What followed was a tedious court assembly. Ji Yingying leaned against a pillar, gazing at the assembled ministers. Having attended court for nearly seven days, it felt like an eternity to her.
[Host, there’s fresh gossip. Care for a taste?]
[Oh ho~ This is the first time you’ve highlighted gossip. I’d almost forgotten you could do that.]
Xiangxiang: …Isn’t that because you never go out, making it slack off for so long?
[Quick, tell me what this new gossip is!]
[See that general over there?]
[I see him. He seems to be attending court for the first time today!] The military officers were visibly muscular and handsome, especially with their wheat-colored skin. She’d been stealing glances at him occasionally – he definitely wasn’t here before yesterday.
[Good heavens, he actually enjoys wearing green hats and loves new clothes. Under his official robe, he’s actually wearing pink clothing! This makes me want to exclaim: Wow, you’re so flamboyant! No way, no way – this pink outfit actually belongs to his wife? I wonder if it’ll tear when he puts it on?]
[Damn… This General Chang really knows how to have fun, wearing so many green hats. I feel like there are more and more cuckolded men these days. Should we stop calling this the Tianyou Dynasty and rename it the Green Hat Dynasty?]
[He’s really playing with fire, having his wife play games with multiple people… then watching from the sidelines. When his wife cries for help, he doesn’t rescue her but instead happily eggs those people on to…]
[Absolutely unbelievable. How can someone so perverted still serve as a general protecting the people? Look how he treats his own wife – if he can’t manage his own household, how can he possibly manage state affairs?]
“What…?” General Chang’s eyes darted around. The only female official in the court was Ji Yingying. He glared at her fiercely, as if trying to bore holes through her with his stare.
Yet he couldn’t utter a single word, instead putting on another performance of “meeting the Great Ancestor” right then and there.
Ji Yingying’s eyes widened in astonishment. This kind of performance… it was her first time seeing such a thing. Wouldn’t this be considered improper conduct?
[What a legend, daring to put on such a show before the Emperor. Truly a legendary figure…] Ji Yingying silently gave him a thumbs-up in her heart, before a group of Imperial Guards entered and dragged him away.
“Your Majesty, I have transported three castrated pigs from Xinhe County, now available for sale at the Gathering Immortals Pavilion.”
[Oh ho~ I must go for a meal after work today. I won’t eat much – just some braised pork trotters, green pepper pork stir-fry, pork intestines with pickled cabbage, boiled pork slices, fish-fragrant shredded pork, farm-style stir-fried pork, sweet and sour pork, crispy fried pork, and then some pork bone soup, etc. That’s all – I really won’t eat much!]
[You’re making me drool! Just imagine – those braised pork trotters stewed until flavorful, then you suck on them… tsk tsk… to die for. And the green pepper pork stir-fry with rice – just think of that flavor, I could down three bowls of rice! Ah! Thinking about it makes me salivate.]
[Host, are you sure these dishes exist in this world?]
[Not sure, but isn’t this some official’s restaurant? I’ll just have my chef go there and cook them. If others want to learn, I’ll have my chef teach them. It’s not like they’re secret recipes anyway. Besides, these past couple days eating here, aside from a couple bites of fish, three bites of chicken, four bites of duck, and five sips of soup, I haven’t been able to eat anything.]
Hearing this, Ji Cailiang couldn’t help but wipe sweat from his brow. And she calls that not eating much?
[“No, it’s actually the Crown Princess’s shop!”]
[“That’s easy then. I’ll go talk to the Crown Princess. I haven’t had a proper meal since I’ve been here for so long.”] Ji Yingying’s tone turned coquettish by the end.
Ahem~ The Emperor cleared his throat and said, “Since the supplies have already been delivered and there’s nothing urgent today, let all my ministers go take a look together. Well… Minister Ji, your chef came from Xinhe County. Have your chef prepare a meal at the restaurant according to the menu Little Ji just mentioned.”
“Huh?” Ji Yingying, who had been daydreaming while chatting with Xiangxiang, suddenly heard her name called. She immediately raised her hand and responded, her speed rivaling Su Bingtian’s 9.83-second record.
Instantly, everyone turned to look at her. Ji Yingying shrunk back in embarrassment – why hadn’t she been paying attention to what was happening?
“Let’s go, my ministers!”
Ji Yingying remained confused. What had actually been said?
She cautiously tugged at the official in front of her and asked, “Sir, what just happened?”
The official didn’t dare make any big movements. Ever since Ji Yingying had been standing behind him, he never dared to slack off during court sessions.
“His Majesty said he’s taking us to eat, to taste the castrated pig. He wants your family chef to cook it, making what you usually eat.”
[“Huh? Oh… a company team building! The Emperor is such a generous boss! I love the Emperor so much. With such a good boss, I’ll work hard. I’m definitely going to eat my money’s worth this time.”]
The Emperor walking ahead nearly tripped over his own heels and fell. Fortunately, Cao Gonggong supported him quickly, otherwise his dignity… would have been completely lost!
Are young girls these days so bold? Can they just say “love” so casually?
The Emperor just wanted to say: Don’t love me. If you love me, I’d be too embarrassed to take advantage. You’re only ten, not even of age yet. Don’t ruin my lifelong reputation.
Ji Cailiang following behind was truly suffering. His child, how could she speak so carelessly? No, he must tell his wife tonight that she must discipline their daughter properly and not let her speak recklessly.
The ministers nearby looked at Ji Cailiang with the eyes of melon-eaters – some admiring, some disdainful… all kinds of looks.
Though colleagues in the same court hall, each had eight hundred schemes in their hearts.
When they arrived at Juxian Restaurant by carriage, the private rooms on the second floor were already prepared. While going upstairs, Ji Yingying deliberately stuck close to her father. With her dad around, people at their table probably wouldn’t dare to compete with her for food.
But before they could even sit down, the Emperor said, “Minister Ji, Little Ji, come sit here.”
The Emperor’s table only had the Emperor and the Crown Prince, with seats available just for Ji Yingying and Ji Cailiang.
“Your servant thanks Your Majesty’s grace!” Ji Cailiang expressed gratitude, and Ji Yingying followed suit with a proper show of thanks before sitting down to wait for the food to be served.
[Host, there’s fresh melon to eat. Want some?]
[The food hasn’t arrived yet, of course I want some! Serve it up, I just happen to have melon seeds.] Ji Yingying grabbed a handful of melon seeds and started cracking them: [See that waiter over there?]
[I see him. Oh ho~ what a ruthless person! He actually drove his own mother to live in the doghouse, and when she got sick, he wouldn’t even get her medical treatment.]
[How does someone like that deserve to live? His mother may have had a poor background – she was a brothel woman – but for his sake, she tried every means to leave that life behind, exhausted all methods to raise him, and even arranged his marriage. Now in her old age, she’s treated like this by her own son – it’s simply outrageous!]
“Tsk tsk… Being his mother is truly miserable. That wretched bastard directly shoved me into the doghouse to live, and on top of that often denies me food for days. All because I fell ill – and it’s not even some serious disease! Medicine wouldn’t cost much, yet he refuses to show filial piety…”