novelden Chapter 277 Meal
Chapter 277 Meal
"Princess, Concubine Bai comes from a humble family, and her behavior is laughable. You must not let her make you sick."
A Qiao rolled his eyes and comforted Chen Lingyi while massaging her shoulders and neck.
After hearing what A Qiao said, Chen Lingyi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her seductive eyes. A strong anger flashed in her eyes, but there was no trace of it in her tone.
"Aqiao, you were right about one thing, but you were also wrong about one thing."
"Eh?" Qiao continued massaging while trying to please others, "Qiao is stupid."
Chen Lingyi gave Zhu Yan a look, and the other party immediately stepped forward and explained to A Qiao:
"Master Aqiao said that Concubine Bai was of humble origin and behaved rudely, which was right; he said that the princess was angry because of Concubine Bai, which was wrong."
"So that's how it is," Ah Qiao nodded, her voice becoming softer, "Ah Qiao knows she's wrong. The princess is open-minded, how could she get angry with someone as rude as Concubine Bai?"
"wrong again!"
Chen Lingyi seemed to be in a better mood, but she denied what A Qiao said again.
Zhu Yan continued to explain in tacit understanding, "The young eunuch was arranged by the Queen to abort Concubine Bai's pregnancy. The Emperor has ordered an interrogation, so there is no guarantee that he will not be exposed.
The princess knew that if she personally pleaded for the young eunuch, Concubine Bai would definitely jump out and sing a different tune. If she killed the young eunuch in anger, she would be helping the queen to silence him.”
"So that's how it is. The princess is very resourceful, unlike Aqiao who is stupid and can't figure out the mystery."
A Qiao tilted his head and leaned close to Chen Lingyi's ear. His voice was low and magnetic, and his hot breath blew onto Chen Lingyi's ears, stirring up a pink blush.
Chen Lingyi's whole body stiffened, her bones felt a little soft, and her cheeks were slightly charming:
"You have been with me for a short time. As you hear and see more, you will gradually understand it."
Before Chen Lingyi could give any instructions, Zhu Yan tactfully retreated and stood guard outside the door.
There were faint sounds coming from inside the house, vague and lingering, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low-pitched, but Zhu Yan pretended not to hear them.
It seemed that all three of them had forgotten that it was the emperor, not Concubine Bai, who ordered the killing of the young eunuch.
……
After calling for water twice, A Qiao, wearing a mask, came out. When Zhu Yan entered, he saw Chen Lingyi, who had a very satisfied look on her face.
"Princess, the emperor just sent someone to summon you. He said he wants to have dinner with you."
Chen Lingyi's body smelled faintly of freshly applied powder. She slowly stretched out her red nails to admire them carefully, with a hint of pride in her eyes.
"It is a great honor to have dinner with the Emperor~~ Zhu Yan, help me wash up."
"Yes."
Chen Lingyi was right. Most of the time, the emperor had to eat alone.
It is just like this for a lonely person.
Only the emperor's closest and most trusted people could be summoned by the emperor to dine with him.
The dining place was chosen to be in the bedroom of Emperor Tianqi, which showed a closer relationship. When Chen Lingyi went in, Emperor Tianqi was already seated at the dining table, which was filled with a wide variety of delicious dishes, which were extremely sumptuous.
"See the Emperor."
"No need to be so polite, sister. Please take a seat!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Chen Lingyi looked around calmly. There were only the two of them in the hall, with no other servants, and she felt a little confused.
"Your Majesty, would you please allow me to serve the dishes?"
Emperor Tianqi shook his head slightly.
"No need. This is the first time I've dined with my sister since I ascended the throne. There aren't so many rules. We can just do it ourselves, just like before."
Before? Chen Lingyi was stunned for a moment. Why did the emperor start to recall the past?
In the past, eunuchs often deducted their expenses, and the two of them had to share one person's food, which was very poor.
After Emperor Tianqi finished speaking, he picked up his chopsticks first, picked up a four-happiness meatball and started eating. Seeing this, Chen Lingyi also picked up a four-happiness meatball to show her closeness.
After taking a light bite, he frowned. Why was this cold meatball so unpalatable? The fishy smell mixed with the taste of sauce filled his mouth, making him want to vomit.
"Is this dish not to my sister's liking? She seems unhappy." Emperor Tianqi remained calm.
"No."
Chen Lingyi forced herself to swallow the food in her mouth, but she did not finish the four-happiness meatballs that she had only taken a bite of.
"Qingyi, send more hot food to the emperor in the future. Eating too much cold food is not good for the emperor's stomach."
Emperor Tianqi picked up another piece of steamed donkey meat from the plate, dipped it in sauce, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with relish.
The taste was not very good because the imperial kitchen cooked the dishes in advance and kept them warm on the stove so that they could be served quickly when the meal was served.
"Thank you for your concern, my sister. This dining rule was passed down from our ancestors. By the time we got to the table, the dishes were a little cold. Although I am the ruler of a country, I still have to follow the rules, right?"
The three words "obey the rules" sensitively touched Chen Lingyi's nerves. She put down her chopsticks and a trace of anger flashed across her face.
"Empress Bai can ride on the emperor's dragon chariot, so isn't it harmless for Qingyi, the emperor's sister, to serve him?"
Emperor Tianqi put down his chopsticks, raised his eyes and looked at Chen Lingyi, his tone cold:
"There has always been a rule in the palace that the Queen Mother would order the kitchen to prepare more dishes for the Emperor, but our Queen Mother was too lazy to worry about it, so I have always eaten this kind of 'ostentatious dishes' prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.
My sister lives in Princess Qingyi's residence outside the palace, so I'm afraid she is unable to take care of this, so forget it!"
Chen Lingyi was shocked. Was the emperor blaming the empress dowager and also blaming her for not caring about his diet?
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Qi's people are still stirring up trouble in the court, and the Lin family has to keep a close eye on the northern border. Qingyi is also unable to spare any time."
Is this a cry for injustice? Or is he seeking credit? Emperor Tianqi lowered his eyelids to hide the coldness that flashed across his eyes.
Since he ascended the throne, this elder sister who grew up with him completely let go of her temperament. Relying on her status as the eldest princess, she fought for power and kept male favorites, and became extremely arrogant and licentious!
Of course, all of this was done in private. On the surface, Princess Qingyi was still known for her virtue and had a good reputation among the people. Her deeds were only circulated among the aristocratic families.
"Thank you, my sister, for taking care of the affairs of the court. With your help and the Lin family, I, as the emperor, can rest assured!"
He went from being carefree to losing his freedom, like a lamb in a pen. He came to the north to pray for Mid-Autumn Festival and had to argue in the court for half a month.
If it were the previous Taizu, Taizong and Huizong, who would dare to say a word about the Mid-Autumn Festival prayers?
At this time, Chen Lingyi, who was always good at dealing with people, seemed not to have heard the Emperor Tianqi's sarcasm, or rather, she pretended not to hear it.
She put on an extremely humble expression, and the words she spoke the next second were full of meaning.