Episode 2 recap: Qiwang punished Cheng Biyuan's brother and sister-in-law.
On the day of the competition, An'er instructed the maidservants to gather all the ingredients, leaving nothing behind. Even the cooking utensils were broken. Cheng Biyuan, seeing this situation, was helpless as well. After a series of frying and cooking, the two of them presented their finished dishes to Qiwang. An'er confidently lifted the lid, revealing a plate of "Swallow's Nest Phoenix Embryo" with exquisite color, aroma, and taste. An'er proudly introduced that it was cooked with top-quality bird's nest and matsutake mushrooms. She personally picked up a bite to feed Qiwang, but Qiwang gestured for her to put it on the plate. After tasting it, Qiwang nodded and said it was good!
Now it was Cheng Biyuan's turn. She approached and lifted the lid, and a foul smell filled the air. Cheng Biyuan explained that she had made a divine match. Everyone covered their noses and frowned, especially An'er, who disdainfully commented that it was just stinky tofu. She believed that such a crude dish was unworthy of Qiwang. Cheng Biyuan remained calm and confidently picked up a piece for Qiwang to taste. Qiwang mustered the courage and took a bite, unexpectedly finding it indescribably delicious. Moreover, there was a surprise inside the tofu, as Cheng Biyuan had used durian as the filling. Qiwang greatly appreciated it and thought that Cheng Biyuan had put a lot of thought into it and taken a different approach. He declared Cheng Biyuan the winner.
Naturally, An'er was not convinced and angrily prepared to leave. However, Cheng Biyuan stopped her and wanted to settle the matter of the slap. An'er panicked and shouted for someone to come. Cheng Biyuan reassured her not to panic and that there was a solution to everything. In the end, Cheng Biyuan settled the dispute between her and An'er by receiving two thousand taels of silver. Cheng Biyuan was delighted because with this sum of money, she could open her own restaurant and no longer be subject to the exploitation of her brother and sister-in-law.
Just then, there was a commotion outside the Qiwang Mansion. It turned out that Cheng Biyuan's brother and sister-in-law had come to cause trouble. Qiwang asked them for the reason, and they cried and complained that Cheng Biyuan had forgotten their kindness. They claimed that they had raised her since she was orphaned and now that she had climbed up to become a prince's consort, she no longer recognized them. Cheng Biyuan, pretending to cry as well, said it was all her fault for not helping her brother repay his gambling debts, so her brother should take back the Cheng family's eatery.
Qiwang had already understood that Cheng Biyuan's brother and sister-in-law had been extorting and exploiting her. He prepared to kill them with a knife, but Cheng Biyuan had an idea. With Qiwang's permission, Cheng Biyuan's brother and sister-in-law were publicly paraded through the streets, and everyone learned about their ugly deeds. Cheng Biyuan completely cut ties with them from then on.
Comments(Episode 2)