Flames of Ambition

3: Unleashing her power in Fu

Chapter 3: Unleashing Her Power in Fu

It had already been a lot of minutes, but Dao Lu was still not in the Hua Kai Pavilion, which made Zexel irritated. Fan Yaoli even reduced her presence in front of Zexel since she was afraid that she’d be beaten like what Fan Qinyou did to her.

Zexel hated to wait, so she decided to go to the kitchen to see what was happening. But before she left, she told Fan Yaoli to just lie in bed until she came back.

Fan Yaoli obediently nodded as Zexel left her courtyard and walked toward the kitchen.

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Meanwhile, Dao Lu immediately reached the kitchen as she looked for the Head Chef of the Prime Minister’s Fu.

It was Chef Shen Junhwa. A lot of people were currying favors with him since he had a high standing in the Fu. He had the most favored concubine, Su Wei An, as backing, so he was too arrogant and liked to command others.

Su Wei An was Fan Qinyou’s mother. She used a lot of methods to deal with Fan Yaoli’s mother before so she could have the most power in the Fu.

“Do you think Su Yiniang[1] will like this? You’re only making this too cheap. It’s not even fit for Su Yiniang’s noble standing. Make another dish now!” Shen Junhwa even scolded everyone he wanted until Dao Lu spoke to him.

“Chef Shen, Young Lady Fan Lihua ordered you to make a meal and send it to my Young Miss’ place,” Dao Lu politely said.

In just a second, Shen Junhwa laughed and smirked at Dao Lu because he didn’t even believe that the seventh daughter would eat in the Hua Kai Pavilion.

“Do you think I’ll believe that Lady Fan Lihua would eat in that cheap, lousy, and abandoned pavilion of the Eldest Miss? You’re thinking too highly of yourself and your master. Ha! Like master, like servant,” Shen Junhwa said arrogantly.

“Get out of here, you’re polluting the place. If I don’t know better, you just want to steal food here since we haven’t even given you and your lousy master food since yesterday.” Shen Junhwa walked in the opposite direction, but Dao Lu grabbed his arm and stepped in front of him.

Shen Junhwa felt so disgusted that he even brushed off the part where Dao Lu had grabbed him a while ago.

“Chef Shen, it’s true. Miss Fan Lihua really ordered you to make a meal and bring it to my Miss’ place,” this time, Dao Lu made Shen Junhwa see Zexel’s jade. His eyes were immediately filled with shock, but after a second, he snapped out of it and immediately commanded the guards.

“Guards! Give this slave a good beating. She robbed the Young Lady Fan Lihua’s jade!” he shamelessly said.

He smirked at the thought of favoring Su Yiniang and imagined the good reward he would receive again. The guards showed up and dragged Dao Lu to the punishment hall.

But Dao Lu struggled in the guards’ grip. Shen Junhwa even snatched the jade from her hands and smirked at her.

“Nubi is telling the truth. Nubi really just followed Lady Lihua’s order,” she was crying, helpless against this kind of scheme. She didn’t know what to do until a voice stopped them.

“Put her down!” A cold voice from Zexel chilled the guards’ spines as if they were facing death. They immediately followed her order and bowed down.

The guards wanted to retreat, but Zexel didn’t even give them a chance.

“I was not informed that a mere head chef could even make you follow his orders. Oh? I really didn’t know that he also had a noble birth,” Fan Lihua glared at the guards and walked in front of Shen Junhwa.

She bowed slightly to him, which made Shen Junhwa freeze and start to sweat.

“Noble Shen, this lady is asking for your forgiveness for making you prepare food for me to eat in my sister’s place. I should not have let Dao Lu order you, since you are the personal chef of the noble concubine Su Wei An. What should I do for you to forgive me?” Zexel even acted pitifully in front of Shen Junhwa.

Shen Junhwa sweated even more and paled in front of Zexel. Zexel wanted to laugh as she looked at him.

Shen Junhwa couldn’t even refute Zexel since it was his first time being humiliated like this. Hatred arose in his heart as he cursed the lady in front of him.

“I don’t dare, Lady Lihua. It’s a misunderstanding, it was really a misunderstanding,” he rashly denied what Zexel said.

Zexel not only refused to forgive him, but she even told everyone that Chef Shen had a noble birth, that he was making food only for Su Wei An.

She even insulted Su Wei An, saying she was acting like she was above all, even her father. And as the daughter of the Prime Minister, she needed to bow down to him for acting like that.

“What’s happening here?” A manly voice was heard from the far corner of the kitchen. Dao Lu, the people in the kitchen, and the guards immediately kowtowed as they heard the voice.

Even Zexel bowed down, but before she did, she pressed Chef Shen’s acupuncture point so he would not be able to bow, even if he could move.

“Fan Lihua greets Father,” Zexel greeted her father, Fan Xuan Yan. Even if she was unwilling, she needed to because she was still too weak here.

“Why are you not bowing, Chef Shen? Are you looking down on my status?” Fan Xuan Yan coldly said.

“I…” Chef Shen didn’t even have time to refute when Zexel spoke.

“Father, Lihua just wanted to eat with Sister Yaoli, but Chef Shen didn’t even want to make our food. His actions even told me that he was too noble to make our food and that he would only make food for Su Yiniang. Father, Lihua is sad and hungry,” she activated her crocodile tears[2]. She brought out her handkerchief.

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1: Yiniang (母亲) - Concubine mother
2: Crocodile's tears - A false, insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief.