By the Si Hour, the Imperial Kitchen began to prepare for lunch.
In the front and back courtyards, traditionally, meal preparations should be separate; however, when the residence was built, there was only one Imperial Kitchen situated between the front and back courtyards. There was such a spacious yard available, so they ultimately did not divide it.
Nonetheless, though it was one location, the dishes prepared for the back and front yards were still done separately.
Chef He Ergou was mainly responsible for the meals of Fourth Master in the front yard, and he did not need to personally handle the back yard's larger or smaller dishes.
However, the kitchen attendants serving the back yard had been very busy lately, for one could not dare to neglect Fujin; beloved or not, she was still the master.
Then there was Consort Fujin Li, a legitimate Mistress by title and now pregnant with two children; no one dared to neglect her either.
