Episode 14 recap: Rong Er won the admiration of the foreigners with her pastries.
Jing Yi Tai Fei went to tell the Emperor that he had been eating a vegetarian diet, which was not good for his health. The Emperor said he felt his diet was quite good and he had been eating a lot of it. Jing Yi Tai Fei said that after Shou Xi passed away, Chonghua Palace lacked experience and could not properly serve the Emperor. He kept pleading that it was out of concern for Puyi's health, and Puyi had no choice but to order that meals be provided by the Taihe Palace from then on.
The mysterious person said that Rong Er had been obstructing their actions, and ordered someone to keep a close eye on her. Liu Yiren reported to the mysterious person that Rong Er had been deeply troubled by Shou Xi Nainai's death, and had been frequently contacting Wang Gong Gong from the Shenxing Division. The mysterious person then ordered Liu Gong Gong to handle this matter promptly, and soon after Wang Gong Gong was found to have mysteriously gone mad and started biting people.
Lu Qiu Tong's driver nearly hit someone while driving, and when he got out, he found it was Li Qi. Li Qi asked Lu Qiu Tong if he was alright, and invited him to have a meal and drinks if he was fine. Li Qi was very depressed and confided in Lu Qiu Tong that after great effort, they still could not catch the thief, leaving him very frustrated. Lu Qiu Tong said the imperial palace was like a sinking ship, and advised him not to blame himself too much. Li Qi said he knew that, but he had promised someone to get to the truth, and the Emperor was not just his ruler but also his friend.
Lu Qiu Tong joked that this person Li Qi promised couldn't be a girl, his love interest, and asked what kind of person she was. Li Qi recounted that Rong Er was reckless but kind and grateful, and very hardworking. Lu Qiu Tong realized that Li Qi had developed feelings for this woman without even realizing it himself.
The Emperor requested Western Mr. Zhuang to have coffee, and wanted some pastries to go along with it. Puyi instructed that Rong Er from Chonghua Palace should make them, but Yu Gong Gong suggested having Shuang Xi Gugu from Taihe Palace do it instead. Puyi angrily said that he couldn't even decide on his own pastries anymore.
The eunuch told Rong Er that the Emperor wanted some pastries to accompany his coffee. Rong Er had never had coffee before and didn't know what it tasted like. Referring to the notes left by Shou Xi Gugu, she carefully made some pastries and sent them to the Emperor. Mr. Zhuang highly praised the pastries, and wanted to summon the chef who made them. The pleased Emperor wanted to reward Rong Er, but she declined, saying she only wanted to put into practice the culinary skills she had learned from Shou Xi Gugu. However, Puyi insisted on rewarding her, and ultimately restored Chonghua Palace's right to provide meals, allowing both Taihe Palace and Chonghua Palace to share the responsibility.
Jing Yi Tai Fei became very angry when he learned that Chonghua Palace had regained the meal service rights. He went to the Emperor to argue, and coincidentally the Imperial Kitchen staff also came to request the meal service rights back. Seizing the opportunity, Jing Yi Tai Fei suggested the Emperor hold a cooking competition, with Taihe Palace, Chonghua Palace, and the Imperial Kitchen all participating, and the winner gaining the meal service rights.
Rong Hui Tai Fei went to Rong Er, hoping she would not participate in the competition. The Empress Dowager expressed her wish for everyone to be safe and well. Rong Er said this competition was not just about her, but also about the reputation of Chonghua Palace and Shou Xi Gugu, so she had to participate. The Empress Dowager, seeing how much Rong Er resembled Shou Xi, no longer tried to dissuade her.
The Emperor decided to hold the cooking competition three days later, and said if the Imperial Kitchen did not win, their staff would be expelled from the palace. The three parties - Taihe Palace, Chonghua Palace, and the Imperial Kitchen - all began preparations in earnest.
On the day of the competition, the first round was a taste test, where only the head chefs could participate. Each person was served three dishes, and they had to correctly identify the ingredients to advance. In the end, the Imperial Kitchen and Taihe Palace passed, but Rong Er was eliminated.
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