
She just wanted to tell the world that she was just a cook, and even when she was the young lady of the Marquis's Mansion, she was still just a cook.

Damn, what's wrong with being a cook? If you look down on cooks, you can all go to hell!
Seeing Ye Jiayao remained silent, Xia Youshi said, "This matter is a little inappropriate."

"Mother, you don't have to worry. I will host the wedding banquet. I have hosted birthday banquets for the old princess and prepared royal dishes for the emperor. So what's the big deal about hosting a wedding banquet for my brother-in-law?" Ye Jiayao looked calm and hid her anger in her heart.

Xia Youshi knew that she would not shirk her responsibility, but she was always uneasy. Liuli's move to slap the second son's wife in the face was like slapping Chunyu in the face, wasn't it? Chunyu was the prince.

"I'll go to the palace again tomorrow!" said Xia Youshi. She could ignore Ye Jiayao's face, but she had to protect Chunyu's dignity.

"Mother, it's okay. I'm the second sister-in-law, and it's my duty to do my part. Mother, I'll take my leave first." Ye Jiayao stood up and said goodbye.

Grandma Sun said, "Second Young Madam is not happy!"

Xia Youshi rubbed her swollen head and said, "No one would be happy."

"Then... is that it?" said Mother Sun.

Xia Youshi waved her hands. This matter is not over yet! I will be troubled in the future.

Ye Jiayao returned to her room depressed and sat on the bed angrily.

Jiang Yue said carefully, "Second Young Madam, Madam has said that she will come to the palace again, why did you agree to it? Princess Liuli is making things difficult for you!"

Ye Jiayao said unhappily, "Do you think it will be useful if Madam enters the palace? They finally came up with this trick to harm me, how can I let it go so easily? It's useless, Madam will only run into obstacles if she goes."

After a pause, Ye Jiayao continued, "Just do it. She's already making things difficult for my sister-in-law before she even entered the house. Her bad reputation has already spread far and wide. If everyone knows about it, they will only despise her and sympathize with me. I'm just a cook, so what? Everyone knows that I'm a cook."

Jiang Yue also felt uncomfortable. Although the Second Young Mistress said so, her expression showed that she was very angry.

(End of this chapter)