Episode 9 recap: Rong Er, who had just learned to cook, became prominent and noticeable.
Rong Er was being led away by an eunuch, when she accidentally ran into Aunt Shou Xi and Rong Hui, the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager recognized Rong Er's flushed face and the eunuch said Rong Er had contracted the epidemic and was about to be taken away. Aunt Shou Xi explained that it was just an allergic reaction to pollen, not the epidemic, and the Empress Dowager believed her and let Rong Er go to the imperial kitchen in the Chonghua Palace.
Aunt Shou Xi had Rong Er promoted from a lowly kitchen hand to an assistant cook, which upset many others. Cai Bi had taken three years to be promoted to assistant cook, but Rong Er achieved it in just one month, causing much discussion. Cai Bi had Rong Er stand aside and watch her prepare the ingredients, refusing to let Rong Er help, leaving Rong Er feeling useless and dejected.
After returning, Rong Er was gloomy. Qing Er said she heard that Cai Bi was very diligent, arriving early to pick and prepare the ingredients, and even checking them all again late at night before bed, so she likely didn't let Rong Er help out of fear that Rong Er would make mistakes that would affect the dishes for the Emperor. Qing Er advised Rong Er to be patient.
Rong Er talked to Cai Bi, acknowledging her own shortcomings but asking for a chance to prove herself. Cai Bi said that the kitchen cared more about skills than connections, and when Rong Er was ready to help with the cutting, she wouldn't stop her.
Rong Er tried to learn steaming eggs on her own, but Cai Bi saw the foam was not properly skimmed off and poured the whole bowl into the slop bucket. When Cai Bi went to request wider chives for the Empress Dowager's meal, Rong Er was surprised to learn the narrower chives had a different flavor.
Rong Er secretly practiced egg-beating using a manual, and when Cai Bi saw her success, she allowed Rong Er to move on to steaming the eggs. But when Rong Er tried to actually help with the cooking, she became flustered and lost, so Aunt Shou Xi still had Cai Bi do the assistant cook's duties. Seeing Rong Er's disappointment, Li Qi advised her to try to understand Aunt Shou Xi's needs better.
After Rong Er's unrelenting efforts to study, Cai Bi and her aunt Shou Xi saw her hard work, and Cai Bi finally allowed Rong Er to help with the case and provided guidance from time to time. Rong Er accidentally overheard the prince and his men secretly selling prized Ferghana horses, which was an urgent matter that they needed to resolve before the emperor rode the horses. They discovered Rong Er and tried to catch her, but she coincidentally encountered Li Qi passing by and was able to escape.
Rong Er urged Li Qi to quickly inform the emperor about this. Li Qi, in order to protect Rong Er from being silenced by the prince and his men, found the prince and warned him to replenish the horses and that Li Qi would personally test the horses for the emperor. The prince, knowing that Li Qi was Rong Er's powerful backer, temporarily decided not to kill her.
Rong Er, recalling what she had overheard, accidentally cut her hand while helping in the kitchen. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, so she went to ask Li Qi if he had not told the emperor about the prince's secret horse dealings. Li Qi warned her that it was a complex situation and told her not to meddle, but Rong Er left angrily.
The emperor Puyi was riding horses at the stables and felt inspired to have a meal there. Rong Er saw this as an opportunity to inform the emperor about the Ferghana horses, so she requested from Shou Xi to be the one to serve the meal to the emperor. The emperor was delighted to see Rong Er approach, and got off his horse to speak with her. Suddenly, the horse was startled and charged towards Puyi. Rong Er pushed Puyi aside to protect him, but she herself fell and crashed into the wall.
Li Qi hurriedly went forward and carried the injured Rong Er to see the imperial physician.
Comments(Episode 9)